Synastry - The Astrology of Relationship

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ELEMENTS
Each Zodiac sign is one of four elements, usually fire gets on best with fire and air; air gets on best with fire and air; water and earth get on best with water and earth. 

HOWEVER...
The whole question of what works well together depends upon what you want of each other - what is your purpose in being together, and also where each of you is in terms of personal evolution and maturity?

There are indeed times when a cosy, harmonious relationship would be a dream come true - but more frequently we have a challenge to deal with and it may be very helpful to work on it with a partner who is challenging.

Also it is very simplistic to compare Sun sign with Sun sign and nothing more. Astrology itself is so very much more than Sun signs, let alone the complexity of relationship, so these comments about compatibility are only part of a bigger question.

Are you suited to each other?

We are told that ‘Aries and Leo get along but Aries and Virgo do not’, but it’s not fair to say that love is so doomed or that Astrology is so shallow.

Healthy relationship requires both harmony and challenge. The honeymoon period doesn’t last, and soon difficulties have to be faced together. This is better supported by hard aspects rather than soft; relaxing and having fun tends to be easier with softer aspects, so a good balance of both hard and soft is best.

Planets

PLANETS AND POINTS
These have associations with certain areas of life, which are influenced by the specific aspect connections you have with a partner.  Here are some pointers that show what aspects of personality each planet influences:

Sun
Self-awareness, self-confidence, essential life story

Moon
Comfort, feeling at home, easiness of being

Mercury
Talking about things, understandings

Venus
Love, harmony, beauty, sexual play, ability to attract

Mars
Assertiveness, anger, sexual urgency, emotional projections

Jupiter
Expansion, spiritual path, visionary hopes, religious belief

Saturn
Discipline, good order, maturity, seriousness, duty, commitment

Chiron
Heightened sensitivity, hurt, healing, perceptual shifts

Uranus
Spontaneity, eccentricity, freedom, excitement, rebelliousness

Neptune
Idealism, fantasy, sensitivity to atmospheres, lack of realism

Pluto
Intensity, power, charisma, magnetism, major life changes

Ascendant
Everyday personality, image to the world, casual interactions

Descendant
Relationship with one other, the special partnership

Nodes
Soul evolution, perceived life goal on deepest level

Midheaven
Career, reputation, role in society

Aspects

EASY ASPECTS
Conjunction, Trine, Sextile
 
HARD ASPECTS
 Square, Semi-square, Opposition
  
ORBS
The closer the orb, the more intense is the interaction but no-one can say how wide they should be. As a general rule I like to keep them tight, but the choice is yours - can you actually see or feel the reality of it?

​KEY CONNECTIONS
SUN MOON ASCENDANT DESCENDANT

Any relationship with mutual connection between any of these is likely to reach deeper levels than usual associations. This shows as mutual understanding, good rapport and willingness to see the other's point of view.

CATEGORY 1 ASPECTS
Sun - Sun
Sun - Moon
Sun - Ascendant
Sun - Descendant
Moon - Moon
Moon - Ascendant
Moon - Descendant
Ascendant - Descendant
Ascendant - Ascendant

Please note that these are not always harmonious; it can go either way, but typically they will be very impactful.

CATEGORY 2 ASPECTS
Any of the key connections with any of the other points and planets - 
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, North Node, South Node, Midheaven

The owner of the key connection (Sun, Moon, Asc, Desc) might find the aspect more telling than their partner.
​(My Moon square your Pluto is more likely to be emotionally troubling to me than to you).

CATEGORY 3 ASPECTS
Any aspect that excludes the 4 key connections

These can be very important in specific areas of activity. For example Venus Mars connections support sexual interest.​

Some examples

His Sun conjunct her Moon
His self-awareness and self-confidence improves and he is better able to live out his essential life story because he feels she provides him with comfort, a feeling of being at home, and a general easiness of being himself.

Her Moon conjunct his Sun
She feels that she provides him with emotional comfort, and a caring home, so he is easy to be with and is more authentic, truly confident and self-expressive in the world.

His Sun square her Mercury
Difficulty in communication because she tries to tell him things he doesn't want to hear.

His Moon trine her Venus
Beautiful and harmonious ease of being together; she feels he sees her beauty, he feels safe and cared for.

Her Ascendant conjunct his Descendant
Ideal aspect that underpins friendship; between lovers it adds an easy everyday aspect to the relationship.

Her Pluto square his Mars
Highly charged, intense and probably sexually fiery. The image of a volcano - dangerous, transforming and unsustainable. His urge to dominate is eventually thwarted.

His Venus sextile her Mercury
Delighting in the art form of communication and very capable of subtle mutual understandings.

His Moon opposition her Sun
Profound connection with mutual awareness, yet sometimes very deeply frictional at core levels of being.

Her Pluto conjunct his Descendant
Loss of identity where each finds the other overpowering, most especially him. Yet inescapable attraction.

His Moon trine her Moon
Perfect for living together and sharing everyday ordinary life. Each is sensitive to the others feelings offering care and genuine emotional support.

Further Reading
I strongly recommended that you pay a visit to Cafe Astrology. It is an excellent website generally, and particularly with its easy-to-read yet profound sense of the various combinations in synastry.