As we continue to wind our way into the powerful December alignment phase, Venus takes center stage. We have officially moved into a double conjunction with Pluto. Notably, one of these happens on solstice (December 21). When an alignment takes place during a key planetary moment (which solstice represents) it is supercharged. Not only that, it bears a strong indication that we will be working with the lessons of this planet (these planets) for a full cycle.
I first addressed the power of this transit in the December astrology report. It is a video and sound presentation that goes over major alignments this month including the Venus and Pluto conjunctions, solstice, and a Mercury moment coming up at the end of the month. Click here for that and most especially for more on Pluto and Venus. They were a special focus: December Astrology Report: Depths and Rebirths – Crow Medicine: (crow-medicine.com)
As promised in that report, this is a further elaboration on the lessons of Venus. Read this article first and check the report later, or vice versa! This is a writers note pointing out where we are in the story of this blog.
Some of the characteristics that Venus represents:
-Universal love (with boundaries)
-Home space and the effort we put there
-Acknowledging Emotional and spiritual labor
– Finance
It also includes considerations like how we make a living, where we stand with emotional fulfillment, and in the case of how I would like to begin to address it today: the ways that we invest in our relations. Beginning to become aware of where we give, where we receive, and what we can do to lighten our own (or another persons’) load are all very Venus themes. Venus is ready to take center stage. Are we ready for it? I think yes!
Ways to Recognize this Energy
As I explain in my astrology reports, part of the process of the cosmic dance is encountering the contexts within which we may engage with or ‘think’ about an archetype or a theme. Astrology holds that a planet, its proximity to us, as well as to other planets are variables to include in analysis. I concur. In the case of our planetary journey the last two years, we have naturally come to this place where a lot of ‘Venus’ related realms aka the home space, the hearth, emotions, and finances, have taken on extra weight. People who represent this energy in our lives (like emotional and spiritual caretakers, parents, coaches, friends, neighbours, that nice co-worker, your favourite teacher) have pretty much all been called on to provide all of our reserves to keep things moving. This is the ‘unseen’ work that gets put into every-day life that is often (almost always) unpaid, is not regularly recognized even as a factor or form of energetic exchange yet is CRUCIAL to the function of everyday life.
The extra stress and emotional demands have brought many to their breaking points. They (we) have become numb. They (we) are on sustain mode. They (we) are exhausted from all the listening, doing the best they can, and the staying strong. It is taking a toll. Things are getting uncomfortable, heavy, and dull.
Perfect example? That dead feeling zoom call or that cricket in the room when you put a part of yourself in a creation out to the world.
An example: Do you know how hard it is when 100 people pass that buck? I heard it happen on a Hockey USA call the other night. The host was doing the best they could to engage people yet cricket cricket cricket cricket. An hour of crickets. My heart went out to that person as a teacher because it would have been so easy for the call to not be that way. All it would have taken was a few of the hundred people on the call to speak up and give an example about something they do every week. Run practice. Those people contributing would have shifted that load and made what probably felt ‘boring’ for the participants and excruciating for the host into a lively conversation about a sport they all love. Instead, the host was forced to hand pick people (which nobody likes). Eventually my husband threw him a bone, got over his own feelings of nervousness, and spoke up.
Many have felt that horrible feeling of doing our best, putting it all out there, and then CRICKETS. Especially this year. It is not necessarily that people do not care. It is that the ones who do are exhausted from picking up the slack. Others, I like to think, have no idea how heavy it can be to be in that spaceholding capacity, especially right now. What winds up happening is that ‘fun’ things or something that could be positive winds up feeling like a deflated balloon. Or worse, one of those weird, marbled ones that look cool but are almost impossible to blow up in the first place. Conversely, the people we rely on to provide crucial emotional support get tired. We run out of steam.
Sound familiar?
The answer is probably yes. People are exhausted.
The Power of Venus: Inspiration for Reconfiguration
The good news is we are able to reconfigure, recognize, reorganize, redistribute, and be more kind. It is up to us which ways and for how long we are willing to hold on to activities, relations, and responsibilities. (It is not good to put ourselves into complete breakdown. Then we effectively go from huge load to nothing.)
I gave the example of a zoom call about hockey. The dynamic I explained in it plays out in our households, teams, workplaces, learning environments and more. Similarly, it is relatively easy to fix. Recognizing what ourselves and other people put in, seeing our impact in that scenario, and making small adjustments like saying thank you, cleaning the table after dinner, or giving a hug could easily help lighten the load, replenish the emotional coffers, and thus improve the tone of our relations. Articles like this and planets like Venus help bring threads into awareness. We learn from them in this moment and take the lessons forward.
Here are some self discovery questions to guide yoursself through this energy:
- Have you been feeling the push as a caretaker?
- Do you feel your emotional labour is valued?
- Have you been feeling like your life is out of balance?
- Are you able to monetize any of your tasks?
- Are you carrying others who are able to carry themselves?
- When was the last time you checked in with yourself, your emotions, your interest?
on the flipside:
- Have you been benefiting from the emotional or spiritual labour of another person? (Most of us have been. Recognizing who that person is helps us be more mindful of the dynamics that make our lives go round.)
- If yes, are you grateful to them about it? Are you aware of what they carry or spark for you?
- Are there any people in your life who you may have a negative emotional or energetic impact on?
- Is there somewhere that you are missing out on positive engagement because you are ‘checked out’?
- Are there moments that you could positively contribute with small actions that are not ‘heavy’ for you but contribute to the collective group load? (Like in that zoom call from above.)
This is where we see ourselves in the cosmic dance and say, ok. This is not going to work. (Or this is REALLY WORKING.) Let us figure something out.
PLUTO Inspires Us to Dive Deep into Relations
Venus is paired with Pluto for the upcoming conjunctions of the 13 and 21. This means that just as much as it will be a Venus window, so too will we be getting in mroe close acquaintance with Pluto. I speak aout this in the December astrology report. I will bring forward Pluto in its own essay when the inspiration comes. (Nerd note: some chart this as being active since the 9th. This is acknowledged flexibility in the community. This is why you see differing dates.) Pluto is a deep dive planet (not always considered a planet but to me, energy wise it is).
Just as much as it is the responsibility of a person investing emotions, time, and energy into people to monitor how they feel, so too is there a responsibility of each of us to recognize from who we receive. Many hands make light work, as the saying goes. I would like to adjust that to “Many hands make LIFE work”. It is not about doing it all ourselves or feeling pressure to perform. It is about finding ways to take care of ourselves, being mindful when WE are the burden, as well as when we are overtaxing ourselves unnecessarily.
This conjunction is a powerful opportunity for those of us who are not yet self-aware to start becoming so. Or, in the cases where people are blatantly emotionally selfish to see that in themselves (and be seen). This is where cosmic brick walls will start showing up. If you find one, thank it and get growing.
Ways to Balance:
- Saying thank you to the people who enrich our lives. (This includes posts like this that inspire you. A lot of heart goes into what social media people create. Saying thank you and supporting new projects goes a long way.)
- Adapting our own behaviour through being mindful of what we put in and what we take away.
- Actually doing the ‘self care’ thing and putting it into our daily routine (see below signature for more on that). When we do it we replenish our reserves. We are also less likely to be a heavy drain on others.
- Knowing that our contribution matters and recognizing how much it enriches those around us when we give it.From that building up the confidence to make those contributions when it is natural to do so. (Back to the zoom call. Giving that example about something you do every week like run a play helps lift the load and make the conversation interesting.)
- Having honest conversations with people about how we feel, what we are carrying, and giving them the opportunity to adjust.
- Letting people handle their own emotional burdens, especially if they are able to.
- Putting boundaries into place that preserve your emotional and energetic well being. Respecting the boundaries put into place by others also helps.
- Cutting out people and activities that are unnecessarily burdensome that we are able to get rid of.
Pluto asks us to go deep. Now in matters of what we share, give, and receive.
Taking a Mindful Approach
Even though it can feel a little uncomfortable, becoming more aware of these dynamics means we are better able to do something about them. Venus is a planet that invites us to dive deep in our relations for the reason of being able to enjoy them. After all, it is togetherness and enrichment through strong bonds of family and community that a lot of us crave. May we work with this inspiration to continue building that.
Full December Astrology Report
https://crow-medicine.com/2021/12/01/december-astrology-report-depths-and-rebirths/
See more of my written work: Blog – Crow Medicine: (crow-medicine.com)
LOVE,
Katie
Follow my new instagram profile New tab (instagram.com)https://www.instagram.com/crowmedicinekatie/
Breathe, Ground, Connect is a learning program I put together that teaches a powerful energy management through meditation tool. Bonus? There is a focus in the program on helping you to identify moments in your life to put it into use (3 minutes here, 6 there) to have an overall more powerful and grounded you. Live now with ongoing in-program suggestions rolling through: Breathe. Ground. Connect: Energy Management through Meditation and Conscious Connection (learnworlds.com)
(and it also has a family dimension for those so inclined): Parents, Caretakers, Guardians: Click Here to Read About a Unique Youth Learning Opportunity – Crow Medicine: (crow-medicine.com)https://crow-medicine.com/2021/12/09/youth-learning/
#astrologyreport #Venus #socialreproduction
(Nerd note: in social anthropology we would analyze this dimension within the realm of acts of social reproduction. Though represented as theoretical framework that takes account of this part of energy dispersion and how it relates to keeping the world ticking, because of lack of discussion, academic recognition or awareness of the ‘unseen’ energy component, what I am talking about here, the energy side, does not get taken into account. Being a social scientist and an energy master puts me in a unique position to extend that theory, which is part of my passion. Stay tuned to hear more about this subject, there will be a podcast.)