A Soft Place to Fall
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Force and resistance
I have a vivid memory of being very little, maybe about 7 or 8 years old, and my mother telling me to do something – when suddenly, a light bulb went off over my head. “You can’t make me,” I observed, with dawning astonishment. My mother was a patient, loving woman, but she was a Taurus, and I could see her nostrils start to flare. But I hastened to assure her, with all the innocence of a kid with a Sagittarius Ascendant, that I wasn’t trying to be sassy; it was just fascinating to me to realize that short of physically moving my arms and legs like I was a marionette, she could not actually force me to do something. “No,” she said in her Mom voice, “But I can certainly make you sorry you didn’t.”
Well, I did what she had told me, of course, but more out of respect than fear. I knew she loved me and had my best interests at heart. As my favorite high school teacher (a Capricorn) was fond of saying, “Kids won’t care what you know until they know that you care.”
And there you have this week’s conjunction of the Sun in authoritative Capricorn with its ruling planet, Saturn (Jan. 13, 7:15 am PST), and with Pluto, the planet of power (Jan. 13, 5:20 am PST). Being in a position of authority is a tricky thing. Using force to further your aims will only take you so far. The most effective leaders, like the best parents, are the ones who find a way of making us want to do our best. When you think of the best teacher you’ve had, the best boss, a favorite mentor, you’re not thinking of someone who relied on threats and intimidation to make you do things their way. You’re thinking of the ones who held you accountable for doing your best. The ones who, as the internet meme goes, impressed you not with how powerful they were, but how powerful you are.
If you’re in a position of leadership, this is an important week for you. Will you push your agenda without consideration of other opinions, threaten and bully others into doing your bidding? Or will you encourage them to step up, take authority, and stand in their own power?
A Soft Place to Fall
Venus enters Pisces this week (Jan. 13, 10:39 am PST), and not a moment too soon. It’s not surprising that in these raw, Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn times – when many of us feel bent, spindled, and mutilated – a film has been released about gentle, kindly Fred Rogers, born with Venus in this sign.
I grew up watching this gentle man with the high, unusual voice, who began each episode singing a sunny little song as he entered his house, hung up his jacket, and donned his slippers and his favorite cardigan. He played with trains and puppets, including my favorite, Daniel the Tiger. And at some point, there was always a very good chance that Mr. Rogers would turn to the camera and tell the viewer, “I like you just the way you are.” To this day, whenever I see a clip of him saying that, I kind of want to cry. Because in a tough world, who doesn’t wish for exactly that kind of acceptance, that soft place to fall?
Fred Rogers was an über-Pisces, with the Sun and Balsamic Moon in that sign along with Mercury and Venus. A Presbyterian minister, his devotion to the development and psychological well-being of children was the cornerstone of his life’s work. To watch Mr. Rogers at work was to sink into a soothing bath of kindness and validation. No one was harsh or punitive in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
I’m not going to present Pisces as a saint. But I will say that when it is operating on all cylinders – and Venus in Pisces often does – it is the most tender, empathetic, joyful of signs. It inspires us to see the best in one another. To like each other, just the way we are.
You’re a genius
Mercury enters Aquarius this week (Jan. 16, 10:31 am PST). This is among the best signs for Mercury, one in which it excels at capturing unique ideas and connecting them together in innovative ways. Where do inventors come up with their ideas? What about Mozart, born with a powerful Sun/Mercury/Saturn conjunction in this sign, opposed Neptune? It’s said he could write down a complete opera with no changes, as though he were simply transcribing it.
Mozart is a dramatic example of Mercury in Aquarius, which works a bit like dialing into a particular radio wave. It’s the synapses firing, passing electrical signals from neuron to neuron. It gathers together little packets of divine genius and snaps them together like tinker toys. Looking for a good week to embark on a project that needs ideas and inspiration? This is it. You’ll be amazed to find what a genius you are. But don’t commit to anything too soon; expect a sharp change in direction as Mercury squares Uranus on January 18 (0:32 am PST).
Have you been fair?
I was born with the Saturn in Capricorn, and sometimes my tough, Capricorn father rises up in me, determined to get something done at all costs … and the costs are sometimes human ones.
The Libra Last Quarter Moon (Jan. 17, 4:58 am PST) comes each year when the Sun is in Capricorn and offers a necessary balance to worldly ambitions. “Have you been fair?” asks the Last Quarter Moon in Libra, and, “Have you sacrificed the rights of others in pursuing your goals?” Sometimes, we have to answer in the affirmative. But sometimes, the balance required is that we stop short-changing our Capricorn ambitions in favor of what others want from us. Fair is fair – and you need to make sure you are treated fairly, as well as treating others that way.
This week on the podcast, Jen and I explore Venus in Pisces, Mercury in Aquarius, and my secret love of Bob Ross!
And if you’d like some help plotting your strategies for 2020, book a personal reading with me!
© 2020 by April Elliott Kent
