The astrological end of 2021, another dramatic year: Pluto in Capricorn square Eris in Aries. Venus Retro in Capricorn. Will 2022 bring more of the same? Our reasons for hope. Last Eclipse of 2021

A shorter version of this article has been published in the Uki Village News issue 121, December 2021 – January 2022.

Last eclipse season for 2021 and last pass of the Saturn-Uranus’
to farewell another difficult year

The Sagittarius Solar Eclipse (December 4, 6.42 pm, dls), connected to Uranus, planet of revolutions and upheaval, will be a rather special New Moon, setting the tone not just for the month ahead but for the next six months or more.   The adventurous Sagittarius New Moon, occurring around this time every year, marks usually a time when we are eager to turn a page on the past, feeling ready to embrace the future with renewed optimism and vision; time for aspiring New Year resolutions, seldom destined to withstand the test of time. This time the Moon is eclipsed while, due to the collective experiences of the past two years, we feel more impatient than usual to move ahead. The Sun and Moon, during the Solar Eclipse, will also connect directly with Uranus, planet of revolutions and upheaval (extremely close 150 degrees or inconjunct aspects).  Again, finding ways to moderate extremes of feelings and passions will be a must in the coming months, to maintain a modicum of peace and harmony in our lives.
Because the third/last pass of the Saturn-Uranus square is still approaching (Christmas Eve) our impatience will be yet tested by limiting circumstances (Saturn’s effect) but also fired up by a spirit of rebellion (Uranus’ effect). This significant transit, that permeated the whole of 2021, remains influential, especially because it occurs around the Capricorn Solstice, heralding the New Year. Must this still be a recipe for frustration and antagonism?  Or an opportunity to find a healthy medium between social responsibilities and our innate desire for self-determination?
For sure, next year the challenging right angle between Saturn and Uranus will be over, getting closer again in September-October but not becoming exact again. Jupiter though, transiting Pisces on and off in the coming year, will form difficult if minor angles with both Saturn and Uranus (semi-squares). It could then, in 2022 and early 2023, become an agent for those two sworn enemies’ ongoing feud. 
Hopefully Jupiter in adaptable Pisces could also play the role of a deal-breaker, by providing greater tolerance of differences, with the ability to forgive and move on.

The Retrogradation of Venus in Capricorn

This loop takes place every eighteen months or so and represents an opportunity for self reflection in the area of relationships. One of the major consequences of this transit will be to greatly intensify and extend in time the effect of a Venus-Pluto conjunction. The Retrogradation will last from December 19 2021 to January 29 2022, while Venus transits backward between 26^th/11^th degrees of Capricorn. Usually a yearly transit that remains active for just a few days, this time the conjunction will repeat three times: on December 12-25, and again on March 4 2022.

These events could shape our attitude on relationships and love (Venus), presenting to us in a revealing light some recurrent negative patterns we experience, while also providing us with the psychological tools to tackle them. In particular matters of shared assets and/or finances could come to the fore, as well as issues of control, jealousy, repressed resentments, perhaps feelings and thoughts that have remained hidden for a while or that, for peace sake, we have evaded so far (Pluto). What are we seeking from those who are close to us?  What are they looking for in us? This is not time to be content with superficial answers. Not only there is a need to be more realistic (Capricorn), but to be also ruthlessly honest, first of all with ourselves (Pluto).   

2022 Jupiter’s journey between worlds: from Pisces to Aries and back again

Just as the year ends, on December 29, Jupiter will be moving into Pisces and transit this last Zodiacal Sign until May 11, when it will enter Aries, first in the sequence. Due to Retrogradation it will re-enter Pisces again, just for a few days, between October 28 and December 21.
Jupiter is well placed in Pisces, having been associated with this Sign since antiquity.
In Pisces the philosophical function that Jupiter represents merges with our collective longing for spirituality, unity and compassion. It could be especially so in 2022, because Neptune, the metaphysical function within our collective psyche, is also still transiting Pisces (until 2025) and Jupiter will become conjunct Neptune on April 13. Regrettably there will be only one pass of this beautiful transit, enough hopefully to inspire the collective to embrace non judgemental, non divisive ways to deal with each other and our ailing blue planet.
It has been this year that pharmaceutical companies began to make public some of the positive results of new anti-viral drugs, while some of those have already become available to help in the fight against covid19. Jupiter has already entered Pisces earlier this year (May 14 to July 28). This synchronicity could be a sign that Jupiter’s return into Pisces at the end of December will bring some improvement and progress in these areas too, Pisces being the Sign of drugs and medications and Jupiter the planet of expansion and optimism.
The transits of Jupiter through Pisces could also encourage the grassroots involvement of people from all walks of life in the fight against environmental crimes and neglect. Many will respond more readily to the calls for help the natural environment and its creatures have been sending us for a very long time.
When in Aries (May 11 2022 to October 28 2023) Jupiter will be likely to inspire us to embrace a more militant mindset, eager to change the world. Actions will speak louder than words, our collective mind expanding by being more courageous and driven.

Pluto in Capricorn square Eris in Aries

Another positive change happening now is the near end of Pluto’s square to Eris, a very difficult transit, active since 2019/20. This aspect has been a powerful ingredient of the extreme experiences we have had during the last couple of years.
 
Eris (at first known as Xena) is a dwarf planet, only discovered in 2005, orbiting the outer reaches of the solar system, at three times the distance of Pluto from our Earth. Eris is part of the so called Kuiper Belt of which Pluto is also a member. Its orbit around the Sun is a very slow 558 years! Due to its extremely elliptical orbit Eris spends different lengths of time in each Sign.  Eris is not just a generational planet but rather a multi-generational planet. For instance Eris is now transiting Aries, having entered this Sign in 1926. It will be 2048 before she leaves Aries to enter Taurus.  Its influence then has more to do with slow historical trends, developing over centuries, rather than specific events within a number of months or years.  
 
Who is Eris astrologically? She was the Greek Goddess of strife and discord, wicked sister of sweet Harmonia, Goddess of peace and harmony, and of ferocious war mongering Ares (Mars).
 
After the discovery of Eris and other dwarf planets (within the space that is now known as the Kuiper belt) astronomers decided to demote Pluto from its status as planet to dwarf planet. The first effect of her introduction in the planetary pantheon was thus to disrupt the status quo, creating controversies that are still raging today.  Many astrologers have found fault particularly in the demotion of Pluto, fact that seems to somehow belittle its amply proven impact on our lives.
 
Curiously the same name of Eris was also given to another, not so unpleasant Goddess, who presided over good works, in particular cultivation of the land. She exerted her power by stirring people into action when they compared themselves to more successful and ambitious neighbours!
Both forms of Eris were known for causing some form of strife, but while one was mainly negative, encouraging violence for violence sake and pitiless if righteous revenge, the other Eris had a more constructive role.

Of course there is a very positive and evolutionary role for the first Eris to play too, in particular regarding the emancipation of women and their still fierce battle against misogyny and inequality. While transiting Aries this Goddess has taken a more militant form, pro-active and courageous rather than just vengeful. Seeking revenge can be viewed in fact as a form of passive aggression, when direct opposition is not an option.  

After the profound crisis caused by the First World War, during which many women took on more masculine roles, in the absence of husbands, fathers and brothers figures, the 20s ushered a time of greater freedom for women, continuing unabated to the present day.  A good example, now part of the history books, was the massive and global Women Marches of January 2017 (estimated five million worldwide), when revolutionary Uranus became conjunct to Eris (transit active from June 2016 to March 2017).

In 2020 and 2021 the difficult angle between Pluto (ultimate experiences, power abuses, trauma) and blood-thirsty Eris contributed, together with other cosmic clashes, to the discord and violence that spread all over the globe, not just in response to the pandemic measures, but also via proliferation of conflicts in countries fighting for basic democratic rights and social justice, as well as governments’ fierce resistance to relinquish their grip on power.

Furthermore, due to the dramatic tension between Pluto and Eris, much corruption and dirty secrets have been revealed, with major beneficial results. The same transit though has also fomented much paranoia and misguided mistrust among people and people/governments/main stream/social media, wrecking more havoc that has added to the pandemic many challenges.

Pluto is still close to the square aspect but it will not return to it in 2022 or for the foreseeable future.

2022 and beyond

2022 seems to be a transition year for the world, hopefully less eventful and unsettling; said that, many astrologers, including myself, have been prematurely optimist before. We really need to wait and see how long and how severe the global crisis will still be.

For a while now some extraordinary planetary dynamics have been pointing out at spectacular shifts impending on the world, on many levels. These cannot be summed up just by few dramatic events, but they will be rather part of a long drawn and difficult process of transformation and rebirth.

In my view the existential treat of the climate crisis, with an ever more populated world scrambling for resources, is at the root of our collective angst. This pandemic and possible future ones are just symptoms of the general malaise the world is suffering from: the lack of the spiritual values needed to turn things around and speed up our human evolution.  

All we can say is that the effects of the dramatic 2020/21 transits are still lingering, but no major alignments will be activated in 2022. 

Amazing cosmic shifts loom in the future though: Saturn will enter Pisces in 2023; Pluto Aquarius, in 2023/24; Neptune Aries and Uranus Gemini, in 2025; and Chiron Taurus in 2026. Pluto’s exit from Capricorn many astrologers consider to be particularly significant when looking for an end to the pandemic crisis, with all its dark connotations.
 
The world could indeed look like a different place when all of the above have come to pass.

Venus in Capricorn in the Birth Chart

I love the aristocratic 16th century children portrayed by Jacob Cuyp (1594-1650), a Dutch landscape and portrait artist. Despite their often rigid costumes and contrite poses their childish charm still shine at us from the depth of centuries. In particular I like this blond little girl, with her determined air and apparent mastery over the creature she is leading. She seems to know what she wants and how to get it. And I like this goat, a real personality. Together they suggest to me something about the essence of Capricorn Venus, the same I would like to be able to express in words: the softness and the toughness of combining feminine Venus, Goddess of Love and Pleasure, and the hardy mountain goat, used to rough and difficult terrains.

People who are born while Venus transits Capricorn are not usually too romantic or idealistic in love, unless some other influence prevails. They tend to have a rather matter of fact personality, not easily led by first impressions or infatuations.

Like all Venus in Earth Signs this placement gives a healthy sensuality, more satisfied by steady and committed relationships than fleeting liaisons and sudden passions. Capricorn in fact confers a certain seriousness and sense of responsibility to all planetary energies.

Showing what we appreciate more in life and give value to, Venus in Capricorn bestows conservative values, with central importance given to family, home life, security, emotional and financial, career, tradition and social responsibility. These are indeed socially conscious individuals, ready to contribute in practical ways to the greater family of society.

It is only when the cooperative and loving ray of this Venus is severely thwarted in infancy or childhood that we begin to see the negative side of Venus in Capricorn, manifesting as selfishness, coldness of feeling, a calculating attitude, in emotional as well as financial matters (trait that when rightly used can make them into excellent business people), also strong sensuality without real ability to express love and warmth.

Capricorn Venus individuals need to build trust in other people (as all the Venus in Earth Signs), also toning down their desire to lead every situation, leaving others more scope for independent decisions.

After disappointing experiences in love and generally relating with the world the Venus in Capricorn individuals may become cynical and pessimistic, too rigid in their opinions and value system. They need to let go sometimes of their strong emotional bulwark, a defense system they often feel they cannot do without. At the base of this is the hurt of having felt lonely and unloved in their early years (for real or because of their extra sensitivity). Going down that path some Venus in Capricorn people begin to equate love with security, emotional fulfillment with financial well being, ending up creating for themselves the loneliness and lack of loving support of which they were so afraid in the first place.

The more fulfilling relationships for a Venus in Capricorn person are those made stronger by time and solid commitment, but that can also fulfill their sensual need for closeness, warmth and trust.

This is not an easy Venus to be born with, Capricorn being a Sign of Saturn, the Old man of the Zodiac, burdened by the past and responsible for the future. The wisdom and experience of the ages lay heavy on the shoulder of our beautiful Goddess, with the risk of becoming emotionally ‘old’ before her time, with all the disillusions that a long life can bring to our ideals of love.

Positively this is truly a ‘no nonsense’ Venus that will value concrete support in loving relationships, a fair give and take, with friends, partners and lovers. A positively expressed Venus in Capricorn is always ready to lend a hand and show their love in action, not just through words or empty promises.

Venus’ transit through Capricorn, November 25 to December 20, 2019

Venus meets Jupiter between the Signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn – stock image

Venus will be transiting Capricorn between November 25 and December 20.

Just before entering this solid Earth Sign, on November 25, Venus appeared in all her evening glory aligned to mighty Jupiter. The two planets were competing in brilliance, on the cusp between Sagittarius and Capricorn, for the last week, a beautiful conjunction to witness. And still up there together in the early evening despite the Venus’ Sign change. Jupiter in fact will follow Venus into Capricorn soon, entering this Sign on December 3.

The most important Capricorn Venus’ alignments this time around will be the conjunction to Saturn and Pluto, on December 11 and 14 respectively, alighting the seriousness and intensity of this period for our relationships and creative life too. Let’s keep in mind though that the aspects of Venus never lasts more than three to four days, starting to have effect a day or two before exactness and remaining active only for a day or two after.

In general the transit through Capricorn is a serious time for Venus and therefore for our relationships, our social life, creativity, ability to attract wealth and comfort and enjoy what life has to offer, the areas and functions Venus presides over. The Signs more likely to feel more the effect of this yearly transit are: Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Libra, Taurus and Virgo.

Capricorn is not only a Earthy, practical, no nonsense Sign, it is also a Sign of Saturn, the cosmic task master who helps us grow up, accepting responsibilities for our life, the successes as well as the failures. When Venus transits this Sign then we are given the task of looking realistically at our relationships, without the common embellishment of wishful thinking and starry eyed hopes or illusions. This is often an ideal time to make lasting commitments (like engagement and marriage) or to take on extra responsibilities in our career or business.

Family matters will come to the fore under this influence, because family is the foundation of all relationships for Capricorn. This Sign takes its duties toward parents, children, siblings and the general welfare of the tribe very seriously, sometimes too seriously in fact, thus risking to lose track of its own dreams and aspirations in the process of caring and providing security for others.

If you are involved with community projects or local politics this is also a positive period to give it all you have, because you may find yourself better organized and efficient than usual, also more able to put across your ideas in a way that will demand the respect and appreciation of other people.

It could be a positive period to be more realistic in all area of our lives, embracing those values that can help us to get back on track financially, in our work, studies or career. Suitable period also to make lasting commitments, signing important contracts, buying or selling real estates etc.

 Venus’ Transits while in Capricorn

Venus square Chiron in Aries, exact on November 27

A day to become aware of what is ailing us emotionally, accept things that cannot be changed. The  scars from painful past experiences can make us wiser, if we gain perspective over them, otherwise we may tend toward self pity and pessimism for a little while.

Venus and the Moon, conjunct in Capricorn, trine Uranus in Taurus, exact on November 29

An out of the blue event could make a delicious or upsetting impact on us. New exciting feelings may either fascinate or alarm us. Time to be more adventurous and welcome the positive impact of people who are a bit different, because their ideas and ways can add to our emotional wealth and help boost our creativity.

Venus conjunct Descending Lunar Node, exact on December 3

Relationships at this time may bring back a whiff from the past. We may meet people we have not seen for a long time or hear from them or of them. These events could bring up feelings and memories that we may have suppressed. It would be beneficial to search the deeper meaning of these experiences in order to move on from the past and open the door to new possibilities.

Venus sextile Mars in Scorpio, exact on December 4, and sextile Neptune in Pisces, exact on December 9, compounded by a trine between Mars and Neptune, exact late on December 13.

Between this date and the 13/14 of December Venus, Mars and Neptune will form a positive configuration (made up of two sextiles and one trine) between earthy Capricorn and watery Scorpio/ Pisces. Ideal time for romantic or artistic escapades, nature holidays, time out to watch the clouds and smell the flowers. Our feelings are heightened and also refined, providing the right atmosphere for closeness, fascination, sensuality and imaginative, idealistic pursuits.

Venus conjunct Saturn, exact on December 11

The beneficial transits still active will help to make this powerful contact Venus-Saturn less difficult and the feelings of isolation that often accompanies such a transit less overwhelming. We may feel awkward and shy in matters of the heart though, experiencing some difficulties in reaching out.

We will need to look at the emotional barriers we are putting in place or the ones we love seem to be erecting against us. It is time to accept the limitations and drawbacks that every relationships soon or later encounter. We may feel lonely, unloved or unlovable for a little while. This too will pass, soon. Capricorn can be a rigid, unbending Sign, often unable to express emotions for fear of being rejected or to appear foolish or vulnerable. It has however also the quality of steadfastness and the ability for long lasting commitments.

You must know that Melancholy is the Muse of poets and artists. Let’s put this melancholic Venus to good use. Try to express your feelings of isolation and vulnerability in words or paint strokes or musical notes, planting flowers, musing over life and loss, whatever suits your temperament best. Venus-Pluto encounter is coming, so better be prepared for some intense focus on the way we really feel, not just about relationships but everything that we value in our lives.

Venus conjunct Pluto, exact on December 14

The Venus-Pluto’s close encounter, on December 14, is the most significant transit during the passage of Venus in Capricorn. Conjunctions have always a more marked effect than any other type of transits. Pluto intensifies the effect of every planet he comes in contact with. In this case deepening our feelings, showing us the more hidden and perhaps difficult side of our relationships, shedding light on the unconscious motives and emotional underpinning that have such an important and often unrecognized role to play in the way we relate to others. This is an intensely subjective aspect, so we could be warned of not taking things too personally, attitude that is likely to breed resentment and the desire for retaliation, never a good thing.

With Pluto is always ‘honesty’ time. Loving or unloving feelings cannot be concealed easily under this influence, thus often matters come to a head when we confront the truth both within ourselves and in others.

If interested in the effects of Venus in Capricorn in the Birth Chart please navigate to my post HERE.

 

October-November 2018: retrograde Venus, the light of Earendil

Light of Earendil: remember the White Witch Galadriel, in the Lord of the Ring? How she gave Frodo a crystal phial containing “the light of Earendil our most beloved star. May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out.”? She is another embodiment of Persephone, dubbing in dangerous powers throughout the tale, to finally overcome the Super-Ego’s temptations of the Ring and sail to the West (the Isle of the Blessed).

***

A shorter version of this post has been published in the issue 102 of the Uki Village News community paper

The Retrogradation of Venus
(October 6 to November 16)

In Scorpio since September 9, peace loving Venus will continue to explore the depths of this emotional Sign in October, returning to Libra on November 1, and finally back into Scorpio on December 3. Only on January 9 2019 Venus will finally leave Scorpio to enter Sagittarius.

You will be aligned to this Venus ‘event if you happen to have the Sun, Moon or any Planet/ Angle on the first ten, eleven degrees of the Fixed Signs (0-11° of Scorpio-Taurus-Leo-Aquarius), or the last five, six degrees of the Cardinal Signs (25-30° of Libra-Aries-Cancer-Capricorn).*

I know it may sound complicated to beginners but accuracy is the only way to avoid useless generalizations, a common fault with astrological writings. Being born under the Sign of Scorpio, for instance, doesn’t make this retrogradation a personal experience for you, unless, of course, the position of your Sun, Moon, Angle/s, Planet/s at birth align with the transits of Venus during this Retro period.

At the Sun-Venus Conjunction, on October 27, Venus’ orbit will carry her between the Sun and Earth, closer to our planet as she can ever be. This occurs once in every 584 days cycle, marking the end of Venus’s apparition in the evening sky and the beginning of her predawn rising.

It is a common belief that Venus is exclusively the planet of sensuality, love, relationships, art and creativity.  She exerts in fact also great influence on self image, aesthetic tastes, likes and dislikes, finances, assets and all things contributing to comfort and joy in our lives. Venus’ retrogradation can then offer significant insights into all these areas of experience, according to age and circumstances.

Scorpio, Sign traditionally ‘ruled’ by macho Mars and the all powerful masculine Pluto, is a strange dwelling place for feminine Venus, alluring and dangerous at one and the same time. We may be tempted to explore areas of experience and relationships we felt were taboo before but now prove irresistible. This can indeed be true not only of actual relationships but of the way we relate with our creativity and the way we choose to interact in our social life, in a deeper and more honest way, investing more energy and feelings in whatever we do, seeking real intimacy, emotional, physical, intellectual with others, meaningful not superficial experiences.

At this time Venus will also dance a strange dance with Mars in Aquarius: at first an intense tango (the recurring square between Fixed Signs, whose crucial days will be September 10 and October 11/12), then a romantic waltz (the harmonious Air Signs trine, whose crucial day will be November 10). With the emphasis on Venus-Mars and Scorpio-Libra many relationships, romantic, sexual, financial, legal, could take a beating during this period or, positively, find new levels of connection and honesty.

We could dig out some disagreeable truths about ourselves and/or meaningful others, but also realize the potential for transformation and redemption. With Venus moving inward, so to speak, the first relationship in the line of fire will be that with our own selves, our self image, the confidence or lack of confidence defining our social interactions. How comfortable do we really feel about our public persona, our physical appearance, mode of dress, the way others may perceive us? Retro Venus has the power to lay bare lots of submerged unconscious stuff that secretly affect our lives.

Perhaps we may learn the hard way whom we can trust and who will be willing to truly support us emotionally, financially, legally through hard times. We will be putting on the detective goggles when it comes to emotions, discerning things from ours and people actions/words to which we may have been blind before.

Relationships, artistic or financial enterprises beginning at this time will prove challenging at first, but could eventually bloom into something really special. During a Venus Retrograde period people from the past often reconnect with us, allowing forgotten or repressed feelings to flood back into our lives. Negatively we could get obsessed and emotionally stuck about someone or something, experiencing emotional, financial or creative blocks, all generating some difficult and depressing feelings for a while: insightful or disturbing, depending how we look at them. How much are we repressing within and/or hiding from others? How many unresolved issues are still marring our relationships or relationship potential? Venus retrograde could be the ideal time to find out and face the consequences.

At its ideal level of expression Venus retrograde represents feminine empowerment and feminine wisdom, not gender but soul defined, acting as midwife to some profound transformation of consciousness. The time is ripe for some depth psychological work and truth seeking, shining the light of Earendil on our personal and collective psyche.

A peacemaker to the rescue: Venus in Libra, August 7 to September 9, and beyond

‘Le Tre Grazie’ (The Three Graces)’ by Sandro Botticelli

Venus is entering Libra on August 7, transiting this Cardinal Air Sign until September 9, a transit that could help us deal with the intensity, possible frustration and stress of the ongoing Mars-Uranus-Eclipses-Multiple Retrogrades’ mix.

Together with the upcoming harmonious Trine (120°) between Jupiter in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces (exact August 19, but already active and extending its influence to early September) this transit of Venus could show us peaceful ways of facing the difficulties obstructing our path.

Hopefully Venus in Libra will play the role of peacemaker, restoring some of the harmony and cooperation that many conflicting transits are threatening at present. Traditionally the Sign of Libra is the home of Venus, meaning that in this Sign the Goddess is able to express the more pure and unbiased traits of the Sign, its ability to see two sides of any stories, two facets to every opinion etc.
The more poetical aspects of life come into focus under this transit, enhancing the beauty and love all around us. Attuning ourselves to this new vibration doesn’t mean just putting a pink veneer on a dark and stark reality, but actually becoming more aware of the essential beauty and perfection in everything, the potentially happy outcome of every situation, the silver lining in the storm clouds that have gathered on the world.  Ideals of Love and Beauty may shine more brightly in our consciousness, finding expression into a more loving and cooperative attitude toward others, as well as a keener sensitivity to loving feelings and beauty in art and all forms of creativity.

Here is a timeline of the major transits formed by Venus in Libra, in August and early September 2018.

Venus in Libra Timeline

• August 7 to September 9: Venus in Libra.
• August 9 (active from August 8 to 10): Venus in Libra opposes Chiron Retro in Aries.
  These few days would be ideal for gentle healing sessions: Venus, with her feminine empathy and grace, can now be put to the service of healing, working as a gentle balm on old physical and psychological wounds. Because the aspect is an opposition we are given the chance to see two sides of any issue, providing greater objectivity on the situation or symptoms we need to address. Being gentle is the key here; acknowledging your emotional needs before you tackle your physical problems; not rushing into anything.
• August 10 (active from August 9 to 11): Venus in Libra square Saturn in Capricorn.
  Graceful acceptance of duties and responsibilities would be the key to put this potentially challenging transit to good use. We could enjoy being productive and work a bit harder if we give ourselves a chance. Trying to avoid stuff we need to do would instead cause more frustration and unhappiness. Emotionally this could be an isolating transiting leading to few depressing days, of feeling unloved or just over-burdened by family and work expectations. Our close relationships may suffer, competing with business or professional duties. Financial difficulties could bother us more than usual because of a generally negative take on things. Concentrating on the practical the best thing.
• August 23 (active from August 22 to 24): Venus in Libra In-conjunct Neptune in Pisces and Semi-Sextile Jupiter in Scorpio.
  Here Venus becomes entangled with both Jupiter and Neptune, at the moment in harmonious aspect to each other, a chance to open our psyche to a more inclusive view of life and love, stepping out of our ego needs and desires to feel a more unconditional and non judgemental type of love. Ideal would be to enjoy close connection with nature especially near water where this configuration of aspect could help us to release tension, in body, mind, soul. Going with the flow.
• August 27 (active from August 26 to 28): Venus in Libra Square Pluto in Capricorn.
  With the previous angle to Saturn in Capricorn (exact August 10) this is the most difficult aspect for Venus this month. Also, potentially, the most fruitful. Pluto has often to do with the unveiling of hidden stuff. When Venus is involved with Pluto relationships go through a reality check when honesty the only way to restore trust and real intimacy. Negatively we may feel like we have done or said enough and all we want now is to cut hurtful ties. Dumping our own darkness onto others could be easy now, blaming them for our unhappiness. Let’s not forget that these are just passing moods unless some other significant transit points in the same direction for you.
• September 9 (active from September 8 to 10): as Venus hits the last degree of Libra she will be at 90 degrees angle to Mars on the last degree of Capricorn, an aspect that will repeat on October 11, due to Venus’ upcoming Retrogradation.
  Here the feminine and masculine find themselves at odd with each other. The desire to cooperate (Venus) is stuck against the desire to do one own thing irrespective of other people’s wishes. Are we going to yield a bit in order to include other people in our lives, or are we going to put ourselves first and resent all forms of compromise?

 A look at Venus beyond September 2018

In October Venus will slow her pace considerably, preparing for her cyclical Retro period, beginning on October 6, Scorpio 10°50′, and ending on November 16, Libra 25°14′. Due to this, Venus will re-enter and transit Libra again between November 1 and December 3 2018 (only Libra’s last five degrees).

Like all Retrogradation this event will serve the purpose of reviewing our attitude and re-living past experiences, not only of love and relationships, but also in the area of finance, affecting our feelings of comfort, pleasure, security, creativity. It could manifest as a rediscovering or rekindling of past relationships or unraveling old patterns in new relationships, when perhaps we will be given the chance to finish unfinished business or begin again with greater awareness and less unrealistic expectations.

From the time of the Scorpio Sun-Venus Inferior Conjunction, on October 27, this Retro period of Venus will mark the end of her evening appearances and the beginning of her Morning Star incarnation, the start of a whole new Venus-Sun’ 584 days long synodic cycle.

Venus in Pisces at birth

Steve Irwin was born with the Sun Venus and Chiron in the Sign of Pisces just past the Virgo Full Moon Phase. Click the photo to view his Natal Horoscope.

This placement of Venus is in general considered very positive, bringing out the best this planet can offer, fine emotions, empathy, compassion, aesthetic feelings, creativity, imagination. People born under this influence are great lovers of nature and creatures, born environmentalists.

There is also a negative side though. Pisces has often the effect of glamorizing situations and people, things appearing in their best finery or in their worst, never as they really are. Like when we try to look at something through a body of water. They can be easily deceived by appearances, misinterpreting situations in accordance with  fleeting and unreliable moods.

Venus in Pisces’ sensitivity is not the personal sort, as with Venus in Cancer or Scorpio, the two other Water Signs. Pisces’ sensitivity is diffuse and often un-focused, lending itself more easily to purely creative purposes, in art as well as humanitarian work. Music, dance, acting and all performing arts the best means to express their sensitivity and ability to interpret the gamut of human emotions.

Individuals born with this placement are somewhat susceptible to instant attractions. The allure of love and fear of loneliness proves sometimes irresistible but often also disappointing.

Many feel that if they could only find real love, they would then be completely fulfilled and happy. True love will rescue them and shelter them from a reality they find harsh and difficult. Idealizing love this way they often find themselves victimized by those they love because their whole attitude toward relationships is naive, undiscriminating, too impressionable and passive. They fail to keep necessary  boundaries between themselves and others, getting thus mixed up in all sorts of emotional entanglements.

Psychic impressions are strong and rather common for these Venus types, often compelling them to make certain choices or to take important decisions, without much logical thought or discrimination involved. So while their natural psychic sensitivity may often guide them well, a conscious habit of discrimination will help them to weed out wrong impressions from real insights.

 

Venus in Pisces: the Muse of Artists, Poets and Mystics

Shirley Maclaine, with her bewitching looks and mystical inclinations, was born under the wilful and artistic Sign of Taurus, with Mars also in Taurus, and the Moon in hard working perfectionist Virgo, plus late Virgo Ascendant. Her Venus though was in changeable, emotionally susceptible Pisces, clearly expressed by her free and colourful love life. Venus was also placed in the Sixth House that, like the sixth Sign Virgo, is an area of hard work, discipline and perfectionism. Click photo for Shirley’s Natal Horoscope

The transit of Venus in Pisces

The Water, Earth and Mutable Signs are the ones who will feel more keenly the passage of Venus through Pisces, from February 11 to March 7, 2018.

Venus is now donning her Evening Star mantle and will soon reappear in the west after sunset. This is the inward looking phase of the Venus’ cycle, when we are asked to integrate in our lives the wisdom-gift of the recent encounter between Sun and Venus (Superior Conjunction on January 9, 2018), toward greater emotional maturity in all our relationships.

Pisces in particular, of course, but also Cancer and Scorpio (via trine, 120 degrees angle), Virgo (via opposition, 180 degrees angle), Gemini and Sagittarius (via square, 90 degrees angle), Capricorn and Taurus (via sextile, 60 degrees angle).

You don’t need to be born under these Sun Signs; it is enough if your Moon, any planet or Chart’s Angle (Ascendant, Mid-Heaven, Lunar Node etc.) were located in these Signs when you were born. At some point during this transit Venus will align with them bringing the briny scent of far away seas into your life. This placement of Venus could be expressed by the mythological Melusine, a divine creature of the sea, sometimes identified as a siren or mermaid, a Fish-Maiden and changeling who could never completely abandon her watery home but had to return to it after brief periods on land. The Melusine possessed the power to attract mere mortals by enchanting them into a trance of love and strange longing, while also often dooming them to lose their grip on reality and symbolically drown, in order to be united with their Muse forever.

This placement must be the epitome of the romantic Venus, soulful, dreamy, starry eyed, artistic, musical, easily led by sensual and aesthetic  stirrings, sometimes confused about the objects of her love, because at these times the world seems full of fascinating and intriguing people. There may be a tendency to idolize someone, seeing only his/her best traits and becoming selectively blind to their shortcomings. The worse scenario would be to become the victim of unreliable and domineering individuals who could take advantage of your present emotional vulnerability.

If you are in a steady relationship, and wants to keep it that way, this transit could be an opportunity to rekindle a tender flame  between you too. A vacation together will be great, just the two of you; or even dining out in a place special to you as a couple; or simply creating a romantic and sensual atmosphere at home, all things that will help you to feel passionate again, remembering why you were so attracted to each other in the first place. Venus in Pisces could also incline you to be more forgiving and tolerant of each other’s differences, letting past sorrows wash away.

On the other hand if you have been hiding away from love, too fearful to open up and take some emotional risk, this is the time to throw some of your cautions to the wind. Even if relationships you may start under the auspices of this Mermaid Venus may not pass the test of time they will help you to get in touch with emotions you perhaps thought you could not feel anymore.

If you are single and looking for love it should be easy enough to fall in love, a bit too easy in fact. To use some discrimination will be a must if you want to avoid being completely swept away by strong emotions which may not last, or give your trust to people who do not deserve it. You may regret it later, when things will go back to normal. But who can resist the lure of this bewitching Venus? Only forcibly stopping your ears and your heart you could make yourself immune to her powerful allure, like Ulysses did when he had himself tied with ropes and his ears plugged with wax while navigating the sea where the Mermaids were singing their hypnotic songs.

Artistically and spiritually I can’t think of a better Venus’ placement, combining human compassion with divine grace and inspiration. Traditionally we say that Venus is exalted in Pisces, the love, beauty and pleasure she embodies becoming in this Sign more universal than in any other.

Highlights of the Venus in Pisces’ Transits for those who have Sun, Moon, Planets, Lunar Nodes or Chart’s Angles in the following Signs and degrees.

February 16: Pisces Venus is sextile Saturn in Capricorn (6th degree). These are great days to accomplish something, finding pleasure and satisfaction in being organized and efficient, finding practical, realistic channels for our creativity and vision, and also to conceive or form durable, committed relationships, based on mutual support and realistic expectations. It could also be auspicious to start saving money for a big project or to budget in view of an important purchase.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

February 17: the Pisces Crescent Moon is conjunct Venus (7th degree). Today we can best express our caring feelings for family and loved ones, putting others first and enjoying acts of giving and sharing. Our psyche could be particularly open and receptive.
This transit is active for a day or so.

February 22: Pisces Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces (13th degree). This must be the most important transit of Venus while in Pisces. Neptune is in fact equated to Venus’ higher octave, meaning the higher expression of the love/attraction principle embodied by Venus. While Venus talks of personal love and attraction, Neptune talks about universal love and spiritual communion. When they are together like now we have a chance to experience the more subtle and selfless aspect of love, recognizing within the ones we love our own spiritual essence, and thus gaining a glimpse of unconditional love, when merging with the other in spirit becomes possible, if for a short time. Our psychic channels are more fluid and open at this time so that paying closer attention to our dreams and day-dreams could prove very rewarding. If you are an artist you could experience a surge of inspiration.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

February 25: Pisces Venus is square Mars in Sagittarius (18th degree). Your love life could become highly charged during this transit, with both strong attractions and strong differences becoming more apparent in your relationship. You will be faced with performing a difficult balancing act, between being assertive about what you want and independent of other people’s influence, while maintaining a just and diplomatic attitude in order to build bridges with your loved ones; your own emotional needs versus those of others; your desire to share versus your more self-centered drive.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

February 27: Pisces Venus is sextile Pluto in Capricorn (20th degree). This is a passionate aspect, awakening depth of feelings that could be fascinating but sometimes a bit too intense, even scary. If you are prepared to face some truth in your love life this is an ideal time to do it, because Pluto will help you to be emotionally more resilient and prepared to accept greater honesty from others and yourself.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

March 1: Pisces Venus is in trine to Jupiter in Scorpio (23rd degree). This transit could enable you to see the bigger picture and the universal, philosophical  implications in your relationships. An encounter of higher minds could occur, showing you potentialities you were not aware of before. It is also a transit that could be used creatively to accomplish much in a short period of time, helping you to see things in a more optimistic light thanks to a boost of self-confidence.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

March 5: Pisces Venus is conjunct Chiron in Pisces (27th degree). Another important alignment: positively this is a strong healing energy, with love proving its power to heal the deepest wounds. Negatively this transit could make us feel inadequate and unlovable because of unresolved hurts from the past. This could then be an ideal time to look into these issues of past hurts, to understand the weight they have on our present relationships problems and how we may be able to tap into our inner wisdom to let them go for good. We could now offer them as sacrifices to the creative energies that guide our lives.
This transit is active for about three days (from yesterday to tomorrow included).

HERE is a link to an earlier post about people born with Venus in Pisces

Venus in Aquarius, cool, refined, friendly, free

Marlene Dietrich Venus in Aquarius

Venus will transit the Fixed Air Sign of Aquarius from January 18, 12.43 pm, to February 11, 10.19 am.

Aquarius is a friendly and fair placement for Venus, but not a particularly emotional one. Independence, detachment and dispassion are more a driving force here than personal feelings. Under this transit we are less likely to be carried away by powerful emotions, and more inclined to cultivate an impersonal perspective. Especially during the self-reflective phase of Venus Evening Star, which began on January 9, these traits of Venus in Aquarius could be a great asset if we need to make sense of something, in particular when we are trying to gain clarity on relationships issues; and also financial issues.

This placement has though also a negative side, because more often than not feelings cannot be neatly rationalized, understood or psychologised, belonging as they do to areas of experience beyond all logic and reason. Because of this tendency Venus in Aquarius people may be considered cold and unfeeling by more emotionally intense types.

One thing that Venus in Aquarius does not suffer from is insularity. Only the placement of Venus in Pisces, following Aquarius, is perhaps better at including the whole human community in one loving embrace, Aquarius takes second place.

During this transit the Air Signs (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) are more likely to receive the benefits of this ‘airy’ Venus. The other Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo and Scorpio) may benefit too, but possibly also encounter some difficulties in their relationships, centering on issues of independence versus dependency, freedom of ideas versus per-conceived notions of gender role or any such thing. This could be a great transit though for stimulating creativity, especially in writing, and to open our minds to new ideas and concepts that we may have thought too outlandish or too idealistic before. Aquarius introduces a certain quirkiness to our love life, a way of looking at relationship from a different angle. First and foremost independence and room to move are a must for this Venus’ placement. This is a Venus very loyal to social causes or ideals, but she wouldn’t stand to be caged in by too close or co-dependent relationships.

This is a great Venus’ transit for group activities, especially those that include learning something and sharing new and exciting ideas and knowledge, workshops, language classes, trips abroad, meeting with foreigners or people different from the usual group you frequent.

On February 4 Venus in Aquarius will form the most significant angle of the whole period, the Square (90 degrees) with Jupiter in the Fixed Water Sign of Scorpio. This transit could bring any relationship or financial issue to a climax of some kind, Jupiter tending to magnify everything and resolve issues by gaining a more philosophical perspective on them, personal problems seen in larger context. Negatively this transit could cause exaggeration, over-estimation, excessive confidence, over indulgence etc.

If Venus is in Aquarius in the Natal Chart

The traits described so far will fit the typical Aquarius Venus person, if there ever was such a one. Depending on other placements in the Natal Horoscope these traits will be more or less dominant. Often people born when Venus was transiting Aquarius have the Sun and/or Mercury in Capricorn, Pisces, or even Sagittarius or Aries. Combined with Capricorn this Venus will be more conservative and in need of emotional security and commitment. Combined with Pisces the Venus in Aquarius individual will have to contend between his/her need for a fluid expression of emotions and that for clarity and detachment. Venus in Aquarius combined with any of the Fire Signs will be more independent instead, not overly emotional but more passionate and expressive.

Aquarius Venus can be somewhat scared of intimacy and even try to avoid it, preferring the more impersonal, non judgmental, less binding atmosphere of friendship. A spouse, lover, child or parent of someone with a Venus in Aquarius will have to be first and foremost a friend, because love, respect and freedom go hand in hand with this Venus’ placement.

The ideal love partner should be open minded enough to accept the Venus in Aquarius person’s need for time on their own and for interacting with other people. And, of foremost importance for this Venus, is to feel that their unconventional ideas about life and love are not just tolerated, but accepted with a open heart.

Intellectual stimulation, comradeship and the sharing of similar cultural interests would be a more potent aphrodisiac than any romantic candle light dinner for this Venus.

 

 

Venus’ rendezvous with Sun and Pluto: a darker, deeper Evening Star

‘Pandora opening the box’ by Su Balckwell

A very big cosmic  event has just taken place and hardly anyone is talking about it!

On Tuesday, January 9 2018 Sister Venus reached her 18 monthly (584 days) rendezvous with the Sun (Superior Conjunction). This Venus Phase can be compared to the Full Phase of our Moon, with the all important difference that Venus is actually invisible during her Full Phase, because she is moving behind the Sun from Earth’s viewpoint.

Venus did disappear from the morning sky already a few weeks ago, becoming then too close to the Sun for observation. From January 9, still rising and setting with the Sun, Venus will be making her slow passage on the other side of the Sun from us, to emerge out of the sun glare again in early or late February (the date depending on your place of observation). By then she will be the Evening Star, setting after the Sun for approximately seven months, her waning phase, until the next alignment on October 26 this year (Inferior Conjunction), the beginning of her Morning Star apparition.

The ancient sky watchers (from Mesopotamia to the Americas) considered Venus Evening Star like a distinct planet from Venus Morning Star, with very different effects on life and events on planet Earth. These two manifestations of Venus were even given different names. Modern astrologers too regard the Evening Phase as a more serene and peaceful incarnation than the often discordant and antagonistic Morning Phase. The coming Waning Phase will be a time better suited to self reflection and a more mature handling of relationships’ issues.

Venus presides over our capacity to appreciate life, enjoy pleasures, connect with others non only through love, affection and desire, but also through compassion, emotional understanding and receptivity, helping us to find the balance between our personal needs and the needs of others; our individual tastes and often less than ideal surroundings and circumstances.

The fact that the alignment (conjunction) of Venus-Sun is happening at the same time as the alignment of both to Pluto makes a great difference to the whole cycle, deepening and even dramatizing the effect, especially if the degrees 17th to 20th of Capricorn or the other the Cardinal Signs (Cancer-Aries-Libra) are highlighted in your Birth Chart (the conjunction taking place between the 18th and 19th degree of Capricorn). These alignments will then have a stronger bearing on your life events and general mood for the next few months. Something, an important encounter or relationship or a life changing event could greatly help you to transform remarkably the way you view things, also encouraging you to deal more effectively with old resentments, traumas or any emotional difficulties you may have to face. Discarding from your life people and things which are not anymore relevant to your individual journey will mean becoming more self reliant, taking greater responsibility for your happiness and well being, breaking negative patterns that have locked you in painful situations until now. You will need however courage and belief in yourself in order to access the inner resources needed to do that. Just remember that they are more easily accessible to you at this time. If breaking up with negative past stuff is not your issue now, finding deeper connections with the people you love and share your life with could be the way this transit works for you.

There is also an exciting side to this very same transit. Your creativity could in fact receive an amazing boost from this alignment. Any project you have in the pipeline at the moment could find fulfillment in the near future if you know how to take advantage of the energetic renewal and tremendous resourcefulness that this transit can bring.

The Evening apparition of Venus is always a suitable time to handle relationships with greater wisdom and understanding of the hidden motivations of all parties involved. With Pluto added to the mix and the sobering effect of Earthy Capricorn all of us, and in particular individuals directly aligned to the transit, could learn more about the role of our own psychological shadow in the way we relate to others and also to our creativity and ability to enjoy life to the full.

Cheers Venus Evening Star!

 

June-July 2017 Astrology: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and the Cancer Solstice

The Cancer Solstice – June 21 2017 – Winter Solstice

Cancer Solstice 2017 – click to view larger image

Cancer Solstice 2017 Data – click to view larger image

This article was published in early June in The Uki Village News; the following is a slightly extended version.

Hi everyone, welcome to my take on the astrological period June-July 2017, gearing up to be full of surprises and new developments.

June: in early June Mercury, Venus and Mars shifted Signs around the same time. These are known as ‘Personal Planets’ because they tend to dominate our personal, day to day life for shorter spurts of time than the more distant planets, who take care instead of the big picture behind any given period.
Mars will transit Cancer from June 5 to July 20: a time that could prove emotionally challenging to the Cardinal Signs (Cancer-Capricorn-Aries-Libra). There is a real risk of falling into emotional extremes and give into irrational or aggressive behaviour: moderation and control of impulsiveness key words here. To put this transit to good use we could all employ the extra energy to tackle practical tasks and activities that need drive, initiative and courage.

On June 6 Venus entered Taurus and will transit this Sign until July 5. This is a positive shift for the Fixed Signs (Taurus-Scorpio-Leo-Aquarius), stimulating creativity, enjoyment of social activities, loving opportunities and financial ease.

Between June 7 and 21 Mercury will transit its own Sign of Gemini, a helpful development for the Mutable Signs (Gemini-Sagittarius-Virgo-Pisces), bringing greater ease in communication, learning, encouraging  travel and all activities that require mental flexibility and rapid responses.

Entering the Water Sign of Cancer on June 21 Mercury will align with Mars on June 29, greatly stimulating communication and travel, but also increasing restlessness and exacerbating the risks of confrontations and disagreements, especially for the Cardinal Signs (Cancer-Capricorn, Aries-Libra).

On June 15 the Sun will reach the yearly opposition to Saturn, the best time to observe the ringed planet in the night sky, rising as the Sun sets and climbing up throughout the night. Astrologically this is the time when we confront the results of the previous six months activities, checks and balances, successes and failures.

If you plan to celebrate the Winter Solstice (= ingress of the Sun in Cancer, its northernmost declination), this year it will fall on June 21, 2.24 pm, NSW standard time.

July: From July 5 to August 1 Venus will grace the Air Sign of Gemini, helping all of us to bond our creative talents to our ability to communicate the same to other people, an exciting influence especially for the Mutable Signs (Gemini-Sagittarius-Virgo-Pisces). This is a great stimulus for travel, friendship, parties, get-togethers, creative writing and the arts.  Mercury in Leo, between July 6 and 26, will also encourage creativity, playfulness and spontaneity, especially for the Fixed Signs (Leo-Aquarius-Taurus-Scorpio).

Mars will transit Leo from July 20 to September 5. Leo is a more compatible Sign for this fiery planet, not much oriented toward the past as Cancer, but rather projected toward the future and its brighter possibilities. This could be a positive, outgoing, creative energy especially for the Fixed Signs (Leo-Aquarius-Taurus-Scorpio).

Looking at the bigger picture now: on June 10 Jupiter will turn Stationary Direct in the middle of Libra, powering on toward its next destinations, its last difficult encounters with Pluto, on August 5 (close to a Lunar Eclipse on August 8) and Uranus, on September 28, to finally enter the Sign of Scorpio on October 10. All the developments that began earlier on in the year, but were considerably slowed down by Jupiter’s four months Retrogradation, will once more gain rapid momentum, inciting unexpected breakthroughs and radical changes, but also greater volatility and unpredictability in our personal and collective life.

Happy transits everyone

Venus on the eventful cusp Pisces/Aries, the end and the beginning, the old and the new

‘Mastering the art of waiting’

Note: a shorter version of this post was published in issue 93 of the Uki Village News, April/May 2017

Venus on the eventful cusp Pisces/Aries, the end and the beginning, the old and the new

Venus is spending a long time in Aries this year, from February 4 to June 6 (excluding most of April, when she re-entered Pisces in retro motion); three whole months, triple the time she usually spends in one Sign.

The long stay of Venus in the fieriest of the Fire Signs can be either exciting or troublesome, depending how we handle it and our personal circumstances. It can be a real struggle for Venus to play the role of the Love/Harmony Planet in the combative, competitive Sign of Mars. We risk losing sight of the softer, loving side of Venus. The inner journey of retrogradation (March 3 to April 16) and the brief return into Pisces (April 2 to 29) should have created greater awareness of this risk.

Let’s consider the timeline/ highlights of this transit and others, from February to early June:

• In February Venus was in Aries with Mars, ideal time to initiate new things, to be bolder and more independent in all areas, particularly in personal relationships. The prominence of this Fire Sign provided us with the vision and courage to pursue new goals with energy and embrace changes with confidence. Wanting our own way we might have ignored or disregarded other people feelings, in an attitude of confrontation rather than cooperation. We may have succeeded to eliminate stuff/people/circumstances from our lives that seemed to impede our progress, but our feeling of success may have proven premature.
• Within the first ten days of March Venus turned retrograde (March 3 to April 15), while Mars entered Taurus (March 10 to April 21), this Earth Sign tending to slow down rather than stir up Mars’ fiery energy. These events ushered a period when our recent initiatives/actions and assertive/self-centred Aries moods have been put to the test. The retrogradation suggests in fact a time for returning over issues we have already explored in the recent past, a frustrating thing if you remain determined to push ahead with earlier plans and decisions, without making any changes.
• On March 25 Venus aligned with the Sun thus turning from Evening to Morning Star for the rest of the year, the bolder and more forceful aspect of Venus; this aspect becoming more active however only at the end of April.
• Between April 2 and 29 Venus return to Pisces, compounding the softening effect of retrogradation with the passive tendencies of Pisces. This suggests the need for a more pliable, compassionate and sensitive approach, even in the midst of changes and even while trying to be more honest and assertive in the way we relate to others. A challenging transit Venus-Saturn, also active throughout April, will accentuate the need for a more practical outlook on our relationships, general values and the way we go about satisfying our desires. This is a sobering, limiting transit.
• To add more spice to this complex picture Mercury became Stationary Retrograde, on the 4th degree of Taurus, on April 10. Our Little Brother re-enters Aries on April 21 (same day Mars enters Gemini), and will turn Stationary Direct on May 4, on the 24th of Aries. Mercury will re-enter Taurus for good only on May 16.
  So we will not be out of the wood with the slowing and often confusing, if not downright bewildering effect of retrogradation, particularly tangible when the Inner Planets move backward (Mercury and Venus). The retrogradation of Mercury’s effects can range from missed appointments, delayed phone calls or travel arrangements, wrongly deleted emails etc., to more serious misunderstandings in the areas of communication and learning, but hopefully also with a more penetrating insight into the same matters.
• The landscape will change again in late April and throughout May. On April 21 Mars enters Gemini, a mentally/physically active Sign, while, by April 29 (until June 6) Venus will be again in Aries and moving in direct motion. This change will return to us the level of energy and drive we experienced earlier this year and hopefully the wisdom a Retro Venus can bring in the areas of experience indicated by her relative position in our Birth Charts. On May 20 an opposition Venus-Jupiter could bring opportunities for romance, travel, special celebrations, enthusiasm and creativity. A challenging angle Venus-Pluto, on May 26, could be intense, even dramatic. A conjunction Venus-Uranus in Aries, on June 3, just before Venus’ change of Sign, could prove very exciting, but also highly unpredictable: a joy ride of emotions which may involve taking unusual risk A Mars opposition Saturn, active around the same time, could make it harder to obtain our heart desires as speedily as we wish.

All the best with all these Transits; cheers

Mercury and Venus in Leo, July 2016: a ‘Warm Fuzzy” to everyone

‘Go away Black Bird’ by Kathleen Lolley

Mercury and Venus are now transiting Leo. Venus entered this Fire Sign on July 12 and Mercury will enter Leo a bit later today, July 14. Mercury will transit Leo until the end of July and Venus until August 6. The two will actually become perfectly aligned on July 17, both rising before the Sun, both Morning Stars together, yet too close to the Sun to be visible.

The Sun is also due to enter Leo in a few days time (July 23) and transit there until August 23. Hopefully this Leo crowd could help us to feel more warm, optimistic, creative, spontaneous and generous in the coming days; also less emotional and caught up in domestic worries and emotional turmoil (recent transits through Cancer).

Mercury and Venus have a lot in common, more in fact that we usually imagine: Venus being usually defined as the Goddess of Love and Pleasure, while Mercury is said to rule the Intellect and Reason, two apparently very distinct areas of experience.

These two are the Inner Planets, the only celestial bodies moving within the Earth’s orbit. We could say that they are ‘up close and personal’ to all of us, very much affecting our character and destiny throughout life, depending on their position, their mutual relationship and the way they relate to all the other planets in the Birth Chart.

One way to better perceive the similarities between Mercury and Venus is to visualize them as respectively the God of communication and all forms of exchange (Mercury) and the Goddess presiding over all forms of relationship and attraction. This way we could notice less the conflict between reason (Mercury) and feeling (Venus), realizing more their profound secret connection in our lives.

When Mercury and Venus transit the same Sign we are offered a great opportunity to harmonize reason and feeling, the way we communicate our ideas and the way we share our feelings with others, sensual and/or aesthetic love with intellectual affinities etc.

Leo is a Sign of great vitality and power, these qualities reflecting on these two planet during the remaining of July and early August.

This month love and talking, if not big, spontaneous or dramatic, may not feel worth the effort! We can all shine a bit brighter during this double passage through Leo, tapping into the inexhaustible fire energy of the Sun, source of  joy and creativity (the Sun being the ‘ruler’ of Leo and soon in this Sign too).

Leo is the Sign of childhood, naturally exuberant and self-centered. Mercury and Venus in this Sign can show us how to enjoy every moment of our lives, the way children can, because they are completely absorbed in what they do. This could be an ideal time then to get in touch with the child within, to enjoy fun and games and all activities performed for the joy of it, rather than any utilitarian or practical reason. Like children we could look upon our creations, affections, conversations as an expression of spirit.

Venus in Gemini, May 24 to June 18

Thalia
Muse of Comedy and Idyllic Poetry

***

On May 24, Venus has entered Gemini, the realm of Mercury, the androgynous God. The Sun, Moon and Planets, when transiting through Gemini, take on the colour of Mercury, his shifty and fascinating personality. Venus is no exception.

The Twins, one divine the other mortal, provide the ideal image for this Sign’ dual nature.

What a difference from the Sign Venus just left,  sensual, intense, fixed and earthy Taurus! Gemini is made of Air and is not ‘fixed’ in any way. It is what astrologers call a Mutable Sign, changeable and inconstant, full of fun and sometimes mischief, often erratic and unreliable.

We now enter a period during which the Goddess of Love and Pleasure is better celebrated in words, poetry, intelligent and eclectic conversations, art works, symbols. The realm of Mercury is rather abstract and Venus here cannot be entirely fulfilled by the satisfaction of sensual desires and a sense of physical well-being. Ideas and forms are one to Venus in Gemini: a beautiful form devoid of intelligence can attract this Venus for a little while, but she will move on to new attractions if her intellect is not sufficiently stimulated.

May this light and breezy Venus help us to be more genuinely friendly with each other and tolerant of differences, if not fascinated by them. A busier and more varied social life is in store for us; but also a period when we could all learn to become more detached and dispassionate.

The function of Venus according to Astrology

Venus symbolizes the function within the psyche that encourages us to relate to one another. She is often described as the Goddess of Love, but this is somewhat a reductive term for this planet’s complex function. When we equate Venus with love, we should specify that the love we are talking about is not limited to the emotions we feel toward other human beings, but it extends to the whole spectrum of human experiences.

This means that, through the birth position of Venus, we can assess not only the individual’s relating needs and capacity for giving and receiving love, but also, in a more general sense, the sort of activities and environments the individual love to be in, the value he/she places on things as well as principles, his/her aesthetic sensitivity, and the possible artistic expression of the same.

People born while Venus was transiting Gemini

People born with this placement are friendly, flirtatious, but not overly sexual and very rarely sexist, usually popular because of their ability to show interest in all sort of subjects and their readiness to make new friends. Sisterly and brotherly feelings are strong with these types, and can extend to embrace many people. They may not be the best equipped to understand the difference between friendship and love, commitment and freedom. If other planetary placements bring them to make early commitments, like marriage, career or financial commitments, they may regret those later on, because, especially when still young, they need to experience a variety of relationships and occupations. Too regular and predictable routines and relationships soon become boring and the desire to move on can then prove irresistible.

More steady types may think Venus in Gemini people to be too unreliable and emotionally immature to make real commitments. This is not necessarily the case. However freedom and independence will be indispensable ingredients for a fulfilling and lasting relationship, while jealousy and possessiveness could prove very detrimental.

Because Venus can never be further away from the Sun Sign than 48 degrees (in a geo-centric system of astrology) often this Venus’ placement occurs to people born with the Sun in Taurus or Cancer, both these Signs valuing security and loyalty very highly. In these cases Venus in Gemini will help them to allow more freedom to themselves and their partners, without of necessity disrupting the sense of security these Signs seek in relationships. When the Sun Sign happens to be Aries, Gemini or Leo instead the more independent side of Venus in Gemini will manifest, and relationships will have to allow an even wider scope for social activities and/or intellectual interests.

The activities they love (Venus) are those that allow freedom of expression and mobility. Anything too static or predictable could prove very trying for these eclectic types. There is usually a love of information or culture, a passion for books and interest in writing or studying, with a well developed capacity for abstract ideas and concepts. Travel is often a great magnet for these types too, offering the variety of experience and aesthetic stimulation they crave.

Artistically they are attracted to works that embody abstract concepts and symbols. They are often very talented designers, because Gemini rules the hands and fingers, giving them special mobility and dexterity. Also the geometry of space can be very important for this Sign who has a well developed sense of the harmony and symbolical significance of lines and shapes.

Often the Venus in Gemini person will become better able to settle down when their Venus progresses into Cancer, the home maker of the Zodiac. The timing of this progression depends on the natal degree of Venus. This Planet moves an average of one degree per year (by Secondary Progression), therefore she will enter Cancer within the first thirty years of life, unless she is destined to turn retrograde before that, remaining in Gemini for life or even going back into Taurus (for an explanation of Progressions please navigate to an article I posted earlier) .

Relating with a Venus in Gemini individual?

If you are romantically interested in a person with Venus in Gemini don’t try to cage her/him in; it would put them off immediately. Rather find out about their interests and share yours with them. Conversing and exchanging ideas are very sexy activities for a Venus in Gemini person.

You have also to be tolerant of the Venus in Gemini person’s numerous friends and acquaintances who sometimes could make the relationship feel a bit crowded. If you are naturally an exclusive and possessive type you better avoid the Venus in Gemini person who could give you endless causes for concern. Their flirting and amicable manner attract a lot of people, but this doesn’t mean that they will be disloyal. It is simply in their nature to be independent and to value their friendships and activities with friends as much as they value their more intimate relationships.

When feeling like trapped in too demanding and restrictive relationships Gemini Venus people can become fidgety and elusive, even resorting to lying and subterfuge to regain a modicum of independence. Especially when still young Venus in Gemini people don’t find it very hard to move onto greener pastures when feeling cornered. Like any other astrological signature Venus in Gemini shows its less agreeable side when somehow thwarted in its more spontaneous forms of expression.

June 6 2016: Venus-Sun’s Superior Conjunction

(read the definition of Superior Conjunction HERE)

On June 6 Venus will align with the Sun, invisible from Earth because moving on the other side of the Sun from us. The Superior conjunction is really an opposition Venus-Earth in a heliocentric view. This alignment will begin the Evening Star phase of Venus, lasting for about 585 days. Venus will remain invisible though, too close to the Sun’s glare, for a couple of months after the conjunction, making her first appearance after sunset only in mid-July on evening twilight. After that Venus’ best evening appearances will be between October 2016 and February 2017.

This phase is said to enhance Venus’ more intuitive and self-reflective qualities, helping us to gain greater awareness of the less conscious factors in our relationship. This is a cautious type of Venusian energy, not one likely to risk too much in love, or be blinded by appearances and wishful thinking. New as well as old relationships will be put to the test of this highly discriminating and profound Venus.

The Evening phase of a planet is comparable to a Full Moon, with the subsequent Waning period, a time for realization and illumination, also for sharing our experiences with others and begin a cycle of self-analysis and introspection.

Taking personal responsibility for one’s joy or lack of joy in life can be a gift of the Evening Venus, allowing for more honesty and understanding in relationships, but perhaps for less glamour and superficial romance too.

 

 

 

Venus in Aries in the Birth Chart and in Transit

great! Don’t know the artist. The Punk Mona Lisa? 

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Understanding the inherent nature of Venus in Aries, when found in this Fire Sign in the Birth Chart, can help us to unravel the individual’s temperament and likely experiences in the areas of personal relationships, social interaction, aesthetic and other values, creativity, Eros etc.

This essential nature of Venus in Aries will also reflect on the life and experiences of many individuals if Venus happens to transit any sensitive point of their Birth Charts (even when Venus was in a different Sign when they were born).

The ‘Phase’ Venus is in, Morning Star at present, has also a bearing on the possible effect of  her Transits.

Venus in Aries between April 6 and 30

On April 6 Venus emerged from the ocean of Pisces, a vast realm of magic and mystery, to enter the fiery home of Mars, a place for initiative and challenges, where the feminine principle embodied by Venus is clad in armor and ready for a fight. Here we experience the feisty aspect of Venus, the more independent, masculine Goddess, for whom love is conquest and adventure, or otherwise boring and expendable.

Brave, bright and cheeky Venus in Aries is here to cheer us up, inspiring confidence and optimism. Especially susceptible to her infectious enthusiasm are the Fire Sign, of course: Aries itself, by conjunction, Leo and Sagittarius, by trine, the other Cardinal Signs, Cancer and Capricorn, by square, and Libra, by opposition, and also Gemini and Aquarius, by sextile aspect. If your Sun is not in any of these Signs, also the Moon, a planet, a Lunar Node or one of the four Angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Mid-Heaven and Lower-Heaven) will suffice to feel this Venus’ effect.

One aspect that is not often emphasized when talking about this placement of Venus is her highly idealistic nature, passionate and aspiring, therefore also easily disappointed by the realities of love, commitment and the humdrum of everyday relationships. Love inspired by higher visions of freedom, equality and justice, unrealistic perhaps but worth fighting for.

We should also remember that Venus is in her Morning Star phase, rising before the Sun, a time, in her 584 synodical cycle with planet Earth, when she manifests her more outgoing and adventurous side. This phase (that will last until June 6 when Venus will return to the evening sky), in combination with the Sign Aries, promises more honest, direct and independent relationships in the making, and the strong desire for being self-sufficient, producing sometimes an allergic reaction toward co-dependent and close knit relationships.

Living the positive side of this transit could mean a boost of loving and creative energy for the Fire and Cardinal Signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), with more opportunities for socializing, dating, perhaps beginning new relationships on the spur of the moment. Instant attraction can come easy when Venus transits Aries, because we respond readily to external stimuli, we are less inhibited and more open to new possibilities, daring to take some emotional risks in order to reach out.  Sudden attractions are more possible and the desire to try new things is strong. This is not however the best Venus’ Sign for serious commitments because tomorrow we may find ourselves indifferent to what seemed very attractive today. The need for novelty and change is strong with Venus in Aries, always ready to move on.

A sense of adventure could lead us into relationships that may prove not so suitable after the first enthusiasm and novelty wear off. Hasty commitments are better avoided at this time, or soon we may find ourselves looking elsewhere to meet our emotional needs.

For well established relationships the transits of Venus in Aries could mean an increase in discussions and arguments, headstrong attitudes stopping us from hearing what the other person is saying. Forcing our opinions on each other could only make matters worse at this time, because Venus in Aries doesn’t leave much room for compromise.

Apart from relating Venus has also a lot to do with creativity and aesthetic feelings, as well as with our value system and material finances. Because Aries is a Sign of action Venus here may prompt many to act out their creative ideas and imagery, making things, or starting something that we didn’t have the initiative and confidence to tackle before. Like with all the Fire Signs the need for self-expression is very strong in Aries.

On the financial front there may be a tendency to spend freely or on things that take our fancy in the moment. In business and work Venus in Aries can provide the impulse to initiate new ventures, especially those that will promote a greater degree of independence. Risk taking is fun for Venus in Aries who is always on the lookout for some form of excitement. While the transit is active you may find yourself also more inclined to inspire others to become more independent and self reliant,  by example and also by a not too gentle push, driven by the desire to show them the myriad possibilities available to get out of stale situations. There is nothing stale about Venus in Aries! If you are so inclined you could use this energy to become more militant and outspoken about issues that are close to your heart.

The major transits formed by Venus in Aries this month

Between April 20 and 23 Venus will, first, square Pluto in Capricorn and then conjunct Uranus in Aries.

These could be the days of maximum excitement and potential extremes. They could be also very creative and innovative times, when we finally succeed to get rid of the old and embrace the new, with renewed confidence and independence. We could discover or re-discover our true values, perhaps not the same as those we have been conditioned to think should be our values.

During this transit of Venus it is important to mark the difference between positive assertion and the tendency to seek conflict by stressing differences rather than smooth them, the natural role of a less Martial Venus.

The effect of Venus Morning Star in Aries would of course be modified in many ways by the other planetary Transits active during this month, especially Mars in Sagittarius, soon to become retrograde (April 17); Mercury in Taurus, retrograding on April 29; Jupiter in Virgo; Saturn in Sagittarius, etc..

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Highlight on dreams, intuition, creativity, with ‘a get real’ twist: Mercury, Venus and the Solar Eclipse in Pisces, Mars in Sagittarius, and Jupiter in Virgo to the fore at Sun opposition

Big changes are happening on the cosmic canvas this week. In the space of a few days three of our closer neighbors are changing Signs, while a Total Solar Eclipse is looming, heralding the first Eclipse Season of 2016.

Mercury entered Pisces on March 5; Mars Sagittarius on March 6; then, on March 8/9 (depending where you are in the world) the Pisces New Moon will be a Total Solar Eclipse. On the same day mighty Retro Jupiter in Virgo will reach his yearly opposition to the Sun (while Sun, Moon and Jupiter  will be at right angle to Saturn in Sagittarius); and finally, on March 12, Venus will enter Pisces also.

The week before a New Moon is always an important time, when we feel a change is in the air, but it is still just floating within us, not yet affecting our external circumstances, until the seed of that change will be released at the New Moon and begin manifesting outwardly. This is even more so if the New Moon is also a Solar Eclipse. This special phase, combined with the highlight on idealistic/dreamy Pisces and philosophical/inspirational Sagittarius, could indeed make us feel slightly unhinged for the time being, perhaps unable to perform our daily tasks as efficiently as we wish.

When Pisces is highlighted by many transits, as it is at present, we are all given a chance to explore the psychic openness and mental fluidity of this watery Sign. Pisces can encourage us to go with the flow of things, to surrender to what cannot be changed and to find spiritual and uplifting meaning in all our experiences.

If you are the type of person who values dreams and the symbolical life, if you are an artist or would-be artist, or are already conscious of psychic or mystical tendencies, these transits will suit you well, helping you to pursue these interests in a deeper way. They could also make you even more dreamy and unpractical though (no good if you are trying to get a job or to put your house in order!).

On the other hand, if you are mainly a practical person, busy with your family and career, goal oriented and used to get your own way,  you could find this great number of Pisces’ transits a somewhat bewildering experience, bringing you out of your comfort zone, in strange and foggy back alleys, where you feel you could become irreparably lost. Your efficiency level may drop and things which are usually simple for you will seem rather complicated and muddled. If this is the case, the best thing to do will be to slow down, learning to relax and to purposely lose control of your situation, now and then, so to realize that things can run their own curse even without your constant intervention. A more spiritual, less straight and controlled life is beckoning, it would be sad if you miss that call. The dissatisfaction about your present circumstances,  the lack of direction and low energy are all telling you that there is more to life than chores, business or paying the bills.

Said that, the present Pisces transits, enlivened by the transit of Mars in the questing Sign of Sagittarius, are only half the picture because, at the same time, Jupiter, in practical Virgo, is reaching great prominence via his opposition to the Sun/Moon at the Solar Eclipse, while Sun, Moon and Jupiter are all at right angle to pragmatic Saturn, and all in positive aspect to Pluto (Jupiter trine Pluto – Eclipse sextile Pluto). These are all signs that pursuing our dreams and ideals is not going to be enough to make us feel good. We will have to try to squeeze our ideals into the straight jacket of reality in order to take better advantage of these transits. And not just for now. While a regular New Moon exerts its influence for one lunar month (until the next New Moon) a New Moon which is also a Solar Eclipse can exert its influence for many months, some would say until the next Eclipse Season (this year August/September).

The picture that seems to come out of all of this is that dreams and ideals need to be acknowledged now more than ever, without however losing sight of what is possible and what may be impossible to realize, at least for now. Jupiter is retrograding in Virgo (until May 9), meaning that we will need to revisit our ways of working, our daily habits and routines in order to achieve the results we envision, if not immediately in the near future. Next May/June the same transits of Jupiter will repeat with the planet in direct motion, a promise of fulfillment and reward for the efforts we may put in now. At least that’s my plan! On this positive note, see you next time…