When it comes to understanding love in the context of astrology, the planet Venus is usually one's go-to in an analysis. It's the planet of love, pleasure, and beauty after all! Depending on which sign she rests it, Venus symbolizes the values and attitudes we have towards affection and devotion. The planet acts as a magnet, attracting lovers or circumstances with qualities that reflect your sign's energy.

While Venus is an important indicator of someone's tendencies in love, it's important to consider how it relates to our 7th house, the house of long-term relationships and partnerships. This house is naturally ruled by Venus, and in conjunction, the sign Libra. The archetype of the scales brings balance to the symbol of the ram (Aries // 1st house // Mars) and both represent the axis between the self vs others.

When someone asks me to interpret their attitudes towards love, I always consider what sign the 7th house is in and whether or not it contains planets. Since the 7th house is an angular house (any house ruled by a cardinal sign, the 1st/4th/7th/10th), having planets nearby activate an already influential area of our lives.

The etymology of the word "cardinal" originates from the Latin word "cardo," meaning hinge. In a metaphorical sense, the Cardinal houses of our natal chart represent important areas of our human experience that can pivot and change our destiny. And of course, long-term relationships (whether romantic, familial, plutonic, or business) have the power to impact the course and directions of our lives.

This person's 7th house is located in Libra and contains a Chiron in Scorpio. Their Venus sign is in Aquarius and located in the 10th house of career and achievements. Venus forms a trine with their Mars in Libra, which is resting in the 6th house. All of these factors should be considered when analyzing the 7th house, as every aspect and placement in a natal chart informs the expression of their energies.

Chiron's close proximity to the 7th house angle means this person will struggle with their subconscious wounds related to partnerships. The asteroid Chiron indicates our greatest hurt as well as our healing potential, and it's placement in the 7th house reveals he may be able to understand relationship conflicts at a distance but struggles to apply this insight to his own problems.

There may be fears related to unification and a sense of doubt that he can succeed in committed relationships. Since this person is close to me, I know his parents were already in the process of divorce when he was born. His early memories of the archetypical "couple" was fraught with turmoil and resentment, which has informed his perspective of partnerships. 

Given this unstable example of this relationship amongst other experiences and pre-existing feelings, he is a hesitant person when it comes to love. It takes a long time for him to feel comfortable around people and even then, I sense there are blockages between him and his longing to trust others. Given the fact that his 7th house is in Libra, he has a strong desire to forge long-term commitments with others. Chiron's hovering presence indicates an opportunity for him to transform his fear of trust and union into actions that can sustain the harmony he craves.

Let's turn our attention to Chart #2, where we also see another planet close to the 7th house.

Chart #2

This individual's 7th house is located in another Venusian ruled sign, Taurus. Her Mars is only two degrees apart from her Descendent (another name for the 7th house angle) and is squaring Jupiter and opposing Neptune. These angles and the square between Neptune and Jupiter all form a T-square, a potent aspect that brings tension and conflict between all planets and houses involved. Since this aspect is located in the 1st/7th/10th house, these area of her life will be greatly impacted by its energy.

But let's break it down so we can pinpoint how it specifically affects the 7th house. With a 7th house in Taurus, this person likes to feel grounded and comfortable in her relationships. She needs to share similar values with the people she forms strong bonds with, especially as they relate to money and security. However, the shadow side of this placement usually manifests in her choosing partners that are practical in a literal and financial sense. Yet her Venus in Aries, located in the 5th house of creativity and pleasure, reveals a conflict with this instinct.

With Venus in Aries, this person seeks thrills and adventures in the realm of love. She is courageous and bold in her expression of affection and enjoys others who appreciate her individualistic and headstrong perspective. But her attitudes about what love should be conflicts with the qualities she seeks in her long-term partners. This is why Venus and the 7th house must be analyzed together; we're beginning to see a bigger, more complicated picture of this person's attitudes and tendencies.

Since each experience and manifestation of the houses are influenced by the ones before it, we can see that having a 5th and 6th house ruled by Aries (with Chiron, Venus, and Saturn all in Aries caught in between them) established a rather reckless and irresponsible approach to her romantic self-expression and day-to-day responsibilities. Therefore, a 7th house in Taurus is going to be hyper-sensitive to the impatient and quick-tempered whims of fiery Aries and attempt to ground her in the arena of long-term commitments.

Presently, this person feels stuck in a marriage that satisfies her need for financial security but not for her restless and creative spirit. And with her Mars so close to her 7th house, her relationships have a tendency to be rife with power struggles and aggression because she is attracted to individuals with strong Aries/Taurus placements. The opposition between Mars and Neptune in Scorpio heightens her conflicting desires between her need for action in relationships and her ever-shifting individuality while the square between Mars and Jupiter in Leo may create impulsive urges that are destructive if not channeled appropriately. 

In both natal charts, we see activated 7th houses that manifest in different ways depending on the their placements and other planetary influences. It demonstrates how there are many factors to consider when analyzing someone else's or your own attitudes and tendencies towards love and relationships.

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If you'd like to know more about your natal chart, particularly your 7th house, I do custom and packaged astrology readings. Send me an email at mercurial.astro.musings@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase one or have more inquiries. :~)