This month sees Venus conjunct Mars appear in the heavens. It’s a transiting conjunction that will pass through Capricorn and move into Aquarius, and it will be a feature in our skies for the next two months. Everyone gets excited about Venus-Mars conjunctions and with this one falling into place around Valentine’s Day, many of us may be expecting great things on the romantic front this year. As life is easing up from the restrictions of the past two years, some romance would be very welcome indeed!
However, it’s not all hearts and flowers. As with any relationship, it sometimes takes a great deal of compromise to get things right – and before that happens there may be a few arguments as both planets fight over who is going to get star billing. Mars is always competitive. And Venus? She’s no pushover. That girl knows what she wants and will use all of her charms to achieve that.
In this post, I want to remind you of all of the things we associate with Venus conjunct Mars, as there is rather more to it than the sentimental greetings cards we send out at this time of year. Ultimately this transit speaks more of the transitional phase that the world seems to be in right now – though there is no doubt that, for many of us, our relationships (and our finances) will be affected too. So, I’m going to begin by reminding you of the basic meaning of Venus conjunct Mars.
Venus Conjunct Mars: The Basics
What do we expect from Venus conjunct Mars? Let’s deal with the conjunction bit first. This is an intense aspect that attempts to blend the qualities of both planets, and because they are located on the same degree (or within orb) then it gives the aspect an intense focus that cannot be ignored. It’s not the easiest of aspects either. A lot of energy is being produced and that can be challenging if the energies of each planet are discordant in any way.
So, do Venus and Mars get along? Relationships are complex – and that’s true even when the planets in question are Venus and Mars. The ‘lovers’ of the zodiac are beset by all of the issues you would associate with any relationship. Mars is sexy, aggressive, driven, competitive and wants his own way. Venus is beautiful, charming and seductive – but also demanding and high maintenance. In romantic terms, it can make for a passionate yet tempestuous relationship. And that’s true of the pairing’s astrology too.
So, over the next two months, we need to look out for all permutations of the things we know are associated with Venus and Mars. Desire and passion. Money and sex. Anger and compromise. War and peace. Diplomacy and aggression. Love and hate. Collaboration and competition. There are many more word pairs that describe the potentials of this duo, but the key themes to draw from this transiting conjunction are those that relate to self-interest and assertion (Mars) and the ways in which that assertion needs to respect equality and fairness (Venus).
Of course, as a transiting pair, the effects of Venus conjunct Mars are not going to be static. They change signs and, on the way, they form an important conjunction with Pluto before moving into Aquarius. This affects how the energies contained in the Venus conjunct Pluto transit are expressed and it may also influence the kinds of issues we see being brought to our attention, in both in our personal lives and beyond.
Venus Conjunct Mars: The Capricorn Transit
The Venus-Mars conjunction has been approaching since the beginning of February and becomes exact on 16th February (16˚ Capricorn). Capricorn is a cool and business-like place for the star-crossed lovers to meet and it suggests that this pair mean business. But what kind of business? Business is what happens when two sides meet to cut a deal. They meet as equals and whatever they agree has to be fair and equal – even though they may have met because one side wanted something that the other was only prepared to give – at a price.
That’s Capricorn’s influence in action; something needs resolving so two sides come together to do so – and there are many things in this world that are demanding that kind of attention right now. This is a time for important negotiations and, with Capricorn’s influence, I feel they are more likely to be financially, materially and business oriented – even in our private lives. So, keeping a cool head as you negotiate your way through the next few weeks may be something you have to do – especially if love or money are part of the deal.
However, the saying, “All is fair in love and war” also applies to Venus conjunct Mars and it suggests that at this time we may see examples of game-playing, cheating, lying, underhanded strategies and so-on come to the fore. Capricorn often signifies important matters and important people – so watch out for some real back-stabbing in the weeks to come. People are often tempted to behave badly (Mars) if they feel their hold on money (Venus) and status (Capricorn) is slipping away.
Venus Conjunct Mars: Meet Pluto
On March 3rd, Venus conjunct Mars makes a conjunction with Pluto at 27˚ Capricorn. Pluto is always a game-changer and often in ways that are difficult to deal with. So, whatever issues are being played out between Venus and Mars, Pluto represents a kind of culmination that needs to be dealt with – and it may seem like lancing a boil. The things that may be apparent at this time are all of the things we associate with these three planets – desire, aggression and power.
Passionate love becomes a passionate ‘love triangle’ as deception, infidelity and dark secrets are revealed. Cheating and lying become too obvious to ignore – and that’s true of financial and business relationships too. Fraud and corruption are not unknown with this Pluto contact – and scandals of a sexual or financial nature may come to light at this time. Pluto is also the ultimate purgative. If something needs to be ‘got rid of’, Pluto is the ‘go to’ planet. Pluto usually comes for us rather than the other way around – but it’s always better to work with its energy than against it.
Is Venus conjunct Mars and conjunct Pluto going to be a real disaster in your private life? Not necessarily. If you have been hiding something from your partner then I would be starting to feel nervous if I were you. And It’s true you may find a (small) crisis on your hands at this time. However, it’s not all bad. Some of you may realise that it’s time to make commitments or move relationships (or investments) onto another level. It’s about re-structuring. And that’s transformative and much easier to handle under this influence.
Venus Conjunct Mars: The Aquarius Transit
Soon after the plutonic dust settles, on March 6th, Venus conjunct Mars moves into Aquarius. As with all of the other Capricorn-Aquarius transitions we have seen in the recent past, this represents a change of scene. Aquarius represents new conditions – and it’s socially concerned too. So, time for a party? Could be. However, It’s more likely to direct the assertive and collaborative energies of Venus conjunct Mars towards social issues rather than a big night out.
What may become clear during this second part of the transit, is that partnerships and agreements of all kinds – and both personal and public – need to be put into a new form as the old one is clearly not fit for purpose. New conditions are often a good thing so we may have to embrace change where ‘Venus and Mars’ themes emerge in our lives. There could be a revolution (of sorts) going on in your relationships or there could be financial reform that is related to your own sense of independence and empowerment.
Again, it’s about looking carefully at those Venus conjunct Mars themes and seeing how they are working out in your life. It’s always good to strive to meet an ideal and with Venus conjunct Mars in Aquarius, you may have the opportunity to take the lead and be pro-active (Mars) in working out what you want (Venus) to do and where you want to go in this life. That may seem like a fairly major vision – but idealistic visions are what Aquarius is about – and if you’ve been released from those limiting Capricorn structures, then that may be the way forward for you.
Venus Conjunct Mars: The Big Picture
To finish, I felt I had to look at the bigger picture surrounding the Venus conjunct Mars transit. It’s taking place at a time when there is a pile-up of planets in Capricorn – Mercury and Pluto are conjunct in that sign as I write this post – so there is a serious side to this transiting conjunction and that may be due to it taking place in serious times. There is a lot of pressure building up in this sign and, to me, that shows that it’s ‘time’ for something to happen.
One of the things that I have noticed about the Venus conjunct Mars transit is how it picks up on some of the themes I’ve been writing about over the past couple of years. Relationships – or taking sides if you prefer – has been a big thing for all of us. Maybe this transit, which crosses over from the ‘old to the new’ and acknowledges that there is a point of no return along the way, is a reminder that ultimately none of us are immune to change.
As with all major celestial events, to assess how you may be affected, look at your own natal chart and see whether the Venus conjunct Mars transit – and the additional conjunction to Pluto – are in aspect to any major planet or point in your own natal chart. This is an unusually long-lasting transiting conjunction so be prepared for events, big decisions (made with your partner of course) and perhaps even a change of direction that is long overdue. And as none of us can stop change, you may as well greet it like a long lost lover.
© Sara Shipman 2022
Picture credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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