Venus and Pluto
This pairing of planets represents power dynamics.
Right now, as Venus enters the sign of Cancer, she is moving through what is referred to as a quincunx with Pluto at 0° of Aquarius. This aspect is described by some as ‘an itch you can’t scratch’. One of my Astrology friends says its like two planets are trying to speak to each other in different languages. Venus is in a water sign and Pluto in an air sign, so the elements don’t match at all. I get a sense that neither Venus nor Pluto knows who is really in charge. Venus (the planet of love) in Cancer (the sign of the crab) feels like nostalgia to me. With the aspect occurring at the 0 degree mark, there is a sense of being completely in the dark. This feels like stepping out into the unknown, but with a deep trust that things will work out harmoniously.
For me, Venus is moving into my second house of values, possessions, and expenditures. This house is pretty conflicted for me natally, as it is where my natal Mars (in his fall) and Chiron are located. Pluto is moving between the 9th and 8th Houses. While Pluto is in my 9th House still, I’m going to focus on planning my foreign travel to Jordan for higher education in Permaculture Design. When Pluto retrogrades back into my 8th House, I’ll focus my attention back to debts, taxes, other people’s money, etc. The switch happens in June, so I may need more time and I’d really love to wait until after Mercury Retrograde.
I’ve been enjoying my new job and I’m definitely bringing in steady money to plan my trip. Yesterday my manager asked if I would be interested in a full time position. I told him I wasn’t because I need to use my extra time to plan. I’m not fooling around this time and waiting until the last minute but the process does seem overwhelming from this vantage point. I am thinking about using a travel agent to make things easier. Just thinking about it turns my stomach but I think that will become excitement when all the knots are worked out. There’s accommodations and transportation to work out plus I would obviously like to go on a few tours while I’m in the Holy Land.
This trip will occur just after the next set of eclipses. We’ve just finished up the final Scorpio eclipse and in October it will be the last Taurus eclipse. As I stated earlier in different words, Taurus is my 12th House of self-undoing, self-isolation, and nowadays it often gets associated with mental health. The North Node is a direction that we orient ourself towards. It can be a goal we obsess over, which is the danger with it being in this house. I have a habit of distracting myself with planning things rather than actually preparing myself for the trip mentally.
With Mercury retrograding through this 12th House right now, and moving through a conjunction as he stations direct, it makes sense that I would feel the urge to review my travel plans. Sometimes when I explain how Astrology comes up in my life, it sounds like it isn’t really a big deal. Today, I’m really noticing how that is the point. To focus attention on things that feel so monotonous, like planning for a trip six months in advance. Participating in the day-to-day responsibilities is how we get good at life.
Bless these beautiful days off work. There are things I have to do but I do not feel the panic of rushing to do them before work starts. I feel overjoyed to have a job that I love, but any job takes time so I greatly value my days off. I have to pack a lot of work into my free time. Not just planning my trip, but organizing a few other projects I am working on with Astrology. It feels like a lot to juggle, but because that part is virtual, it feels more difficult to justify. I have a deep longing to be a beach bum that surfs and skates, but part of me cannot let go of productivity. Its like I opened a can of worms when I started reading the stars. I am afraid to stop because I don’t want to lose the ability and honestly I wouldn’t even really quit if I said I was going to right now because I need guidance for myself.
Tomorrow, there are expected isolated thunderstorms and then it clears out in the afternoon. I plan to go to the beach after work. I also plan to edit a video later in the day. As much as I love a planner, I feel a bit of anxiety creeping in as I schedule meetings with people and make promises to attend events. I’ve definitely made my way back to the Polis, an active one, indeed. I return to the beloved Stoa to escape the madness of the city. The difference to me is that there is an expectation from the Polis. There is a constant pushing and pulling and tugging for which I must stand my ground. When I return to the Stoa the only expectation is that I sit down for 90 minutes and write, and even that isn’t really enforced.
Ah, freedom. Its something we practice having to have more of, as I imagine is true of many other things in life.
Originally written in Collective Journaling at The Stoa
