The goddess of beauty, diplomacy, pleasure and resources, Venus, meets the dark lord, Pluto, god of death, destruction and psychological depths and the wealth derived from transformative processes of power, pressure, and decay on Tuesday in a short but powerful opposition. Like Full Moons, oppositions bring issues into full view and Pluto, planet of power dynamics rules the hidden realms while Venus rules love and relationships.
In the late degrees of Capricorn, Pluto is in the final stages of exposing the rotten foundations, both in our own lives and in the bigger financial systems and social and political institutions around which our worlds revolve. Oppositions can take the form of conversations or confrontations and they tend to mirror the polarities and extremes we’re striving to integrate in our lives. Between Venus in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn we may confront the shadow material blocking the way of true intimacy and relating. In Cancer, Venus may take the form of mothers, wives, sisters, friends or lovers, or issues relating to home, family and nurturing. Because the power of Venus is in its ability to attract and harmonise, tuning into what we value and wish to nourish can help to magnetise their power. And although Plutonic communications may bring traumas to the surface for purification under this dynamic, they have the power to transform how we love, create, relate and invest our energy in what we truly value.
The Moon, our celestial satellite and mirror of worldly, material, bodily and emotional matters rules Venus in Cancer but joins Pluto retrograde (RX) in Capricorn where feelings can overwhelm. As the Moon squares Jupiter RX in Aries, self-doubt may feel debilitating but there’s nothing a Capricorn Moon loves better than a project into which it can redirect challenging emotions. Channelling big feelings into activities that produce tangible outcomes (decluttering cupboards, building lego mansions, slow-cooking meals, meticulously working on creative projects etc) can help to reduce anxiety whilst facilitating the processing of deep subconscious material.
Venus Pluto oppositions can speak to the confrontation of all kinds of deep issues in relationships, to revelations of painful historical or familial power dynamics, abuses of power, cathartic releases of emotion relating to sexual trauma. It’s also a classic signature of the current power dynamics relating to women’s reproductive rights. As an interaction between planets of wealth and resources it could suggest the potential for significant financial shifts or economically beneficial outcomes, particularly for vulnerable groups, perhaps resulting from the act of speaking truth to power with strategic diplomacy. It might even deliver some power to those wronged.
At a personal level, it has the potential to cleanse, purify and renew relationships, and restore intimacy, care and passion through the expression of powerful but difficult feelings. It might ask us to consider what outdated structures are undermining our quality of life, work-life balance or ability to experience pleasure, security and connection. What foundations are needing to be dismantled that would allow us to feel more emotionally nourished or to live in closer alignment with our values? If circumstances feel too intense, remember that Pluto destroys what no longer serves us (though we usually refuse to let go of such things voluntarily) and is associated with the transformation of painful or traumatic material into truly extraordinary riches. We can optimise this potential by seeking beauty in the intensities that surface and recognising the enormous power in small and tender feats of love, connection and affinity as we surrender the parts of our lives that are ready to die.
Right before Friday’s Full Moon in Aquarius, the Sun in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus Thursday, signalling innovative thinking around our goals, aspirations and the things that light us up in life. As always with Uranus, unexpected events can trigger shifts, and although squares are characterised by tension, it feels to me that this encounter holds the potential for breakthrough recognition of what it is we’re here to do and what we need to change in order to get out of our own way to make that happen. An excellent day to be guided by what inspires and to commit to taking the roads less travelled (literally and figuratively) choosing unusual, adventurous, unexpected, eccentric and non-habitual approaches in all activities while keeping the heart’s goals front of mind. Shine your unique light radiant uncommon beings 🌞⚡️💛
Artwork: Untitled 2022, Gouache on cotton rag. 61 x 43.5cm. First left-handed painting post dog mauling. Seems suitably ominous for the purgative power of Venus opposing Pluto!
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