The reality of karmic links in relationships

"Where in my chart would I find the karmic link to my current partner and in the bigger picture, how my karmic lessons play out in my relationships?" Thanks for your questions. Since they all have to do with relationships and synastry (comparing the aspects between two natal charts) and in particular with "karmic" issues, I've grouped them together and will try and answer them all here. First of all, I have to offer my standard compatibility disclaimer: any relationship can work, so long as the two individuals are committed to the relationship, and to their own, individual growth and progress. It is absolutely impossible to determine the potential success of a relationship using astrology. Synastry can help to identify how two individuals are likely to interact with each other; where the energy flows easily, and where it will tend to be more challenging. However, you must remember that "easy" relationships and "easy" aspects between two charts does not mean that a relationship will necessarily be easy or enjoyable! Sometimes individuals need conflict and stimulation in their relationships. You have to look at the individual natal charts first and last; and ultimately, you have to understand how the individuals are experiencing their natal charts to gain a true understanding of where they are with respect to their individual relationship needs. Only from there, can you begin to determine the type of relationship dynamic that they need. There. Now that that's out of the way, we can start to talk about "karma" in relationships. "Karma" has very specific applications; however, I find that when most people talk about "karma" they are referring to their life lessons both from this life and from past lives. All planets are "karmic" as are all aspects. Earth is a teaching planet, and everything that we experience here has to do with our "karmic" lessons. When working with a synastry grid, I usually divide it into different sections. Aspects between inner planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) and angles are "Personal" and generally describe the overall feel of the relationship, and the day-to-day interactions. Aspects between the inner planets and angles of one chart to Jupiter and/or Saturn in the other chart are "Social" and generally have to do with how the two individuals relate to each other in group and social situations. (This is the most vague of the categories, and as often as not, I group Jupiter with the "Personal" planets and Saturn with the "Outer" planets and do away with this category entirely). Aspects between one person's Outer Planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto; also Saturn and Chiron) to the other person's Personal Planets or Angles are "Karmic". Finally, aspects between the Outer Planets in the two charts are generational. One of the primary ways that we learn our lessons on Earth is through relationships. We learn from our partners, while at the same time, we act as teachers for them. We are rarely aware of our roles as teachers; more than that, it is neither our

responsibility nor our concern to try and teach our partners. It's rare enough that we can truly understand what our personal lessons are; it's nearly impossible to truly understand what someone else's lessons are. I bring this up because we don't have any control over the "karmic" elements of our relationships. If I'm in a relationship with someone, and my Pluto sits exactly on their Moon (for example), the only thing that I can do is to be aware that this person may be experiencing issues relating to power and security through our relationship and there is nothing that I can do about it other than be as aware and as sensitive to it as possible. If and when these issues come up, all that I personally can do is to accept that my partner is experiencing his or her own issues; that these issues are probably not my fault, although I have become the focal point for their lesson. The universe, however, tends to be very efficient, and it's rare that only one partner in a relationship has a lesson to learn. I personally always try and look for what it is that I'm supposed to learn from a situation, and where my personal responsibilities lieand where they don't. It's not always easy, but then again, we didn't incarnate on Earth to take a vacation. That being said, the "karmic" issues in a relationship can be seen through the connections between the outer planets (and I almost always include Saturn in that category) and the partner's personal planets and angles. Before I briefly describe each planet's primary "themes" I again want to emphasize that the outer planet person is usually not directly responsible for their partner's reactions; they are simply someone who can help their partner to play out, identify, and hopefully heal their individual issues. SATURN: Saturn aspects tend to relate to issues with authority, particularly with male authority figures. Saturn of course rules responsibility and limitations. Saturn aspects to personal planets in synastry often feel limiting or restraining; sometimes the Saturn person can fall into a parenting role, or be perceived as a parent in certain situations. Saturn aspects, however, both "easy" and "hard" are almost always present in long-term relationships. CHIRON: Chiron, an asteroid/planetoid that orbits between Saturn and Uranus is frequently related to healing, both physical and spiritual. Chiron's wounds tend to be very deep and exploring them can be very frightening. Strong Chiron contacts to personal planets or angles can sometimes indicate that a major theme of the relationship will be healingand that can often involve moving through crisis. URANUS: Uranus aspects have to do with the disruption of business as usual. How an individual reacts and responds to outer planet contacts is entirely dependent on how well that individual works with Saturn. If they hold on too tightly to the illusions of Saturn, then the energy of the outer planets will always feel threatening to them, whether it is experienced through transits or through relationships. Uranus connections in synastry often present opportunities to experience and heal issues relating to rejection and abandonment. NEPTUNE: Neptune aspects almost always relate to boundary issues. When Neptune is involved, all boundaries become blurry; we find it difficult to make distinctions and often lose touch with "reality" and escape into "fantasy". Strong Neptune contacts

can indicate romance in a relationship; they can also indicate a tendency for one partner to lose his or her individual identity in the relationship, or to use the relationship as a way to escape their personal responsibilities. PLUTO: Pluto aspects usually have to do with issues relating to power and control. Individuals who have personal planets in close contact with their partner's Pluto may often feel that their partner is trying to control or manipulate them. As far as partners having the same or similar house cusps, this is quite common, particularly when two individuals were born at the same time of year, the same time of day, and in similar latitudes. It's only significant in that they will tend to experience transits in the same areas of their lives (i.e., when transiting Saturn is in one partner's 3rd house, it's also in the other partner's 3rd house).