posted April 29, 2009 10:38 AM         

27th-3rd: The Devil and the Queen of Heaven

Strange configurations are brewing in the weeks to come. Another Mercury retrograde is right around the corner, as is Jupiter’s extended conjunction with Neptune, and Saturn’s direct station. But one element will stay steady behind these and other highlights: the moving conjunction of Venus and Mars.

We’ll deal with the disorienting effects of the coming Mercury retrograde next week, and the other exotic events in weeks to come, but the Baron would like to devote this week's piece to the roving tantik convergence of Mars and Venus that will provide the background for the rest of the season.

Venus' long retrograde is now behind us. Venus, once again in Aries, moves forward with Mars blazing a trail ahead of her. The two planets will travel in tandem for the next several months. This rare configuration will take them all the way through Aries and Taurus, and much of Gemini. It is rare that Mars and Venus move in lockstep, as Venus usually moves much faster than Mars. One quick conjunction, a nice breakfast, and she’s gone. But because Mars caught Venus at the very end of her retrograde, when she is slow and unsteady, he will be escorting her for months to come. In order to understand what this implies, let us take another tour through the mythologies of the relevant planets.

Crazy Aunt, Disobedient Daughter

In Greek myth, a distinction is made between two forms of Aphrodite/Venus. One is Aphrodite Ourania, the "celestial" Aphrodite, who represents love as a universal principle. The other is Aphrodite Pandemos, the Aphrodite of all people, who symbolizes affection and connection on the human level experienced daily. Not only divergent in sphere of rulership, the two sides of Aphrodite are given to different sets of parents. Aphrodite Ourania was said to be born from Ouranos’ (Uranus) castration by Kronus (Saturn), while Aphrodite Pandemos was born of a tryst between Zeus and the Titan Dione.

According to this divergent geneology, Aphrodite Ourania is Zeus’ crazy aunt, while Aphrodite Pandemos is Zeus’ daughter. Age in mythology describes the principles represented by the diety in question. The Titans, some of the oldest creatures in Greek myth, represent the raw, uncontrolled power of reality’ building blocks. Earth, Sky, Time, Love, etc. The Olympians, on the other hand, represent the civilized and socialized form of these forces.

Aphrodite Ourania’s age suggests that she is a fundamental force, titanic in origin and scope. Venus/Aphrodite represents the connective principle, the temporary reconciliation of opposites in moments of affection. The Celestial Aphrodite represents this principle on a universal level. She is the great queen of heaven, who keeps the divergent forces of the unverse from tearing it apart. She creates love between electrons and protons by providing the neutron, she is the element in the heart of man that chains devils and angels to one another. She represents the affection between polarities at the deep level of the underlying structure of reality. In Kabbalistic terms, she is the symbol of Venus created by the entire Tree of Life. The reconciling principle that holds the entire structure together.

Aphrodite Pandemos, on the other hand, represents human experiences of affection and reconciliation. She is the celestial principle applied to very human, obvious situations. Although Aphrodite Ourania’s action is veiled, Aphrodite Pandemos’ affect is plain for all to see and experience. She is not the hidden emblem of Venus that it takes the entire Tree of Life to create, but is simply Netzach, the lowly sephiroth near the bottom of the chain of manifestation. Human and animal affection, attraction and reconciliation. But the blood of her great aunt flows through her veins, and her simple acts of friendship and sensuality are the doorway to universal dynamics.

Giving the Devil His Due

The brash god of war represents the principle of separation and conflict. As is fitting for a god of conflict, he was disliked and ostracized by the other members of his pantheon. In fact, Aphrodite was the only Olympian who could stand Ares. Well, she did more than stand him. They had a gaggle of ******* children together.

In Kabalah Mars is attributed to the sephiroth Geburah, the red sphere of separation, prism of differentiation and severing sword of mitosis. Within the Kabbalistic tradition, there are stories of the Fall that diverge from the one often told of Adam and Eve. In one of these stories, it was Geburah, the principle of separation and conflict, which was responsible. The principle of separation separated itself fom the rest of the tree, the other principles of creation. Not exactly unpredictable. This principle of separation and conflict, Geburah, broken away from the tree, is the genesis of the devil himself, the original individualist.

This rather abstract envisioning of the Fall describes the situation of the Greek Ares/Roman Mars quite eloquently. The God of War is separated from and ostracized from this brothers, sisters and parents. The only reconciliatiation he found was with Aphrodite. She broke her marital vow to Haepheastus in order to conduct an ongoing affair with him (according to Aphrodite’s more ancient genealogical scheme, she predates Hera, the goddess of martial contracts anyway).

Here, Aphrodite as the reconciler echoes the tales Vedic sages and astrologers tell of Venus. They speak of Shukra. They envision Venus as male, but his role as reconciler is unchanged. One of Shukra’s most interesting roles is as the Daitya Guru, roughly, the “demon teacher.” He alone, of all saintly choir of gods, was able to reach out to the asura, the daitya, the rakshasa- the “demonic” spirits of the Vedic megapantheon. Although the world of Greek mythology does not have a clearly defined angel/demon polarity, it is no stretch to place blood-soaked Ares there.

Within Greek Myth, a higher, more fundamental form of Venus/Aphrodite is recognized: Aphrodite Ourania- the love between every particle that holds the world together. However, within the Hellenic framework, there is no Ares Ourania. The warrior who cuts the one into two is not honored by expanding his principle to a universal level, for it is a dangerous one. It is the principle of separation, of independence and individualization. It seeks a multiplicity of forms, and desires bloody competition between them all. This principle must always have one foot in the shadow of a society’s mythology. The organism of civilization is vulnerable to excessive individualization. The efforts and energies of the many are organized to create civilization’s great works. Too much individuality breaks apart the unity that a culture’s stories work to maintain. Even a martial civilization must extol connective virtues of honor and loyalty in order to prevent the energy of separation from dissolving it. Mars’ deepest resonance cannot be given its due, for to do so threatens the fabric of civilization.

One of the better approximations of Mars Ourania, “big Mars,” is the Western Satan. He is the fiery spirit that does not honor the whole. He would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven. He is the eternal antagonist in the ongoing battle within Christian theology. The West, however, has no Aphrodite to calm and reconnect him. There is no Queen of Heaven, no dancing honey-lipped Oshun or reconciling Shukra to draw this one back to fold. The Kabbalistic story of the Fall where Geburah/Mars separates from the whole and becomes the devil is part of the mythic history of the West. With totalitarian pro life angels running the great and secret show, life must be preserved at any cost, and even a hint of bloodshed must be rationalized and justified out of existence. Here the universal Mars principle masquerades as the Devil.

Doin It Well

The ongoing intercourse of Aphrodite Ourania and the "big Mars" is the principle at work behind the next few months. This roving union of Mars and Venus casts deep Tantric shadows. Not all stories of creation involve a Fall into ruin. Only those that make the error of assuming a perfect god. The tantric creation myth is simple sex. Perfection split into two and in order to **** itself. The existing world is constantly generated by the primordial ******* of the God and Goddess. It does not have a reason any more than sex has a reason. We do not **** to procreate. We procreate accidentally as a result of the single activity which needs no justification. And that, my friends, is why you will not find the reason it all whent wrong, and you will not be able to fix it. Existence is the sexual tension between perfection and imperfection, connection and separation. And if it was resolved, the show would be over. It is the dance of the Two. And when the One cannot be spoken of, a vision of the tension between the Two is the surest route to understanding.

******** !

What springs from the union of Mars and Venus? This affair, though illicit, was far more fruitful than the lawful covenant of Aphrodite and Haephaestus. Who'd **** Haephaestus anyway, the guy doesn't even have his own planet. From the illicit union of Mars and Venus sprang several children, some favoring their father, and others their mother. Each, however, represents the fusion of Venusian affection and the Martial impetus toward conflict and action. Because we will be privy to months of Mars and Venus within kissing range, the world is quite likely to see the forces unleashed by their union. So let's take a look at what we're in for.

Double Trouble

Taking after their father, Phobos and Deimos accompanied their father to war. The boy’s names mean Fear (Phobos) and Dread (Deimos). Their chariots raced ahead of his when he rolled into battle, giving the cowardly heart attacks and wetting tunics far and wide. Although not honored with temples, it was common for Greek warriors to adorn their shields with the fearsome visage of Phobos or Deimos in order to plunge fear into hearts of those who dared stand against them. It is said that Heracles himself wore a shield with Phobos’ awful guise, and that Alexander the Great, before the fateful battle of Guagamela, made sacrifice to the dire brothers. His opponent, the self proclaimed god-king of Persia, Darius, fled from the battlefield, testifying to the efficacy of Alexander’s rites.

Although they seem mere repetitions of the martial principle, these boys are truly the children of Venus, for it is the emotion and feeling generated by war that they spread. Here the Venusian emphasis on art and aesthetics is turned to warlike pruposes. Fear and Dread are emotions, not actions. One wonders what fear, what dread will be inspired as Mars and Venus walk through Aries. With a possible epidemic in Mexico, pirates off the coast of Africa, Pakistan losing ground to Jihadists, and Rush Limbaugh plain making **** up, it seems likely that the sons of Mars have plenty of work to do. But remember that Fear and Dread, once launched into the fray, have a momentum independent of reality. The smart warrior prayed for their favor, but never let them hold sway over his/her mind. Fear is the mindkiller...

We will likely see an increase in fearmongering and its effectiveness as Mars and Venus work their way through Aries, as the Sign favors Mars' influence while minimizing Venus'.

The Good Girl

On the other hand, Venus and Mars also gave birth to even tempered Harmonia. Favoring her mother, Harmonia’s role was to bring connection to discordant elements. She is a goddess of mediation, of truce. Known as Concordia to the Romans, Harmonia brought exactly what her name implies- harmony and concord. Here seperations find common ground, and people learn to coexist without agreement. In a world which has recently seen differences and disagreements widened by difficult economic times, one can only hope that Harmonia springs as readily from the union of Mars and Venus as her brothers Phobos and Deimos.

In all likelihood, the harmonizing influence of the Mars/Venus conjunction will not gain strength until the Mars and Venus enter Taurus in early June , as the Sign enhances Venus' influence and diminishes Mars'.

Hotness

The single child of Ares and Aphrodite that partook fully of both parents' power was Eros, the god of erotic, impassioned love. Our template for cupid, Eros’ bow and arrow had the power to enflame anyone, god or man, with consuming desire for carnal union. From his mother he drew the power of connection and affection, and from his father, the physical and passionate aspects, which when combined become the power of erotic love which he commanded.

The convergence of Mars and Venus in the modern mind means sex. And in the figure of Eros, this assumption is confirmed. The next couple months should see the heat turned up all round. If you find yourself in the midst of that particular flame, take a moment to remember the divine parents of your small biological union. Its nothing but a Tantric representation of the universe itself, ******* its way through another day.

Horoscopes:

April 27th-May 3rd

Note on Horoscopes: 12 Fold horoscopes are a way to assess the general condition of the splayed rays of the zodiac. Although not without value, they are a blunt tool, and can only describe the archetypal activity in each power-zone. In order to sharpen the accuracy of the horoscopes, read your Sun Sign if you were born in the day-time, and read your Moon Sign if you were born at night. Reading the Sign in which the Ascendant is placed is also advised.

For information on where the Ascendant and Moon are in your natal chart, check out the accurate, free, chart calculation programs at astro.com and khaldea.com.

Aries: The Ram

Mars and Venus continue to rock their way through you Sign. Though you’ve likely felt your temperature rise a little with Mars’ ingress into your sign last week, you may not be able to really enjoy it until Venus works her way back through the area of your life she's trashed over the last few months. Give it a week or so, and if by then you can't hear the little red bird of rebirth, turn up the radio.

Taurus: The Bull

Happy Birthday to all the hefty quadrupeds out there! The Baron has a very special gift for you this year: Taco Salad. Why, you ask? Shhhhhh…don’t say another sweet word. The Baron knows what you need: Taco Salad.*

For the rest of the cows, the Baron brings tidings of peace and joy. And confusion and doom. Mars and Venus’ current run through Aries will see you frisky, but not necessarily centered. You’re coming out of the confusion that’s abounded over the last several weeks, but it’s a deep hole, and cows climb poorly. You’ll need to endure the coming Mercury retrograde in your sign and wait for the Mars and Venus conjunction to make it to your sign for things to move forward with certain force. Which won’t be for a while. So consider postponing your birthday a month or so.

*Taco Salad is capitalized for a reason. Why? Shhhh….

Gemini: The Twins

Dear Gemini, the movement of Mars and Venus through Aries means you will probably have sex with your friends. Don’t have any friends? Had your genitals removed? Well, it might also indicate furious social intercourse of a less explicit nature. Enjoy what you can, because Mercury is getting ready to go retrograde once more, and for most of you, that means bad decisions and broken brains.

Cancer: The Crab

Mars and Venus will be making sweet sweet love in Aries for the next weeks, and you’re likely to see their spawn swarming your career. You’ll have a little more pull and are likely to benefit from whatever magnetism you can muster in coming weeks. Polish your carapace and show those vertebrates what sex appeal is all about.

Leo: The Lion

Mars and Venus are making animal planet love in Aries this month. This delicious celestial friction may open up a route to further self knowledge through romantic encounter. Even if the configuration does not manifest in a physical partner, you’re still in position to benefit from considering the polarities present within your life. Put down that puritan perspective and hang a yin yang over your bed.

Virgo: The Virgin

The current configuration of the skies predisposes you toward tantric insights into the yin and yang dynamics occurring all around you. The Baron knows he’s been going on about invisible forces and similar shite for weeks now, but its what the planets have to say. It is not the Baron’s fault if the planets are boring and redundant. But seriously, consider the flow of energy and resources to and from you as you make your way through the coming weeks.

Libra: The Scales

Libra, you officially fair worst in the current weather. Although tantric conjunctions may appeal to Libra sensibilities, the pairing of planets in Aries is likely a little too harsh for you to be enjoying overmuch. There are separations that need to be made before the more glorious conjunctions that await.

Scorpio: The Scorpion

Scorpio, the current conjunction of Mars and Venus in Aries will likely focus your attention on health and monetary issues, which have likely been an issue over the last several weeks. The Baron sees regeneration of past problems, but it is the reconfiguration of your intimate social sphere that comes afterward the catches the monocled eye. Mars and Venus in Taurus- wait for it.

Sagittarius: The Archer

As Mars and Venus move through Aries, you’re likely beginning to feel more than a little frisky. As Venus reviews the terrain she once retrograded through with Mars leading the way, you’re likely to find new creative impulses stirring in your mighty horse loins. It's time to move forward on new projects, even if they're unfamiliar territory.

Capricorn: The Goat

Mars and Venus’ move through Aries invigorates your living space, bringing the necessary energy to remedy problems posed over previous weeks. The Baron can’t quite see what’s brewing beneath your feet, but there’s energy there, no doubt about it. In fact, there may well be more than you can handle.

Aquarius: The Water Bearer

Mars and Venus' handholding journey through Aries is likely to turn up sexual tension while you make the rounds. Encounters with an unusual level of magnetism are more likely. Or it may be that everybody's having an excellent time coupling except you. Regardless, you'd do well to take note of the effect pure magnetism has on casual social interaction over the coming weeks.

Pisces: The Fish

posted April 29, 2009 10:57 AM         

Are u saying this is a time to have sex lol?

Is it bad for relationships or bad as a natal placement. Im confused :S

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•' •.♥♫♫´°°♫ • LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL •.♥.•♫°°´♫♫ ♥ •

•Sun• Cancer
•Moon• Gemini
•Mars• Cancer
•Mercury• Cancer
•Venus• Leo

posted April 29, 2009 04:20 PM         

There is an asteroid called Hephaistos too.

posted April 29, 2009 04:22 PM         

"Are u saying this is a time to have sex lol?"

Thats kind of how I feel..

posted April 29, 2009 06:45 PM         

Taco Salad anyone???