Tag Archives: inconjunct in synastry

Saturday Archives: The Inconjunct in Synastry

It's all about balance.With sentimental Venus in Pisces soon to conjoin Mars in Pisces in the sky romance is in the air, so I decided to pull this article on one of the more difficult synastry aspects to work with. Yes, rather contrary but I’m a Libra and like to present the other side of the story. :-)

There has been discussion about the Inconjunct (150° degree aspect) in synastry and soul mates but I’m not going to go there since this is outside my personal experience realm. I’m going to discuss the possibilities inherent in everyday interactions when people have the personal planets inconjunct by sign in synastry. We are under the aegis of earth now and it’s nuts and bolts, not ideology, that is asked for.

A reasonably typical scenario is when two people are attracted to each other with red hot chemistry shown by strong Venus-Mars aspects between them. However when we look at the way the Luminaries (the Sun & Moon) and Mercury relate we find the inconjunct showing up. Let’s start with what happens when the Luminaries are inconjunct.

If person A has Sun in Gemini and person B has their Moon in Scorpio, the Gemini Sun will feel like all their efforts to relate are falling into a black hole of the Scorpio Moon. Gemini likes to keep things light and chatty and someone with Moon in Scorpio goes for brooding and secretive. There is a stark difference in style here and the possibility of the Sun person inadvertently offending the Moon person just by walking their walk and talking their talk is high. There is a better chance for the relationship to succeed if person B’s Sun is conjunct, sextile or trine person A’s Moon because it will give them a way to work around the differences shown by the inconjunct.

When the Moons are inconjunct, the greatest obstacle is the nature of the way the Moon operates in our charts. The Moon shows our habit patterns and our emotional response, often in an unconscious way. For instance, someone with Moon in Virgo is going to have difficulty living around a Moon in Aries person. Virgo is inclined to be very private about what they feel and slow to commit while fiery Aries just jumps right in and wants to know when they can move in! Earth and Fire have very different priorities around the home. Practical workarounds usually require lots of space, patience and negotiation. It’s also helpful if there are flowing aspects to the Moons from other planets in the synastry.

Mercury inconjuncts I do know a little about because that I have experience with. My Mercury in Scorpio is inconjunct my SO’s Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Aries. The saving grace for me is Mercury is very strong in my chart and communicating well has been a long time focus for me, otherwise the frustration level would be much greater! Here’s an example: my mind is very slow to wake up, so telling me something important first thing after I wake up is usually not a good idea. Mercury in Aries wakes up totally engaged and ready to rock and roll. We learned to wait until I’ve been up for at least an hour before talking over critical matters – but it was tough to break our instinctive patterns of communicating.

Mars-Venus inconjuncts often indicates difficulties in timing. One person is exhausted, has other demands on their time or they just aren’t in the mood, etc. If the rest of the synastry is great, this can be consciously worked around even if it doesn’t feel very romantic.

Patience and a good astrologer can be very helpful when it comes to sorting out ways to work with inconjuncts in synastry. Knowing what’s going on is often the key to helping us be more understanding and considerate of each other. So if your lover is frustrating the heck out of you and you want to gain some insight as to ways to resolve it, collect your birth data and see an astrologer . . .

Libra loves Venus Directposted by Neith . . .

Image: Seeking to find balance is what this image portrays quite well.

Todd and Sarah Palin, Latest Power Couple

Todd and Sarah PalinIf there ever was a couple whose synastry was defined by the inconjunct (150°) aspect, this is it. These are two strong-minded individuals, he with the Sun, Moon, Pluto, and Uranus in Virgo, and she with the Sun, Mars, and Saturn tightly conjunct in Aquarius.

In this instance where we have no good birth times to work with, we can only speculate about their chart wheels and the possibility that Sarah’s Moon may be in late Capricorn rather than early Aquarius. A late Capricorn Moon would be much happier with Todd’s Virgo Moon and Venus-Mars in Cancer, but we may never know. And it’s doubtful we will ever have a good birth time for Todd. He was born in Dillingham, Alaska, in 1964, the year a 9.2 earthquake devastated the Anchorage area.

Since both of them likely have their Sun, Moon, and Mercury in the same sign, it is the essential differences between Aquarius and Virgo that are highlighted. Aquarius is fixed air and is noted for being quite stubborn about their quirks, while Virgo is mutable earth, a more subtle, service-oriented sign. The key to understanding how these very different people have sustained a marriage lasting 20 years with five children may be in the known conjunctions in their synastry chart.

The nitty-gritty of any compatibility chart comparison is to be found in conjunctions, a major indication of shared experience. Todd’s Virgo stellium is conjunct Sarah’s Uranus and Pluto. Her Sun, Mars, and Saturn in Aquarius form an out-of-sign conjunction with his Saturn in Pisces. Over the course of the next few weeks, Saturn in Virgo will continue transiting their shared planets in Virgo, an indication of the stress of being in the public eye.

Because of the role Neptune has in both their individual charts and in their synastry, their Neptune in Scorpio conjunction moves beyond a generational aspect in importance. Neptune squares Sarah’s Sun and is sextile Todd’s Sun. This means they have a Sun-Neptune intra-aspect. An intra-aspect in synastry is one with the same planets from both charts in aspect by degree, e.g., her Sun is square his Neptune and her Neptune is sextile his Sun. Their shared religious beliefs are one of the important factors in their marriage. This intra-aspect can create a sympathetic bond and soften the edges of the harsher differences.

Another intra-aspect with Neptune involves Mars. Since Todd has a Venus-Mars conjunction in Cancer, and Sarah’s Mars is in Aquarius and her Venus is in Aries, they can use a little help from Neptune’s rose-colored glasses to keep the romance alive.  Cancer and Aquarius are also inconjunct and have about as much in common as apples and oranges. Neptune may create illusions, but also may represent strong religious beliefs that have kept them from straying.

Of course, one can never underestimate Saturn’s role in supporting a lasting relationship.  She has a natal Sun-Saturn conjunction, and he has a Mercury-Saturn opposition and his Saturn conjoins her Aquarius stellium. They have a Mars-Saturn intra-aspect, underlining their need to honor their vows and behave according to the “rules.”

The transpersonal planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) have a fascinating role in this chart comparison. In Sarah’s chart, Uranus and Pluto do not form aspects to her personal planets, but Todd’s Sun is conjunct both of those planets as well as being square to Neptune. As often happens, when we have unaspected transpersonal planets, we meet those archetypes in the form of another person. It is very possible Todd has a powerful impact on Sarah, although neither may be consciously aware of it. He is her means to tap into the darker side of her nature.

The picture of this relationship I see emerging is of Saturn and Neptune playing key roles – Neptune in the form of their common faith, and Saturn with his insistence on following the rules and respecting legalized bonds. Otherwise, these two would have gone their separate ways long ago, because practical earthy Virgo has little patience with airy Aquarius visions for humanity. It is easy to see Todd as the ultimate self-sufficient Alaskan happily spending hours in the solitude of the back country, a natural for Virgo. And it is also easy to understand Aquarius Sarah wanting to be deeply involved in her community, working with like-minded people for what she sees as the greater good.

Libra, an Air signposted by Neith . . .

Verified Birth Data:  Todd Palin   6 Sept 1964, Dillingham, AK; Sarah Palin 11 Feb 1964, Sandpoint, ID