Have you ever wondered what your crush feels about you? Why you just can’t get along with someone? Why your relationship keeps hitting that same roadblock? Well in relationship astrology, there is a chart to help you answer that question.
Relationship astrology is the practice of working with two people’s birth charts to study how they will fit in one another’s life. There are many different relationship charts in astrology and today I’ll be talking about some of the most popular relationship charts as well as some rare (but insightful) methods to truly understand your relationships.
Synastry Charts
Starting off with the basics: synastry is the most foundational tool in relationship astrology, and typically the first technique people encounter. This technique offers a direct look at the chemistry and energy between two people.
How Synastry Charts Are Calculated
Synastry is created by taking two individual birth charts and overlaying them. This allows you to see how each person’s planetary energy activates specific areas of the other’s life. All you need is the birth data (date, location, and ideally time) for both individuals. The charts themselves remain unchanged; it is simply the relationship between the two that is being examined.
How Synastry Charts Are Interpreted
Synastry reveals the chemistry between two people: your first impressions of one another, the feelings each person evokes in the other, and your overall compatibility. In this chart you can analyze planetary aspects and house overlays to get a clear picture of how two people naturally interact and connect
Composite Charts
Composite charts are one of the most widely used tools in relationship astrology, and a natural next step after learning synastry. They shift the focus away from the two individuals and toward the relationship itself as a standalone entity.
How Composite Charts Are Calculated
Composite charts are created by finding the midpoints between placements in two people’s birth charts, producing a single unified chart that represents the relationship itself.
How Composite Charts Are Interpreted
Where synastry shows compatibility between two individuals, a composite chart reveals the themes of the relationship and how it plays out in reality. This treats the relationship as its own living entity, separate from either person within it. You could have excellent synastry with someone, yet still find the relationship struggles to fully form if the composite chart is lacking.
Composite charts are less focused on how each individual feels within the relationship, and are better suited for understanding the long-term trajectory and overall dynamic of the partnership.
Davison Charts
Davison charts are a type of composite chart, and an important tool to understand before working with more advanced techniques like Marks charts which I will discuss later in this article.
How Davison Charts Are Calculated
Where traditional composite charts are based on theoretical calculated midpoints with no real birth day or time, Davison charts take the midpoints of two people’s birth data and generate an actual date, time, and location for the relationship. This gives the chart real birth data, making it easier to work with when applying more advanced methods of interpretation.
How Davison Charts Are Interpreted
Davison charts are interpreted in the same context as traditional composite charts, revealing the nature, themes, and long-term trajectory of the relationship as its own entity. The key advantage is that because the chart has real birth data, you can work with other, more advanced techniques than a standard composite allows. If you are new to relationship astrology, it is worth becoming comfortable with traditional composite charts before moving on to the Davison, as the interpretive framework is very similar.
Marks Chart
Marks charts are a recent discovery of mine and very insightful when trying to discover how each individual in a relationship is impacted by the other person. This is an advanced technique in relationship astrology, and I recommend building a solid foundation with synastry and composite charts before working with Marks charts.
How Marks Charts Are Calculated
A Marks chart is created through a two-step process that begins with the Davison relationship chart.
First, you calculate a Davison relationship chart using the birth data of both partners. Then, you take that Davison chart and create a second Davison chart; this time between one partner’s natal chart and the relationship chart itself. The result is that partner’s Marks chart.
This chart reveals how that individual experiences the relationship: the ways the partnership transforms them, challenges them, or brings out particular parts of their nature.
How Marks Charts Are Interpreted
Marks charts are read like birth charts, except instead of analyzing a person’s typical behavior you’re analyzing who they become when they are around a partner. These charts can reveal how that person is shaped and affected by the relationship. Unlike composite or Davison charts, which focus on the relationship as a shared entity, a Marks chart is personal; reflecting one partner’s subjective experience of the dynamic.
Planets, house placements, and aspects in this chart speak to that individual’s emotional and energetic experience of the partnership. Because each partner has their own Marks chart, comparing the two can show how differently each person is impacted by the same relationship
With an understanding of synastry, composite charts, Davison charts, and Marks charts, you now have the foundational tools to begin analyzing relationships through astrology. Each technique builds on the last, and used together they can paint a detailed picture of how two people connect, experience one another, and are shaped by their dynamic.
However, there is an important point worth keeping in mind as you move forward. Every person carries their own individual preferences for how they want a relationship to feel and function; and those preferences cannot be seen in a synastry or composite chart. Astrology can reveal chemistry, themes, and patterns, but it cannot tell you what a person truly wants or values in a partnership. Always leave room for that human element when interpreting any relationship chart.
I hope this article has given you a solid foundation to explore relationship astrology with confidence. These charts are a fascinating lens through which to understand human connection, so enjoy the process and have fun with your analysis!