On Wednesday this week, the planet Venus comes to a meeting with the Sun, known astronomically as inferior conjunction. And while Venus is having this encounter with the Sun, the two of them will be square, or at a right angle, with the planet Mars, which greets the dawn from the stars of Aquarius. So what can it mean?
When the goddess of love and beauty stands in square to the god of war, her would-be companion, you might think that things could get deeply challenged, but the astrological omens regarding this are that the speaking of a people or a nation can take on an enhanced quality of soul at such a time. What this means is that rather than being cold with intellect, or dried up with dogma, the speaking can be infused with the warmth of the heart. Add to this the fiery light of the Sun, and it seems that what is trying to break through is the positive consequence that comes from being heard.
This week began with the festival of Pentecost, which is celebrated in both Jewish and Christian traditions. In part, the Jewish festival celebrates the giving of the Torah, or first five books of the Bible, on Mt Sinai.
In the Christian tradition, the festival marks the 50th day from Easter, and celebrates the rushing winds and flaming tongues that descended on the Apostles, resulting in their ability to speak inclusively to the hearts of all peoples.
In both traditions, it is the speaking of a higher, greater truth that is significant, both as the laws imparted to Moses by God, and as the capacity of the Apostles to speak to all peoples.
When we couple these traditions with this week’s meeting between Sun and Venus while square to Mars, it seems that what is spoken this week is best informed by what’s living in the heart, and not merely by what’s streaming through the headlines.