Ah, Love.... Songs, poems, novels, fairy-tales, movies all extol the power and pleasure of love - and for good reason: love is the food of life! There are many opportunities to love, in fact, a love affair with life is not a bad idea. But you also may need to "grow" love by sharing it, and therein is the seed of all relationships.

The planetary energies which are most usually associated with love are Venus and Neptune. Venusian energy radiates directly from your heart, from the center of yourself, where love resides deep within. Loving is an inner experience. The more you open to the love you hold within yourself, the more it grows. Your feelings of worthiness are represented by Venus, and as you grow to understand and appreciate your own value as a woman, it becomes easier to let this love energy flow through your life. Neptunian energy is Divine compassionate love - the love which does not judge and readily forgives. Neptune is the realm of romance, mysticism and heavenly perfection. Truly transcendent Neptunian love arises when you have healthy boundaries of your own, otherwise, you can become a victim of your own illusions!

Thoughts of love may have always filled much of your time. The influence of Venus in Libra stimulates a sense that you are more viable and worthy if someone loves you. Okay, then go look in the mirror again. There you are. When you love yourself (even without make-up), your heart opens more readily, and the love you give to others is more alive. But if you do not really love yourself, and just know you'll feel better when someone else loves you, you'll never find what you're seeking from love. You need to know the pure beauty of your own heart, and to love another, you look for their real beauty. Whether you see this through the way he laughs, the tone of his voice or the feel of his embrace, the color, light and magic you feel are the result of finding the beauty of love. Your life may always seem more complete if you have a partner who shares your life experiences, and you'll be happiest in a relationship with a partner who believes in and practices equality. But to know that sense of equality, you must value yourself. And there you are again, full circle, facing yourself. You, too, must offer the same equality, respect and sense of fairness you demand from those you love. After that, the rest is pure delight.

Your need to learn about true cooperation in loving relationships is underscored through the influence of your Moon in opposition to Venus. It can be difficult to know exactly how much you are supposed to give, and when it is your turn to receive. The only solution is to maintain an clear awareness of your feelings, and to ask the same of your husband or lover. Part two is sharing that awareness and striving to create a real harmony between your needs and feelings for one another. Too much selfishness on either part will result in withdrawal and undermine trust. You are a lovable woman, and may have to convince yourself that your needs deserve just as much attention as those of others.

As one of the generation of women born with Neptune in Libra, you have been inundated with endless images, stories and myths about true love and romance. You've dreamt of the perfect marriage and may have believed that you would, indeed, be rescued by that perfect prince. But as you've grown up, you've found out that the prince may not only be late, but that he may not arrive at all! Hope springs eternal, however, and thanks to open discussion about relationship, you've also learned about addiction, codependency and dysfunctionality and some ways to get out of these patterns and traps. Rule number one: Create your own dream by understanding yourself and your needs. From that point, you begin to separate from the trap of the collective still searching for the perfect other, and from the beacon of your own soul, you send out a light that attracts someone who may, indeed, fit your needs quite nicely after all.

The influence of your Sun in sextile aspect to Neptune indicates that you need a relationship which embodies many qualities, ranging from physical to emotional to spiritual connections. Integrating the spiritual essence of yourself into your relationships is easy when you have a partner who respects and supports you as a whole woman. You are most drawn to a man whose spirituality is a powerful part of his life.

Beautiful words, poetic ideas and spiritual quests are all part of your fantasies of love with Mercury in sextile aspect to Neptune. And if you put your energy and focus into creating the manifestation of these ideals, you may actually see some of those dreams becoming real. You'll adore a man who spirituality is genuine and whose ability to show compassion is part of the core of his being, because that is a reflection of a true part of yourself.

You can be relatively clear about the true nature of the men you attract with Mars in sextile aspect to Neptune. While you can support and admire a man for his dreams and ideals, you can also see the reality of the present moment. By working together with the ingredients you possess in the relationship, you may very well manifest those dreams. And you may also be quite clear about your own dreams which need the support and understanding of the man you love. This mutuality can be shared on many levels, and can build a powerful bond which helps to sustain you when reality is harsh.

Jupiter's square to Neptune indicates a frustration between your ideals or beliefs and the essence of Truth. On an inner level you may feel that a particular path is right, but the teachings you've learned may not echo those inner feelings. It's like the discovery of hypocrisy from someone who speaks about one truth but lives a life which does not reflect that truth. You are struggling to integrate the truth with your beliefs, and your relationships may act as a catalyst which challenges you to explore those ideals further. You may also find that differences in spiritual practice are quite difficult to handle within your relationships.

With Uranus and Neptune in square aspect to one another, you are part of a generation filled with an uncomfortable concern for religious and spiritual ideals. You may not know whom you can trust in the worlds of politics and business, and are likely to struggle with your search for a meaningful spiritual path which is part of the framework of your life on its most intimate level. It's important that you learn ways to identify fanaticism, since you can either fall victim to others and their fanatical ideals or become too overbearing with your own. The influence of these energies can be problematic in relationships, particularly if you do not trust your inner voice and allow another to determine your needs in areas which you must discover for yourself.

The houses in your chart which amplify love relationships are the 5th, 7th, and 11th Houses. Through the 5th House, you experience giving love. It is through this facet of yourself that you have love affairs, playful and recreational relationships and where you produce the offspring of loving. The offspring can range from artistic endeavors to children. But when dealing with relationships, this is the space which is usually occupied by loving another in an intimate sense.

Virgo's influence on your 5th House adds a practical and methodical approach to love affairs. You're not likely to open your heart unless you have a meeting of the minds. You may even have a list of the characteristics you hope to find in a lover and may not let a number of men through the door if they fail to meet your strict criteria. This sense of discrimination can be quite helpful, particularly if your tend to be overly romantic. The energy of Mercury plays an important role in the way you show love. You may enjoy sending special cards and letters to keep the connection strong, and might even be tempted to write poems or stories based upon your experiences of love. Maintaining a mental connection with your lover will always be important. You can also close the door to your heart by allowing feelings of imperfection or inferiority to get in your own way. Take a personal inventory (that should be easy for you!), and oil those rusty hinges on the doors to your heart. Allow yourself to play a bit more. Your sensuality can be a lot of fun when you let it out.

Venus feels good in your 5th House. This energy stimulates the expression of your feelings of love, and is quite helpful in opening your heart. Giving of yourself, your creativity and your energy allows you to take love to a higher level. You may be very attracted to a lover whose artistic tastes and sensibilities are compatible with your own, and may fall in love with his creativity as much as you fall in love with him. You'll appreciate a lover who acknowledges and supports your own creativity, and may lose interest if he is too self-absorbed.

Neptune's energy in your 5th House encourages you to spend a lot of time dreaming about the perfect love. Reverie and fantasy can be healthy, and in the best situations your intimate relationships will allow plenty of time for you to indulge in playful fantasy and high-level romance. Be alert to the possibility of falling in love with love, or with the things you wish to see in others, and try to take off your rose colored glasses from time to time. Make time in your life for giving of yourself, whether through charitable ventures, in community service or through your creative or artistic self-expression. And avoid the temptation of looking for a love that will rescue you from a life that does not fit your dreams.

The 7th House of your chart illustrates what you're seeking from a partner. More importantly, this part of your chart also tells a story about the kind of partner you really want to become. This is also the realm of social contact, and provides information about your approach to socialization. Although marriage agreements are shown through the 7th House, planets here (or a lack of planets here) do not "promise" marriage or its lack. But if your 7th House is highly activated, you may be more motivated to find a partner.

Since you have Sagittarius influencing your 7th House, you need lots of freedom within your partnership or marriage. Any partner who tries to hold you back will only be frustrated, so he may as well give you the independence you require or he won't have you at all. You may also attract highly independent men, and in order to have the trust and understanding required to sustain a partnership, need to clarify what you expect from one another. You'll appreciate a man who is an excellent companion and enjoys traveling down the road of life with you, although you may each take your own personal journeys from time to time. During the periods in which you connect, you need to plan, talk and envision your future goals and desires. Since Jupiter's energy is influential in this area, you can gain excellent support through a partnership when you're participating together in something that will allow you to feel that you're heading toward a brighter future.

Asserting yourself within your partnership can be a challenging and exciting experience, but you can also experience a great deal of frustration if you are uncomfortable with your self-assertiveness. With Mars in your 7th House, you're most attracted to men who are, themselves, strong, assertive or competitive. As a result, power struggles can arise. Just trying to avoid them will do little good. You need people in your life who enjoy a challenge every now and them, and may channel much of this energy into partnerships. Finding positive outlets for your competitive edge can be fun - games, sports or other recreational activities can smooth rough edges and still keep your juices pumping. Sometimes, arguments are simply the result of pent-up hostility which could be released through some type of physical activity. Men may accuse you of trying to take charge too much of the time if you are expressing your own assertiveness. For this reason, developing techniques which allow you to assert yourself with confidence will help you get past any hostility you may encounter. Just watch for reactions to help you gauge your next move, and go girl!

It is through the 11th House that you learn about unconditional relationships, and where you open to receiving love and support from others. Here you find your friends, your supportive professional allies, and your community. Through this facet of yourself you develop your special interests. And here you set your goals for the future. It's wonderful the way friends can support your aims, provide feedback when you need objectivity, and comfort you when you're facing challenges. Your approach to friendship is also seen through this part of your chart.

You have Pisces on the cusp of your 11th House, signifying that your friendships can have a spiritual and deep-seated emotional bond. Those who share your beliefs and ideals will be readily invited into your circle, and you may have lifelong friends whose history parallels your own. Compassionate understanding is the tie that binds when it comes to your friends, but you can also get into trouble if you fail to maintain your emotional boundaries with your friends. If you feel that a friend is taking unfair advantage of you, examine the part you play in that situation. You may need to clearly define when you are and are not available to them. Neptune's influence in this house adds a special psychic connection to your close friends. This energy enhances your ability to forgive your friends, too. It's probably a good idea to be very careful when you're making business agreements with friends, since it would be difficult for you to draw the line between business and friendship. If at all possible, try to avoid linking the two. Overall, it is through your friendships that you develop your most compassionate links to your heart. These relationships teach you how to open to receiving love. For you to open your heart to let love in, you may first need to forgive yourself and let go of the past.

With the energy of your Moon in your 11th House, you probably have many acquaintances and a few very special friends. Your women friends are especially important in your life, and you need their support and care and feel that it's necessary for you to provide the same for them. You have powerful emotional ties to your friends. This energy definitely draws what you send out. If you're feeling unsupported or that your friend has taken advantage of you, try to clarify the part you have played in that process. You're quite willing to flow with the changes friendships must endure, and can stay close and supportive to your good friend regardless of her ups and downs. The wisdom of knowing that friendships have their own cycles is part of your deeper understanding of life, and you may also discover that those cycles are directly related to your own changing needs.