Astrology: choose your focus
By: Janette Dalgliesh – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
Right now, the world could feel as though every way you turn, there is conflict.
Some of that conflict comes from the determination of one group to conquer and rule another.
Some of it is the result of people standing their ground.
Some of it comes from people finally speaking the truth.
Not all conflict is inherently bad.
Standing up for yourself in the face of abuse is not, in itself, a bad thing.
But conflict with no resolution is problematic.
And there is an astrological aspect which offers some help.
It’s the quintile.
We are talking about 1/5 of a circle – 72° to be precise.
This minor aspect is considered to be an important trigger for a growing awareness of conflicts or problems, as well as an invitation and an opportunity for finding solutions for those conflicts.
The quintile doesn’t create the conflict or the issue – rather, it reveals where one might be lurking, and invites and triggers ideas for resolutions.
In other words – underlying unresolved conflict brings itself to the surface to be dealt with. And the same aspect also paves the way for solutions to be found.
You get to decide where you’ll put your focus: on the conflict or on the solution.
And we know how this works – the more you can find ways to focus on the solutions, the better.
Those solutions aren’t always simple or easy. Nobody is suggesting a kind of ‘love and light’ spiritual bypassing of figuring out the hard stuff.
But anything that can help shine a light on the possible solutions has to be a Good Thing (even if not necessarily easy to contemplate).
This week sees three quintiles in rapid succession; and each offers a slightly different but highly useful bit of support, especially in navigating areas of conflict in your personal life and/or in areas where things have significant consequences.
First up is Venus quintile Pluto. Expect to become aware of any issues or conflicts within relationships – not superficial spats about leaving off the toothpaste lid; but rather the issues that arise from a deeper, more existential sense of Self. But remember how this works: don’t seek out a conflict or an issue. If it’s there, it will make itself known! Rather, intend that creative solutions will be found for anything that arises. Since this is Venus, the solution may well find its roots in a sense of what you find beautiful, and since it’s Pluto it will have to be consistent with your own deepest values. You could pro-actively make or find beauty which elicits, or is born out of, passion and deep feelings. Make art, or food, or poetry. And if you’re buying those things, buy from an artist whom you know pours herself into each piece, not a piece of mass-produced decor to match your cushions.
Next comes Mars quintile Jupiter. This potent aspect is a time where we might feel highly motivated to create, to take action, to grow and to expand. It’s a time where you might find inspiration for new ways to create your own luck (aka conscious creation). You can also expect to feel more resourceful than usual. Neither Mars nor Jupiter is especially intellect-oriented, so this isn’t a situation for focused mind-muscling your way through things. Rather, be open to a flush of creativity which enables lateral thinking, new possibilities, robust mental processing and an ability to step back and use our empathy and our intellect, blended together. Think strategy, born out of left-field non-logical inspiration, most likely delivered while you’re folding laundry.
The third combination here is Pluto quintile Chiron. With Pluto’s capacity for tapping into our deepest personal power, and Chiron’s ability to elicit magical inner audacity, you can expect to find even more smart and creative solutions to zip into your awareness, often seemingly out of left field. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking “oh my god it was so obvious – why didn’t I see that before?!“ And it’s especially likely if there is something that’s been holding you back from fully expressing yourself.
It might be helpful to think about these as a kind of sequence – or not, depending on how they land for you!
- Venus and Pluto – find or make some beautiful things (art, poetry, food) and where possible do it with passion and feeling. Open up to some deeper soul connections, recognising that the superficial differences between us really have no meaning.
- Mars and Jupiter – take whatever actions work for you, when it comes to making your own luck – visualise, meditate, affirm, script, work magic. Then go about ordinary life and be open to expansion.
- Pluto and Chiron – with all the beauty and strategy and inspiration available to you (which is likely more than you think), be willing to consider outrageous solutions that are fuelled by your deepest hidden powers.
Following all this juicy quintile activity, Sun moves into Scorpio, joining Mercury and Venus in this Pluto-ruled, emotional sign. This is about deep connections, where things matter.
You can let the genius of the recent quintiles bring some lightness to the mix – and remind yourself that you absolutely do have what it takes to navigate this Scorpionic phase.
Scorpio isn’t a fan of easy, because easy feels bland and boring. Sometimes that can feel like hard work, especially if we’re holding back from our own power, or hiding away when we know there is a difficult conversation to be had.
Scorpio likes things to have significant consequences. This is a time when any deep work you do has the potential for extraordinary and life-changing outcomes. This isn’t a time for clinging to superficial cocktail party chit-chat.
Scorpio says “go deep, or go home”. That can feel scary to your brain, especially if there has been past trauma. The key is lots of self-compassion and self-soothing.
When in doubt, focus on how you want to feel, and activate that in whatever way you can right now.
Soon, we’ll be travelling into good ol’ Mercury Retrograde (Rx) territory, also happening entirely in Scorpio.
I’ll be writing more about this juicy astro-journey next week, but in the meantime please remember that Mercury Rx is NOT a bad thing!
If you’re seeing any doom and gloom astrology articles about this one, please skip them!
Of course there are some smart ways to navigate Mercury Rx.
If you have contracts to sign or big things to launch, probably better to wait if you can. And if you can’t, use the power of Mercury Rx to dive in and check the fine print (messenger of the gods, he’s a fan of using your intellect and your power to read information).
But honestly, Mercury Rx in Scorpio is nothing to fear. More soon!
Exact times (US Eastern timezone):
- 15 October, 12:29 pm – Venus quintile Pluto
- 17 October, 2:40 pm – Mars quintile Jupiter
- 18 October, 8:03 pm – Pluto quintile Chiron
- 23 October, 1:20 pm – Sun into Scorpio
- 31 October, 10:34 am – Mercury turns Retrograde (EDT)
Janette Dalgliesh has a simple mission in life – to wreak more joy in the world. A keen student of astrology, brain science and Law of Attraction, she serves her people through astrology consults, coaching, teaching and writing. If you’d like Janette’s in-depth insights into your own unique astrological chart, you can find her via Facebook, or at her website Resonant Joy.
