What did you do this weekend? As I was thinking about today’s conjunction of the planets Venus and Mars in Taurus, I suddenly ‘saw’ how I had spent my weekend honoring this re-uniting of Love and Desire. The last time Venus and Mars united was in August 2010 in the sign of Libra, another Venus-ruled sign which evokes partnership and the arts.
So how exactly did I honor this energy? I spent time last week creating beaded earrings shaped as faerie leafs. Then on Friday night I went to a party with a group of creative, playful people and got to wear wings and dress up without having to wait for Halloween. (This is Neptune square the Sun, adding a bit of fantasy and glamour to the mix!) People shared their talents: music, fire spinning, bellydancing. Next day I got to discuss world events in the symbolic language of astrology.
Then it was off to the Festival of the Muses, held in a beautiful garden, where another community gathered to ritualize the sharing of our unique arts. There was poetry, music, history, storytelling, comedy, tragedy, love, good food, drink and camaraderie. I told a favorite story about a Scottish Bard and then returned to honor the Muse Urania with the astrological story of our times. Sunday I told a love story on my storytelling internet radio show and then spent a good part of the day talking with people I love.
Since this is not a usual weekend for me, I have to credit this Venus/Mars conjunction for the blessings of everything I got to do. Venus’ energies help us connect with others, especially those we love. Her powers extend to our artistic natures and creativity, just as they hold sway over the natural beauty of her month of May. She is the goddess of gardens and flowers, as you may know. The inconjunct forming from Saturn in Libra helped us fine-tune our conversations and our creativity.
So where is Mars in all this? Well, I did end up with enough energy to go to all these gatherings! Mars was present in the fire-spinners and dancers, who manifested Mars’ physical energy. There was flirting going on, for Eros is another aspect of Mars, but for the most part, the Martian energy was channeled through art and music, conversation (Mercury is hanging around having had his turn with Venus last week) and community. It makes sense, since we are ending a Libra Venus/Mars cycle and beginning a new one with Mars once again joining Venus in another sign she rules, her sensual, earthy sign of Taurus.
So my weekend serves as a reminder of what Venus and Mars can create in and for us. Since this coming together of Love and Desire initiates a new cycle, please tune in within and really decide what it is you Love and what it is you Desire. Sometimes they’re the same, and sometimes they are not.
Our society tells us that it can create anything we desire, even a virtual world where we can viscerally escape into fantasy. It creates our desires for us. And yet, we never seem to be fully satisfied. With too much-ness comes boredom and a feeling of dissatisfaction with what just amused us. Just how many shoes or iphones do we really love? Or do we desire something else entirely, something only we can find for ourselves, within ourselves?
That is the riddle of this Venus/Mars conjunction. The Sabian symbol for 10* Taurus is: A red cross nurse with warm sympathy. A red cross nurse deals with emergencies, and this one has compassion, warmth and nurturing. This is Venus/Mars energy taken beyond a personal level, so that it becomes a love and caring of the physical body as well as of our collective body.
How can we deepen this image grounded in Venus and Mars energies? It seems to me that this cycle promises us that if we use our creative imagination, our love of beauty and nature, our desire to manifest who we are and the energy to do it together, we can step up our Love and Desire nature in this time of global crisis and extend ourselves in service to our world.
Love coupled with Desire. Pleasure with happiness. Sensuality coupled with Spirituality. Creativity in service to the whole. These two archetypal lovers want us to explore all possibilities to create the best possible future for us all.
Until next time,
Sweet Dreams!
