05 Jun Like A Prayer ~ June 6th -12th, 2016

 

Madonna’s Like A Prayer was released twenty-seven years ago and it still holds up as an exultant piece of pop music, which illuminates the innate sexuality present in the mystical experience. Like A Prayer merges lust and liturgy in a blend of blood, sweat, and tears.

When I was a little girl, I remember listening to this song on cassette tape over and over again, dancing around my room completely lost in its dramatic splendor. Madonna’s voice would “take me there” and I would fall to my knees, gazing up at the ceiling searching for the light of redemption.

Overjoyed by the heavenly choir, I would spin around in circles and jump through the air. (I was an only child if anyone is curious) I did not know it then, but Madonna had surely initiated me into something much deeper than the world of sentimental love songs.

 

 

Like A Prayer sincerely elucidates that divine communion is the essence of both prayer and intimacy. At the time of its release, one critic commented that Like A Prayer, “deserved every bit of the curiosity it generated. While being devilishly danceable, the song also shows Madonna’s uncanny ability to inspire strong, conflicting emotions during the course of a single song.”

I would say that conflicting emotions and devilish danceability are the perfect descriptions for this week’s energy.

Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone

I hear you call my name

And it feels like home

This week, the Mutable Grand Cross will slowly dissolve as Venus, the Sun and the Moon move on. As the new lunation cycle waxes, powers of great magnetic attraction will rise. The ten thousand things that were distracting, confusing, and left unravelling last week will begin to settle into some semblance of order.

The square between Saturn and Neptune will remain exact throughout the week however, so neither rationality (Saturn) nor renunciation (Neptune) will be easy to find sanctuary within. Over the coming weeks, this square will continue to reorient you away from your mundane self-concept and reveal the weaknesses in your tendencies to escape into bliss, dreams, and fantasy. This square will catalyze a synthesis and integration of the material and the spiritual, the physical and the ethereal.

 

The Sun and Venus in Gemini will remain tightly pressed together for the next seven days, a planetary tango known as the Superior Conjunction of Venus. During this protracted intercourse, Venus becomes swallowed by the Sun and is therefore invisible in the sky. Just because you can’t see her does not mean that you won’t still feel her power.

This is Venus’ dance of the seven veils, where from behind the layers of sunlight, she makes a seductive transition from her role as the Morning Star into the mystical and bejewelled Evening Star.

When you call my name it’s like a little prayer

I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour I can feel your power

Just like a prayer you know I’ll take you there

Approximately thirty-six days after the Superior Conjunction, Venus will become visible again. Look for her glorious glimmering in the night sky during late summer. The last Superior Conjunction of Venus was on October 25, 2014 in Scorpio and so this period marks the completion of an entire Venus cycle. (584 days)

How has your relationship to love and beauty blossomed since then?

What heartbreak and what ecstasy has brought you to this culminating moment?

During the transition of Venus’ position in the sky, the Venusian energies of sensuality, pleasure, and attraction are being purified and regenerated. This can increase your ability to attract opportunities, lovers, and luxury. (always cheerful news) The need for some frivolity will be drawn to the surface, elating you with the joy of love and beauty. It is also important to note that the Sun and Venus in Gemini take great delight in duality, relishing the opportunity to learn by contrast.

I close my eyes, Oh God I think I’m falling

Out of the sky, I close my eyes

Heaven help me

Thus, this week may entice you to explore the aphorism, all is fair in love and war, revealing the manifold contradictions present in your desires. Venus in Gemini is quite flirtatious and is tempted to play games with the tender hearts of trusting devotees. It is not necessarily malicious, but it can be cruel.

You may either become the heartless coquette or find yourself the one easily seduced by something “too good to be true”. Nevertheless, there is much fun to be had since friendly warmth and good conversation will abound.

The exploration of polarity and the dynamic interplay of ideas will be brought into even more focus on Sunday, when Mercury enters Gemini. With Mercury in the sign of its rulership, your hunger for mental stimulation and your capacity for sharp and pointed communication will become noticeably improved. In a world where the only remaining currency is the exchange of abstract information, the passage of Mercury through Gemini should be a very fortunate time for all.

 

Monday/Tuesday: Like An Angel Sighing

I hear your voice, it’s like an angel sighing

I have no choice, I hear your voice

Feels like flying

The Moon is waxing in Cancer at the beginning of the week, soothing the weekend’s exhausting overstimulation and attracting some much needed nurturing into your emotional experience. The kindest people in your life will appear to make small offerings: whether that be a word, an embrace, or a gift is unimportant. It really is the thought that counts during these days.

 

With the Moon building up its powers of attraction in the sign of Cancer, this is also a good time to practice receptivity and (as always) gratitude. The Moon in Cancer has a special power to draw towards it all the necessities and luxuries of life, as well as protection from harm. Consider this potential power and softly sigh as you allow yourself to be soothed. 

Venus and the Sun conjunct in Gemini will enliven you, illuminating you as an especially radiant source of love and pleasure. Give in and basque in the rosy light of romance, creativity, and good fortune.

Wednesday/Thursday: Your Voice Can Take Me

 

Now I’m dancing

It’s like a dream, no end and no beginning

You’re here with me, it’s like a dream

Let the choir sing

On Wednesday, Mercury in Taurus, (now out of its shadow) will sextile Chiron in Pisces. The harsh voice of self-criticism which was amplified so much during last few weeks will quiet down, letting you move more gracefully and respond to the natural rhythm of growth. 

Chiron in Pisces whispers nothing but compassion, transforming painful memories into the great lessons of life that ultimately serve your development.

Just like a prayer, no choice your voice can take me there

On Thursday, Pluto in Capricorn will trine the North Node in Virgo which will remain in effect until next week. This will bring focus to your sense of destiny (North Node) and the necessity of transformation in your life in order to fulfill that destiny. With so many Venusian impulses already dancing inside, be mindful of where this sense of destiny might lead!

 

 

Also on Thursday, Mercury in Taurus will oppose Mars retrograde in Scorpio, forming a T-Square with the Moon in Leo. When intense feelings rise up and crash against stern stoicism, there will be a conflict of interest.

An opposition between Mars and Mercury can certainly increase the risk for argument since it inflames the desire to speak one’s own mind, against all odds. But rather than assuming that all arguments are negative, consider using this impulse to enjoy a lively debate that does not rely solely on artifice or sophistry.

 

Friday/Saturday/Sunday- Just Like a Muse to Me

The Moon moves into Virgo for the weekend, a nice placement for being considerate to your health. The prudence of Virgo will tend to keep some of the Venusian wildness in order, so that pleasure can be enjoyed without tending towards decadence. 

Under a Virgo Moon, you will be afforded an illumined sense of discrimination, that when used properly, can aid you in any endeavor to improve your life. As the Moon traverses the sign, there will be brief conjunctions to the North Node and Jupiter, which will certainly empower your emotional instincts about what is right and what is wrong for you. This is a very fine time to cultivate your tastes and make decisions about people, schedules and projects.

Sunday will be a powerful day as Mercury enters Gemini, quickening all mental activities and offering extra prowess in all your arts of communication. “Just Like a Muse to Me”

If you have writing to do, this Mercurial period (until June 29th) will be much more fruitful. If you have lots of public speaking to do, it will all flow with more ease. If you are relaxing, leisurely conversations will feel enlivened by stimulating ideas and newfound curiosities.

 

 

Lastly, on Sunday there will also be a lovely sextile between Venus, the Sun and Uranus. You will be given a unique opportunity to feel inspired around this time. This novel experience will be something you can not predict, but it is very likely that it will relate to Venus’ associations with love, creativity, and luxury. New romance, unexpected windfalls, and/or answered prayers are the vague generalizations that best describe this aspect.  

Just like a prayer, I’ll take you there

It’s like a dream to me