Astrology is the study of the movements of heavenly bodies, and that study starts with the recognition that the planetary movements always occur in cycles. And so does life on earth. And so does feminism. Can we remember a time without a need for feminism?
At the start of this week I posted horoscopes for the New Moon in Libra, with a short introduction that was rather positive (about this New Moon offering us the chance to overcome differences and distance, a New Moon of peacemaking). Though I definitely am not taking back my words, I do want to add some words to that.
Today / tomorrow (September 25th / 26th) is the New Moon in Libra (depending on where you live). Libra is the sign of the scales. Libra in tarot is associated with the card Justice, showing the Lady of Justice holding the scales. The zodiacal sign Libra is ruled by the planet Venus, one of the only two traditional feminine planets (even the heavens above are dominated by the men of Mount Olympus). Libra is the sign of peace and harmony. However: it’s time to be angry. Sometimes rage is justified.
Libra and Venus represent beauty. Female beauty. And here we live in a world where women continue to be dominated by men. Men claim domination over our reproductive rights all over the world. More states in the US are making abortion illegal again. Men claim domination over women’s bodies, over the uterus they don’t have. Men claim domination over our beauty. They take it from us and indulge in it when they please; still too often men get away with raping a woman and women are shamed or even punished for being a victim. Men are forcing women to cover and hide their beauty, because they can’t handle it. Because beauty invites rape?
Our rage is justified!
Justice for the femme. Beauty and love, those Venusian powers, are feared by those who don’t have it. A woman should be able to walk naked on the streets and not be raped. It’s a man’s problem if he can’t control his urges. It’s a man’s problem if he can’t control his desires. Women have been controlling their desires for thousands of years. Men have controlled women’s desires for thousands of years. So many women don’t even know what it is to have desires. And I’m not just talking about sexual desire. I’m talking about any kind of desire. The desire to have education, to have a career, to live an independent life, to follow your dreams. A woman’s hair or a woman’s body is not the problem in this world. A man’s issue with power and control is the problem. A man’s fear of female power is the problem. A man’s fear of his own weakness is the problem.
Venus, ruling over this New Moon in Libra, is now in Virgo, where she’s in her fall. Venus is in her fall in Virgo, which means she’s in a place where she struggles to be herself (to be her beautiful wonderful self). And we can see it in the news. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that Venus isn’t powerful at the moment. It means that Venus is in a place where she’s not supported, where she needs to overcome obstacles, where she needs to work extra hard to be her Venusian self. Venus in Virgo, a Venus in her fall, is the woman who needs to fight for reproductive rights and who needs to fight to have her beauty celebrated.
A call for a revolution by women, is this New Moon in Libra under the ruling of Venus in Virgo.
Venus in Virgo in her fall, ruling over this New Moon in the sign of beauty and justice, makes us remember that it can be life threatening to be beautiful and dangerous to ask for justice. We live in a strange world, where TikTok filters and Western advertisements make us believe that beauty is a glorious thing that we should strive for; filling our bodies with botox we think that beauty will make our lives better. And beauty is beautiful! Art, flowers, music, and all those Venusian things add so much value to our lives. And feeling beautiful can feel so damn good! But! Here we are remembered of the fact that being beautiful doesn’t always work in our favour. When men in power fear the beauty, because it triggers something in them that makes them feel not in control and not powerful; that beauty puts a mark on your back. You better hide it our you’ll face to be punished for just being who you are.
I’m so proud of these women across the world fighting for their revolution. I’m so proud of the women in Iran going out on to streets fighting for their human rights, and I’m proud of the men that support them in this revolution. I’m thankful to live in a place where I can walk around without needing to cover my hair. But the US continues to show us that women’s rights can be taken away easily. The Netherlands is not immune to it (abortion is still, by law, considered to be illegal in The Netherlands; they only put a ‘pause’ on this law). I’m praying for the women in Iran, praying their revolution will be successful. They are risking their lives for their rights. So incredibly brave.
This New Moon marks yet again a revolution. We’ve had so many and there are probably still many to come. Sometimes I fear that feminism will be needed as long as there will be planetary cycles.