Sept. 11: Venus talks to the Uranus-Pluto square

Today is the 11th anniversary of the false-flag attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It’s an anniversary of an event most of us would carry with us in any case — but the modern politico-military-industrial-infotainment complex has its own reasons for being sure everyone remembers the incident according to the official script. [Eric will be covering this in Planet Waves FM, which will be posted later Tuesday. Also, we will be running a different Planet Waves article about the Sept. 11 incident every morning for the rest of the week.]

True to form, the universe is giving us an astrological set-up that could either assist individuals in breaking free of sentimental group-think, or else reinforce the grandstanding and manipulation that has been so compelling to so many for so long: Venus in aspect to the Uranus-Pluto square, the driving force in the cultural upheaval and restructuring we’re witnessing or participating in now.

First, Venus in Leo. Those with this natal placement are not prone to getting talked into things — unless they want to be. That alone is a fascinating dynamic to have at play today, given the number of people talked into an unquestioning facsimile of patriotism eleven years ago. Many, many of us wanted to believe the official 9/11 story; many still do.

If that story, of 19 Muslims and buildings that just fall down, wore thin for you years ago (or recently), you’re in a stronger position to receive the strength and integrity offered by Venus in Leo now, when nostalgia is being invoked by every political candidate in the U.S. from the guy running for city dog catcher to Mr. Obama himself and his opponent.

Venus in Leo also tends to dramatize emotional experience. Keep an eye on how much fanfare you give to what you’re feeling, and practice your ability to discern ‘showiness’ in others from the kernel of emotional truth you can actually connect and empathize with. Luckily, Venus in Leo offers a compassionate, dignified, warmhearted demeanor, mixed with a tendency toward frank (even calculated) responses.

Right now, Venus is making a quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn, exact Wednesday. A quincunx is much like an opposition in the seemingly external tension it represents, but it is one sign off from an opposition. And much like an opposition, it asks us to continually dialog or adjust between the two things we may feel pulled between. Today, those things may include grief / anger; desire to connect / desire to be alone; confidence in one’s beliefs / second-guessing oneself; desire to take a stand / fear of standing out. You may even feel pulled between friends who believe as you do, and those who do not.

I could go on, but I trust you are keenly aware of what feelings and thoughts you hold in delicate balance today. One thing to keep in mind with Venus quincunx Pluto is that your reactions to others are important to track.

The trick with a quincunx is that it does not itself present an obvious point of resolution the way an opposition can, though nor is there an obvious point of conflict or confrontation. But astrology never presents a problem without also offering a solution. In this case, that comes in the form of the other side of the Uranus-Pluto square, as Venus makes a trine to Uranus in Aries (exact Thursday, but also in effect now).

Len Wallick, in his post yesterday, gave Venus-Uranus thorough treatment. In the context of the Uranus-Pluto square and the 9/11 anniversary, I would add that in addition to bringing the unexpected, Venus trine Uranus can bring original ideas and sudden, advantageous separations.

So as you remember, memorialize, question, grieve and love today, stay open to the unexpected thought. It may give you perspective, strength or compassion; it may turn your whole world-view or self-view upside-down. It may even be the springboard you need to get enough altitude to adjust in response to those with whom you disagree, or those who would otherwise try to bulldoze you with their reactions and lies. Then watch how well your frank, compassionate responses can work.