“Synastry” refers to the astrological study of relationships. There are several techniques. Each have their own merits.
A synastry chart or “chart comparison” is when you check how one person’s planets relate to another person’s and interpret what you find.
As an example, people who have their Jupiter conjunct one of your personal planets are almost always benevolent towards you. In return, your energy cheers them.
In another case, a person’s Mars may square your Sun. They may attack (Mars) your ego (Sun). Or they may just fire you up. Inflame you. Push you. You may like it.
You have to be careful when judging these things. Synastry will show that there is an interaction between two people but how the interaction plays will depend on the choices the people make.
A composite chart is a chart of the midpoints between two charts. Say again?
The mathematical midpoint between the two Suns becomes the composite Sun.
The midpoint between the two Moon becomes the composite Moon and so forth.
What you’re doing is merging the two charts to come up with a chart of their relationship. This may sound squirrelly but these charts are valid. They most definitely work!
The difference is that the one method (comparison) shows you how two people interact and affect each other.
The other (composite) gives information about the relationship itself. It tells it’s purpose and it’s qualities.
Is the union happy? Stable? Erratic?
Two people can feel really good around each other but still have a relationship that is fraught with difficulty or impediment of some kind.
Also, the composite chart is meaningless unless the relationship actually forms. It’s a hypothetical. If you see someone you like and you see that you have a nice composite chart with that person, it won’t matter unless you merge with them in some way. It is at that point, the composite chart comes into being.
You can also have two people with very difficult charts. But when you put them together their composite is great. This creates a situation where people are better together than apart. You see it in life sometimes. “My life was crap, but then I met….”
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Which synastry technique do you prefer?
Yea great synastry doesn’t mean jack. Dated this guy… the synastry was highly favorable, the composite was amazing, I even found this eastern/vedic reading thing and that came back highly favorable… but things just never materialized. I liked him a lot. I thought he liked me but after a few weeks it became apparent that he didn’t like me as much. When I quit calling he did not pick up the ball. Heartbreaking, really. After a 20 year marriage with horrible synatry and composite, I was so excited to meet this new guy. But no, great relationship charts just don’t mean anything, until they do I guess.
Its may have been due to transits or maybe the progressed composite chart would show why it didn’t work.
@taurus woman I’ve experienced this too. I broke my own heart building up a fantasy. Of course it didn’t help he called me everyday regardless. He had a woman in the wings he said he was over with but my instincts kept telling me it wasn’t true- and sure enough they got back together. Our charts were great together! He even thought so and didn’t believe Astrology (I sent him the Synastry Report I bought). Oh well but turns out I dodged a bullet! Maybe you did too!
But what if a synastry shows intense,”difficult” and erratic interactions (for instance lots of uranus and pluto going on)and the composite shows a rather harmonious relationship?
ps: I’m a newnie here so I feel like saying a big hello to everybody and thanks to the hostess for her great work! 🙂
So the stuff on composite charts brought up something that I’ve been considering for a bit, but have been forgetting to bring up.
So, suppose two people in a relationship were born pretty close together (like with a few months or less time)- the composite chart is going to look a lot in some aspects like each individual – yes? To make an extreme example, I saw an article a couple of weeks ago about a couple who are going to get married, and they were born on the same day (I didn’t read the article, so I don’t know their birth data). Of course, these two likely have different ascendants, and the planets are in different houses. But there is the likelihood that all the planets are in the same signs, with the same aspects. Then you end up with a composite that’s pretty much the same chart as the two people! What can that mean?
curiouswanderer – this is pretty much true for my husband & i relative to the outer planets. but sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars are quite different. so the composite result is that those planets are entirely different in our chart than in our individual charts.
another question about couples charts though. what importance would you give to event charts, eg, the chart for when we got engaged or married. (too bad i hardly keep track of when i meet people!)
What is the third technique, Elsa? Or was that just a typo? Sorry if it was, i was just expecting maybe the Davison chart to be mentioned, but it wasn’t.
Alyson, the 3rd technique I had in mind was putting one person’s planets in the other person’s chart. 🙂
So like house overlays? Alright, i’ve always grouped that in with synastry so it would’ve never occurred to me that you were considering it separately, haha.
the composite scares me a bit. mutable square. and a mutable/cardinal t square (w/pluto in libra.) no wonder this summer is triggering it.
well, i don’t sign up for the easy games.
ascendant is 1 degree scorpio.
I use both Synastry and Composite charts. They both offer a different perspective of a relationship. In Synastry, I can get a good understanding of how we will affect each other’s lives. I think its important to look at the Synastry first so that you understand the dynamic between each other. That affects the interpretation of the Composite chart.
I had a friend that had his Venus conjunct my Sun. He was sweet as sugar to me and I loved talking to him. When I looked at our composite chart though, it didn’t look so promising for a long-term romantic relationship, so we always remained platonic.
No one will ever find 100% of what they want in a long-term relationship. There’s going to be things you don’t like, so if you want to know what they are look at the Synastry chart first and decide if its something you can put up with or a deal breaker.
Im wondering…can I do these chart analysis with a relative instead of a coupling relationship. Would these charts help me understand my mother or sister, for instance…how we get along and where there are roadblocks? Perhaps there is another type of chart reading?
Yes, there is a “friends” option. Thanks!
Composite chart:
Does the “averaging” apply to birth-dates/times? Birth places?
Can you chuck the results into an astology program as an individual and expect valid transit interpretations?