On August 30, a lot is going on in the sky: Venus opposite Pluto will take place at 9:30 AM EST while Mercury opposite Neptune happens at 2:43 PM EST. These exact aspects are lasting only one day, but we are going to feel their influence for at least a week.
Venus in Cancer has already formed an opposition to Jupiter in Capricorn on August 25, and she will oppose Saturn in Capricorn on September 2, just a few hours after the Full Moon in Pisces. After the Full Moon takes place, we are likely to find resolution and gain clarity around some of the issues that we have been facing since August 25.
Venus opposite Pluto and Mercury opposite Neptune are going to affect the ways we relate and communicate with others and with ourselves. These aspects are going to influence our perception of reality and of the people closest to us. They may bring a few days of misunderstandings and mental confusion, but they also offer us excellent opportunities to know ourselves and others better.
Oppositions: Aspects of Polarization
Oppositions are aspects of polarization and necessary confrontation: they involve signs which naturally express opposite and interrelated qualities: one could not exist without the other.
These aspects show up in our family dynamics, social life, and intimate partnerships: oppositions always involve other people, hence some amount of projection. Their purpose is to allow us to become aware of the parts of ourselves that we are not conscious of, and that are being reflected back to us by other people.
Due to the exact opposition between Venus and Pluto we could witness polarization, power struggles, or disagreements, while Mercury opposite Neptune may bring communication issues and misunderstandings.
To make the most out of the energy of oppositions, the key is always finding balance and compromise, giving space to both planetary energies involved.
Venus opposite Pluto: Learning to Feel Safe
Venus is the planet of love: her transits reflect the main dynamics going on in our relationships with others and with ourselves. Venus also correlates with our values, our talents, our capacities, our sense of self-worth, and our self-esteem.
Pluto is also known as the God of the Underworld: this small, distant planet symbolizes our unconscious desires, wounds, and patterns of behaviors. Pluto always gives us the opportunity to evolve and change radically, if we dare to look into the dark. This planet indicates how we unconsciously try to create a feeling of safety and security through the behaviors we learned as children.
When Pluto is in aspect to Venus, there is a significant pressure to transform the way we relate to each other and ourselves. Venus is now in Cancer, inviting us to seek familiarity and nurturance and to generate harmony and balance in our personal and professional life.
As the Venus-Pluto opposition is happening in the Cancer-Capricorn axis, it may play out in our family, between us and the people we live with, or between us and our colleagues or business partners. The worst manifestation of this aspect can be manipulating others, guilt-tripping, or engaging in power plays. This often happens if we learned early on that this is the only way we can feel safe.
In case you are aware of the darker undercurrents, pay particular attention to your instinctual behaviors during these days. You may realize that there is a power imbalance between you and another person, and uncover patterns you learned in childhood that are not serving you anymore.
Through this opposition, fears of abandonment, insecurity linked to low self-esteem, and body image concerns can be triggered too: if we are ready to do the work, we have the opportunity to fully heal these dynamics.
Mercury opposite Neptune: What is Real and What is Not
Mercury is the planet of logic and intellect, of communication and critical thinking. The messenger of the Gods symbolizes our left brain, the information and data we gather and organize, and the way we perceive the world around us.
Neptune has a very different energy: he is the planet of mysticism and spirituality, of dreams and unconditional love. The God of the Ocean is impossible to understand with linear thinking: it is all about subtle sensations, feelings, and intuition.
When these planets oppose each other, it becomes harder to understand what the truth is and to what extent our perception of reality reflects what’s actually going on. We are likely to feel this aspect more intensely, as both Mercury and Neptune are now transiting the sign they rule: Mercury is in Virgo while Neptune is in Pisces, currently retrograde.
This opposition reflects the conflict between rationality and sixth sense, between logic and subtle feelings. Mercury in Virgo wants to have it all under control, loves a well-organized schedule, knowing what to expect, making a precise plan for the days ahead. Neptune in Pisces, on the other hand, is all about going with the flow, improvising, and adapting to whatever comes up.
With Mercury opposite Neptune, many of us can feel ungrounded and confused. This aspect can indicate a situation where the person we are interacting with misunderstands our message completely. If you can, wait a few days to have important conversations. Make sure to speak kindly and honestly, and that your message comes through as you intend it.
Ultimately, these oppositions are an opportunity to see other people reflecting our blind spots back to us: this helps us notice where we still have work to do. If we manage to respond, rather than react, we can reach a deeper understanding of others and a more profound level of self-knowledge.
Comment below with what resonated with you the most and please share with others 🙂
