Convents, Outlaws, and Butter Knives
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Why do you care?
I grew up in Southern California, a few miles from the ocean. I landed here a squat, brown-haired farm girl in a land of long, lean, tanned blondes; they were girls who looked exactly the way you’d expect Venus in Libra to look if she took human form. The beach was their domain, not mine. No one wanted to see me in a two-piece bathing suit.
Instead, I spent a lot of time alone, in quiet places. Lacking beauty, I mastered Venus’ other forms, like music and good conversation. Rather than broiling myself to a toasty brown, I perched in a tree in our backyard, reading books. I cultivated a beautiful inner garden.
As Venus in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn (Sep. 30, 9:18 pm), know that Pluto is not inclined to give his approval. If you ask him whether you’re pretty, he’ll ask, “Why do you care?” And if you’re pretty and used to special treatment, prepare for disappointment. Bat your eyes at him and he’ll roll his.
In the end, it doesn’t matter whether the world finds you beautiful. But it sure matters whether you do.
Leaving the convent
O n October 2, Pluto turns direct (Oct. 2, 11:39 pm). Back in late April, it turned retrograde, on the degree of the Sabian Symbol A woman entering a convent.
I was preparing then for a speaking and pleasure trip across the southwest. The trip got off to a rough start and after just a few days, it fell apart. Back home, our cat had landed in the pet hospital, near death and we came home to spend what we imagined were her last days with her. She left the hospital, frail and silent, a few days later. I spent hours resting next to her, lost in anticipatory grief.
Five months later, she’s back to full strength, and her vet is astonished at her resilience. And after months of cloistering with her as she struggled to regain her health, I can leave for my next speaking trip in a few weeks without fear. We’ve come a long way together, she and I. We’re ready to leave the convent.
A quiet man
N ever turn your back on a quiet man. The less someone speaks, the more they hear, see, and notice – and knowledge is power.
Mercury enters Scorpio, the sign of the quiet man, on Oct. 3 (1:14 am PDT), and will spend a particularly long time there, including its next retrograde period (Oct. 31-Nov. 20). Scorpio’s a sign of perception, of gathering intelligence; it’s a magical, creative sign for Mercury, too. Most of all, it’s a sign in which Mercury refuses to countenance dishonesty or subterfuge – though he isn’t complete averse to engaging in sins of omission or misdirection, should they suit his purpose.
While Mercury is in Scorpio (through Dec. 9), speak little, listen lots, and watch everything.
Mars in a morning suit
W hat does a warrior do when he’s forced to wear his morning suit for breakfast and eat with his pinkie sticking out? He behaves charmingly, sparkles with wit, and when no one is looking he picks up his butter knife and rubs his fingertip across its blade, wishing it were a little bit sharper.
Mars, the warrior planet,enters Libra, the sign of fairness, peace, and pleasure this week (Oct. 3, 9:22 pm) for a nearly five-week stay. It last visited this genteel sign in the fall of 2017; this could be a beneficial time to revisit any projects that were left uncompleted then, or conflicts left unresolved.
It’s definitely time to clear the air and restore balance to your life, particularly in your relationships. Not just romantic relationships, either, but all your important relationships —with friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers – need recalibration. Mars in Libra prefers to avoid conflict, but a Mars restrained can become an edgy Mars. Tension and frustration build as Mars transits here, particularly as it approaches its squares to Saturn (Oct. 27) and Pluto (Nov. 5).
Square dance
T he Sun’s square to the Lunar Nodes (Oct. 6, 11:29 am) is the caller at a square dance yelling, “Change yer partner!” Midway through the year’s eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn, many of us are at turning points in family relations, living situations, and career direction. If you’re trying to make a decision now about whether to renew tired commitments strictly out of obligation, or whether to move toward juicier, more nourishing possibilities, the Sun’s square to the Nodes forces the issue. You don’t have to have all the answers, just know that you can safely choose the direction with heart and know that, somehow, you’ll arrive at your destination.
The outlaw
A Mercury opposed Uranus (Oct. 6, 11:17 pm) fable: The quiet, Mercury in Scorpio man we met earlier is walking through a tranquil field just before midnight. It’s been a heavy day; faced with a difficult situation at home, his mind is troubled and his heart is aching. Grateful for a quiet moment by himself, he pauses for a moment on an obliging tree stump, admiring the Quarter Moon hanging high in the middle of the night sky.
Suddenly, something presses in the center of his back. Startled, he cries out, jumps up, and turns to find himself looking straight into the eye of a cow.
This is his field, but this is not his cow. He and this cow are strangers. This is an outlaw cow.
They stare at each other for a moment. He wonders whether he should try to find out where the cow came from and help it get back home. While he’s considering the matter, the cow turns and ambles off.
The adrenaline rush is subsiding. The man’s breathing is returning to normal. And his head is clearer and his heart is lighter as he heads for home.
© 2019 by April Elliott Kent
