Venus square Neptune — and friends

What happens when sexual desire runs up against sexual baggage, or when sexual communication runs up against limits or stuffiness? How does one merge “spiritual love” with earthier ways of experiencing sex?

Or, on the flip side of that coin, how can one avoid the ‘false spiritualization’ of desire, relationships and sex — that is, turning them into objects of worship, rather than of physical and emotional reality?

These look like the main themes of this week’s astrology, the highlight of which is a square between Venus and Neptune (exact Thursday at 5:05 am EDT, but in effect now).

Venus enters Sagittarius today at 1:54 pm EDT. Venus in Sagittarius tends to take one of two forms: a ‘good time Charlie’ type of breeziness or a very philosophical form of idealism. Neptune in Pisces is very creative and spiritual in its own right but also prone to altered forms of consciousness, whether enlightened or simply drug- or delusion-induced.

So there’s a question about how to stay grounded in sexual situations or in the face of love and desire. Then again, if you don’t want to stay grounded, what are your motives for that?

As we move toward the exact square between Venus and Neptune, there are some other players in this week’s sex/desire astro-drama. First up is today’s opposition between Mars in Leo and the centaur planet Nessus in Aquarius. When you have the planet of action, drive and desire — astrology’s embodiment of ‘maleness’ — in Leo, you get tremendous passion, courage and vitality. Nessus in Aquarius, on the other hand, seems to be associated with issues such as peer pressure, cultural sexual baggage (including the shadow of collective sexual trauma/abuse) and (thankfully) the ways we can stand up to these things and stop the proverbial buck on these patterns.

Notice today any interplay between these two types of experience, both within yourself and between you and other people. Oppositions often manifest in relationship to others; do you find yourself desiring anything that is considered taboo by ‘society’? Do you feel like standing up in some way to a group whose sexual philosophy or pattern of behavior strikes you as being abusive or questionable?

How fired up are you about it, and can you put that energy to creative use?

Tomorrow, Mercury exacts its conjunction to Saturn in Scorpio. Eric recently described this in the Friday members’ issue as “the inquisitive, astute child, coming up against Saturn, the emotionally frozen parent,” adding that “What is necessary in this situation is some form of actual communication and adult behavior.”

Of course, “adult” can mean “mature” or “not playing games.” It can also mean “X-rated” or otherwise not suitable for minors. In another section of the Friday members’ issue, Eric wrote:

“The conjunction to Saturn looks like the revelation of secrets, curiosity about taboo subject matter and hot talk. Try it and see. Find someone you trust, who likes to whisper wholly inappropriate things to you, and start talking. Say what you would never say. You may find yourself inspired to do what you never thought you would do.”

Whichever way you experience Mercury-Saturn in Scorpio, there is access to a ‘higher purpose’ by way of a trine to Chiron in Pisces. Whatever comes through for you in this department, you can use it for healing purposes — whether than means standing in your power and communicating like an adult, or loosening any rigid sexual ideas by getting playful. Either may be perfectly valid depending on your particular situation.

In any case, while you surf these waves of sexual desire, baggage, love, spiritual bliss, earthy relating, adult communication, hot talk and so on, keep an eye out this week for any unbidden, stealthy guilt reactions. It’s easy to forget how deeply we can hold beliefs that are not ours, and they often rear their ugly heads with ‘attack thoughts’ and guilty second-guessing the moment we start to enjoy some real pleasure or stand up for ourselves.

Often they pop up so quickly it can be hard to separate them from ourselves. Just remember that if you hear anything that sounds remotely like “I’ll never get this right,” or “No one will ever want me until I’m ‘better’” (and so on): it’s a lie. Honest.

Additional research: Eric Francis