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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

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© Kim Farnell 2006.