When Stars Collide Part 1: How Signs Combine in Love Compatibility Reports

Astrology uses a lot of terms which it has created specificly to use in the discipline of studying how stars affect people's personalities. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to get your head around! Today we are looking at the specific terms for how signs work together, especially in the context of a love compatibility report.

When you get a love compatibility report, you'll find out how each partner's Venus sign intersects with the other's Mars sign. You can either check online to find your Venus sign and Mars sign (there are many simple tables on the net that will tell you where particular planets were on your birth date and time ... providing you know it accurately!), or more usefully, have a personal natal chart made up. Having your own chart made up will tell you where every planet was at the minute of your birth, quickly and easily, and will also give you a context to understand that in (signs and planets don’t act alone in astrology). Once you know both yours and your partner's Venus and Mars signs, here is a detailed explanation of the terms used for expressing how they relate to each other: your Venus to their Mars, and your Mars to their Venus.

Trine signs

When two people's signs in love compatibility are trine, it is believed that their relations will feel easy, natural and essentially compatible. These two people express love in similar ways, so understand each other immediately. If either partner was involved in an unhappy relationship before their current one, the new partner will no doubt sympathize to the core with the other's feelings. Acceptance and harmony are the keywords for a relationship with trine Venus-Mars signs -- there will be no dizzying highs and terrifying lows, but there will be plenty of creamy centers ... life will be like a box of chocolates.

Conjunct signs

This means that your Venus sign is the same as your partner's Mars, or vice versa. As you can imagine, understanding is also a feature of this relationship, as well as instant recognition of the other person's feelings. But remember all those things that you hate about yourself? Sometimes they'll creep, ever so quietly, into your partner's expressions. You may need to step out of yourself at times to make things work in the love compatibility area.

Stay tuned for the next post on love compatibility for your Venus and Mars signs -- we'll check out what sextile, semi-sextile, inconjunct, opposite and square signs mean for you.

A review on retrogrades

Retrogrades are an important phenomenon that is poorly understood by many people, although the name is recognized by many. We recently gave you an introduction to retrogrades in the natal chart and in everyday life, looking at what a retrograde means in general. We are looking at the outermost four planets. Read on to find out what gets turned topsy-turvy when Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto look like they are going backwards!

Saturn in retrograde

Saturn is in retrograde for a good portion of the year -- four-and-half months at a time. If you have Saturn retrograde in your natal chart, you are likely to be in conflict with authority. The conflict can come from either direction -- you may feel that people use their power to abuse you, or you may have a tendency to mismanage your own authority. In general, during a Saturn retrograde event, the rules are questioned, but extra effort and contemplation is put into projects.

Uranus in retrograde

Uranus is known as the wild card among the planets of the solar system. In general, surprises are common and the unexpected is expected when Uranus is in retrograde. If your natal chart identifies that Uranus was in retrograde when you were born, your personality may be notoriously erratic, encompassing different extremes at different times.

Neptune in retrograde

The planet of illusion and make believe has more physical influence on our lives than we might expect, according to belief in astrology readings. A retrograde here tends to make logic secondary to the imagination -- this might foster great creativity or great disasters! A person with Neptune retrograde in their natal chart could have issues with drug and alcohol abuse (escapism and fantasy worlds), or may tend to become deeply involved in stories and games.

Pluto in retrograde

Pluto is the planet of the underworld -- power and personal mastery are associated with it. When it is in retrograde, the things which were buried come to the surface -- the underworld becomes the above world. Fresh starts are possible, and dead ends are encountered. When Pluto was in retrograde in your natal chart, the power aspect is the one which tends to surface. Extreme power and corruption may be features in your life - whether you are on the delivering or receiving end.

Retrogrades in the Natal Chart

The term Mercury in Retrograde has seeped quietly, but comprehensively, into popular culture in recent times. While Mercury is the most well known planet to retrograde (probably because it is one of those that is more visible with the naked eye), it certainly is not the only one to do so. Today we are looking at what happens when a planet is in retrograde in the natal chart, and the specific effects of various retrograde planets.

What does retrograde mean?

Astrologers and astronomers (before they had the benefit of telescopes) both noticed the phenomenon of planets that went retrograde. A planet will sometimes seem to stop, move backwards in the night sky for a period of time (relative to its normal motion), and then regain it's forward motion again. This phenomenon is an illusion, caused by the fact that either the planet, or Earth, completes its orbit faster than the other body. The apparent movement seems to slow down as they approach the same point in their circumference, go backwards while the Earth is passing, and then resume forward motion once the Earth is passed. However, astrologers continue to interpret the effects as if the planet actually was going backwards.

Effect in a chart

A person with a retrograde planet in their natal chart will have certain events in their life delayed due to this action, astrologers believe. The retrograde areas in a natal chart (for example, love if Venus is retrograde, communication if Mercury is retrograde) are usually areas of challenge for the person, but not necessarily weakness. In fact, because so much time is spent on these challenges, they may develop into solid strengths over time.

Retrograde effects in general

In some cases, it may also feel to the person in question that the areas of life the retrograde planet rules simply feel askew. This is probably why the retrograde Mercury has such an effect on our public consciousness; as the planet that rules communication, we notice mishaps and misunderstandings, fights and arguments on a grand scale until Mercury is travelling in its normal direction again.

Mercury: Rules communication -- expect misunderstandings when in retrograde. Goes into retrograde for around three weeks, three times a year.

Venus: Goes into retrograde for around six weeks every 18 months. Affects relationships.

Mars: Goes retrograde for about two and a half months every two years or so. Causes anger to turn inwards.

Jupiter: In retrograde for four months of every year! Said to force spiritual re-examination and questioning of values.

Don't fear a retrograde in a natal chart, or in everyday life for that matter. They bring a necessary balance to every aspect of our lives.

Celebrity Natal Charts: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is an icon for many across the world -- proof that great things can be achieved by those with ordinary lives, and proof that youth is no barrier to success. Today we are delving a little deeper into the planetary imprints of Tiger Woods' natal chart, seeing what makes the man tick in astrological terms.

Tiger Woods was born in Long Beach, California, at 10:50 p.m., on Tuesday, December 30, 1975.

Sun in Capricorn

The sun was in Capricorn at Tiger Woods' time of birth, making him goal-oriented, ambitious, and giving him a love of money, according to natal chart interpretation guidelines. Tradition is very important with this aspect of a chart, and there is almost no game more traditional than golf! Capricorns tend to use their skills in expedience to initiate a slow rise through the ranks of their chosen profession, and even in relationships. However, a false sense of pride or ego can mar success in these natal charts.

Sun in the Fourth House

Despite the sense of expediency that people with the Sun in Capricorn have, the combination of this with Capricorn in the Fourth house makes family and early relationships very important. This aspect of Tiger Woods natal chart means that inside, he is constantly searching for connections between his past and present life.

Virgo Ascendant, Pisces Descendant

The face that Tiger Woods shows to the World, his Ascendant, is Virgo -- detail oriented, perfectionist, tidy and very self confident. This self confidence could boost his false sense of ego that having the Sun in Capricorn creates. Tiger's perception of the world is mostly mentally based, rather than emotionally based or spiritually based. He is practical and logical.

The Piscean descendant in his natal chart, though, means that underneath all that practicality Tiger Woods definitely has a more spiritual side. The intuition of Pisces helps Tiger Woods understand people and their motivations quite well, and brings a tenderness to his relationships.

Mercury in Capricorn

This positioning in Tiger Woods natal chart creates an easy ability to concentrate and a naturally good memory. The attention to detail of this aspect extends the Virgo ascendant, and adds dignity and earnestness.