Opposition

An opposition forms when two planets stand 180 degrees apart, at exactly opposite points of the zodiac. It is the aspect of polarity above all others: the two energies face each other directly, and neither can ignore the other. The tension is not inherently destructive; it is more a tension of balance, like two people holding a rope from opposite ends. In synastry, an opposition between the planets of two people creates genuine attraction alongside the feeling that each represents something the other needs to develop. The challenge is to avoid projecting onto the partner what one has not yet recognized in oneself. When approached with awareness, the opposition offers perspective and complementarity. The typical orb is 6 to 8 degrees.