The Week Ahead (12.4.23 through 12.10.23)
The Week Ahead (12.4.23 through 12.10.23)
On Venus in Scorpio, honest emotional expression, and personal evolution.
The Astrology Forecast
Sagittarius Season is in full swing, friends! Last week’s Full Moon in Gemini on November 13 invited us to get reacquainted with our inner-child and tap into expansive curiosity, while the influence of Mars and Saturn compelled us to confront mistakes, impulsivity, and differences of opinion. NBD, right? Needless to say, this lunation was packed with intensity and potential—What have you discovered about yourself since then? Moving forward, how will you integrate new-found truths into your daily life?
The last few weeks have been packed with tense and illuminating transits, imploring us to dig deep in order to level up. Are you embracing expansion and evolution, or do you find yourself at odds with your own desires—or others’? We’ve been through a lot over the past several months, so no matter where you’re at, give yourself grace and compassion. Cling to hope and savor moments of joy. This week’s transits ignite transformative potential, and they continue to expand upon themes of taking accountability, integrating past and present, cultivating courage, and approaching the future with an open heart.
On Monday, December 4 at 1:51PM ET, Venus glides into Scorpio’s transformative domain. While Venus was in Libra, we prioritized balanced partnerships, equitable agreements, and tactful dialogue. In short, Venus in Libra just wanted everyone to get along! Venus’ movement into Scorpio implores us to uproot our people-pleasing tendencies and shift our attention to truth, depth, and vulnerability. Venus in Scorpio desires to get to the core of its values and partnerships—balance be damned.
What’s more, Venus transitions from dwelling in its domicile—a.k.a. preferred sign—in Libra to its detriment in Scorpio. A planet in detriment is uncomfortable—its proclivities don’t naturally align with the innate energetic expression of the sign it occupies. Venus wants everything to be easeful and harmonious and beautiful—It’s not a fan of tension or conflict. Scorpio, however, craves truth, depth, and authenticity. It thrives on a little challenge! Scorpio’s intense, investigative nature pulls Venus outside of its comfort zone. To be clear, this is not a bad thing. Especially after its stint in Libra, Venus needs to reevaluate its values and relationships from a fresh perspective. And Scorpio is just the sign for it.
Venus in Scorpio reminds us that genuine love and connection necessitate honesty. It teaches us that we must face our shadows if we want to cultivate fulfilling relationships, find greater alignment with our values, and generate a deeper capacity to love ourselves and others. I’m not gonna lie, this is challenging work. It involves confrontation and discomfort—which Venus in Libra did its best to circumvent.
As the planet of love and beauty slithers through Scorpio for the next 4-weeks (until December 29), investigate whether your actions and relationships reflect your values. The first step in this pursuit is reconnecting with your core truths. Hold yourself accountable for the actions and behaviors that don’t align with your guiding principles. Consider what you need to shift in order to express a more authentic version of yourself. Get reacquainted with what you believe in, what you’re passionate about, what guides your behaviors, and why those dynamics are major players in your life. Scorpio loves digging deep, so don’t be afraid to spend some time unraveling your internal world.
As you find greater intimacy with yourself, you’re invited to consider the health of your relationships. Are you being honest with yourself about what you need from your family, from your friends, from your colleagues? Do your relationships require more loving compassion? More brutal honesty? More careful tending? More pause and reflection? Are there relationships that you’ve outgrown? Courage and vulnerability are essential as you engage in this transformative relational work.
In fact, Saturn in Pisces forms a harmonious trine to Venus in Scorpio for the first few days of this transit, giving us the support and encouragement we need to take responsibility for how we’re living out our values and nurturing our relationships. Saturn’s influence helps us approach these dynamics with maturity and perspective, inviting us to consider the broad, long-term implications of our desires and who we choose to spend our time with.
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Throughout Venus’ stay in Scorpio, be mindful of keeping secrets, jumping to conclusions, or lashing out. You may be compelled to conceal your emotional truths, test the people you’re in relationship with, or assume the worst. Instead of fueling your inner turmoil, challenge yourself to be forthright. If you need something, ask for it. If you’re upset with someone, have an open dialogue about it. If you’re concerned about something, express it. Bottling it all up will only make things worse.
Keep in mind that, for the next 4-weeks, we’re all more susceptible to energetic and emotional exhaustion. Throughout this transit, plan some luxurious self-tending rituals to restore your vitality. Anything that tantalizes your senses to reignite a connection to your physical being is a great way to ground yourself when Scorpionic energy is afoot.
On Wednesday, December 6 at 8:22AM ET, Neptune shifts to direct motion at 24° Pisces, ending its long retrograde period that began on June 30 of this year. Retrograde planets inspire pause, inviting us to consider what we’ve learned, how we’ve changed, and what needs to shift in order for us to find greater alignment with our evolved selves. While retrograde planets turn our energy inwards and backwards, forward-moving planets catalyze action and implementation.
Neptune is a slow-moving, generational planet, spending about 14-years in a given zodiac sign, which means its return to direct motion may not impact your daily life. However, its rotational pivot has important implications for the collective.
Neptune first began its dance through Pisces in 2011, and it won’t leave this sign for good until 2026 (though it will begin to flirt with Aries in 2025). Neptune is associated with dreams, illusion, spirituality, and the collective psyche. The watery sign of Pisces is all about compassion, imagination, and intuition. In fact, Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces, so there’s a natural alignment between what Neptune does and how it does it. Neptune’s movement through Pisces has coincided with immense changes in internet culture and spirituality. Since 2011, we’ve witnessed the spread of #selfies, the rise of the influencer, and the resurgence of astrology, mysticism, and magic.
Note that Neptune is nearing the end of its time in Pisces. It will reach 29° Pisces next year, occupying this energetically pivotal domain from May 3 –September 3, 2024. Also called the anaretic degree, a planet at 29° is wrapping up the narrative that unfolded during the previous 28° of that sign. What lessons has it learned? How has it evolved? What will it leave behind as it enters the next zodiac sign? What will it take with it? While Neptune occupies 29°, the collective will be grappling with how our ideas around social media, fame, spirituality, and reality vs. fantasy have matured since 2011.
Neptune’s return to direct motion will lay the foundation for this final period of reckoning. From now until May 3, 2024 (when Neptune enters 29° Pisces), pay attention to any major shifts you notice in social media trends, the popularity of celebrities, and the role of alternative spirituality in the mainstream. As we navigate this planetary energy collectively, consider your personal relationship to social media and spirituality. Does it reflect the culture’s current values around it? Why or why not?
On Saturday, December 9 at 10:35PM ET, Venus at 6° Scorpio forms a tense opposition to Jupiter at 6° Taurus. An opposition is a dynamic clash of planetary energy, formed by celestial bodies that are exactly 180° apart. Oppositions are points of reckoning. They encourage us to face our differences and shift our perspectives in order to find common ground—and ultimately forge ahead, united.
Jupiter is the planet of expansion and wisdom, amplifying whatever it comes in contact with. In the sign of Taurus, Jupiter facilitates slow and steady growth, focusing on the tangible, material aspects of life. With Venus occupying Scorpio—the sign opposite Taurus on the wheel of the zodiac—this planetary duo activates the axis of life (Taurus) and death (Scorpio). Taurus is associated with the voracious blooming of spring and the sensual delights of the earth, while Scorpio is linked to the decay that occurs in autumn and the transformative inward exploration that occurs in us all as we venture into the darker months of the year.
During this planetary face-off between Venus and Jupiter, your desire for physical comfort (Taurus) may be disrupted by the emergence of intense, emotional truths (Scorpio), especially as it relates to your intimate bonds and your value system. Since Jupiter amplifies whatever it comes in contact with, expect this dynamic to highlight the tension points in your relationships, spark stubbornness, and emphasize discomfort. You may suddenly feel like you cannot ignore the fact that what you deem important is radically different from what your friends, partners, or family prioritizes. Temper your impulses to make accusations or give ultimatums. Instead, take a deep breath, and consider what it would look like to find a middle ground (I know, I know—Taurus and Scorpio are not known for their flexibility, but hear me out.) Open yourself up to different perspectives. Actively listen. Discuss your concerns with a trusted confidant. Once you give yourself time to process your experiences with integrity and an open heart, you may discover that your values and desires aren’t *actually* that different from the other person’s.
Wherever you may find yourself in your relationships during this time, it’s important to honor similarities and differences. It’s important to honor the need for intimacy and the need for space. It’s important to make room for evolution—even the smallest of changes can yield transformative results.
Card of the Week
The Emperor (from the Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck by Matt Hughes)
Do you trust your inner-authority? Do you believe in your ability to create the life you want? The Emperor card encourages you to reconnect with your personal power and take control of your own narrative. You get to define the parameters of the life you want to live. You get to decide what’s important to you. You get to cultivate the passions that excite your soul. If there are people or situations that hinder your ability to live authentically, you have the agency to make a change.
This card harkens back to Venus in Scorpio. (The Emperor card is associated with Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars, as is Scorpio. You get it? You get it.) The martian energy that unites this card with Venus’ celestial influence reminds us that bravery is an essential component of vulnerability. It invites us to use our inner emotional truths to fuel our actions. Cultivate the courage to lead with honesty, to be open, to ask for what you need, to create genuine connections. Whole-heartedly embrace the invitations of Venus in Scorpio. This week, challenge yourself to perform an act of bravery that comes from the heart.
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Talula Goldie Schwartz