“All is fair in love and war”. We have heard this famous quote from Fancis Edward Smedley many times. And right now the planet Venus gives us a reason to think about this a little deeper. Is all really fair in love and war? If there is something that I really want and desire, does it belong more to me than others then?
I know that some would argue the other way around. That if something or someone truly belongs to you, it will find it’s way to you anyway, you don’t have to go to war over it. Right now wants and desires are high. Right and wrong are up for debate. Let’s look a bit closer into the sky and se what it can tell us.
Venus and illusions
The planet Venus is complicated to say the least. On one hand she is love, beauty, art and of course magick. On the other hand she can be vindictive , jealous, stubborn (ruling taurus) and have a hard time letting go. “This belongs to me!”, she says. “No one loves you, this place, this job, more than I do. How could that even be possible?”
Many fairy tales tells us that all the good people and beings are the beautiful ones. They also tell us that ugly people, the not so perfect, are the villains and the ones that we should avoid. But as grown ups we hopefully have learned that this is not the case. Shiny things and shiny people can be as dangerous as anything else, and the unusual, in other people’s eyes even “defected” can be the most beautiful and precious thing.
As witches we learn this in our bones, through our journeys to other worlds and by meeting different spirits. Some are shining and otherworldly beautiful and others are strange looking. We learn to go deeper and see beyond what is right in front of our eyes. And as we do that, new perspectives are given to us and we get more options and opportunities to live a full life. True beauty is not always the most obvious beauty. The most obvious path may also not be the most rewarding one in the long run.
Challenged by Venus
If there is something just not going your way right now, it could be that Venus is involved. In fact, you could even experience that a door to what you believe that you want, is being closed right in front of your nose! This could be a surprise for you, something that you did not see coming.
Venus at 23 deg in Libra is making a hard aspect to Pluto (transformation) Jupiter (expansion) Pallas Athene (communication, strategy) and Saturn (boundaries, manifestation) all in the sign of Capricorn. Sometimes Capricorn is called the lord of time, and is connected to karma. Capricorn is not likely to change it´s mind. This could mean that you are struggling against some kind of block or authority.
If this is the case, don´t despair. It could be something even better coming your way further ahead. Venus is making a trine to the North Node (where you are supposed to go) in Gemini. This indicates that there are higher forces in play.
Sometimes we truly believe that what we want right now is the best way to go. But, after time (Saturn) passes by, and some transformation (Pluto) has taken place. The wisdom comes (Pallas Athene) that there was something even better and even luckier (Jupiter) entering into our lives further down the road. We just couldn’t see it at the moment.
The last planet in this constellation that Venus is letting go of is Saturn, around the 24th of November. By then she has also entered into the sign of Scorpio.
Is there another way?
The combination of Venus in Libra in challenging aspect to Pallas Athena in Capricorn can have a really hard time letting go. This is the warrior standing on the battlefield until the bitter end, no matter the costs. Whenever we engage into something we need to look at the costs. This may be time, money, energy or life force. If you have dug your heels deep down in the soil, holding a stand for something with deep conviction and perhaps stubbornness, this may be a good time to lift your perspective and ask yourself, is there another way? Could there be something that I´m not seeing at the moment?
I sometimes tell with my friends half joking, and half not, that “the god and goddess has always taken good care of me, so far!” And I like that idea, that the Universe and it´s powers are conspiring for me, not against me. Think about an important person or event in you life, and think about how many things that needed to happen for you to end up at that place, or with this person. And then think about the choices you made to get there and finally, think about what you needed to let go of, to get there. Pretty cool and brave stuff, right?
As young people we are forced to do new things and embrace the beginners mind all the time growing up and going through school. As we get older we are in danger of losing our flexibility replacing the adventure and open mind for a false sense of security and safety. My friend calls this being a security junkie. You have to be alert not to become that, because it is contagious!
To summarize this you should be careful that you don´t fight just to win, to be right or by sheer stubbornness. Or that you fight or hold on to something just because you fear the unknown.
Venus and Pallas Athena are letting go of each other around the 21st of November.
The adventurous Wizard and Witch
The asteroid Vesta (devotion) is in Virgo. This is very a very happy placement for the practical witch. With Vesta in this sign we all get more inspiration for magickal cooking, crafting and getting our hands dirty in the soil. With Covid many of us are working from home making it a whole lot easier to tune into planetary days and hours for our magickal projects.
One thing to look out for though is when things get a little bit too adventurous. The asteroid Vesta is in good aspect to Uranus in Taurus and then unpredictable things can happen. Don´t forget to label your bottles, put on your glasses and read the fine printed part of the spell! You don´t want to accidently take the war-water instead of lovewater, or take the wrong kind of berries out of the fridge! On the bright side you may invent marvellous recipes and create things of outstanding intelligence and greatness. Just don´t burn the house down in your alchemical enthusiasm. The aspect between Uranus and Vesta is until around 1st of December.
Blessings, and may the Universe conspire for great things on your path ahead!
/ Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red
Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.
You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial