To paraphrase the great Capricorn novelist Zora Neale Hurston, “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”
But are there certain astrological placements that indicate the soul might be cooped up in that hiding place for a good long while? Yes indeed.
Gather round ye love lorn, ye heartbroken, ye emotionally bankrupt and read on to learn more about the astrological marks of long-term singledom or a late-blooming love life.
Firstly, you’ll need your birth date, time and location to calculate your birth chart. Astroseek is a great place to start. Your birth chart is essentially a map of where the planets were hanging out at the exact moment you cut loose from the womb into the world. The birth chart can reveal all manner of kinks, quirks, blessings and banes and we can all glean a thing or two about the kind of love stories we’ll be writing this go round.
Please bear in mind that the following placements are only indicators, not irrefutable evidence of love struggles. The stars incline us, they do not bind us, and if we choose to view love as a life long road rather than a single destination, the bumps, bad romances and stretches of being single are all worthy weigh stations along the way.
Cancer and Leo rising
Cancer and Leo rising signs both have the planet Saturn ruling their seventh house of partnership and contracts.
Also known as the marriage box, the seventh house reveals themes that will be present in our long-term relationships. Saturn is the planet of limitations, restrictions, karmic lessons and hard-won happiness. Relative to Cancer and Leo rising, Saturn is doling out the wisdom of experience when it comes to relationships.
Neither Leo nor Cancer is a sign that trusts easily or is willing to settle for less than their rose-colored ideal of perfect love, so often these folks will remain single rather than invest in a losing candidate or an abject loser. Leo risings often pick partners that look good but fall short of being good for them, style over substance if you will.
Cancer risings tend to pick partners that need them in some way, a broken wing/codependent scene that leaves them ragged and resentful. Both rising signs are meant to learn through and eventually rise above these tendencies.
Saturn in the Seventh House
Similar to the scenario above, having a strict and stifling planet Saturn in the seventh house indicates that the individual is a sleeper hit, someone that doesn’t come into their own in relationships until later in life. It doesn’t mean you will be alone forever but it does suggest that love will be a bit of a practice in patience for you and trust is hard to come by.
Alternatively, Saturn in the seventh can mean you choose partners that are slow to commit. For purposes of self-preservation, do your damnedest to opt for mates who are not flakes, folks who are strong of backbone and know who they are and what they want so you won’t be holding out for crumbs when you deserve a complete cake.
On the upswing, the time you spend alone will give you a deeper sense of yourself and a clearer picture of the kind of partnership you want, and once you find it, Saturn rewards the long game with longevity and real-deal devotion. For example, David Bowie (RIP) had Saturn in the Seventh and while he didn’t meet his model wife, Iman, until he was 45, the pair stayed together for the rest of his life.
Scorpio moon
The moon represents our emotional nature and in the sign of Scorpio, the moon is in fall, or unable to truly or fully express itself. Scorpio moons must overcome their deep fear of betrayal before they can really reveal themselves to a long-term partner. Often Scorpio moons will hitch their wagon to another as a kind of curious experiment or experiment with the status quo but they won’t allow themselves to be truly seen or truly vulnerable, leaving them lonelier with a partner than without.
Aquarius moon
In a fixed air sign, the emotional moon is a little out of sorts and a lot a bit uncomfortable. Much like the Scorpio moon anticipates betrayal, the Aquarius moon expects to be misunderstood and ultimately exiled for being themselves.
Aquarius is the planet of rebellion and in relationships they often rebel against love itself, seeing commitment as a kind of confinement and compromise as the death of the self, limiting beliefs that hinder their ability to go deep or go the distance with another person.
Venus in Aries, Gemini or Virgo
The planet Venus, named for the goddess of love, indicates our style of attraction and attachment.
Aries and Gemini Venus placements suggest that the native will have many significant relationships rather than one steady ride or die. Both Aries and Gemini are oxygenated by the novel and the new, prone to boredom they are more likely to strike out on their own than stick it out when things get stale.
Same goes for Venus signs that are conjunct, opposite, or square Uranus, the planet of sudden change and upheaval. The influence of Uranus designates a person who values freedom over stability and change over routine, a real romantic rogue if you will.
Venus is said to be in fall in the sign of Virgo, a sign noted for its high standards. Venus in Virgo can be critical and easily exasperated by the failure of their partner to be ‘enough.’ Often these natives legitimately die waiting for someone who measures up.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience.
