Venus + Saturn: The Kiss That Turns Away
All Work And No Play...
Saturn + Venus aspects always strike me as a softening, or a sweetening of the Old Man. Venus moves much faster, and so she brings her energy to the application. She does not, however, escape his presence without rebuke…
It reminds me of a thing I learned from the Kama Sutra: The Kiss That Turns Away.
This is described as a lover or spouse addressing their counterpart while they are in the middle of a stressful or tedious bit of business, and taking their attention away from it with a deep and passionate kiss. Some momentary, but utterly complete and vulnerable soul-gazing and affection, before allowing them to return to their task.
Well, Saturn is always doing a stressful and tedious bit of business. And Venus is always distracting. I believe this wisdom from the Kama Sutra is quite poignant for their relationship. Venus medicine is maybe the only thing that could penetrate the Saturnian permafrost for just a sweet instant. The themes of loyalty and devotion that arise between these two planets make this all the more juicy.
A couple other themes I think of with this pairing are:
The Arts being informed by the Orthodoxy, and vice-versa. The relationship of art to luxury and high society. Secondarily, propaganda.
The Gilded Cage. More specifically, gilding the bars of the Black Iron Prison.
Dominatrix Stuff.
Aspecting
In applying aspects, I think of Venus buttering up her sugar daddy:
Applying Trine: She calls him up to see how he’s doing. Reminding him it’s about time for their scheduled get-together (once a year and some change). He’s distracted as always, and cuts the call short.
Applying Square: She gently ribs him for being all work and no play, or maybe even picks a fight over some act of callous cruelty. Something distinctly Saturnian and un-beautiful she found out about.
Applying Sextile: She shoots him a naughty picture to gum up the works. Sextiles are for sexting, after all. I think it was Agrippa said that.
The Conjunction: Well…
“Put down the calculator. Have some wine. Kiss me. Oh, stop, all this will still be here later. I’m here now. Ever seen one of these?”
Needless to say, Venus always wins these engagements. At least in the short-term.
In the separating aspects, I think of Saturn “watching her leave”:
Separating Sextile: He sighs resignation, and channels the pain into business, reminding her to get her tires checked because one of them was looking low in the back. She totally forgot, and he knew that she would.
Separating Square: They bicker because she still never got her damn tires checked. She got too busy with endless diversions and hedonism. As always.
Separating Trine: Saturn just goes ahead and calls in the appointment for her so she doesn’t have a catastrophe. Just one more thing on his infinite plate.
Opposition: He reminds her for the last time, giving her the Saturian Rooster Eye across the room. She responds by opening her robe to him, flashing the goods and utterly disregarding his chiding remarks. He shakes his head and goes back to the accounting, pretending not to be totally smitten.
The departure of Venus, leaving behind a much slower-moving counterpart, also tells a story of love’s departure and the isolation that can follow. This dry spell without the warmth of a lover, feels like an eternity. It can test one’s resolve and dampen one’s ability to break their own constraints. Especially if this dynamic is one-sided. The heart, and its pangs of remembrance for what has passed from one’s life, are also in the story of Saturn and Venus.
The Upcoming Transit
On January 18th, 2025, we will see the exact Venus + Saturn Conjunction take place. This is the chart:
Other significant things in this configuration:
Moon/South Node Conjunct in Virgo, Opposite Neptune/North Node in Pisces. This depicts a moment of reflection on where we are now by taking account of what has fallen away, and the way that affects our vision of what is to come and how to move toward. This could involve becoming painfully aware of the disintegration of dreams and aspirations, as well as illusions. Conversely, it could drive one deeper into illusions to cope with these revelations. This results in a moment ripe for propaganda to find psychic leverage.
Sun/Pluto Conjunct in the critical degrees of Capricorn/Aquarius respectively, Opposite Mars in Cancer. This appears to place an illumination of the underworld in tension with the tendency to fiercely defend inner circles and their secrets. With Uranus Trining/Sextiling both parties respectively, jarring revelations are expected to take place.
Moon/South Node in Sextile with Mars. Using knowledge of past events and players for the purposes of attack. Comeuppance as a weapon.
Neptune/North Node in Sextile with Sun/Pluto. The underworld revelations of this moment color our fears and projections of fate.
We see that this creates an envelope aspect pattern between these bodies. The powers Sextiling on one side of the chart, support each other in opposition to the powers Sextiling on the other side of the chart. With Mars/Pluto in the mix, this points toward a sort of shadow economy between parties. A passing of secret messages with ill intent. This could indicate people trying to expose each others’ secrets while protecting their own. Players at the periphery, trying to out-blackmail each other. A spy’s paradise. This is especially interesting, given that this transit occurs two days before the presidential inauguration.
Venus and Saturn are not quite entangled with the aspects described above, but they are far enough into Pisces to be at its out-skirts, and their consort may adopt some elements of shadow play.
So that’s my characterization of Venus + Saturn dynamics. These thoughts cycle through my head often, and I find them endlessly endearing. But as always, I’m a hopeless romantic, and I can’t take off the lens. This is what you get from me. Sue me. Or just let me know what you think.
If you want to see my take on Saturn in Pisces, you can go here:
