Mutable Grand Cross
Venus in Virgo is in opposition to Neptune in Pisces, and both planets are square to the Moon’s nodes, with the south node in Sagittarius and the north node in Gemini. Thus, all four of the mutable signs are active in this configuration, creating a mutable grand cross. Let’s examine how this configuration might be showing up for us in our lives this week.
First let’s examine the Venus–Neptune opposition. This is a very elegant and dreamy aspect characterized by mutual receptivity. Venus represents the lover, the feminine, the energy of attraction and the sense of beauty, aesthetics and values. It is said to rule Taurus, sign of sexual reproduction and self preservation, and Libra, sign of relationships, balance, harmony and appreciation of the arts. Neptune is said to be the higher octave of Venus, it represents love on a cosmic scale, love for all humanity, appreciation of the entire world as a beautiful creation. It also rules the arts, particularly music and poetry. It has the spiritual qualities of moving beyond 3D reality, dissolving physical boundaries and merging into the oceanic bliss of all existence. And it rules Pisces, so by virtue of being in it’s own sign, it is quite comfortable expressing it’s qualities in this most sympathetic and watery sign.
This configuration is an invitation to explore our creativity and our receptivity to artistic and aesthetic pursuits. It is luring us to deeply explore our relationships and the connections we have to the friends and lovers in our lives, to value and appreciate these connections—both on a practical level and a spiritual level. Venus in Virgo supports the efforts to make aesthetic improvements, to beautify the body and make practical use of our creative talents. It also supports working relationships, particularly employer/employee dynamics, genuine listening and discriminating emotions. This grounded and practical desire of Venus in Virgo is being pulled by Neptune in Pisces to merge with the bigger picture—to move beyond the limits of the interpersonal, and to explore the deeper connections to the collective. It’s also an invitation to “dream big.”
But we must also be aware of a tendency for illusion and delusion, fantasy and escapism. This is the shadow side of Neptune, and these tendencies are highly amplified when it is in Pisces, which it entered in 2012 and will remain until 2025. This has been a time of great illusion and delusion, deception and misdirection. It’s a period characterized by the desire for salvation, the (often delusional) hope for a savior figure to emerge and save us from all our woes. From this perspective, we can see how a figure like Donald Trump could emerge and thrive during the Neptune in Pisces era. At its best, the Venus in Virgo opposition to Neptune in Pisces is encouraging us to ground our dreams in more practical realities, to be more discriminating. Be aware of where, when and by whom you are being emotionally hijacked or deluded into wrong thinking. And in areas where you have big dreams, make an effort to channel them into practical applications.
These efforts are further supported by the square aspect that Venus and Neptune are making to the lunar nodes. The nodes of the moon are always reflecting the dynamic tension between past (south node) and future (north node). The south node in Sagittarius is calling us to reevaluate our old philosophies and long-held beliefs, while the north node in Gemini is simultaneously calling us to incorporate new information that may shed new light on our future plans. The Gemini/Sagittarius axis supports a change in ideas, a change in thinking.
In general, this entire configuration is one that encourages and supports openness to change. This is the essence of mutability. When all four of the mutable signs are activated in such a “grand cross” configuration, we must be open to the inevitable changes that are necessary to promote our continued evolution, both as individuals and as a collective. Where are old patterns holding us back? Where are we afraid to change, even though our deeper intuitive sense hints that the change is not only necessary, but will ultimately prove beneficial? How can we ground our creative energies in practical ways that can take the concrete first steps towards fulfilling our biggest dreams and deepest desires? This is a good week to explore these options.
