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By Amanda Painter
By the time you read this, we will have just experienced two notable peaks of energy: the Capricorn Full Moon, and the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in Leo (which you can see with your own eyes in the sky at dusk). Both were exact yesterday, July 1, but the energy is still rippling out — and that energy is feeding into a third aspect: one that is prompting you to make a decision.
Viewing the Venus-Jupiter conjunction over Back Cove, Portland, Maine, on July 1, 2015. Photo by Amanda Painter.
First, though, the Venus-Jupiter conjunction is a story with legs. Venus is gearing up to retrograde in a few weeks, which means that, by the time it is done with that process, it will have conjoined Jupiter a total of three times.
Venus conjunct Jupiter is generally viewed as a very fortunate, beauty-filled and ‘lucky’ aspect — though as with all things Jupiter is involved with, you can expect to have to provide your own follow-through to capitalize on the mojo.
This week, with the first conjunction still in effect, it’s a good time to put yourself out there in the public sphere. Don’t be shy about showing what you’re worth.
With the second conjunction on Aug. 4 (also in Leo), when Venus is retrograde, you might encounter something that feels like a reversal, a step backwards or some other form of reconsideration connected to what you’ve put into motion. Don’t’ despair. The boat has not sailed without you; you’re just getting an opportunity to see where you need to shore up your efforts, redirect them, or otherwise align better with your highest values.
Then on Oct. 25, the third Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in mutable, earthy, detail-oriented Virgo. Chances are this is when you can systematically build upon, develop or begin manifesting what you’re starting now. Watch this space for more details as each of the second two conjunctions approaches. For now, you have a decision to make.
That decision is being prompted (or represented) by Mercury, the planet of your mind, square Chiron — a minor planet (centaur) tasked with getting your attention on matters you need to learn from and heal. That might sound daunting, but it needn’t be. Chances are, you’re already most of the way there on whatever issue the Mercury-Chiron square represents.
You see, Mercury is still in Gemini, the sign where it was recently retrograde. With the exception of an opposition to a notable asteroid earlier this week, Mercury’s square to Chiron in Pisces, exact Friday at 11:06 am EDT (15:06 UTC), is its first significant ‘hard’ aspect since it left the post-retrograde shadow phase on June 28.
To me, this looks like an ‘a-ha’ moment related to making a decision about your healing process — a decision that’s informed by insights or questions you encountered during Mercury’s recent retrograde process. Or, as Eric described it in his latest episode of Planet Waves TV, the tension of Mercury square Chiron not only represents a decision you need to make, but also the need to express something.
Now, you might not feel up for that, especially if you think you have an especially serious question weighing you down. But consider the possibility that maybe you only think you’re not up for it — but really you are. That’s a common trait of aspects between Mercury and Chiron; sometimes they trigger old wounds to our psyche. It can be hard to see past that, to the truth of our present capabilities.
Yet a common trait of squares is that once you take some decisive action, you release all that bound-up energy that felt like pressure. And voila: you feel like you have some wiggle room, like you’ve put something in motion that actually moves you forward.
This week, when you put it all together — an ‘a-ha’ moment; a question or decision; expressing what you’ve decided or just asking the question; putting yourself out there in some form of the public sphere, even if you’re not sure you’re up for it — you’re stepping into a flow involving even more planets and aspects than I’ve mentioned here. The cosmos has your back, if you’re willing to take the step; and if you remember that results might look different from how you’d imagined.
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a very deep week of change for me. Decisions ? Indeed.
Tug — if your name refers to the tugboat as I like to imagine, that bodes well for your ability to keep chugging along to turn around whatever large ship of life you’re escorting through the waters of change. Good luck!
Once again, this is so timely for me, Amanda. Thank you muchly!
I’m grateful to know you think so, Sarah! Do keep me posted… 🙂
What do you do when you think you have something you want to communicate, but aren’t quite sure whether you really want to communicate that or not? What if the impulse to express something is weakening, or changing in some way? Is that more or less subjecting yourself to fate, or is it waiting for a different moment, knowing it’s a possibility that moment might not ever come?
Excellent questions, Michael. I wish I could say I have answers for you, but I think all I have are more questions.
Such as: why is the impulse to express it weakening? Is it due to some change in a situation or other person that renders it irrelevant/unnecessary? Or is it because you fear the possible consequences of expressing it? Or have your own priorities around the situation / thing to be expressed changed significantly?
And where do guilt, pride, empathy, compassion, self-righteousness, love and anger all fit in as influences (if at all)?
Just some thoughts… no idea if any of them truly apply to your situation, but I can see each of these questions in past situations of my own where there’s been a question about deciding to express something.
Yes, yes and yes. Now that the moon is sliding out of its full phase I can read astrology and the words mostly make sense. This Capricorn Full Moon took me out on the ledge. The only thing that kept me from jumping was the chance to photo Jupiter and Venus on the 30th, winking in and out of the clouds. You got a beautiful image from yesterday, Amanda. We were socked in with fog all day and night. I’ll see what I can see tonight, with brilliantly clear skies. What’s that about Mercury and Chiron? Oh, decision and expression, and now. Yes. Exactly what’s on my plate. A decision, and some expression that I have been too polite about. Thank you for the reading!
DivaCarla — I love that so many people are watching the Venus-Jupiter show, and taking photos. But I really, really need to invest in a tripod. Balancing that camera on park benches and such is very inefficient. 🙂
Glad to hear that reading astro words is more accessible as the Full Moon eases up in its influence. You may have been socked in by clouds and fog, but I’ve been socked in by a wicked cold the last few days; it seemed to have buffered that Full Moon’s effect somehow, for better or worse, despite the prominence of Cancer in my chart. (I suspect my sweetie and I might have had a friskier couple days had I been healthy; instead the Moon, and Venus-Jupiter, and the cold apparently brought out the caring/receiving impulses rather than the sexy ones.)
Yet somehow, yesterday afternoon and evening, taking a couple of photography walks seemed to provide some much needed distraction in the form of creative focus. At least, until the next nose-drip…
Onward with the deciding and the expressing!
Amanda………….nice photo……….I caught a glimpse around the 25th…and then again on the 30th….both “chance gifts” as we have had a lot of rain and overcast here………..your response to Michael is thought provoking……..I can relate to that conversation….sometimes we find ourselves in the moment of it ….and see things we were blind to……….a form of surrender perhaps…and new possibilities…………hope you feel better………….
Take care Michael…………….
Rolling stones gather no moss and my aim is True.
Thank you PW for your meaningful Art of Service cornucopia. You have often been the head beams in my vehicle of life. May you receive a multitude of memberships!
Thanks Amanda, those questions help a lot actually.
Michael & Barbara — I am glad the questions feel relevant and useful! Sometimes we all just need some help holding up the mirror and asking the questions…