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What it is

Synastry is the branch of astrology that compares two birth charts to read a relationship. Instead of one chart, you lay one inside the other - the classic 'biwheel' - and study the conversation between them: whose planets touch whose, and where each person's planets land in the other's houses. It's the technique you use to understand why two people attract, clash, or settle into each other.

What synastry is not is a verdict. It doesn't tell you whether a pairing is 'meant to be' - it describes the terrain two people share, the points of natural ease and the friction zones. The same comparison can fuel a long partnership or a short, intense one, depending on how the two people actually behave.

How to read it

Start with the relationship planets: the Moon for emotional fit, Venus for affection, Mars for desire, Mercury for communication, and Saturn for commitment and weight. Sun-Moon contacts between the two charts are among the more reliable signs of feeling at home with someone, while one person's Venus touching the other's Mars is a classic chemistry marker.

Next look at house overlays - which house of your chart your partner's planets fall into, and the reverse. That tells you which area of life they activate for you. The seventh house matters in almost any relationship reading, and the first, fifth and eighth tend to carry the romantic and intimate themes. Keep in mind that contacts aren't mutual: if your Saturn squares their Sun, you're the one bringing the structure, not the other way around.

What it means in practice

Hard aspects between charts are not dealbreakers. A synastry full of squares and oppositions can be charged and demanding, but plenty of lasting couples run on exactly that friction - and a comparison with nothing but easy trines can be pleasant and, at times, inert. People often fixate on a compatibility score; most experienced astrologers find one specific contact far more informative than any single number. Read the difficult contacts honestly rather than reaching for a verdict. Let the reading inform the relationship rather than decide it.

How it connects

Synastry pairs naturally with the composite chart, which merges two charts into a single one for the relationship itself. Synastry describes how two individuals affect each other; the composite describes the entity they form. Both are read against the natal charts, and in predictive work, transits touching synastry or composite points mark moments when relationship themes get activated.