Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Pic by me.

Regular readers have heard me wax lyrical from time to time about those soupy dumplings I first tried in Hong Kong, and later wherever I can get them…xiao long bao…

Anyways, when I was in Hong Kong, I could easily have had these 3 meals a day. In case you’re interested, there are about 310 calories in a serving of 5 of the succulent little beauties. Being on limited funds, being on my own, and being in a new country, I would grab these wherever I could, although there was this great place right next to where I used to stay at the Excelsior, that was just a little too convenient.

There is this restaurant over there which does dumplings to Michelin rated standards- which sounds like a dream come true for me, except for one teeny little detail. You get a ticket and wait. Hello? One of my favourite tweeps tweeted today that he was facing a 3 hour wait. At lunch time on a Monday? You can’t be serious. I get the irrits at a 40 minute wait at our local yumcha, and time any visits to Din Tai Fung to keep the waiting time to the absolute minimum.

I don’t do queuing, and I most certainly do not do delayed gratification. I have Venus in Aries and trust me, when I want something, I am going to want to hunt it down Right Now. And with Venus square Jupiter, I want a lot…Right Now.

My neighbor and I are doing these tarot classes at the moment and she laughed last week when I asked “don’t you ever just want to go straight to the outcome card?” I was serious.

In contrast, a friend with Venus in Scorpio is painstakingly putting away money each week for a special weekend she wants to take her husband on. For her the anticipation will make it so much sweeter- especially when she breaks out the new lingerie saved for the occasion. Speaking of which…anything new? I have to wear it immediately.

Another friend with Venus in Taurus is waiting for a particular man she knows and wants…and has been, waiting and wanting, that is, for some time. For her sake I sure hope that he is worth it. Someone else I know with Venus in Virgo delays doing things until the time (or the finances or the situation) is exactly right- which it never seems to be.

My mother (Venus in Aquarius) used to say “you can’t miss what you don’t have, Joanne.” She might be able to detach, but I can’t. I do miss it, I yearn for what I can’t have- usually an opportunity that isn’t coming around quickly enough. Yes, Pluto is involved heavily in my chart and inconjunct Venus, so I obsess a bit and then I move on- to something else, and yearn for that with the same intensity.

I know the argument for waiting is that the taste is so much sweeter- sort of like the first time you kiss someone after wanting to for so long. You can only ever experience a first kiss once, a first anything once. But surely once there has been a first, you can then look forward to the second- unless the first was pretty crap, in which case it was better that you find out early in the process rather than wait and be disappointed…in my humble opinion anyway.

They say that if you get it easily it isn’t worth as much, but what if when you get it, it really wasn’t worth the wait? To use the same analogy, what if he is a crap kisser? All that time that you could have spent doing something else? And if he is great, think of how many wonderful kisses you would miss out on while waiting?

The Economist in me thinks also about the opportunity cost of delaying gratification:

• What if the book ending is naff, the dog dies, the heroine gets the wrong bloke, or it is otherwise really disappointing? Your time would have been better spent reading something you enjoy or can learn something from.
• What is the movie ending is not how it should be? Ie the dog dies, the heroine gets the wrong bloke, or it is otherwise really disappointing? That’s 3.5 hours (including travel, parking and waiting time) that you’ll never get back.
• What if you miss out on something in the meantime? And yes, I know the whole “the one you miss out on is the one you never get”, but I’m Plutonian, so, what if?

So yes, this all makes me sound like a spoiled bitch, and I guess I am. I am actively trying to stop and feel gratitude before moving on. I am also trying to actively remind myself that things happen when the time is right for them to happen, but have to admit to more than a small part of me (the Pluto part) wondering whether there is something that I can do to hurry the process up just a tad.

I googled the Hong Kong Dumpling House. Apparently the dumplings are miraculously good- like dumplings elevated into something higher. I guess if I snacked on something first (hunger never results in good manners), and concentrated on the people watching opportunities, or did a spot of shopping in the meantime, or even read a book while waiting, I could manage the wait…if the dumplings really are that good.

How does your Venus reflect what you want and how long you are prepared to wait to get it? How do you respond when you lose or miss out on something of value?

I don’t normally do guest posts- even though I know it is absolutely the way to grow profile, readership etc. Very early in my blogging life (in fact before I started this site) I had a nasty experience where one persistent commenter was, well, snarky. And I don’t do snarky well. I should simply have not read them and I would never have known, but…whatever…it was almost enough to stop me before I started.

In truth, in true Piscean style, I am a little scared to face the public. My exalted 5th house Jupiter in Cancer wants to create and publish, but he also wants to hide under his shell and protect himself from hurts… That is before we talk about all the Pluto influence and it’s need for control- and when you guest post, you abdicate all control.

Anyway, Sasstrology.com have reprinted (with my permission of course) my post There’s a Fine Line Between Pleasure & Pain- the one that talks about Venus & Pluto in all of their wondrous power and might. I am thrilled to have it there. Check out the link here. And check out Sasstrology itself- it’s a fun and sassy site that talks all about astrology in sex and relationships. What am I saying checking it out? If you are into astrology, you would already know all about Sasstrology! And they made the post look much better than it looked here. Oh, and if there are any nasty comments? Please don’t tell me- I don’t want to know.

Photo credit: 101dalmatians for istock

“I want your love and I want your revenge…I want your love, I don’t want to be friends.”

This line from Lady Gagas’ Bad Romance sum up Venus in Scorpio perfectly. Venus in Libra was all about partnership, appearances, beauty and charm. Venus in Scorpio is truth and honesty and loyalty and intense compulsion.

The Venus we saw in Libra was a milk chocolate girl- sweet and pretty with a lovely texture and melt in the mouth soft centre. The Venus we saw in Libra was a little detached, charming and just a tad on the conservative side. She was looking for a partner, her “other half”, the one who would balance out her weaknesses and maximise her strengths. That Venus was a social butterfly, equally at home somewhere fabulous for cappuccino and cakes with her girlfriends as dressed to the nines somewhere else fabulous having cocktails.

This Venus, Venus in Scorpio, is very different. This Venus is a bittersweet dark dark truffle, perhaps with a touch of chilli. This Venus is private, obsessive and dark around the edges. This Venus can be kinky, a dominatrix and all consuming. This Venus doesn’t want a partner, she wants a soul-mate- she wants all of you for herself. She wants everything. She wants your ugly, she wants your desire. She wants your passion. She doesn’t want to be friends. And she is irresistable. Sound delicious, scary or straight out weird?

Venus is in ruler-ship in Taurus, Scorpio’s opposite. This means she is in her detriment in Scorpio. She finds all the intensity and undertones just a little too much work and way too messy. Venus is in the business of attraction and pleasure, but in Scorpio she mesmerizes. In Scorpio she wants it all. In Scorpio she doesn’t just taste, she consumes.

Venus is Scorpio doesn’t know how to love just a little. She doesn’t flirt, she doesn’t play games- and she is all the more magnetic for that. She is as she is and when she wants something or someone, she wants all of it with all of her being- and doesn’t care how long it takes. Sort of like when you have a craving for, say, Pinot Gris, but all that is in the fridge is Chardonnay.

If, like me, you have Venus in Aries, you will drink the Chardonnay anyway, even though you know it will give you a headache after 2 glasses- anything for quick gratification. If you have Venus in Scorpio, you will wait until you can drink the Pinot Gris, and not settle for anything else. Why eat the dairy milk when you can hold out for the 70% cocoa Lindt. Venus in Scorpio is directly focused when it comes to her pleasure- and is prepared to wait for it…in need. Unfortunately I have Venus exactly inconjunct Pluto, so not only do I go for the quick fix (ie the chardonnay), I will still crave what I truly want (ie the pinot gris in this rather poor example).

When she does fall in love, it is with every fibre of her being, and she will assume that you will be the same. This can be tricky if you are not a watery type. Scorpio doesn’t like to talk about it- you are supposed to just “know”. It is about feeling your way- words mean nothing.

When you have been loved by a Scorpio, you will know you have been loved. She will be jealous, she will be possessive and if you cheat, she will never forgive you…and she will take her revenge, eventually.

Will she cheat on you? By now you should know my thoughts on this one- any sign has the ability to cheat given the right motivations, circumstances and mindset. Venus in Scorpio is so contained and so private, you will probably never know- she is a master at compartmentalizing.

Scorpio is fixed, private and stubbornly loyal- once you have earned her trust. She will demand absolute honesty and fidelity from you, but is not above falling for another if she feels that you have betrayed her, become distant or are not as fully into her as you should be. If your Scorpio woman does cheat, don’t discount power or control as being the motivating factors.

If she suspects you are not entirely honest, she becomes the most brilliant forensic detective- and will continue to pursue the truth until she has either proven your guilt, or accepted your innocence. With Scorpio, innocent until proven guilty does not apply. Just make sure you have removed all traces of any incriminating texts or emails…

Having said that, Venus in Scorpio attaches deeply and emotionally, and has difficulty in separating sex from love. Sex for Scorpio is an 8^th house transformative, life changing experience, not 5^th house fun. Don’t mess with Scorpio in love unless you are prepared to pay the price if it all falls apart. But, if you are prepared to take the risk, Scorpio is absolutely unforgettable.

Find all of this a little disturbing? Venus in Scorpio is like the forbidden apple- you know it’s not right, but by god does it feel good!

If you are a man with Venus in Scorpio, this is pretty well how you approach love and relationships- with single minded intensity…and your prey will not stand a chance! You will be attracted to women who are in touch with their darker, more base instincts. She will have either a strong Scorpio signature to her chart, or a strong Pluto element to her chart- eg Scorpio personal planets or Pluto closely aspecting her personal planets (especially the Moon or Venus). She may have a full 8th house or Pluto in the 7th. Either way, you are a man who likes a challenge and may enjoy the odd power game, so to speak.

From a fashion viewpoint, Venus in Scorpio favours the darkside. She is the classic femme fatale, Mata Hari or the male equivalent. She is clad is a sharp pencil skirt, spike heels and a silk blouse. She is a leather clad, stiletto shod domanitrix. She is the Emo hanging around Flinders St station with piercings and ink. She is all of these and none of them. Even when she is at her most conservative, there will be an edge of some sort to what she wears.

As for interiors, think black, dark purple, blood red, leather, silk and sumptuous gothic underworld crypt-ish glamour. Check out the photo below. It was taken last year at Spellbox- The Witches House in Melbourne. Unfortunately the shop has now closed (but Spellbox the original remains very much alive in the Royal Arcade), but the interior was Venus in Scorpio personified. With gothic styled book-shelves containing apothecary bottles of all conceivable herbs and powders, scrying bowls, owls, mortar and pestles and twigs of birch as accessories. Drapes of purple and jewelled blue fabrics from the ceiling and turquoise walls, with the only light coming from candelabra and crystal chandeliers, this shop was Venus in Scorpio interior decorating bliss…although for home use you may want to tone it down just a tad!

Pic by me

J’ai ton amour et je veux ta revanche

J’ai ton amour, I don’t wanna be friends

…you and me could write a bad romance…

Lyrics from Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Does this read like you or someone you know? If you are a Scorpio woman or a man or woman with Venus in Scorpio or Venus conjunct, square, inconjunct or opposite Pluto, this may read a little too true (and tempting) for comfort!

Not sure if it is a coincidence, but today on the blog the search questions have been about possession, passion, commitment:

• Are Scorpio men controlling?
• Emotional control- Mars in Scorpio
• Moon in Scorpio man won’t forgive
• Scorpio man jealous?
• How do I hold onto my Aries man?
• Moon in Scorpio man obsessive
• What does Scorpio do if he doesn’t get who he wants?
• How do I keep my Gemini man at home?

Get the idea?

And for the record, the short answer to each of these questions is:

• Yes. Absolutely.
• Yes- it protects them. According to him if you really loved him you would know what he is feeling anyway.
• No, he won’t. Ever. Deal with it. Nor will he ever say sorry if he is wrong.
• Yes…and he will somehow, someway know.
• Do you want to? Did that come out loud? Seriously, if you hold tight onto him he won’t be the free-wheeling & inspirational wonderful man you fell in love with. Just like Charlotte in Sex & the City with that man with the special talent (ladies, you know the episode I am talking about…) some men need to be released- he’ll stay if you make it interesting and challenging enough.
• Yes, but if, like me, you have Scorpio in Mars, this can be sort of sexy…for a little while.
• You end up on his list…& trust me, that is not a good place to be
• See above re Aries man. You fell in love with him for his sociability…thats a pretty special thing.

The common theme in all of these is intensity. And that is what Venus conjunct Pluto is all about.

But then, if you have Venus in Scorpio or Venus aspecting Pluto natally, you will know all about this. This is especially true of the conjunction, square, opposition & inconjunct. Yep, the inconjunct. I rarely use this aspect but for some reason when I see Venus & Pluto in tight inconjunct (150degrees) I take notice.

You may even know about this if you have Pluto in the 7^th house or Venus in the 8^th. For the record, I have Pluto in the 7^th and Venus and Pluto exactly inconjunct. My relationships have a definite Scorpionic flavour that I readily admit.

So, Venus/Pluto contacts behave very like Venus in Scorpio. For a reminder on that one, check out my post Jealousy. Venus/Pluto contacts are passionate and intense. They can be controlling, possessive, obsessive and jealous. They can manipulate their partner using love and sex. They can be transformative and they can be dark indeed. Regardless of the Machiavellian tendencies, Venus/Pluto is honest.

And, with this conjunction happening in Capricorn, reality and honesty is very necessary to effect lasting change in relationships. Playing it by the rules and within approved structures, so to speak. To take it one step further, you could use this conjunction in your business relationships to fuel power and ambition…just a thought.

Don’t just look at your own chart here. Think about that of those you are in relationships with. A Venus/Pluto contact can happen through synastry. It can occur if you are involved with someone who has a Venus/Pluto signature. There may be someone in your life who forces you to see something about yourself that you wanted to keep hidden. There may be someone in your life that transforms you, brings you to life. There could be someone who helps you destroy something which is no longer good. There may be someone who you allow to control you, or manipulate you or possess you. If you look at the charts of these people, it is likely that you will find a Scorpio or Venus/Pluto aspect there…or even an 8^th house contact by synastry. Have a think about it.

So when Venus and Pluto hook up, it is very like that one night stand that changed you in some way. The sex may have been incredibly good or incredibly bad- it doesn’t matter. What matters is the transformative experience. In Capricorn, just make sure you lay down the ground rules first .

The technical details: Venus/Pluto conjunction is exact early afternoon Thursday (Sydney time), but the influence will continue to be felt through until Friday. If you have planets or chart points (look mainly at the personal planets ie Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Ascendant, Midheaven) at or around 5-7 degrees Capricorn, Aries, Libra, Cancer you will feel this intensity. Planets at 5-7 degrees Pisces, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo will also be influenced.

If you are a Venus/Pluto type natally, this universal aspect is likely to feed into your own story.

Jessica Rabbit

“I wish I’d never met you more than I could dare to let you go”

This line from Pet Shop Boys’ Jealousy sum up Venus in Scorpio perfectly. Venus in Libra was all about partnership, appearances, beauty and charm. Venus in Scorpio is truth and honesty and loyalty and intense compulsion.

The Venus we saw in Libra was a milk chocolate girl- sweet and pretty with a lovely texture and melt in the mouth soft centre. The Venus we saw in Libra was a little detached, charming and just a tad on the conservative side. She was looking for a partner, her “other half”, the one who would balance out her weaknesses and maximise her strengths. That Venus was a social butterfly, equally at home somewhere fabulous for cappuccino and cakes with her girlfriends as dressed to the nines somewhere else fabulous having cocktails.

This Venus, Venus in Scorpio, is very different. This Venus is a bittersweet dark dark truffle, perhaps with a touch of chilli. This Venus is private, obsessive and dark around the edges. This Venus can be kinky, a dominatrix and all consuming. This Venus does want a partner, she wants a soul-mate- she wants all of you for herself. And she is irresistable. Sound delicious, scary or straight out weird?

Venus is Scorpio doesn’t know how to love just a little. She doesn’t flirt, she doesn’t play games- and she is all the more magnetic for that. She is as she is and when she wants something or someone, she wants all of it with all of her being- and doesn’t care how long it takes. Sort of like when you have a craving for, say, Pinot Gris, but all that is in the fridge is Chardonnay.

If, like me, you have Venus in Aries, you will drink the Chardonnay anyway, even though you know it will give you a headache after 2 glasses and then still crave that Pinot Gris. If you have Venus in Scorpio, you will wait until you can drink the Pinot Gris, and not settle for anything else. Why eat the dairy milk when you can hold out for the 70% cocoa Lindt.

When she does fall in love, it is with every fibre of her being, and she will assume that you will be the same. This can be tricky if you are not a watery type. Scorpio doesn’t like to talk about it- you are supposed to just “know”. It is about feeling your way- words mean nothing.

Where have you been, who were you with? You didn’t call when you said you would…I could not hear or see for jealousy…I never knew, till I met you. (Jealousy, Pet Shop Boys)

When you have been loved by a Scorpio, you will know you have been loved. He will be jealous, she will be possessive and if you cheat on him, he will never forgive you…and she will take her revenge, eventually. But then again, what if he cheats on you? Venus in Scorpio is so contained and so private, you will probably never know- he is a master at compartmentalising- will demand absolute honesty and loyalty from you, but is not above falling for another if he feels that you have become distant or are not as fully into him as you should be.

If he suspects you are not entirely honest, he becomes the most brilliant forensic detective- until he has either proven your guilt, or accepted your innocence. With Scorpio, innocent until proven guilty does not apply.

Having said that, Venus in Scorpio attaches deeply and emotionally, and has difficulty in separating sex from love. Sex for Scorpio is an 8^th house transformative, life changing experience, not 5^th house fun. Don’t mess with Scorpio in love unless you are prepared to pay the price if it all falls apart. But, if you are prepared to take the risk, Scorpio is absolutely unforgettable.

From a fashion viewpoint, Venus in Scorpio favours the darkside. She is the classic femme fatale, Mata Hari or the male equivalent. She is the leather clad, stiletto shod domanitrix, she is the Emo hanging around Flinders St station with piercings and ink. She is all of these and none of them.

Think black, dark purple, blood red, leather, silk and sumptuous gothic underworld glamour. I am in Melbourne at the moment and the interior of one of my favourite places, Spellbox- the Witches House, is Venus in Scorpio personified. With gothic styled book-shelves containing apothecary bottles of all conceivable herbs and powders, scrying bowls, owls, mortar and pestles and twigs of birch as accessories. Drapes of purple and jewelled blue fabrics from the ceiling and turquoise walls, with the only light coming from candelabra and crystal chandeliers, this is Venus in Scorpio interior decorating bliss.

Venus in Scorpio is like the forbidden apple- you know it’s not right, but by god does it feel good!

Check out this version of Jealousy, sung by the man with the best Scorpio Moon in the business- Robbie Williams