“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” (William Blake)

Below is the astro-chart for next Thursday, November 28, 2013, which as you know is the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. (This is a North Indian style Vedic chart (rashi chakra) using the sidereal zodiac/Lahiri ayanamsha.) Venus will be exactly opposite (180-degree full aspect) Jupiter on Thanksgiving, a sociable connection that may be quite fitting for the harvest celebration… but take note, the Jupiter-Venus opposition is often tied to extreme self-indulgence, as in “no holds barred”…so pace yourselves if you will be feasting!

The Jupiter-Venus opposition is actually in place for quite a while, from Oct. 30 to Dec. 5, when Venus will retrograde. The opposition comes back into play from Jan. 6 until Feb. 26, 2014. This transit is not that rare…it happens every year. However, Venus is currently transiting in sidereal Sagittarius and Jupiter in sidereal Gemini, and their opposition in this sign axis occurs only about every 12 years or so. The last time it occurred in this axis was in January 2002.

Venus and Jupiter are known as Shukra and Brihaspati in the Vedic tradition. These two devatas (gods) are often found battling it out in Hindu myth as they represent opposite spheres of influence. Venus (Shukra) represents the material realm, and Jupiter (Brihaspati), the spiritual realm. Because of this, we often hear astrologers talking about the opposition revealing a potential inner or outer conflict between worldly values and desires (Venus) and higher ideals and principles (Jupiter). With this aspect in play, relationship problems can sometimes center around philosophical differences or unrealistic expectations that lead to disappointment.

The Sagittarius-Gemini axis where Venus and Jupiter are transiting now is all about integrating higher principles into ordinary reality. Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita says that the Deva Guru (Jupiter) and the Asura Guru (Venus) each represent Him, so rather than seeing this aspect as a conflict, I see it as an opportunity for unification. Venus in Sagittarius is deeply humanistic, and Jupiter in Gemini is all-inclusive, and together they can point to a nice period of sweetness and light.

I believe this cycle is a good time to focus on bringing our highest beliefs down to earth and integrating our selves more deeply as vessels of Spirit, which means setting healthier limits and clearer boundaries for ourselves as needed. Exalted Saturn (structure and limits) is aspecting Venus now, and Jupiter is aspecting Saturn, so this could be a great time for that actually: At the same time, the Moon will be transiting with Mars in the sidereal constellation of Virgo on Thanksgiving Day, and Mercury will still be in the Nov. 3 eclipse sign until December, so just be mindful especially on the holiday to avoid criticism that can lead to conflict.