Mutual Reception

Mutual Reception describes two planets that each occupy the sign the other rules, so that they host one another. If Venus is in Aries and Mars is in Taurus, then Venus sits in a sign ruled by Mars while Mars sits in a sign ruled by Venus, and the two are in mutual reception. They are like guests staying in each other's homes. This is a supportive condition. The two planets cooperate and lend each other strength, exchanging some of their authority and easing any difficulty in their placements. Even a planet that is weak by sign can function better when it is received by a willing partner, since each helps to look after the other's interests. Mutual reception can occur through rulership, as in the main example, and some astrologers also recognize it through other dignities such as exaltation. It creates a meaningful link between two parts of a chart even when the planets form no aspect. The work of mutual reception is cooperation, drawing on the way two planets support and strengthen one another by exchange.