By Amanda Painter

What does it look like when the ‘universal lover’ becomes a ‘love warrior’ amidst the chaos of this world? As Venus moves from Pisces to the first degree of Aries tomorrow, we may find out.

Dawn at the East End cargo ferry launch. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Venus makes this transition — again — at 9:13 am EDT (13:13 UTC) on Friday.

It had previously crossed from the last sign of the zodiac (Pisces) to the first sign of the zodiac (Aries) back on Feb. 3, prior to stationing retrograde.

Venus is now in direct motion, having had a rendezvous with Chiron in Pisces earlier this month.

On the most personal level, Venus might be prompting you to notice what facets of your inner healing process — especially with regard to emotions or sexuality — you’re now ready to act upon. Another interpretation could be to notice how (or where, or whether) you locate ‘the divine feminine’ in your identity — keeping in mind that using the astrological model, people of all genders have a ‘female side’ and a ‘male side’.

Is it a hidden facet of you? Does this ‘divine feminine’ come through in your creativity, in your empathy, in your sexuality or in your natural receptivity?

Or is it present most strongly when you are taking action in some radical, paradigm-busting, patriarchy-inverting social or political event?

This last possibility could be a very interesting one to watch for. Because even if you don’t feel like it describes you personally, there’s an excellent chance you could witness examples in the news, or in your immediate community.

The first degree of Aries is the Aries Point: that section of zodiac real estate known by the phrase, “the personal is political.” It’s the place where the issues closest to your immediate experience and those of prominent collective movements — think: the news you see on TV — intersect.

Venus inhabited the Aries Point already this year; then it traveled retrograde to meet up with Chiron as it stationed direct in Pisces; and then it moved forward again to the Aries Point, drawing a distinct through-line. That line connected ‘the political feminine’ with whatever personal material came up for healing for you recently. Now that line traces from your healing back to the major political events of this moment.

It’s not about turning your back on the soft, squishy, possibly painful parts of yourself so you can boldly blaze out in a scorching fire of girl-power to incinerate all that is wrong in the world. Think of it more like using what you’ve just learned to inform your bold inner fire and your most spirited sense of yourself — but in a way that defies those who would control it. In other words, you can’t use the same methods ‘they’ would use.

It’s a trickier dynamic to feel and put into action, and calls to mind that famous Einstein quotation: “Problems cannot be solved by the level of awareness that created them.”

Which brings me to the other standout aspect on Friday: retrograde Mercury conjunct Uranus in Aries, exact at 10:49 am EDT (14:49 UTC). This aspect signals unexpected, innovative, original ideas and impulses — which sounds ideal when one is looking to approach a problem from a higher level of awareness than what created it.

Progressive ideas and insights (especially insights into your own thought processes or past decisions, since Mercury is retrograde) look like the order of the day. The one catch could be the amount of energy put into expressing them. With Mercury in a sign ruled by Mars, and Mars currently in a sign ruled by Mercury (Gemini), there’s a lot of fast, willful, hot energy moving around.

With the Moon also in Gemini today through tomorrow night, that’s a signal that thoughts and feelings could play switcheroo and operate on more than one level. This could make communication something that requires extra focus and an intentional effort for you to keep grounded — good advice during any Mercury retrograde.

Given that Mercury and Uranus will still be close to Eris in Aries, pay attention to any urges you might have to say or do something solely to be shocking, disruptive to the status quo, or aggressively subversive. These actions have their moment and their purpose, though it bears asking whether this is one of them. Exploring the emotional roots of such impulses could prove informative.

Most people I know are feeling pretty raw and overwhelmed by the state of the world and the never-ending parade of things to be shocked by, and to fight against or mourn. If Venus really is morphing from ‘universal lover’ into ‘love warrior’, remember that the word in common is love.

The world, your community — even your personal life — needs more beauty, kindness, empathy, humanitarian acts and spiritual truth, not less. If you can find a way to translate your own deepest healing into the world around you, just by being fully and boldly you, that new level of awareness Einstein suggests might be within reach.

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