Venus Conjunct Neptune

Venus conjunct Neptune - Inspiration or delusion?

"Heirs of a cold war
That's what we've become"

— Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
John Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, John Daisley Robert

This week's idealistic optimism may look very much like self-indulgent self-delusion, especially with Venus conjunct Neptune and Jupiter. Some may seem to backslide into isolation and stubborn independence that refuses to acknowledge our need for others and the value of cooperative effort. On the other hand, there are several factors that suggest there may be powerful support for the idealistic optimism that, on its face, could seem crazy, delusional, or reckless. The key is the underlying sense of responsibility and determination that may not be clear on the surface. Mercury reaches the 'shadow zone' of the next retrograde phase that is coming up next month (May 10 - June 2). We are dealing with some foggy confusion at the beginning of the week which is likely rooted in some tendency to seek conformity that will erase our individuality, rather than effectively blend our unique perspectives into a larger effort. Our lessons under this waning lunar cycle are not supposed to encourage us to abandon our unique perspectives but rather, to teach us how to bring them forward without seeking to obliterate the perspectives of others or drag them into groundless fantasies. This week gives us a chance to stand firm in our deeper truth even though we may appear to be delusional to others. There is extraordinary creativity unleashed by Venus conjunct Neptune and Jupiter as it forms a sextile to powerfully transformative Pluto. Mercury also trines Pluto (the first of three trines over the course of the next retrograde phase), which produces powerful intellect in pursuit of deeper truth. Not everyone will be able to blend these influences with success. Some may seem to be 'going off the rails' with dogged insistence. In fact, self-delusion and over-optimism are real possibilities here. On the other hand, with responsibility and awareness, there are opportunities to join together important but disparate elements in order to gain an entirely new perspective that is not readily apparent as we begin the week. We are shifting away from intellect and must begin to rely more heavily on intuition. Intuitive insights may also produce vulnerabilities and we may have blind spots so we need to double check our facts. We may swing between extremes, from idealistic optimism to cold, hard logic. Saturday's Taurus New Moon (1:27 PM PDT 10° Taurus) provides just the stabilizing environment that we need and is extraordinarily auspicious. The New Moon's close proximity to Uranus suggests surprises, breakthroughs, and the potential for erratic behavior. This week's promising influences cannot simply be absorbed. Self-indulgence or persistent self-delusion can certainly sour the opportunities. But honest and clear-eyed vision should not be abandoned to tragic conformity even if others begin to think we're crazy.

Sunday's determination is focused on holding tight to some optimistic perspective — even in the face of some serious obstacles. However, we need enough flexibility to adapt to surprises. Stubbornness is eroded by Monday's Pisces Moon. It isn't easy to keep everyone on the same page. Creative impulses may seem to foster irresponsible or unreliable behavior on Tuesday. Extra effort is needed to clearly communicate our perspectives. Impulsive recklessness is a real possibility on Wednesday. We need to carefully double check everything. We may find it especially difficult to compromise or cooperate with others on Thursday. Some will seem to be going off the rails but may just be seeing a broader picture than others. There is some challenging emotional intensity to contend with on Friday. It isn't easy to gain the support of those around us. Saturday's Taurus New Moon is stabilizing but there may be some surprises that require us to adapt quickly. Creative breakthroughs are possible.