by Robert Wilkinson
Over the years I've been asked why some signs are more compatible with others, and why some signs seem to have a harder time with each other.
The reason some signs get along better with certain signs deals with the harmonics of the holistic energy field. While all the energies exist within the larger field, not all energies in that field are harmonious with each other.
In astrology, often certain sign energies seem to be at cross purposes with each other. However, even the ones at cross purposes show the grounding, the balance, and the fulfillment of every other one.
Our chart shows our first breath when we popped into this “12 fold reality.” What planets we have in what houses shows us what we came in with, and what we’re here to master across the 12 Evolutionary Fields of human existence. Each planet in each sign will learn how to be its best manifestation on the material, emotional, mental, and spiritual planes of the personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal dimensions.
How well we succeed in using energies that are at cross purposes to each other depends entirely on how much we do and do not cultivate of the strengths in each planet and each sign. Signs that are frictional to each other actually serve a good purpose since they are where we find our “checks and balances.” This ensures that whatever we’re trying to express is accurate, good, true, and the best possible manifestation of our Self, even in frictional conditions.
Toward the end of this post there's a link to an article about which signs square and oppose each other, which elaborates on the dynamic relationship between the signs. We last covered today’s subject 4 years ago, so I’ve updated it and added explanation where needed.
It's important to remember that more than just our planets in our signs, we all have all 12 signs in our charts. We all have somewhere that Aries is active, even if we don’t have a planet or angle in that sign. We all have Cancer dominating some house, even if it’s intercepted and we have no planets there. And it can get very intense in any sector of our map!
That means we all have in our chart all those tendencies that do and do not get along with each other. Those are parts of ourselves that we do and do not get along with. And since the chart and our lives usually play out in our interactions, often we attract people with a strong sign emphasis who are there to teach us what we are harmonized with, and what we still need to learn how to deal with in a productive way.
The signs that we have a problem with are showing us what parts of our own chart we need to correct, or make peace with, or transform so that the positive manifestations of those signs can come forth. An "affliction" in no way condemns us to misery or malfunction. It also means that once we’ve transmuted certain frictional energies, then we get to be at peace with who we are and how we function best, and no longer have to take cues from the outer world and people who may not know what they’re doing or saying.
We all know that we seem to get along better with certain signs than others. That's the foundation of Relational Astrology, and gets to the heart of what parts of reality relate more or less harmoniously with other parts of reality. While then entire subject is more than we can address in one (or three!) articles, today we’ll explore how the different signs relate to each other.
First, the planets. Our Sun sign shows how we are illuminated, and how we illuminate others. Our Moon sign reveals our primal needs and feelings, and the style of our “shell of personality.” The Sun is who we are, and the Moon is how we experience that in an “up close and personal” way.
Mercury is the coordinator of the various areas of Life and Mind, as well as "the Guide of Souls." Our Mercury sign shows us how we do these, and our receptivity to Spirit as it learns how to master matter, feelings, and the mind.
The sign of our Venus shows us our likes, whether people, art, food, or anything else there is to like, while the sign of our Mars shows us what aggravates us as well as what spurs us to direct action. These are the 5 primary “personal” planets of how we deal with our intimate life areas.
Mars also plays a big role in our social life, so it’s really a “personal-social” planet, and shows socialized desires as well as how we initiate action in the social world. Jupiter expands that into the social-cultural and philosophic realm, and the signs our Jupiter is in shows how we view an expanded universe, life adventure, and Truth. Our Saturn sign shows both what oppresses us as well as how we claim the authority of our experience and maturity.
Because of the signs these parts of us occupy, not all of these are harmonious with each other, which is part of the complexity of human nature. Simply put, it is why some parts of us are in conflict and harmony with other parts of us.
That's why we're illuminated by certain people and situations, and not by others. It’s why we really like some people more than others. Some signs seem to uplift us, while others seem to bog us down in major ways.
However, as I mentioned earlier, even our negative experiences can show us lessons we need to learn about how we respond to certain sign energies, which is a life-long task. How we dance with the energies in our world shows us how capable and response-able we are or aren't, and what we're learning about wholeness and fragmentedness.
It is helpful to regard the 12 signs as 6 polarities. Any two signs that oppose each other are two faces of one coin, a polarity of the expression of each other. Thus they are natural mate signs, and why many Astrology texts say that opposing signs make for good partnerships.
While this is not an absolute by any means, there is a definite attraction between signs that oppose each other. Of course, an opposition may be productive of great give-and-take, or great battles, depending on a host of things.
Another way knowing the traits of opposing signs assists us is that they externalize through the traits of each. That way we can see if someone is out of balance by examining the traits they're showing and seeing which sign axis is malfunctioning.
Signs that square each other are said to produce friction, but they can also generate great energy when the tension is used wisely. Usually the conflict and the solution to any conflict is found in the positive expression of the signs opposing those that square each other, since those are balancing forces to whatever is in energetic release.
For example, when we find an Aries square Cancer energy, then we must wisely apply positive Libra and Capricorn traits to express the square in a favorable way. If we see Taurus square Leo energy, then it is useful to apply positive Aquarius and Scorpio traits to ensure healthy balanced functioning. By studying the attribute of the signs you can learn a lot more about how these things work.
Fire signs are generally harmonious with Air signs. Water signs are generally harmonious with Earth. Sometimes due to being at the beginning or end of a sign, planets in signs usually disharmonious with each other can find harmony. And of course, as we evolve from our lower self to our Higher Self our sign expressions get better and better, and we bring the positive traits of those signs to situations in our lives.
On a final note, the magic of all of this is that all of our planets progress through earlier or later signs and so we get to learn a lot from various experiences of those planetary functions. Even the progressed inner planets that stay in one sign throughout our life (through going retrograde at the end of its sign and staying there) show us stable elements in our existence by which we can measure all the other challenges and understanding that comes through the squares and oppositions to those planets.
[For astrologers: An example of this will be those children born in early August 2015, since their Venus will be in Leo by progression for over 60 years! Another example is children born in late August will have progressed Mercury in Libra for over 60 years as well.)
If you're interested in learning more about which signs square and oppose each other, please go to Which Signs Square or Oppose Each Other? I explain the difference between the lower (waxing) square and the upper (waning) square, since the former grounds energies and the latter fulfills them.
In understanding the relationship of various signs to each other, we can to understand our past, present, and future experiences better, especially if we know anything about the signs of the people we've danced with. What I've given you here, along with the linked article, should help you understand the basis of many interpersonal dynamics.
© Copyright 2007, 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Another very useful article - thank you! Thanks also for the link 'Which Signs Square of Oppose Each Other'? Both worth re-reading now and again.
Posted by: Zephyr | June 27, 2015 at 02:10 AM