Synastry/ Composite and Present Moment Lived Experience

        Synastry and composite are charts that allow us a greater understanding of the personality and behavioural dynamics between two people that will occur naturally and develop over time as two people interact to a greater degree. The energy between them will be influenced by the type of relationship the two have, as well as stage of life, demographics and other factors. Over the years I’ve done synastry/ composite charts for people who are interested romantically in someone and are hoping to learn more about what could be if they were to be in a relationship in the future. I wanted to focus this post on this topic as it seems to be something that interests many people and attracts people to learn more about astrology.

      The synastry overlays one chart over another comparing aspects, for example person A mars at 4 degrees scorpio is conjunct person B’s mercury at 2 degrees scorpio. It also puts A’s planets in B’s houses and vice versa, allowing us to see which houses (areas of life) will dominate. The composite chart is an entirely new chart made up of the midpoints between A and B’s planets and house cusps. So, if A has venus at 6 degrees taurus and B has venus at 8 degrees taurus, their composite venus is 7 degrees taurus. The davison chart takes the midpoint of space and time, and also is a new chart representing the relationship. There is computer software to quickly and accurately calculate these charts.

      The charts have incredibly valuable information that can be seen and understood from the start of a relationship in order to understand the strengths, weaknesses, overall direction and karmic purpose of the relationship. By studying these charts, you can more easily accept why the dynamics have occurred, enhance overall communication, understand the relationship in terms of soul contracts/ past life unfinished business and have more insight into what you can do to better fulfill the purpose of that relationship. I enjoy studying the charts of couples and observing how the different planetary aspects and overlays play out over time. With enough time together, every aspect will be felt and no one aspect can cancel another. People have told me that receiving these readings have been healing and transformational as they don’t go back to the relationship the same person they were before. Just being conscious of this information can help make the most of it as you are bringing subconscious patterns to light for examination and analysis. The process of doing so will hopefully be motivation to create a plan for positive change.

       The context is different for people who aren’t actually in a romantic relationship though. There is no way to know with certainty how someone is thinking or feeling about you or whether they are attracted to you just by looking at astrological aspects and this is a very important point to always keep in mind. Every aspect while having similar energy, can manifest itself in many different ways at different times over the life of the relationship or life stage, in different cultures, with different societal expectations/norms and in different areas of the world (astrocartography). A venus conjunct neptune has its benefits and challenges but depending on who the two people are and the context of their lives, they can experience different sides to it. Some people may see more the upside and others more the downside. While the charts can illuminate many things, seen and unseen, conscious and unconscious in relationships, we must also ensure that we are allowing the relationship to unfold as it organically will in real time. In other words, paying attention to the present moment experiences felt between both people as the days go by. Prioritizing paying attention to the person’s words and behaviours and not the narratives you interpret from the charts. Each aspect and house overlay is a potential which can manifest in a multitude of ways, and not always in the ways we would hope for or expect.

      Sometimes people will ask me something along the lines of, “my venus is conjunct his pluto and my pluto is trine his venus and in our composite venus is opposing our pluto, does this mean he is attracted to me or is thinking about me?” I couldn’t answer that question just with that information. Having close hard aspects between pluto and venus have a potential based on the lower consciousness level of one or both of the people involved to produce obsessions gone wrong, fatal attractions and a misdirection of energy that can have serious consequences. I wouldn’t want multiple hard pluto-venus aspects with someone I really care for because even when both people are emotionally stable, it tends to produce obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviours, and bring about difficult emotions such as jealousy, possessiveness, power struggles and desire for control. Feelings and urges that are deep in the subconscious produce strange or even out of character behaviours that are difficult to understand in logical analysis. Exchanges that could be overlooked with other people are more difficult to overlook with venus-pluto because all the emotions are so much more intense and things can be taken personally when you know intellectually they aren’t. If you've had transiting pluto making a hard aspect to your natal venus thus far, you will know what I mean, even if you don't have this aspect in your birth chart. I can see why people romanticize it at first because it’s an aspect that brings chemistry, intensity, sexual attraction and genuine desire to really know someone. In the current time where people have been feeling disconnected, it makes you feel alive again and gives some passion. One aspect isn’t enough to define a relationship dynamic so the answer as to whether someone is attracted to you cannot be definitively answered if you aren’t in a relationship with them. Building stories of what someone feels for you based on aspects in the chart is not healthy and also takes away creative energy that could otherwise be directed in more fruitful relationships, opportunities and projects.

      I want to share a story to help illustrate the importance of prioritizing the unfolding of a relationship in real life rather than building expectations of the other person and of the relationship from the chart alone. Just recently during an annual update consultation, I had a client who brought her chart and someone in her life with whom she feels chemistry, attraction and excitement. While she was curious to know about him, she was sure she wouldn’t want a relationship with him as she realizes she is married to a man whom she loves and sees as a partner for the rest of her life. The other man’s time is unknown but the other birth information was available. With them both being in long-term relationships with other people, and also having a professional relationship it did not look very promising to start a new relationship. She wanted to learn more as the feelings she had were unusual and she wanted to see whether something in astrology could help explain this situation. She has given me permission to share her story but not the charts to maintain privacy.

      At the time they met, transiting uranus made an exact hard aspect to her natal venus, suggesting an electric, unusual attraction that could be sudden or short lived in nature. There was an eclipse to their venus- north node conjunction the same year they met. The time of the first meeting chart showed a close venus-mars square which was also tightly sesquiquadrate pluto, which would mirror the other aspects shown in the relationship charts. The relationship between the planets in the sky at the time of the first meeting influences the dynamic between two people, just as the date of a wedding would influence the life of a couple together. In their synastry and composite/ davison, I could see a lot of aspects in line with what she described: In the synastry charts, her venus was widely conjunct his mars in the same sign, his venus closely squared her mars, his venus made an exact conjunction to her north node, there were mutual quincunx aspects between their venus and pluto, there were challenging aspects between their venus and neptune both ways, to name a few of the most important. In the composite/ davison, venus was making an exact opposition/ trine respectively to pluto, and venus was making an exact trine/ opposition respectively to neptune. The moon and neptune were closely conjunct in both charts, which I believe contributed to a ‘melting’ effect where it was easy to talk without barriers and fear of rejection/ judgement about unusual topics that you wouldn’t normally with people you don’t know well. Venus was conjunct the north node in the composite chart. Venus and Saturn were in exact quincunx in both charts (this aspect was also apparent in the synastry as an out of sign conjunction). Transiting uranus, neptune and pluto all are at 4 degrees of gemini, aries and aquarius respectively and the degrees in their composite/ davison of venus, saturn, neptune and pluto all are 5-6 degrees. So, you can imagine that all these composite/ davison and synastry aspects are being triggered and causing an overwhelming intensity of feelings. In sum, these aspects taken together have the potential to cause a lot of heat, sexual and romantic attraction, a fated feeling, an awakening of erotic attraction, awareness of sensuality and a craving for physical touch. If these two were in a relationship, I would think it would be hard to keep their hands off each other! This is in line with what she described she was feeling for him as well, so we know it was active from her perspective. Interestingly, she is conventionally attractive while he is not (her disclosure as I haven't seen a picture of him). Yet, that doesn't stop her attraction to him because on her end its more of an energetic magnetic draw. Venus is closely aspecting saturn, neptune, pluto and the north node which brings about genuine and authentic interest in knowing more about each other. However, in this case, the energy cannot be expressed directly to each other as they are not in a romantic relationship and should maintain proper boundaries. In her words, she can’t stop thinking about him, she has kept tabs on what he does online, and he awakens in her powerful sexual energy that cannot be denied. She is surprised at the intensity and boldness of these feelings, given that they hadn’t seen each other in person so many times.

      When she started seeing him, she had not been attracted initially. She only started noticing the intensity of feelings come after 3-4 meetings. The more obsessive and overwhelming feelings came strongly after that, as pluto moved within a 3 degree orb to trigger the venus, saturn, neptune, and pluto aspects. At this time, she had intrusive thoughts and just couldn’t stop thinking about him which was not what she wanted. Pluto was exact at 5 degrees aquarius this past April/May, and even though she hadn’t seen him for a long time he wouldn’t leave her thoughts. As of July 2026, uranus, neptune and pluto are at 4 degrees gemini, 4 degrees aries and 4 degrees aquarius respectively, their composite/ davison sun and mercury conjunction is at 3-6 degrees and both neptune and pluto are retrograde giving the effects of internalizing their energies and causing a lot of inward reflection on why this meeting happened in the first place (hence us discussing it in the reading) as she doesn’t desire to pursue this connection any further in real life. I don’t know this man and can only form my opinion based on what she tells me. There wasn’t any evidence of flirtation or inappropriate behaviours when they saw each other. There was nothing tangible from him to know for sure that he had an attraction to her. The association ended as she didn’t feel seeing him would be suitable any longer, given the intensity that was now present and would become too much to continue in person as these feelings had no outlet, having to repress them when in contact with him.  She also took issue with a conversation they had, though admitted she has overlooked similar things from others in the past. There was no confrontation, just an end to meeting as she felt her business needs could be better served elsewhere.  Nevertheless, the times in between the last few in person meetings she couldn’t stop thinking about him and he has occupied her thoughts since then, for several months now.

     While it is possible he felt something for her too, or she took up a lot of mental space for him at one point or even until now, it now becomes irrelevant as neither of them are interested in continuing the association. He never contacted her after their last meeting either. A lot of mental and physical energy has been consumed in something that is not real, and perhaps that is one of the lessons here, to pay attention to dynamics unfolding in real life as they are and not as we wish they would be. The present is a gift, of which our thoughts create our character and our character creates our destiny. Thoughts are creating our destiny and every effort should be made to focus on what is giving purpose to our life. The reflection I had with this case is that the partner with whom you share your life with now is the person who is real. The person who knows you close up, with all your strengths and weaknesses, and still chooses to be with you in day-to-day life. It is easy to admire and fantasize from afar, and it can give some excitement but that is not real and not really worth spending much mental energy on.

        The positive news is that all transits have a start and end, and at some point when the planets have run their course, these energies will also reduce and eventually stop. I believe in soul contracts and that these two people agreed to meet to teach them lessons about themselves and about life, the nature of which I am unsure, but I know that these types of meetings are pre-destined and will occur at exactly the right time.

      What do you think of synastry/ composite charts and your lived experience thus far?  Please share with me in the comments.