Don’t Diss the Diva
It’s easy to dismiss Venus as a planetary lightweight, an inconsequential party girl eating bon-bons and wearing a fluffy boa. But if you doubt her power, consider how many of our decisions originate from her domain: desire – whether for love, for pleasure, for money, or for social acceptance.
While we’ve given a certain amount of virtual ink in recent weeks to eclipses, Jupiter and Uranus, and Mercury’s changes of motion, this week it’s Venus who commands our respect.
First, Venus enters her home sign of Taurus (April 29, 2024, 4:31 am PDT, through May 23), where she invites us to recover from a rather frantic month by relaxing, indulging in luxury and comfort, and counting our considerable blessings. Venus in Taurus is the cosseted queen who has everything she needs and most everything she wants, as well. Overall, it will be a nice transit.
But first, Venus squares Pluto (April 30, 2024, 9:30 pm PDT). Something—or somebody—that appeared to be everything we wanted, may be revealed to come with some unsavory strings attached. Pluto is powerful, and can be counted upon to deliver what we want; but he always presents us with an invoice.
Speed, certainty, and giving way
Most of us don’t consider ourselves particularly violent. But few have never squashed a bug, eaten meat, or delighted in the misfortune of a rival, and that’s the violence of Mars at work. If we are threatened, pestered, or prevented from getting something we want, Mars springs into action.
Mars has been in Pisces since March 22, and its harsher qualities are greatly tempered in this gentle, sympathetic sign. But this week, Mars enters Aries (April 30, 2024, 8:33 am PDT, through June 8); and in its own sign, Mars moves with speed, certainty, and occasionally ruthlessness.
Perhaps it’s fortunate, if a little frustrating, that from the moment Mars enters Aries it approaches an aspect to Pluto (exact on May 3, 2024, at 2:06 am PDT)—representing one of the few immovable objects that can resist Mars in Aries’ irresistible force. They meet in a sextile aspect, though, which offers an opportunity for these two ferocious planets to work together in a mutually beneficial way. Mars’ fierce desire melts Pluto’s chilly nihilism, while Pluto is a reminder that in order to achieve long-term success, even Mars in Aries must occasionally give way to others.
Exclamation Mark
This week’s Aquarius Last Quarter Moon (May 1, 2024, 4:27 am PDT) is in a wide conjunction with Pluto. Along with Venus and Mars in aspect to Pluto, it’s a powerful Last Quarter, an emphatic exclamation mark at the end of two different lunar cycles.
This Last Quarter Moon concludes the Aries New Moon solar eclipse cycle that began on April 8. The very dramatic energy of that New Moon can now be disseminated widely for the use and good of all. Now, you can actually do something with this energy instead of feeling a little overwhelmed by it.
The Last Quarter phase of the Moon represents a kind of tempering influence to the Sun’s sign. This Aquarius Last Quarter Moon reminds the Sun in Taurus that power comes from sharing (Pluto in Aquarius) and doesn’t belong exclusively to the person with the most wealth (symbolized by Taurus). Share your talents and energy in service of a group, organization, or just an ideal. Set a long-term goal that you can work toward.
This is also the Last Quarter in a lunar phase family cycle that began on January 31st, 2022 with a New Moon at 12º19’ Aquarius. At that time, maybe you imagined breaking out on your own to do something new, or changed an established routine in your life. At the First Quarter in this family cycle on October 31st, 2022, you may have realized that action must be taken to move that New Moon goal in a specific direction. Then by August 1st, 2023, at the Full Moon in this family cycle, it would have become a little clearer, a little more obvious, what was needed to make your new path a success. Now, at the Last Quarter, we consider the meaning of it all, and make the final move to bring both these New Moon cycles to completion.
No Windows
Pluto is retrograde nearly half of each year, mirroring Persephone’s time split between the worlds above and below ground. Pluto’s direct periods are spent looking outside ourselves for power, control, and a sense of our life’s importance. But as hard as we look, we’re unlikely to find those things externally. The world can’t tell us what’s important to us.
When Pluto turns retrograde (May 2, 10:47 am PDT, through Oct. 11), the focus shifts inward, where we’re much more likely to connect with a personal sense of meaning, power, and purpose.
From now through Oct. 11, as we descend to the underworld, we’re in a place with no distractions from what’s most important, where it’s much easier to identify and choose what matters—not just something that seems exciting in the moment.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent
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