Venus & Mars in Capricorn, Aquarius; Part 3
FROM WALKING THE DOG TO ZUGZWANG
In billiards there’s a term called ‘walking the dog’ that describes when the cue ball ever so delicately—or not! —follows the ball you’ve just struck, all along, extremely closely, ever so delicately down the length of the rim of the table, and finally to the pocket.
Mars had been ‘leading’ since February 16th, leading within a single arc minute or less, with Venus symbolizing the cue ball within this metaphor… and will until late tomorrow night, when Venus, the cue ball, catches up to Mars, tapping it again, metaphorically, in conjunction, at 29°59′ Capricorn, before they both fall into the pocket, miraculously, together—and let’s say the pocket, then, represents 0° Aquarius.
One more time, for those of you still holding out that this conjunction between Venus and Mars will bring love at first sight, or whatever other irrational fantasy you’ve conjured… unless you’re looking for a one-night rendezvous or a notoriously Sagittarian-style love-the-one-you’re-with arrangement/agreement—sure!—you’re in luck!—it could happen, anything happens all the time!
For the rest of you, who understand the raw and harsher reality of this conjunction—you may realize that this ‘simple’ conjunction is much larger than the cue ball and the other ball dropping into the pocket simultaneously… you may (hopefully) realize that what’s left on the table—and where the remaining balls are and how they’re arranged, and just how strategically challenging each may be—that this is actually what’s most vitally important, especially toward your next moves.
My point being: both Venus and Mars, when in Capricorn, are unbelievably strategic by nature, and so when these planets transit this signs, strategy to improve, evolve, or rise in some significant capacity is absolutely highlighted, if not exploited.
Through Capricorn, we rise… we rise to a higher station or status—we improve ourselves in an effort to be better, to be recognized as worthy—worthy of the reward of gaining a rung of three upon the ladder of life… worthy of walking the dog into the pocket successfully, efficiently, and quite impressively I might add.
Venus, of course, represents the inner desire, while Mars represents the inner will to actualize these desires… desires do not simply occur—they are strategized and determinedly obtained; within Capricorn, anything freely given is charity. Though, with Venus as the cue ball and Mars as the leading ball—it would not be false to interpret these current energies, and these energies we’ve navigated since mid-February (and possibly as far back as late December/early January)—that your inner will has been leading the way… while your inner desire followed.
And so, wherever Capricorn governs within your nativity, and thereby within that sector of your reality, you are being—and have been—challenged to rise to your own occasionality of rising upward in some capacity by way of the path of your inner will… and ultimately, however begrudgingly, leaving something or someone behind or surrendering to an ending in some regard; a mountain goat achieves the peak, or doesn’t—there simply is no lingering in between.
The twenty-ninth degree of Capricorn associates itself ‘passive reflection’, through which “allows one’s deepest thoughts to come to the surface…” and a degree which ‘clears up fears and doubts by stilling the mind’, ‘separating mental contents into gold and dross…’ with ‘contemplative vision’.
A mountain goat sees, first, where it needs to go… and then follows this vision through desire. Naturally.
And into the metaphorical pocket your inner will leads your desired outcome.
Once dropped into the pocket, this last and final degree of Capricorn associates itself with ‘accepting what fate brings…’ which feels a bit intense—particularly within such rigid concepts of determination and strategy… though, the ‘ladders’ of the mountain are anything but cooperative, much less predictable. Further, “there could be a feeling of being out of direct control of the decisions being made… no matter how much you are on the inside, you may not be hearing all that is being said—there’s a need to be cautious about what you presume, or imagine, to be really going on.”
Could you be involved in the process of something beyond yourself without understanding the larger panorama of it all?
You may also even feel exclusion, particularly though this weekend… especially as the Aquarian influences begin to introducing themselves—alienation, displacement, exile, and detachment.
This degree can also represent the ‘processing of inner issues and thoughts…’ especially the ones which tend to turn to conspiracy or paranoia.
Nearly immediately, as Venus and Mars simultaneously plunk into the pocket, this succinctly engulfed succumbing begins the two being in conjunction through the zero point degree of Aquarius—the degree which Jupiter and Saturn moved through back in December of 2020… reflect back upon everything that did and did not manifest for you at that time, and all that goes with that and unravels itself—in all honesty, it could become its own post.
It is after this point that Venus begins to move ahead of Mars.
It is at this point, then, that our desires begin to lead our way… only to be quite severely halted—in besiegement between the malefics, in Aquarius.
Whatever you consider to be ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, ‘up’ or ‘down’, ‘underclass’ or ‘privileged’ will demand a review or provision. Further, this entirely new rung of the ladder of self-improvement is about ‘forging links to new worlds’ of thought, spirit, and life… and recognizing one’s inner ideals and what they’re doing toward the living of them above anything else.
However, still… with Venus besieged, Venus is wildly unhappy—until the first week of April.
Moving from the universality of billiards to the sociological paradoxes of chess, naturally (wink) …there is a chess term called zugzwang, pronounced ‘tsook-tsvahng’, describing any situation where you are forced to move, though any move you could potentially make puts you in a worse position, or costs you pieces… this term is an equivalent translation to ‘move, or pull’ (zug) with or through ‘constraint or obligation’ (zwang).
Kinda like Venus moving forward into Aquarius, a sign Venus does not easily enjoy, moving in between the likes of Mars trailing (and Mars doesn’t particularly delight within Aquarius either) and Saturn up ahead (Saturn exalts in Aquarius, and this would strongly suggest that Saturn will now be calling all shots, and commanding all new rules or moves)—all easy aspects Venus makes now through the first week of April to benefits or otherwise will be compromised, tainted, or entirely ignored or impotent.
This begs the question, then—what are your inner desires?—they’ve recently, no doubt, been through quite a lot… and what, exactly, precisely, and specifically are you willing to sacrifice, surrender, or oblige for them? And, where are all the other pieces located upon the board?—what do these assume toward your next moves?
Astrologically speaking, I would argue that through whatever conundrums or circumstances this weekend offers you or holds you to might shift these inner desires of yours to a place that will then need to more deeply understand—not so much to question or alienate, though it may feel quite alienating… but to simply be that much more familiar with the surroundings of your thoughts and feelings, and the environments with which these inevitably bring you to or put you within.
Again—strategy… a more richly refined and improved strategy.
Your level of frustration or alienation, ultimately, will likely fall upon the locationality of all the remaining pieces, and what this means toward your next moves…
Imagine yourself ins foreign country and you do not speak the language… from now through the first week of April, your inner desires and musings and sentiments will be traveling through a foreign country and will be asked to learn the language so that you may translate what you learn, to be useful, and to offer yourself new, strengthened, and revitalized character.
Again, for those of you thinking this conjunction will bring love—the astrological speak for these energies is that this romantic affair will occur in a foreign country and you will not speak the same language, and then your visa runs out… let’s see how long that lasts—but thoroughly enjoy yourselves, indeed.
Venus in Aquarius associates itself to the 5 of swords in the tarot, which is a card that represents, overwhelmingly, to failure.
I find this particularly significant, especially this year, as Venus, while in Aquarius, will experience besiegement—something never to take lightly—and a sense of underlying failure may be experienced through any of our inner desires, be they small or large… unless, potentially, we’re able to overcome our egoic impulses and meet circumstances with delicacy and an amazing grace—and perhaps this is what the ultimate lesson will be?
Though, in all honesty—this is no easy feat. And—for lack of an easier sentiment—it’s gonna probably really suck… this period will be a true testament toward just how badly you really want what you think at this point you really really want—let’s phrase it that way, rather.
We all know what our inner desires are, or, again, we think we do… but maybe this four week period is trying to offer us opportunity to really understand this inner desires, to better understand ourselves in a perspective of totality… to better appropriate our surroundings so that we might better obtain that which we idealize.
This four week period is also a really lushly significant phase to reflect upon our privileges—those we already enjoy, easily or by default, and acknowledge gratitude, as well as for those we seek to enjoy… and contemplate the real why underneath this need or nagging desire, and to consider the true price of this achievement, whether you’ve achieved it or have yet to.
❝That is part of the beauty… you discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.❞
——F. Scott Fitzgerald
🖋️ by Jamie James ©2022; 📷 unknown
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Hill, L. “360 Degrees of Wisdom.” A Plume Book; ©2004.
Rudhyar, D. “An Astrological Mandala.” Vintage Books; ©1973.