Vanakam, Namaste and Blessings to all. Right now we’re experiencing an intense 5-body stellium in the sign of Libra, involving the energies of: Venus, North Node, Sun, Mercury Retrograde and Pallas Athena. We refer to the conjunction of several astrological bodies/sensitive points as a stellium – it’s a fancy way of saying, they’ve come together as a group and their energies have united.
Conjunctions, like any astrological aspect, are not ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. They simply mean that two energies will blend into one another. This can be a great thing, or a really difficult thing, depending upon how you work with each energy individually, and in combination. What I can tell you, off the bat, is that it’ll feel unusually intense, and powerfully karmic owing to the bodies involved in this stellium. Let’s take a closer look at what each brings to this energetic cocktail:
Venus in Libra – Venus teaches us how to attract what we desire into our lives. It also deals with the way we form connections with or attachment to things, people, anything on the material plane. It is related to the expression of femininity and the anima (female aspect of the psyche). At the mental level, it seeks refinement, and is involved in the formation of our value systems by which we judge what we like/dislike, are/are not, idealize/vilify, etc. In day to day life, Venus’ energy often addresses relationships and partnerships of all kinds. This energy is associated with Goddesses such as Mahalaxmi (venerated during this Deepavali/Diwali season) and Venus/Aphrodite herself.
North Node in Libra – The North Node represents the greatest point of Soul Growth in a chart. It is the direction of greatest inexperience, and therefore, the harder path for someone to generally take. In Libra, the North Node calls for the wisdom of balance, the exercise of discretion, detached judgement and the embodiment of integrity. It’s time to make sure that your needs are honoured alongside those whom you have entered into some kind of partnership with (personal and professional). Libra, ideally, seeks to perfect the balance of Self and Other, without compromising or degrading either party. It’s an energy which inspires us to navigate the boundary between self-negative and self-assertiveness. Due to the karmic nature of the North Node, the way in which you respond to this energetic call will determine the next chapter, or the way in which, your spiritual journey will unfold. Do not take it lightly.
Sun in Libra – The Sun represents the flow of your vital energies, the aspect of Spirit which we all have within us, that is currently ‘in focus’. When the Sun is in a particular sign, we collectively see an emphasized focus upon the activities related to that sign, irrespective of what our own Sun Sign is. It is as though the Universe holds up a temporary magnifying glass and says ‘Look at this part of your life/energy for a while’. In Libra, as previously discussed, the emphasis is on Balance, Relationships, Justice – and Fairness. An easy way to remember this is to recall that Libra is symbolized by the Scales of Justice, a symbol we use in courtrooms and in ancient mythological chambers which weighed the Soul in the Afterlife.
Mercury Retrograde in Libra – Mercury represents the mental realm, the formation of perception, the ability to communicate and convey information, the ability to discern one thing from another (critical thinking) – and quite a lot of other things. With Mercury Retrograde in Libra, the focus is likely to be upon revisiting words (spoken or written), particularly in the context of relationships. This could refer to vows you wrote to your wedding partner, a potential contract with a business partner, or words you spoke in anger to either. Watch out for miscommunications, and do not be surprised if people re-think and revisit things from the past. Retrograde phases are times in which you tend to look back to understand what doesn’t work, and how (if so) it can be fixed, or (if need be) walked away from.
Pallas Athena in Libra – Pallas Athena represents the energies of Goddess Athena (or as I call her Athena Androgenia). It is an energy that has androgynous features as it is both masculine and feminine (using those terms in a stereotyped manner). Athena is the goddess of war, healing and wisdom. She is the Strategos (General) who seeks to find her way to victory through diplomacy, strategic deals and partnerships (in Libra). She seeks to avert conflict unless she is convinced that battle is the only way for her to seek justice. She is a powerful energy to count upon if you are, for example, facing a legal battle through the justice system, or simply having to stand up to someone to say that some arrangement is no longer working for you. Her wisdom allows her to channel her courage and strength in a constructive manner, one which does not cast her as outwardly belligerent – but as focused, strategic, and powerful. In Libra, the focus will be on relationships – remember that, at the end of the day, you’re dealing with another person. Pyrrhic victories are to be avoided – try to find your way out of a situation without making things get unnecessarily ugly or messy. In personal partnerships, remember that using metaphors for battle is … probably not the best approach…. Somebody then ends up ‘losing’, and that might be someone you love or care for deeply – at times, even yourself.
Placing it all together, this stellium asks us to Balance Ourselves in our Partnerships with Others. It asks us to speak up in a way where no one is cast as a villain or adversary. Try to find ‘the middle path’, or a way in which both parties find a way to co-exist without having to compromise something essential. Some people will be removing themselves out of partnerships that no longer work for them, others will be finding new partnerships that do. Know that this is a very Karmic Time, and the people you interact with now (in this capacity) are directly involved in the path of spiritual evolution you forge for yourself on a daily basis. Actions now will continue to unfold and have wider implications for your journey to come. It’s a fantastic time to break out of old patterns – be they of avoiding partnerships, transcending the roots of co-dependent behaviour, or any other pattern of imbalance. Quite a bit of healing is possible at this time, especially if you look at it in terms of breaking away from habit patterns that have kept you from making wise decisions in partnerships. (I’ll talk more about this in a bit).
There’s plenty of sextile (60 degrees) energy between this stellium and Jupiter in Leo, Lilith in Leo and Mars in Sagittarius. Great potentials for growth, the expression of suppressed feminine emotions and assertion in areas of expanding your sense of self awareness. Those with astrological placements at or near 18-24 Pisces/Gemini will experience this as a profound Yod or Finger of Fate.
This stellium also loosely opposes Uranus Retrograde (which feels in the Uranus-Pluto square, of course) and the South Node (which directly opposes the North Node) – both Uranus Rx and the South Node are in Aries. This energy is the opposite of Libra – it’s modus operandi is to assert the Self, first and foremost – often to the extent of forgetting Others. (Libra, on the other hand, can ‘hide’ its identity through its relationships with Others, in an imbalanced state). Ideally, both Uranus/South Node will help you understand that self-assertion is not a bad thing – it’s a key component of self-love. Learning how to balance that in interactions with others is key – as opposed to erasing that emphasis on Self entirely. Remember to draw on the strength of the South Node in Aries – a place of familiarity, almost a fallback or default open – and use that strength to propel you into something new (i.e. North Node energy), currently in Libra.
Also – The Grand Fire Trine between Mars, Jupiter and Uranus Rx, has dissolved. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of Fire energy in the skies
Key dates and times (all in GMT + 8):
Stellium Begins: 6:37 am – October 12, 2014
Sun conjunct North Node: 10:38 pm – October 12
(Near Grand Sextile – Oct 12-13)
Mercury Retrograde conjunct Pallas Athena: 10:18 pm – October 13
Venus conjunct North Node: 11:08 am – Oct 15 ***
Sun conjunct Mercury Retrograde: 4:34 am – Oct 17
Venus conjunct Mercury Retrograde: 1:47 am – Oct 18
Stellium Splits: 2:20 am – October 21, 2014
Blessings & Love,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com
Dr. Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD: The Sky Priestess 