A Trio of Astro-Tidbits

9.12.13


1.
Mars has been in Leo for a couple weeks now (since Tue Aug 27), ushering in a fiery influence which helps to 'dry' us out a bit after an especially watery couple months.

Mars in Leo is hardly shy when it comes to letting people know exactly what he wants, and seeks to be appropriately honored for his magnificence. But before you get down on him for being so self-celebratory, please know he also loves to show you just how highly he thinks of others, too… even if, at the end of the day, it pleases him to please them so that they're pleased by him. Follow?

Leo energy reminds us not to feel badly about looking out for our own interests, for when we are appropriately fed with affection and recognition, it's that much easier and more gratifying to express our generous nature. Yes, we overflow with generosity by nature—if, that is, we act from our hearts, advancing this contagion of warmth which we can both take credit for and ourselves benefit from.

The collective shame we project onto each other whenever any one of us dares to occupy a starring role, to stand proud in our personal glory and share the honest-to-god truth about who we are and what we most long for, is a load of mutually disempowering garbage—particularly when, at the same time, we valorize as 'stars' a thinly-sliced and superficially-determined segment of the populace through our industry of Celebrity (a purely profit-driven spectacle, and boondoggle of the highest order). We all reserve the right to star in the story of our life, and to jazz it up with dramatic flourishes or the occasional showboating soliloquy at our whim, so that this tale may continue to hold our, and others', attentions. Mars in Leo encourages us to shamelessly add some drama, brightening the glow we give off and hopefully attracting more notice from appreciative bystanders… with the caveat, of course, that we consciously try not to consume all the space in any given setting.

We are just beginning to move past the biggest constricting block to Mars-in-Leo's free expression, a square to Saturn (exact Mon Sep 9) that, in recent days, has brought certain battles-of-will to their standoff point. What tough concessions have been needed so we might share this 'top-billing' with our co-stars (rather than hog it for ourselves), and still leave everyone's delicate egos (mostly) intact? This heightened tension is now subsiding, leaving Mars relatively unfettered by outer-planet obstructions for the duration of his time in Leo. Mars enters Virgo on Oct 15. Until then: 'Look, I'm a star! Hail, dramatic flourishes!'

2.
Just yesterday (Wed Sep 11), Venus breezed into Scorpio, shifting our relational concerns to a stickier, steamier, more emotionally intense (and potentially lustful) tone than they've most recently been. All that to say, interpersonal dealings promise to become anything but simple-and-straightforward… escalating the magnitude of whatever psychic charges or sparks have been subtly smoldering beneath the surface, whether arousing, exasperating or, somehow or another, tangled in strings.

Venus is considered in her detriment (or at something of a disadvantage) in Scorpio, where she's always so acutely aware of the multitudinous psychological dynamics coursing between any set of individuals—the passion! the envy! the desire to control, or to be controlled, or to get lost in trying to discern who's actually calling the shots!—it becomes that much harder to just come together in an uncomplicated, compromising union. Venus in Scorpio never can seem to overlook the underlying tradeoffs innate to relationship: If I give you this and you give me that in return, who's getting the better deal? What are the costs vs. the benefits of sharing this part of myself? And what is it about you that pushes my buttons so profoundly? Do I yearn for this button-pushing, or does it disturb me? Attraction and repulsion: two sides of the Venus-in-Scorpio coin.

Venus in Scorpio holds such power to trigger these deeper responses because she taps into our subconscious, reactivating peculiarly pungent feelings… echoes of past encounters and experiences that rocked our world or pained our soul, seduced us or screwed us over, creating psychic imprints that reiterate themselves whenever that certain sort of character engages with us in that particular kind of way. Is it really them who triggers us just so, getting us hot-and-bothered or distressingly disturbed? No, they just slipped too perfectly into the role—and we can either own our projections like a champ, using the relationship as a vehicle for better integrating our complexes into conscious awareness, or unwisely pin it all on the other person.

As Venus approaches a rather revelatory conjunction to both Saturn and the lunar North Node (exact next Wed Sep 18), we face a crossroads pressure to accept our psychological history… to observe when we're adoring and/or accusing someone else for a feeling or behavior that's, in fact, deriving from inside us, and to reclaim any power we've given over to the other person by taking personal responsibility for the complication. Based on how responsibly we own our shit during these days ahead, our most intense relationship(s) will thrive or suffer as a direct consequence, potentially for some time to come. The next logical follow-up action spikes once Venus squares Mars late in the month.

3.
Mercury arrived in Libra this past Monday (Sep 9), granting our mental and communicative faculties the quality of fair consideration… which has its advantages and its drawbacks. An obvious plus, Mercury does as the scales suggest while in Libra, weighing each side of an argument instead of rashly deciding without due deliberation. This Libran Mercury usually seeks to settle on whichever option will suit the greatest number of participants and/or reflect the highest justice. However, this Libran influence can also exacerbate indecisive tendencies: If we get excessively caught up in the deliberation process (trying to pick between two choices with different but equivalent upsides, or to balance a selfish desire with a people-pleasing give-in), we spin our wheels, creating a lot of mental noise minus the necessary verdict.

In communications, Mercury in Libra is incredibly charmed at phrasing its requests and feedback in just such a smooth and diplomatic fashion, it makes us that much likelier to impress, influence or persuade the other person to see it our way. This can be quite a gift in situations where we need to recruit allies, convey a controversial idea, or 'sweet-talk' somebody. Of course, any sweet-talking bears the danger of lapsing into full-on inauthenticity, should we withhold key details from the story or otherwise foster a somewhat deceptive impression. Be sure not to play so completely to your audience that you dilute your sentiment to an ineffectual weakness. Charming as you may be, you've still got to come out and say it.

Mercury in Libra spends the days ahead (Sep 14-19) tussling with Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter, creating a cardinal grand cross similar to the one formed by Venus last month. I recommend reviewing what I wrote about Venus's go-around with these heavyweights, as we'll be dealing with much the same themes. In fact, don't be surprised if there's a direct correlation between the events which occurred then and those likely to unfold in the next week or so.