The clash of Saturn and Uranus is where old meets new; we can no longer wallow in our comfort zones. Preaching to one another about how it ‘used’ to be and the good old days will not get us through this collision. There’s no such thing as the good old days, as any serious study of global history will show. We have had periods of peace and periods of war - this is the cyclic nature of life. The involvement of Venus in this forceful confrontation can have far reaching effects on individual relationships and love lives. Current relationships may no longer feel satisfying, especially for those who have important points, planets, or lights at 17 - 20 degrees Virgo/Pisces and Sagittarius/Gemini (Check your natal, synastry, composite, and progressed charts to see what’s being activated for you and your relationships personally). The old way of relating no longer cuts it…some relationships may blow up entirely by the end of November as Venus makes a second connection (sextile) to Uranus on November 28th, the very day after Uranus turns direct. She follows this up with a quickly blown kiss (trine) to Saturn on the 29th. For those who aren’t quite ready to pack their bags and run, the Saturn/Uranus/Venus T-square will force partners to deal with underlying issues in the relationship that have been lingering for some time. Saturn builds up structure, grounds, and stabilizes partnerships but after awhile lovers tend to fall into a rut and end up bored out of their minds with one another. With Uranus approaching Saturn in retrograde motion, karmic doors can swing wide open in the psyches of individuals and there may be a (seemingly) sudden call for revolution in the way relationship is handled. Anger may be available in abundance (helped along by Venus’ opposition to Pallas and semisextile to Mars)…if you have been having problems in an ongoing love relationship, sparks may well fly on November 3 - 4, 2008. Men may have a tendency to feel attacked by their partners and may withdraw (dragging on the Saturnian energy), only to make matters worse. Venus will be prepared to reveal her uglier side if Saturn and Uranus are unable to find a workable solution…this includes manipulation, ploys for attention, and using sex as a weapon. Don’t make her do that! She will do anything to turn the tide in her favor - you have been warned. If a love situation deteriorates to this point, there will be no winners in the end.
Saturn in Virgo will want to focus on all the details and dredge up wrongs made in the past. He will be happy to point out exactly what is going right or wrong in a relationship and he will want to come up with solutions that will improve the structure of the partnership. Yet his focus on the past and how it was leaves little room for what is now, and what will be, could be, in the future. His cold and critical stance can infuriate both Venus and Uranus, and all at once. Saturn’s traditional stance in love, especially in marriage, focuses on ‘Until death do we part.’ No matter what happens between two lovers, Saturn wants to hold the relationship together…he fails to recognize just how unhappy his partner may be (indeed, he doesn’t even recognize how unhappy he may be!) because he just wants to keep everything the same. Uranus, however, wants to have more space, more freedom to develop and breathe in the scent of the collective. He doesn’t have much appreciation for old things or even stable ones…he is comfortable with change and loves to upset rotting applecarts and stale love affairs. In Pisces, Uranus is very attuned to the collective energy and intuitively knows that to stay in the same place goes against the purpose of life itself. When Saturn and Uranus confront one another, there is a great opportunity for creative and empowered, purposeful change. Saturn can help stabilize Uranus’ out-of-control energy and ground it enough to be constructive. Uranus can rock Saturn from his stance and show him that reformation can lead to greater growth and help secure future stability. With Venus caught up between these two, it is very clear to me that it is time to experiment with Love…within relatively stable relationships, it is time to openly share how you are feeling with one another and to express any ideas you may have to improve the quality of your love life. Unstable relationships may become much more difficult, especially if one of you wants to make changes and the other clings to outmoded beliefs and feelings concerning how a relationship should function. If one of you is unhappy and the other isn’t willing to discuss making changes to improve the situation, there may really be no other option than to walk away and end the partnership. The Saturn/Venus/Uranus T-square energy may prove to be the final catalyst that helps you to see that you are doing no one any favor by staying in a relationship that is draining, unsatisfying, and a dead end. Sometimes we have to let loved ones go in order to live ourselves.
Taking this energy as a Grand Cross, we have a containment of tense, almost war-like situation. Luckily the planets (Venus, Saturn, Uranus) and the asteroid (Pallas) are all in mutable signs…this means that there is some flexibility here, and Venus may be able to charm the others into some sort of surface harmony long enough to actually discuss what is going on, which could lead to satisfactory problem solving. Of course this depends on the personalities of the two partners involved, their history together, their evolutionary level, and how this Grand Cross is connected to the individual and relationship charts. Another factor is the face Pallas decides to show…she has great healing power and can help Saturn and Uranus find a way to balance and integrate their conflicting energies - IF (and that is a big If) she wants to. She also is a fine mediator and counselor as long as she is not outraged or feels the ‘little’ people are being taken advantage of. If one of the partners in the relationship appear to be victimized by the other, Pallas will defend the underdog very verbally, perhaps poetically (she’s in Gemini) but the power of her words could be startling to stern Saturn or unsettle Uranus (who really doesn’t want to be here anyway). It is quite possible that Pallas will be too vocal, too certain of what she is putting forth, and add further friction to the potent Saturn/Uranus brew…she will tend to side with the Uranian partner, which will lead to overloaded nervous systems, erratic thinking, and Saturn’s stern and cold withdrawal if they are ganging up on him and accusing him of being the source of the trouble. Venus will not take kindly to Pallas’ interference (they are opposing one another) and before we know it, the situation could quickly escalate into a war…perhaps a distant ‘cold’ war, but a war nonetheless. Again, once Venus reveals her uglier side there will be no winners.
Hasty decisions could be made almost immediately in long-painful situations…however, it is important to keep in mind that while it may seem sudden, in reality what happens between two partners in early November is really just the icing on the cake. The cake itself may have taken years to bake (Saturn) but Uranus is going to be quick about spreading the icing. The cake is already stale, the icing fresh…but who in their right mind wants to eat it?? Only Saturn…he will take a huge bite just to prove his point. No way is Venus going to let a crumb get near her lips…Pallas is appalled that Saturn took so long to bake a simple cake, and Uranus is content licking the frosting bowl. If you are the one thinking about breaking free of a partnership, you may have all the planetary support needed to break away in November…if you haven’t started the process early in the month, you may well do so more calmly as November comes to a close. For those of you facing a potential separation and it is the last thing you desire, then you must open up to change. If a lover asks you to enter counseling with him or her, do it. If changes need to be made to satisfy you both, be willing to discuss it. Closing off, getting angry, or criticizing a lover will backfire. Not much can grow in the tundra. Finding common ground may not be easy now, but for love to grow it is imperative that partners compromise and work together to find new, more fulfilling, avenues of expression.
Venus caught in the Crossfire Chart
Relationship consulting and counseling with Dena
