Voting Day in Jakarta

Indonesian elections, including presidential, take place on April 17th 2019. Polls open at 7am and close at 1pm. Given the tensions that have been building up surrounding these elections, I thought it might be interesting to draw up a chart for the start of voting in Jakarta. This chart is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: start of voting in Jakarta at 7am on April 17th, 2019

With Taurus rising, Venus is the ruler of the chart. This planet is in Pisces and involved in a very tight T-square in mutable signs with the Moon and Jupiter, the latter at the apex in the eighth house. This is a volatile configuration but not necessarily violent. However, Pluto is active in the ninth, aspecting Venus by sextile, the Sun by square and the Moon by trine. Again, this is not necessarily violent but does suggest a transformation and this would favour the challenger, Prabowo. The Sun represents leadership and Sun square Pluto suggests a change here.

Of course, these planetary positions should also be considered in relation to the chart for Indonesian's independence (shown in Figure 2).

Figure 2: Indonesia's Independence Chart

In Figure 3, I've superimposed the election chart on the Independence Day chart with the latter positions on the outer ring. The result is rather confusing but the most noticeable feature is that Pluto on election day is right on top of Mercury, the ruler of the Independence Day chart, in the eighth house. Additionally, Election Day Mars sits rather ominously on the Ascendant. All this is not so good of course. The Independence Day Sun in 5°18' of Capricorn is square to the Election Day Uranus in 2°53' of Aries, again suggestive of an upset (as a win by Prabowo would be).

Figure 3: Election Day and Independence Day charts combined

Lastly, we should look at the progressed Independence Day chart to see what's showing up there. This is shown in Figure 4:

Figure 4: Progressed Independence Day Chart

I've marked in some of the salient features. What strikes my eye is the conjunction of the progressed Moon (representing the voting public) with natal Neptune. This suggests that the voting public are confused or are being deceived about what is really going on. The progressed Moon is also in a sharp quincunx with the Sun (representing leadership) and reflects the current political tensions. Independence Day Venus mediates this Sun-Moon tension. Election Day Mars is opposite the Independence Day Moon. 

Whether these charts and planetary interactions simply reflect the current tensions or whether they presage more, I don't know. There's not long to wait however, before it becomes clear.

ADDENDUM: it's now Friday May 3rd 2019 and the presidential election result seems clear enough but there will be no official announcement until later this month, probably around May 22nd. The supporters of the losing candidate are not happy but have been told to restrain themselves until the official announcement. What will happen then is uncertain.

FURTHER ADDENDUM: looking back on this post I don't know why I didn't choose the 1945 Independence Chart which is the one that Indonesia recognises. See my earlier posts:

• Indonesia's Independence Chart
• A Deeper Look at Indonesia's Independence Chart

The Start of the 2019 Astrological Year

I haven't posted to this blog in a while but the start of the 2109 astrological year has prompted me to post again. The location is set to Jakarta, partly because I'm living there and partly because the five yearly presidential election is to be held next month and the country is highly polarised in its support of the two duelling candidates. The equinox, autumnal for Jakarta because it is south of the equator, occurred at 4:58am on March 21st. The chart is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: chart for the equinox in Jakarta
at 4:58am on 21st March 2019

In Figure 2 I've marked in the positions of the planets to the nearest degree and emphasised the aspects between the planets.

Figure 2: equinox chart with planetary positions shown to the
nearest degree and aspects between planets emphasised.

A general observation about the equinox is that Pluto is conjunct the South Node of the Moon. This occurs about every 15 years but the conjunction in Capricorn last occurred in 1777. To quote from this site (translated from French), the following events occurred:

In France, Louis XVI had appointed Necker as General Director of Finances (June 29th, 1777). Together they carried on the tax reform of work in order to bring cash for the State, without overwhelming the people nor irritate the wealthy and the landlords. Necker implements two immediately lucrative systems: loans and the lottery (Wikipedia). Isn’t it interesting to observe the similarities between then and today, whereas the yellow vests are comparing Macron with Louis XVI. In the US, this conjunction corresponds with the second semester of 1777, a few months after the Declaration of Independence. Battles against the British are still going on. 1777 is also the year of the Flag Resolution, first flag with 13 stars.

 The same site's author (Patrick Giani) goes on to say that:

At worst, it could be a period of revolts and major clashes, at best a questioning of our institutions and systems. Pluto conjunct South Node reveals injustice, all manoeuvres from politicians, businesses and bankers to keep people dependant. This conjunction requires from those in power to change the laws that rule the country. It requires from every one, including the people, to be genuine and authentic. 

Figure 3: aspects to Pluto
 are highlighted in yellow

Moreover, Pluto is sharply aspected by a trine from Mars in Taurus as well as a semi-sextile from Venus in Aquarius. All three form a right angled triangle with the vertex of the right angle being the position of Venus. Jupiter is also in close semi-sextile aspect and there is also a square to Pluto from the Moon in Virgo, although there is 5° orb in this case. It would seem that the combined tension between Mars and Venus, building up in the fixed signs of Taurus and Aquarius and augmented by Jupiter and the Moon, will find a release through the cardinal (action) sign of Capricorn if the controlling influence of nearby Saturn cannot stifle it. Figure 3 highlights these aspects in yellow.

Figure 4: aspects to the Moon
are highlighted in blue

In many ways, the Moon is the most highly aspected planet in the chart. These aspects are shown in Figure 4 and include the opposition from the Sun and Chiron, a square from Jupiter, a trine from Pluto and Mars and a quincunx from Uranus. The involvement of the Moon emphasises of course the masses and the opposition of the Sun suggests conflict and confrontation with those in power. The closest aspects to the Moon are from the Sun and Uranus, the latter planet of course closely associated with revolutions.

So far I've only looked at the aspects between the planets and not the specifics of the Jakarta chart. In this chart, Pisces rises and one of the rulers, Neptune, is conjunct the Ascendant while the other, Jupiter, is in the tenth house. If there is a revolution, the driving forces behind it are likely to be as shadowy as those of 1965. The elections will be held on April 17th and on that day the Moon returns to the same position it occupied on the Equinox. Let's see how things play out. One things for sure, this is a very powerful chart both in Jakarta and for anywhere else in the world.

Saturn and Pluto Synodic Cycle

The length of the Saturn - Pluto synodic cycle varies depending on the position of Pluto in its orbit. When it is closer to the Sun, its orbital speed increases and Saturn takes longer to overtake it. Pluto was moving its faster at perihelion in 1990, when it dipped inside the orbit of Neptune. The current synodic cycle which will end in January of 2020 is of about 38 years duration.

FIGURE 1: double click for a closer view. Image address can be found at:
https://www.lunarplanner.com/Saturn-Opp-Uranus/Sa-Pl-History-Images/Saturn-Pluto-synods.gif

A closer look at FIGURE 1 will show how close Saturn and Pluto are during this coming conjunction because their latitudes are almost the same (+0°02' and -0°40' respectively). Compare their proximity to that of their previous conjunction and the difference is quite marked. The author of the chart is using a heliocentric, sidereal zodiac so that's why the zodiacal signs are out of alignment. The reason for my interest in the relationship between these planets is that some sort of economic reset is anticipated in the next year or so and the forthcoming conjunction may be an indicator of its timing. Saturn rules structure, organisation and systems while Pluto oversees transformation.

As near as I can determine, the conjunction will occur at 5:13pm in Basel on January 12th 2020. Why Basel? Well, that's where the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) is located and seeing that it's regarded as the Bank of Banks, then Basel is a reasonable location. It's one hour ahead of Greenwich. The chart is an interesting one and it can be seen immediately that a confluence of synodic cycles is involved because Saturn and Pluto are joined by Mercury, the Sun and Ceres to form a tight and impressive stellium in Capricorn.

The stellium falls almost exactly on the seventh house cusp. The day is a Sunday and one can imagine a special meeting of the financial elite taking place that afternoon and a decision being reached around 5pm about what news to break to the world the next morning. On the previous Thursday, transiting Uranus turned stationary direct in 2°39' of Taurus. The Moon, ruler of the chart and representative of the general public, is in the regal sign of Leo and, fittingly, on the cusp of the second house. A very close quincunx between Uranus and Neptune in the eighth house indicates predictably that the banksters will be guilty of deception and intrigue. Figure 2 shows the chart.

FIGURE 2: chart for the coming conjunction of Saturn and Pluto.

So it seems to me that January 12th 2020 might be a day when big decisions are made concerning the global economy, a new digital currency perhaps for all the nations of the world. Whatever is decided of course, it will be good for the banksters and not so good for the rest of us. The larger implications of the changes may not become apparent or may not be fully implemented until the time when Saturn reaches the square to Pluto. Saturn's subsequent opposition to Pluto should reveal the full extent and consequences of the earlier initiatives.

Problems of House Division above the Arctic Circle

I recently downloaded a PDF file titled THE MATHEMATICS OF ASTROLOGY, DOES HOUSE DIVISION MAKE SENSE? by Kevin Heng Ser Guan, Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore who was working under a Supervisor, A/P Helmer Aslasken, Department of Mathematics at the same university (Semester II 2000/2001). The author was probably doing it as a requirement for a Masters degree. The focus is on the spherical trigonometry behind the processes involved in the creation of houses using the various systems available. The author gets the astronomy right and is quick to differentiate between the sidereal and tropical zodiacs. 

Before tackling the problem of house division above the Arctic Circle, the author arrives at the following observation:

Hence, the speed of the ecliptic, when it crosses the horizon, varies from place to place on Earth. It follows that the probability density of the Ascendant is uneven at a given latitude, no matter which system of house division we use. Assuming that the birth rate is fairly even, we can conclude that at that latitude there will be more people born with a certain Ascendant. Since the Ascendant is supposedly an important part of the horoscope, the question to ask is do we really believe that character traits vary with latitude? 

It's a fair point but births in hospitals are certainly not evenly distributed throughout the day. For example, the following May 8th 2015 article from Time gives us insight into the unequal diurnal distribution at least in the United States:

According to new data, American mothers-to-be aren’t having too many late night surprises. A new report shows the highest percentage of U.S. births in 2013 (the most recent data available) happened during morning and midday hours. 

The new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s National Center for Health Statistics looked at 2013 birth certificate data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), and found that the highest percentage of births took place during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and noon. Less than 3% of babies were born during each hour from midnight to 6:59 a.m. 

Though most births happen during the day, the latest findings report that when babies are born on a Saturday or Sunday, they are more likely to happen in the late evening or overnight—11:00 p.m. through 5:59 a.m.—compared to births that happen between Monday to Friday. 

When it comes to how women gave birth, there were also some distinct patterns in timing. The researchers reported that compared to induced and non-induced vaginal deliveries, caesarean deliveries were the least likely to occur during evening and early morning. Non-induced vaginal births were more likely to happen in the early morning compared to caesarean and induced vaginal births. Births in out-of-hospital settings were most likely to happen in the early morning hours starting at 1:00 a.m. 

“As the use of medical interventions for childbirth (i.e., induction of labor and caesarean delivery) has increased during the last few decades, an increasing proportion of deliveries occur during regular daytime hours,” the study authors write. 

Of course the induction of labour and the use of Caesarian section is another interesting topic in itself. It's a topic that was explored by Michel Gauquelin as I recall but I won't go into that here but may return to this in a later post. My point here is to simply address the university student's criticism that the duration of rising signs varies depending on the latitude. In the case of births, certain signs are more likely to be rising than others during the different months of the year, although the effect would more or less balance out over the entire year.

Toward the end of his paper, he makes an interesting observation:

Inside the polar regions, a part of the zodiac never rises above the horizon. Hence, certain signs can never be Ascendant there. Examples are northern Alaska, northern Norway or Siberia. In these places, the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn never rise above the horizon, while the opposite signs, Gemini and Cancer, always remain below the horizon. Therefore, people born there cannot have these four signs as their Ascendant. One of the questions to ask is whether a noticeable number of people walk around in these regions without the characteristics of the signs of these Ascendants. 

Furthermore, the article goes on to announce that the whole system of house division collapses above the Arctic Circle:

On the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, the ecliptic coincides with the horizon at a certain time of the day. This means that the Ascendant and the Descendant are either everywhere or nowhere. There is also no MC or IC. Since these four points form the basis of house division, it follows that houses cannot be defined. 

I quite accept what he's saying and these are certainly points that need to be addressed. Consequently, I set to investigate matters further. The issue is addressed in this article titled Astro-Geometry, Astrology article by Alova:

Meet little Andrey, a real, live new-millenium boy. He was born on January 1st, 2000, at 00:00:30 am in Murmansk, Russia, 68° 34' N, 33° 8' E. If you use the Placidus House System, you cannot construct a natal horoscope for Andrey. Nor will you be able to construct a chart for a wedding or important event for Andrey in Murmansk. Nor can you construct a natal horoscope for any of the 320,900 people born in Murmansk— nor in Nordvik, Republic of Sakha (population 55,000), Holsteinsborg, Greenland (population 5,222), or Point Hope, Alaska (population 760). The Placidus House System is undefined for latitudes above 66°33', the Arctic Circles.

The author of the article goes on to explain how the Placidus house system works and why it became so popular. He also declares:

The Alcabitus, Campanus, Horizontal, Poli-Equatorial, and Regiomontanus House Systems are similarly undefined for latitudes above the Arctic Circles. None of these House Systems can be used for nativities or events in polar latitudes. The Sunshine House System depends on sunrise and sunset, so the Ascendant and Descendant are normally not 180° apart, and houses are undefined for polar areas when there is either no sunrise or no sunset on a given day. 

Figure 1: Astrolog House Systems

I've heard of the Regiomantanus house system but not of the other systems mentioned. Figure 1 shows the house systems that can be selected using the astrological software program Astrolog. As can be seen, I've gotten into the habit of using the Koch house system. The author of the Astro-Geometry article goes on to discuss his experimentation with the Porphyry, Sripati, and Natural Gradation house systems, none of which he found yielded accurate interpretations.

He was left with "the Birthplace House System, developed by German Astrologer Dr. Walter Koch after becoming disillusioned with the Regiomontanus System, and the Topocentric House System developed by Wendel Polich and Nelson Page in Argentina in 1961. These depend on both time and space to determine intermediate house cusps". The former is still undefined for polar latitudes at certain times and so he was left with the Topocentric. Here is his description of this system:

Instead of looking at the Earth from outer space, drawing Great Circles on it and dividing them in various ways as other house systems do, the Topocentric House System looks at the heavens from the point of view of someone standing at the location itself. With the location fixed in our reference frame, the Earth rotates around an axis parallel to the North-South Pole once in 24 hours. This time period is divided into 12 equal sections, and the house cusps are defined as the degrees of the zodiac that are ascending at each 2-hour interval—at different poles, or latitudes. There is also a different pole of the Ascendant for polar latitudes (more on this important topic in a future article). This feature is a key point in the Topocentric House System. 

What is even more significant is that the astrologers who discovered this system did not do so by contemplating the celestial-terrestrial sphere and pondering how to divide it. They discovered it by experiment! For example, Mr. Polich recorded the exact time—to the second — of every single small event that happened every day for three weeks: when he awoke, when a letter arrived, when a visitor came. Without exception, every one of over 1,000 events occurred within one minute of the time of transit of the mundane Ascendent. Numerous similar tests were conducted. 

In practice, the Topocentric House System yields excellent results, in my experience even better than Placidus. Natal horoscopes, transit forecasts, and even horary charts cede their knowledge. When combined with small arcs of the zodiac, the Topocentric House System generates astounding interpretations. The astrologers who developed this System also tested it by experiment, and its success in their experience was their principle claim for adopting it. It works.

Using Astrolog, the Topocentric system does indeed allow for the construction of a horoscope at say 70° North where the Koch system fails. I need to investigate this proposed solution more closely but for the time being I'll post this rather than leave it as a draft. I'll add to it as I get more information and experience.

A Day For a Year Progressions

Over the years, for some reason, I've relied exclusively on transits to the natal chart to anticipate what's coming up for myself and others. I've completely neglected so-called "a day for a year" progressions. As Wikipedia says about this type of progression (also called major progression or secondary direction):

This progression involves moving the natal chart forward one day for each year of a person's life. So for example, a person born on April 2, 1982 would have a progressed chart for 2007 drawn up based on the position of the planets on April 27, 1982 (i.e. 25 days for 25 years). The patterns formed 25 days after the person's birth are considered to be symbolic of the person's 25th year of life, and indicate potential tendencies and trends for the year. Secondary progressions are considered by the majority of astrologers to be the most important form of progression.

Figure 1: source

So there you have it: secondary progressions are considered by the majority of astrologers to be the most important form of progression. I certainly used such progressions in my early astrological years, before the advent of personal computers, but not while using the astrological software Astrolog. So this post is the beginning of an attempt to make up for that neglect.

The same Wikipedia article notes that:

Interpretation of progressions is usually fairly similar to the interpretation of transits. In general however, progressions primarily involve psychological developments from within the individual (often of course stimulated by exterior events), while transits involve developments in the life circumstances outside the individual's control.

In that vein, the following generalisations are given for the progressions of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars:

Progressed Sun: A period of major importance. Psychologically, and through correlative circumstances, the time will be ripe for important adjustments, organising and integrating of the whole life pattern, as directed by the planet involved in aspect with the sun. 

Progressed Moon: A period of about one month's duration, in which affairs and psychological features associated with the planet will be emphasised and activated. The progressed moon often acts as a 'trigger' to activate patterns already set by other progressed planets. 

Progressed Mercury: Usually indicates changes and necessary readjustments, increased mental activity, travel, and literary matters of above average importance. 

Progressed Venus: Period of much importance as regards emotional, personal and creative interests. Can mean marriage, falling in love - or out of love, inspired creative work, birth of a child, or an emphasis on money matters. 

Progressed Mars: Period of increased activity, conflict, enterprise. Energy must be controlled, and impulsive action avoided. Subject is more accident prone. Can be an ideal time for taking the initiative, or tackling work that has piled up. 

Using this method of progression, one month will count two hours. I've been looking at a number of charts, some with an eye to the future but some retrospectively. The latter has proven quite illuminating. For example, my father died of prostate cancer in late June of 1995 and I've drawn up his progressed chart for that time:

Figure 2: my father's progressed chart

I'm sure he wouldn't object after all this time to having his chart analysed in public. Some of the more salient features are: 

• Mars, Moon and Pluto form a powerful T-square with the focus on the Moon in the eighth house of (amongst other things) death
• Sun and ruling planet Mercury are conjunct at the cusp of the 2nd house, quincunx Saturn and the North Node/7th house cusp.
• The North node of the Moon is conjunct the Descendant in 1° of Virgo which is my father's Ascending degree

The progressed Moon in this case seems to provide the timing for his death, reaching as it does the base of the T-square near the cusp of the 8th house. I was most impressed with how apt this configuration was in depicting my father's unfortunate circumstances at the time. 

Here are some additional pointers provided by Cafe Astrology.com:

Charles E. O. Carter wrote the following: “It is a cardinal rule that no direction can bring to pass what is not shown in the nativity. Exceptions to this are virtually non-existent.” Progressions to progressions and progressions to natal positions are most significant when the planets involved form a significant interrelationship in the natal chart itself. The potential shown in the natal chart, therefore, rules. 

Transits to secondary progressed planets are critical. With predictive work, students of astrology are encouraged to create a tri-wheel with the natal chart in the centre, secondary progressions in the second wheel, and transits in the outer (third) wheel. This way, it is easy to see transits to both the natal chart and the progressed chart, progressed planets in relationship to the natal chart, and progressed planets in relation to other progressed planets. Adding transits to progressed planets and points to our study opens up much more detail.

Interesting to note that transits to secondary progressed planets are critical. I certainly plan to make far more use of secondary progressions now that I've reacquainted myself with them. Of course, after one solar year (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds), the Sun will return to its exact same position in the zodiac as it occupied at birth. This would correspond in secondary progressions to 365 years, 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes and 36 seconds.

ADDENDUM: here is my natal chart with secondary progressions for Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars together with transits for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Of course, I had to add the transits manually. The configuration is set to 9th August 2018. There may be software online that will allow all three to superimposed but I'm not aware of it yet if it exists. 

Mars: A Close Approach and Retrograde Motion of Planets

Figure 1

In 2018, Mars will appear brightest from July 27 to July 30. Its closest approach to Earth is July 31. That is the point in Mars' orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 57.6 million kilometres ... In 2003, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years! It won't be that close again until the year 2287. Source.

Of course, Astrology doesn't take these close encounters of Mars or any other planet into account at all. The astrological chart is only concerned with a planet's celestial longitude or the angular distance of a planet east of the vernal equinox, measured along the ecliptic. Thus on July 31st at 4:33pm in Brisbane, Mars was in 3°02' of Aquarius or 303°02' east of the vernal equinox. It's celestial latitude was 6°33' South but this is not considered in chart analysis as far as I know.

Should the proximity of Mars to Earth be considered in chart analysis? Will Mars be more influential in the charts of persons who were born on July 31st 2018 compared with charts where Mars is at a maximum distance from Earth? Is a transit of Mars more powerful when it is closer to Earth than when it is farther away? I really don't know. However, what is known is that Mars is opposition to the Sun during such encounters and there is always period of time in which Mars appears to move backward through the zodiac because Earth is "overtaking" Mars because of the latter's slower orbital velocity. Mars is retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn from June 26th to August 27th, 2018. Figure 2 shows this.

Figure 2 

In general, Mars is retrograde approximately 58-81 days every 2+ years. Cafe Astrology. com makes the following observation about a retrograde Mars in the natal chart:

If Mars is retrograde in the natal chart, this is what the Karmic Insight report has to say about this position: “Asserting yourself vigorously and directly is complicated by the fact that you had a prior lifetime or lifetimes in which aggression was either misused (by you, or against you) and/or all personal initiative and self-will was insistently discouraged (perhaps due to a belief system that advocated passivity). 

In any case, the message that was impressed upon you was that forceful action is wrong or dangerous. Thus, if you stand up for yourself, you now tend to hesitate, back down or even be plagued with fears of retaliation.”

Most natal charts will thus not have Mars retrograde. In 90% or more of natal charts, Mars will be in direct motion. This got me thinking about the periods of retrograde motion of other planets. Cafe Astrology. com has a lot to say about Mercury retrograde, a phenomenon that occurs approximately three times a year for approximately three weeks each time. Here is a quick quote:

When Mercury is retrograde in the natal chart itself, the thinking processes are generally more acute, and the sense of humour rather quirky. People with Mercury retrograde take in information differently than those with Mercury direct in their natal charts. How many people are born with a retrograde Mercury? Roughly 18%. 

Venus appears to retrograde approximately 40-43 days out of every 18 months or around 7-8% of its orbit.  How does a retrograde Venus affect a natal chart? Again Cafe Astrology. com has a lot to say about this. Here is an excerpt:

When Venus is retrograde in the natal chart itself, the feeling nature is deep. Socialising is taken seriously, and rarely lightly. They can be somewhat shy in youth, as there can be an awkwardness felt concerning small talk and social graces, and an aversion for superficialities. Love is extremely important to a person with a retrograde Venus, but they may not be explicit about it enough for others to know just how deeply they can love. There is always more to this person than meets the eye. Their love life (and sometimes financial life) can be hidden in some manner.

Cafe Astrology.com has a page about retrograde motion in general in which the point is made that as we move further out with the planets, retrogrades occur more frequently, and it is more common for people to have these planets retrograde in their charts. There follows descriptions for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in retrograde motion, although no percentages for the amount of time spent retrograde. However, I discovered the following summary on Quora:

Planet --> Synodic period, days --> Synodic period, mean months --> Days in retrograde -->  %

Mercury --> 116 --> 3.8 -->   ~21 -->   18
Venus --> 584 --> 19.2 -->    41  -->     7
Mars --> 780 --> 25.6 -->     72 -->      9
Jupiter --> 399 --> 13.1 -->  121  -->    30
Saturn --> 378 --> 12.4 -->   138  -->    37
Uranus --> 370 --> 12.15 -->   151 -->    41
Neptune --> 367 --> 12.07 -->   158  -->    43

Pluto of course would be even closer to 50%. The table clearly shows that persons with Mercury, Venus and Mars retrograde are in a distinct minority and that it should be a factor to consider when interpreting natal charts.

Composite Charts

The quote below is taken from Cafe Astrology.com:

Through studying the composite chart of a relationship, we can gain important insights into the dynamics of a couple. The composite chart is the chart of the relationship itself. It is derived by determining the mathematical midpoints between each person’s planets and points, and is an entirely new chart altogether—the chart of a relationship. Basic relationship dynamics can be seen in the composite chart.

I've not made any serious use of the composite chart in understanding the dynamics of the relationship between two people. What I've been doing is to superimpose one chart on another. In Astrolog (the astrology software that I use), this means opening a first chart and then choosing a second chart. I then choose Transit and Natal under Info and then the two charts can be viewed within the one wheel. This is the traditional approach to synastry and I've found that it works well enough.

Its disadvantage however, is that the interactions can be quite complex. There are now two sets of every astrological element, each element in one interacting potentially with every other element in the other. The advantage of a composite chart is its relative simplicity. There is only one set of astrological elements: an astrological element in one chart and the corresponding element in the other chart being replaced in every case with that element placed midway between the two.

The convention is that a midpoint is chosen in terms of the smaller of the two angular separations between the two astrological elements. For example, a Sun in 0° of Aries in one chart and a Sun in 0° of Sagittarius in another chart can be considered to have an angular separation of 240° anticlockwise or 120° clockwise since the relationship exists within a circle of 360°. In such a case, the midpoint of 0° Aquarius is chosen and not 0° Leo for the placement of the composite Sun (although the latter will remain a sensitive point).

The composite chart is thus an artificial, hybrid chart and in this post I want to gather together some various views as to the validity and usefulness of such charts. The Real Astrology Academy makes the following valid point:

Astrology charts are maps of the positions of the planets in the sky at a specific place and time. Composite charts look like an actual chart, but they're not. In reality, Mercury can never be more than 28° from the Sun, and Venus can never be more than 46° from the Sun. But a composite chart can include impossible aspects, such as Sun opposite Venus or Sun trine Mercury.

The same site goes on to say:

In the context of a natal chart, a midpoint is a sensitive point half-way between two other points in the chart. In theory, when that sensitive point is activated by a transit, progression, or direction, it will simultaneously trigger both points. Midpoints in a natal chart have some practical value, especially when working with planetary pictures and the 90° dial. But midpoints in a natal chart work because they're a part of a self-contained system, as it were. 

The composite chart is meant to be the chart of the relationship, but it's not experienced by either person in the relationship. A trigger to a planet in a composite chart, which theoretically activates some part of the relationship, may not be felt by either person in the relationship because it may not trigger either of their natal charts. 

It was the astrologer John Townley who began promoting the technique in the early 1970s and was the first person to publish a 48 page book, The Composite Chart, on the subject in 1973. He is generally recognised as having popularised the technique. Here is a link to a nearly two hour 2017 podcast in which he is interviewed about his technique. In it, he makes some interesting points. For examples, in arranged marriages there may be little synastry between the two charts of the couple being married but the composite chart may show clear planetary interactions. It is also the case that certain midpoints in a composite chart may align with planets and angles in one or both of the natal charts. John Townley felt that such interactions were especially important.

Importantly, he feels that the composite chart grows in power as the length of the relationship increases. He sees it as influencing the basic synastry that exists between the natal charts. Sometimes seemingly favourable synastry can be undermined by the interactions between the composite chart and the two natal charts. The opposite can occur as well of course. There is mention made of a Davidson chart and I'll add the show notes related to this type of chart below:

• Davison chart as a midpoint in time versus composite midpoint in space.
• Davidson creates a chart for a location and date halfway between the natals.
• Ronald Davison (1914-1985)
• First introduced Davison chart in synastry book in 1977.
• Very late in his career, thus probably not central to his work.
• Maybe “off-the-cuff response to the sudden burst of interest in composite charts”
• John calls this part of the “why not” approach that many partook in at the time, including himself in his first volume on composites.

Townley doesn't think much as the Davidson chart and I tend to agree. He has written a second book called Composite Charts: The Astrology of Relationships published in 2000. Liz Greene has also written a 2002 book titled Relationships and How to Survive Them which is divided into two parts: the composite chart and the eternal triangle. Here is a link to a review of the book. There is a lot more on the Internet about composite charts that I've yet to look at. Clearly the chart has its fans and its critics. What I intend to do now is to look at some composite charts of my own and continue to research further on the topic.

Apart from Astrolog, the online site Astrodienst allows for the creation of composite charts and has this to say about them:

The technique consists in calculating the mid-point of pairs of planets, angles, and foci of the partners' natal charts. 

This technique, as well as that of the mid-space mid-time chart, must be taken with caution since its reliability has not been established yet, contrary to the traditional Compatibility Report which is based on the comparison between two natal charts and the analysis of their inter-aspects. 

A composite chart should be read similarly to a natal chart, but with the difference that planets, angles, and houses only are considered. Signs are not relevant. The angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th) are the most important ones and, for a couple, it is a better omen when planets are posited in these houses. The 5th and 11th houses are favourable for the blossoming of the relationship, and the 2nd and 8th houses, for sexuality and emotions. The 6th - 12th houses axis is a bit trickier. Aspects are interpreted in the same way as with the natal chart, bearing in mind that they define the relationship and not an individual. The usually accepted orbs are the same as those used in the natal chart. 

The advantage of the composite chart is that it shows the dynamics of the relationship in a quick and simple manner, almost at a glance. It always sheds additional and interesting light to the classical synastry technique of charts comparison.

Once registered with Astrodienst, a composite chart can be created using the following interface (details shown are of myself and my granddaughter):

This is the resultant composite chart:

Here is the same composite chart rendered in monochrome using Astrolog: