In Vedic astrology, or Jyotish, planets can be strong, weak, or in average condition. Planets gain strength by being exalted (in their sign of greatest potency), in their own sign, or by being retrograde. We have Venus and Saturn in Libra. Venus is at home in its own sign of Libra and Saturn is exalted in Libra. Thus, both are considerably strong in Vedic astrology.
Starting at 4:45 PM PST today (September 17, 2013), Venus and Saturn will be within one degree of each other. This constitutes a planetary war, or a graha yuddha. While Venus and Saturn are friendly to each other, this is still a powerful battle. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum in many respects.
Venus is the planet of love, beauty, luxury, and creativity. It enjoys aesthetics, harmony, and romance. Saturn is the planet of solitude, simplicity, discipline, and fortitude. Venus prefers the finer things in life and wants to spend its time with loved ones, at a spa or beautifying its surroundings. Saturn likes to spend its time alone in a dark, gloomy place.
Venus brings its love of aesthetics to Saturn’s need for structure. Saturn stops Libra from being overly indulgent with its desires. Saturn gives Venus the desire to associate with foreigners or older companions. Venus softens Saturn’s cold, direct approach in personal interactions
Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac. It is the house of partnership. Saturn and Venus together create a passion combination or a signature for amorous adventure. Yet what often follows impulsive romantic misadventures is the painful reality that the pairing isn’t as rosy as we’d imagined.
Adding to this is the fact that this planetary war of Venus and Saturn in Libra is taking place in the nakshatra or constellation of Svati. Svati has an inherent instability, as connoted by its symbol of a young tree swaying in the breeze. It is striving to self-individuate, but can’t figure out which way to go. Thus, it bends back and forth and often exhausts itself in the process. This lends itself to Vata disorders in Ayurvedic terms. Connected with Vata disorders on the psychological plane are vacillation, fear, anxiety, insecurity, and nervousness. Saturn is the primary Vata planet in Jyotish. Right next to Saturn and Venus is North node Rahu, who is the ruler of Svati nakshatra. A debilitated, passive aggressive Mars is influencing this combination in Libra. This adds to the dynamic tension in of Venus and Saturn in Libra. Jupiter’s benefic influence softens this a little, but it can’t end the discord.
There can be power plays with partnerships. And there can be indecisiveness in creating new structures. Saturn deals with events in a cold, forthright matter. Venus strives for harmony and tranquility. Saturn will shun reconciliation, while Venus will do its best to reconcile matters.
Venus technically wins the war, according to the astronomical calculations. But neither planet comes out of the battle unscathed. Venus and Saturn at the exact same degree on September 18 at 1:45 PM PST. They separate by more than one degree on September 19 at 1:05 PM PST.
During this time, it is best to avoid confrontations with personal or professional partnerships. With Rahu involved, remember that you may not be getting the full picture of what is happening. Do not forge new partnerships over the next few days. Strive for balance in all that you do and be decisive in your actions. Those in a Saturn or Venus planetary cycle will be most impacted by this planetary war. A personalized Vedic astrology reading can inform you about specific cycles and how to best optimize the upcoming periods. A more difficult pairing will be the exact conjunction of Saturn and Rahu next week. That will be the subject of a future blog post.