Opposition Aspect – A Route to Harmony

An opposition aspect in astrology is when two natal bodies are separated by 180 degrees in the birth chart.  There are many pairs of opposing forces in nature like the north and the south earth magnetic fields, the centripetal and the centrifugal, but the goal of these oppositions is to create harmony and balance. When one has an opposition between 2 natal bodies, irrespective of the process, the final goal here is to harmonize. Unlike square aspects, even the chaos and confusion or competition that is sensed in an opposition is only a process to reach unity. So awareness and learning is the key to balance oppositions, and the idea is that it gets better as you live and learn the energies involved in the opposition.  Rabindranath Tagore in his book “Sadhana” says “there is an unbreakable continuity of relation in the physical world between heat and cold, light and darkness, motion and rest, as between the bass and treble notes of a piano.   That is why these opposites do not bring confusion but harmony.”

For example if you find a Saturn in the 8^th house in Libra and Uranus in the 2^nd house in Aries, very clearly there is a pull between wanting structure and tradition (saturn) in close relationships (8th) and the need to be original (Uranus) and rely on oneself (2^nd house). Since this is the 2nd/8th house polarity, the conflicts could play out in the financial area.  One may ask the question, “how to have joint finances with another person and still feel the sense of independence?” or  “If it’s so important to rely on myself, how can I trust and merge with another?”  The ideal solution is to be aware of both the energies and how it works in your life, and then making space for both of them to operate.  Seesawing between the two energies is one way of giving recognition to both the energies but this is not the best solution, because both the energies involved in an opposition are operating at all times, they are not in a switch off and on mode.  The opposition between the 2^nd and the 8^th house can operate in any different ways but considering the above example, the person may want to have a joint investment with his partner that is cooperatively managed, but at the same time he may want to hold and operate some money in an individual account for which he is not accountable to anyone.  This may be one way of balancing the opposing 2^nd and 8^th house energies. 

Albeit different, oppositions have compatible element connecting them like Air and Fire, or Water and Earth.  While first is about self while the seventh is about others, both are about relationships. While second is about reliance on oneself, and the 8th is one trusting another, both are about survival. While 3rd is about superficial learning, 9th is about higher learning, both deal with education and learning. So the idea is to find that common thread.  Sometimes the opposition is experienced by attracting people or events that act out one side of the aspect.  For instance if someone has an opposition between Uranus conjunct ascendant opposing Saturn on  the descendant,  this energy is usually manifested with a need for independence vs need for authority respectively.  In this example, there may be a tendency for the person to take side with the Uranus, and hence end up attracting authoritative/discplinarian kind of people who are symbolic of the Saturn energy, and who may be perceived to oppose his/her freedom.  The better use of the opposition aspect is to embrace and integrate both sides.

In a  square aspect, resolution may not be the end result as its goal is to challenge and facilitate growth.   However, with an opposition (like Libra and Aries) the key is to go ahead and have that head-on collision if  the need arises with the hope of more awareness and peace at the end of it all!

Let me know how you handle the oppositions in your natal chart or share any interesting experiences you have had with people whose natal sun opposed yours, like Cancer and Capricorn, Aries and Libra, Gemini and Sagittarius, Scorpio and Taurus, and Aquarius and Leo.