IO RELATIONSHIP (COMPOSITE)

                                                                                   for

                                                             Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

THE SUN

The composite Sun, like the Sun in a natal chart, is the heart of the relationship and its primary drive and focus. The sign in which it falls will color the entire relationship, as many of the important events in the relationship will occur when transiting bodies are in this sign. If it is strong in its house position and supported by good aspects from other bodies, the relationship will have a solid center and will tend to sustain itself despite the buffets of adversity. If it is poorly aspected or in a difficult house position, the relationship will be easily damaged and difficult to repair as the natural cyclical transits will tend to reinforce negative qualities of the relationship rather than positive. The Sun's primary quality is restorative drive, the general impetus toward life and its sustenance, rather than any specific traits or areas of endeavor such as are represented by the planets. Therefore its placement will tell the overall thrust and style of the relationship and how well it bears up under fire, rather than give the details of just how it will do so. A badly placed Sun can mean a relationship that is almost certain to fail, because wounds to the partnership won't heal themselves. A very well-placed Sun can mean a relationship that sustains and resuscitates itself so well that it may even be difficult to get out of should either partner choose to do so (as might be the case if the planetary aspects were very difficult or if the two natal charts themselves were in great conflict). It is the driving engine of the relationship and everything else orbits around it and derives life from its energy.

SUN in GEMINI

It may be said that the fundamental driving engine of this relationship is communication. Staying in touch with each other in a very specific, verbal way will be very important and, fortunately, fairly easy unless there are serious problems elsewhere. It is also the kind of relationship which can make easy contacts with others and help them to express themselves more easily. What others feel on a gut level, you may be able to put into words for them. The same goes for the individual partners in this relationship: when either has a difficult time expressing what is going on inside, the two of you together may much more easily flush out the feelings and convert them to a form where you can more easily understand and deal with them. If there is a stylistic problem here, it may be difficult not to lighten up and you may be accused of being obstinate because you are supplying glib answers to profound questions. Where this is the case the partner with the most style and talent should be in charge of the situation. The nice thing about partnerships, which is too often forgotten, is that each party can act independently on the behalf of both and thus change the whole effect of the relationship. You should feel free to move in an out of this, as yours has a fairly fluid style to begin with.

The Composite Moon

The symbolism of the composite Moon in a relationship is that of reflection - not in the sense of intellectual deliberation or thoughtful rumination but much more literally, reflective like a mirror. Whereas the Sun represents the primal, outgoing energy in the relationship, the Moon shows how the relationship reacts to situations once they have been presented to it. When someone approaches you with an idea, do you react to it, criticize it, laugh at it or with it? Steal it? Ignore it? Expand upon it? Extending this logic, it, of course means how you feel about a situation, the process and style in which your emotions are stirred. The things to which you react include each other, so the position of the composite Moon will be critical to the emotional well-being and functionality of the relationship, independent of your individual natures. Thus, a well-placed and well-supported composite Moon can lend clarity and cooperation to the most confused and befuddled people who might never expect to get along; whereas an afflicted composite Moon can throw dissension and conflict into the lives of the most well-adjusted and easy-going persons who normally get along with everybody. This is, of course, because this reflective, emotional effect is largely subconscious, and because it does not emanate from either of you in the usual way, you are unfamiliar with its style and rhythms. This accounts for a lot of the "magic" - both good and bad - that is associated with relationships. On the positive side, it can mean a relationship that seems to heal one or both of you and just makes everything go right that didn't before. This is a marvelous feeling but one that can lead to a mistaken dependency on your partner as the source of the improvement when it is actually the relationship itself that should get the credit. On the opposite side it can lead to mutual blame for making things worse when the fault lies with neither of you but in the structure of the situation itself. The great advantage of having the details of the compositechart available to you is that you can better differentiate the strengths and weaknesses of the situation from those which may lie within yourselves. The former you will have to work around on the exterior, the latter you will have to work from within. In tandem with the Sun, the Moon and its position will make or break most relationships. If the Sun and Moon are well-placed and well- aspected, the relationship is anything from a good bet to a sure thing, regardless of the other positions and problems that need to be worked out. If the Sun and Moon are badly positioned or afflicted, it will be an uphill fight all the way, and one that either or both of you may choose to set aside unless you feel compelled to spend a great deal of time, energy, and emotion rising to the challenge. Life is about choices, and here especially the composite chart can help supply the data you need to aid you in your selection.

MOON in ARIES

This relationship is very quick on the uptake and can serve to pick up the pace for both of you individually. When asked to confront a problem, you will be the first with the most enthusiasm to respond and can leave others behind. This will make you first out of the gate, but it can also tire out your energy and interest rather quickly, so you will do well to temper your first reactions with a view of your long-term energy reservoir. Like the hare and the tortoise, when you have to stop for breath along the way, others may catch up and pass you by, so pace yourself. The same goes for your enthusiasm for each other, which may come and go in passionate spurts, which are exceedingly joyful but which may leave you down and wondering where it all went further down the line. It's easy (and fun!) to go overboard and if you are aware of what you are doing and are willing to jointly take a welcome rest when it's done, you will find this relationship to be invigorating for both of you. If you expect your initial high level of burn to go on indefinitely, you can turn yourselves into cinders or may blame each other for not going the distance. Just be ready to take a breather; then jump back in.

THE COMPOSITE MERCURY

Mercury in the composite chart represents the mutual meeting of minds, or lack of it, between you. It also represents your ability to communicate to others as a couple or as individuals. In the first instance, in which the position symbolizes the shore between two intellects, it will be important to know what kind of communication goes on: by style, substance, and action (sign, house, and aspect). A well-placed Mercury will mean that you can put clearly into words what you mean to say to each other, and such a position can be of great help in alleviating emotional problems that may not easily come to the surface. If you can both say how you feel, you've gone a long way towards being able to change. On the other hand, a badly placed Mercury can have the opposite effect, stirring up emotional problems where there were none by simply getting communications wires crossed. In a professional relationship this can mean all sorts of pointless starts and stops because of faulty information, particularly in an increasingly information-oriented society. The position of Mercury therefore becomes increasingly critical in relationships in general. Its placement also describes how you communicate as a duo with the public at large, so herein lies further opportunities for good or ill. Well-placed, it will mean that you may be able to get yourself across to the world at large through the relationship rather than on your own. Where there are difficulties here, it may be better to speak your own piece and not let the relationship represent you. Nevertheless, knowing the situation in advance can help enormously, as you won't have to learn the communications value of the relationship by trial and error or blame each other for problems that arise from what is essentially a third party with its own horoscope, the relationship itself. Rather, you can take advantage of the best that it offers and avoid what looks like trouble by one or both of you pulling back on your own to handle problems the relationship does not cope with well.

MERCURY in GEMINI

A very well-placed Mercury by sign makes this relationship's abilities to think, analyze, and communicate have extra high potential. When together, it should be easy to put into words what you are trying to say - if anything- too easy, and you may have to edit your ideas until they reach a size that you individually can wrap your heads around. In a world where communication and the manipulation of information is gaining increasing value, this is an asset you should be able to turn into money if that is your intent. Even though individually you may not be so glib, together you will likely provide each other with the missing pieces to make clarity and swiftness of understanding a sure thing. Because of this, you can also make yourself the mouthpiece for others who are less articulate and take a piece of the action along the way or just do it as a favor for a friend. The only thing you should be careful of is that you try to communicate on an emotional and spiritual level as well. It can be easy to rely on words alone and expect everyone to know what you are saying (including your partner). Some people's communications are largely non-verbal and it would be wise to study just how this is done so that you don't miss something important in the information storm you may create and feel quite sufficient for your own purposes.

THE COMPOSITE VENUS

The planet Venus represents desire, attraction, what you physically and emotionally desire and as a composite position describes where your desires meet and either blend or conflict, or a bit of both. This is too often applied to love interests alone, although it covers them as well. It means everything you desire - money, position, beautiful things, property, friends, lovers, anything that you want and believe if you get it, will make you happy. It also has another side which is your ability to appear to provide just such fulfillment for others, thus symbolizing personal charm, beauty, attractiveness, wealth, and so on. It's the two-way wish fulfillment point where dreams are born. When this is viewed between two people as a composite point, it means how and whether you make each other's dreams, on a very basic level, come true. If badly placed, it can mean continual desire and constant disappointment. If strong by position, it will be a buttress to the relationship, as you know you will always get what you want when you come back to it. It is, of course, critical in telling how a sexual relationship will unfold and can spell repeated ecstasy or constant frustration, especially taken in tandem with composite Mars. It also represents how well the relationship as a whole will be able to realize its goals and desires, which will of course be directly connected with its ability to make itself desirable, both of which are described by this composite point. Thus, an afflicted composite Venus is a double indemnity, because it usually prevents either of you from getting what you want out of each other, and it means the relationship will not get what it wants, either. Conversely, a well-aspected composite Venus is like a gift from above, as it means mutual success and satisfaction all around. In judging the overall success of a relationship, this is indeed a very important position.

VENUS in GEMINI

A wide variety of tastes will likely mark this relationship, which means you will always find something to satisfy whatever the situation. Moreover, given a multiplicity of choices, it may be difficult to settle on just what it is you want or like best. When it becomes difficult to follow through or when you run out of interest, set one or the other of you on the task, and let that one pursue it until your joint interest and commitment returns. From an exterior point of view, you may find that you have a charming ability to please everyone, mainly because of your tastes and your willingness to accommodate others and still take real pleasure in what is being achieved. If there is any potential problem in this, it comes from spreading yourself too thinly and trying to please too many at once without being able to spend enough time with each. The same goes for your ability to fully pull within your grasp that which you would like to possess - be careful nothing slips between your fingers while you are distracted by another. The ability to successfully pursue multiple desires is entirely within your potential, but it will largely depend on your ability to split your concentration, which can be helped by sharing responsibilities between the two of you.

THE COMPOSITE MARS

Mars represents physical and emotional energy, and as such the ability and inclination to get things done, to fulfill desire by taking action. By itself it is really just raw energy, and its placement, particularly in relation to the other bodies in the chart, describes where and how well this energy will be directed. As a composite point, it describes how your two energy directions mesh and whether they will reinforce each other or simply get in each other's way. It will tell whether sparks will fly, igniting random and destructive brush fires, or whether a controlled fire will blossom that will become the engine to power and fulfill your desires under your own direction. Its relationship to Venus, particularly in sexual relationships, is critical, as it will describe whether it will fulfill or deny your sexual needs. In both male and female it describes sexual drive as well as assertiveness and ultimately, aggression. Thus, a well positioned composite Mars allows the two of you to unite your energies naturally toward whatever goal you choose, while a difficult placing will put your efforts constantly at odds, wasting your efforts in mutual conflict or confusion when you should be utilizing them otherwise. As with Venus, this can be the greatest natural blessing or a terrible stumbling block. A strong composite Mars can energize and focus two people who are otherwise at sixes and sevens with themselves, and a troublesome one can throw the most balanced performers into disarray as they wonder what hit them to throw them so off balance. Thus, it will be wise to understand this position well so as to know whether to ride it or back off. It will also portray the power potential of the relationship as it exists in the outside world. A strong Mars has the energy to carry others along with it, whereas a disabled one will tend to break down already functioning operations in the relationships' social surroundings. None of this suggests that a difficult Mars means you should forget about the relationship, however, as if oe of you is simply put in charge in certain areas, mutually compartmentalizing the energy flow; the ill effect can be largely disenabled, albeit at the price of local inequality. It is something to be considered with care and attention, however, as herein lies much of your self-empowerment and control over your lives.

MARS in GEMINI

A lot of flexibility of action is available to you in this relationship, in which you can literally float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. What you miss in initial hitting power you make up for in your ability to accurately target your efforts when the situation changes. This can apply to emotional changes within the relationship, which you will be able to quickly adapt and also the way in which the partnership delivers the goods in projects and relationships involving others who may change their minds or be moving targets. Take care, however, not to get involved with more commitments than you can handle. Your energies can be spread too thinly and die out before you can bring any one of your intentions into reality. You are particularly suited for implementing communication, either as messengers between people or as support for getting communication projects accomplished. Don't try to be a heavy, as you are too light on your feet to play that role, but take advantage of your ability to manipulate information and situations to your own advantage and you will find the job gets done with ease. Where agility is needed, you will be in your glory, so stick to where your greatest talents and inclinations lie and you'll come out a winner.

THE COMPOSITE JUPITER

Jupiter in any chart represents the capacity for growth and expansion in relation to whatever it is connected. It means bigger, better, newer, faster, higher, and more developed. It is usually looked at only in the positive aspect, but it also has the potential to get out of hand if not checked and directed. The composite chart is the area that your mutual aspiration and inventiveness meet, a point where creativity is strong but which may or may not bring its potentials to fruition, depending upon its placement and how you handle it. Well-aspected it allows you to view realistically and act effectively upon what you determine together to make the relationship a spawning ground of limitless opportunity, more than either of you could manage separately. Debilitated, it can mean overblown expectations that come to nothing, biting off more than you can chew, situations that spiral out of control, and projects that perish under their own weight. But these ills aside, Jupiter usually does more good than harm and under most conditions it is the place to look for blessings. A solid composite Jupiter will mean that you can always look to the relationship to pull each of you up another step when you are stagnating and it will mean that others can look to the two of you for inspiration and new ideas. Where it is difficult, you will have to take the opportunity to restrain yourself now and again and develop only that which you think you can use at the time to avoid wasting your energies on unrealizable goals. It will show you where the big picture is and provide the kind of life overview which the relationship teaches that you might not have discovered on your own. It can be the force that carries you both away with each other and raises you to heights you didn't know you had. Its only danger is allowing the relationship to take over you as individuals. Use it as a resource for each of you to draw on, not the other way round, and it will always pay off for you.

JUPITER in SCORPIO

Growth within your relationship will be characterized by careful planning and circumscription. Caution will be a watchword and the main perceived problem will be preventing things from getting out of your control. Personally, the way in which you develop together will be yours and nobody else's business, and invasion of privacy may be a serious concern when you are dealing with emotional matters. Externally, you will want to make yourselves masters of the well-conceived plan and devastatingly-accurate blow may be most comfortable when running a project with military precision. This is a good position for Jupiter, but avoid excesses. All except one, that is, which is keeping control for its own sake. It's one thing to run a tight ship, quite another to become a control freak. Keep a watchful eye on yourselves so that in an attempt to dominate your own landscape you do not deny your creative impulses the freedom to go where they will flourish best, even if that is outside of your original intentions or with another person. It can be easy to over fortify your positions, preventing your partner or you from having the necessary room to maneuver. Decide upon your game plan, but be willing to bend the rules when necessary as you go along. Sometimes the best way to have real, meaningful control over your life is to relinquish it.

THE COMPOSITE SATURN

Saturn is usually considered the bugbear among planets and has an evil reputation that it only partially deserves. It is associated with restriction, contraction, dearth, debilitation, and a host of other adjectives that add up to not getting what you want. That is, however, only partly true. It might be better to say that it describes extreme delineation, concreteness, and finality - reality in the most concrete sense. Much of our lives are comprised of hopes, plans, desires, dreams, wishes, and expectation, and Saturn describes what actually becomes of them. So in such a goal-oriented, future-driven society as ours, what actually happens is all too often a disappointment, the result of failed unrealistic expectations. Thus, Saturn in the composite chart is where you both get down to brass tacks and determine (or have determined for you) what actually is to be. If this point is well-situated, it means that you can rely on each other and the relationship as something that delivers every time. It will lend solidity to the relationship and make it something you can lean on when either of you need to be backed up. It will also make the two of you a haven for others in distress. In a difficult position, it will mean that you tend to fail each other, to bring each other down, and to sap each other's energies physically or emotionally. In this situation it can highlight the insecurities of the relationship and mark for failure what might otherwise have succeeded. But in either situation, like any other planet, it will not touch every aspect of the relationship and so you are free to be selective if you know what areas it is either supporting or restricting. You want to know what the bottom line is everywhere, however; and that is what Saturn will tell you. But you don't have to invest in stocks you think are going to depreciate, either. If you recognize early what the downsides and the support pillars of the relationship are, you can use one to stand on while you either avoid or make repairs upon the other at your leisre. If you do not, ignorance is the ally of the dark side and it will have much greater power to pull you in and cripple you. Find your foundation stones early, so your house will not be built upon sand; and, in time, your temple will rise to the skies.

SATURN in PISCES

This is a difficult position for Saturn, as its conservative, stability-seeking nature is literally afloat in the miasma that is the sign of Pisces. It therefore represents a physical and spiritual challenge concerning the methods you go about seeking your security together. If you look for the standard principles to lean on, ones that seem to work for everybody else, you will likely find yourself ill at ease with them and unable to make them work for you. Instead you will have to find a way of deriving your innermost stability from the results of inner growth and a faith in each other's ability to achieve it. If you ask for imposing results all the time, you'll seldom get them or, when you need them, they will disappear. If you cast your bread upon the waters, you will be buoyed up by hands unseen and carried on to broader vistas, like a ship caught up in a current and carried to foreign lands. This requires being willing to give up a lot of control that is taken for granted as necessary by most and can make you feel quite insecure until you get used to it. It is mainly a matter of style here, however, as the results will be the same, just not the methods you find most successful to go about getting to them.

THE COMPOSITE URANUS

Uranus is one of the three relatively recently-discovered outer planets, and all three are marked with a reality common to new experience and endeavor. They are not fully explored and thus not very much under our control. Uranus has been known the longest, (since 1786), and is a bit more familiar. It is associated with sudden events, shocks, realizations, discoveries, and other highly delineated events that sheer off quickly and completely from their previous states or surroundings. For creatures of habit, such as most of us are, this is usually upsetting and generally bad news. But it does not have to be. Your ability to use Uranus instead of letting it abuse you, is directly related to how flexible and quick on your feet you are. It also is linked to how willing you are to accept and welcome change as part of the nature of things. If you accept it grudgingly, then Uranus will always be a symbol of malice; if you welcome it with open arms, it will be a deliverance and an inspiration. In the composite chart, Uranus is where the two of you are repeatedly forced to rise to this occasion, and its contacts will tell in what areas of life it usually manifests. Well situated, it is a mutual window onto the future, flooding you both with light and clueing you into what is coming next. In such a position, it will make the relationship an eye-opener, which you come back to time and again for more. It will also tend to put you both ahead of the game emotionally and socially placing you in a leadership position among others where future thinking is concerned. In a difficult place, it will mean that you bring to each other incidents and accidents in areas where you are the most entrenched and you force each other to come to grips with ideas with which you refuse to deal. This can be a source of great mutual blame: "You made me get into this. If it weren't for you, this never would have happened. . . " and so on. This is particularly the case in sexual affairs in a society that is at heart so sexually conservative (even backwrd) and yet ruthlessly courts danger by flaunting it everywhere as if it were an everyday affair. Perhaps the only way to deal with this planet is to expect the unexpected, thus robbing it of harm and providing it with a welcome. If you are ready to harness it - like a wild horse - you can ride it far. If you turn your back, it will surely trample you. Where this occurs in the composite chart, keep your eyes wide open, your stance wide, and your tolerance level on maximum.

URANUS in CAPRICORN

You are likely to pursue your understanding of each other and ferret out your unique idiosyncrasies with all the thoroughness and intensity of scientists, a style which you will also carry in exploring the outside world together. While being very demanding of getting at the truth, you may also find yourself being excessively demanding of each other and disputes on what the truth really is can become protracted and sometimes fruitless. This is partially because you may be seeking one answer when there are many, which will at first seem hard to envision or even tolerate. Very few problems in life have only one solution, however, and you may have to be willing to pursue several when the one you choose at first doesn't satisfy. You can - and it will be your style - take them one at a time and don't try to come up with multiple solutions when you'll do a better job working on only one. Just realize that there will be more work to do eventually and don't let the pieces of the puzzle that don't yet fit in grate on you or become subject for dispute between you. As long as you realize that you don't have the only answer, either individually or together, you will be much better able to appreciate and develop the one you have or are working on, with the satisfying knowledge that when you've got that one down, there's yet more fascinating ground to cover.

THE COMPOSITE NEPTUNE

The effects of Neptune, another outer planet and a recent discovery, are often largely out of our control both by our unfamiliarity with its effects and the apparent nature of the planet which represents the uncertain, dreams, illusions, ideals, mystery, and the higher unexplored (and perhaps unexplorable entirely) plane of the spiritual world. Its nature is so uncertain, it's not even known exactly when it was discovered; various claims exist from 1810 all the way up to 1846, and we may never know for sure. It may be viewed from afar with a certain amount of analysis, however. When we find an area of mystery, it is our natural instinct to provide something to fill that void. Nature abhors a vacuum and our minds rush in to fill it with every kind of speculation and fantasy, if only to have something to act on in the area. Whatever is actually there will turn up eventually. In the meantime we provide ourselves with an image which may be close enough to the truth to better help us function or may be off in fantasyland and fail us utterly if we are unwise enough to lean on it. We know only in hindsight. Thus, in a composite chart, this point becomes the place where dreams, fantasies, hopes and ideals meet or clash, and inspire us or drag us down in confusion and conflict. Too many wars and personal battles have been fought over it needlessly, because none of these things actually existed until later. That's the crux of it: don't fight over what isn't there, at least not yet. Well placed, this planet will help you aspire to higher, more selfless goals but even they can make you take them more seriously than they are. Badly positioned, it can lead to lies, deceit, and mistrust based on mutual misreading of the unknown and the foolish action taken upon it. In the end, it is a gentle, diaphanous planet that can never be forced. Dreams and fantasies belong to each of you individually; and when they are similar enough to share, whether emotionally, sexually, spiritually, or even financially, they can be the greatest of jos. If one of you tries to enforce any of it on the other, however, everything will turn distasteful and there will be no dreams left; the mist will be blown away and only a charred landscape will remain. Where this point occurs, go gently, expect nothing, and everything will be returned to you.

NEPTUNE in CANCER

You will find that the inner hopes and ideals of this relationship are fairly well circumscribed and internalized, largely by an outside environment that encouraged diminished expectations world-wide, thanks to the fearful forces that were carving up the world in the first third of the 20th century. Expectations are more closely tied to home and family and the success or failure of close personal relationships rather than riches or external success. This is a pretty good position for Neptune, as it is in these areas you experience much greater personal influence and, therefore, have greater chance of fulfilling your dreams. If you are fairly vocal and articulate about what you would like to see happen, things can work out very well, indeed. However, there is considerable likelihood you may consider these matters too private to share with others on a regular basis, thereby leaving them in the dark as to your expectations. This applies equally to your hopes for each other as well as your mutual hopes for those around you, especially children. If you make your aspirations clear, there is much greater likelihood that you will find others that share in them and will help you to achieve them. Keep them to yourself, and they may tend to drift off into the realm of fantasy, creating an increasingly wider gap between desire and its realization.

THE COMPOSITE PLUTO

Of the three outer planets, Pluto is the most recently discovered (1930) and least subject to our control. As such, it is even considered the planet of power and control, ultimately because it so controls us in our attempt to overcome it. It is, of course, appropriately named after the ancient god of death, the thing which in the last analysis we cannot control; and at the most basic instinctual level, all the control we try to exercise in life is simply a ploy to cheat death a little longer. It is called the survival instinct. The point at which Pluto occurs in the composite chart is thus, at a deep level, where we meet in our ability to face death. But it doesn't manifest itself that way on the surface. Instead, it shows up as the methods we use to keep control in order to avoid the certainty of personal annihilation. Well placed, it will mean a partnership that simply doesn't worry about keeping in control of the situation, secure in the faith that things will take care of themselves and when it's time to go, you're in God's hands. In a bad place or aspect, it will mean continuous attempts to gain power over each other and the environment (according to aspect, sign, and house) and a penchant for compulsive behavior that easily gets out of control. Or, rather, it was never in control to begin with. In some instances, particularly sexual, this can be heightened to mystic proportions, and though it can be playing with fire it can also be very revelatory. Where prominently placed, for well or ill, it will give the relationship an aura of inescapability and predestination, something that sweeps over you both (like sex or death) and takes you out of yourselves. Similarly, you may find the relationship itself has something of this effect on others, giving you a greater power (a power which you must be careful not to abuse) over those around you. In the end, however, it is the willingness to relinquish control as well as take it that resolves problematic issues. In the meantime, the ability to step away from the relatonship and out of its sway, at least in Pluto-affected areas, can be an important safety measure.

PLUTO in GEMINI

There is a welcome tendency in this relationship to discuss personality conflicts, or at least an understanding that where they occur they come from conceptual differences that at least can be put into words. Indeed, there is a certain faith that anything can be attained if properly expressed and that the mind is the ultimate tool of lasting expression and personal salvation. This presupposition was badly shaken by events early in this century when it seemed that even the best of ideas could not stand up to the remorseless powers of change and the brutality of physical and political events that swept the world during this time. Nevertheless, an inner drive and conviction remains with you: that immortality, such as is available to mortal kind, remains within the realm of ideas and concepts, which take on an immortality of their own as you shape them. Because of this, both the greatest union between you and the most unmanageable conflicts will be centered around agreement or disagreement in this area. Fundamental issues of how to express what is right and wrong unite you or divide you jointly and separately, perhaps even when the real issues of how you feel about things are completely different. This can apply especially to religious, political, and sexual roles which can, sometimes needlessly, dominate other areas of the relationship. The capacity to discuss them with give and take will be enormously helpful, and ultimately the ability to tolerate fundamental differences will tell how successful this relationship turns out to be.

VIRGO ASCENDANT

It may seem to others that the two of you have things much more under control than you think you have, but don't let on and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy! In fact, just by being together you will find that details that might have escaped you individually manage to get picked up and taken care of without a problem. It will be a good idea, however, to remain fairly modest about this on the outside, lest others think you are going to be too demanding of them and expect a higher standard of performance than they are up to. Instead, offer to help sort things out for them and let them take care of single issues while you keep track of all the specifics for everybody. If, as may be the case, neither of you is individually inclined to become immersed in the details of everyday life, use your special talents to delegate responsibilities to others. It is, after all, the impression you give that allows you to write your own ticket, and you don't always have to deliver the goods if you can get someone else to do it instead. The general compulsion towards order innate in society is yours to command together, and all you have to do is say you're in charge.

JUPITER in SECOND HOUSE

You are likely to find much opportunity for growth and development in the most elemental, physical aspects of life. You are blessed by an inspired sense of where to make, develop, and spend money, and your abilities to achieve here will only be limited by the initial resources you start with. You will think big, not small so the more you have to work with the better things will go for you, as you do not like to piddle around. Given time, you will go from the greater to the smaller. Although there is the possibility for excessive materialism here, there is also the potential for greater spiritual understanding of the proper handling of material things - after all, you can't learn to use it right until you've got it. Generosity will likely come naturally, but you do need to keep it focused and give in ways that will cause others to utilize it and not just waste it away. Primarily, the one thing to be careful of, as always with eager and ebullient Jupiter, is to keep things under control and not let your financial situations snowball beyond your ability to keep on top of them. Although this will be a fun personal relationship, one where the physical passions can run very high, it is ideal for doing business together, particularly in a bull market, where the sky will be the limit as one good investment leads to another.

JUPITER trine SATURN

You possess a steady, reliable stability which will be of benefit to you in both public and private life. You progress steadily to new growth and personal development without abandoning tried and true methods that you have successfully leaned on in the past. While developing your strong points, you also explore your weakness and take steps to make repairs where they are needed, not in a personally critical way, but in a constructive manner that allows you both to feel good about what you are doing. You see things realistically and change what you can and don't fight it when you cannot. In a professional situation, these qualities are particularly useful as you will have a steady hand on the helm and will know how to temper necessary growth and investment with prudence and have backup systems that will act as insurance when things don't work out according to plan. Thus, your strong point will be in management, whatever the kind of profession you choose. Because of this innate solidity, once you are involved in this relationship it will tend to maintain itself so there is a good chance it will be long-term, as its ability to weather the storms of life will make you value each other and what you have together increasingly as time goes on.

JUPITER sextile URANUS

There is a very inventive and creative streak to your relationship that allows you to experiment and to be especially innovative without suffering much of the dangers which going overboard in that direction can engender. When you grow together, it will not necessarily be at all in the same ways or directions as your peers, and that makes it the more interesting for the newness of the ground you break. Personally, you are likely to give yourselves a lot more freedom to be yourselves, even when that means being different from each other, because as long as it doesn't go to extremes, vive le difference! As long as at least one of you benefits from an experience and neither are hurt, you will be willing to try out anything, which will open up your lives to so many rewarding possibilities from which others shut themselves off because of fear or prejudice. In the professional world, this same principle applies, and your ability to open yourselves to new and unusual solutions to otherwise intractable problems will make you successful innovators financially and socially. There is more than one way to approach even the most ordinary challenges, and you're likely to discover quite a few options no one had been willing to try, and everyone will be the better off for it. Moreover, because you are sensible about the choices you select to experiment with, you will find much less resistance to your innovations than others who go to greater extremes or make a point about how different they are.

JUPITER trine NEPTUNE

There is a strong idealistic and spiritual underpinning to this relationship that is not preachy or overstated but buoys up your feelings to seek for the very best you can achieve. The drive upward is not a headlong gallop toward redemption nor is it a fool's self-delusion that you can be saved by a given belief or dogma. Rather, it is a warm, inner knowledge that the spiritual call is real and that you will get there if you're willing to take your time. Because this is a mutually supportive aspect, you have a natural talent to sense what is leading you where you eventually want to go and what is leading you astray. You also realize there is no such thing as a short cut in the spiritual quest, so you aren't easily sidetracked by promises of instant enlightenment. In a personal love involvement, this allows you to retain the physical joys of sexuality while adding the heightened experience of using it as a basis for a spiritual union. On the professional level, this will mean you have the highest possible ethical standards, something that will make you trusted and respected in whatever pursuit you may have chosen. You know that short term gain cannot supplant long term values without losing something far greater than a few quick bucks. When people put their faith in you, they know they will not be disappointed.

URANUS in FOURTH HOUSE

A unique and unusual approach to home life can be found in this relationship, which can work for you or against you, depending upon the circumstances under which it is fulfilled. Normally, house and home are the more stabilizing and conservative aspects of any partnership, the things you fall back on when the world has you frazzled. If either or both of you look to it to be a traditional situation, this will be a very upsetting relationship as it will bring you no peace when peace is what you are looking for. If you look to the secret places where you hide as a place of challenge where new truths and lifestyles are to be uncovered and tested, then it will be a rewarding place for this restless but creative Uranus energy. To a great extent, success or failure here is based less on the relationship itself than upon your individual character styles and expectation. The more secure you are within yourselves, the more likely this position can be used in a creative manner. The more dependent and insecure you are, the more likely the relationship will accentuate these very failings and make them more difficult to bear. Like undiluted truth, Uranus is a harsh bedfellow, and in order to live with it you must live up to it. This is not a relationship that is built to support you but to set you free.

URANUS opposite NEPTUNE

This position only occurs once in about 172 years, and last shows up in charts of those born early in the 20th century. Therefore it indicates what was going on between a whole generation of people and shows something of what you hold in common with your contemporaries. It reflects a widespread personal conflict between the spiritual ideals of an age that was passing and the demands of the technological culture that was coming into the ascendancy. It is quite literally the Edwardian swan song of the Victorian era, bringing with it all the inner struggles of transition. Throughout your lives you will have had to resolve the external demands of an increasingly fast-moving and often amoral culture with the inner beliefs and ideals with which you were raised, but by now you will have either come to a compromise or simply agreed to disagree. That there should be conflict at all comes from the fact that too often what we look up to and expect from each other has become a matter of habit and does not come from within as we assume. A true morality and system of beliefs continually springs anew from within and therefore creates new ways of coping with external situations. When there is difficulty doing this, it is often because we are parroting our former solutions and not rising to the occasion with fresh hearts each time. External change is inevitable, and when it comes it forces us to reach within and wake up our souls. To the extent you have done that, your lives have been, and will be happier.

NORTH NODE in SIXTH HOUSE

Because the sixth house is concerned with duties and responsibilities and the Moon's north node is also associated with the commitments and obligations your relationship takes on, it may be said that much of the purpose of your getting together is to learn lessons about just these matters. At times you may feel your relationship is something of a burden because it does not leave you as untrammeled as you might be with other situations, but you get what you pay for in life, and a free ride often doesn't really take you anywhere. As with most commitments, the payoff comes later rather than sooner, and it may be in a different form than you might expect. Here it will be a greater breadth of human understanding which comes from the experience of serving a higher goal than just individual profit or benefit and it will be more valuable to you than anything you can acquire with cash or a credit card. Because the south node is also in the twelfth house of hidden and subconscious matters, a lot of the payoff will be involved in the surfacing of emotions and problems that have been previously immune to conscious knowledge or solutions, though their initial appearance on the scene may not seem as beneficial as they will have been once they have passed. No pain, no gain, and if you persevere and live up to what you have agreed to, you will be glad indeed that you met.

SATURN in SIXTH HOUSE

You take your responsibilities and obligations seriously together, and understand the need to work hard to fulfill them. As a working relationship, you will get a lot done and will be both reliable to each other and those you work with. At a personal level, however, you may find it difficult not to take the same approach. Sometimes you find that where it is necessary to make sacrifices for each other it is done less spontaneously, thus putting whatever burden it may create, on the other person as transferred blame. It may be difficult to distinguish the voluntary and natural giving from what is done as obligation, since there is so much fundamental respect for obligation and the security and order it brings. How easy it is to cut free and be yourselves when it comes to things you think you ought to do and will be determined by other factors in the chart. On the other hand, this can be a superior position in dealing with others in the workplace, as you will be able to delineate who does what and separate functions and assignments with clarity and precision conflict or hostility. You will make the details of the game plan self-evident so that everyone accepts his or her position and gets the job accomplished.

SATURN sextile URANUS

This is an aspect of precision and endurance, which will cause you to get rid of extra cargo and steer right down the middle of the channel. Depending on its contact with the rest of the chart, this may have direct impact on the personal side of your lives or it may be associated mainly with the way you handle yourselves professionally. Personally, it is likely to restrict your emotional flow, holding down spontaneity until it breaks out and flies off the handle. Human feelings just aren't that precise and don't take sharpening the way a knife blade does. On the professional side, however, this can be the ultimate in straight shooting. It's ideal for science, engineering and technology of almost any sort, as it represents a kind of carefully controlled discovery, getting down to the bare bones of the truth without any extraneous information on the side. It allows you to accept the best of the new, but only the proven best, and also allows you to act upon it once you have it, with complete confidence that it will not fail you. Thus, organization and implementation will be your high points, though in what areas will depend upon where this aspect falls and what other planets are involved. It will mean guaranteed, though limited, achievement and unmitigated respect for your opinions from those who give them proper consideration.

SATURN trine NEPTUNE

There is a fine quality of spirituality and idealism in this relationship, but it is not of the outgoing, missionary sort at all. In fact, from the outside it may go entirely unnoticed because it has such a low profile. It is spirituality born out of facing reality and accepting that to a great measure that is how it ought to be. In other words, you learn to mold your hopes around what can and must be. In a way this may seem like self-denial or just giving in, but it's much more than that. When Alexander Pope wrote, "Whatever is, is right, " he wasn't promoting the status quo, but encouraging the thought that you must look closer at how things are put together. Things are the way they are for a reason. This trine has the effect of keeping expectations low and it spares you a lot of the wrong turns and disappointments that chasing after illusory dreams can bring. In the end it is not a negative aspect, but a sobering one, and you find that when you dream of the attainable, your dreams have a decidedly better chance of coming true.

SATURN conjunct NORTH NODE

The taking on of responsibility, even when it is heavy and burdensome, will be something you feel this relationship is about. Because you will take it seriously and because it can take up a lot of your lives to live up to what you have to take on here, it will be important to consider carefully how fully you become involved and exactly what you have to take on in order to feel you have lived up to what you must do. This is a position you will likely adopt intuitively and will take yourselves and what you are together quite seriously and you will be willing to expend a lot of your resources here. The bottom line, however, is accurately judging just what those resources are and allocating them so that should things get out of hand you can still marshal the extra assets necessary to pull through. In some cases it's how you play that counts, but here it's whether you win that is important and you know it. Although it may rest heavily on your shoulders, the feeling of obligation will push you through. If you are willing to go the distance, you will have accomplished more than you know. If you don't think you can, then pass on this one and try it another time. You are the captains of your fate, and you can choose the time.

SATURN opposite ASCENDANT

This is a very restrictive aspect and will work out for you only if you are happy about keeping your relationship moving along very definite and unwavering lines. This can mean that you each individually take precedence over the relationship so that it takes a back seat whenever there is another priority. Or it can be that the relationship takes precedence over both of you, but only in closely prescribed areas. Or, it may be that the possibilities of the relationship are restricted by age, class, wealth, debility, and so on. In any case, there will be a distinct air of limitation involved and it will depend on your individual characters as to how or whether this will work out. If you need space and freedom, then you won't have much use for this and it may be a union of convenience seldom frequented. If, however, you need to be held back and have discipline imposed from without, then this can provide a sense of security and may be a refuge from the uncertainties and vagaries of individual existence. Thus, it can be a partnership that can be quite enduring or one which both should avoid from the outset, but in either case it still retains the same qualities; those of austerity, restraint, and certain rigid composure. More than most composite aspects, this one is decidedly a matter of personal taste above and beyond the influence of the composite itself.

MOON in EIGHTH HOUSE

There is a certain kind of depth and intensity here which will be a ruling factor in the way you relate to each other, which will seem in any case like it was somehow unavoidable and fated from the onset. Emotions are never skin deep, but go all the way to the depths of what you are capable of understanding together, with all the possible intensity and labyrinthine entanglements which that may engender. Given your choice, you will choose heavy rather than light, deep rather than shallow, and knowing this it would be well to set aside the extra personal time to explore these realms in the privacy which you will want in such a way that external distractions do not detract from your mutual mission. You will tend to take things more seriously than lightly, which may be a problem when you are in a situation that would better be dismissed with a laugh rather than taken to heart. Ancient history, whether that of your surrounding culture or of your own personal backgrounds, will have a lock on your feelings and you must figure out what went on before in order to make yourselves successful this time around. You are very much the product of your origins, and the better you understand them, the better you will understand yourselves. Where you find yourselves at a sticking point, it may be well to seek advice abroad, despite your disinclination to do so. You are not alone in the depth of your feelings; and though you ultimately have to explore them by yourselves, outside feedback can shorten the process more than you might be willing to believe.

MOON sextile VENUS

You have a slow hand and an easy touch. There is a quiet but deep affection here, whether you are lovers or just friends, and a firm but gentle feeling that makes you happy to be together and will likely keep you together even when stress puts a strain on the relationship. Whatever else happens, there will always be an undercurrent of affection to fall back upon and a warm, friendly smile to come home to when it's a night not fit for man nor beast. This will be an advantage in more than just personal enjoyment and satisfaction. It also is an energy-saver, because you do not have to spend the extra effort negotiating with each other or maintaining inner defenses because you lack mutual trust. This saps the resources of many relationships and means they have less to use when turning themselves to their business with the outside world. Here you have the advantage, because your home front is secure. You can put all your reinforcements to the front and have a much more formidable presence when you are in competition with others. Thus, personally or professionally, this is a very helpful aspect. Do not take being ahead of the game for granted however, because although you may have more potential resources, with this aspect you are sufficiently motivated as not to use them as ruthlessly as others might.

MOON opposition JUPITER

This is an outgoing, even boisterous aspect and will make yours a fun-loving relationship with a fondness for going places and doing things. Probably the more active you can be the better, and even when not physically on the go you will be emotionally wound up and enthused over one thing or another. Generosity and even extravagance will mark your style, and your popularity among others will rise accordingly. If there is a down side to this merry aspect, it is that you will not easily get serious or spend a lot of time pursuing sober affairs even if they are necessary for your welfare. Therefore, on the professional level, stay out of any business where having too much fun would cut into the profit margin. Regardless, it will be a good idea to take a look at what's in your wallet and how it's getting there, because if you don't keep your eyes open your generosity could be your undoing. Make sure there's always more where that came from, and then feel free to give it away. Tolerance of your mutual differences runs high and part of what you enjoy about each other is the fact that you truly complement each other. An aspect likely to give you much pleasure and little pain.

MOON trine URANUS

A streak of well-aimed originality is innate in this relationship and you will always be ready to go for the new approach with an open heart. You can go just far enough in exploring the new to keep each other continually in a new light without having to blind each other in the process. For you, exploration of new personal options is a challenge, not a fight; an opportunity rather than a potential conflict. Thus, experimenting with new or unusual lifestyles, for instance, can come as a welcome change and opportunity to refresh yourselves and grow together, whereas for others it might seem a challenge to authority, either an inner authority or that of society. When you face the issue, it can work with ease and you will evolve into the next step of your relationship. It is as if you know just how far to push for change so it can happen in a creative and efficient manner, and not so far that it becomes counterproductive to its own ends. What underlies is a fundamental respect for the truth and the many ways of seeing it. You are willing to respect each other's views and those of others and are willing to give all the space to operate under their own set of inspirations until they prove right or wrong. Preset dispositions will be gently but firmly set aside until the final argument is in.

MOON sextile PLUTO

You have a certain, relaxed sense that you are able to keep on top of things and that everything is going to come out all right. It is as if you know you have more powers on your side than meet the eye and have an extra resource to lean on when the going gets tough. If only for that reason, you do, and the confidence you have in facing the world, even if it is only blind faith, will go a long way in getting you where you want to go. You will have a natural ability to use power where necessary to get what you want but not to abuse it or to be the first to enter into competition. You will be content to know that you'll get there when you need to, so you don't need to push it. This actually sets you at a considerable competitive advantage in the professional world, as most of the competition uses as much energy in creating and then quieting anxiety as they do in implementing their goals and policies. You can just amble along using half the effort, knowing you're going to get there - and they will know it too. Nothing commands respect like self-confidence. Of course you can take that too far, too, so always keep an eye to the rear just to make sure no one is gaining on you too closely. Personally, you will find that just knowing each other brings you to know yourselves a little bit better and to tap deeper into levels of self-realization you may not have known were there.

MERCURY in TENTH HOUSE

It is likely that people will pay more attention to what you say than you might expect, so it may be well to assume you may be quoted when you least expect it (so watch what you say!). Like a flag at the peak of a ship's mast, your ideas will go ahead of you and are seen and heard long before the two of you come into view. Therefore, you may have some difficulty at times resolving the perceived differences between what you have expressed and what you appear to be in person. This is a strong professional placement as well, which will mean you are likely to take each other very seriously, partially because others do. Here you will need to be careful to sort out what you are really serious about from among the thoughts and ideas others would choose, as you are in a way public figures due to the nature of the relationship. This is a gift for achieving personal and professional success that should be welcomed, whatever the responsibilities it may bring. Many who are not so fortunate would like to be in your shoes. You should exercise these talents with care as they will affect not only yourselves but those around you who choose to take their cues from you and, hopefully, will profit from them also.

MERCURY conjunct MARS

Mental fireworks can be regularly expected in this relationship, and a great deal of energy may be put into expressing yourself forcefully and to the point. It will at times be difficult to keep out of arguments because it will seem so important to get your point across that you step on each other's toes. Nevertheless, you're not likely to suffer from a lack of communication - quite the opposite, if anything you and those around you may want to shut off the spigot to get a little peace. It will be difficult to turn yourselves off once you get going, and you may quite rightly be reminded when you feel you're on a roll that you've made your point so enough already. You can find that although you are at your best when stating your position vigorously, sometimes it is best to be more subtle or even to let your partner or adversary think they came up with the idea themselves. In many instances a carrot will get you more than a stick, and that may be difficult to learn when you're so good with the stick. Still, the intellectual energy that this relationship stimulates will carry you far and help you push your way through to levels of understanding you might never have achieved on your own. Just remember to bank your fires when things start to get too hot to handle.

MERCURY conjunct PLUTO

When you make up your minds, you come on like a battering ram. Powerful Pluto teamed up with articulate Mercury make you express yourself forcefully in the extreme, an intellectual steamroller that is an irresistible force. In the business world, your rivals will agree with you and stand back and let you have your way. If, however, you are wrong, then the last thing you want to do is force the issue, so use your power wisely. This may be a challenge, because Pluto also means stoppage, and Mercury can mean sheer pigheadedness. Handled well, however, this aspect in its higher manifestation means transformation of the mind and plumbing the depths of knowledge in pursuit of personal revelation. The most common problem along the way can be power plays with each other, with one winding up on the top all the time. If you play them with tongue in cheek, these trips can be OK and even revealing, especially if you are willing to take turns being on top. It's when it stops being a game that you risk getting hurt and stop learning as well. When power is driven by curiosity, you become scientific explorers of your souls. When it is driven by fear you become each other's jailers.

MERCURY square Ascendant

A lot of thought goes into this relationship and you are constantly trying to analyze and reform your opinions on what you are about and where you are going. Particularly important to you will be the way you appear to others as a unit and what kind of impression you make upon them. The advantage to this position is that you will not lack in communication between each other and about each other. The disadvantage is that you can dissect your relationship until it lies in pieces and you are not sure how to put it back together again. Too much self-consciousness can paralyze your ability to act smoothly and effortlessly and can make you appear stilted and contrived, when that is the exact opposite of your intent. Similarly, too much intellectualization of how you function can disconnect you from the feeling side of your relationship, leaving the plethora of communication and information you have about yourselves largely useless because it is only half the story. You may find it more fruitful to spend your effort on other subjects and just let yourselves be yourselves. This does not mean abandon self-inspection, just don't make a compulsive habit of it and drop the subject when you start to repeat yourselves. The less you think about what you are doing, the smoother and more seamless a presentation you will give.

MARS in TENTH HOUSE

A lot of emphasis on achievement and recognition of what you do together will mark this partnership. Because you will spend a lot of time and energy on it, it is likely that you will have an especially high profile and be significantly noticed in whatever area you choose to excel. This makes your relationship an excellent one for professional endeavors, as you will always have the energy and focus to take the extra step necessary to see that you succeed. Success may, however, become your overriding goal, and where a personal relationship is concerned, the emotional side of things may be forced to take a back seat in order to achieve your mutual goals. As long as you agree on your direction together, however, a great deal of your emotional life will be blended with your external efforts and one will serve to help out the other. Reputation and professional direction can, however, become a bone of contention if you are not careful, primarily because it is the focus of so much energy and concern for both of you. It will be hard to step out of your public character and conduct a private life, as your immediate inclination will always be to construct things in a way that has appeal to others and seeks their approval. Sometimes you will be best off to just kick off your shoes and proceed as if no one were watching - except each other.

MARS conjunct PLUTO

There is a very forceful side to your relationship which can lead to your working your will on others and using force as a substitute for reason if you are not careful in the way you use it. Mars energy and the extremity of Pluto don't take no for an answer and would prefer death to defeat, which is an internal trend which you may recognize. It's like having a battalion of berserkers lined up inside of you, ready to charge when the cause is right. You've got the power, and the willingness and capability of using it. The question is: where, when, and why - and can you keep it under control in the meantime? Professionally, you've got the financial hitman market sewed up, if that is what you want, because you can strike ruthlessly without restraint or remorse. But of course, that's only applicable in some areas of endeavor. Fundamentally, you've got tremendous striking power, but it will be difficult to direct it out of conscience rather than fear and insecurity. Personally and sexually, this can lead to pushing yourselves to the wall, finding out what the result of the ultimate test will be, which needs to be accomplished with open eyes and physically careful precautions. The limits you will seek are the limits of life itself, a dangerous but sometimes rewarding edge.

PLUTO in TENTH HOUSE

As a public or professional relationship, you can be a powerhouse and spread your influence and reputation much further than you might think. This is because your mutual need for power and respect meets very well in each other and you will serve each other well in this respect. The only problem is that you might serve too well and make this side of your life a focus of confrontation and battle that will eclipse other more personal areas that might yield more rewards in the long run. Challenges from the outside will easily galvanize you into joint action which can take on a life of its own and dominate all other priorities which you may have together. This is a mutual control between yourselves and the rest of the world which, when you need to break it, can be disengaged when you are willing to take yourselves more seriously than the opinions of others. As long as you feel in competition with the rest of the world, your control of your own lives will be compromised, although at times it may seem worth the cost. If this is a professional relationship, go for it - you're probably on the right track. If this is more personal, weigh your priorities carefully, as you may find yourselves in conflict about important issues. It can be quite possible to have the best of both worlds, but only when your priorities, public and private, have been carefully delineated.

SUN in TENTH HOUSE

With this solar position it is likely that you will have, or at least strive for, a fairly high public profile together, and it is likely that you will be talked about no matter what you do or how you go about it. This, of course, is a two-edged sword, as it gives you the natural ability to get your message out when you want to, but it also keeps the door constantly ajar when you would just as soon close it all the way. It can be very beneficial personally to the extent that it makes for a relationship where you've got nothing to hide (because you can't!), but at the same time it can take the edge off intimacy which may be more rewarding when it is properly hidden. This kind of sorting interior and exterior priorities will be a running feature of the relationship, testing your abilities to judge what comes from within and what comes from without. Are you the makers of your reputation or do you let your reputation define you? Never an easy call, but here quite often a prevalent issue. This very challenge also will tend to mold you together as you become more self-conscious of what makes you a partnership because of the exterior feedback that you must deal with as a matter of course. Thus you must work more closely together in order to be seen as what you are: a step further than just being yourself without having to explain or articulate it.

SUN sextile MOON

There is a certain relaxed balance at the heart of your relationship that allows you to cope well without thinking about it much. There is a fundamental ease of reaction and sureness of foot, whatever else may be stirring up the waters on the surface, that will allow you to pull through on what you have already stored up without going to great lengths. A general, underlying friendliness and mutual understanding at the nonverbal level makes dealing with the vagaries of everyday life a lot easier to bear. It is as if when you take action, you know what the reaction will be so you don't have to be on your guard or second-guess each other. This allows you to be more energy efficient as you can concentrate only on the thing at hand, confident that your reserves are in order. It can also have the effect of allowing you to become lazy and under motivated, so in certain situations, such as highly competitive professional pursuits, this sort of easygoing substrate can put you at a disadvantage because the area will not match your style. Nevertheless, even here you will be the last to lose your cool, even if you do not win the race, though you may be somewhat likely to lose your edge for want of caring to have one to begin with. But why compete on the outside for something you already have within?

SUN conjunct MERCURY

In a special way, your heads and hearts are in the same place in this relationship, and you will naturally know what the other is talking about whether you verbalize or not. But when you do put it into words, it will be well-expressed as well as sincerely delivered. This is a talent that can be taken for granted. However, there can also be a tendency to assume you have said the right thing. You let your intentions take control over your expressions without seeing them through. On a moment-to-moment basis, this is not a problem, for as long as you're getting the message across to each other, it doesn't matter how it's done or how accurate or complete you are in what you verbalize. When others become involved, however, you can find they misinterpret what you say because you didn't go the distance in making it clear by addressing the other person's viewpoint. It's entirely a question of neglect, arising from applying assumptions you safely make between yourselves to others who don't share your background and information. Therefore, you may have to go out of your way to remember to say it all when you are addressing the outside world, especially when you have to put it in writing. Your communications skills have to be different for each person you are dealing with, something that is entirely within your reach.

SUN conjunct VENUS

You have a natural level of affection for one another that will make whatever you do together easier and more enjoyable. Whether it's love or business, there will always be a certain charm present, brought on by the fact that at some basic level, whatever else may be happening to the contrary, you just like being together. This will always help you get along in some fashion even in the worst of times. When things are good they will be really good. Because of this fundamentally right situation on the inside, people will find something about you that is easygoing and you will be able to get what you want out of social situations effectively. Partially that is because you have a pleasing approach, and partially it is because you instinctively know what you want and are in a much better position to recognize it and take advantage of it when it comes along. The only possible problem with such an aspect is that you might identify too closely with your desires and thus become excessively disappointed when you don't get what you want. It may also lead you to be nice to those you shouldn't be, thus opening yourselves up to exploitation or just simple time-wasting. All in all, however, this is a fine indicator for good friendship professionally and in a marriage, deep and abiding love.

SUN conjunct MARS

There is a high level of energy between you that may be difficult to calm down at times. When you need to rise to the occasion, you always will, but you may also rise when it's not necessary, thus stepping on each other's feet or injecting yourselves into situations you really would rather not get involved with. It's like having an itchy trigger finger - it's hard not to shoot at anything you see. A lot of this sort of energy can be siphoned off in a healthy manner simply by providing yourselves with something physical to do for release when nothing else is happening. A little exercise never hurts anyone and can help you stay in shape when you don't have something on the front burner that requires attention. If you don't provide yourselves with outlets for expression in this relationship, this same creative energy which can make you top competitors when you are in high gear can also be turned against each other in the form of anger or frustration. When that happens, and it will, the key is to let it out, vent your feelings, and get on with it. It is only repressed anger that turns into destructive rage, and if you take care of the little problems right away, they don't become big ones. When you have such a creative energy resource, good management is the least it deserves.

SUN conjunct PLUTO

This is a powerful relationship and one in which power and the way it is used will be very important. Feelings will be strong and run very deep, and there will be the continual temptation to push things to the limit, particularly in emotional areas. If this is a sexual relationship, sex will be extremely important and can reach dizzying heights in which you lose yourselves in each other and the experience becomes as spiritual as physical, literally a "petit mort" or "little death" as the French say. Even as a strictly professional partnership, you will be a driven, dynamic duo that will tend to be a juggernaut that is difficult to stop once you get going. That will be a good quality in businesses where dominating the competition is the key to success. In areas where mutual cooperation is the bottom line, you may find it difficult to give up what you want in order to go along with the general good. This can make you loners in the crowd. In general, it will be difficult to put yourselves in a position of vulnerability, and therefore real trust will come with difficulty because you will tend to hold back something in case you need to take control. Yet, it will be the very acts of losing control and with it your isolated individuality, whether in sex or in the marketplace, which will be the ultimate goal and greatest reward of your relationship.

VENUS in TENTH HOUSE

You are likely to love being in the limelight, and as a result find yourselves there. We are not talking Hollywood here, but simply being noticed and talked about by the folks in your professional or social community. You will do well here, partially because you shape your desires around what you believe people will want and partially because you will find yourself a leader in developing those expectations. One feeds and shapes the other. This is usually a good success indicator, unless one of you is a particularly private person, as your needs and desires are likely to be made public whether you want them to or not. It really depends on your definition of success. There is nothing wrong with being well-spoken of, and most people spend a lot of time trying to achieve it. You will only have to cope with the responsibility of dealing with it. This will not be inconsiderable, as your goals will be held up as an ideal to others who may or may not live up to it. Nevertheless, you have an advantage here that you can use especially in the public arena, though it may cramp the private parts of the relationship a bit in the process of fulfilling your unasked-for public duties.

VENUS conjunct MARS

This is a highly attractive and personally powerful conjunction that lends great animal magnetism to your relationship. It is the perfect sexual combination, in that it puts desire and the ability to fulfill it right in the same spot, and if this is not a love affair it will be difficult indeed to keep it from gravitating in that direction. If for any reason (age, sex, availability) it does not manifest itself sexually, then it will still be marked by all the intensity and passion of one. Indeed, you may find yourselves in all the rituals of love (courtship, special favors, loneliness when apart) without actual consummation. However they are allowed to be expressed, feelings will always be strong between you and highly manifested. For those who work together in public professions (politics, entertainment, media) this can make for a sparkling dynamo that draws people to you and pumps them up with the energy you have and which they want. It is the stuff stars are made of and often overdose on, as it is quite heady wine and you will need to agree on how to express it and work together. If you disagree on how to use these energies (one wants personal or physical expression, the other only professional), the powerful energies here can turn destructive and tear the relationship apart in the most bitter fashion. Deeply-held desires, given what is obviously the opportunity of a lifetime, will either be wildly rewarded or bitterly disappointed.

VENUS opposition URANUS

If your individual tastes go to the extremes of the unusual, the experimental, and the controversial, this relationship is for you. If home, mom, and apple pie is your idea of the good life, get out of here before you do something you'll regret later. The effect of this aspect is to drive your desires to the edge of predictability and encourage you to break out of the mold in order to seek new ways of expressing and experiencing the truth. Uranus is a difficult leader, and to make it the focus of your wants and desires takes tolerance, a willingness to be alone among others, and the ability to take a bumpy ride without a break. In short, it is not for everybody, as it maintains levels of peak excitement and challenge most people don't have the constitutions to sustain. This applies sexually, socially, and financially. Thus, relationships like this are often short-lived, with both partners bringing eye-opening experiences and learning away with them but neither wanting to keep up that sort of thing indefinitely. This is an aspect for the diehard adventurer, truth and/or thrill seeker where you will both have to give each other plenty of space to avoid collision if you are going to maintain this for long. Any chains you lay on each other will burst asunder before long, and the resulting shrapnel will be good for no one. You will not tame this bucking bronco, but you may be able to make it your steed.

VENUS conjunct PLUTO

This is a very powerful and sometimes troublesome position for Venus and it means that when you want it, you want it bad and won't take no for an answer. Where sex is involved, it will be of peak intensity and likely tinged with intimations of dominance and submission. In business, it can make you quite ruthless in achieving your goals which can be very helpful or quite destructive, depending on the venture and the profession involved. However this relationship manifests, it is not one to be taken lightly, and make sure you take yourselves seriously and don't try to manipulate each other to get what you want. Power struggles between you could become very destructive, leaving one or both of you out in the cold. Be willing to back off and respect each other's wishes, particularly when they are not mutual. So much passion and intensity is available here, it would be a waste to use it up in conflict. Use the driving needs you have to pull you up to heights you both agree upon and which will transform your lives.

NEPTUNE in TENTH HOUSE

It may be safely said that nobody (exterior to yourselves) knows what's really going on here, and everybody's version of who you are and what you want is somewhat of an illusion. This can be alternately troublesome and helpful. If you are in a professional situation where you need to create a clear and reliable image of yourselves, you're going to have a difficult time. Your intentions will be misinterpreted and your real achievements misconstrued or ignored. On the other hand, it will give you an innate camouflage and an ability to fool anyone you want to any time you desire just by spinning a reasonably believable yarn. It's a mix you will have to learn to deal with and manipulate with skill, or else you will be entirely awash when it comes to establishing and maintaining a professional presence. You will have to come to grips with another inclination here as well, and that is a propensity to believe that your public position - which is to say, what people are saying about you and your social and business situation as a result - is something of a matter of principle and ideals to you, a yardstick by which you will judge your beliefs and their validity. This may not be a realistic approach and you can find yourselves demanding more out of your surroundings and their reactions to you than can be reasonably expected. If you look at reputation as an illusion, you will more likely get tangible results than if you chase after a reputation that can continually escape your ability to stabilize. Follow what you think is right and let others sort it out according to their necessities.