Are You Compatible with Where You Live?

I've always found it interesting to compare peoples' charts with the horoscopes of the cities or states within which they reside. Doing so reveals their overall compatibility with the location, and the level of ease or difficulty in achieving success or happiness while residing there. Astro*Carto*Graphy is another great tool and I encourage everyone to explore it. But synastry, or chart comparison, reveals something altogether different.

Astrologers often argue about what actually constitutes or "times" a city's birth. Is it the date of its incorporation? The creation of its original settlement? Or perhaps its birth occurred when the settlers first gave their home a name. After all, long before a city was incorporated it functioned as a town.

I think it's fair to discard the idea that the naming of a city determines its date of birth. While this date is an important piece of the history of a town, we know (or presume) that the birth of a child occurs not when the infant is named, but when s/he first enters the world. But why would we use any of these dates when we know that in the U.S., for example, Native Americans owned the land long before the European invasion?

The fact that America changed drastically once European's took occupation certainly supports the argument that a new "birth" occurred when this happened. Perhaps the date of the first pilgrims' landing should time the birth of the U.S.A. and not the date that the Constitution was signed. So many possibilities; so little time to explore.

In order to ascertain one's "connection" with a city, we first need to answer the question of what constitutes the city's birth. Should we chart for the initial founding of a city by the first group of settlers in the area, or for the date of its formal incorporation? The logical answer seems to be that both the original settlement and the incorporation charts have merit because both mark important new beginnings.

I have come to believe that:

The date of the settlement describes the "soul" of a city…carrying the spirit of the people who decided to make it their home.
The incorporation date shows the life of the city as an organized system…its resources, assets and liabilities, businesses and secrets…the basic "goings-on" within the city's boundaries.

If this premise is correct, then comparing the planetary placements for the founding of a city with the planets in your chart will show how the life-force, or spirit, of the city influences your life. This comparison lends itself well to a psychological or spiritual approach to astrological interpretation. The comparison of the city's incorporation chart with your own deals more with how and where you fit in or conform with the way the city is managed. It shows how you fit into and are influenced by its structure and design.

When defining what kinds of information can be expected from a chart designed for a city, state or country, it is important to understand its limitations as well as its potential value. Astrologers, for example, have been unable to consistently predict earthquakes and other natural disasters by looking at the chart of the city or state in which they occur. This really isn't surprising, nor should it lead to a conclusion that astrology doesn't work. Natural disasters existed long before our cities did. They are a product of the earth, not of an organized system living upon it. If these types of events are predictable at all, they will be revealed by using a form of astrology that is not based on natal chart interpretation techniques. The horoscope of a country, a state or a city may show how the "soul of the people" (founding) or the "system of government" (incorporation) deal with the after effects. These charts may also show how prepared the citizens are to deal with the potential disaster. The unpredictable event may result in a number of social hardships and distress. These outcomes are more likely to be shown in the chart than the event that evoked the outcome.

It is very easy to find the incorporation dates of cities. Call your local library or Chamber of Commerce, or search the web for its history. It could take a bit more searching to find when your city was first occupied or settled, but the Internet is a great source for research. Rarely can you find evidence that confirms the exact time of day that a city was incorporated. However, just as when comparing another person's chart with your own, a great deal can be ascertained by seeing where a city's planets fall within the structure of your horoscope. The exact time of the city's birth is not critical when examining the comparison from this perspective.

When dealing with synastry (chart comparison) between an individual and a city or a state, the same astrological principles applied to relationship compatibility can be used. By superimposing the planets on the date of its "birth" around the outside of your natal chart you can find how the city's "energies" work with or against your own.

Following are some general guidelines that you might find helpful.

Natal Sun/City's Sun: Is the basic "vitality" or life-force of the city compatible with your own? Look to the sign compatibility between the two Sun-signs.

City's Sun in your chart: Where (house) does this city light up your life? By residing in this location, you will be challenged to define your effectiveness when functioning in the area of life described by the house its Sun occupies in your chart. The city encourages you to operate consciously here; to see and "own" the importance of the role you are playing. Aspects between its Sun and your planets show what "parts" of you (planet's) are satisfied with what is being brought to your attention, and what parts of you are challenged by the city's "light". Too much Sun can burn you.

Natal Moon/City's Moon: Are your habits and emotional needs compatible with the city's trends?

City's Moon in your chart: In what area of your life (house) will this city challenge you to adapt? Like the ever-changing tides of our oceans, frequent but predictable changes in this department of your life will occur when living here. Where do the security needs, daily occurrences, general habits and safety concerns of the city influence your life most strongly? Aspects between the city's Moon and your planets describe the degree of ease or difficulty you experience because of the emotional makeup of the city and its response to security issues. The planets being aspected show what "parts" of you are being most strongly affected by the city's lunar energy.

Natal Mercury/City's Mercury: Will you find ease in communication in this location? Can you find the information you want? City's Mercury in your chart: In what area of your life does the city's intellectual focus challenge you to think and be objective? Just by living in this area, you will be challenged to communicate about these things. Is this something that you want to do?

Aspects: What parts of your personality (aspected planets) find the intellectual stimulation and communication welcome? What parts don't want to conform to the mindset of the community, or, on the other hand, are challenged by the communities way of thinking? Are you having trouble understanding its "language"?

Natal Venus/City's Venus: Do you want the same things that the city believes are valuable? Are you content with how the residents of the city define what they think you want?

City's Venus in your chart: The city challenges you to examine your values here. When functioning in this area of your life you will attract others who reflect your values in some way. Aspects: Do you want what you are attracting? Do those around you value what you want for yourself? Or do the values of the community offend you in some way?

Natal Venus/City's Mars (Aspect or sign compatibility): Does living in this area excite you and motivate you to go after what you really want? Do the city's activities bring you pleasure? Are you receptive to its passions? Do you want what it has to offer?

Natal Mars/City's Venus (Aspect or sign compatibility): Is the city receptive and appreciative of the activities you initiate? Does it value (Venus) what you have to offer (Mars)? Can you bring it what it wants?

Jupiter: City's Jupiter in your chart: Where and how (house and sign) does the city provide opportunities that enable you to grow and expand your point of view?

Aspects: What parts of you (planets) thrive on the opportunities available in this area? What parts of you think it's simply too much, and are therefore challenged by the different philosophies or lifestyles that you see?

Saturn: City's Saturn in your chart: What responsibilities or boundaries will you meet in this location? The city has a history and a set of rules that must be followed. Aspects: Are these rules compatible with what you want in your life? Do the limitations they create annoy you? Or are the boundaries something that work well for you, enabling you to find your "place" within the community?

Uranus: City's Uranus in your chart: Living in this area could bring chaos and excitement to this area of your life? Where (house) will the unexpected frequently show its face? Aspects: Does the chaos excite and thrill you? What parts of you don't want to change?

Neptune: City's Neptune in your chart: Does the city cloud your vision here (house)? Where does it challenge you to dissolve old security boundaries and learn to live on faith? Aspects: Does it offer inspiration or does it feed your fears? What parts of you feel inspired and what parts of you feel confused.

Pluto: City's Pluto in your chart. You are influenced by the masses here. Where do the city's undercurrents affect your life most strongly? Where are you confronting power you never knew you had? Your relationship with this city promises profound changes in this area of your life. Aspects: Are you able to channel this power and welcome the change you attract? Or does the power of the community overwhelm or abuse you in some way?

Nodes:

City's North Node in your chart: You provide something new to the community when you are functioning in this area (house). It needs your input for growth, even though it could resist what you have to offer.

City's South Node in your chart: What you bring to this environment may be something that the city does not need. Don't try to push your beliefs onto everyone you encounter.

Conjunctions between YOUR Moon's North Nodes and the city's planets are also important. If there are strong aspects between the city's planets and your North Moon's Node, experiences in this area of your life will challenge you to grow, even though the growth may not be easy. This is a challenging place for you to live, but it offers opportunity to "stretch".

Conjunctions between YOUR Moon's South Node and the city's planets caution you that this area could be draining. Experiences here could hold you into old patterns that don't encourage growth and expansion. The people in this city need what you have to give, but the city may not be able to provide you what you need in return. You could attract people who drain you. If you choose to live in this city, you need to consciously develop your North Node experiences to replace the energy that the community takes from you.

It is also interesting to see how your life affects the city where you live, although without its birth time you will not be able to ascertain the outer areas of experience where those energies will be highlighted. Without knowing the house structure of the city's chart it is not possible to see where your personal energies will impact your community. For example, without the time of its incorporation, you won't know how you affect your city's government because you won't know what's on its 10th house. You won't know how you contribute to its community facilities if you don't know what is on its 3rd house. But you will be able to see basic energy-compatibility between you and the place where you live. This will be shown by the aspects between planets in both of the charts.

Consider basic compatibility between an individual and the State within which s/he resides. Even basic Sun-sign comparison holds value. The late Marc Robertson used this technique when advising all of his clients. When he saw the Sun sign of a State in the same sign as a client's south node he cautioned the client that residing in the state could be draining; it would tend to keep the individual in a "holding pattern" instead of encouraging growth. If there is a sign that is particularly challenging for a client, he would recommend not moving to a State having its Sun in that sign. On the other hand, moving to a State having its Sun on "happy" points in a client's chart would help to lighten the client's load.

One of the first things we learn in astrology is basic Sun-sign compatibility. Certain signs attract you; others repel in some way. Perhaps a certain zodiacal sign triggers some challenging aspects in your chart. If the Sun sign of your city or state falls in that sign, you will meet challenges in that area. Try this simple technique with your own chart. Locate the Sun sign of your State in the Table provided.