Venus in Pisces January 2023: Now is the time to be spontaneous

WORDS Clarisse Monahan PHOTOGRAPHY Unsplash PUBLISHED Fri, 20 Jan 2023 - 12:04 pm

Without question the greatest emoji currently in the emoji-verse depicts a little face, eyes wide, mouth slightly frowning, top-of-head wrapped inexplicably in a white bandage. Aside from being adorable, its meaning seems to be: “I’m feeling somehow damaged, at the moment.” I find myself using it a lot (paging Dr. Freud). And, if Venus were texting us over the past six weeks, it would have been using said emoji a lot, as well, while transiting through Capricorn and Aquarius, both signs ruled by ornery Saturn. But on January 27, 2023, Venus moves out of awkward Aquarius and into dreamy Pisces, where it will be staying until February 20 (heart-eyes emoji).

Whereas Venus is somewhat debilitated in Saturn-ruled signs, it is, luckily for us, exalted in the Fishes. What does that mean exactly for Planet Love? And what does that mean for us, over the next few weeks?

We know that when a planet is in rulership, it has beaucoup dignity. Venus, for example, is in rulership over Taurus and Libra. In these places, it acts akin to a king or queen, comfortable on its throne, powerful, radiating all of its best qualities – love, beauty, harmony.

But when a planet is exalted in a sign, it behaves more like an heir to the throne. It struts a bit more. It’s like Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 (frequenting the taverns), rather than the much more serious monarch in Henry V. So, exalted Venus-in-Pisces is going to have a looser romantic influence on us. We should feel more willing to love, to play, to sashay, to come together.

All of this makes sense, given the nature of Pisces. This is the sign least concerned with the rigid world of property lines, right angles, and the tyranny of trains schedules. Its energy is about merging self and other into a transcendent unity.

When you think about it, this is the essence of Venus, too: it’s the glue of the universe. Like Pisces, it wants to bring people, places, and things into close proximity (that is the nature of love). It’s this attractive force in both planet and sign that helps explain Venus’s exaltation there, an exaltation which is in direct contrast to Venus-in-Aquarius, the “I need space” sign. Venus hasn’t been pleased here. It wants to cuddle, the Waterbearer wants to do the New York Time Crossword Puzzle. Different vibes.

So, the question becomes: how should we make use of this exalted Venus transit for maximum alignment?

Carpe diem

Latin for “seize the day,” we need to make this our mantra over the next few weeks, when we are around a helpmate or crush. Why? Because Saturn moves into Pisces on March 7 for two years (sad trumpet emoji). This is actually the last really nice Venus-in-Pisces we get until 2026, as the next few will be hampered by stickler Saturn. That means, it’s time to go hard on romance. Organise big Valentine’s Day plans. Make romantic fantasies into realities. These three weeks are peak Venus. Ensure that it counts.

Mood for love

To facilitate this “seize the day” attitude, let’s not neglect another aspect of Venus, namely its sensitivity to beauty. Any beautifying practice–whether to the home, the body, the wardrobe–should help heighten your desire and that of a love interest. Venus-in-Pisces is extra fertile for establishing a proper mood for love.

Repair with care

But let’s not make this transit all about romance. Some of us don’t have time for that. Venus-in-Pisces, in general, can be thought of as a time to smooth any rough edges between colleagues, family, or friends. Exalted Venus wants to bring love, yes, and romance, true, but its over-riding influence is to establish harmony. If you’re in a needless scrape with a friend, spread the balm of Venus. It’s time to heal.

While this is an excellent overall transit for Venus, February 15 is an extra starry-eyed day. Planet Love goes conjunct dream-weaver Neptune, the co-ruler of Pisces. If Venus heightens desire, Neptune heightens fantasy. These two planets together betoken Cinderella atmospherics, where you might charm or be charmed by someone who sweeps you off your feet but is gone by midnight. This is to say, Neptune conjunct Venus is for brief but powerful swoons. Welcome this influence but prepare for the prospect of bittersweet brevity (bandaged head emoji).

As with all astrology, there are challenging days within these macro-transits, too. Be aware of February 1st to the 6. That’s when aggressive Mars “squares” Venus. Squares produce tensions, so you could be feeling somewhat on edge during these few days. Given that Mars also relates to libido, though, this could be a transit of smouldering sexual frustration and/or anticipation, leading up to an eventual climactic release around the 6.