The ascendant-descendant axis represents yourself & relationship to others. It is seen through the chart as the 1^st and 7^th house directly opposite each other. The first house is the rising sign, also known as the ascendant. The seventh house is the descendant, across from the ascendant.

Whenever you have Mars ruling the Ascendant in a chart, you have Venus ruling the descendant. For example, when the solar sign Aries is on the Ascendant, the opposite sign Libra is on the descendant. Similarly, when Scorpio is on the Ascendant, Taurus in on the descendant. Since Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, their opposites are Venus ruled Libra and Taurus. Therefore, whenever Mars rules the sign on the ascendant, you always have Venus ruling the sign on the descendant. The adage goes that men are from Mars, women are from Venus. Those are the cosmic lovers, and they are gazing at each other from across the chart.

Let’s look at the Scorpio and Taurus couple. Mars, the lord of Scorpio & Venus, the lord of Taurus are the lustful couple you might see come up for air to grab essentials from the grocery store. These lovers tend to have a more intensely private relationship of deep, intimate connection.  It is the most volatile, albeit passionate relationship between the Mars-Venus cosmic coupling. What else do Scorpio and Taurus have in common besides this attraction? The moon. The moon rules the solar sign of Cancer, but it is exalted in Taurus and debilitated in Scorpio. The moon represents the inconsistency of feeling, instinct, the subconscious mind, personality, habits and routines, basic needs, unconditional love of the heart, safety and security. Scorpio and Taurus are two feminine, negatively charged, inwardly reflective signs, as seen by the emotional vulnerability of the moon that they both have in common.

Though the sexual pull between Scorpio and Taurus is undoubtedly strong, the moon operates on polar ends of the spectrum within these two signs. The security Taurus feels is provided through the pleasure and comforts of life, which are not guaranteed, and superficial and means to an end. The security Scorpio feels is from defeating their enemies, real or perceived, though it is a constant strive to achieve, as the frequent moon cycles through plunging and surfacing within the depths of the Scorpio psyche. In a nutshell, the two extremes of the moon in her exaltation and debilitation with these two signs can cause either a fearful or placid nature. This gives a challenge to strive toward a balanced, healthy relationship void of insecurities, or attachment, rather than pure unconditional love.

Let’s now turn our attention to the dynamics of the Aries and Libra couple. Here we have the cosmic lovers as the classic, prototypical male & female. Again, we have Mars, the lord of Aries, together with Venus, the lord of Libra. Instead of the two feminine, inwardly reflective signs seen in the Scoprio-Taurus axis, here we have two masculine, outwardly dynamic signs seen through the Aries-Libra axis. These cosmic lovers are exploring the terrain of love in a social, public sphere. The main impulse of Aries is to explore what it is to be an autonomous individual in this world. The main drive of Libra is to find the balance between two autonomous individuals in a relationship, so that it is neither co-dependent  or independent, rather interdependent, in a harmonious, equally cooperative manner.

Now, what do Aries and Libra have in common besides the planetary lovers attraction? The Sun. Also Saturn. The Sun is exalted in Aries and debilitated in Libra, which shows the two extremes of personal will either toward or away from a secure sense of individuality. Saturn is debilitated in Aries and Exalted in Libra, which shows the two extremes of discipline and commitment either to ourselves or other people.

*Please note each Blog is the unique expression of the Blogger and does not speak for The Green Man as an entity, but rather is one of the many diverse colours that make up our Green Man Tribe.