The Vapors

What a fantastic aspect for Valentine's Day: Venus conjunct Neptune (Feb. 14, 4:48 pm PST). Dreamy, candy-coated luvvvv. Romance. What Victorian ladies used to call "the vapors."

Despite my occasionally crusty exterior, I am no stranger to idealism and romantic love; I was, after all, born with Venus trine Neptune (one of the few nice aspects in my chart, actually). But whether it's age, experience, or my progressed Moon in Capricorn - I no longer find idealistic love particularly appealing. It's so exhausting, keeping up a pretense of perfection, pretending your partner is utterly blemish-free. Just... exhausting.

On the other hand... There is something terribly romantic about someone who is fully aware of, and painfully realistic about your faults - yet persists in cherishing you, calamitous failed experiment in humanity that you are. Someone who never stops trying to help you achieve your vision of a somewhat better you, the you that you never quite get around to being, the you that you would be if you worked out more and didn't lose your temper so much and were just generally nicer - yet who never makes you feel you need to be anything other than exactly what you are, right now.

That kind of love is just grand.