This is a continuation of the description of the four planetary departments that started with the Sun/Moon pair in blog 37.
The Venus/Mars pair of planets is called, in Marc Jones system, the department of efficiency. It charts the manner in which anything is accomplished. Mars signifies the initiation of any activity, the impulse to do anything. Venus, as its counter opposite signifies the completion of anything. Mars in a sense signifies dissatisfaction, for we do anything because we WANT something, and we WANT something because we find what we have INADEQUATE. Mars never rests – it’s not its job to rest. Mars is, in fact, so restless that if it can’t find something positive and constructive to engage in, it will find something negative and destructive to do. The repression of this destructive tendency is one of the hallmarks of mental and emotional health. When it runs wild, criminal activity can be the result.
Venus is the planet of satisfaction – the coming to a point of being able to APPRECIATE what is, or at least a part of it. We all need to have a certain APPRECIATION of and SATISFACTION in life to keep going. If, though, Venus is too strong, and negatively manifesting, we might be lazy, and not expect much of ourselves in terms of excellence.
I have often jokingly told people that after my death I wish to be remembered for “Sandbach’s Principle.” This is a simple magic formula that has the ability to make one happy with each and every aspect of life, and to rid one of any and all problems. It is so simple that it can be stated in three words: LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. This is actually a Venus joke – it’s what the lazy Venus does when it wishes not to have to put forth Martian effort.
As I did with the Sun/Moon pair, known as the department of vitality, we shall cover the conjunct, sextile, square, trine, and opposition, as well as the lack of aspect between Venus and Mars.
Venus/Mars conjunction: Since there is no space between the planets in a conunction – other than the orb of its inexactness, the conjunction has a feeling of instantaneousness – of everything happening at once, on the spur of the moment, without development, springing forth whole. And so Venus and Mars in conjunction carry the feeling of wanting to plunge in to experience in a totally direct way, without considered what the consequences will be. This can be very exciting, it can be fun, it can be adventurous, but it can also be dangerous, can create messes, can be scary. Marc Jones uses the term “dangerously unrestrained” to describe. I remember once I was at an astrology conference and we were at lunch sitting around a table. A young man was there with long wild blond hair, black leather pants, a tank top and high black boots. He happened to mention that he had a Venus/Mars conjunction. I told him that Jones said it could be “dangerously unrestrained.” “Dangerously unrestrained!” he repeated, and laughing loudly, gave me a wild, devilish look. “I can dig that!” I’ve always carried that picture in my mind of of the Venus/Mars conjunction. I sometimes also refer to it as the Lucille Ball aspect, and frankly, I’ve never checked her chart to see if she has it.
Venus/Mars sextile: These people need assistance (keyword for the sextile) to be efficient. I have a Venus/Mars sextile, so I can speak from experience here. If I don’t surround myself with the right supportive influences, I have a really hard time getting things done. On the other hand, when the supportive influences are there, I can get a great deal done. For instance, right now writing this blog my friend Sandra is the supportive influence keeping it going. She reads it every day. She points out errors to me. She comments on the quality. She tells me what she likes most and suggests when I might write about. I DO NOT WORK WELL IN A VACUUM, and it is she that keeps this activity from happening in a vacuum. Another support is the 6 FOLLOWERS this blog has, so far. Another support is the hope that these writings will be used as teaching tools for astrology.
As a side not I will say that actually I have, between Venus and Mars, a septile aspect. The exact septile is 51 degrees and 26 minutes. The distance between my Venus a d Mars is actually 52 degrees and 49 minutes – 1 degrees and 23 minutes off of being exact. The orb for all the major aspects – conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition – is 10 degrees, unless the Sun as involved, at which time the orb is upped to 17 degrees, or the moon, at which time the orb is upped to 12 degrees and 30 minutes. So we might say that even though I do have a sextile between Venus and mars, MORE SPECIFICALLY the aspect is a septile. This signifies a strong intuitive urge, a nearly compulsive need (septile) at times to accomplish particular things. It in no way negates the sextiles showing that I need SUPPORT for accomplishment, it simply enhances and amplifies it.
Venus/Mars square: This person is capable of accomplishing much, but it may not be easy, for they may offend whoever they have to work with. They may be very demanding in the process of accomplishing something. They may jam the gears of efficiency by their attitude. Sometimes if they push to hard to accomplish something it will actually slow down the process rather than speed it up. As an astrologer, I feel that if I simply tell this to the person, and if they then take it to heart, and work extra diligently to be more diplomatic and to adopt a more flexible attitude, they can become much more adept at accomplishing whatever it is they set out to do.
Venus/Mars trine: The trine’s keyword is MOMENTUM – this is the word that Marc Jones gave to it. He was so very good at keywords. I think many astrology students miss the point of this particular one, though. A BODY IN MOTION TENDS TO STAY IN MOTION, AND A BODY AT REST TENDS TO STAY AT REST. This is the significance of momentum. We could also give the words INERTIA as the keyword for the trine. (The above statement which I place in caps is actually the definition of inertia). In the unenlightened astrology, trines were always thought of as good. This is not right. Trines can have a terrible effect, potentially, for if they manifest in negative or discordant ways, there will be a MOMENTUM to this as well.
The Venus/Mars trine signifies a person who likes things to be accomplished in an orderly fashion. They prefer progress to be slower, because they feel like its safer, steadier, and more to be depended on. They don’t much like a change of direction, especially if it can be justified, isn’t, to their mind needed, or is uncalled for. In essence they are conservative. If you can show them a compelling reason for doing something, they are much more likely to go along with you, and to be supportive of the activity. They like things done on a regular basis, preferably in a formulaic way. Their stability helps to balance out the unpredictable and experimentative ways of the Venus/Mars conjunction.
Venus/Mars opposition: The opposition is where the two planets in question have gotten as far away as possible from each other. They are, in essence, trying to encompass the whole chart. So the Venus/Mars opposition tries to be complete in its efficiency – to account for everything. They can sometimes be nosy, for their efficiency can extend into your life. They need to learn when to quit. Also, since the opposition always signifies the process of RELATIONSHIP, the Venus/Mars opposition needs to be always negotiating its efficiency with others. Letting others know what it is doing, what it is thinking, modifying its acts in such a way to make for greater harmony between itself and others.
Venus and Mars in no aspect: This just simply means a person for which efficiency is not a burning issue. At worst, they are inefficient because they don’t think enough about efficiency, at best, they have the ability to try different ways of being efficient – they aren’t psychologically bound to one method.
I still have to cover the departments of Motivation (Jupiter/Saturn) and Significance (Uranus/Neptune) and then we can look at these four departments as a whole and gain yet more interpretative knowledge from them as we compare and synthesize them.
So now I shall sign off. Have an Efficiently great day!