Venus in Scorpio & Mars in Libra
Venus enters Scorpio on Friday, September 10, and our associations for the rest of the year are going to feel, well, different. Venus in Libra (from August 16 through September 10), has the power and perspective to bring relationships into greater harmony and balance. We’ve benefitted from Venus diplomacy and tact over the last three weeks. It can be a bumpy entry into Mars home sign because Scorpio cares not for nieceites and surface interactions. Venus in Scorpio is drawn into the underbelly of love and goes on an exploration for truth at any cost. The magic of Scorpio is transformation and while partnerships may not feel easy while Venus is in Scorpio, September 10 through October 7, there’s a motivation to show up for them. To understand on a mind-body-soul level what your relationship is made of and the lengths you’re willing to go for love. Of course, depending on the house placement in your chart, that can be love for yourself, a child, or your career. Venus in Scorpio is going to give Libra season, which starts on September 22, a witchy flavor. More on the Autumn Equinox soon.
Life gets more complicated when Mars enters Libra on September 14. Venus and Mars represent poles of energy and modes of expression that exist in relationship to each other. Traditionally they have been defined by contrast. Neither Mars nor Venus enjoys being in the other’s sign, but when they both are, at the same time, the aspect is called mutual reception. Mutual reception is like the surprisingly good show, with the problematic name, Wife Swap where people are intentionally placed with families of a very different kind of culture than their own, and forced to adopt their customs for a week. During that time the guests struggle with understanding the ideology and appreciating the differences of the hosts. There is often revulsion and sometimes horror expressed at the way the hosts live. At the end of the week the tables are turned and the guest becomes the boss. The host family must then live by the guest’s rules and learn from her. This upside down time of 2 weeks holds a mirror to both guests and hosts that reveals assumptions and unconscious patterns of both families. Everyone is asked to grow in opposite directions in order to find a better balance once it's over. Both guests and hosts usually experience frustration, and there are often breakdowns, but in many cases they express gratitude for the experience at the end. Most importantly, they gain an appreciation for their own values, ethics, and loved ones in the process.
Mars will transit through Libra from September 14 through October 30, departing just in time for Halloween (yayyyy). Mars is our will to act, the power of assertion, our competitive edge, and what drives us to get things done. Mars likes to demonstrate courage and power by bold accomplishments and feats of strength. But Mars in Libra has to learn a different way. Libra compels Mars not to act on passion, but rather from a more analytical and detached standpoint. During this six week sojourn we will certainly feel a deep concern around justice, equality, and liberty. It's important not to sublimate your passions, but rather channel them towards a greater cause. Libra is more comfortable coming to the defense of others rather than acting on its own behalf. Remember to keep showing up for you. Libra is notoriously indecisive so if you find it harder to make decisions during this transit, fear not, it's just a temporary delay. The good news is that with Venus and Mars in mutual reception, each planet has an investment in making the other feel more comfortable. They will do all they can to support each other in adapting to the customs of the unfamiliar landscape. Hoping for as pleasant a stay as possible until the departure date.
Venus squares Saturn on September 17, which marks a difficult period of the month. Venus in Scorpio is very sensitive, but Saturn cares not for such displays of emotions. Our tendency with hard aspects between Saturn and Venus is to feel isolated, and to seek out comfort in the arms of unavailable people. There is an opportunity to uncover karmic patterns, what you were raised to believe about love, as Saturn represents the more difficult side of our ancestral inheritance. Kindness and compassion is the best medicine for the loneliness that Saturn can bring. Venus will move into an opposition with Uranus on September 23. If there has been tension brewing, it could come to a boiling point around this time. Uranus likes to shake things up and sets its sights on externalities--making us believe it is the job, partner, or haircut that is the problem. Try to focus on yourself and what wants to change within you before you make any drastic moves that are not easily undone.
There is a beautiful trine between Mercury in Libra to Jupiter in Aquarius on September 20, on the Pisces Full Moon. This will be a Moon of magic. I'll be in touch with more details on that dreamy lunation next week.