Tag Archives: neptune in synastry

Saturday Archives: Natal Chart in Synastry – Neptune

Neptune-related issues continue to crop up both in my life and in the lives and relationships of friends and clients, so I decided to pull this article on the effect Neptune has in our natal charts for today’s Saturday Archive post. In my personal opinion, Neptune is the most difficult planet to deal with in relationships, because it is so easy to mislead ourselves and others with only the best of intentions and the highest motives.

Neptune-animatedNeptune is so good at creating illusions and causing us to second-guess ourselves, it’s no wonder this post got put on hold. However, I have been seeing Neptune aspects showing up with great frequency in chart comparisons lately, so I thought I would take another shot at the elusive one.

Reading over on Elsa P’s blog the other day, I came across a great description of the way Neptune operates, especially in synastry. Here is the quote: And then he said the perfect “Neptune” thing. “It’s not that you look like a whore, it’s that they want you to be a whore… they wish you were a whore so when they look at you, you’re a whore.

If Neptune is playing a major role is synastry (aspecting the personal planets in particular) wishes truly can become horses and you can ride off into La La Land, no problem. We want to believe the best of anyone that we care about, and in general that’s no bad thing. One or two Neptune aspects, especially Venus-Neptune aspects, can amp up the romance factor and make all concerned very happy. If there are some good solid Saturn aspects to keep all parties grounded in something resembling reality, Neptune aspects add a nice touch to the overall relationship.

Where unrealistic expectations and projections start to become problematical is if there are several Neptune intra-aspects (same planets from both charts). For example, if Neptune is conjunct or square Mercury, it’s very easy for miscommunications to start snowballing. We can read way too much into the simplest statements and end up thinking someone is head over heels in love with us when they are putting out “friends only.”

Neptune on the Ascendant is often found in the charts of actors and actresses, allowing them to appear to be someone they’re not. All of us watching them perform are part of the agreement to suspend disbelief and see them as the role they are playing. For an ordinary person, Neptune on the Ascendant can create problems because it can be difficult to know exactly how others are seeing us in our day to day interactions in the world at large. Our friends and lovers are ga ga over their idea of who we are, not the actual person. Conversely, Neptune can lead us to believe we are quite undesirable unless we have ourselves painted to the hilt. The beauty industry makes big bucks off this . . . really big bucks.

There is a great deal to be said for consulting a trusted neutral third party if Neptune is heavily involved in synastry to help sort out what is really happening. I know I have brought up unmanifested potential before with Neptune aspects. I have Moon conjunct Neptune natally and can usually see the possibilities inherent in an individual. The dicey part is that those possibilities may never materialize.

Libra with Scorpio risingposted by Neith . . .

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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

Saturday Archives: Neptune in Synastry . . .

Neptune's Horses by Liza EastmanSince I’ve been coming across Neptune aspects in the compatibility charts I’ve been working with lately, this is the post I decided to pull from the archives. Neptune has also been a powerful influence in the sky lately too, conjuncting the Full Moon in Aquarius. It does not pay to ignore this subtle but powerful planet.

When I think of Neptune in synastry, the duality of the Neptune experience comes to mind. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus but not often expressed as that. Wandering around in a hall of smoke and mirrors and lots of illusion is a far more common experience. Yes, it’s possible we can find our “soul mate” and live happily ever after is a cloud of romantic bliss . . . and if you buy that I have this piece of real estate in the hinterlands that would be perfect for you.

Neptune is darn tricky to understand but when it comes to synastry I see Neptune as playing an important role. He can soften some of Saturn’s harsher edges and give us some relief from Pluto’s obsessions. Or he can lead us down the garden path and make both Saturn’s strictures and Pluto’s obsessive behaviors even worse. Think of some poor badly abused individual that proclaims how much their abuser “loves” them because their addictions to drugs and alcohol (Neptune) are being fed. Admittedly this is an extreme example but there are lots of these folks out there in this type of situation.

If we see sextiles and trines between Neptune and various personal planets in a comparison, I find these are helpful in promoting a pleasant romantic vibe. If it’s Venus involved there is likely to be candlelit dinners and flowers that are given for no particular reason except to express appreciation for one’s lover. With the Sun and Moon, Neptune can bring a deep sense of connection, often spiritual in nature and a willingness to exercise tolerance generously. Sometimes Moon/Neptune aspects can promote an emotional, psychic awareness of each other. Mars/Neptune aspects are good for cheering each other on to achieve especially if one or both people are in creative professions. Neptune can be a source of inspiration and creativity that seems to well up out of the cosmos.

Neptune conjunct personal planets and the Ascendant/Descendant can be a little trickier to handle. It’s been my experience Neptune is on his best behavior with some harmonious distance involved. Up close and personal as in the conjunction, he can start churning out his illusions easier and it’s easier to get lost in them. However, Neptune conjunctions do intensify the sense of a psychic link as well as empathy for the other. So I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and look to other aspects to get an idea of how the Neptune effect will play out.

It’s the squares, inconjuncts and oppositions with Neptune that can get really interesting – particularly the square aspects. Here is where the desire to escape from sordid reality can seriously emerge and create major difficulties. Religion, drugs, and other assorted addictions are often a part of relationships with the tension creating aspects. The opposition can lead to being seduced by a so-called “spiritual leader” where one person projects all kinds of fanciful notions on another. Neptune is often about projections and expectations – both our own and others. With the inconjunct the effect may be of either living in la la land with occasional shocks of cold, hard reality or the reverse which may be more manageable.

When Neptune has us firmly entranced, it seems we must dance to his tune until something else happens to break the spell. In a typical relationship, we are most “in Love” for about two years or there abouts. Now which planet changes signs roughly two and half years . . . . Saturn!! Saturn can help ground us and show us the way to enjoy Neptune’s benefits without succumbing to his downside. This reason I say this is because I have Moon conjunct Neptune natally closely sextile to Saturn and that is my personal experience of both of these outer planets.

Libra, an Air signposted by Neith . . .

This image is of the quilted version of Walter Crane’s painting, “Neptune’s Horses“! Liza Eastman does amazing work, doesn’t she?!

The Synastry of Obsession

Prosperine by RossettiMany times we need to choose what the nature of a relationship will be. Will we be friends or lovers?

When the outer planets are dominant in a compatibility chart, we often are drawn into a relationship despite our best intentions. I recently received an email from a young woman asking about her troublesome relationship with a young man, and in the process of looking at their synastry chart, I realized she may have been overwhelmed by the undertows created by the outer planets.

In their natal charts, they both have Moon in Libra and Mercury in Scorpio, indicating emotional and mental compatibility. However, her Sun in Capricorn is square his Libra Moon, even though his Sagittarius Sun is sextile her Moon in Libra. In most instances, a Sun-Moon square creates the possibility of misunderstandings and makes it difficult to sustain an intimate relationship. Nonetheless, this is pretty darn good chemistry.

Pluto’s influence is very evident, with his Mars-Pluto square and her Mars conjunct Pluto in Scorpio. It’s like they both have Mars in Scorpio on steroids. Both have Moon-Pluto natal aspects, so finding perspective in emotional matters is challenging, to say the least. Pluto and the sign her rules, Scorpio, both have obsessive qualities. Pluto’s role in both natal charts says they are both intense and possibly obsessive.

However, Neptune is also prominent in both charts. Neptune is conjunct her Sun-Venus, and he has also has Venus, Mercury, and Neptune conjunct in Sagittarius. In their synastry, his Sagittarius stellium conjoins her Mercury, a combination just about guaranteed to create a lot of empathy. It also indicates a possible psychic connection. The problem here, though, is that confusion can arise as a result. Venus-Neptune aspects make it difficult to sort romantic expectations from reality, too.

Just to make things more interesting, her Uranus conjoins his Sagittarius Sun – always good for instant attraction. A couple of wide Venus-Uranus synastry aspects add to the possibility of things heating up quickly and cooling down just as fast. The one planet not strongly represented in their synastry is Saturn. Saturn can help us stay grounded and practical – both necessary for durability.

As is also quite common with outer planet influences in synastry, the circumstances surrounding this relationship make being together as a couple difficult to bring about. To her credit, this woman understands what is at stake and is doing her best to detach from the relationship in order to preserve her sanity.

As an astrologer looking at their charts, I can see both the carrot (all the personal planet conjunctions for comfort and mutual understanding) and the trap (the outer planet synastry aspects), so the fact this relationship developed is not at all surprising. When someone has Libra rising and a Moon in Libra conjunct the Ascendant as well, learning life’s lessons through the vehicle of relationships is a given.

As to how to deal with this, I recommend getting a copy of Donna Cunningham’s book, Healing Pluto Problems. Donna believes those of us with powerful Pluto signatures in our charts can heal ourselves, and I can affirm that having done it. I send many blessings and lots and lots of good wishes flowing out to this young woman. Have courage; you can succeed.

Libra, an Air signposted by Neith . . .