Being Seen
…On the Venus/Mars opposition
December begins with a standoff.
Mars, that growing orb of ‘malefic’ beauty will oppose Venus and all her ‘benefic’ shortfalls. The last time they stood eye to eye, longing for a deeper understanding was amidst the 2020 election (Nov, 9th; 15º Aries/Libra). The next time will be in December of 24' in Leo/Aquarius. Depending on who you ask, you will get a wide spectrum of answers to what this dramatic polarity is all about.
If we turn our gaze way back to the 4th century and consult with Firmicus Maternus, he may say, “it’s a hostile aspect in which the two planets mutually attack one another.” If you were to watch a TikTok of a fledgling ‘lockdown astrologer’ (it’s a thing), they may say, “it’s all about the tension created by the two. It’s dramatic.” And if we were to travel into the future a few years and ask an AI Astrologer called Zoma, it may say, “It’s all about being seen and reconciling differences.” Something can be taken from each, but only one observation is true: Our own experience!
As much as I love traditional astrology, some of the language can be a bit too stiff and even vitriolic for me and is often far from the reality. As far as the fledgling, it’s an acute observation, yet stuck in the mud of buzzwords and a lack of experience. And as for the AI, I like this part about “being seen.”
In the early days of my studies of astrology, an older and wiser colleague than I once said to me, “Oppositions can only be fully understood in the mirror of another.” It clicked for me then. I immediately understood the oppositions in my own chart and then was given this incredibly simple, yet profound filter for understanding this aspect moving forward. It’s true, there is potential hostility and tension present with the opposition, but it’s created with a subject outside of ourselves-usually, a human one. To resolve this, we must see and feel seen.
It may relate to our career and the fears which swarm around our desires to be seen or heard. It can relate to our relationship, where perhaps we feel like we aren’t being witnessed or understood, which perpetually is creating that hostility or tension in the partnership. If we are single, it’s clear where the previous manifestation may fall short, yet will still appear with a friend, a family member, or even a pet. As human beings, we need to be seen. It’s not an egoic statement. Our souls are validated in the presence of someone holding space for who we are. And what happens, then, if we are canceled or ignored or shadow banned. What happens when we run away from the emotions that rain down on us when we feel as if we are not being seen, instead of leaning into them and calmly demanding a change?
When Venus and Mars oppose one another we are given a precious opportunity to not just be seen, but to see. So often we move through life without actually noticing who is actually watching or listening. We don’t value those around us who have always been in support of us no matter the cause. We forget to say our thanks and return the favor. When the Lovers oppose in the sky, these are but a few of the expressions we can be sensitive to. There will be more shouts than whispers, but this is only natural due to their distance apart. At the root of it all is a pain burrowed in the longing. Thank the gods there is good currency to our longing. The sooner we see this, the richer we become, and the sooner we can say, “I see you.”
* Find Gemini/Sag in your chart and you will see them there. Don’t get tangled up in overly deterministic interpretations of certain aspects or transits. There are too many variables. Too much to be allowed to worry.
Eudaimonia,
Adam
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