Fourth Chakra Patterns on a Moon-Venus Base

A 4th chakra pattern with Sun and Mars as its base represents a Masculine approach to opening the heart – not by any means the sole prerogative of men, but on the yang side of the psyche, regardless of gender. It is ultimately more about doing than being, although of course, it is also about doing from a place of integrated being. A 4th chakra pattern formed by Moon and Venus represents a Feminine or yin approach. The soul task here is also the integration of 1st and 2nd chakras, but in a Moon-Venus pattern, this generally manifests in a very different way.

Here the challenge is about developing a deeper, more heart-centered understanding of what we do, rather than doing anything in particular. This understanding begins on a personal level, when we struggle with whatever core issues are ours to address. Often when we are caught in the throes of a core wound, we can feel alone in our pain and suffering. But the reality is, this is the human condition. Everyone on the planet struggles with something, and in a way, this creates common ground between us.

American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron talks about finding the soft spot of vulnerability within, which is the essence of our humanity, and the seat of compassion. Compassion in her view is not about doing something for those less fortunate, but the realization that we are all in the same boat. That homeless person on the highway ramp is not as different than you as you would like to believe. That seagull covered in oil is your brother. That mountain that just had its top removed is your mother being raped, pillaged and plundered.

If you really get that we are all connected, then this deep opening to the pain and suffering of the world can be a profound opening of the heart. Not everyone is strong enough to be able to do this, but with a Moon-Venus aspect as the base of a 4th chakra pattern, you are in some way, being called to develop this strength. Yes, you must do your own soul work and no one else can do that for you, but your effort is part of a larger effort being undertaken by a community of souls, and everything any of us does, helps all of us. This is the awareness that comes out of Moon-Venus in the 4th chakra – mostly on the lunar side of this combination.

There is another more Venusian dimension of this aspect, which involves finding grace, and beauty, and gratitude, even in the midst of pain. The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis speaks to this dimension of Moon-Venus. Adonis was a fertility god that was loved by both Aphrodite and Persephone. Aphrodite raised Adonis as a baby, but then had to go do something, and entrusted him to Persephone to watch for a while. When Aphrodite came back, Persephone refused to return Adonis, and the two goddesses got locked into a jealous rivalry. After awhile Zeus stepped in, and decided that Adonis would spend a third of the year with each goddess, and the other third of the year doing what he pleased. But Adonis chose to spend two thirds of the year with Aphrodite.

There are several versions of what happened next, but the most plausible is that Ares – who was also Aphrodite’s lover – killed Adonis in a jealous rage, after being incited to violence by Persephone. Of course, if Adonis was dead, he would enter the Underworld where he would be reunited with Persephone. So there is a lot going on here.

But the part of the story that relates to the 4th chakra is found in Aphrodite’s response to the tragedy of Adonis’ death. When Aphrodite heard Adonis’ cries, she rushed to his side, and he wound up dying in her arms. As her tears fell onto Adonis, he turned into the beautiful red anemone flower – that in some parts of the world is a harbinger of spring.

What I take from this myth is the idea that in this world, tragedy, pain and suffering, and death exist side by side with beauty, magic, and wonder, and the line between them is thinner and more permeable that we know, most of the time. When Moon-Venus participates in a 4th chakra pattern, it is possible to enter into the secret of this paradox and to ultimately become an agent of grace and beauty in a world torn by suffering.

Trebbe Johnson, for example, who is a modern day Moon-Venus activist, has developed an organization called Radical Joy for Hard Times based on this very idea – although she doesn’t make the same connection. She does encourage people to go into wounded places on the Earth – clearcuts, strip mines, toxic waste dumps – to feel the pain, and then do a group ceremony to create something beautiful to leave behind. I did this once with a couple of friends in a clearcut near where I lived, and was surprised by the beauty that was naturally beginning to emerge in the wake of the carnage – wildflowers, birds, new trees sprouting from the stumps left behind by the loggers. It was quite healing, actually. This is the power of Moon-Venus in the 4th chakra.

Possibly I was affected so deeply by this because I have a 4th chakra pattern in my chart with Moon opposed Sun semi-square Venus sesquiquadrate Moon. I think my work with astropoetics speaks to the same dynamic, actually – finding poetic images and metaphors that describe our core chakra patterns of wounding and challenge. This is a process – or part of a process – of transmuting pain into poetry. I believe at its depths, all souls are expressions of poetry, but to get to that, I think you have to learn how to transmute your pain into a red anemone. So, until I find a better name, I think maybe I’ll call my 4th chakra pattern with Sun, Moon and Venus my Red Anemone Pattern.