[original post 2005-03-21] A relationship between two people is usually reflected in their charts. Planets which are either conjunct (in the same place) or opposite cause there to be a connection between people with the characteristics of those planets. Typical connections vary according to the type of relationship, and with different people. Venus-Mars conjunctions tend to signify romance and sex whereas Venus-Moon connections may indicate sympathy and friendship.
Marriages often show Sun-Moon conjunctions, and sometimes Jupiter-Moon. Jupiter-Moon aspects are also found in the charts of close friends, as are Jupiter-Sun aspects.
Certain people feel or behave as if they are fated to be together. They think of themselves as “soulmates” or they stick together through extraordinary circumstances, even when it’s to their extreme disadvantage. Sometimes they fly in the face of social rules and the relationship is considered highly unethical by others. Sometimes they cause great damage to themselves or those around them.
I’ve noticed that in these relationships we often see an aspect between the nodes of the Moon and personal planets – usually Venus or Mars, occasionally also the Moon or Sun. (The nodes of the Moon, known as Rahu and Ketu in jyotish, are the the astronomical points where the plane of the orbit of the Moon cross the plane of the earth’s orbit around the Sun… where eclipses happen. They are plotted onto a horoscope like planets. In both western and eastern astrology are regarded as karmic points.)
In Jyotish thinking the nodes exert slightly mysterious influences, and Rahu in particular can lead to obsessions. Venus-Rahu is often seen in intense relationships, and even after the relationship ends when it becomes very hard for people to let go.
This phenomenon is part of my ideas about evolution and astrology. A number of posts in this blog about relationships explore Rahu/Ketu connections.
