“There is a dark invisible workmanship that reconciles discordant elements and makes them move in one society”1 William Wordsworth
Astrology tracks cycles through time and space, and what I see in my mind’s eye when I ponder this quote is a spiraling energy that circles back upon itself, picking up on past moments and bringing them forward through time to be reconciled.
Last time I wrote about the New Moon in Cancer, Venus’ retrograde station, and the Nodes of the Moon moving into the Aries-Libra axis. All of these participate in regular, easily trackable cycles that allow us to look back at previous iterations of the same energy (or close enough) and imagine into the future based on what we experienced in the past.
One of the major factors in the current astrology is Pluto’s square to the Nodes, which doesn’t necessarily fit with the description of an easily trackable cycle, but to me, this plutonic element which will be with us through the fall, is very much a dark invisible workmanship. It suggests a powerful evolutionary force that is working us from behind or beneath the scenes, demanding we evolve and change. That force is provoking a deep and irrevocable transformation of the fundamental structures that underly our reality, and we can only trust that it will “reconcile discordant elements” in such a way that they do move in “one society”.
Pluto’s major significations are around power, and everywhere we turn we see power dynamics are “in play”. In some way we’re being asked to stand up to or address the abuses of power in our lives. We’re likely to alternate between the polarities of extreme self-reliance (I must do it all myself because I don’t trust anyone else) and codependency (making choices in relationship that don’t serve us in order to keep the peace). We’re likely to wrestle with power and authority both internally and externally—in relationship with ourselves and with others. We’re being challenged to take risks by tuning first into our individuality and then acting courageously and from our hearts in our relationships.
I’m writing this under a waning Mercury-Venus conjunction. This warm fuzzy combination is not an unusual transit, but it’s important because it’s the first interaction Venus has had since she began her retrograde. In my imagination Mercury and Venus are pals, but in the myths, Venus (Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon) was born from the sea foam after Cronus (Saturn) castrated his father Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea. This effectively makes him brother to Aphrodite. On the other hand, Mercury (Hermes) is son of Jupiter (Zeus), son of Cronos. This makes Aphrodite Hermes great-aunt. They’re all immortal however, and it seems like they all end up around the same age, so it’s not impossible that they were pals… except for the time that they had the child Hermaphroditus together. That was more than “pals”.
But I digress. Venus is retrograde and Mercury is direct. Until yesterday they were both in Leo, moving away from each other. After the New Moon on July 17th opposing Pluto, the Moon visited both Mercury and Venus, surely transmitting valuable information about the work Pluto is demanding of us in his ongoing square to the North and South Node. With Venus retrograde, Mercury might be helping out, getting things off to a gentle and friendly start by enabling some of those legendary Venus retrograde encounters—The old friend who texts you out of the blue, the pocket call that rings up an old lover, or a high school reunion where you hang out with your old friend group that just happened to be planned for the same day as the retrograde station (this happened to me).
For each of us, Venus’ retrograde is happening in a particular arena of life, but for all of us, Venus speaks to our values, and like with all retrogrades, the “re” words are central. It’s an internal process. We’re reevaluating our relationships to pleasure, leisure, love, money, and relationship itself. The process is meant to bring healing to our relationships with these things through our understanding of what gets in the way of experiencing them, as well as what gets in the way of creatively and courageously expressing what and who and how we love—both ourselves and others.
For the last 18 months, the Nodes of the Moon were in Taurus and Scorpio, ruled respectively by Venus and Mars. A couple weeks ago, they moved into Aries and Libra, ruled respectively by Mars and Venus. Apparently, we’ve still got some work to do between the masculine and feminine (no kidding!). This shift in the Nodes points to where the eclipses will be bringing plot twists into our lives over the next year and a half, and this Venus retrograde as it resonates around the chart is intimately involved with paving the way for whatever the eclipses have in store.
Though Mercury has just moved into Virgo, the Sun and Venus in Leo remain in the spotlight. Leo is the sign of the performer—of charisma and charm and courageous self-expression. When I think of Leo, I think of a child on a swing, gleefully shouting, “look at me” as they pump their legs, and the swing goes higher and higher with each pass. We all have an inner child who wants to be seen, loved, and appreciated for being who we are. Now is the moment to let that child out to play, and if there’s no one watching, it’s up to us to cheer them on. Now is the time to discover what brings us joy, what allows us to feel playful, creative and expressive, what brings us alive.
On August 1, at 11:31am, we reach the full moon in Aquarius—the polarity to Leo. It’s another super moon, meaning that the Moon will be at perigee—it’s closest point to the earth. With the moon in futuristic, humanitarian Aquarius and the Sun in heart-centered, joyful, and enthusiastic Leo, we’ll be trying to balance the needs of the heart with our mental processes. When we live from our hearts, we’re in the moment. We’re “present”. When we’re in our heads, we’re in the future and past, and often lost in our stories. Our relationships however, depend on our capacity to love and be present with reality and the now. Interestingly enough, we find Venus retrograde here in Leo—where the light of the full moon promises to reveal the work of reevaluating our desires, our relationships and relationship dynamics.
Currently, Mercury has just moved from exuberant Leo into practical, analytical and discerning Virgo, his other home, bringing our attention to details. He will oppose retrograde Saturn at the Full Moon. This feels like coming to a four-way stop where the light is broken and no one knows who’s turn it is to go, but you know it’s not you, and any decision you make is probably wrong. The only thing to do is wait it out. We should take note of this, because as each planet moves into Virgo, it will go through the same gauntlet of opposing Saturn. That disconcerting four-way stop with the broken light isn’t going anywhere for a while.
Venus, Saturn, Chiron, Neptune, and Pluto are all retracing their steps in various parts of the chart. Mercury is next up to station retrograde, but not until later in August, followed by Uranus. In September, Jupiter will station retrograde the day after Venus stations direct – like passing the baton. That’s a lot of “RE” energy in the sky, suggesting that the flavor of this time strongly supports an internal process of examining our lives, reconsidering our status quo, and making new choices or renewing commitments that align with our desires and intentions.
If you’d like to see a video of the formation of the Venus rose (the pattern Venus and Earth make in the sky), here’s a video:
I originally dove into studying astrology because after years of seeking, it was the thing that finally led me to a depth of self-acceptance and acceptance of my life as it has played out that I hadn’t yet found. It was the understanding that the way that I am isn’t wrong and I hadn’t made a lot of “mistakes”, I’d simply been bumbling my way along a path strewn with obstacles that I hadn’t expected or foreseen. Not that I’ve achieved any kind of inviolate inner peace, but it all started to make sense in the larger context that astrology offered. If you’d like to understand how what I write about applies to you personally, I do private consultations and I’d be honored to read your chart. Please email me at: camelliablossoms@gmail.com if you’re interested.
As always, I appreciate you for reading,
Cami
"The Prelude, Book 1: Childhood and School-time" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 26 Jul 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/42372/the-prelude,-book-1:-childhood-and-school-time>.
That was a profound read. I love the analogy of a child on a swing when it comes to connecting with our Leo aspects. This seems like the cure for this Venus retrograde moment is to connect with our inner child.