Have you ever been in a difficult situation or circumstance where you can’t necessarily explain why, but you feel like it’s a natural process that for some strange reason just needs to happen and so you’re ok with it? This is a great way of explaining the nature of the energy of what is happening in the sky this week. There are a couple of different factors to explain here to understand why this is the case. There are some things that I have been discussing for awhile that have been ongoing—such as Saturn conjunct Ketu and Mercury being retrograde. There is also something that is new this week—namely Venus is occupying a very prominent placement in the middle of this.
The Chains That Bind Us
Saturn has been conjunct Ketu (also known as the south node of the Moon) in Capricorn for the better part of the last four months. I’ve written several articles about this conjunction as it is involving the nodes of the Moon and having an impact upon the ongoing eclipse cycles. The gist of this energy is that of a confining and restricting feeling in which one is somewhat trapped in an old way of acting, thinking, or being that no longer fits them. This is particularly prominent as Saturn and Ketu draw ever closer in the sign of Capricorn, meaning that their energy is getting more intense until they reach the exact degree of conjunction.
Whereas earlier I mentioned that this energy is restricting, perhaps a more precise description of this energy is that it is repressive or even oppressive. There is usually a situation that arises from this in which an individual is well-versed in the area of life where this is occurring and has experience working with it. It is typically something that has been in place for a long time and probably served a purpose at one point. However, its once appearance as useful has now evolved into something that is holding the individual back and no longer suits them. While there is a desire to break free from this binding set of circumstances, the main thing working against an individual is that this way of being serves a practical purpose of some sort and doesn’t necessarily need to be abolished. It just no longer suits them in presenting who they are and how they want to be seen in the world.
Mercury & Indecision
Mercury has been retrograde for the last couple of weeks and thankfully this is finally coming to an end. However, Mercury is still being strongly influenced by Saturn’s special planetary aspect. This shows that Mercury is still not functioning fully in its capacity for us to easily see exactly what our options are and to choose the one that will make the most sense for us going forward. When Mercury is restricted by Saturn, it either fails to be assertive and sure of itself in the decision-making process or it rushes to a decision too quickly without taking in all the possible factors. It typically results either in inaction or in being too impulsive.
The reason the decision-making process is brought to the forefront is due to Mercury’s placement in the sign of Pisces. This is the sign of acceptance, of surrender, and of not needing to change things. This goes against Mercury’s grain which is to always work to make things better, to be a perfectionist. When in Pisces, Mercury’s ability to be decisive and see all the options is somewhat hindered as the inherent energy of the sign is to want to leave things as is. In fact, in Vedic Astrology, Mercury is known as “debilitated” or “fallen” in the sign of Pisces as the energy of this sign is the least conducive to Mercury performing its native functionality. Plus, with Mercury’s known quality of being retrograde and the influence of Saturn, there are almost three things working against Mercury at this time.
It is important also to keep in mind that the influence of Saturn to Mercury is very important because it shows that this confining quality of Saturn as discussed earlier is influencing Mercury’s ability to decide which direction to take next. Whereas there is a desire to break free from the bonds of oppression, at this time with this influence to Mercury by Saturn, people feel even more stuck because they can’t easily think their way out of things and arrive at the next logical steps to break free. Now, if only there were something happening to bail Mercury out…
Venus To The Rescue
And sure enough, the main planet that can really assist Mercury is coming into Pisces to join up with it—and that is the great benefic planet of Venus. Not only is Venus a natural gentle planet that helps to alleviate burdens and find comfort, but in Vedic Astrology it is known to share a mutually amicable natural planetary relationship with that of Mercury. Both of these planets, when mutually influencing each other like they are by being conjunct in the same sign, are known to support and help to promote the others’ natural agenda.
Venus and Mercury serve similar purposes but utilize distinctly different means. They both share a role in the decision-making process, but go about it in ways that almost seem opposite. Mercury is very dry, factual, and uber-practical and arrives at decisions by going through all the possible options and weighing all the facts and practical values against each other to arrive at a conclusion. Venus is different because it has a poetic nature about it in which it can’t be expressed necessarily by comparing practical values, but by having an unspeakable way of knowing what will bring the most value and comfort to an individual. With Venus influencing Mercury, it helps Mercury see which options will feel the best and bring the most peace and contentment. It will alleviate Mercury’s need to keep looking for a fix by letting it feel happy with the way things are because they provide the most value to meet the individual’s needs.
Another fact about why Venus is really bailing out Mercury here is that Venus, which is quite opposite Mercury, is what is known in Vedic Astrology as being “exalted” in the sign of Pisces. This is the sign where Venus performs the best because it helps Venus to really be in tune with accepting that things are perfectly fine the way they are. It is about being completely content with the things that are in one’s life and seeing them as perfect as they are, even if they are flawed or a bit rough around the edges.
A Bit Of Acceptance Goes A Long Way
What this ultimately means in the bigger picture is that during this time of wanting to break free from one’s constraints, this isn’t necessarily the time of doing so, but of being perfectly ok with the place that one is at in this process. A lot of the time we see where we need to go and where we want to be and sometimes even pine for the finished product to manifest itself right away. However, thankfully, this is not that. This is the time in which one takes a step back and realizes that everything is perfect just the way it is. This is where everyone sees that they are at the perfect step in their evolutionary process and see it as a completely natural place to be and therefore they can find more peace with it. It’s not the time to go, not the time to feel stuck, but the time to accept that everything is working out just the way it needs to—even if it is a pain in the neck at the moment.
