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Mars Opposite Pluto: Force vs. Power · Astrology for Beginners

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SPEAKER_00: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Astrology for Beginners podcast.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Stefanie Kate Boucher, and I am so glad you're here.
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SPEAKER_00: This is the podcast for you if you've ever been curious about astrology,
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SPEAKER_00: if you've wanted to understand your natal chart or make sense of what's happening in
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SPEAKER_00: the sky,
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SPEAKER_00: but maybe it's felt overwhelming, complicated, or hard to know where to begin.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: My goal here is to break things down in a way that's clear,
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SPEAKER_00: grounded,
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SPEAKER_00: and completely usable in real life,
0:33
SPEAKER_00: so that over time,
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SPEAKER_00: you begin to understand your own chart and the language of the stars.
0:39
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for being here and sharing your time with me.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: Hey everyone, welcome back to Astrology for Beginners.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: This week I want to talk about Mars in Leo opposing Pluto in Aquarius.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to this show for the last few weeks or paying attention
0:56
SPEAKER_00: to astrology generally,
0:58
SPEAKER_00: you know that there's already quite a bit happening in terms
1:02
SPEAKER_00: of transit astrology right now.
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SPEAKER_00: We have Venus stationing retrograde in Scorpio soon on October 3rd.
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SPEAKER_00: And that's something we've talked about quite a bit.
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SPEAKER_00: We also have Mercury in Scorpio,
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SPEAKER_00: which will be making contact with Mars, Pluto,
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SPEAKER_00: and Venus over the coming weeks,
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SPEAKER_00: and which will itself be stationing retrograde and playful and fiery generally.
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SPEAKER_00: If you've felt like it's been difficult for you to tackle whatever it is
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SPEAKER_00: that you've been wanting to tackle or,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: make headway on lately since Mars has been in Cancer,
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SPEAKER_00: you may find that you can gain more traction now and you may even make
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SPEAKER_00: a big production of it while you're doing it.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: But What I want to talk about in a bit more detail here,
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SPEAKER_00: because I've mentioned it,
1:54
SPEAKER_00: I've mentioned it in the Libra season forecast,
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SPEAKER_00: is the fact that it's about to form an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius.
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SPEAKER_00: And it's going exact on October 3rd,
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SPEAKER_00: the same day that Venus stations retrograde in Scorpio,
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SPEAKER_00: which is a sign co-ruled by Mars and Pluto.
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SPEAKER_00: Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio and Pluto is the modern ruler of Scorpio.
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SPEAKER_00: So these are the planets that are ruling Venus as she stations retrograde and
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SPEAKER_00: the planets that are ruling much of the retrograde itself.
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SPEAKER_00: And they are simultaneously going to be at odds with one another
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SPEAKER_00: in this potential Power struggle,
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SPEAKER_00: which for sure makes this retrograde even more interesting.
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SPEAKER_00: So I want to talk about what it typically means when these two planets are
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SPEAKER_00: in opposition, because it does show up in astrology every couple of years or so.
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SPEAKER_00: And also some people have this in their natal charts too.
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SPEAKER_00: And to make this transit even more interesting,
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SPEAKER_00: by the way,
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SPEAKER_00: both of these planets,
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SPEAKER_00: Mars and Pluto,
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SPEAKER_00: at the time of the opposition will also be squaring Mercury in Scorpio and creating
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SPEAKER_00: a fixed T-square,
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SPEAKER_00: with Mercury serving as the apex planet,
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SPEAKER_00: or the release valve,
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SPEAKER_00: if you will, for all of this tension created by the opposition.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: Before we delve into all of that,
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SPEAKER_00: I just want to mention that if you are interested in
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SPEAKER_00: the current astrology right now,
3:30
SPEAKER_00: if you've been interested in following the coming Venus retrograde,
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SPEAKER_00: there are a couple of additional ways you can do that with me.
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SPEAKER_00: The first is to download the Venus retrograde field notes,
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SPEAKER_00: which is a packet of worksheets that I've posted on my Substack
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SPEAKER_00: to help you follow along with this in real time.
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SPEAKER_00: And to provide context and help you uncover how it's working or showing up
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SPEAKER_00: in your day-to-day life.
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SPEAKER_00: The second is via my next new moon gathering,
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SPEAKER_00: which will take place on Wednesday, October 7th at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, that's not normally where we'd be talking about a Venus retrograde cycle,
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SPEAKER_00: but this month the new moon is in Libra,
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SPEAKER_00: and so the ruler of this new moon is in fact Venus,
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SPEAKER_00: which will be Retrograde at that time
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SPEAKER_00: and also making some pretty interesting transits like being square Mars
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SPEAKER_00: and conjunct Mercury on the same day.
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SPEAKER_00: So we can't really talk about this new moon without also talking about Venus
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SPEAKER_00: and this retrograde cycle.
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SPEAKER_00: So again,
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SPEAKER_00: if you've been interested in all of this and want to continue to follow along,
4:40
SPEAKER_00: you can consider registering for that at tendingthesacred.org where I am currently
4:45
SPEAKER_00: the resident astrologer.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: Although they do lots more than Astrology, so you should check them out if you haven't before.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: Or through my Stand Store, and I've provided links for that in the show notes.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: Okay, on to today's topic.
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SPEAKER_00: So there are a few different stories converging all at once here around desire
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SPEAKER_00: and power and control, taking action, our attachments, and of course...
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SPEAKER_00: All the narratives or stories that we're currently telling ourselves about any
5:19
SPEAKER_00: or all of these things.
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SPEAKER_00: So I want to break this down, this Mars and Pluto business, in a super simplified way if I can.
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SPEAKER_00: Especially because Mars opposite Pluto is one of those transits that can sound
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SPEAKER_00: a little scary when you see it coming up.
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SPEAKER_00: These are both malefic planets of sorts.
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SPEAKER_00: People can tend to find these energies challenging when they form planets.
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SPEAKER_00: Hard aspects.
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SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean it's bad energy, though, or that anything awful will happen.
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SPEAKER_00: But the energy can bring up things sometimes
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SPEAKER_00: that people don't always necessarily want,
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SPEAKER_00: like power struggles or conflict or control or even obsession
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SPEAKER_00: when you involve Pluto.
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SPEAKER_00: And yes, those things can belong to Mars and Pluto.
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SPEAKER_00: But Mars-Pluto can also be really productive energy.
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SPEAKER_00: These planets can lead us towards tremendous determination,
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SPEAKER_00: for example,
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SPEAKER_00: or stamina or courage and just the willingness
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SPEAKER_00: to actually confront something difficult.
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SPEAKER_00: So let's start with a refresher around what these two planets actually represent
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SPEAKER_00: and what happens when they're in opposition.
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SPEAKER_00: And then we'll talk about some of the much more ordinary ways
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SPEAKER_00: that this energy can actually show up in real life.
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SPEAKER_00: Let's start with Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: Mars is the planet of action and assertion and our desire and our drive.
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SPEAKER_00: It's the part of us that knows that you want something and so it's going to have you go get it.
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SPEAKER_00: It's I want something and I'm going to therefore do something about it.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm not just going to sit here and want something.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm going to take actions because I want something.
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SPEAKER_00: So we need Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: Mars helps us initiate.
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SPEAKER_00: It helps us compete.
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SPEAKER_00: It helps us defend ourselves when we're in danger.
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SPEAKER_00: It helps us establish boundaries.
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SPEAKER_00: And it helps us even just say no when there's something we don't want.
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SPEAKER_00: It gives us courage to do that.
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SPEAKER_00: It gives us courage of all kinds.
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SPEAKER_00: It gets us off the couch and into some kind of motion, right?
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SPEAKER_00: This is how we move our bodies, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Anger belongs to Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: Certainly it does.
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SPEAKER_00: Conflict can belong to Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: But so does initiative.
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SPEAKER_00: And anytime you're pursuing something or taking action or asserting yourself
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SPEAKER_00: in any way,
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SPEAKER_00: or if you're fighting for something that matters to you or doing something
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SPEAKER_00: that requires energy and courage, you're using Mars energy.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes or often when we take action on something, we could meet resistance, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Such is life.
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SPEAKER_00: The problem is that Mars can sometimes assume that the answer
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SPEAKER_00: to finding resistance is to just push harder, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Try harder, fight even harder, move faster, right?
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SPEAKER_00: How about I do more things?
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SPEAKER_00: In other words, the answer to finding resistance is just using more Mars.
8:36
SPEAKER_00: Now, Pluto, on the other hand, is the higher octave of Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: These planets are connected.
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SPEAKER_00: But Pluto operates very differently than Mars does.
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SPEAKER_00: Pluto is associated with power and control, sometimes compulsions, survival and transformation.
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SPEAKER_00: So it's often connected to all of the stuff that exists beneath the surface,
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SPEAKER_00: things we may not even be able to fully understand about ourselves
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SPEAKER_00: until something activates them or brings those things to the surface, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Pluto can be about our deeper psychology.
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SPEAKER_00: And about psychological power and what has externally what has
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SPEAKER_00: or internally what has psychological power over us.
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SPEAKER_00: Pluto can show us things in our lives,
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SPEAKER_00: for example, that have gained too strong a hold on us psychologically.
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SPEAKER_00: What beliefs or thoughts or experiences have a hold on you that impact you now
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SPEAKER_00: that maybe don't need to that you're not aware of?
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SPEAKER_00: What affects you and why?
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SPEAKER_00: And what actually holds power
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SPEAKER_00: over you deep down might be something you're not even consciously aware of.
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SPEAKER_00: Again, say a fear.
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SPEAKER_00: And so you're behaving or thinking or going through your life in such a way that
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SPEAKER_00: the fear is at the center of it all.
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SPEAKER_00: But maybe you aren't even consciously aware that it is until Pluto brings
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SPEAKER_00: in circumstances that show you what's actually true and what's actually happening
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SPEAKER_00: and what's actually at play.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes Pluto reveals the thing underneath the thing underneath the thing.
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SPEAKER_00: It pulls back the layers.
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SPEAKER_00: It digs down deep.
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SPEAKER_00: I think there's a little bit of resonance here with some
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SPEAKER_00: of what we've been discussing around Venus in Scorpio and the Venus retrograde.
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SPEAKER_00: Scorpio, like Pluto, isn't terribly interested in the superficial answer to things.
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SPEAKER_00: If you're thinking about what you really want or what you're actually attached to,
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SPEAKER_00: there are the obvious answers,
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SPEAKER_00: that kind of Venus and Mars territory of what I want and what I'm going after.
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SPEAKER_00: And then there's the deeper answers that lie underneath all of that,
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SPEAKER_00: the motivating factors which come up from underneath,
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SPEAKER_00: which is very much Pluto territory.
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SPEAKER_00: So what happens then when you put Mars and Pluto together in a conversation, right?
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SPEAKER_00: If Mars is brute force and Pluto is real,
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SPEAKER_00: genuine power,
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SPEAKER_00: ultimately,
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SPEAKER_00: Well, first, Mars-Pluto combinations can give us extraordinary determination.
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SPEAKER_00: It can give us tremendous stamina, tremendous focus, ambition, courage, persistence, right?
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SPEAKER_00: The ability to confront something hard and keep on going when everyone else might quit.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes Mars-Pluto is exactly the energy that we need to finally...
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SPEAKER_00: But of course,
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SPEAKER_00: there's a shadow side because this combination can also describe situations
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SPEAKER_00: where someone is forcing something or controlling something,
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SPEAKER_00: escalating something to the next level,
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SPEAKER_00: obsessing about something,
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SPEAKER_00: ruminating on something, dominating something or attempting to.
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SPEAKER_00: Or becoming so attached to just one particular outcome that's been envisioned that,
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SPEAKER_00: you know, we keep applying more and more force even when it's not really working.
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SPEAKER_00: And that may be one of the big themes that comes up around this opposition, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Is looking at where we're confusing force with true power.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes power can mean pushing harder, right?
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SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's not what it means.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes your true power actually comes from letting go.
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SPEAKER_00: And Pluto does know this.
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SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about the fact also that this is an opposition, right?
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SPEAKER_00: We're talking about a very specific kind of conversation or aspect in terms of the opposition.
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SPEAKER_00: Oppositions are interesting.
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SPEAKER_00: Because there are some different ways that we can experience them.
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SPEAKER_00: One is through polarity, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Two things sitting on opposite sides of an issue.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe the Mars part of someone is trying to do something or accomplish something.
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SPEAKER_00: And then you encounter something else that creates resistance or something
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SPEAKER_00: that just won't budge and get out of your way, right?
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SPEAKER_00: That could be another person.
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SPEAKER_00: It could be a boss, a partner, a relationship, an institution, a rule or a law.
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SPEAKER_00: It could be a system.
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SPEAKER_00: Or it could just simply be some kind of reality, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Like real life or real circumstances getting in your way.
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SPEAKER_00: And I think we want to think about that
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SPEAKER_00: because Mars opposite Pluto is Doesn't always look like some overly dramatic outward
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SPEAKER_00: struggle.
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SPEAKER_00: It can, but it doesn't have to, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the resistance that we're bumping up against is just reality,
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SPEAKER_00: refusing to cooperate with our own preferred timetable
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SPEAKER_00: or our preferred circumstances.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe you are trying to resolve an issue and you've sent somebody three emails
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SPEAKER_00: and they're not responding.
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SPEAKER_00: Nobody's responding, right?
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SPEAKER_00: And your instinct now is to go ahead and send a fourth email.
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SPEAKER_00: And perhaps this one is going to be a little more carefully worded or
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SPEAKER_00: a little more forceful than the other three because now you're getting upset.
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SPEAKER_00: Or let's say maybe you're trying to solve some technical problem, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Your phone is glitching out or something and you've been at it for two hours.
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SPEAKER_00: And somewhere along the way,
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SPEAKER_00: you've just stopped solving the problem and you've started fighting with your phone.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe...
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SPEAKER_00: You're waiting for an answer about something important, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have come across this amazing job opportunity and you've filled out
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SPEAKER_00: an application and you've done the interview and you've taken all the steps
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SPEAKER_00: and now you're waiting and maybe you don't get it and you want it so bad,
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SPEAKER_00: but there's literally nothing else you can do, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Which can be so frustrating for Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants to get the thing.
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SPEAKER_00: Mars wants to take an action and get the thing.
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SPEAKER_00: Pluto may confront us with the fact that action does not always equal having control
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SPEAKER_00: in a situation.
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SPEAKER_00: Action doesn't mean you have any real power necessarily.
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SPEAKER_00: And applying force doesn't mean that you have power.
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SPEAKER_00: Or, hey, maybe you're having an argument with someone you care about.
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SPEAKER_00: You know the conversation is going nowhere at some point.
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SPEAKER_00: You know neither of you is really hearing the other person anymore.
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SPEAKER_00: Everyone's just talking, right?
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SPEAKER_00: And no one's budging.
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SPEAKER_00: But you just need them to understand you, right?
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SPEAKER_00: So you explain yourself again and again, and maybe you get a little louder the next time.
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SPEAKER_00: That can be Mars and Pluto too.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, oppositions can feel like other things as well.
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SPEAKER_00: An opposition could also feel there are two different things and you can't have both.
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SPEAKER_00: Or at least you can't have them both at the same time, right?
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SPEAKER_00: I have to choose this thing or that thing.
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SPEAKER_00: I can assert myself or I can let go.
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SPEAKER_00: I can take action or I can surrender.
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SPEAKER_00: I can stand strong in my own authority, or I can accept that I'm not in control.
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SPEAKER_00: These are, again, Mars-Pluto opposition themes.
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SPEAKER_00: And part of the developmental work of an opposition...
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SPEAKER_00: Especially when we have oppositions in our natal charts,
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SPEAKER_00: but also with transits, can be realizing that it's a false choice a lot of the time.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we're presented with a false binary, right?
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SPEAKER_00: The goal isn't necessarily for Mars to defeat Pluto or Pluto to just suppress Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: It may be in fact about learning how to hold Mars.
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SPEAKER_00: Both things.
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SPEAKER_00: Is there a way to balance two different things that seem to be at odds?
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SPEAKER_00: So, Mars-Pluto.
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SPEAKER_00: I can act where action is possible,
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SPEAKER_00: where it's within my control to act,
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SPEAKER_00: and I can also accept where it isn't in my control.
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SPEAKER_00: I can assert myself without trying to control another person's response.
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SPEAKER_00: I can control myself but I can't control the other person's response
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SPEAKER_00: and I can't control the outcome.
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SPEAKER_00: I can pursue what I want without believing that a particular outcome is guaranteed.
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SPEAKER_00: So sometimes oppositions are about learning how to integrate two things to find some balance.
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SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the opposition teaches us that by having a swing widely between
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SPEAKER_00: the two sides for a while first, right?
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SPEAKER_00: We may spend years swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other
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SPEAKER_00: before actually learning to find the healthy middle ground.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, in terms of this particular opposition between Mars and Pluto,
18:41
SPEAKER_00: we also should talk about Mercury here.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: We have to.
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SPEAKER_00: We said earlier that Mercury is in Scorpio, squaring Mars and squaring Pluto, right?
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SPEAKER_00: So we have a fixed T-square.
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SPEAKER_00: And now we're not just talking about action and power all by themselves anymore.
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SPEAKER_00: We're talking about what we're thinking and what we're saying
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SPEAKER_00: and also what we're trying to understand.
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SPEAKER_00: Mars and Scorpio really wants to understand something very deeply.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants all the research.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants the details that lead to a very full and penetrating understanding of something.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants all of the mystery of something to be brought to light so
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SPEAKER_00: that it's no longer mysterious anymore.
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SPEAKER_00: And then it wants to reach a conclusion based on that deep penetrating understanding
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SPEAKER_00: and possibly then communicate about it with precision.
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SPEAKER_00: Mercury in aspect with Mars can make the mind work very quickly and it can make
19:49
SPEAKER_00: the mind sharper but also more reactive, right?
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SPEAKER_00: So this could feel like there being a thought that you're having
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SPEAKER_00: that you just can't keep to yourself.
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SPEAKER_00: You just have to say it.
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SPEAKER_00: Or it could feel like a point that you just need to make.
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SPEAKER_00: You can't help yourself, right?
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SPEAKER_00: Mercury, Pluto, on the other hand, can really want to penetrate something.
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SPEAKER_00: So what really is going on here?
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SPEAKER_00: What am I missing?
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SPEAKER_00: Mercury in Scorpio wants to know what it's missing.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants to know what it can't see.
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SPEAKER_00: It wants to know what's hidden, what's underneath it.
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SPEAKER_00: This is, I want the truth and I won't rest until I find it.
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SPEAKER_00: I need to know.
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SPEAKER_00: I need to understand.
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SPEAKER_00: So put Mercury at the focal point,
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SPEAKER_00: this apex of this Mars-Pluto opposition
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SPEAKER_00: and one possible manifestation can become just, I need to know.
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SPEAKER_00: I need the answer.
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SPEAKER_00: I need to understand what's really happening and I need to do it right now.
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SPEAKER_00: I need to understand this now.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: Again, this could show up in some really big, profound, life-changing ways.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it can.
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SPEAKER_00: Or it could show up in some ways that are actually ordinary,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: waiting for an email and refreshing your inbox at work over and over and over
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SPEAKER_00: because maybe the energy has nowhere else to go at the moment.
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SPEAKER_00: It could show up as rereading a text message like 50 times,
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SPEAKER_00: looking for something that you missed.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: She said this.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: Is that what she really meant?
21:30
SPEAKER_00: Or is there subtext there?
21:32
SPEAKER_00: Is she using a tone with me?
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SPEAKER_00: Is this statement really about that other thing that happened on this other day?
21:39
SPEAKER_00: Or is it about today?
21:40
SPEAKER_00: Or is Researching something long after you have way more than enough information,
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SPEAKER_00: but hey, there's got to be more, right?
21:48
SPEAKER_00: Or trying to get somebody to explain themselves when they don't want to
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SPEAKER_00: or just not going to or maybe they don't even actually have an answer,
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SPEAKER_00: but you feel like they might, so you press on.
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SPEAKER_00: Becoming Convinced.
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SPEAKER_00: That there's another piece of information out there somewhere
22:06
SPEAKER_00: that will finally make everything make sense, right?
22:10
SPEAKER_00: Getting into an argument and instead of listening,
22:12
SPEAKER_00: both people spending the entire time constructing their next response.
22:18
SPEAKER_00: Or trying to find the exact right words that will finally make
22:23
SPEAKER_00: that other person see things the way you do, right?
22:26
SPEAKER_00: If I could only just get them to see it this way, there's got to be a way to do that.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: And because this is happening in fixed signs, there can be some real stubbornness here.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: Some real unwillingness to move or budge.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: I'm right.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: I know what happened.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: I know what this means.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: I know what needs to happen next.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: Except that everyone else in the room is feeling the exact same way
22:53
SPEAKER_00: because we're all under the same energy.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: But again, none of this means nothing.
22:58
SPEAKER_00: Mercury at the apex of this T-square is bad, right?
23:02
SPEAKER_00: This could be great astrology for research.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: If you are in a research-related profession,
23:09
SPEAKER_00: for example,
23:10
SPEAKER_00: or even if you have something in your own personal life
23:13
SPEAKER_00: that could use some research, dig in, my friends.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: Research away.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: It's great for investigation.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: It's good for creative writing,
23:23
SPEAKER_00: like finding the exact right words that you need to convey specific ideas.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: It's good for solving complicated problems.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: This is a good time to do that.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: If you're responsible with the energy, right?
23:39
SPEAKER_00: If you understand that you're under some intense energy
23:42
SPEAKER_00: and you don't let it get away from you,
23:43
SPEAKER_00: you could Have an easier time solving something complicated.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: You could work on having a kind of difficult conversation not for no reason or
23:53
SPEAKER_00: for power struggles or to get the upper hand or something but because it's probably
23:58
SPEAKER_00: a conversation that maybe needed to happen for a while and now
24:02
SPEAKER_00: with this energy it just won't be contained anymore.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: I'd just be careful whenever possible that you're using Get the intense energy well,
24:13
SPEAKER_00: like I said,
24:14
SPEAKER_00: and then it's not starting to consume you to where you are no longer in control
24:19
SPEAKER_00: of it, right?
24:20
SPEAKER_00: Like obsession or loss of self-control or just giving in to all
24:25
SPEAKER_00: the intensity could be pretty easy here.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: So we have to be mindful of that.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: And this is another place where I think a lot
24:34
SPEAKER_00: of our recent Scorpio conversations are pretty relevant.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: Scorpio, again, we've said this a million times, it wants depth, but depth and certainty.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: You know,
24:45
SPEAKER_00: sometimes digging deeper gives us genuine insight and helps us become more informed
24:52
SPEAKER_00: and that helps us make decisions.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: But sometimes we just keep digging because we can't tolerate not knowing,
24:58
SPEAKER_00: we can't tolerate uncertainty, uncertainty doesn't feel safe.
25:02
SPEAKER_00: We want more information because we want assurance, right?
25:06
SPEAKER_00: And then no amount of information can ever really make you feel assured
25:09
SPEAKER_00: because there are always more questions to ask.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: No matter how many get answered, there are always more to ask.
25:15
SPEAKER_00: It can be a bottomless pit.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I don't want to turn this into another Venus retrograde episode.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: We've been talking about that quite a bit.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: But I do think it's interesting that all of this is happening right
25:28
SPEAKER_00: as Venus stations retrograde in Scorpio.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Venus has already been raising questions about what we want,
25:36
SPEAKER_00: what we value,
25:37
SPEAKER_00: what we're attracted to,
25:39
SPEAKER_00: what we're attached to, and perhaps what needs some reconsideration.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: And simultaneously,
25:47
SPEAKER_00: we have Mars
25:49
SPEAKER_00: and Pluto directing Venus's attention around things like how much power does this
25:55
SPEAKER_00: thing I want or this outcome I want actually have over me?
26:00
SPEAKER_00: And what am I willing to do Now, there is one important caveat to this discussion.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: Mars opposite Pluto
26:33
SPEAKER_00: Is happening for everybody collectively,
26:36
SPEAKER_00: but it's not going to feel equally personal for everyone.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: Not really.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: If Mars, Pluto,
26:44
SPEAKER_00: or Mercury are making a close aspect to something in your natal chart,
26:50
SPEAKER_00: you're going to be integrating that natal planet into this configuration
26:54
SPEAKER_00: and it's going to feel more personal to you.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: So what does that mean for you?
27:00
SPEAKER_00: Well, the easiest place to start is by looking at the planets that are touched
27:05
SPEAKER_00: by this configuration and asking what that planet is bringing to the conversation,
27:10
SPEAKER_00: right?
27:11
SPEAKER_00: And this is all about looking at the symbolism of that planet and what it means.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: So again, Mars brings action, assertion, motivation, sometimes conflict, but also initiative.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: Venus describes relationships, attraction, pleasure and joy.
27:28
SPEAKER_00: Values, money, resources, what we like or want.
27:33
SPEAKER_00: The sun is our identity and our sense of purpose.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: The moon has to do with our emotional life and our family and our private lives
27:41
SPEAKER_00: and well-being, right?
27:42
SPEAKER_00: So let's say if Mars in Leo is conjunct your natal Venus,
27:47
SPEAKER_00: for example, you could be trying to integrate Mars with Venus, right?
27:51
SPEAKER_00: This can be about different things, of course, but maybe you're becoming more assertive.
27:56
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're motivated to pursue something that you really value.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're spending money impulsively,
28:28
SPEAKER_00: or you have been,
28:29
SPEAKER_00: and you're looking at some financial truths in your life,
28:34
SPEAKER_00: and you're looking at what's not working.
28:37
SPEAKER_00: The T-square tells us there's some tension or some pressure that requires you
28:44
SPEAKER_00: to engage with your life, right?
28:47
SPEAKER_00: It requires you to take some sort of action or next steps, but it does not tell us the outcome.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: You'll also want to look at the houses the T-square touches, by the way.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: So where in your life is this happening?
29:02
SPEAKER_00: And I'd also just think about what is actually happening in your life, right?
29:07
SPEAKER_00: That always gives you some of the best clues because these issues
29:10
SPEAKER_00: that are being raised over these next few weeks,
29:13
SPEAKER_00: you're probably already catching glimpses of them and you probably have been for
29:17
SPEAKER_00: the last month or so.
29:18
SPEAKER_00: So you can already just stop and think about what's happening in your life right now.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: So what do we do with this Mars-Pluto opposition is the question.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: Well, mostly we're just going to ride this out and see what comes up, right?
29:33
SPEAKER_00: This is all going to be tied into the Venus retrograde that will play out
29:37
SPEAKER_00: over several weeks' time.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: And I do recommend tracking that process or journaling or making notes so
29:44
SPEAKER_00: that you can get the most out of this retrograde cycle.
29:48
SPEAKER_00: And so it can be a more growthful experience.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: And I do have the Venus retrograde field notes,
29:54
SPEAKER_00: once again, available on my Substack for that purpose.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: This is a worksheet or a packet of sorts containing a few worksheets
30:02
SPEAKER_00: that I hope will help each of us keep track of our experiences over the next 40 days
30:07
SPEAKER_00: or so.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: In the meantime,
30:09
SPEAKER_00: I think there are a few useful questions that we can just kind of carry around
30:15
SPEAKER_00: with us through this transit over the next several days, this Mars-Pluto transit.
30:21
SPEAKER_00: I think we're going to get to look at how hard we're pushing on something and
30:26
SPEAKER_00: if it's actually effective.
30:28
SPEAKER_00: I think we're going to get to look at what is genuinely within our control and what isn't.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: You know, where is it okay or even healthy?
30:37
SPEAKER_00: To let go of control.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: Does letting go of control actually make you more empowered and not less?
30:46
SPEAKER_00: What really lies at the heart of something?
30:49
SPEAKER_00: We're going to get to look at that.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: You know,
30:51
SPEAKER_00: what's the real story or the real truth here that maybe I couldn't see
30:55
SPEAKER_00: or didn't want to see before?
30:58
SPEAKER_00: I think we're going to get to look at what is of so much value to me
31:03
SPEAKER_00: that I'm willing to put in the persistence and the courage to Required to get it.
31:09
SPEAKER_00: Okay once again I said this at the beginning but I will repeat it again here
31:14
SPEAKER_00: if you've been interested in this topic and all
31:17
SPEAKER_00: the stuff around Venus retrograde generally I would also invite you
31:22
SPEAKER_00: to attend my next new moon gathering.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: The new moon in Libra is on October 10th and this is an interesting one because
31:31
SPEAKER_00: the ruler of that new moon is Venus which by then will be retrograde in Scorpio
31:35
SPEAKER_00: and forming a square to Mars on the same day so We'll have even more to talk
31:40
SPEAKER_00: about here with the astrology of that new moon.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: The new moon is on the 10th,
31:45
SPEAKER_00: but the new moon gathering,
31:47
SPEAKER_00: the moon and you,
31:48
SPEAKER_00: will take place a few days before that on Wednesday,
31:51
SPEAKER_00: October 7th at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: And if you can't make it live,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: go ahead and sign up anyway if you want to attend because you'll get access to
32:00
SPEAKER_00: the recording afterward.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's all for now, everyone.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: The next time we meet,
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Venus will actually be retrograde,
32:07
SPEAKER_00: so go grab your field notes and we will circle back.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for listening, everybody.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: That's all for now.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Have a great week, and I'll see you next time.