All Times Pacific: Astrology Report Aug 28-Sep 4
Friends, we have before us a week that sees Venus facing some challenges. Creativity, relationships, and even simple comforts may require patience and greater clarity. This morning about half an hour before noon Venus opposition Saturn was exact. With us last week and next this aspect may explain feelings of pessimism and exhaustion in issues ruled by Venus. Creative and romantic people could feel discouraged. However weak spots and reasons for worry can be turned to strengths by study, practice, mentorship, thoroughness, meditation, extra rest, and by simplifying, and cleaning up or letting go of areas that have become needlessly complicated. Endurance will require calm rather than brute force.
Monday Aug 29 only lunar aspects are exact. We have 12 lunar and planetary inconjunctions this week so pay attention to your health and the health of those around you. Make small adjustments. Reduce bad habits; increase good ones. Stay open-minded and mindful. There’s nothing to fear from inconjunctions unless we are hell bent on having our way regardless of consequences. By learning from them, we can heal ourselves and others. This quote from Jean Baudrillard captures the disconnected quality of inconjunctions, and of postmodern life in general: “Postmodernity is said to be a culture of fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia, disposable simulacra, and promiscuous superficiality, in which the traditionally valued qualities of depth, coherence, meaning, originality, and authenticity are evacuated or dissolved amid the random swirl of empty signals.”
Tue Aug 30 a little after 3 AM sun inconjunct Jupiter is exact. Inconjunctions represent areas of life that can veer off into erratic directions that make it hard to find balance. In this case ego and the demands of the moment may be at odds with the desire for success, good times, and prosperity. This aspect often indicates regrettable over-indulgences. Eating too much comfort food, for example, or partying too hard, can harm well-being and even lead to illness. Not a good time for optimistic investment of time or resources especially if they promise what seems too good to be true. Pay attention to your daily necessities but also make time for Jupiter. Finding some harmony between them may lead to good things down the line.
Wed Aug 31 in the morning just after 9:30 Venus inconjunct Neptune is exact, often an indication of over-intoxication leading to problems with romance and creativity, also of delusions and miscommunications in relationships and creative projects. Venus wants everything beautiful and harmonious but Neptune demands that we empathize with the suffering going on around us. With the right balance we may be able to bring happiness to someone who feels under the weather, but if we’re not well grounded we might get pulled under ourselves. This aspect can also indicate a tendency to daydream away valuable time, especially when nostalgia takes over.
Thu Sep 1 before dawn Mars sextile Jupiter is exact. This invigorating aspect can help us offset the inconjunctions and oppositions that dominate this week. Keep working steadily toward goals but don’t overdo it. Dare to be optimistic but also remain cautious, in other words, let your optimism be educated and grounded, rather than chasing flights of fancy. Also Venus inconjunct Pluto is exact about a half an hour before midnight. Pluto in aspect is often about reforms and repairs, catharsis, and in cases where the truth is being avoided there can be breakdowns and anxiety about long term problems that seem to resist resolution. Tranquility and patience are required. In relationships we can become fearful of disappointment and suspicious of the motivations of those we love. Pay close attention to what Pluto shows you this week, especially about what you love, and you may find a path to renewal and rebirth.
Fri Sep 2 Mercury opposition Jupiter is exact in the early evening. The tendency to talk too much, to spend too much, to eat too much is common with this aspect. Opportunities may be lost in the details or by over-analysis. Don’t get talked into unlikely schemes by others or yourself. Apply optimism selectively. Remember Saturn square Uranus is gaining strength until very nearly exact in October. We are not out of the woods yet when it comes to pandemics, politics, and the economy. Patience and the willingness to not know, to tolerate the suspense of doubt about what happens next, and the ability to focus on the present moment, and to be mindful about risks to self and others, will serve us well. Don’t get discouraged as the news continues to be disturbing. Remember what Martin Luther said: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
Sat Sep 4 Venus leaves Leo for Virgo five minutes after 9 PM, it’s the last insult this week offers to Venus, with all due respect to those born with Venus in Virgo. Venus in Virgo tends to be fussy, to worry, to demand conformity with expectations, however it’s a wonderful placement for organizing, for exercising, for updating style, and for writing, film and other creative activities that require editing. Don’t let worry and nit-picking take the beauty out of your life. As Walt Whitman wrote: “Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” Venus will enter Libra Sep 30.
At this point it’s probably best to do prep work rather than attempting to launch new projects since Sep 9 Mercury retrograde begins, lasting until Oct 1. A time for going back over old work, fixing areas that have come unraveled and otherwise making space for introspection and a less outwardly driven approach to life. The following week is very quiet astrologically speaking. As for this week, help out someone who represents Venus in your life. As Frances Wright wrote, “It is in vain that we would circumscribe the power of one half of our race, and that half by far the most important and influential…until women assume the place in society which good sense and good feeling alike assign to them, human improvement must advance but feebly.”
