The Vedic Astrology Podcast

Episode 12

Sun & Venus: Mutual Enemies, Cancel Culture and Common Goals

Show Notes

0:00:00 Overview

–   Introduction

–   Qualities of Sun and Venus

–   Places of Exaltation

–   Sign placements

–   How they starve each other

–   What Shad bala looks like for the Sun and for Venus

–   A tangent into “Cancel Culture”

–   Common Goals

–   Working together

–   Where to see this combination in charts

Introduction

–   At the time of this recording, Venus is about to turn retrograde and perhaps this has prompted today’s topic (and several more Venus episode’s I’m working on LOL!)

–   And the Sun is also moving towards its lowest place on the ecliptic

–   So these two important planets are on my mind …

–   There are not a lot of mutual enemies in Vedic Astrology

–   Sun and Saturn are famous for it

–   But did you know that Sun and Venus are also mutual enemies??

–   In today’s episode, we’re going to explore how a soft, flowing, feminine benefic could end up in mutual enmity to the Sun!!

–   And what are the consequences of that on our politics and culture today?

0:03:25 Qualities of Sun and Venus

 |   | Sun | Venus
| Gender | Masculine (+ve polarity) | Feminine (-ve polarity)
|   | Malefic (kastha out) Sees native as student / capable | Benefic (istha out) Sees native as victim / needing support
| Guna | Sattva | Rajas
| Moisture | Dry | Wet
| Taste | Pungent | Sour
| Sight | Up | Sideways
| Royal Court | King | Minister
| Karaka | Soul/Self | Wife/Spouse
|   | Righteous Truthful Consistent | Harmonious Diplomatic Guru of the Asuras and teacher of the Brahmins
| Shape | Square | Octagon

0:14:26 Places of Exaltation

–   What do their favourite places on the ecliptic tell us about their enmity

–   Sun Exalted – Aries

–   Venus Exalted – Pisces

–   They are both Exalted in signs that they do not rule

–   Sun in Sign 1, Pisces in Sign 12

–   Pisces “decisions that lead to our highest fulfilment”

–   Moksha, transcendence, final chapter of Hero’s Journey

–   Aries

–   1st Chapter in Hero’s Journey

–   The ego, the self, the beginning

–   One is Exalted at the beginning, one at the end

0:17:20 Sign Placement

–   If we add in Sign rulerships to our mental diagram, we see that …

–   From the Sun’s Exaltation point, Venus rules the 2nd and 7th

–   Both maraka houses

–   N.B. The 7th house is Libra and the Sun’s place of Debilitation

–   Venus’s Exaltation sign is the 12th house from the Sun’s Exaltation sign – a dustana house (loss)

–   From Venus’ Exaltation point, the Sun rules Leo, the 6th House

–   A dustana house and the house of enemies

–   N.B. Venus is Debilitated in the 6th sign

–   The Sun’s Exaltation sign of Aries is the 2nd house from Venus’s Exaltation point – a maraka house

0:20:35 Placement Summary

–   So, just in the arrangements on the Ecliptic and in their innate qualities, we are beginning to see how this mutual enmity has come about.

–   Now let’s look at how that enmity is taken by each planet and used against the other.

–   Often, when we look at the Lajjitaadi Avastha ‘Starvation’ – it’s a one-way street.

–   But this is why Mutual Enmity becomes so important – because they both bring out the worst in each other …

0:21:11 How Sun and Venus Starve each other

–   Sun Starving Venus

–   The Sun is our inner inspiration.

–   Venus looks after fulfilment supplied by the external world.

–   Venus starves the Sun into believing that ‘out-spiration’ is more important than Inspiration.

–   Venus dampens the Suns natural fire of creativity (feminine / masculine, wet / fire).

–   The person does things for the approval of other people.

–   This negates the Sun’s natural intelligence.

–   The person doesn’t know what they want inside themselves and so makes choices that are not in alignment with their soul and can, as a consequence, hurt others.

–   Venus Starving Sun

–   The Sun inspires great achievement.

–   Venus fulfils desires.

–   When the Sun starves Venus, Venus sacrifices personal or nurturing desires in order to achieve greatness.

–   This means the person never feels loved for who they are, rather only for what they do, have or achieve.

–   Can impact relationships because the partner is not able to penetrate the dynamic of this avastha, the partner is sacrificed for the great ambition even while the person feels they are missing out on love.

0:25:02 How does Starvation come about?

–   These descriptions come directly from “Fiona’s Lajjitaadi Avasthas Visual and Interactive Prototype” 

–   https://www.fionamarques.com/shop/p/fiona-lajjitaadi-avasthas-visual-and-interactive-prototype

–   I was obsessed with Lajjitaadi Avasthas in my 4th year and did 2 out of 3 of my Video submission on the topic AND developed this visual tool inspired by the Period Table of Elements.  It’s interactive and you can click back and fourth to see how the different Avasthas play out.

–   Because, remember, there are often several Avasthas going on at the same time.

–   And there is a flow diagram in that tool that explains how each Avastha is created.

–   And you can also learn all about that if you enrol in the Asheville Vedic Astrology Apprenticeship Program on teachable.com - https://vedic-astrology.teachable.com/courses/vedic-astrology-apprenticeship-program?affcode=472402_kmvc7dum

–   Starvation is created for Sun and Venus when they are conjunct or in each others signs. (For other planets, it can be created by planetary aspect BUT the Sun and Venus never get far enough away from each other for that to apply)

–   N.B. When Venus is conjunct the Sun, it is Agitated as well as Starved!

0:27:07 Starvation Summary

–   So now we’ve seen how they bring out the worst in each other …

–   The Sun by making Venus sacrifice our desires in order to achieve greatness

–   Venus by making the Sun doubt our inner inspiration and leading us to take action to please others – (the leader listening to their media managers, PR handlers and focus groups so much, they don’t stand for anything anymore).

–   What is it that they are both really trying to achieve?

0:28:05 What Shad bala looks like for the Sun and for Venus

 |   | Sun Strong | Sun Weak | Venus Strong | Venus
| Sthana bala | Steadfast | Flaky, lack commitment | Ease and grace | Shirks the burden of making difficult decisions
| Dig bala | Follow through on inspiration | Regret our lack of drive for taking action | Guided to higher fulfilment | Go towards things that are not healthy
| Kaala bala | Driven to be the first | Misses the queues to act | Put time into things of value | Don’t value things or experiences
| Ayana bala | Principled, noble, take care of those they protect | Selfish, do whatever it takes | Knows which fights are worth getting into. Want to participate in the wholeness of humanity to get as much as possible in a peaceful fashion | Overpays for conflict because doesn’t realise true cost. Trying to negotiate and be the diplomat with people who are too wounded to be capable correct protocols.
| Chesta bala | Stand at the front and take a beating | Lack the confidence to lead | Values oneself, takes pride in oneself | Allows themselves to be devalued
| Drik bala | Easily achieve their responsibilities | Every time they try to meet responsibilities, encounter obstacles | Support for relationships | Encounter obstacles every time they try to move forward with relationships, vehicles etc.

0:38:54 Shad bala Summary

–   We see that at his best, the Sun is about being steadfast, confident, leading from the front, meeting one’s responsibilities and protecting those weaker than the self.

–   Whereas Venus at her best is graceful, harmonious, guided by higher fulfilment, an upholder of peace and takes pride in the self.

–   When they lack power they both suffer

–   indecisiveness, one from being inconsistent, one from not taking the tough decisions

–   in their actions, one regretting their lack of action, the other choosing things that aren’t healthy and don’t lead to higher fulfilment

–   a lack of confidence, causing one to step back and the other to be a doormat

–   in adversity and conflict, one becomes selfish, arrogant and use any means to achieve the outcome and remain in power, while the other becomes over-diplomatic and bogged down in a conflict that is not worth the suffering

0:40:15 A tangent in ‘Cancel Culture’

–   Looking at the Sun and Venus’ approach to conflict when they are low in Shad bala makes me think of the ‘Cancel Culture’ moment that we are currently going through.

–   Dicionary.com defines Cancel Culture as “… the popular practice of withdrawing support for (cancelling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.”

–   This plays into Venus’ area because it is about taste, good taste. And it’s also about diplomacy and using language that is inclusive and harmonious. 

–   Cancel Culture can lead to the phenomenon of companies which fear being ‘cancelled’ using language or producing media that is supportive of these perceived tastes. Language becomes a medium to transact in – very Venus, Libra, diplomacy etc.

–   Cancel Culture is a way for the many, who are marginalized, to exercise power.

–   However, it obviously has problems too. 

–   One can become afraid of speaking the truth (Sun) and it tends to separate people into with us or against us groupings.

–   The Sun wants to speak the truth fearlessly, but when it is low in Ayana bala – it can be selfishly holding onto power. Rather than being noble and principled, it might be arrogant (or self righteous, name calling etc.) and expect respect for its individual truth (Aries, Sun, Leo).

–   With this power imbalance, it can seem like “Cancelling” is maybe a way to even things up.

–   But Astrology is helping us out here by reminding us what the Sun and Venus look like when they are empowered in adversity.

–   The Sun is noble in conflict when is has full Ayana bala power.  And it is naturally and fundamentally concerned with protecting those less powerful.

–   Venus is harmonious in conflict, a maintainer of peace and willing to embrace all of humanity including the flaws of its individuals.

–   So the best approach we can take to this power imbalance is encourage the Sun (authority figures) towards noble actions and Venus towards true harmony.

–   When Venus tries to be righteous (culture police / thought police) it is operating outside of its nature (it is Rajas not Sattva).  It is also paying too high a price for the conflict i.e. creating a lot of separation without gaining harmony and connection.

–   When the Sun is bullying, name-calling and being superior, it is going against its true nature, which is protective, sattvic and dharmic (righteous) (not self-righteous)

–   Remember, both these planets gain strength in Ayana bala in the northern half of the ecliptic (i.e. from Aries to Libra).

–   You can catch up on all of that in Episode 4 of The Vedic Astrology Podcast 

–   Case Study: How does the Sun's Ayana and Chesta Bala affect the Earth? 

–   https://www.fionamarques.com/thevedicastrologypodcast/episode-4-how-does-the-suns-ayana-and-chesta-bala-affect-the-earth

0:49:01 Common Goals – Pride, Commitment, Care

 |   | Sun | Venus
| Mission | To know what our purpose and goals are and be inspired and confident in achieving them | To know our inner satisfaction and create a life that keeps us from regrets by making choices that align with our highest fulfilment
| Pride – conscious of one’s own dignity | As a leader, wanting dignity for all | In the self – being worth taking care of, making good decisions
| Commitment | Steadfast, consistent, driven, determined | Devoted, associated with D9 for the ability to devote oneself to a path
| Care | Protective, Sun relationship with planets, scolding | Caring for others, nursing, devotion

0:54:34 Suggested approaches for The Sun and Venus to work together

–   Just like life, planets that are close together (remember their Exaltation and Debilitation points are right next to each other) can rub up against each other rather than get along.

–   So how can the Sun and Venus work together to achieve their shared areas of interest?

–   Can their be mutual respect?

–   I’m inspired by the tastes of ‘Pungent’ and ‘Sour’

–   Can you think of these two distinct tastes?

–   Let’s reflect on them through their descriptions on the Pukka Herbs site 

–   https://www.pukkaherbs.com/us/en/wellbeing-articles/the-six-tastes-of-ayurveda.html

Tastes

–   Pungent (Spicy)

–   The pungent flavour is a combination of fire and air, with hot, dry and light qualities. There are no specific receptors on the tongue and we perceive this taste through irritation of tissues and nerve endings. The heat of hot foods and spices spreads throughout the whole system. Too much heat, whether climatic or dietary, is known to cause ‘hot’ emotions ranging from passion and excitement to anger and irritation.

–   Chillies, garlic, onions and spices (black pepper, ginger, cayenne, cardamom) are all good examples here. Such pungent herbs and foods are great for drying excess moisture and mucus, and stimulating metabolism. For example, the essential oils of ginger and black pepper are used for clearing mucus congestion or warming with a heavy cold.

–   Sour

–   Made from the elements of earth and fire, the sour taste is considered hot and oily but also light. This stimulates digestion and clears dryness through taste buds on the sides of the tongue. Sour, unripe fruits are commonly used as digestive chutneys in India for this reason.

–   The sour flavour is found in citrus fruits, sour milk products like yoghurt, cheese, and sour cream, and fermented food like sourdough bread, wine, vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce and often alcohol.

–   Sour foods make the mouth moist and increase the flow of saliva, which helps digestion and awakens emotions.

Working together cont’d

–   I think Vedic Astrology is sharing with us two important ways to experience these planets and their differences and similarities.

–   To value, respect and celebrate their differences

–   Spicy is spicy and Sour is sour

–   Also, to savour the taste of Hot Sour Soup (or another Pungent-Sour dish you can think of)

–   It’s an unusual combination, but something one can enjoy from time to time

–   As long as you are not expecting ice-cream or marshmallows or whatever

–   Taste it for what it is

–   Even if there is a sourness or a sliminess to it – it’s a valid dish, when is the right time to eat it?

1:02:43 Where to see this combination in charts

–   Look out for

–   Sun – Venus conjunctions

–   N.B. Agitation will be involved

–   See if/how the placement changes in the vargas

–   Check if there is a node or the 5th house is involved in the D1

–   Venus in Leo

–   Sun in Taurus or Libra

–   Dasa combinations

–   Su/Ve

–   Ve/Su

–   Venus as a karaka for love, female partners

–   The Sun is father and authority figures

–   Which houses are they ruling?

1:06:30 Summary and Conclusion