A sun dog (or parhelion) over yesterday’s morning cross-country skiing at Riverside Golf Course, Portland, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.
We have an interesting pair of aspects exact today. One bodes well for methodical, conservative, precise thinking and communication, especially in the service of group efforts that will benefit the wider community. The other speaks of possible “good luck,” good moods, and self-indulgent actions.
Those two descriptions sound a little at odds, and they relate to a configuration that contains some friction. But friction generates heat, and heat is a form of energy, and energy can be used to power all kinds of things. As we know from the first law of thermodynamics, “The total energy in a system remains constant, although it may be converted from one form to another.”
In other words, energy gets exchanged; it never just disappears. It’s as true for our relationships with others, in all forms, as it is in physics. And I have a feeling the energy generated from this week’s astrological friction could be very useful if we can recognize it for what it is and channel it well.
Let me back up a little, for those curious to read more.
Venus is conjunct Jupiter in mid-Aries, with Chiron close by. Meanwhile, in Aquarius, Mercury is conjunct Saturn in the final degree of Aquarius.
Venus-Jupiter is the “good luck / good mood” pair I mentioned. Yet they’re meeting up in the assertive sign of “I am” ruled by Mars.
Jupiter tends to expand whatever is already present. Venus relates to relationships as well as our heart’s desire in other areas (such as material possessions), art, and our values.
Have you noticed this week an influx of optimism, luck, or a renewed spark to follow your heart’s desire? Aries is an action sign. Venus-Jupiter connecting here suggests potential benefits could ensue from taking steps to put yourself out in the world as authentically as possible — especially if you do so with empathy and generosity. How can you do that today?
Mercury and Saturn are one-and-a-half signs away from Venus-Jupiter. That’s a distance known in astrology to create friction or tension. Also, sometimes Saturn can have a depressive effect on thinking or a tendency to focus on the negative when it combines with Mercury — a mood that does not match that of Venus-Jupiter. (If you’re predisposed to the negative, what are some past ways you’ve gotten help shifting focus to a wider view?)
Yet the ease of “matching” does not necessarily motivate us to make the most of a situation. Much like how a dissonant chord in music engenders a need to resolve it, dissonance in our psyche (or relationships, or environment) is more likely to energize us to find a way toward harmony. Ease often entices us to…take it easy.
That’s where the constructive side of Mercury-Saturn comes in. Saturn offers the mind structure, depth, and a willingness to put in the mental effort necessary to be methodical. It concentrates mental energy so that it can be focused rather than scattered; energy needs form to be useful to us.
Sometimes those forms need to change so the energy can be used more efficiently and effectively. Aquarius, thanks to its dual rulers, represents both energy (Uranus) and form (Saturn); liberation and responsibility. Aquarius also relates to the zone of the zodiac that describes our wider community and groups.
I think having Mercury-Saturn and Venus-Jupiter exact at the same time and in the signs they’re in speaks to a couple of things. One is how challenging it can be to balance our social responsibilities and humanitarian ideals with our impulses to discover and create identity (or self actualize). At times they seem to contradict each other, which usually means one side of the equation or the other (or both) needs some clearing, healing, or perspective.
The other is that Jupiter aspects sometimes promise more than they can deliver — usually because we feel so good with them that it’s tempting not to put in much effort to truly make the most of the opportunity. Mercury-Saturn offers better mental focus and a reminder that we need to work to manifest our ideals.
Chiron, which is conjunct Venus-Jupiter in Aries, can also be a focusing agent. While Mercury-Saturn may function in this particular configuration more like the grain of sand that spurs an oyster to make a pearl, Chiron is more like a telescope, helping you to bring some facet of yourself (such as how you go after what you want) into greater clarity.
I think Jupiter here is also a reminder that energy spent helping someone else to achieve their own heart’s desire is never wasted. It tends to come back to us in some form. Sometimes this happens as part of a transactional agreement — a conscious, articulated exchange of energy. Sometimes it’s more of a happy accident or synchronicity — a future (seemingly unrelated) — event, in line with the idea that what you give from the heart will come back to you tenfold.
Joy, encouragement, optimism, and generosity are incredibly powerful forms of energy. Calling in that law of thermodynamics again, the energy you bring to your relationships gets transformed in a never-ending chain of transmission, rippling out into the community. Your own beneficent actions toward others may never connect obviously to the benefits you receive, but that does not mean they’re not a key ingredient.
With love,
Amanda
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