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Some birth chart placements require a little extra work.
By Kate Rose — Written on Aug 30, 2022
Whether you are looking at your own natal chart, which depicts the placement of each planet at the time of your birth, or you are comparing your chart with another's, it is important to be aware of the red flags in astrology.
There are some bad zodiac placements in the birth chart that require some extra work when it comes to the different qualities and characteristics they represent.
Depending on where the different planets and certain aspects fall in your birth chart, you will feel a different influence, and there are some placements that are objectively more challenging.
While many astrologers would say that there are no true negative aspects in natal charts, there are those that represent greater difficulty and challenges in life.
Even though your natal chart cannot be changed, it does not mean that you're doomed by these aspects. Instead, it may just mean that you'll have more work to do when it comes to overcoming certain things in life.
These are the 10 most challenging zodiac placements in astrology.
1. Moon Saturn Conjunction, Opposition, or Square
The Moon represents your emotional self while Saturn is all about restriction and boundaries. This means that this aspect tends to be extremely hard on themselves and because of that receiving positive things in life can be particularly challenging.
When the Moon and Saturn are so close, it literally is halting you from being able to feel your own truth in many instances. This means that you are unable to see when you are doing well or when other people care about you. The greater the negativity is, the more it tends to grow.
2. Mercury Uranus Square or Opposition
Your Mercury sign is how you think and communicate. Together with Uranus, the planet of the unexpected, this aspect often brings up mental health issues.
It does not mean that this is a guarantee, however, this aspect is closely related to those that struggle with mental health, whether depression, anxiety, or even schizophrenia. It is the opposing forces of the mind against Uranus which is so unpredictable.
Under this energy, it can feel like there is a block to even becoming healthier because of the nature of Uranus. It is a very tough transit to be able to be grounded and stable.
3. Neptune Mercury Square, Conjunction or Opposition
Transits that involve Mercury tend to be incredibly challenging, and when Neptune is also involved, it could signal struggles with addiction.
Neptune is the escapist. The one that wants to experience other dimensions and worlds because it does not know how to live within this one. Strong Neptune placements can involve significant addiction and mental health issues.
4. Any placement in the 12th House
In astrology, the 12th house rules your sense of spirituality and beliefs. It also means that you can fall prey to fantasy and illusions here as well. This is your inner self and world which means that almost any placement here can bring a life of disappointment and hurt.
For instance, with the Moon in your twelfth house, you would desire to share close relationships with others yet fear it as well, causing you to push away the very thing that you want. With Mars in your twelfth house, you have an exceedingly tough time expressing strong emotions or passions. It comes out almost as unfeeling and others are generally able to take advantage of you.
5. Moon in Scorpio
The Moon rules your emotions and internal self. This is how you feel but also how you process information. With your Moon in Scorpio, it makes for a very intense personality. Everything is felt in extremes; extreme passion, but also extreme jealousy and skepticism.
Moon in Scorpio is the one to place a tracking device on your car so they can find out where you went. It is also the aspect that is more likely to have a restraining order placed against them as they can tend to become obsessive.
6. North Node Placements
When you think of the life that you feel like you are meant to live, you are thinking of your North Node. This aspect of the moon governs your fate, but when you have a planet like Saturn or Uranus in opposition, conjunction, or square to your North Node, that creates problems and difficulty.
A negative North Node placement can mean that you will always feel restricted in moving ahead in your life or that, just when you get things feeling stable and healthy, something unpredictable happens and it feels like you are back at the beginning. Challenging North Node placements can make it so that happiness and fulfillment are something in life that you are only ever chasing and not actually receiving.
7. Most Virgo placements
Within every sign there is some good, but with Virgo, it is incredibly challenging to overcome the obstacles and get to the rewards.
Virgo placements such as Moon, Venus or even Mars make it incredibly hard for you to be receptive to others. Even if you love someone you can come off as cold, uninterested, and lacking the ability to connect. You are a very logical sign, but there is a challenge that comes from seeing everything in black and white because that’s not life.
You also can be self-centered and forget that others have needs outside of your own. Money can often figure heavily into your list of what is most important to you, which means that you often will try to make up for a lack of presence by buying your way into love.
8. Gemini Sun, Moon, Mars, or Venus
The Gemini zodiac sign is truly a hard sign to say anything positive about. If you are listening to someone talk about their crazy ex, likely a karmic partner, that they had to deeply heal from, more than likely it is going to be a Gemini.
It does not need to be this way, but because of the sense of duality that they have, they usually come off as having split personalities rather than just a grounded well-rounded person. They can get angry in a split second, be extremely jealous and even remember reality completely different than it originally happened as long as it suits their needs or what they are trying to get others to believe.
Unfortunately for most Gemini placements, the message is that they're simply not consistent.
9. Saturn in the 5th or 7th House
Saturn is the planet of restriction, the one that holds you back and makes you learn everything necessary before proceeding. Its motto truly is work now, play later.
The 5th House is the part of your life that represents joy and happiness. With Saturn here, it will feel like tremendous work and sacrifice to find happiness, and when you do, it will be fleeting.
In the 7th House, the sector that governs your romantic relationships, love will be delayed. Either you will be in a long-distance love affair, fall into unrequited love, or allow your career to take precedence over love.
Saturn in both of these houses means that not only will happiness be challenging to come by, but a long-lasting healthy relationship will be as well.
10. Pluto in the 2nd House
Pluto is the planet of death and secrets. In the 2nd House, which represents what you value (both monetary and in people), it can mean that both people and money tend to leave your life quite frequently.
This can begin in childhood with the death of a parent or sibling. As you get older it can translate to endless love affairs which seem to die out suddenly through ghosting or stonewalling. Finances have the same influence, and this means that whatever you acquire will be lost just as quickly.
This is an extremely hard placement for long-term wealth or relationships as the nature of Pluto is to cause destruction.
Kate Rose is a writer, spiritual astrologist, relationship and life coach, and motivational speaker. For more of her work, visit her website.