The Intensity of Desire
The Square Between Venus & Pluto
Hi Everyone,
Ordinarily, Venus is a fast moving planet which results in its effects
being short-lived. They may last for only a few days at most. But
that's not the case right now at all. Venus is slowing down in the
latter part of its retrograde cycle and will only be moving two
degrees over the next month. This means that the transit it is making
with Pluto is not going to last just a few days, but until the first
week of May. In my classes right now, the main topic is on this
subject. Why? Because firstly, whenever a planet slows, its effects
are amplified and intensified. When a planet is moving slowly or is
stationary, its going to feel similar to shining a light on just one
spot. That spot is getting all the heat, attention and focus.
But secondly, it will be squaring Pluto during this entire slowdown
and reversal. In fact, Venus will be making a square to Pluto for a
month as it doesn't complete the square until May 3rd. Pluto
intensifies whatever it touches, so the two together form a tense
aspect that demands we look deeply at our feelings, what we want, and
any relationships we are in or are considering. Pluto's intensity is
best understood as an 'All-or-Nothing' attitude or approach. The
reason for this is that right now we want a real, authentic, deep form
of relating or nothing at all. "Why bother?" could be our attitude.
Although there is great focus on relationships, it isn't just that.
It's finding out what we want and like. We are asking what makes us
truly happy. This is the paramount question and we can even be
obsessed about this at this time. I have been honored to receive a
great many emails in the past several weeks from readers who are going
through their personal adventure. The deep probing is not mental by
any means. People are going into their depths (and sometimes their
dark bedrooms), needing to go internal in ways that can be shocking
and for some, alarming as they are so focused on love and
relationships that it's scaring them. Fear itself is an important
aspect of this transit and can be explored to great advantage. We can
begin to examine the nature of fear itself, that it is closely
connected to fear of the unknown, to the fear of admitting to oneself
all the things we don't know and cannot control. We can feel very
vulnerable, which when accepted, can be a very helpful thing.
URGENCY - I want to talk about this one by itself. When Venus is in
Aries, one wants to move quickly and being stationary and square to
Pluto right now, this sense is intensely more prominent than ever. "I
have to decide now", "I have to get out of this painful feeling now",
"I must solve the problem immediately", etc., are just some of the
things people are saying to me. This urgency is best dealt with by
simply acknowledging that we are feeling things so much more strongly
than we are accustomed, that we are afraid, worried, or just want it
to be over. We can even feel consumed by these feelings. Learning to
sit in what we are feeling rather than try to change or do something
(or anything) is the best way to deal with this transit. No, this does
not mean that we should not act when we know what we must do. We
should act once we are clear. But the urgency itself is a red-flag
telling us that we may not have fully processed what we need to in
order to make a decis
Pluto asks us to deeply process and this takes time. We are being
pulled into our own unconscious right now and if we make decisions or
act from this unconscious place, we may not like the results.
Processing the new and emerging feelings, motivations, etc. are what
we are being asked to do. And if relationships do end, the process
that matters most to us is one of getting to the core of why that
relationship didn't work. What was missing? Were we able to be
ourselves or were we faking it with that person and trying to fit into
the image of what the other person wanted us to be?
Also, we are advised not to take the first person who shows up. The
urgency I speak of can result in our wanting to find something,
anything, just so the pain and/or uncertainty is reduced. Also, what
we attract or are attracted to may be a reflection of our unconscious
and hidden motives and desires, and not what we really want or need.
When the contents of the unconscious emerge from our depths, it is a
vital and important time for us where much growth can occur, but until
we have integrated the material into our consciousness, any act can be
premature.
FINANCIAL - Just a tidbit to those of you who are watching the market.
The market went up when Venus went retrograde, though it has been
slipping the last several days. The next reversal point is when Venus
turns direct on April 17. That will be the time to watch and see if
the stock market continues to grow or begins a reversal of fortune. My
guess is that since Pluto rules debt, that not all of the banks have
revealed how much bad debt they are still holding. As that comes out,
it will constantly exert downward pressure on our confidence. We won't
think that the financial problems have hit bottom or that our leaders
have a handle on what to do.
All the best,
Jim Sher
