Venus and Mars - star crossed lovers

I'm in a horary astrology group on Facebook - my most favourite group from which I'm learning so much about this branch of astrology.  The word horary derives from the Latin word Horarius - meaning of the hour that the question is asked to the heavenly bodies.  Meaning is found Here.  I wrote a comment, in response to a question about the interplay between Venus and Mars for the coming year.  While understanding astrological aspects is certainly helpful, I wrote my response out of the blue, and in a tragi-comedic way, which allows anyone to understand.  It's fair to say that my narrative is a cautionary tale, pertaining to questions surrounding love and romance for the next two years! 

I was asked when the next sextile would be (two planets in a harmonious aspect of 60 degrees.  For example, Venus in Gemini applies to Mars in Aries) between Venus and Mars.  I unearthed a lot more than I originally saw at a glance!

My story begins, with the last sextile between Venus and Mars on 4th December, 2019.  Venus was in Capricorn, while Mars was in Scorpio.  Venus does rather well in this sign.  Standing alone, she is in her own element of earth.  Mars also does well in the water sign of Scorpio, as sign ruler and element ruler of water.  Feelings are mutual between them, because Venus is in the sign where Mars has elevated status (by exaltation), while Mars is frustrated by Venus in his own house.  This is called a detriment, because her true home is in Taurus, while Scorpio is the opposite.  So while the feelings are mutual with the sextile, we can already see issues stirring beneath.  Mars isn't happy, while Venus worships him.

Matters are coming to a head when Venus and Mars square off with each other on 27th January.  It will have taken the better part of six weeks and two sign changes for Venus to be in Pisces, while Mars has plodded along and moved only by one sign.  Venus is definitely more at home in this sign, now that her status of exaltation is heightened.  Mars, unfortunately, is now restless, since he's not only out of his sign but also out of his home.  Did Venus give Mars the big heave ho?  Or did he leave of his own accord, only to realise how much better he had it previously?

Here is where the love story between Venus and Mars gets complicated :D Apparently, there is a change of heart between them.  Two months later, there's an attempt to try again.  At the end of March, before Venus in Taurus (now in her own home and frustrated with Mars, since this is the sign of his detriment) can perfect a trine (a much better aspect than a sextile, at 120 degrees apart) with Mars in Capricorn (his turn for elevated status), he changes signs and moves into Aquarius. Itchy feet again?  Left Venus hanging?  Hopefully not at the altar!  

Venus, probably well and truly ropeable with Mars at this point, lets him be.  Mars couldn't understand what the fuss was about while he was in Capricorn, doing his best to work hard and make Venus happy while she was feeling rather indulgent at home.  He may have had enough of all the hard work, when all she wanted to do was carry on like some precious princess who believed that whatever poor old Mars did wasn't good enough.  So off he goes again, in the search for freedom under Aquarius, despite being away from home.  He may appreciate how the other half live and find himself on this faraway trip.  

While this is going on with Mars, Venus moves out of Taurus into Gemini.  The princess may now be seeing two sides to this story and she still wants to meet with Mars in Aquarius by trine, in the hope of reconciling their differences and communicate responsibly. This double bodied sign is slowing her down severely; she may as well be swimming in mud. Mars is speeding up and moving further away, perhaps really enjoying himself for the first time in ages. By the middle of May, Venus has fallen well back in the field and proceeds to move Retrograde (a backwards motion that all planets experience at some point), while Mars steamrolls in Pisces.

The sad saga of Venus pining for her lost love continues while she - through no real fault of her own - is pulled into Retrograde. Looking back would offer Venus a moment of soul searching and some serious thinking.  They will meet in another mutable square on 3rd June this year, before Mars continues moving forward. Venus is too caught up with her own stuff by now to care for any crossed words between them, so she gives Mars space once more - not before passing a smart remark on her way through, mind.  

Having enjoyed some overdue socialising with friends - with possibly many drinks along the way and nursing some hangovers - Venus is direct again on 25th June at 5 degrees Gemini and desires to catch up with Mars again. Mars, in the meantime is out of Pisces and back home in Aries. Owing to how Venus is already 6 degrees at the beginning of July this year, there's no chance of a sextile (cooperation) forming, because now it's Venus' turn to be in front of Mars! This girl is loving every moment the taste of freedom has to offer, and doesn't give a toss what dignified Mars thinks.  By the start of September, there's a chance encounter, with Venus and Mars meeting again - only this time in a cardinal square. She in Cancer and Mars in Aries both perfect at 27 degrees on 4th September. Argh the tension!  

This tension is also emotionally charged, because Venus is in the house where Mars has fallen from grace (Cancer is the opposite of Mars' status in Capricorn) and Mars, while back at one of his stately homes, is furious with Venus (her detriment in Aries, since her other palatial mansion is in Libra).  It's what we would call a mutual dislike and they're both wondering at this point what they ever saw in each other!  Ironically, Cancer is a very emotional sign, so Venus is both angry and tearful at the same time, while going into her comfy shell.

But wait, there's more to this tale. The tension has dissipated and the spark has now become a flame between these two.  Is it love, lust, or a combination of both?  Fireworks is at hand and it's Mars' turn to feel the pull of desire towards Venus. Mars starts his retrograde in Aries on 10th September and it's his turn to feel helpless while he's pulled in reverse and his lady love is full steam ahead in Leo. Venus has been getting a lot of attention from other interested parties and has enjoyed exploiting it to the hilt.  Even, so, she feels this pull again towards her old flame.  

The good news here is they meet in a fire trine on 29th September this year, before Venus changes signs and Mars still heads backwards. Fire can only last for so long before it cools and burns out completely.  They separate again and are probably having a great old time with other people, because now it was more of a friends with benefits moment than anything serious.  Despite the action (cardinal from Mars) and staying power (fixed from Venus), Mars is still going back.  Has he still got a little black book, full of ex girlfriend's addresses? Venus is still desirable to other interested parties so she leaves Mars at it again.  It's a falsehood on Venus' part, though.  She's the aimless wanderer away from her home and playing a superficial game.  Mars isn't much better, despite being dignified.  Moving backwards isn't helping his cause over the longer term.

Oh dear. November doesn't look like a good time for our two lovebirds. While Mars is still retrograde, Venus has whizzed through Virgo.  This may be the wake up call she needed to pull herself out of her hedonistic and nihilistic tendencies.  This is especially so, since Venus has fallen in a heap (opposite her Pisces exaltation and the summer house in the Hamptons that she rents).  Her fall from grace is in a fibro box resembling a blast furnace hit by a cyclone.  There's no choice for our poor missy but to dust herself off and get back up again.  She has moved on from the admiring men and mulling over some very poor choices.  She's back in gear before moving into her own sign of Libra (whew!) and forming an opposition with Mars on 9th November. Both of them are in their own homes and now there's mutual contempt (Mars and Venus are both in each other's detriments, remember?).  A bitter separation looms but is it permanent? We shall see.

Mars is ready to go direct again, while still in his own sign, on 14th November, with Venus streaking ahead from her bitter separation with Mars in her own sign. Hopefully neither of them are stewing after the last big dust up!  Getting their own affairs in order at home may be more important.  The next stage of this fated romance has both our lovers coming ever so close to an applying fire trine, with Venus in Sagittarius now and Mars at the tail end of Aries. Before this desirable fire trine can perfect, that bastard Mars pulls the pin once more, moving into Taurus and into the sign of his now nemesis (she's such a bitch!).  Venus, in the meantime, has discovered philosophy, Life, the Universe and Everything.  She also discovered that the answer is 42.  Clever girl!  Mars isn't particularly fortunate for the moment.  He's in his enemy's house (what on earth for?  I hope he's not searching in her drawers), clearly uncomfortable with being there and yet, he knows that he needs to be there.

But wait, all isn't lost. Venus is also about to change sign and catch up once again with her lover. By 9th January, 2021, perhaps the planets will finally align for our star crossed lovers. Not only will there be a nice earth trine, they are both in mutual reception; Venus is in Mars' exaltation and while Mars may still feel some annoyance towards Venus in his detriment, the trine will go a long way to soften the mood and put their sorry past behind them. Another saving grace for this trine is Venus' inclination to act in a cardinal sign (action), while Mars has the staying power in the fixed.

There is also a hidden interplay between Rhett and Scarlett (for want of a better example) I haven't included, which is Antiscia.  If, by any chance, my dear reader, you have made it this far and read the linked article, I'm glad.  The crux of antiscia is the glue which binds people and situations together.  In the case of these two, it would've occurred several times during this ongoing saga, reminding the both of them that they have unfinished business.

So much for the original question of sextiles!  During this narrative, I note that with all the other aspects going on, there's no sextile until I really don't know when at this point, because this crazy dance between our two dysfunctional love birds continues well into 2021, before they may finally decide to live together when they're in conjunction on 13 July 2021.  The conjunction is when they're both in the same house, the best aspect of all.  Do they finally get married?  Does the Sun, who rules Leo where they both are, bless this union?  Ha, that's another novella for another time!  The final matter I will add is how the 1st January, 2020, was the day of Venus.  Will this day carry over for the rest of the year, let alone the entire decade?  Who knows?


Buckle up folks. It's going to be a most bumpy ride on the romance front!  Wassail!