There are times when the energies around relationships can be slightly out of balance and we need to look upon this as a kind of test that relationships have to go through to evaluate the strength of their bond. Or think of it as a challenge that will move a relationship forward to a deeper sense of their understanding and intimacy.
The problem is a three planet configuration of Mars Venus and Neptune.
The first problem is that both planets, by sign, enter into difficult aspects with Neptune (vision, spirit, sensitivity, ambiguity). Mars will quincunx Neptune while Venus will find a trine to Neptune while squaring Mars. All this while Mercury is going retrograde in Scorpio and Libra.
The two main problem is that Mars and Venus in square will make situations challenging in that both individuals will be stubborn and conflicted in how they see the focus of the situation. Mars in fiery Leo will push for a passionate involvement that is more social, more focused in getting out and about, to do things involving other people, seeking to be involved in festive events of the season, or charity functions, sports, or business parties that may make for tension.
Venus will push for more intense intimate involvements,with the emphasis on private moments where love rejuvenates the deeper passions of sexual and physical involvements. The drive for Venus will be to want to work on the more exploratory depth of feeling and how these energies can renew and discover ways to channel these emotions into greater growth.
These different approached to focus will be complicate in that Mars will be quincunxing Neptune while Venus will be squaring it. This accentuates the struggle to hone in on common visions of where the relationship is going. Mars will be pushing to find ways to define how to relate to the outer realms of social interaction and how to work the room, as it were, as a couple.
Venus will feel the need to sit down and talk, to go to quiet restaurants, to seek time at home, to want to explore those deep connections to a more intense exchange of personal energy, physical, emotional. Not wanting to be in social interface, but in making the intimate issues more on the front burner. Spiritual and vision, renewal and rebuilding the power of interaction will be key.
All this is not helped by Mercury going retrograde (10/4 -10/25).
Mercury will challenge the clarity of expression, the way past situations will be viewed and what way to improve communication.
Those who have true levels of mutual involvement will work these issues out with a certain amount of stress and then resolution. Those whose relationship is not as strong will experience challenges that may prove too great and wonder if the positives out weigh the negatives and some lovers may decide there is just not enough there to form a lasting bond.
This is a time to work on relationships and seek positive resolutions to irritating points of personal conflicts.