How
to Tell a Great Lover

Giacomo
Casanova
How
can you tell a great lover? Modern astrology often claims sex is
an 8th house matter. Yet traditionally, sex and 'love making' is
aligned with the 5th house. Even in modem terms, sex as a 'recreational'
or 'casual experience' is clearly a 5th house activity. Those who
like to be nit-picking about these matters may prefer to have sex
in the 5th when it's for fun and the 8th when it involves issues
of manipulation. But since few of us would like to ask the sort
of questions needed to elicit an answer on this, at some point we
have to make a choice. Personally, I have found that the 5th house
is far more revealing when it comes to sexual matters, except in
those instances when some form of abuse is involved.
A sample of forty charts of people - mainly men -who were renowned
to be great lovers kept me happy for a few days while I studied
them to see if there were any common factors. One third had a Jupiter
ruled 5th cusp, a third of the remainder had Jupiter making a major
aspect to the 5th cusp. The majority of the remainder had Jupiter
close to an angle or tenanting the 5th house. One problem of course,
is that those renowned for their sex lives are so because of the
sheer number of lovers they've had - and this says nothing about
quality. But if we assume that word would get around if their reputation
was groundless, then this seems as good a starting point as any.
Obviously, this is a small sample, but the Jupiter theme throughout
seemed too strong to ignore. Three quarters of the charts had at
least one angular planet, half had two or more and a quarter had
three or more. The tenth and seventh houses were the most heavily
tenanted and the sixth the least. Looking at the aspects there was
a high number of Mars/Venus/Saturn contacts - in fact 40% of the
charts had both Mars/Saturn and Venus/Saturn closely aspected. Only
three charts contained no aspects between the three planets.
So based on the above it seems that the indicators for sexual prowess
in a chart are an emphasis on the 5th house combined with Jupiter,
and contacts between Mars/Venus/Saturn. According to Barbara Watters,
Jupiter dominated charts (in particular those with Mars opposition
Jupiter) show people who take action against the accepted moral
code or traditional beliefs. Those whose charts were examined were
recorded because of their sex lives being exceptional in the way
that they challenged the moral code of their time.
Jupiter and Saturn appear to be the keys when studying charts with
sexual proclivity in mind. Jupiter tenanted in the 5th or 7th house
is commonly held to indicate one who has a number of affairs in
their lifetime. With Saturn indicative of control and, in some circumstances,
a low sense of self worth, we may assume that, Saturn as an indicator
of promiscuous behaviour, is indicative of people who use sex to
reaffirm their worth. Liz Greene allies Saturn/Venus contacts with
prostitution, and if we are not being too literal with this interpretation
it becomes clear where Saturn can be involved in the scenario. Promiscuous
behaviour is also associated with Venus/Saturn aspects in Ptolemy's
view, whilst Venus/Mars aspects warn of 'an abundance of lust'.
But what else could we look for to indicate that the subject is
a 'Great Lover'? Nicholas De Vore states that a combust Venus shows
nymphomania in a woman's chart. A client of mine who had a combust
Venus was delighted when she discovered this. At the time she was
ending her fourth marriage and trying to keep count of the number
of lovers she had had between marriages. Venus is clearly a key
planet in a woman's chart when considering sexual behaviour. Raphael
states:
"If
Venus be afflicted the native born under her immediate influence
is lewd, shameless and lascivious… she is found by sympathy to
be friendly to every planet except Saturn... she represents the
lower orders of pleasure and voluptuousness... Venus afflicted
shows an unhappiness in love..."
Of course, lewd and shameless to one is simply having a good time
to another. And some people spend their whole lives chasing lower
orders of pleasure.
Raphael
gets quite worried by unchaste women -"in a female nativity if the
Moon be in semi quartile, square, opposition or sesquiquadrate to
Mars, unchastity is greatly to be feared, unless Jupiter or Venus
assist to avert the noxious configuration". Unfortunately, the sort
of assistance given by Jupiter isn't likely to remove much noxiousness.
Generally
though most authors pay attention to the connection between Mars
and Venus rather than the Moon, as exemplified by Ptolemy "in the
case of females... should Venus be conjoined or configurated with
Mars alone, she will render women licentious and lustful."
What
about men though? Most writers aren't nearly as bothered about the
idea of men having a lively sex life. Ptolemy tries to cover all
contingencies in his statement: "...should Saturn be absent, and
Mars be with Venus alone, or even though Jupiter be with her, men
will become highly licentious and attempt to gratify their desires
in every mode...." Here it is clear that Jupiter is regarded as
no preventative for lustful behaviour.
Sexual
'abnormalities' - including promiscuity - are associated in general
with afflictions between Venus, Mars and Saturn. Trying to update
the theories in An Astrology Guide to Your Sex Life, Vivian Robson
has no doubt whatsoever that Uranus and Neptune are the main causes
of sexual perversion. However, in the section Satyriasis and Nymphomania,
he makes it clear that he does not consider these to be perversions
but rather intensifications of sexual desire. That probably made
a lot of people feel better.
Again
Mars and Venus are held as the key planets to consider. In addition
though, Robson considers that afflictions from Neptune account for
promiscuity. But even for Robson it is simper than that - he states
that if Venus is in the house or exaltation of Mars it is a sign
of 'filthy lust'. So if you have Venus in Capricorn in the tenth
house opposing Neptune we KNOW what you do for a good time.
A
few miscellaneous points worth looking out for - Mars in Virgo can
be an indicator of a number of unhappy love affairs. Venus in Capricorn
shows an ambitious love nature, or if we are being less polite,
indicates 'lust' - according to Robson it is indicative of 'unhealthy
and secret attachments'. Neptune afflicting Venus is indicative
of what Robson calls "illicit and unnatural appetites... lascivious
habits." Mars in Gemini gives you the option of two attachments
simultaneously, whilst when placed in Leo it offers passionate love
affairs and secret alliances. The Moon in Pisces refers to a voluptuous
and sensual nature and is often cited as indicating numerous attachments.
Sexual excess if allied with the state of the Moon. For example,
Robson states:
"If
the Moon is full or increasing in light, separating from Mars
and applying to Venus, the native will be adulterous and lustful.
If the Moon be decreasing in light, he will be addicted to promiscuous
lust, and will suffer disgrace thereby."
And
if promiscuous lust is your weak spot it is worth considering that
Saturn in Scorpio shows a tendency towards catching venereal diseases.
But
timing is all. And if your horoscope doesn't offer you the opportunities
you'd like then no-one can stop you electing a chart for your next
encounter. If you chose a date when the Moon is in Aries, Leo, Libra
or Capricorn, especially when it is in good aspect to Mars or Venus
- preferably both - then your chances of a good time are vastly
improved. An aspect from Saturn to the Moon can put a damper on
the whole proceedings but sensuality can be heightened with an aspect
from the Sun. If the two concerned are unmarried, and wish to stay
so, then the Moon is well placed in Gemini and Aquarius - but it
would be a disaster for it to be in Pisces.
Aspects from Jupiter can indicate feminine reluctance whilst Saturn
in the 7th is a sign of weakness - perhaps impotence. Mercury in
the 7th afflicted by Mars or Uranus could show an attack of nerves
at the last minute - or if you're really unlucky a mentally afflicted
partner! If Venus is behind the Sun in the zodiac and in good aspect
with Jupiter, then the woman will be the one who is dominant on
this occasion. A good time is shown by Venus being in the ascendant
in Libra or Pisces with Saturn as far away from the seventh as possible.
And according to Ramesey the Moon applying to Venus is what you
want to look out for if you simply want a good time whereas the
Moon applying to Mars means 'much seed' - presumably a very different
matter!
There
appears to be no doubt that in looking at a horoscope for sexual
excess we are focused on the state of Mars/Venus/Saturn and their
relationships. And that if we are looking for real excess Jupiter
falls into the equation. In terms of transits Jupiter is a major
player. Aspects to the 5th cusp and any planets tenanted there,
plus a kick start from Mars, are clear indicators of things hotting
up. One other thing - Mercury hasn't really warranted a mention
so far - but he really is the god of the one night stand. So that
prominent Mercury can tell you a lot more than you might have thought....
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Main
references:
The
Secret Sex Lives of Famous People - I. Wallace
Astrology
Restored - W. Ramesey
Tetrabiblos
- Ptolemy
An
Astrology Guide to Your Sex Life - V. Robson
Astrology
& Marriage - Sepharial
Manual
of Astrology - Raphael
Saturn
- Liz. Greene
Encyclopedia
of Astrology - Nicholas De Vore
Sex
and the Outer Planets - Barbara Watters
Mercury
- Pam Tyler