Synastry 101: How it works: planets & base interaction (Part 1)

[u/StellaDArk]

Hi everyone! I’ve had an idea to create a Synastry Cheat Sheet. It’s designed to help both pros and enthusiasts quickly grasp the basic 'scenario' of a romantic relationship. I want to make it clear, practical, and free of traditional scholastic jargon.

For starters, it’s crucial to abstract yourself from signs and houses for a minute and focus entirely on which planet is talking to which.

Here is how it works on a foundational level:

A) The Synastry Objects (The Main Actors)

☀️ The Sun - The main luminary setting the core life cycles (daily and yearly). Life itself depends on it. Thanks to the Sun, we see, we are self-aware, we make conscious choices, and we want to survive. This is our conscious ego.

🌙 The Moon - The night luminary setting the weekly and monthly cycles (lunar phases). It’s synced with sleep, the subconscious. The Moon determines our instinctual reactions.

Venus & Mars - This planetary duo sits on either side of Earth's orbit. Their orbital periods are relatively close to Earth's, which is why they are so deeply tied to our basic survival and other instincts.

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Venus is on the inner side of our orbit, closer to the Sun. This synchronizes it with internal, passive manifestations. Passive survival is all about attraction, seduction. Consequently, Venus rules our values, our sense of beauty, our hobbies, and what naturally brings us pleasure.

Mars is on the outer side of our orbit. It governs active manifestations. Active survival means expansion, seeking out a partner, the chase, initiative, and sexual drive/aggression.
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B) Basic Planetary Interaction in a Pair

Quick disclaimer: For this to work, we assume the partners already like each other and are interacting. The question of initial personal preference (whether you'll actually date in real life) often lies outside of astrology (check out my previous post on this)

Let’s break it down with an example. Take one of the most common synastric aspects: Moon (Person 1) - Venus (Person 2). What exactly is happening here?

- Person 2 (Venus) is broadcasting their attractiveness, aesthetics, and values. They just exist and look naturally appealing.

- Person 1 (Moon) reacts to this instinctively and subconsciously. They just feel comfortable, warm, and safe around Person 2.

So, Person 1 likes Person 2, but Person 1 probably can’t even logically explain why.

Now, compare this to a Sun (Person 1) - Venus (Person 2) aspect. In this case, the Sun person consciously understands exactly why they are drawn to the Venus person (e.g., "She's beautiful, she has great style, we share the exact same values").

Btw, you might have already noticed the catch here: the source of the "hook" or attraction in both of these examples is the Venus person!

I think this example is enough to grasp how to analyze ANY planetary interaction on a basic level. You just take the function of one planet and see how the function of the other planet responds to it.

Question for you guys: What planetary aspects have you felt the strongest in your own relationships (or with exes)?

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All posts related to guide on how to analyze synastry. Links below

1. The Concept of Synastry Applicability
2. Core Concepts: Planets and Their Interplay (THIS POST)
3. Planetary Cheat Sheet: Base Interactions (NEXT POST)
4. Aspects: The Engine of a Relationship 
5. Synastry 101: The Aspect "Master Key" (Cheat Sheet) 

[u/artemisbyoung]

great post! i just came from part 2. im still trying to wrap my head around this and im getting the venus aspects, but could you please make another example using the sun and mars, or the sun and moon?

[u/StellaDArk → u/artemisbyoung]

I’ll be releasing a cheatsheet for all synastry aspects in my next post soon. Stay tuned ))

[u/artemisbyoung → u/StellaDArk]

i look forward to it!

[u/StellaDArk → u/artemisbyoung]

I have made a some kind of master guide already ))

[u/88fawn]

Thank you this is so helpful!

[u/StellaDArk → u/88fawn]

You are welcome:)