On 13 July 2021 (AEST +10hrs), Venus and Mars will come together in a conjunction at 19 degrees of Leo and commence a new synodic cycle. 

This is a time of great creativity and passion, and could feel like a raw and instinctual urge to enact on our desires and principles, a blind and unconscious momentum, a tension between the magnetic attraction of Venus and the forceful independence of Mars or an initiating force felt in our personal lives propelled by the struggle of balance between giving and receiving or independence and codependency.

Currently, we’re in the final dark phase of a Venus-Mars cycle which commenced in August 2019 in the sign of Virgo. As with any closing phases, there is a tendency to isolate, purge, release and process the final stage for succession. It can feel heavy or urgent, yet there is a knowing sense of inevitability associated with these final phases. Have you felt a slowing down or heaviness connected with your relationships or creative passions recently?

Symbolism of the Sacred Marriage

One way to think of Venus and Mars commencing their new synodic cycle is through the symbolism of the sacred marriage. Many cultures recognise marriage as the sanctified union between two people, which establishes rights and obligations between them and their children.

From an alchemical perspective, the sacred union – also referred to as the conjunction – symbolises the coming together of spirit and soul, thus combining the inner king which seeks clarity, consciousness and ascension, with the inner queen, which is more concerned with the cyclical rhythms of life in the material world below.

Up until this point, the preceding three alchemical stages have been concerned with purifying that which does not align to our truth. At this sacred union, a commitment towards wholeness is made where we can combine our vision and truth with our daily embodiment in life. From this point, we can start to incorporate this living truth in a co-creative way.

Therefore, the times at which Venus and Mars conjoin can be a powerful time of co-creation that cuts deeply into our true essence. I would urge you to engage with your symbolic world, formulate your intentions and fill your imagination with your ideal passions because the time is ripe for these images to incarnate into your outer world reality. It is truly a magical time. Given this conjunction also occurs in the fiery sign of Leo, it further emphasises the commitment to our divine spirit as symbolised by its ruler, the Sun. It’s also a good opportunity to ritualise this event to initiate or invite a new creative project into your life. In particular, rituals / ceremonies involving fire would be appealing at this time.

Nature of the Venus-Mars Synod

Summarising Michelle Finey’s research on the Venus-Mars synodic cycle, this cycle is erratic and inconsistent, reflecting the ever-changing nature of relationships. 

These archetypal lovers meet together only in the Venus zone, which is within 48 degrees of the Sun. Here, Mars – the masculine symbol, is always direct in motion, reflecting its active nature to pursue relationships. Venus – the feminine principle, can be direct, stationary or retrograde when this union occurs, symbolising the fluctuating and mysterious ways of the feminine.

However, there is a greater order that weaves these inconsistent cycles together. Every 32 years, Venus and Mars will repeat the conjunction in the same sign (albeit with the occasional precession into the adjacent sign). Tracking these 32-year saros phases can be rather illuminating as we will see in Carl Jung’s example below.

Example: Venus-Mars Saros & Carl Jung

Carl Jung is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst that has been highly influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology, alchemy and religious studies.

At the age of 6 – at the time of the Venus-Mars synod in Virgo (1882) – Jung became aware of his mother’s uncanny mental nature and depression. She was somewhat of a psychic and was able to connect to an unseen and mysterious world, which Jung was quite fearful of during his youth. She was hospitalised not long after this time.

32 years later when Jung was around 38 years, he started to have haunting visions, heard strange voices and entered into a deep depressive state, just like his mother did. At this time, Venus and Mars made their next conjunction in Virgo (1914), just as they did when Jung was aged 6 and became aware of his mother’s mysterious nature. Although he was concerned about psychosis or schizophrenia, he decided to embrace these moments in active imagination and recorded his experiences and imagery into his famous Black Book. 

Another 32 years later, Jung was around 70 years of age (1946) and suffered his second sudden heart attack. At this time, we see another activation of this same Venus-Mars conjunction, which sees the same theme of decline and mystery connected to this saros cycle. He believed that his heart attacks were his body’s response to his unresolved ability to understand “mysterium coniuntionis” – the mysteries of the conjunction. He wrote:

“As some alchemists had to admit, that they never succeeded in producing the gold or the Stone. I cannot confess to have solved the riddle of the coniunctio mystery. On the contrary, I am darkly aware of things lurking in the background of the problem –things too big for horizons.” – Carl Jung 1946

In Jung’s natal chart, Virgo is situated in the 8th house of death, underworld, decay, fears and anxieties. Based on the Thema Mundi, the 8th house is also ‘blind’ to the Ascendant, symbolising a place of darkness and blind spots. All three instances of this Venus-Mars conjunction in Virgo certainly fits in with Jung’s occuring themes of physical/mental decline, fearful encounters and experiences with the unconscious world.

Following these 32-year cycles of Venus and Mars in the same saros series can reveal underlying themes that connect seemingly random life experiences into an integrated plot line. I encourage you to study these ‘fractals’ of Venus and Mars in your life to become aware of these longer term stories that persist in our unconscious, yet emerge when the sacred union of Venus and Mars propels them into creation.

For this particular conjunction on the 13th July 2021 (AEST), think back to 1989/1990 when the last Venus-Mars cycle of this saros series occurred. Did you experience any significant events then that could be echoing your upcoming 12 months? Are you about to initiate any new projects or ideas this year? If so, could you benefit from reflecting on your 1989/1990 year to see what similar themes, lessons and patterns unfolded then? 

If you’d like to study these Venus-Mars cycles in further details, you could consider booking a consultation.

One last point…

This new conjunction comes at a significant time with the Venus cycle and the mysteries of the Inanna mythology. The Venus-Mars cycle commencement will coincide with the third gate of Inanna’s ascension which symbolises the gaining of personal power and marked in the evening sky with a conjunction with the waxing crescent Moon. Therefore, on the 13th July, you’ll be able to see the Moon, Venus and Mars together in the western horizon after sunset.

It’s also interesting to note that there is a connection in time to mid-2019 with these transits via the second and third Venus-Moon gates. Firstly, the Venus-Mars cycle coinciding with the third Venus-Moon gate connects us to August 2019 when the previous Venus-Mars conjunction occured in Virgo (which we’re currently at the tail end of). And, the second Venus-Moon gate last month was in an anticia aspect to the July 2019 Cancer Solar Eclipse, symbolising a secret connection between these two points in time. It’s worthwhile reflecting on the significance of the current moment (mid-2021) with events from mid-2019 – there’s likely to be some kind of link that could be revealed to you. If you would like help with dissecting these ideas, book a consultation here.

Welcome to another Venus-Mars cycle – may this be a magical time of creation for you!