On November 9, 11:08 AM ET, Venus in Libra is exactly opposite retrograde Mars in Aries. Our unresolved relationship issues are likely to come to the surface during these days, as reflected by the dynamic tension between these two celestial bodies. We now have the chance to gain clarity on something previously unclear or unconscious.
Venus and Mars are both transiting the signs they rule: this is emphasizing the archetypal conflict between Self and Other, associated with the Aries-Libra axis. While Aries is about Me, Libra is about You. These signs can be considered both complementary energies and polar opposites.
The current opposition between Venus in Libra and retrograde Mars in Aries is highlighting the need to find balance between our values, needs, and desires and other people’s values, needs, and desires.
Venus: Love, Money, and Self-Worth
Venus can be defined as the planet of love, money, and self-worth. It is considered an expression of feminine energy, and it is associated with qualities like receptivity, beauty, and grace. In Astrology, Venus correlates to both how we relate with others and how we relate to ourselves. This planet is associated with our financial resources and our material possessions, with our values, and with our sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Venus also correlates to listening, which includes both how we listen to ourselves and how we listen to others.
Venus in Libra is a transit that tends to reflect ongoing adjustments, and a constant dance between giving too much and giving too little after realizing we have given too much. The fear and the desire of losing ourselves in the other can generate a back and forth dynamic between opposite extremes. With this aspect, we may shift from people-pleasing and self-sacrificing to total avoidance of relationships, isolation, and withdrawal from social situations.
Mars: Passion, Instinct, and Assertion
If Venus is how we receive, Mars can be considered how we give: for this reason, it is associated with the masculine principle. Mars represents our need for freedom, the way we assert ourselves, how we take initiative and go after what we want. Mars correlates to passion, to our instinct, and our sexual drive. Mars is about taking immediate action without forethought, cutting cords, and moving forward without looking back.
Mars in Aries is emphasizing our need for total independence: during this transit, we want to be able to follow each impulse emanating from our Soul without any restriction or limitation. Yet, Mars is still in retrograde motion. On one hand, Mars being retrograde reflects the frustration and inner tension we are experiencing, due to being unable to take action as we would like to.
On the other hand, the retrograde cycle has the purpose to help us find our unique way to express Mars related functions. Mars retrograde is supporting our deconditioning process from all those societal expectations around how we, regardless of our gender, should express masculine energy.
The Cosmic Dance between Venus and Mars
Oppositions are angles of 180°: according to our perspective on Earth, the planets involved are the furthest away from each other. These aspects very often show up in our interactions with others: in this case, it is even more likely to happen, as both Mars and Venus correlate to how we experience relationships.
The goal of an opposition is to encourage the two planets to learn from each other and to find common ground. The risk is that we keep alternating between extremes, creating a deeper state of polarization, or that we project on another person qualities and flaws that we are unable to see in ourselves.
To fully understand what a specific opposition is about, it is useful to go back to when the two planets involved met in conjunction for the last time. In this case, the last time Venus and Mars met was on August 24, 2019, at 4° Virgo. Think about what you were experiencing back then, especially in your love and social life. Some of the themes that emerged at that time can show up again to be integrated and fully understood.
The current cycle between Venus and Mars started with their conjunction in Virgo, and now, with their opposition, we witness its maturation and peak, which could be compared to the energy we experience on a Full Moon. Something previously unclear can come to a head, underlying dynamics can emerge to the surface, and we can become aware of repetitive patterns in our relationships.
This is a great time to go back to our 2019 journal and review the dreams we had and the intentions we set in August, paying particular attention to how much we have grown and what we have manifested, especially in our love life.
Venus opposite Mars: Dynamic Tension
Venus opposite Mars is a powerful and magnetic aspect: these two energies are complementary, the attraction between them is strong, yet they want different things. The purpose of the dynamic tension generated by this alignment is to help us balance our needs with other people’s needs.
We are learning to generate harmony and to relate to other people on an equal basis. The fact that the current Venus-Mars cycle started in Virgo emphasizes the need to overcome any unconscious feeling of inferiority and let go of any sensation of being ‘less than’ someone else.
At the same time, the Mars-Venus opposition represents an invitation to let go of attitudes of superiority, arrogance, and entitlement, that can emerge as a compensatory trait to cover up underlying feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness.
We are at a critical developmental stage: we have the opportunity to radically transform the way we show up in relationships. The opposition between Venus and Mars is inviting each and every one of us to find ways to balance our need for independence and freedom with our need for love and connection.
When finding compromises that make everyone happy and satisfied is absolutely not possible, the invitation is to allow the relationship to change accordingly. If needed, cut cords with grace and lovingly let go of those connections that are not meant to continue to make space for new ones.
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