This is a big topic and very high in demand, especially for those of you with Libra planets who seek harmony in all aspects of your lives. The study of relationships in astrology is called Synastry, which means the stars(astr) together(syn), which can be good, bad, or somewhere inbetween.

In astrology, harmony/compatability or the lack of it is denoted by the ASPECT(geometric relationship) a planet makes to itself or others.

Normally, the trine(120 degrees or four signs apart) and sextile(60 degrees or 2 signs apart) are indicators of harmony. The trine is obviously the greater harmony and of the nature of Leo and Sagittarius which is hot and free-flowing. The sextile is half of this, so some effort is involved to make it work, but it is much more free-will or mentally based, like the natures of Gemini and Aquarius.

So the fire signs are all very compatible to each other as are earth, water, and air signs. They are like brothers and sisters or family. Fire also harmonizes with air as does earth with water. The two are very different but complementary nonetheless, filling in qualities the other lacks. Fire, for example is more feeling or intuitive(as is water) whereas air is more logical, reasoning, or intellectual(as is earth). Both aproaches(feeling/reasoning) are necessary to leading a successful life and so they team up with one another.

Also harmonious are the conjunction(0 degrees or same sign) and opposition(180 degrees or opposite or six signs away) aspects, but with conditions. If the planets involved are friendly or naturally compatible then there is extreme harmony, but if the planets are are very different in nature then the harmony is difficult or strained. Warm and expressive Sun, for example, is highly antithetical to cold and calculating Saturn. Sun and Mars or Sun and Jupiter, on the other hand, are very similar and therefore highly compatible. This disparage is even noticeable with the trine and sextile.

In short, Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Ascendant(all rulers of fire or air signs) harmonize the best with each other as do Moon, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Midheaven(all rulers of earth or water), and the two groups are naturally antagonistic twith one other. Same for the masculine or positive signs(fire and air) versus the feminine oe negative signs(earth and water). . It;s a natural and inescapable balance of harmony and conflict in our dualistic world.

Even within each planet/sign placement there is harmony or conflict depending on rulership. Planets are at their most natural or harmonious when in domicile or dignity(in their home or ruling sign. Sun, for example, is best or most harmonious in Leo, Moon in Cancer, Mercury in Gemini, Venus in Taurus, Mars in Aries, Jupiter in Sagittarius, Saturn in Capricorn, Uranus in Aquarius, Neptune in Pisces, and Pluto in Scorpio. While the true rulers of Virgo and Libra have not yet been officially established, I will put Virgo with the MC and Libra with Asc for convenience sake.

Each of these dignities is also highly harmonious in the other two signs of their element, followed by their opposing element. Sun, for example, is best in Leo, but also quite good in Aries or Sag. Sun is also successful in the air signs, but much less so, and unsuccesful or inharmonious in water or earth. How many of your own planets are successfully or harmoniously placed? This will indicate the quality of your lifestyle and/or vibration.

Sometimes a partner's planetary positions will add or detract or balance your own harmony/disharmony, depending on the combinations involved. It can get quite complex and is what is fun about synastry. There is also the free will and maturity factor. Given enough space, no two individuals however harmonious or inharmonious will stir each other up. Also, if the individuals involved are highly mature or developed, this will mitigate any difficult planetary conflicts between them. Same can be said with one's own chart.

There is a popular form of synastry between two individuals using midpoints to produce a third or unified chart describing the nature or purpose of the relationship as a whole. While many swear by it, it is a hit and miss endeavor, and I do not endorse it, simply because it is purely MATHEMATICALLY based and not ASTROLOGICALLY based. This is the problem with degree astrology. The harmony between the whole signs and elements is often overlooked. Midpoint synastry(or anything else) is tiresomely complex, and as in everything else, the simpler the better.

Since this article is about harmony, the best or most balanced chart is one where all the planets are closest to their dignity or home placement. Most people have a mixed bag of "good" and "bad" planetary placements. If you have seven or more successful planetary placements consider yourself lucky, even though you'll have to put up with those who have less. If you have less than five, then you'll often have to rely more on others to carry you through.

In a society where outward looks and station in life are first consideration, the planetary placements of the Ascendant or Rising Sign or Earth/Terra sign and the Moon sign are most important. The rest of your chart may be negative or chaotic, but if you have these two placements well-placed you will get away with a lot. The Moon and Rising signs are generally the two most obvious features in any chart, immediately impacting others, which is why they are also cardinal sign rulers. Rising in air is best, followed by fire, which will do much to give you an attractive physical appearance, and is especially important for women. Moon in earth or water will do much for your career or professional life, being much more stable here than in fire or air.

The Rising sign in air, especially Libra, as well as any number of other planets in Libra, will do much to establish harmony, both for yourself and others. The air signs in general want lots of beauty and harmony in their lives, and is also why they are the most attractive and intelligent of the signs. Even here there are different levels of harmony. Ascendant, Mercury, and Uranus in Libra or air produce the most harmony, followed by Sun, Mars, and Jupiter. Moon, Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and MC in Libra or air is a more base or complex kind of harmony.

I've often wondered which planetary placements attract/repel which, and I've written about this in some of the articles in my Synastry section, but I believe I've found another angle. Besides the usual synastry laws based on sign geometry and planetary nature, there is the draconic aspect as well. We are not just our current birth charts but a collection of soul or past life birthcharts which still function deep in our subconcious. Not only that, but we are prodded on by the higher self's planned or future birth charts as well. We are living some of these birthcharts in other dimensions and through other incarnations.

One way to determine your other charts is through draconic or soul-based astrology. The nodes of the planets are used to determine these charts and there are essentially twelve such charts which we function through at any given moment. The Moon's lunar node or draconic chart is the most popular. It becomes the zero Aries point for your draconic chart and I've written about this in my previous article. The thing is you can create eleven other soul charts based on your other eleven planets or factors, but the more you go into the outer planets the more collective the influence becomes. This makes us multiple-sided beings, the current chart refecting only the concious one twelfth of our total nature. The new placements of these other charts often resonate deeply, though unconciously, and it is our mission to integrage or harmonize all these placements into our being.

Your Draconic or soul charts will often reveal just which planet placements you are attracted to which is not explained by your regular natal chart, and this can be applied to personal relationships, places, situations, or things, as everything has a chart or collection of charts. Astrologer Charles A. Jayne also espouses the many charts theory but bases them on the time of conception to birth using different bodies, systems or techniques. Excellent books/articles on nodal astrology have been written by Michael Erwine, Mark Jones, and others.

Why are you subconciously drawn to certain planetary placements despite your current birth chart? Why are you more in harmony/conflict with certain placements than others? This may all have to do with your your draconic chart(s). Astrological or planetary harmony can be a complex subject, especially when you bring in the soul level or aspect -which can account for 90 or more per cent of your being. In the future, when we fully reconnect with the entirety of our beings, we will better understand the many harmonies and conflicts within us and others, and learn to properly manage them. Astrology and the planets are a way to map this out.