The Composite Chart

The Composite Chart 

A Chart of the Relationship

With Valentine's Day around the corner, many people are thinking about love. While some people are concerned about drawing new love, others are thinking about their existing relationships. They may be thinking about taking a causal relationship to a new level of commitment, they may be asking if they are compatible with their lover or if their special someone is the one. Alternately, they may be questioning whether the relationship is worth continuing or if it is time for a clean break and allow both parties to go their separate ways. 

In these cases a lot of people look to synastry, which is one way of comparing two charts for romantic and sexual compatibility. For example, the below chart represents the synastry between two individuals. The inner circle is the birth chart of one individual and the outer circle is the second person's birth chart. 

In a Synastry Chart there are a few things that an astrologer will look at to determine compatibility such as aspects between the Suns, the Moons, the Sun and the Ascendant, the Moon and the Ascendant, and the aspects between Venus and Mars. 

In addition to the Synastry Chart, there is the Composite Chart. The Composite Chart is a chart of  the midpoints between the planets in one chart and the planets in another. Where does my Sun meet your Sun in the middle? My moon and your moon? My Mercury and your Mercury and so forth and so on. The Midpoints are calculated using a complex mathematical formula. Luckily there are websites such as astro that will do it for you. For example, below is the Composite Chart of the same two individuals as in the above Synastry Chart. 

Interpreting the Composite Chart 

The Composite chart merges two individual's birth charts into one and as such is no longer a chart of the two individuals but rather is a chart of the relationship itself and it is interpreted as such. The planets are read according to the astrological house they occupy. 

Below you will find short, pithy descriptions of what the planets and houses represent in a composite chart. Use these in conjunction with your astrological keywords (change your "I" statements to "We" statements") to help you interpret your composite chart.  

The Planets of Astrology

• The Sun- the sun represents the purpose of the relationship and can indicate the types of problems they couple will face and have to overcome. 
• The Moon- the moon represents how you relate to one another emotionally and what is needed in order to feel nurtured and emotionally secure in the relationship. 
• Mercury- mercury represents how you connect mentally with one another, how you communicate and understand one another. 
• Venus- venus represents how you show your affection for one another, and how you express your feelings of love and romance. 
• Mars- mars represents where you are driven within the relationship. 
• Jupiter- jupiter represents areas for potential growth within the relationship, and where being together is favorable for the couple. 
• Saturn- saturn represents areas of limitation and difficulty in the relationship which can inhibit growth.  
• Uranus- uranus represents areas where you need change and excitement in the relationship. 
• Neptune- Neptune represents areas of confusion in the relationship where you may not be perceiving things as they are but rather as you wish them to be. 
• Pluto- pluto represents areas in the relationship where power plays take place. 

The Houses of Astrology 

1. The first house represents how the couple met and / or what type of couple they are. Are they the fun couple, the sporty couple? 
2. The second house represents your shared personal values, as well as your attitudes about money and security. 
3. The third house represents how you communicate with one another as a couple and how you relate to one another on a day-to-day basis. 
4. The fourth house represents how you connect to another on an emotional level and how you build your relationship up on that connection. 
5. The fifth house represents the types of activities you do together for fun as well as how you express your affection for one another. 
6. The sixth house represents how well, or not, you work together, and your daily activities in the mundane. 
7. The seventh house represents how you come together as a couple as well as how you interact with other people as a couple. 
8. The eight house represents how you connect with each other in an intimate way as well as how you use your shared resources. 
9. The ninth house represents how you experience the exploration of the world around you together and grow from your experiences. 
10. The tenth house represents how you present yourself to the world at large and the goals that you work on or hope to achieve together. 
11. The eleventh house represents the groups you become involved with together and any causes you may work towards. 
12. The twelfth house represents endings and can indicate areas of the relationship that is hidden or within the subconscious as well as the any shared baggage that needs to be released. 

Examples 

Here are a few example of composite planets in the houses. 

1. Composite Venus in the 5th House -Composite Venus in the 5th house can indicate that this is a couple who really likes one another and enjoys each others company. They may spend a great deal of time together on shared hobbies, socializing with others, or attending parties, movies, parties, or other entertaining activities. 
2. Composite Mars in the 8th House -Composite Mars in the 8th House can indicate a relationship in which sex and sexual fulfillment is of great importance. This is couple who is quite sexually active and in which sex is used as an outlet to soothe mutual aggressions. Since this house also rules shared resources, it can indicate conflicts and arguments over money. 

Other Considerations 

In addition to the planets in the houses, an astrologer will look at the aspects, or relationships between the planets in the composite chart. The aspects between the planets in the composite chart bring an added dimension to the interpretation of the chart. 

Other considerations include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Composite North Node
• Aspects to the North Node
• Composite Ascendant 
• Planets in Signs 

Carolina Dean