Transit and Synastry Essentials Versus the Extras
With all the planets, angles, Nodes, asteroids and various parts and points to consider, astrological interpretation can be overwhelming. What do you look at first? Does one influence cancel out another? Not all synastry connections and transits carry the same weight. Understanding the levels of importance is crucial to understanding what will have a major impact, and what will act as a footnote.
The Basics
Always start with the planets. Always. It doesn’t matter how pronounced your natal Juno is, or how many aspects there are to your Part of Fortune. Planets are the building blocks of interpretation. Your Sun (ego and life’s purpose) and Moon (essential needs) are the most significant, followed by the ruler of your Ascendant (which defines your identity) and (in varying order) Mercury, Venus and Mars. These are personal planets: they represent you, as an individual. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are outer planets: they represent the themes of the collective, as experienced by you. For the most part, aspects to personal planets are felt more strongly because their energies are immediate and intimate. For example, transiting Saturn conjunct your Venus will define or restrict your relationships. This will dominate, even if transiting Jupiter (expansion) is squaring your natal Neptune. The big Neptune dreams will still be felt, but Saturn’s restraining influence on your Venus will be the primary theme. The one exception to this is your Ascendent ruler: aspects to this planet will be emphasized even if it’s an outer planet.
Having said this, there are a few more exceptions. In synastry, aspects between your Sun or Moon and his Sun or Moon will certainly be felt, but they won’t say much about the long-term durability of the relationship. Aspects between the Sun and Moon describe the initial connection, but not the whole story. A discordant square between your Moon (needs) and his Sun (ego) will create tension, but won’t derail the relationship.
For transits or synastry, aspects to the planet that rules your 7th House can have a huge impact on your love life, even if it’s an outer planet. It’s “in charge” of your committed partnerships. Aspects between your Ascendant and/or 7th House ruler to his Ascendant and/or 7th House ruler are crucial in relationship compatibility, and have a say in whether the relationship will be significant. Also, a transiting outer planet passing over your 1st and 7th House cusps can be just as profound as aspects to your personal planets.
Some people are not tuned into all the outer planets. It’s entirely possible for a Sun/Pluto aspect in synastry to go unnoticed by the Pluto person, if it’s not emphasized in his chart. “Emphasized” means his natal Pluto aspects his personal planets or angles. Or, he has personal planets in Scorpio (ruled by Pluto). But if his Pluto is not pronounced, that planet’s lessons are not part of his curriculum. Your Sun on his Pluto means he may not feel the expected intensity. Transiting Saturn dragging its weight over your natal Uranus may trigger absolutely nothing, if Uranus is not emphasized. But if Uranus rules your 1st or 7th House, or it squares your Venus, then you would feel this transit as limits on your freedom to be yourself (in relationships). Or, maybe you’d feel pressure to commit. Uranus’ energy is personalized for you, even though it’s an outer planet.
Besides the planets, the Nodes and Sun/Moon midpoint are also significant. Transits to the natal Nodes and Sun/Moon midpoint often trigger the start or end of significant relationships. Synastry aspects to the Nodes are always present in relationships with karmic history. Synastry aspects to the Sun/Moon midpoint (while not present in all significant relationships) absolutely have a profound effect on the midpoint person.
Transits to natal Chiron, or aspects from transiting Chiron, can lay the groundwork for a relationship that unleashes significant pain, vulnerability and healing. Chiron aspects in synastry are notorious for drawing people together due to its siren song of shared pain and hope for relief. However, as significant as Chiron is, there still needs to be some solid aspects to the planets and/or Nodes to get the relationship off the ground.
The Extras
The four major asteroids (Juno, Ceres, Pallas and Vesta) have some prominence, but in my opinion, their influence is still felt as secondary to the planets, Nodes, Sun/Moon midpoint and Chiron. Transiting Neptune moving over your natal Juno may or may not be felt as the appearance of a dream partner. Transiting Neptune over your 7th House cusp is far more likely to trigger an idealistic romance or unrequited live. But, if transiting Neptune aspects your natal Juno while transiting Uranus passes over your 7th House cusp, the life-changing relationship that you didn’t see coming could certainly have undertones of a soul mate connection (Neptune).
And you can keep drilling down, looking at other asteroids associated with love and attraction (Eros, Psyche, Amor, Cupido, etc). But even if you find a conjunction between his Amor (selfless love) and your Venus, it won’t be felt as much more than a hint of compassion. And it certainly won’t balance out his rather cruel Mars/Pluto square to your Venus.
Points like the Part of Fortune (prosperity in the physical world) and Vertex (fated encounters) are sometimes activated (by transit) when you meet a significant other, but sometimes they’re not. Synastry between some couples shows aspects between these points and planets, but for other significant partnerships, these points aren’t activated at all. They can be interesting to analyze after the fact, but I don’t feel they carry much weight in relationships.
When looking at the extras, here’s my view on the hierarchy of significance: the four asteroids, Black Moon Lilith, Eros and then the other asteroids and points. This is my understanding based on my work as an astrologer, but I don’t consider it to be carved in stone. Other astrologers give the Vertex, Eros, or various asteroids/points (that I consider to be extras) far more prominence. In the end, you’re the best judge of what stands out in your love life. If you look back on past relationships and see that your Vertex was activated in every instance, then it’s a major player for you.
Related Posts:
- Nodal Conjunctions in Synastry: The Downside to a Fated Relationship
- That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen: When Transits Don’t Behave as Expected
