This weekend was packed with Centaur movement on the theme of sex, and the emotional content of eroticism. At the end of last week and on Saturday, we experienced the peak of Sun-Nessus conjunct. That stirred the pot: it may have been a frantic moment, a crisis point, the sense of ’something coming up’ or ’something coming back’. Sun-Nessus can make experiences of sexual shadow particularly conscious. This can be frightening, and it’s territory that takes time to learn: at first it can seem impossible to breathe in there.

That having passed, Venus moved through a conjunction with Chiron and Neptune in late Aquarius overnight Saturday and into Sunday. I am sure there was some very hot sex that went around, particularly in the sense of the power of the imagination that opened up. With the Neptune-Aquarius signature, this is some potent internet imagery: the Net is this cloud-like thing that is an electrical vector of whatever you put into it, and in this case what we had was Venus.

There is always a physical element to she, and we all know how hot it is to mix the psychic opening with physical gratification. The frightening part of psychic is of course letting out one’s secrets, that is, one’s secret desires, which can seem to threaten a relationship. Yet these corridors of heart and soul can also yield nourishing fruit, be it ripe or raw, nibbled gently or bitten into with teeth and throat. And this is where pleasure mixes with healing: the pleasure is the lure of the food, and the healing is the nourishment absorbed.

From these days, I am sure you have a few confidential tales of your own.

Good morning readers, this is an excerpt from today’s Planet Waves Astrology News. The article is about Mars retrograde in Leo, but today’s Sun-Nessus conjunction in Aquarius reinforces the theme. This excerpt looks at the relationship between Leo and Aquarius, and points out how the social rules that seem to run our culture work, or more appropriately, do not work. –efc

Leo is opposite Aquarius. These two make an interesting pair, having lots to do with the intersection of the individual and the collective: that is, the many places in astrology where I becomes We. If that we is any form of social group, its rules can be harsh and in many cases not openly stated. Many of those rules set a low tolerance for individuality and the expression of curiosity, no matter how ‘progressive’ the social group in question may fancy itself being.

Leo describes a special kind of individuality: it’s expressive in a way that Aries only begins. Aries is the point of initiation and Leo is the point of more mature, creative, stable expression.

True, Leo is associated with kids, though the Sun (which rules Leo) is associated with adults and expressing adult power. Those who devote themselves to creative process need to be in contact with both the adult and the child aspects of Leo at the same time: the child for curiosity and inspiration, and the adult for guidance and boundaries.

This is not so easy for most people, who tend to be in parent/child mode: for example, needing to be told what to do, feeling powerless or over-controlling, or being unable to handle their whims.

Aquarius presents another aspect of the challenge. This sign represents the psychological tension between an individual and a group; or an idea supported by a group. Aquarius is the sign of individuality, and also the sign of rigid conformity, often to the notions of people who have unusual influence. It reminds me a little of the Army, which sells itself as elite and individualistic, but it’s really about doing exactly what you’re told. To break out of that takes self-awareness and a deep, soul-felt desire to individuate.

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Three of the most potent aspects now in effect involve what are called Centaur planets — a class of small, icy or rocky planets orbiting our Sun. The first one discovered was Chiron, in 1977. These kids don’t behave like asteroids, which mostly add detail and literary richness to a reading. They don’t behave like traditional planets, which establish the main lines of energy and dominant, obvious personality traits.

Centaurs talk about where we are doing the deep work, or where we need to be doing it. They suggest where we’ve been hurt and are therefore concentrating either power, or pain; they describe the shadowy parts of our psyche, places of doubt, fear and denial; and they can represent extraordinary gifts that we must learn how to handle.

The aspects begin with Sun conjunct Nessus. This is a fast-moving aspect exact on Friday, at 17+ Aquarius. Nessus is a planet that talks about the karmic implications of our actions. Its action is cyclical, that is, the story goes in an ellipse and comes back to remind us what happened. Therefore it also has historical implications, and is frequently used to decode any history of abuse or potential abuse that we may have experienced.

Aquarius takes this to the level of the collective: much of the abuse that we experience is at the hands of groups and elite institutions that tell us who we’re supposed to be, not be, hate being, envy, or whatever. Sun-Nessus in Aquarius is about seeing these rules for what they are. In general, they are brutal, contradictory, unspoken and designed to protect the egos of the insecure; and most of all they are the toxic byproducts of advertising; which is generally designed to make everyone else feel insecure or inadequate.

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Saturn is the ruler of Aquarius. I have seen many associations between Uranus and Aquarius, for sure; but in the older methods of astrology and as purely pragmatic issue, it’s a good idea to think of Saturn and Aquarius as being made of the same DNA. Uranus is something new; true, from the prior generation of deities, but a variation on the theme of Aquarius.

Today we have many aspects involving Aquarius and Saturn. I will list three. One is Saturn square Pluto. Saturn represents the mental patterns of Aquarius, which are getting wrapped around Pluto in Capricorn: this is all about updating our files, and discovering new approaches to both thought and action. We all have important houses in our charts ruled by Saturn, and this affects them all.

Second aspect is Chiron conjunct Neptune. This has been in the works for years, and the aspect prefects in two weeks; but we are under its full influence today: and that influence is about becoming aware of our patterns of belief. What do we believe and why? What do we disbelieve, and why? What has been trying to get our attention over and over again?

Last: Venus conjunct Nessus in Aquarius. There is something dark here, and something beautiful. Alice Miller, author of Drama of the Gifted Child, notes that all of us who grew up in the Western world grew up in abusive households. There is no getting around this; it’s a function of our society.

Yet the many ‘negative’ things that happen to us often work to raise awareness, and to create unusual sensitivities. If we process the feelings, they can work for us and not against us. The question with Nessus is: who is responsible? I can tell you from 15 years of working as an astrology counselor that people tend to blame themselves for what happened to them as kids. This is different than taking responsibility for the healing process. The first one is not true; the second one is a necessity, but they are different and we need to remember that.

The Moon entered Virgo this morning and opposed Jupiter. I’ve been holed up in New York City, still sleeping off Cosmic Confidential, so I can’t tell you what that aspect felt like. The Moon is trine Pluto at the moment (Virgo to Cap) and to me that feels emotionally lazy, like I’m reaching for motivation that I can’t quite access.

The Moon is about to make a series of 150 degree aspects to many planets in Aquarius, which I will include for illustration purposes. The first will be the Sun overnight, followed by Venus, Nessus, Chiron and Neptune.

This is the waning gibbous Moon, about 80% visible on the left side for most of night and morning. The thing that’s exact today is Saturn square Pluto. This is the second of three exact contacts of these two worlds, which form a square three times about every 18 years. This aspect is emblematic of all the political contention that is flying around lately; the tension, the pressure to change. In a world where so much changes meaninglessly, and where so much that needs to change cries out for significance, this aspect is going to be helpful, though it’s suggesting that we take one step at a time and be as gentle as possible in the process of making adjustments.

Looking at this chart I’m noting it’s sunset so that means: get motivated and get outside, brave the cold and take photos in lower Manhattan.

In case you’re into the Kinks, here is a little gift from Dave Nick, my old editor at Cainer.

The Leo Full Moon is overnight Friday to Saturday in most timezones in our readership. It is exact at Saturday at 1:17 am ET, Saturday at 6:17 am GMT and Friday at 10:17 pm PT.

This is an unusual Full Moon in that it’s conjunct retrograde Mars. My sense is that it’s going to shake out some of the sentiments hidden inside the retrograde, which means speeding up the emotional or growth process.

Mars retrograde in Leo is about the working out of one’s true desires. This can be complex. Often we fear that if we say what we want or need, we’ll cause problems. There the potential for plenty of resentment revealed, and perhaps the inner revelation of secrets that one is keeping from oneself. Those secrets can have a tendency to come out all at once; or we can (if we apply awareness) ease off the pressure slowly. I would say, take it easy, particularly in emotionally charged situations.

Spot any passionate or violent emotions brewing before they surface in unwholesome ways. This is not a good night to out drinking; you need to be letting everyone else be the ones to go out of control, while you keep your eyes peeled and make sure you’ve got a handle on yourself and your posse. This link takes you to the chart.

– Eric Francis