some further thoughts:
The first house axis represents the interplay between 'Us' and 'Them': we project a certain persona through the first house, which then creates 'reaction from others' in the 7th. It is not entirely limited to marriage, for it also involves business relationships and how we get along with others in general. In my case: Ascendant Scorpio, Taurus in the 7th; this does not reflect the type of partners I have attracted at all. However the elemental energy did fit, in that I had two partners of the Virgo orientation, and finally a Capricorn. I was definitely searching for someone 'earthy' to provide security and stability that was so lacking in my own life.
I personally feel that the Descendant represents the gateway to our social success: if we meet with approval and acceptance in the outer world, we then have the courage to project ourselves further out into the world, as we proceed through the 8th and 9th house towards the goal of recognition and publicity in the 10th. If however we encounter only conflict and lack of support through the 7th, then we are more apt to retreat back into ourselves, focusing primarily on our employment skills and domestic involvements.
I feel that the 5th house standardized definition is too limiting: what I experienced with Pisces in the 5th house did not coincide with “the kind of people we tend to get involved with romantically." I think it represents our individual ideal about romance, whereby we are often disappointed in our expectations. On a higher level, the 5th represents the source of our creative endeavors that extends beyond mere romance. What most tend to forget is that 'creativity' is not limited to'artistic endeavors'[ painting, theatre,dance, etc.] We are creative beings meant to create the manifestations of our dreams and hopes, but that also applies to all things, such as creative living.
The ideals of Venus and Mars: I use a technique to determine the indivdual's 'realtionship chemistry' which involves the combination of energies between the Moon, Venus and Mars. In my case, this is the combination of water, fire and earth which needs to find an internal balancing; not always easy when there may be an emphasis on one element or a lack of another.
The Moon shows our internal needs, based on our past childhood conditioning.
Venus shows our ideals, but also our expectations, which are often thwarted: we need to keep our expectations realistic to avoid being disappointed or blind-sided.
Mars represents our innate desire for value fulfilment, showing how we seek to acquire what we want.
An indepth look at these three energies provides a great deal of insight into how we must attempt to balance our needs, our expectations and our motivations. Very often, what we think we want is not in line with what we need.
My point is, in the evolvement of the study of astrology, we need to go beyond the standarized definitions that serve to limit our perspectives. Energies in the first six signs are counterbalanced by the energies of it's opposite, thus we must take both into consideration to overcome a tendency towards polarization. I see it more clearly, after many years, as the law of cause and effect: whatever we set in motion in any one house, will have it's consequences later down the road. This is why the concept of Balance is so important in our lives.