Venus in Libra

Andre Cabanel - The Birth of Venus

Come August 7 at 3:49 (GMT) Venus moves out of Virgo and into Libra, sweetening the mood and eliminating what most of us have felt as an overhanging 'obligation' vibe.

Not to make you think life is all peaches, cream, strawberries and rose petals however, Venus enters this next month-length phase in the company of Saturn, Mars, Eros, black hole M87, asteroid Lilith, and Echo crunched into the same degree as Panacea.

And as if that wasn't enough of an astrological mouthful, Venus also enters Libra in a Grand Cross: in perfect opposition to Uranus (with Jupiter, Lust and Hebe standing by) and square to a Cancer Moon, Photographica and Polyhymnia in one direction and Pluto-Amphitrite in Capricorn in the other.

Now that I've thrown what sounds like an entire chess set of players on the board, what the fern does this mean?

A Grand Cross is a figure which asks us to put disparate ideas together, forging a synthesis which either satisfies all needs/parties or which in itself is a whole new dynamic which in solving a (usually complicated) problem or situation ends up taking everything off in a new direction or to a whole different level of discussion or consideration.

That's what they're supposed to do. We being members of a generally petulant, self-oriented race however...we tend to have a hard time with the challenges to our  altruism and/or perspective which come as part of a Grand Cross.

[oh, heavy sigh...again?]

What with all four points of this cross being in cardinal (pro-active) signs, this is less about planning and more about trying/doing and seeing what happens and/or learning from results. For some of us this is good, as it'll get us out of the 'uh, I dunno...can I think about it?' mode. For others however, acts of haste, defiance or over-the-line-ness are going to seem like the right thing to do.

Then there's the matter that all players in this celestial melodrama are all in early degrees of respective signs. And while on one side that's a big 'duh!' since Venus is just entering Libra, that this configuration is entirely 1st decan (early degrees) means it's effects are physical, about physicality or likely to manifest in what we do.

Venus being all about the quality of the thing (person, statement, product) itself or how it is presented in an interactive sign (Libra) all about the idea and its appeal or lack thereof means none of us are acting in isolation. This is not just having the idea, this is acting on the idea and thus how it is received or how it affects others.

Or doesn't, yes. Leaving someone out is just as important as how much you may delight, dismay, disgust, disown, denigrate or otherwise respect others.

Venus-Mars is a creative dynamic; in Libra it often takes the form of an offering...or our willingness to meet others half way or negotiate. Add in Saturn and the subject matter takes on qualities of standards, honor and/or rejection (for lack of same).

With Eros added to the mix, there is a passion of some type involved, but don't think just relationship passion - it could be passion as in 'fervent belief.'

Asteroid Lilith added to the mix tells us that the issue is something (probably some quality or parameter) which someone hasn't wanted to look at because they think it's just so ugly. If you didn't catch the blog post on Lilith (link), Lilith is always about that we wish we didn't have to deal with but which is of 'equal importance' to whatever it is we do like focusing on - and which will undermine and/or bite us in the derriere if we don't.

Echo/Panacea is an interesting pair as Panacea is about peace and peacemaking and Echo carries a 'tell them what they want to hear' theme, though when we see Echo, such placation most often doesn't work.

Altogether here, this sounds a whole lot like having to deal with people you want to convince and interactive matters which however intricate, need dealing with.

With an Aries Uranus/Lust/Jupiter/Hebe in opposition, there is a quality of fixation and service in the mix. 

And that Pluto/Moon in direct opposition? The Moon (feeling) - Photographica (image or look of the thing) - Polyhymnia (happiness) opposite Pluto-Amphitrite is a whole obsessive 'under the surface/behind the mask' idea. Either pleasures are coming at great and unfair cost or someone is in denial of what the truth really is.

You know, the I already have my mind made up - don't confuse me with facts! sort of thing.

Venus - always brighter than the stars - is here sighted over the Pacific Ocean

Given the Grand Cross all this is in, this is a complicated dance of 'my group' or 'my concerns' versus that of someone else or some larger group. As for this being a 'moment of ingress,' this colors the date of the ingress to be sure - August 6/7 is going to see all sorts of people and entities acting out on this basis.

The theme of this ingress however, that will carry all the way through into September. Once we reach mid-August, the physical emphasis gives way to more of a lingering emotional aura, and as we near the end of August, the repercussions either show up or come in for heavy discussing/contemplation on a pragmatic level since the Sun will by then have moved into earthy Virgo with a 'think about it' Mercury retrograde telling us we don't yet have the answer under way as of August 20th.

Those who handle this Libra Venus ingress well will gain much from it; this is literally a moment when great gains - or the possibility to make them - may appear on your horizon. But there's a process to be lived through in getting where you want to go. Patience and attentive attention to the 'other side' and their needs and aims is important.

We tend to think of Venus as Aphrodite showing up to be rapturously adored but the astrological Venus is all about the opportunity to bring into being that which is important to you - the operative words there being 'bring into being' and 'important.' Nowhere in that is any automatic or automated process and since Venus in cardinal Libra is literally all about the act of interacting at the verbal/theoretical level...

Well, let's just put it this way: you can figure out what is or isn't 'right' now or have if figured out for you and handed to you with a bill for situational damages. The idea is not to blame others for your own choices, some of which probably date back to October/November 2009 when Venus last rolled into Libra.

Honesty, vulnerability, altruism and a willingness to own responsibility for self and what you do/have done hold a special beauty of their own now. When all else fails, get real and you like as not will win through.