Relationships. We dream of them, long for them, dish about them. They are the spice of life and the burr under our saddles. Nothing feels as wonderful or awful as our romantic entanglements. Yet as consuming as the pursuit of our heart's desires, many times we are often at odds with what we think a relationship should be and what we end up with. Why does this happen?
We yearn to "fall in love," discover that magical sustaining relationship that will provide us with love and emotional security. But relationships, as we know, are far more complex than that. This is because the moment of your birth describes the conditions of your lifetime. Your natal chart reflects your innate talents, abilities and desires. Within the complexities of your birth chart are your capacity to give and receive love and build relationships. The person you have a romance with is a reflection of that. Relationships are the mirror of our soul.
We all come here with specific lessons to learn or events to experience. The planets as they travel in the sky -- what astrologers call "transits" -- trigger the start and time span of those lessons. It is how astrologers can predict when certain things are likely to happen.
Now we all have heard that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but it's the heavy hitters of the solar system that puts the spins on our entanglements. Here's a run down of how the major players play out.
Jupiter, the beneficent fatso, often brings on romance hot and heavy, with lots of sex and the consequences thereof. Jupiter rules the freewheeling sign of Sagittarius, which loves to love 'em and leave 'em. If Jupiter is prominent in your chart or if Sagittarius is predominant in your chart, you find it hard to settle down. Often you have many relationships, sometimes at the same time. You are excited by each romantic discovery, then tire of it when something substantial is required of you. As with anything dealing with the planet of luck, you are likely to get more than you bargain for when you get lucky. Transits of Jupiter in the Fifth House can bring a pregnancy, the Seventh a marriage because of pregnancy. Jupiterian relationships are often filled with fun, but need some kind of stabilizing influence from Saturn for them to last.
Saturn, the planet of work and responsibility, seems like an unlikely player in the field of romance. If Saturn is in your Seventh House of Relationships or if you have a significant portion of planets in your natal chart in the sign of Capricorn, you have two responses to relationships. Either you are very stable and committed, willing to do the work to keep the relationship going for the long haul, or you have been so frustrated with relationships in the past that you avoid meaningful ones altogether.
You pass through a series of liaisons that fill your physical needs but not your emotional ones. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for all the glamour of their stardom, have a Saturnian romance. Her Venus/Saturn combination is opposite his stellium of Capricorn planets. Though one or both may chaff under the responsibilities of sustaining this relationship, theirs is a difficult tie to break. When Saturn transits the Seventh House of Relationships, you are likely to marry, though not without considerable pre-wedding jitters.
Uranus, the planet of the unexpected, brings relationships out of the blue. If you have a strength Eleventh House or Uranian influence in your chart, you are more susceptible to the charms of these couplings. Exciting and enticing, these liaisons are the ones that make our hearts pound and have us considering formerly unimaginable actions. Your love interest may be unusual, foreign or just plain whacked. Since Uranus is the planet of individuality, these types of relationships have more to do with discovering something about ourselves than hearts and flowers. Though intense, an Uranian relationship rarely lasts past the transit to the planet it triggers. Remember that ... when Uranus makes an impact on your chart and you consider doing things that will blow your life apart.
Neptune is your hearts and flowers romance. Your lover is wonderful, without a flaw. You are so enamored of your heart's desire you barely notice that your lover doesn't notice you. In this relationship, there is an element of deception. Either you are not seeing your lover clearly or your lover is lying to you about something important ... like the fact that your lover is married! If you are a Pisces or have a strong Twelfth House, you are susceptible to Neptunian charms. When you realize that your sweetie has warts, either you act in a mature manner and accept them or you run screaming for the hills.
Pluto is another unlikely candidate in the romance department, but for many people it is a potent force. People with a heavy Scorpio or Eighth House emphasis in their chart often wind up in these types of relationships, though Pluto's transit to your Sun, Moon or Venus can offer up this enticement to you. With Pluto, you are inexplicably drawn to a relationship. The feelings are intense to the point of being overwhelming. You are convinced you have found your one true love and that you are destined to be together forever. The ugly side of this affair is that this type is often about power and control. Plutonian relationships can last up to four years, as the Pluto transits moves off the the trigger planet. If dancing with danger is not your cup of tea, run -- don't walk -- to the nearest exit to avoid the fire! One day, you'll be glad you did.
