What Is Love?

Nowadays, whenever the word 'love' is mentioned, most people automatically think about romance or sex. But love has several meanings, and one of the things you learn when you begin to study astrology is the many ways in which people express affection. The concept of love has been analysed for centuries, and still no-one can say for sure what it is. From my years of experience analysing charts here's my take on this complex subject.

There are many different varieties of love: passionate love - the kind that sends you out of your mind and is called being 'in love'. Joie de vivre - the love of life. That feeling you get when you're healthy and happy, and you don't need anyone else to make you feel that way. Cool, platonic love - the kind you feel towards, and from, your friends. Then there's the natural, instinctive love you feel for your family. And ethereal love - if you're religious, you'll know how this feels. But, even if you're not religious, you can still experience this by being spiritually aware.

Although love itself is intangible, there are quite a few regulations surrounding it. For example, with romantic/sexual love you can, under the normal rules of society, only have one partner at a time. But with platonic love, you can have as many friends as you want. Maybe that's one of the reasons why platonic relationships often last much longer than romantic ones. Friendship is a no-strings attachment. A sexual relationship is all-or-nothing. The concept of love is confusing at times because different people have different views about it. Love is often a collection of different feelings: admiration, respect, passion, desire, etc.

I often see really interesting love connections when I'm analysing people's charts. One thing I'm often asked about is the theory of soulmates. Do they exist - and if they do, does that mean that reincarnation also exists? After all, this is the basic premise for 'soulmates' - people coming back from beyond the grave to reunite with each other on earth. Bizarrely enough, astrology definitely seems to back up this theory. The Lunar Nodes are said to represent karma and past lives, so does Neptune and the 12th house. 

There is also something astrologers call Polarity, which in chart comparison between two people, indicates a strong relationship. It's found in more than 80% of marriages and other committed, long-term partnerships. Polarity occurs when a highly personal planet or point in one person's chart is in opposition - polarised - to a personal planet or point in the other. The points and planets used for this are the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. Any combination is relevant: Sun opposite Sun, Moon opposite Moon, Sun opposite Ascendant, etc. 

However, one of the most interesting connections of all occurs when the Ascendant/Descendant axis of one chart is exactly in line with the Nodal Axis of the other. This indicates that the two people involved may have known each other in a past life, and when they were 'reunited' by meeting for the first time, they will have experienced an instant and powerful rapport. If you believe in reincarnation they're soulmates, although I must admit I'm still not sure whether I believe in it or not.... Whatever it all means, the Nodes are a very powerful force in synastry connections.