In astrology, traditionally the 7th house, the house of Libra, was the house of marriage, though these days it tends to be referred to as the house of one-to-one relationships, including marriage, partnership and close personal friendships. It is also the house of open enemies, yet no mention is made of love or romance. What is to be made of that? And Libra, an air sign, is in an intellectual element, not an emotional one. Libra is also a male, positive and yang oriented sign.
Historically speaking, for millennia, marriages were viewed as business contracts. In some cultures, marriages were arranged almost as early as birth, and if things worked out well, maybe you ended up loving your spouse and were loved in return. Or else marriage partners were chosen for practical reasons. Could the man & woman form an efficient unit in a farming household? Did they each fulfill the roles they were expected to perform?
Romantic love as a component of a marriage is a relatively modern creation. The term “romance” itself originates with the medieval ideal of chivalry and even then, half the tales of knights and ladies-in-waiting involve star-crossed lovers married to other partners. Not a hopeful situation, and hardly a partnership, though certainly dramatic.
The house of romance is the 5th house, the house of Leo. “Romance” is, curiously, not directly connected to “marriage” and “one-to-one relationships.” This house also includes creative self-expression, pleasure and children. And Leo is a fire sign, and fire is about the need to act, to do, and to accomplish. It certainly adds some fire to the concept of romance and pleasure. But Leo is also a male, positive and yang oriented sign. Still no watery emotions.
But if romance is connected to children, then that leads us to the 4th house, the house of Cancer, which includes home, mother, and childhood (along with the kitchen & the roots of one’s psyche). But this seems more like the results of romance, not romantic love itself. But Cancer is a water sign, the element of emotions, and it is a female, negative, yin oriented sign, and more prone to being receptive instead of assertive.
We do have one obvious sign and house to address: Scorpio, associated with the 8th house. Scorpio is a water sign, and a very passionate one. We have all heard stories of intense, emotionally driven Scorpios. The 8th house is also connected with the concept of partnerships, but this is about what you get from your partners, not necessarily an equal balance here. It connects you to your partner’s resources, not yours. And, of course, this is also known as the house of sex, death and rebirth/renewal. These are subjects connected to love and relationships, but this is the primal stuff. This is about sex as both a primordial deep-seated connection between two people, and sex as part of the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
So what do I draw from all this? One-to-one relationships are complex. They involve thought, emotion, and action. They involve female and male energy, receptivity and assertiveness, and yin and yang. They involve birth, death, creative self-expression, pleasure, practicality and reciprocity. I discussed 5 signs and houses out of 12, and I could make a case for a couple of other signs and houses that bringing additional components to the one-to-one mix. So one-to-one relationships take up more than half our lives, especially in the modern world, a world where there is much more interactions with other people than ever before.
No man (or woman) is an island. We all need each other, and we all affect each other, all the time. Remember that as you go about your day.
I will, too.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
SPECIAL NOTE:
I have recently begun a co-hosted internet radio show called “What’s Your Sign? I Have Your Number” with Sharita Star, fellow astrologer and also a numerologist. It is on the HeyZ Radio Network on Monday evenings from 7pm to 9pm at http://heyzradio.com/shows/signs-numbers/
We discuss astrology, numerology and have assorted guests, ranging from fellow astrologers to psychics, mediums, entertainers, tarot card experts, reiki masters and all things metaphysical.
If you have any trouble listening, go to the Chat Room on their website and you can listen there.
I enjoyed reading this, Anthony
Thank you!