Venus-Saturn Opposition

Venus-Saturn Opposition — Tempered Optimism

"Between understanding and faith immediate connections must subsist."

— Marquis de Sade

"Peace is this moment without thinking
that it should be some other way,
that you should feel some other thing,
that your life should unfold according to your plans."

— Dorothy S. Hunt
Peace Is This Moment Without Judgment

Both Mercury and Venus make important connections to the retrograding Saturn this week. Saturn is still effectively stationary — still on the same degree that it has been on since June 27th. This week's aspects to Saturn are offering at least a glimmer of hope for finding some kind of stability, self-control, or a reliable framework for progress within the swirl of energies that have been stirred up over the past few weeks. Even though our intellectual 'gears' are turning 'furiously', resolutions, conclusions, or "clarity' are elusive. Saturn is offering powerful support for 'responsible initiatives' but we need to keep our expectations under control. Despite the extraordinary shifts and unfamiliar landscapes, we can draw from the wisdom that is available in our past experiences — wisdom that is based upon enduring principles but not on the 'established dogma' that might be termed the 'shadow' of Saturn's energy. A Libra Moon at the beginning of the week foreshadows the Venus-Saturn opposition that will complete at the end of the week. The Moon conjuncts Venus and opposes Saturn on Sunday, while Venus and the Moon both make promising sextiles to Jupiter. Mercury's trine to Saturn on Monday offers the potential to 'lay the groundwork' for breakthroughs later in the week when Venus forms the opposition to Saturn. The action of Venus in Libra is especially significant because, although Venus will leave Libra on September 9th, she will station retrograde in early Scorpio on October 3rd and return to Libra on October 25th. Venus will station direct in Libra on November 14th and only return to Scorpio on December 3rd. While Venus makes only a single opposition to Saturn (this week), Venus will oppose Chiron in Aries 3 times this fall. Although Venus in Libra may want to make everything 'beautiful and harmonious', the opposition to Saturn and the extended series of oppositions to Chiron suggest ongoing challenges that will demand facing and honestly dealing with ugliness, unchecked self-indulgence, and selfishness in new ways that are focused on healing and reconciliation rather than dogmatic self-righteousness. In essence, this is an important piece of a much larger series of insights, exposures, and healing advancements that are unfolding in the wake of the societal and cultural shifts as reflected in the momentous outer planet configurations that will be continuing through 2028 — and beyond. The 1st Quarter Moon, mid-week, highlights our growing recognition and acknowledgement of the true power inherent in the energies that have been swirling all around us. Nonetheless, we struggle to understand where to place our trust. Aggressiveness surfaces in unpredictable ways. Safety and security is more important to us than we may be willing to admit. Friday's Venus-Saturn opposition and the Sun's conjunction with the South Node on Saturday will both ask that we find some way to 'let go' — trust the 'Universe' to provide what is needed in order for us to take the 'next step' while embracing compassion for both ourselves and others. By the end of the week, The Moon trines the Sun from the last degree of Sagittarius to the last degree of Leo before both shift from 'Fire Signs' to 'Earth Signs' — the Moon into Capricorn and the Sun into Virgo. Both the Moon and Sun form trines to Chiron, retrograde in Taurus, at least suggesting a Grand Earth Trine flavor even though the connections are somewhat loose. This grounding energy serves as a stabilizing force for making use of the waxing Moon's intense, clarifying energies which are helping to prepare us for next Thursday's Pisces Eclipse Full Moon (9:18 PM PDT 4° Pisces/Virgo). In this atmosphere, it is important to stay laser-focused on what we ultimately want. There are rewards to visualization and intention that will begin to manifest as we approach next week's Full Moon.

There is certainly plenty to work with (or 'work through') in Sunday's environment, with plenty of support for 'mediation'. But the overall preference is to avoid drawing conclusions or 'picking sides' — suggesting an 'out-of-touch' approach that doesn't really help to solve the issues raised. Practical consideration seems to be demanded on Monday but there is little grounding offered that might help us to fully embrace anything approaching a 'considered approach'. In fact, it is important to avoid trying to make snap judgements and not be rushed into any approach that 'just doesn't feel right'. The undercurrents of aggression in Tuesday's atmosphere doesn't seem to find many 'outlets' to allow any sort of clear expression of our feelings. Balance and objectivity are sorely needed. Even though our intellectual 'gears' are turning 'furiously' on Wednesday, resolutions, conclusions, or "clarity' are elusive. There is powerful support for 'responsible initiatives' but we need to keep our expectations under control. There is an increasing need on Thursday to rely on our most deeply held principles instead of reacting to the 'unfamiliar' environment with panic and fears — especially fears related to our safety. The most likely antidote to the nervousness is 'communication' — we need to be able to 'talk it out' in order to navigate the environment effectively. We are offered an important opportunity to find some stabilizing connections to others on Friday — at least some ability to 'fake it till we make it' in terms of trusting our connections to 'like minded others'. We have a chance to find or strengthen our alliances as well as begin to create a framework upon which we can build further progress. In Saturday's atmosphere, it is important to stay laser-focused on what we ultimately want. There are grounding energies at work that support further stabilization.