For some of my clients, sacred sexuality is a new concept, at least on a conscious level. On a soul level, they may have a vision that there is a deeper approach to lovemaking…or they may yearn for a way to integrate their sexuality with their spirituality. However, without knowledge of the sacred sexuality paradigm, they generally lack a context or container to support or sustain their vision.
Part of my work as a Vedic and Western astrologer and spiritual advisor has been to reveal how this “new” paradigm of sacred sexuality manifests through the birth chart of clients. Whether they are gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender, when they hear about the “new” paradigm, there is often an immediate acknowledgment and audible sigh of relief.
After working with thousands of astrology and counseling clients, I discovered that certain planetary aspects on the chart (whether Vedic or Western) indicate an interest in sacred sexuality or Tantra. In traditional Western astrology, Venus and Mars are the main indicators of sexuality. Experimentation with alternative forms of sexuality is often seen with challenging aspects between Venus and Mars (the square, the opposition, the conjunct, etc.). These aspects are often found in charts of people who are questioning their sexual orientation or who are in the process of finding their unique balance of masculine and feminine energies.
To see the deeper aspects of sacred sexuality in the chart, I often look at the transpersonal planets (mainly Uranus and Neptune) and their connections to the personal planets (mainly Venus and Mars). Since Uranus represents universal energy (sometimes called prana, chi, or kundalini), aspects between Uranus and Venus or Mars indicate people who are learning to channel kundalini energy. Venus/Uranus aspects in particular are extremely common in people who are interested in sacred sexuality, or energy healers who channel kundalini energy (Uranus) through their hearts (Venus) and hands. Venus/Uranus aspects can also indicate an interest in a variety of alternative sexual expressions (bisexuality, homosexuality, polyamory, etc.)
Mars/Uranus aspects are indicative of individuals who are also learning to harness the kundalini energy so that they can be catalysts for their own and others’ evolution. Most importantly, they are learning to ground the kundalini energy so they can be fully present in the moment, a different challenge for both types of Uranus! When the kundalini is not based on the Mars/Uranus individual, it can create a variety of problems including extreme impatience, symptoms similar to ADD or ADHD, and an inability to be in the present. When the Mars/Uranus energy is in balance, it creates the ability to be fully present to whatever is happening in the moment.
Venus/Uranus and Mars/Uranus aspects also indicate extreme needs for individual freedom and expression, which can sometimes create havoc in relationships. This is particularly true if individuals are trying to adjust to what society at large considers to be “normal” forms of relationships. Both types tend to be willing to rebel against cultural norms if it means they can express their sexual needs in more honest and unique ways.
It is ironic that both Venus/Uranus and Mars/Uranus types often also have aspects that indicate extreme needs for unity and fusion as well! (particularly the Moon/Neptune and Venus/Neptune aspects). Without the context of sacred sexuality, these needs can sometimes seem mutually exclusive and unattainable. That is why it is so empowering for clients when they discover that within the context of sacred sexuality, they truly can have it all!
Venus/Neptune aspects in a chart are indicators that the individual is learning to be an agent or recipient of unconditional love. These aspects create a strong idealism in love relationships where love is seen as a high spiritual expression. If Venus/Neptune conflates with Saturn, there are often past life memories of sacrificing one’s personal needs for the divine (think: priestess, nun, monk, etc.). Sometimes Venus/Neptune people would rather be alone than sacrifice their vision of a lofty relationship. . Although Venus/Neptune aspects can create disappointment in the relationship, they can also create rarefied expressions of Divine love. In Vedic astrology, you can see these same themes with Venus conjunct or being aspected by the mystical lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu.
Mars/Neptune aspects are the penultimate indicators of the desire to surrender the personal sense of “I” to the transpersonal or Divine will. The individual with aspects of Mars/Neptune may be confused about who he is giving her will to as well. They may also express this confusion through sexual fantasy and seduction (think: Bill Clinton!). On a higher level, there is an urge to surrender, to let go of control and merge with the “other.” This can also manifest as a desire or longing for a true sacred Union with the Beloved.
One of the strongest aspects that I often find in the charts of clients who are interested in sacred sexuality is strong conjunctions or close aspects between the Moon and Neptune. In this case, the yearning (Moon) for oneness and oneness (Neptune) with the Beloved is the underlying theme of the entire chart. Although many Moon/Neptune individuals experience the “lower” manifestation of the Moon/Neptune aspects (codependency, unhealthy fusion, psychic sponge, etc.), when they discover Tantra, they actually have a head start on unity. Since their boundaries have often been more fluid than others, they have been practicing unity, in one form or another, their entire lives!
Through astrology, both Vedic and Western, we can discover and clarify how we are connected to the transpersonal energies and how we can integrate the energies of the transpersonal planets into our daily lives. It is not necessarily an easy task as the transpersonal planets ask us to stretch and grow in new directions. However, when we rise to the challenge, we are rewarded with rich, multidimensional experiences. Opening to the flow and energy of the transpersonal planets is truly a way to experience the Divine while fully embodied in physical form.