Photo credit: NYTimes - Ellen Surrey
Barbie & Oppenheimer. OK, these two films are such a perfect reflection of what is transpiring in the cosmos, I had to discuss it. It’s a bit of a respite (maybe) from the deep cracks to our democracy on other fronts. If you’ve read my previous article, Some Like it Hot about the big summer event, Venus/Leo retrograde (as of 7/22/23) then you might remember that Venus is the pointer, or at the apex of a formation called a YOD – also fondly know in astrological lore as “the finger of God.” A Yod is composed of a base of two planets sixty degrees apart – currently those planets are NeptuneRx 27 Pisces and PlutoRx 29 Capricorn. Venus turned retrograde at the far midpoint 28 Leo, 150 degrees to both Neptune and Pluto.
Beyond what we consider Venus to represent – fairness, justice, harmony, relationships – it also has sway over pleasure, beauty, creativity, the arts, and music. As the pointer or apex planet in this configuration, Venus must find a way to combine the essence of both planets and what we get in popular culture is “Barbenheimer.” Neptune beyond dealing with illusions, disappointments, diffusion, deception, spiritual yearning, escapism, confusion, or overwhelm, it also brings romance, magic, fantasy, dreaming and celluloid (film – what seems so real but is not). Neptune governs how we remove ourselves for a time from the pressures of the daily grind (negatives being drugs, drinking, other addictions). Neptune represents the Barbie movie!
On the other hand, Pluto, the Darth Vader of the celestial bodies, as I like to call him/her sometimes, is dark, deep, controlling, compelling, intense, politics, power, greed, transformation, motivation, intention, pressure, eruptions and its effect typically leaves indelible imprints and changes our psychological nature. Pluto forces a journey to the dark underworld and those elements we’d rather leave in the shadows but must eventually contend with. Enter Oppenheimer. What could be more provocatively powerful than creating a weapon of mass destruction, its deadly consequences and the repercussions that continue to linger in many ways?
Venus is one representation of the feminine archetype and perhaps, with all the angst swirling around our lives and the planet of an existential nature, a frothy girly movie – a thought experiment about what girls want or what fun it is to be a girl and, how to deal with the commercial, mainstream representation of the feminine is provocative. Barbie is an ultimate representation of the dramatic Venus retrograde in Leo, reminding us how vital it is to have fun and to maintain a sense of humor, to look beneath the humor for nuggets of truth. The retrograde aspect of Venus/Leo is also a return to the past, the Barbie doll, (and Ken) that generated endless controversy about “perfect” femininity, and form (as it should have).
So, there you have it in a nutshell. The summer of 2023 in the movies. As above so below. Both movies portray aspects of our current culture reminding us of vastly different values. In the Yod, we are asked to integrate both social/cultural statements and find ways to understand what we love and what we value and that it’s OK to just have fun, even amid seriousness. Venus/Leo turned retrograde opposite the USA Moon at 27 Aquarius meaning that the dynamics expressed are a direct reflection of the duality (dark and light) existing in American life as described in these two movies. That is, a depiction of women and their societal role throughout our nation’s history and our technological, scientific, accomplishments and how those have contributed to the reputation of the States and the world order. Will you see one or both films?
What a great analysis of how the cultural zeitgeist reflects the planetary configurations of the moment! The Yod is so interesting, and with Venus retrograde in Leo shows how the forces of fantasy and escapism can combine with the image of corporate power to produce something beautiful. Thank you!