The Compatible Incompatibles

There you are in a local restaurant or a neighborhood gathering when a particular couple walks in the room. Then the whispers start: “What could she possibly see in HIM?” and “Why in the world did he marry HER?” Have you ever asked yourself such questions when you see a couple who appear, against all odds, to be quite happy together? As an astrologer, when I meet two people who are involved in a seemingly happy relationship even though their personalities don’t seem to mesh, the first thing I do is try to find out their Sun signs. Once I have their birth dates, I can conduct an informal astrological study to answer this question: What signs seem to fit together, even if the astrology books say that they don’t?

Astrologers often determine com–patibility based on which signs are harmonious to each other. Sextile and trine aspects between planets are said to be harmonious, so astrologers generally hold the opinion that signs in a sextile aspect (that is, 60 degrees apart), such as Aries and Gemini, or in a trine aspect (120 degrees apart), such as Aries and Leo, have a naturally harmonious relationship. In a similar fashion, when couples have their Sun signs in a square (90 degrees) or opposition (180 degrees) aspect, they have to clear a hurdle or two in order to find true romance. People who share the same zodiac sign have a whole other set of matters to deal with, that include both helpful and challenging elements.

There is, though another aspect involving sign placement, called the “quincunx” (a Latin word that literally means “five twelfths”) that is said to indicate a tension in the relationship.