Night Chart Shadows

On my love affair with Venus, on being a Martian, on Mars moving into Gemini for eternity…

Being Venusian has felt both easier than breathing and harder than sprinting, which is fitting for my mutable Venus in Gemini III. My sweet Venus rules my Mars in Taurus, and right now Mars is in the very final degree of Taurus, nearing the completion of my Mars return.

steady and stubborn

My Venus devotion began in 2020 with the Venus retrograde in Gemini, and the recent Venus retrograde in Capricorn strengthened that. However, I’ve deeply plunged myself into Venus work since the Venus in Pisces transit earlier in 2022, and plunged is certainly the correct word. Any work that I’d done before this felt surface level compared to the depths I was now reaching. I dove head first, eyes wide open, hands outstretched ready to grasp whatever was going to gush towards me.

Two major moments in my Venus journey have been meeting with Zacchary Powell for his Venus reading and having this artwork dedicated to my Venus commissioned from Alex Maune. In every way possible, I was seeking deeper relationship with the celestial body of relationship that was already heavily present in my life but was asking me to make it easier.

on debility

It might be tempting to see a planet in traditional debility, aka in exile or in fall, and think this makes them weaker. After all, a person without their creature comforts and their ideal tools could seem weak.

However, this assumption vastly underestimates adaptation. It’s important to remember that planets are bodies that can adapt.

Humans in uncomfortable positions can receive a fight or flight response, urging them to abandon the situation or persevere with determination.

Planets in debility do not automatically mean weakness.

Often, planets in debility are incredibly strong because they have so much more to overcome.

In my case, my Mars is rejoicing in my Taurus 6th House. Planets in their joy have an extra layer of support built in to their environment. Even with all Hellenistic traditions of dignity and debility, my Mars is never to be underestimated. I recognize that I’m very much a Martian, down to the simple delineation of how hard I push my body in so many different sports.

Let’s get sect-y…

Being a Mars person has always felt easy, which is funny considering this planet makes shit hard. It could be argued that I have a day chart because I was born roughly 5 minutes after the Sun set, meaning there was still visible light out, but I very firmly have a night chart for many reasons. The biggest?

Mars is my friend.

Honestly… that’s not going far enough.

Mars is my confidant, collaborator, protector, passion fuel, fire tender, secret keeper, lover, guide, and so much more.

And why is that?

Because Venus has allowed it.

Let me not delay, for I have only recently come to full acceptance of this fact:

My Mars only has so much power because my Venus wholeheartedly runs wild alongside them.

Although Taurus and Gemini do not see each other, mine are connected via dispositorship, and whew these two places really do the heavy lifting in my chart. Pun intended!

I love doing Venus things… in a Mars way.

I love doing Mars things… in a Venus way.

And all of those things and ways are thoroughly embodied: a Moon signature.

oh, A-HA…

My life revolves around bodies: something not new to anyone who’s been around here for a brief moment.

It took devoting daily to Venus, dedicating time to really rest, spoiling myself without shame or guilt, prioritizing pleasure, among so many other things, to finally have the lightning strike that Venus actually runs the show in my chart.

I had imagined it. I had thought it. I had pondered it.

But it took a moment of pure embodiment, a shock down my spine, an instantaneous recalibration of the molecules surrounding me to completely integrate it.

And holy shit did the world look different on the other side…

venus in gemini cuteness

My dear friend Shahir recently had me on their new Venus series to talk about my Venus placement, and you can watch the video of that conversation here. This moment of realization I had about Venus in my chart and in my life was parallel to a feeling I described in this video.

During our conversation, I spoke about the transformation that happens when you receive new information and how it changes you immediately. Freshly revealed facts permeate the foundations of existence and level up your baseline.

In my world, this integration happens bodily and physically. There is no real change unless it is felt.

There are not enough words for the humility I felt when reality came raining down on me that I’d been firmly squeezing something that only needed a soft touch. In rock climbing, we call that “over gripping,” and it’s when you waste energy by making something harder than it is or needs to be.

It’s been there all along: the pleasure, the joy, the rest. I had to let myself release into it and fully cherish the sacred play that Venus provides.

And now I’m here, deep in my feelings and pondering how to proceed.

Mars moves from taurus to gemini

Truthfully, if you made it this far, then I’ll tell you something personal. I’m writing this in the darkest middle of the night hours right before Mars moves into Gemini because these thoughts and feelings have been stewing for so long but haven’t wanted to come out yet.

My Mars return has been difficult and amazing. I got sick, injured, re-injured, booked for an expected plethora of jobs, and finally healthy again. A part of me has relished this Mars return so much that I’m not ready to let it go.

Looking back at the rear door of Taurus and ready to enter the entryway of Gemini, Mars is riding the fence.

Mars is about to enter Gemini and will be there for 7 months due to their incoming retrograde cycle. Mars will be in Gemini from August 20, 2022 until March 25, 2023. They will station retrograde on October 30, 2022 at 25º of Gemini and station direct on January 12, 2023 at 8º of Gemini.

Sharp words and pointy tongues quickly rush to mind.

This transit spells out sarcasm and wit, perhaps overflowing with aggression in unintended ways.

Expect to be frustrated about how your words are being received, and expect to use more delicacy in wielding your opinions.

Mars is weapons, of all kinds. In Gemini, words are swords.

Criticism without finesse becomes lethal.

This is a time to remember that:

1) You are allowed to not respond.

2) You don’t always have to defend your opinions.

3) You can die on whatever hill you wish; just make sure it’s really worth it.

on integration

It’s kinda weird, feeling that your life just turned a corner and entered a new chapter, while the rest of the world is stuck in the same old cycle of shit.

It’s kinda weird, feeling that my body has been ignited and is now burning a sustainable fuel instead of a short-lived one.

Perhaps this was an an embodied moment of reckoning that my vessel needed renewable energy, not fossil fuel.

Although still in this integration process of finishing my Mars return, I can feel the imminent Mars in Gemini transit looming overhead like a loud blimp dragging a huge sign with massive speakers blaring.

From the slow movement of Taurus to the quick movement of Gemini, Mars is in for a shock. The whole sign house in your birth chart that Mars aligns with is going to be shaken up drastically over the next 7 months. It’s also worth paying attention to Mercury’s movements as well because Mars in Gemini will be ruled by Mercury, wherever they are.

I highly recommend looking at my articles on the planets and the houses to more deeply feel into how this transit will play out for you.