“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds”
William Shakespeare
On the 3rd of November 2015, Mars & Venus met at 24 degrees of Virgo, the last decan, which was the last time that these celestial lovers were joined by conjunction. Although Venus drew close, towards the end of February this year, she didn’t quite catch Mars, she had work to do, assignations to keep, and they lost each other again. On October the 5th, next week, just before the perfection of The Full Moon, they finally meet again, at 19 degrees, the middle decan of Virgo. This current seeding cycle culminates as they reach opposition on the 21st of June next year, at 9 degrees of Leo & Aquarius.
So looking at the cards involved, the last cycle originated with The Ten of Disks, and using the energy of The Universe, moves towards The Nine of Disks, whilst in the cycle that is to come, we move from The Nine of Disks, travel the path of The Sun, towards The Eight of Disks which will be where the next cycle is seeded. Thereafter, the next conjunction will be in the middle decan of Leo, The Six of Wands and in order to get there, the path of The Devil.
This is all rather interesting to me, as an astrologer and tarot geek, because the last time that there were three Mars Venus conjunctions consecutively in the same sign, was in the late fifties, in Leo, and the next and last time this century, will be in twenty years time, in Scorpio. But…… “what does it all mean……?”
The planet Venus is not well placed in the sign of Virgo, and does not reach her full potential here, so I have been thinking how this translates when there are three consecutive Mars Venus conjunctions in this sign.
Linking all the symbolism together, I get the feeling that the challenge of the last cycle, has been to recognise that material perfection is a mirage, and that we may well have attracted situations to us, that have challenged us to realise this. Matters surrounding our creativity, our values, our relationships and our self worth, may well have forced us to look beneath the surface, and to see that the only things that really matter, are often that which is unseen and intangible. Money is spent, possessions break and are mislaid, jobs are unsatisfactory, holidays are over, people die, relationships fail, and we can often feel let down when the situations and people in our lives, and even ourselves, do not live up to our own expectations. We look into the mirror and see that the years have passed, and we too are failing, imperfect and losing our life force. This of course is the signal that we may need, in order to seek a deeper meaning, to look beneath the surface, to find the reality of what we seek, rather than resting in the ephemeral physicality of life.
To become aware of the beauty of the cyclical nature of existence, has, I feel, been the message of this cycle. Rather than any vain attempt to preserve what is dying or to maintain what needs to depart from our lives, we have perhaps had to learn to accept that the end is also the beginning, as shown by the card of The Universe. In this way we can come to accept that not only is life is a series of cycles, but that physical beauty is only skin deep, speaking little of the beauty that lies within.
In the next part of this Virgo Cycle, we come from The Nine of Disks, along the path of The Sun, and arrive at The Eight of Disks. Venus has more power in this decan, and we can see her attributions on the card of The Nine of Disks. With an eye for detail, and the desire for a perfect outcome, the task for the next cycle is to draw “quality” into our lives. Remembering that the value of something does not necessarily depend at all on the outer appearance could be a valuable lesson here, as we are urged to find the ability to allow the “true inner beauty” shine through into our lives, into who we are and to be expressed through what we do in the world. Letting our own “light” shine into our lives, regardless of what we look like, how old we are, what our income is, or how far we have progressed up the social ladder could be a liberating experience, giving us the chance to gain a better understanding of ourselves, and the order and disorder of our passions and desires. Embracing the full gamut of our fertility, our processes, our skill and our imperfections can hopefully lead us into a clearer understanding of the true nature of value, of worth and of love, so that we can have better, more fulfilling, more accepting and more healing relationships, both with ourselves and with others.
My name is Joanna Grant, I am an Astrologer, Tarot Reader and Writer, who lives on the 
beautiful Beara Peninsula in the South West of Ireland. I can often be found at home, deep in arcane research, or practicing some new form of divination whilst burning the dinner! My children probably wish that I was “normal” but may well remember my eccentricities fondly when they come to face the challenges of their own paths. My long knowledge of Astrology leads and informs my practice, in offering guidance, empowerment and healing, helping others to lead a more authentic and magical life. You can read more about me here.
Joanna-Kate Grant 