Cosmic Café 19:
A Case of Mutual Reception

Yes, Venus was definitely in Aries—and not about to hide her feelings. She did love music, but in Aries, opera would bore her to pieces. Now how was Mars going to handle this? Would he get mad at her, or try to make peace? I waited to see his reaction.

I must have forgotten that Mars understood this little lady perfectly—so he knew he'd get that response from her. I'd also forgotten that he was in Taurus—her sign—and she was in Aries—his sign—so they had an automatic connection. I realized I was looking at a "mutual reception,” an astrological term for planets wearing each other's signs. He looked over at me, winked charmingly, then turned to her and said, "Relax, babe. We're going to a rock opera."

Perfect. The perfect solution for both of them. A rock opera. He wanted good music, and the elegance of the opera house. She wanted excitement. He was in thoughtful Taurus, however, and perfectly happy to do whatever it took to make his beloved smile. He really was charming, wasn't he? I was almost jealous.

Venus began clapping again, hugging him around the neck, and bouncing up and down in her chair. "Baby, you really are the best! The very best! Let's go! Let's go now!"

"Easy, babe. We're gonna have our meal first. Relax."

She folded her hands petulantly. "I want to go now."

Mars wiped the corners of his mouth, finished chewing, and said, "We can't go yet, honey. It doesn't start until tonight."

"Eat, you two," said the Moon. Venus began picking at her salad, and I indulged in mine. Jupiter was plowing through his plate with gusto—and, of course, he was on his second helping.

Oh, and the meal? Well, it was fabulous, of course. Lots of fresh vegetables in a rich cream sauce, homemade fettucine alfredo, and fruit salad—also in a cream sauce. And dessert? Apple pie, of course. It was on a side-table, waiting beneath a cheesecloth to be served, and I just knew there was vanilla ice cream to go with it. Had to be.

I smiled, closed my eyes and enjoyed the meal. And the company. And the lesson I'd just learned.

I stayed much later than I'd intended to, of course. Jupiter wanted to chat over his cigar, since everyone was busy. Venus had finally talked Mars into leaving, so they'd be the first to arrive at the concert. Made sense, too. Aries planets love to be first. The Moon and Neptune were up and about, too. They'd insisted on clearing the table, refusing Jupiter's offer of help, chatting and laughing together as they disappeared into the kitchen again.

Jupiter lit up. "So what's your next project, honey?" He exhaled a huge cloud of smoke.

I smiled. "Um…I think I'll write about lunch," I said.

He nodded. "Good idea, babe! Hey, don't let me keep you, okay? Go ahead and get to work, but be sure to bring me a copy next time you're here."

I rose and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Uncle J," I said.

He kissed me back. "Me too, babe. Call me."

"I will." I stopped in the kitchen to thank Moon and Neptune for lunch, but they were gone.

"They nap in the afternoon," Jupiter called out. "But Neptune said she'll send you sweet dreams tonight."

I waved, and headed home. I had no idea that I wasn't going to make it there just yet…

Next Week: Kidnapped by Pluto

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Kim Rogers-Gallagher is a well known columnist, lecturer and author of Astrology for the Light Side of the Brain and Astrology for the Light Side of the Future(ACS Publications).