Relationship Compatibility in Vedic Astrology: The 7th House and Venus
...part 1 of a 5 part series
Happy Venus Friday!
Since I’ve already published a post about both of the “phalgunis” – two of the nakshatras most concerned with relationships – in the 27 Moons Project, I thought I would kick off a new, mini series on how you can see relationship compatibility in Jyotish (Vedic astrology).
Venus, or Shukra as she’s called in Sanskrit, stands for romance, sexuality, pleasure and enjoyment – so let’s kick off this series on the day she naturally rules!
Here goes with Part 1.
Insight into your relationship karma
When it comes to relationships, one of the key places to examine first is the place in your chart that signifies “the other”: the 7th house.
This is where you can see what kind of relationship karma you have, what kind of partners you draw and are drawn to yourself.
To understand this more deeply, you should first look to see what planets – if any – you have in the 7th house.
For example, if you have Venus in the 7th, you may tend to attract and be attracted to artistic, charming and beautiful partners.
If you have the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury in this house (as I do) then you are likely to be drawn to bookish types who love learning and the quest for knowledge (as am I).
The Moon in the 7th could indicate an attraction to nurturing partners or those with a strong libido.
Malefic planets can in some cases be more challenging.
For example, Rahu could indicate a dishonest parter or one with addiction problems. Saturn could indicate partners who are emotionally unavailable or stingy. Ketu could be someone with mental health issues (as can Rahu) or extremist ideas.
In particular, Mars can be challenging here (more on why this is the case in a later post). It can indicate fighting and partners who are unwilling to do the give and take any longer committed relationship calls for.
Please note, however, that this is a generalization. As is always the case in astrology, you need to consider the finer details to gain a better understanding.
For example, although Venus is well-placed in the 7th house, if she were in a more challenging sign with difficult aspects, your relationship karma could have the tendency to bring partners with more difficult Venusian qualities, such as shallow pleasure seekers, cattiness or those whose love is conditional.
On the other hand, a strong Saturn could bring older, dignified partners and Rahu or Ketu in a more positive sign could bring foreign partners.
The house each of the planets in the 7th house rules should also be taken into consideration.
How you relate to partners
So what if you don’t have any planets in your 7th house?
No worries!
You still definitely have a 7th house lord.
This means the planet that rules the sign of your 7th house (e.g., Mars if you have Scorpio or Aries in the 7th=your Lagna in Venus-ruled Taurus or Libra). The strength and house placement of this planet gives you insight into the ways you interact with your partners.
When it comes to house placement:
As far as general rule of thumb, if the 7th house lord is placed in one of the more difficult dusthana houses* in the chart (6, 8 and 12), there is more likely to be upheavals and difficulties in relating in relationships than if the 7th lord is placed a more beneficial house, such as a Kendra (1, 4, 7 and 10) or a Trikona (5 and 9) house.
Again, other factors need to be taken into account, such as the 7th lord’s strength by sign and aspects. The same goes for aspects to the 7th house itself.
Venus!
Last but certainly not least, you always need to consider Venus for understanding relationships and relating. As I mentioned before, she is the planet that signifies romantic love, among other thing. She is also the natural significator of the 7th house itself.
Another generalized rule of thumb: Venus with beneficial aspects who is well-placed by sign and house is more likely to have an easier time finding happiness in relationships than a Venus with difficult aspects and more challenging placements.
Venus and the 7th house can show the medicine for relationship troubles
As an astrologer, if a client is struggling with relationships, Venus and the 7th house are the first place I would look. The challenges you can see in either also give important clues to remedies that will help bring positive, loving relationships into a person’s life.
That said, relationships and relating go beyond this particular house and planet. I’ll be posting another key aspect to keep in mind next week, so stay tuned!
* You can read more about the astrological houses in Vedic astrology here.