We’d better check in with what the heart wants
Astrology for the week ahead: Last Quarter Moon in Leo, Venus Square Pluto, Mercury conjunct Mars
The energy this week brought to mind the saying “The heart wants what it wants”. But what happens after it gets what it wants? We often seek the mystery of the unknown, while simultaneously grasping at certainty, leaving the heart alternating between pain and torpor, each state leaving a filmy residue … of longing for one’s future or nostalgia for one’s past.
If the Pluto tours through Sagittarius and Capricorn (1995 - 2023) had a combined saying, it might be “Anywhere but here”. Pluto in Sagittarius sought to broaden physical and philosophical limits, and Pluto in Capricorn sought a nostalgic limitless faux meritocracy. The result is a sort of prison for all: a boundless confinement. Of course, the prison looks very different, depending upon the group to which you are classified. For some, it may be an actual prison, because the only way to survive the circumstances one was born into required violating the law. For others, it is a self-imposed prison in a persona that meets external expectations, while the inside feels like a stranglehold on the soul.
And now, Pluto in Aquarius is having us face our present reality (seemingly by any means necessary) so that we will create a future with different values. Values which will be determined as we move through chaos in order to make room for liberation. Perhaps our beating heart was absent in the expansion and contraction of Pluto in the previous two signs (and well before), so the question now must include the consideration: what does the heart want? This is not an organic question for Pluto in the mental sign of Aquarius to ask, and I think paying attention to the Moon and Venus more diligently will benefit us.
This week, Venus in Scorpio makes a tense aspect to Pluto, and seems to ask us to consider memories which escape their delicate containers (perhaps our minds? Our phone storage?) and how they might fortify us (or alternatively, dangerously distract us) in times of crisis as they live in our sense memories. This is a last quarter square aspect, mirroring the Moon’s phase.
The last quarter Moon asks us to consider the natural order of things, which includes inherent mysteries taken for granted, and requires stepping away from the day to day to connect with what is greater than ourselves.
Finally, Mercury and Mars meet in Sagittarius, reminding us of one of our most human attributes - longing for love.
Relevant Sabian Symbols for the week
These symbols help me flesh out the themes of the lunation of the week in the context of the larger astrological themes at play. The below mirror and/or enhance many of the themes of Pluto just beginning its tour through Aquarius and Uranus and Sedna just beginning their tours through Gemini, as well as Saturn and Neptune finishing up their tours in Pisces. We are meant to be asking ourselves meaningful questions, thinking about how adaptation at the individual and group level affects the future state of all that exists.
Venus square Pluto 11/7 7:30 PM PDT
Venus, 1° Scorpio
A delicate bottle of perfume lies broken, releasing its fragrance.
Keynote: The accidental nature of opportunities that impel one to break away from a past, the remembering of which is still poignant and cherished.
Pluto, 1° Aquarius
A unexpected thunderstorm.
Keynote: The need to develop the inner security which will enable us to meet unexpected crises.
Last quarter Moon 11/11 8:36 PM PDT
Moon, 19° Leo
Members of the Zuni tribe perform a ritual to the sun.
Keynote: A return to the glorification of natural energies.
Sun, 19° Scorpio
A woman draws away two dark curtains closing the entrance to a scared pathway.
Keynote: The revelation to the human consciousness of what lies beyond dualistic knowledge.
Mercury conjuncts Mars at 6° Sagittarius 11/12 3:15 PM PDT
Cupid knocks at the door of a human heart.
Keynote: A stirring up on individual longings for romantic love.
Tarot for each zodiac sign
My turn to be human. I am seeking some restorative time today, and taking a break from haiku writing. However, I did pull a card to accompany the energy of the week for the collective and for each sign.
For the collective. XI Justice.
Aries. VI of Wands.
Taurus.X of Wands.
Gemini. King of Pentacles.
Cancer. IV of Pentacles.
Leo. I The Magician.
Virgo. Ace of Cups.
Libra. The Hierophant.
Scorpio. VII of Cups.
Sagittarius. IX of Cups.
Capricorn. V of Swords.
Aquarius. XV The Devil.
Pisces. VIII of Cups.
Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest. As always, I love to hear your reflections!
Love, Maria Luz
I will be at West Coast Willow Apothecary in Seattle Friday and Saturday, and would love to see you for a session there. Just click below to book in advance, or stop by between 12-5 Friday or 11-4 Saturday.
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In case you missed it:
"The last quarter Moon asks us to consider the natural order of things, which includes inherent mysteries taken for granted, and requires stepping away from the day to day to connect with what is greater than ourselves."
This resonates, Maria. Thank you as usual.