Sun Sign Astrology & Why it is Wrong for Relationships

 Astrology is a quite well known and popular. We see horoscopes in the newspaper and magazines all the time. One often hears; "astrology is nonsense", "those weekly horoscopes are never right", or "I am nothing like my sign". Well, that is because what is being taken as 'astrological fact' is only part of the bigger picture. The weekly/monthly horoscopes in the paper are based on just the placement of JUST the Sun and there are all kinds of other factors that go into getting an accurate horoscope. There are all kinds of sources that talk about what sign is the best match; again, based ONLY on the Sun sign. This is, who your best match is, who you are and your potential is all based upon the WHOLE astrological chart.

For example, I am a Capricorn Sun. The sign in its most pure state is diplomatic, practical, ambitious, cautious and organized. On the flip side, they are also nervous, conceited, jealous, selfish and gloomy. I am certainly diplomatic and practical, but I am not conceited or a jealous person. I am more ambitious than most, I am organized only half (or less) of the time and I am not selfish, quite the opposite. Capricorns are also known to be "cold". I do give off this vibe not because I am, but because I do not show my emotions. Well, what would be more accurate is that I do not have an emotional reaction to things. It is not that I am unfeeling, I have learned how to process my emotions internally. I used to be hypersensitive.

So where do all these SUN SIGN ONLY tid-bits go wrong? They do not consider the rest of a person's astrological placements. We are not the sum of our Sun sign.

• The Sun is only attributed to the inner-self, the ego. This is the bit of ourselves that is at our core. All the other placements play upon the Sun and each other.
• The Ascendant (rising) is the public self, the external personality and our demeanor. 
  
• The Moon represents our emotions and needs.
• Mercury is how and what we learn, communicate and think
• Venus is what we find joy and beauty in. She is the planet of pleasures.
• Mars is the action planet. This is how and why we do what we do.
• Jupiter is a a teacher planet and expresses the potential for our 'fortune'.
• Saturn is also a teacher planet and expresses the limitations and challenges we face.
• Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are generational planets and while they factor into the whole, they are less notable. They make more impact if they are prominently placed or aspected. 

So you are looking for the best match for you astrologically. You will want to look at the whole of your chart. If you have a current love interest, a synastry chart can be very telling as to the compatibility.  One can also do a composite chart; this chart expresses the 'personality' of the relationship dynamic.

If you do not have a love interest you can still take a look at what would be good potential, but it is still not 100%. There are afflicted charts which lends to afflicted personalities. There are charts that have A LOT of favorable aspects that while favorable aspects are great to have, they fall into the category of 'too much of a good thing' that leads to very scattered energy.

So what to look at and consider when using astrology for romance. The Sun, Ascendant, Moon, Venus and Mars. Those placements tend to be found in most all different approaches to relationships. There is the Moon and Venus in a Man's Chart & Sun and Mars in a Woman's Chart camp. Moon and Venus are the two feminine personal planets and Sun and Mars are the two masculine personal planets. Then there is the Moon, Venus, Mars Camp; Moon is our emotional expression, Venus is what we find attractive and Mars is how we like to 'get down and dirty'. There are additional attributes as well: The houses, 5th House is the house of love affairs and the 7th House is marriage/partnerships. In my studies I stumbled upon the Sun Moon Midpoint. This was said to signify the signs (2) that we have magnetic energy with. This does not say if that the attraction is good or bad, but it is still an attraction. I have found this mid-point to be very useful when talking about astrology and relationships as it can be very telling.

MASCULINE/FEMININE CAMP 

*note: I understand that this is limited to the Male/Female dynamic; I am in no way intending to exclude those that live outside this specific duality. If you would like specifics for who you are and how you identify ~ I am more than happy to have a chat with you because you are all more unique and there is no 'astrological recipe' for you like there is for those male/female combos. You can also look at the MVM camp below, as that applies to everyone

• In a woman's chart one looks to the placement of the Sun and Mars ~
• In a man's chart one looks the the placement of the Moon and Venus ~

These placements are said to describe the ideal partner. Someone is either sharing signs: her Sun is in the same sign as his Moon, or his Venus is in the same sign as her Sun, and so on. Now, I approach astrology with more focus on the Moon and Ascendant. So I throw the Ascendant into the mix when looking at compatibility. 

ME THREE CAMP

As said above,  Moon is our emotional expression, Venus is what we find attractive and Mars is how we like to 'get down and dirty'.  This approach uses more of the synastry in chart comparison.  Where one Moon is in relation to the other person's planets and signs is going to determine if the potential partner will be a good listener or not, if they have the right sort of compassionate, or tolerant, or aloof response to an emotional outburst of their partner.  Since Venus is the planet of what we find beautiful and what brings us joy; then it is the sign that our Venus is in that (supposedly) expresses the type of person in looks and character that we find most attractive. The sign that Mars is in is the how and what we do and want between the sheets.

The Ascendant; this is a big part of who we are. Along with the Sun, this the other half of the Self. This sign will be what attracts another, is the other person's Venus in the same sign, what about Mercury for that 'mind-meld' connection? This sign will have a personality that understands the inner workings of the partner with the same Sun sign. This is the sign that compliments 'itself'; meaning the risings between both people will be in favorable aspect; are the ascendants in the same element (Trine aspect)? 

The Sextile aspect is also favorable and there are minor aspects that are also favorable.

How these personal planets Sun to Mars are in relation to the teacher planets and that expression will also play into the whole. Will their Mars be a test to your Saturn? Will your Venus sing with their Jupiter?

So... you see that just this glimpse into the compatibility demonstrates that the 'compatible signs lists' are faulty. There are all kinds of things besides what is covered in this already long blog post that goes into compatibility in astrology.