A
hypothetical couple-- let's call them Kate and Malcolm --comes to you to choose
a date for their wedding. They want to get married in the spring of 2001,
and they'll settle for a Friday evening or anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00
p.m. on Saturday or Sunday. They are getting married at Kate's parents'
house, so they won't have to contend with a church's scheduling issues.
It's the Northern Hemisphere--specifically,
say, Los Angeles-- so spring involves late March through early June. Glancing
at the Pocket
Astrologer (an indispensible guide) you notice that Mercury, ruler of contracts,
will be direct during this period until June 3, when it turns retrograde (appears
to be moving backwards). This is not terrific symbolism for a marriage, which
is after all a contract, as it suggests that in time one might come to have second
thoughts about the whole thing and back out. One exception is a second marriage,
when Mercury retrograde's symbolism of "re-doing" can actually be quite appropriate.
Venus, ruler of marriage, will
be retrograde from March 8 through April 19, 2001. One of the cardinal rules
of wedding electionals is to avoid Venus retrograde if humanly possible.
And ideally you would like to see Venus in a sign it works well in; say, Taurus,
Libra, or Pisces. Likewise, you would avoid dates when Venus is in signs
it doesn't work all that well in, such as Aries, Scorpio, or Virgo. Sadly,
we do not have this luxury between April 21 through June 2, 2001. Venus
in Aries is pretty much what we're working with. Comfort yourself with the
knowledge that my
own wedding took place when Venus was in Aries, and we're getting along famously
almost eight years later. It's not the end of the world, and we can work
to strengthen Venus in the final chart by placing it in a strong house of the
chart.
By avoiding
Mercury and Venus retrograde, you've narrowed down the acceptable date range to
Saturday, April 21 through Saturday, June 2, 2001.
