Venus, our planet of attraction and acquisition, opposes death daddy Pluto on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 1:54 p.m.
This standoff is as fraught as it is fertile, as the rot/renewal energy of Pluto accelerates transformation in romantic relationships.
This opposition takes place days after Venus climbs onto the gilded throne of Leo, a sign that, at its lower vibration, is more than willing to trade what’s true for what flatters.
Pluto retrograde in Aquarius is having none of that stuff.
Venus wants a pleasure palace of easy connection, but Pluto wants what’s real and bone-deep, even — and especially — if it hurts.
This opposition is not a punishment but a reckoning that reminds us that there is no real love without the totality, terror and tenderness of raw honesty.
An opposition, as astrologer @astrologicallyursxo beautifully details, is essentially when two celestial bodies have what the other needs.
“Think of it as yin and yang. You have to have respect for one another. There can be a power play.”
And with Pluto in the mix, there is always power at play.
“One planet has to admit the other one has what they need and has to be respectful and grateful for what the other celestial body is bringing to the table.”
Because Venus rules finances and Pluto is the lord of loss and debts, this is a pull between what we have and what we owe/are owed.
Even though it’s unsexy to think about, the material and the romantic are bound together. Ask any couple’s therapist what the two primary sources of conflict in a relationship are, and they’ll tell you sex and money.
In kind, and under the tightrope of this opposition, issues related to financial betrayal, energetic siphoning, inauthentic expression, dubious intentions or emotional inequity may come to light or reach a critical mass.
Pluto taketh away, but only to giveth again, and in this sense, whatever or whomever we’re thinking of cutting loose is, in effect, us cutting our losses and setting free our vitality.
The power struggle of this opposition will hit hardest for the following zodiac signs.
Your ruling planet opposes Pluto this week, Taurus, highlighting tensions between your personal and professional spheres.
As a Venusian creature, you are particularly sensitive to these celestial turnings, which could express themselves as familial disappointment over your partner or an ill-advised liaison with a work colleague.
Pleasure is always your governing principle, Taurus, but in these trying times, is the juice worth the squeeze, and the satisfaction the shade?
Venus in your sign and your first house of the self has you feeling fine as wine, Leo, but your magnetism is opposed and oppressed by power-hungry, death-daddy Pluto in your seventh house of partnerships.
This energy could highlight controlling tendencies, jealous leanings and manipulative tactics in potential partners.
Beware love-bombing and the heady high of high drama, as they are the future fumes of discontent. During this transit, you may be tempted to leave a tried and true situation for a flash in the pan with someone who feels wildly different from you or a total deviation from your standard type.
Keep in mind that how it starts is usually how it ends. Be careful out there.
Hot as hellfire, Libra, your sexual escapades could become a powderkeg in ways both titillating and terrifying when your ruling planet faces off against Pluto.
Pluto is currently grave-digging in your fifth house of pleasure, opposing Venus in your 11th house of community, suggesting whomever you’re caught up with could be a close friend, an untoward flame from the past, or a controversial figure who sets your friend group on fire.
Or it could be that someone you count as a friend has a candle lit for your lover.
This is a passion that must be played out to pay out, Libra.
Let it burn.
Pluto in your first house of the self opposes Venus in your seventh house of partnerships, Aquarius, creating a tension between being wanted and needing to be free.
Despite — or perhaps because of — your clear desire for distance, you could inspire obsession in others. Do not let flattery or insistence push you into commitment. You’ll be able to tell the real from the rest by the way your body responds to them.
If all else fails, and because you aren’t above being off-puttingly weird, smell their armpit.
I mean it: Whether you lean in or pull back is as valid a love test as any.
If it is the latter, I leave you with the words of meditation maven Sharon Salzberg:
“If you go deeper and deeper into your own heart, you’ll be living in a world with less fear, isolation and loneliness.”
With love and power playing tug of war with you, don’t settle for ordinary company when you could be repatriating your spirit with solitude.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
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