One encounter that you might experience with the Mars Retrograde story is that of relationships and social values, which might be felt strongly this week as the planet of relationships Venus opposes Mars (12 Dec). If last week’s Mars Retrograde had you commit to any significant stance or commitments, especially if it had something to do with asserting your viewpoint or ‘individuating’, then this week might see the impacts of your decision on areas like your interpersonal relationships, self esteem, social values and/or finances. In other words, the ‘fair weather’ life that Venus often brings is being hit by the divisive Mars energy, resulting in ill-tempered moods, acrimony and a little more tension in the air.

At one level, this is all to be expected, given that we are going through a long phase of having to shine a spotlight on the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’. It’s never nice to have to call things out, or to manage the ‘dirty work’, or to be the ‘bad cop’, but expect these next three months to have this flavour.

The opposition of Venus and Mars will bring a tension of opposites, forcing the possibility of unity to emerge. I’ve always seen oppositions, especially that of Venus and Mars, as the concept of Enantiodromia, a term coined by the ‘weeping philosopher’ Heraclitus who was an ancient Greek, pre-Socratic philosopher around 500 BC. This idea is about the opposites (enantios) running its course (dromos) and the importance of holding a space for this tension to percolate.

Often, our first response to holding this tension of opposites is to avoid it, run away, hide, ignore, deny…and understandably so. It’s not a nice feeling – it can be harsh, confronting, shameful and awkward. But if we allow ourselves to hold this tension within us, it can be the bed from which creative solutions arise. It’s no wonder Carl Jung was also inspired by Heraclitus’ thinking in this area, as his work is also characterised by exploring all matter that comes up during the journey into the unconscious shadows. 

With growing privilege, wealth, choice and a more convenient life of the modern day individual, combined with the lack of purposeful initiations and ceremonial rites, the idea of holding the tension of opposites is somewhat rejected, and the pain of enduring difficulty is no longer an option. Some might say that we’ve become ‘too soft’ which one might assume is a function of Venus. Rather, I believe that this approach is Mars-like, whose function is to separate and sever, rather than to hold, collaborate and nurture in a Venusian way. Evidence of this is the divisiveness of society, where differing opinions are cancelled (Mars) rather than gestated (Venus).

So with this week’s Venus Mars opposition, it is as much as a need to connect with the ardour of Mars, as it is with the harmony of Venus. If you’re feeling the tensions build up within your relationships, social matters, finances and values, it would be good to do nothing. Sitting within this tension and getting to know this pressure could be an enriching experience of self growth. And, the path towards a creative solution is also promised with Mercury making a sextile to Venus (13 Dec). Both Mercury and Venus are playful and creative with each other, especially when they meet in a harmonious sextile aspect. This is a good omen for rewards if you can hold yourself within enantiodromia.

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See you next Sunday for the next installment of planetary news.

Shu xx