Mercury – Venus

(Transit Mercury → Natal Venus)

Avesalom Podvodny. Aspects

Mercury opposition: Before speaking, ask yourself: do your words hurt your thoughts? An opposition to Mercury raises the issue of the relationship between the planet’s principle and rational thinking. One should not assume that a strong Mercury in the chart grants intelligence—the latter is determined more by the general evolutionary level, while with regard to Mercury, intelligence depends more on its processing than on aspects. At a low level of processing, dominant Mercury suppresses the planet’s principle with mental clichés, profanes it, and mercilessly distorts it. For example, in the case of an opposition between Mercury and the Moon, an emphasis on Mercury leads a person to think entirely formally, in strict accordance with social clichés: to be healthy and happy, one should do gymnastics in the morning, marry at twenty, have three children, and work without straining, without straining in accordance with the fate outlined by this scheme, completely unable to hear the true voice of one’s needs—even the most primitive ones—except in cases where the Moon decisively takes the main emphasis in this opposition, fully disconnecting Mercury, or rather, subordinating it to itself. In other words, it allows only those thoughts into the person’s mind that are thought at that moment, and only then, and the person themselves thinks only then, and the thought itself, and then the person, and then the thought—obsessive thoughts about food or primitive but sweet sex, which sharply lowers the evolutionary level of their behavior or leads to strong frustrations, neuroses, or depression. Here, processing occurs by clarifying the role of thought in the manifestations of the planet’s principle, which should generally guide it but not control every detail, let alone be dictated or replaced by crude mental schemes. On the other hand, thought can also aid in the development of new directions and the materialization of the planet’s principle and should not become its obedient servant—a lesson a person will repeatedly learn when faced with the inconceivable chaos that arises after the planet’s principle has long dominated Mercurian tendencies.

At a high level, the planet’s principle gains a stable channel into the mental plane, and the person begins to have exactly the thoughts they need to develop the planet’s principle—this feeling of thought and speech being obedient cannot be confused with anything else. It provides a sense of absolute confidence in oneself in appropriate situations (those around begin to marvel at the person’s steadfast and conscious approach to the incomprehensible and conscious approach to the steadfast word, as the opposition is processed).

Venus opposition: The world’s insufficient love for you is not proof of complete egoism. An opposition to Venus raises issues in the spheres governed by the planet—ethical and aesthetic ones, not to mention emotional ones, especially love. If the emphasis is on Venus, the person becomes overwhelmed by social attitudes, standard ethics, and encounters external manifestations of the planet’s principle armed with the clichés of public consciousness and subconsciousness. In general, any manifestation of the planet is viewed from an aesthetic perspective or, even more biasedly, through the lens of “like—dislike,” “love—hate,” with a peculiar mixture of purely personal sympathies and antipathies combined with the standard attitudes imposed by society, which the person initially does not distinguish. However, if the emphasis is on the planet and the person internalizes its principle, Venus manifests as an external opponent in the form of social influences (often hostile), negative ethical and aesthetic judgments from the outside world, which the person may stubbornly fight without realizing that the causes of antagonism lie in their own inner emptiness.

For example, in the case of an opposition between Venus and Saturn, a person deeply desires to dedicate themselves to serious art. If they emphasize the principle of Venus—that is, perceive themselves as a free artist with no obligations except to live in the world of the Beautiful—they reject Saturn’s principle of discipline, effectively externalizing it, and the lack of truly diligent and purposeful practice (internal indulgence) leads to the weakening of Saturn. The world responds with various external obstacles and a general sense that the outside world is cold and disapproving of the person.

Conversely, internalizing Saturn—that is, focusing on its principle, when a person turns inward, immerses themselves in solitary serious work, or simply rigidly ignores the world—activates Venus in external life: champagne suddenly appears out of nowhere, invitations arrive (if Venus has harmonious aspects), or sharp social conflicts arise, often with accusations of egoistic behavior (if Venus is afflicted). In general, a major aspect of Venus raises the issue of love, and in the areas governed by the planet in opposition to Venus, the question of what the person truly wants—whether to love or to be loved—becomes acutely relevant at some point.

Processing leads to a stable fusion of the planet’s principle with the Venusian one: all manifestations of the planet become perfect in form and filled with love for people; in the spheres governed by the planet, the person gains a profound understanding of others and the ability to influence large social programs.