NorthPoint Astrology Journal
by Pam Younghans
Aspects of Note This Week
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
MON: Mercury conjunct Venus
TUE: Sun opposite Eris
WED: Pluto square Ceres
THU: Mars semisquare Chiron
FRI: Mercury sesquiquadrate Chiron, Mercury trine Neptune, Mercury square Mars
OUR THOUGHTS are
drawn to concerns of a deep nature when Mercury and Venus align in
Scorpio on Monday. With Venus currently retrograde (appearing to move
backward), we may be pondering loves that were lost, intimacies
experienced or betrayed, and the truth and consequences of investments
made by our hearts and our wallets. We may even reconnect with a
romantic interest from the past, or be revisiting what we once thought
we loved in other ways.
Wherever
our minds wander, we will be exploring
our feelings and passions, seeking to know what is in our hearts, that
we may not have clearly seen before. This can be a powerful time for
heart-to-heart conversations, as long as both parties are willing to be
honest and vulnerable, able to share as well as listen to truths that
may not be particularly comfortable to speak or to hear.
ON
TUESDAY, the Libra Sun
opposes dwarf planet Eris in Aries. The balance is unsettled with this
polarity in effect, and we are more likely to draw battle lines than we
are to find common ground. While the Libra Sun is motivated by the need
to return to a state of equilibrium, Eris expresses discontent at the
expectation that she will quietly fall into line, now that certain
issues appear to be
completed.
This
unease carries into Wednesday, when Pluto and Ceres are in exact square
aspect. In Roman mythology, these two immortals are bitter rivals over
the well-being of Ceres' daughter Prosperpina (Persephone to the
Greeks), who is abducted by Pluto and taken to the underworld.
The
square between the two dwarf planets -- which, while exact to the
degree on Wednesday, is in effect for a week or more -- only exacerbates
the power struggle between masculine and feminine forces. Ceres in
Libra is shocked to find that her preferred tactic of appealing to
another's sense of fairness does little to dent the armor of domineering
Pluto in
Capricorn.
I
mentioned this square in last week's Journal, since the aspect was a
part of the New Moon chart. While tensions may peak this week, the theme
of knowing what to fight for and what to let go of (when to bob and
weave, and when/how to land a punch) continues throughout our current
four-week lunar
cycle.
WITH MARS in
hard aspect (semisquare) to Chiron on Thursday, this is not a good day
to try to force an issue. While we may feel the confidence and the
drive, our energy field is not quite coherent, leaving holes that an
adversary can use to undermine our efforts. Loved ones will also be
feeling
unsure and vulnerable, so even if well-intended, our attempts to be
assertive can cause unexpected damage.
Mercury
is also in hard aspect (sesquiquadrate) to Chiron on Thursday/Friday,
so our communication skills may not be as strong as we perceive them to
be -- an additional reason to leave any type of verbal confrontation for
another
day.
FRIDAY
is a complex day, with Mercury in a harmonious trine aspect to Neptune,
but also in a challenging square aspect to Mars. The Mercury-Neptune
trine enhances our imagination, intuition, and ability to express
compassion and understanding through our words. But, the Mercury-Mars
square tells us that
speaking our truth can meet with anger and obstacles. It's a bit like
having an angel speaking into one ear and a devil speaking into the
other.
The question becomes how to navigate these two influences, that occur so closely together!
One
way might be to consider the timing of the aspects. The Mercury-Neptune
trine occurs in the very early morning hours (2:46 a.m. PDT), so may
influence our dream state more than our waking consciousness. If we can
capture the messages we receive during sleep, and open to the empathy in
our hearts upon waking, it is possible to let that higher-frequency
attitude carry into the rest of the day. Then, by the time the
Mercury-Mars square perfects (10:23 a.m.), we will have
already been practicing mindfulness and loving kindness for some hours,
making it a little easier to access that perspective when we meet with
challenges.
On
the other hand, what might be the higher purpose of having these two
disparate aspects occurring within hours of each other? While
Mercury-Neptune can be understanding, it can also be too conciliatory in
some circumstances, shifting us into rescuer/victim/martyr mode. If we
are tempted to fall into that tender trap, perhaps the Mercury-Mars
combo will help us stand our ground, so that we do not slip into
passivity when a certain assertiveness is called for.
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: You
are on a mission to find your deeper truth this year, Libra. In your
solar return chart, your ruling planet Venus is in determined Scorpio
and is also retrograde, taking you on a profound journey into your core.
As you seek to know yourself and your true motivations, you come to
realize that while relationships are of tremendous import in your life,
an honest and loving relationship with yourself is actually of the
greatest
significance -- and provides the most life-enhancing rewards. If your
sojourn takes you into some shadowy places and you uncover what you may
judge negatively, remember to love those aspects of yourself that have
been motivated by fear, and to shower them with the light of compassion.
In peace,
Pam
Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2018. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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