Marriage, Relationships and 2018

“The most highly charged relationships occur when unlike seeks unlike, not when like seeks like. The ancient Greek god Eros was depicted as a prime creative force in the universe because he created the universe by bringing together chaos and matter, two very different things.The 7th house is traditionally called the house of the “not self “as well as the house  of marriage. It’s as if we want to marry what isn’t in us.”  Richard Idemon

“Spiritual practice is really about weaving a network of good relationships.” Dhyani Ywahoo

In astrology the elements-  earth, air,  fire and water govern  the different aspects of  perceiving and experiencing life. For instance someone with a lot of fire could take a very adventurous orientation towards life and tend to leap excitedly into new circumstances. Someone with a predominance of water would have a more sensitive, emotional approach. Someone with a  lot of the air element would tend to analyze and assess things from a cerebral viewpoint.

Everyone has  a blend of elements and many people have an  imbalance. This can result in behavior that tends to either overcompensate for the lacking element – often quite successfully – or to seek it outside of themselves  in partnership when they see it in other people. So for example a person who is reclusive by nature may be drawn to a partner who is outgoing and can develop a social life for the partnership. But when the sociable person leaves the alliance, the other person often  returns to the more solitary state.

Often with highly charged relationships there is a karmic component – i.e there was an agreement of some kind made before this lifetime that when the two people were to meet again – often under the most common of circumstances – the purpose of the connection would be  to work on some form of healing of old wounds. There can be an ancestral component too – some desire in the family lines to work on and make progress with an old issue that the family has struggled with over time. This is a difficult task –  especially if interpreted initially as indicating that a serious long term marriage may be on the table. Relationships like this may have trouble with endurance due to the intensity and can blow apart.

Some astrologers have said that 2018 is not a good year for marriage because the planets of the lovers – Mars , governing the Masculine  (drive, ambition and how we move forward in the world ) and the Feminine (justice, soulfulness and a holistic approach) both transit retrograde this year.  Venus retrograde can represent a fearless warrior goddess. And Mars retrograde can be related to retreat, aggression or passive aggressive behavior  in situations related to the  use of power.

With Mars and Venus transiting retrograde in the course of the year,this re-balancing process of power and the use and abuse of power – will be a theme both personally and collectively as  a new and more  harmonious balance is striving to be born.  Needless to say this elicits inner and outer conflict and push back and it’s wise to exercise patience as new perceptions are being born and seeking to be  integrated both personally and collectively.

I don’t necessarily  agree that  2018 is a bad year for marriage in general. I think partnerships established in this time will contain this seed of seeking a new kind of power balance as they move forward. It can create conflict obviously but can result in evolution as well. It also bodes well to take into account the balance of the elements in each chart.

 

And Now for a Moment of Levity

There can be a somewhat somber feeling in the air around a Lunar Eclipse – one of which is tomorrow, Wednesday Jan 31.

But  it brightened my  day considerably today when I was driving home to have to stop and  let Pina Colada cross the road. Pina Colada is a chicken who lives with a family downtown in our small New England Village.  She was rescued from a dire fate by two little girls whose house is across the street from the cinema arts theatre in town. Pina Colada has her own house in the yard and is free to run during the day. Her first priority is to get over to the theatre where they give her a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of fresh water.

She then often can be seen in other areas  downtown. The police one day in particular enjoyed a call to the station about a chicken crossing the road. There has been occaisional concern about a hawk that dives down into her yard when she is running free but the staff at the theatre keeps an eye out for her  as do the patrons of the movie theatre who have to take care when parking there. Plus Pina Colada is savvy too and knows when to dive under a car.

In our topsy turvey times  of change , with Chiron and Neptune in Pisces – the sign of service to others – it’s good to remember the many good deeds that go on all the time around the globe that help to make the world a friendlier, kinder place.

Leadership and Wednesday’s Lunar Eclipse in Leo

“The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shadows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight…

I love people who harness themselves, as an ox to a heavy cart,
Who pull like the water buffalo with massive patience,
who strain in the muck and the mud to pull things forward,
who do what has to be done again and again.

The work of the world is as common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.” Marge Piercy

Wednesday’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Leo is in the sign of leadership and where you shine in the world.  Sometimes and under certain circumstances you can be “called” into a leadership position before you feel you are ready. It can feel like an initiation that you must step into –  in a personal or professional way – not fully prepared or with alot of unanswered questions.

This is the case for many people now who feel called to work to create a more just world.  And it’s important with the South Node involvement to remember that activity like this can have its daunting moments and unanticipated problems and that’s okay. Just make sure to provide appropriate downtime in order to restore and reinvigorate.

The Nodes in astrology – prominent players in eclipses- are associated with life path and life purpose. It’s wise to be conscious of where you intend for your life to go during these time frames – this one extending through late February. With the powerful influence of Mercury, Pluto  and Uranus now, do  be attentive to signs and signals of an unconventional nature that can point the way forward in unexpected ways.

“And all the obstacles along the way
Sometimes may feel so tremendous
There are guides and spirits all along the way
Who will befriend us.” Van Morrison