A Bear of a Conjunction

Venus conjunct Uranus and Alcyone at the end of Taurus

This week's Venus, Uranus, and Alcyone conjunction, peaking Thursday, July 3rd, 2025, brought to mind the excellent psychological drama series The Bear. After watching episode two of the recently released fourth season last night, I noticed some analogous threads connecting to this astrological configuration. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen it yet – but if you have, you might find this interesting. 

There is a touching scene involving a phone conversation between Carmen and his sister Natalie. Carmen is deep in a struggle with the restaurant, his vision, and the people who have supported him. Natalie reminds him how brightly his talent and ambition shined when she first dropped him off to fly to New York to make it big.      

Fixed stars are ancient, distant, and steeped in complicated myths. These myths tend to portray narratives of extreme highs and lows, illustrating stories that arc through waves of success and strife. Their purpose is often to educate us on the dangers of glory and the pitfalls of arrogance. Yet, their very age often makes translating these stories to modern life difficult. This challenge prompts us to question if we've outgrown their wisdom, or if we've simply forgotten something foundational within ourselves.  

Alcyone, a star associated with the Pleiades, brings forth strong leadership qualities, charisma, and the ability to inspire, often leading to ambition and achievement. Individuals influenced by Alcyone tend to be naturally goal-oriented, persistent, and possess a strong sense of honesty and integrity. However, the shadow side of Alcyone can manifest as excessive competitiveness or a domineering personality. The drive for achievement can also lead to perfectionism and harsh self-criticism, and there may be a difficulty with loss and competition, potentially stemming from a deep-seated fear of failure or a burden of responsibility.

During Nina Gryphon’s NORWAC talk about malefics in astrological magic this year, she reminded us that when you work with a fixed star, you are working with the entire story, not just the part you like. Therefore, burning brightly with talent and capability presents inherent challenges, as the Alcyon narrative depicts. 

Now, consider a culinary prodigy, not necessarily Carmen from the Bear, but a brilliant chef nonetheless, with a Venus, Uranus, and Alcyone conjunction in Taurus. Perhaps this person will be born this Thursday. This individual possesses the innate superstar quality and exhibits leadership  (Alcyone) by way of sheer charisma, if in the case of Carmen without classic organization skills, to inspire a kitchen, driven by an intense ambition for achievement (Alcyone) and a concrete desire to possess (Taurus) the ultimate culinary success, perhaps a Michelin star. Their food, infused with Venus's charm and attractive presentation, is undeniably desirable. However, the disruptive and unpredictable energy of Uranus, combined with Alcyone's shadow sides of competitiveness and domination, makes them an iconoclast who constantly seeks to shake up the fixed culinary norms. While their genius might bring innovation and excitement (Uranus), their perfectionism and self-criticism (Alcyone) can be relentless. This chef, focused on the abstract idea of their culinary vision (Uranus) and the tangible success it represents (Taurus), might underestimate the value of the "children of Venus" – the diligent kitchen staff, the supportive front-of-house team, the star-struck patrons – who contribute to the daily operations and their personal well-being. Their impulse to be free and rebel against traditional kitchen hierarchies (Uranus) might lead to frequent, sudden changes and a chaotic atmosphere, creating challenges in managing coworkers and neglecting the stability needed in their private life. The inherent difficulty with loss and competition (Alcyone) could make them overly demanding, failing to see that true success, in the slow and steady pace of Taurus, requires valuing and integrating all components of their world, not just their singular, brilliant vision.

This is what I thought about when I contemplated this conjunction, and I thought I would share. Please sign up to receive more in the future.