When to Slow Down

Life moves fast, and with the widespread use of technology, it only seems to be moving faster. We all need times to slow everything down so we don’t get overwhelmed by the frantic pace our lives move at. Astrologically, the house and planet of slowing things down are the 2nd house and Venus.

When your 2nd house or Venus are activated, your desire to slow everything down becomes stronger and more important. If a slower planet is moving through your 2nd house (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto), slowing down is more important for a long time. With Jupiter, you have a year where you want everything to go at your own pace, a manageable pace. With Saturn, you have to slow down or you can break down. With Uranus, your desire can come and go, and at times all you want is to slow down but everything is going too fast, while other times, you’re sick of slow. With Neptune, you need to slow down to keep from being overwhelmed, and with Pluto, you have to learn to slow down and live in the moment or pay the price.

If a faster planet is moving through your 2nd house (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars), you get a temporary urge to slow life down, take time to smell the roses, and relax. With the Sun, it can be more of a physical break, and with Mercury it’s more of a mental break. With Mars, your drive slows, and you’re not in as much of a rush to pursue or do anything new. Venus is the natural ruler of the 2nd house, so when she’s here, you can feel at ease with taking a break. With the Sun, Mercury, and Venus, you get the impact for about one month, while it’s about two months with Mars.

The Moon moves even faster, speeding through the Zodiac in less than one month, and so the Moon goes through your 2nd house for 2-3 days every month. These few days each month can be a time where you want to slow down emotionally, and taking a break helps you feel better.

Aspects to your Venus by the slower planets can also stimulate your urge to slow down similarly to when they go through the 2nd house. When they make an easy aspect (sextile, trine), it’s easy for you to slow down. When they make a hard aspect (square, opposition), it’s difficult, and things can stand in the way. With the conjunction, slowing down can be easy with Jupiter, important with Saturn, sudden with Uranus, spiritual with Neptune, or transforming with Pluto. These aspects last anywhere from two weeks (Jupiter) to three years (Pluto).

Aspects made by the faster planets only last for a few hours (Moon) up to four days (Mars), but these shorter-term aspects can bring a temporary slow down. You get a day or two where you can take a break from the wild routine of life and catch your breath (or at least catch some zzz’s!).

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