About half of all relationships will fail according to both statistics and astrology. Life is such that not everyone can get along, whether it be a marriage, friendship, family, or business relationships. We are all different and have our own values and we change with time making it impossible to get along with everyone at all times. We can however get along with certain people at certain times and for certain situations -and that is exactly how relationships were meant to be.

Many factors come into play when relating, sex, age, race, culture, education, beliefs, karma, etc. Underlying all of these is CHEMISTRY. The real glue or repellant in most relationships is personal chemistry -that is, how the partners involved react to one another according to their personal ELECTRO-MAGNETIC make-up. Much of this is determined by a field in astrology called SYNASTRY -which means relationships according to the stars or planets.

While there are many synastric factors in astrology only a handful are crucial to the immediate success or failure of any relationship. These are Sun/Ascendant(overall compatibility), Moon/Moon(emotional compatibility), Mercury/Mercury(mental compatibility), and Venus/Mars(physical or sexual compatibility), with Sun/Sun(spiritual) and Sun/Moon(marital) as extras(see my article "Astrology and Relationships: the Most Important Combinations") in the Synastry section. The first four form the basis or foundation of any relationship without which the relationship will most likely fail. First in importance is the Sun/Ascendant relationship which can either enhance or worsen all of the other comparisons.

There are four basic Sun/Ascendant types(see my article "Your Sun-Ascendant Polarity" in the astro articles/archives) each of which gets along with 50% of the others. This means that each of us can only generally get along with or tolerate half the people we meet.

It is the more receptive and faster-moving Ascendant(the single most important point or factor in your chart) which picks up the vibes of the powerfully emanating and slower moving Sun. This means that your Ascendant Sign will basically determine which Sun signs you will feel comfortable or uncomfortable with.

Masculine(fire and Air) ascendants will gravitate towards masculine Suns, and feminine(earth or water) ascendants towards feminine Suns. That's the basic rule. This can work one way(one partner's Sun in harmony to the other partner's Ascendant), in which case there will be a 50% chance of success, or both ways(both Suns in harmony with both Ascendants), in which case the success rate is much higher. We are not considering degrees here, only the signs or elements.

Of the four Sun/Ascendant types, the double masculine/types(++) paired with each other, and the double feminine types(--) paired with each other will be the happiest or most successful. This is 50% of the population. These two pairings also elucidate the harmonious Sun/Asc configuration at birth which is how it should be. The double masculine types will in general be more outgoing, positive, and physically attractive, but both types when paired with their own types will be equally happy or comfortable in their relationships. One of the main reasons for this is the Sun/Sun harmony which is excellent for ther long haul. The flip side to this is when a double positive meets a double negative which can be disastrous -unless the Moon or some other powerful configuration mitigates it.

The two remaining mixed Sun/Asc types(+-) or (-+) can get along with all four types in a diluted kind of way, but true and lasting happiness will generally elude them. This is because what they present(Ascendant) and what they truly are inside(Sun) are in conflict, and this is 50% of the population. Yes, half of us are conflicted between our wordly(Ascendant) and spiritual(Sun) selves, and we and our relationhips suffer because of it. The best combinations here are +- with -+, but the catch here is that the Suns will not be in harmony, and while the initial phase of the relationship may be good, the long term isn't. In most cases the egos(Suns) will eventually clash and that spells separation and divorce. With the other combinations(+- with +-, or -+ with -+) there will always be initial friction or antipathy, but the harmonious Suns will drag them through the long term.

Up to now we've been dealing with the gender comparisons(masculine and feminine) between Sun and Ascendant. It gets more specific with the elements and modes. Suffice it to say that in all Sun/Ascendant comparisons, the conjunction and opposition(by sign) are the strongest. There is immediate rapport here and the relationship augurs well, especially if it's a two-way link. One-way links can be one-sided and therefore more subject to failure. If the other basics are also in harmony then the chances for success increase exponentially. Moon conjunct Moon(by sign) is a very powerful harmony or attraction but the sextile or trine are good as well. Same for Mercury/Mercury and Venus/Mars. Sun sextile Sun and Sun conjunct Moon(by sign) are classic marriage aspects.

In summary, unless there is a strong Sun/Ascendant link between the partners, preferably both ways, strengthened by good Moon/Moon, Mercury/Mercury, and Venus/Mars links(all by sign more than degree), the relationship is likely to fail.