How To Work With Oppositions In Your Natal Chart

If you have oppositions in your natal chart, it’s worth your while to learn about ways to manage the energy. In digging around to research the topic, you might rightly become confused when you come across explanations that talk about a difficult relationship between the two, and that the way to “overcome” this tension is an eventual melding or blending of the energies of the two planets.That sounds a little too much like a conjunction for my taste, so let’s get down to basics.

Oppositions are a direct line between two planets 180° apart; the tighter the orb, the more you will feel the relationship. Besides the planets involved, the themes of the houses they reside in are also a focus. When one planet is working, the other isn’t. Here’s an analogy: an opposition is not two people in the kitchen, one washing and one drying the dishes. It’s more like one does the dishes and the other sits on the couch, then the next night they switch.

Oppositions can be challenging, not because they are inherently bad, but because a relationship will always exist between the two bodies; there is always an influence from across the way to consider. It means that as much as you might like the simplicity of dealing with just one planet, you are going to have to deal with two. Sometimes, another influence is going to have to get a turn.

So how can we use this make to make life easier or better? That’s the practical question, and finding an answer for yourself might take some experimenting. I’d say that if one of your planets involved in an opposition is fired up due to transits, see how well the two different energies are working (or not) in that situation. If things are great, let sleeping dogs lie. If they aren’t, try using the energy across the way. Let’s say your Mercury is opposed your Neptune. Perhaps when your Mercury is spinning its wheels overthinking and over-analyzing, you might find the answer you’re looking for using the Neptune across your chart to listen to your gut instead. Similarly, maybe your Neptune has you imaging a terrible illness, and an info-based chat with your doctor over your test results provides a realistic assessment of your situation.

Where there is tension, there is the potential for relief! Think of that the next time you look at your oppositions.

What oppositions do you have in your chart, and how do you manage them? Can you see where switching over to the opposing influence has helped you to make a situation better?

24 thoughts on “How To Work With Oppositions In Your Natal Chart”

  1. Thanks Kumquat, I have six oppositions (!!) in my chart (Sun, Moon, Mercury opposite Neptune and Sun, Moon, Mercury opposite Uranus). Another one too if you include Chiron aspects. It’s like one giant internal seesaw! That advice in the last paragraph was really useful to me so thank you.

      1. What if I have
        Moon opp Sun
        Moon opp Ascendnat
        Moon opp mercury
        Moon opp Neptune
        Moon opp Venus
        Saturn opp Pluto
        Pluto opp North Node
        Sun aquarius 1st
        Moon Leo 7th house
        Saturn 4th house a sister chart ruler / North node 5th house
        Plz help Ive always been so confused

  2. Interesting explanations Kumquat!
    This gives hope for my Moon, opposite Sun, Saturn & Pluto (and the only oppositions in my chart).
    Trying to think of how to use the potential for relief…
    Basically I try to ignore my Moon, but the Moon does not ignore me, so it manifests sometimes.
    I’ll try to imagine dialogues between these planets.
    Moon to Pluto “Stop scaring me”. Pluto to Moon “Shut up or I’ll harm you!” Nope, that won’t work. Help!!!!!
    It takes getting used to new approaches.

    1. Lucky you, you get more than one opposition to choose from! Your Pluto might also say to your moon, “This is not getting us anywhere, let’s start over with something new.”

      1. Your answer really made me laugh!!! 🙂
        Yes, it’s a good suggestion bc I’m pretty sick & tired of my own stuck ideas.
        Thers’s GOTTA be something to be reclaimed from that profound energy!

      1. Thank you for the tip / that sounds like a great start. Anything additional I could explore to provide further insight & guidance?

  3. Pluto/Utanus in 9th opposed Saturn: Any try to exert power or innovate from my side is met with opposition, Always. very tiring

    1. After a lifetime of flopping around I finally figured it out
      My chart is 180 degrees reversed. I have my Leo NorthNode in my 11th/Aquarius SouthNode in 11th. My Taurus Moon in 8th, my Scorpio Venus and Neptune in 2nd.
      My Virgo Sun, Uranus and Pluto in 12th, my Pisces Jupiter in 6th.
      I struggled with understanding this until I realized…ITS ABOUT BALANCE.
      I look at my oppositions now like this. One of my lessons is to learn to balance the energies.
      Once I wrote out what I saw it all fell into place.

    2. Gemini7 – I would say, “No.” The North Node points to lessons to be learned this lifetime. The South Node is a reservoir of past life experiences and talents.

  4. How about a post on many squares in your chart? i have a ton of squares and most of them are t squares, taurus, leo scorpio and aries cancer libra. fun fun

  5. Scorpio Moon keeps overthinking. Sxared, feared bla bla bla …
    opposition exactly by Saturn in Taurus at 12th House
    My practice should be , let God handle all my fears and stay calm. Anything and everything comes in life is either blessing or lesson

  6. Stellium with moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter in Scorpio 8H (and Neptune nearby) opposed by Saturn in Taurus 2H. I’m still trying to figure this one out. Lots of restrictions vs hardship. Overcoming took a very long time.

  7. Avatar
    James Slattery

    Gemini Sun opp Saturn and Pluto opp the Ascendant. I keep wavering between being in power and having to let other things go to some “authority”. I do have some good self control in volatile situations as I know how to hold back. When others do this I’m surprised they have a problem! Oh well that’s life.

  8. I’d read an explanation that oppositions were like a tug-of-war, with one outcome or winner, compared to a square where two energies end up in a compromise. I wonder if that holds water?

  9. I have ASC opposing Mercury and Venus in Capricorn.
    Also Moon opposing Pluto and Mars in Scorpio.

    I can see that if I drop or refuse to be concerned with my standing with others, then I can communicate and think clearly, internally and externally. Perhaps the same can be said when approaching relationships.

    My guts says, from my own experience, that concerning the next set of oppositions I have that as long as I’m not home, and can expend energy and focus, and look a bit deeper and have transformative experiences.

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