Venus Oppose Pluto: Easy-Breezy, Interrupted

7.12.06


As the week's passions heat up, keep telling yourself—or the person seated next to you, rubbing pruriently (or trying not to rub) against your leg—that not everybody is taking things equally as casually.

Venus in Gemini would ordinarily have us believe, when it comes to social and/or romantic dalliances, The more, the merrier. Or: There are lots of options, so why succumb to the pressures of commitment? And, of course: A little bit goes a long way. All of that is true, for the time being at least…

Except, Pluto has other ideas.

Pluto complicates the 'casual' at every chance. Where, for instance, we might feign pure supportive joy at the news our favorite co-worker has been promoted to management, Pluto provokes our under-the-surface envy ('Didn't I deserve the job more than she? And who does she think she is, anyhow? Ms. Big Shot or something?')… to the point where, if we don't watch ourselves carefully, we could end up subconsciously (or semi-consciously) undermining our friend's success.

And that's just one example of how Pluto can lead us into messes.

In our current situation, Pluto yanks on Venus-in-Gemini's multi-purpose pliability from the opposing sign (hitting an exact opposition on Fri Jul 14)—to create the kind of pulsating relational tension that either (1) revs up the passion quotient to 'super-hot' or (2) highlights the unequal power dynamics between folks with varying interest levels in each other.

As things heat up, we dive further in, drenching our entire body in the all-consuming gusto (sexual, intellectual, creative, emotional)… or else, we raise our arms to block their encroaching advance, swift to recognize our heart (or some other part) just isn't in it and rightfully averse to continuing along the same track.

Whichever our preference, though, we cannot conclusively count on the other person to abide by our subtle or less-than-subtle clues. Even where we think we've got the whole story, we may still be missing a key detail that'd uproot our entire imagined scenario. Remember: Venus in Gemini is queen of the missing detail, the ambiguous signal, and the other side of the story you haven't heard yet.

Also: A Venus-Pluto opposition denotes our drive to relate with others (Venus) is being tugged against by a larger force we cannot fully control or consciously contain (Pluto). Most often, this manifests from the outside—as another person who ups the stakes, asks the difficult questions, raises uncomfortable feelings, and/or eggs us on toward more powerful reactions, one way or the other.

Seen from another light, however, we each hold both poles of the opposition within us… the desire to keep it easy-breezy and the curiosity for something deeper… the sincerity with which we buy into the surface-level version and the secret cravings (perhaps 'secret' even to ourselves) for complexity, entwinement and psychological dramatics.

Is it possible we've actually sought the very interpersonal complications that wrack our tidy 'fun', whether purposely or by sending out invisible signals that beckon challenging characters? Might we have done this to teach ourselves some valuable (and potentially transformational) lesson about our true drives and motivations? (Just a little astropsychobabble to chew on, as you gaze in the mirror.)

No matter how you slice it, Venus-Pluto incites interests and attractions that border on the obsessive. This is only further emphasized when we include Mars in Leo—which sextiles Venus and trines Pluto this week—to add more fiery attention-grabbing (deserved or undeserved?) and ego pride (confidence or overconfidence?) to the mix.

Out of nowhere, you might spot someone who you can't take your eyes off… or someone who can't take their eyes off you. Too soon, you're in a near-stalker situation. Sometimes, the only way to cut off an unpleasant moment is to be direct, if not a little harsh.

Remind yourself of that, regardless of which role you may end up in.