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 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

Planetary crowd in Pisces, March 2016

Venus is now in the Water Sign of Pisces, like the Sun, Mercury, Neptune, the Descending Moon Node and the recent New Moon/Solar Eclipse, that began the lunar cycle we are now in. All these planetary entities in Pisces are highlighting the qualities of compassion, creativity, imagination, tolerance, sensitivity, spirituality. Or, negatively, could lead to dissipation of precious energy, confusion, inefficiency, illusions, delusions, ambivalence…

Jupiter leads the way in the opposite Earth Sign of Virgo, showing the wisdom of remaining humble and somehow anchored to what is of value in our everyday life and routine. This could be time for some real magic while doing simple chores or focusing on the little things, the magic of everyday life, a crooked flower pot on the window seal, a ray of sunshine on a rusty roof, a ‘thank you’ smile.

Venus will leave Pisces on April 6; the Sun and Mercury between March 20 and 22;  the South Node (moving in retro motion, toward Aquarius rather than Aries) will not leave Pisces until May 2017; last, slow moving Neptune will enter Aries only in 2025.

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…

The war of the mirrors: Venus opposition Mars at the Quarter Moon

The First Quarter Moon in Taurus occurs always while the Sun is in Aquarius, a critical time in the yearly Sun-Moon’s cycle, when emotional attachments and need for good old fashion security (Taurus Moon) seem to be at odds with the drive for a more independent life outside intimate and familiar relationships (Aquarius Sun). To make this conflict more obvious this year an opposition Venus-Mars falls very close to this phase. On February 1 or 2 (depending where you happen to be in the world) Venus in Pisces approaches the opposition to Mars in direct motion while Mars also applies to the same aspect in retro motion. This is a more significant coming together than a regular aspect when the swifter planet only forms the required angle. In this case they both do.

This is a typical attraction/repulsion transit: we want to relate, we may even feel that it is very important at this time to relate well, exchanging ideas and feelings, but there may be too much projection, too many mirrors, held by everyone, blinding us to the fact that what we see in others (antagonists, lovers, friends) is an exaggerated reflection of our own complexes, those emotional responses that we are not in the habit of questioning.

There is also a third party here; it is Mercury in semi-square (45 degrees apart from) Venus and in sesqui-square (135 degrees apart from) Mars. This complicates the opposition adding mental inflexibility, with the inability to really listen to what the other is saying, because one is too sure to be ideologically right. Venus in Pisces is favouring a feeling based approach, while Mars in Virgo a more analytical and realistic approach. In the way they view relationships Pisces and Virgo are two worlds apart. Pisces is driven by the desire to merge with the other person, sensually and emotionally, at the cost of losing one’s sense of personal identity. Virgo is instead seeking more an union of minds and practical support in relationships.

This transit will affect all of us in some way, its effect lasting a few days. The individuals more directly aligned to it are Virgo born September 14 to 16, Pisces born March 12 to 14, Gemini born June 12 to 14, and Sagittarius born December 13 to 15. To a lesser degree also Cancer born July 14 to 16, Scorpio born November 14 to 16, Taurus born May 12 to 14, and Capricorn born January 12 to 14. Or anyone with the Moon, any planet, one of the four Angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Mid-Heaven, Lower-Heaven) or the Lunar Nodes around the 21st, 22nd, 23rd degrees of the same Signs.

For all this transit is an opportunity to become more aware of psychological projections. Due to the fact that Mars is moving  backward, this aspect will also bring up old relationship issues, stuff we perhaps thought we dealt with and solved in the past, and that are now instead re-emerging.

So if you find yourself shouting at someone close, during these few days, you may want to look perhaps into the reasons you are both getting so emotional about certain issues. What i it that is making those issues so sensitive? If we were really suddenly aware of the enormity of the projections enacted on both side in our close relationships we would probably be horrified. Ignorance is bliss, as far as projections are concerned. Trouble starts as soon as we become aware, even only partially, of what the other person is allegedly trying to blame us for, to saddle us with. Healing however begins to take place only when we start realizing about our own unconscious projections onto others. It is a war of mirrors.

The aftermath of the Aquarius New Moon 2012

Prosperity and luck are the gifts the Dragon brings to the New Year. Let's hope it is so, this world needing all the luck it can get. The Water Dragon is a less fiery fellow than his siblings. Cautious and diplomatic this Dragon achieves success via patience and perseverance, without compromising his ambition and natural leading abilities.

Rain, serious rain has come to our and surrounding regions, in New South Wales and Queensland. The system is now developing into a possibly major flood event. This is a pattern I have seen here many years ago, when the tail of the tropical monsoon announces the end of summer proper for us in the sub-tropics.

Rivers and creeks are overflowing their banks. All vegetation is intensely green, shiny with water, drooping toward the soggy ground. The slopy path where the doggies and I walk has been transformed overnight into a liquid staircase; rocks, pebbles and dirt rearranged in dramatic ways.

No wonder. All started with the Water Bearer New Moon, on the 23rd, gate to the lunar year of the Water Dragon, while Venus and Chiron are swimming in the ocean of Pisces, and Neptune is on the threshold of the same watery realm, his contact with Saturn (trine) making the oceanic effect more palpable.

The Sun and Moon are together at the New Moon and so also share the same planetary aspects. The most important amongst these is the Tsquare with Jupiter and Saturn, themselves in an out of Signs opposition. I discussed the T-square Sun-Jupiter-Saturn at length in an earlier post HERE. So the New Moon gives her blessing to the Sun ingress into Aquarius, providing a vessel for the manifestation of the T-square also. With the next New Moon in early Pisces the Aquarius period will correspond precisely to a lunar month, the opposition Jupiter-Saturn and the ingress of Neptune in Pisces (on February 4) the most important events. The sea saw effect of the Jupiter-Saturn’s opposition unfolding while Mars begins to move retrograde shows the need for reconsidering all sorts of issues this month and get back to real basic. For us it could mean cooking on an outdoor fire and working hard to keep things for becoming moldy. It is that sort of rain, frog weather.

I reproduce here something I wrote for the February/March edition of the Uki News, concerning the Retrogradation of Mars that started his Retro Station on the 24th degree of Virgo just around the Aquarius New Moon, so connected with it.

“Of immediate interest to everyone is the Retrogradation of Mars in Virgo (January23-April15), a ‘get back to basic’ transit, lasting until early July. Virgo is a thrifty, crafty and responsible character, helping to ground the fiery Martial energy by directing it into practical tasks and routines.

Mars retracing his step in Virgo could be busy taking care of the little things, all the crummy and cluttered corners of one’s life; or doing some adding and subtracting, accounting, budgeting, so important for the smooth running of every household or business. Few key words: de-cluttering; spring/autumn cleaning; various chores, the more humble the better; detoxifying; dieting; exercising; having  health check; learning the language of your body in order to heal; trying vegetarian, vegan, it’s your pick. Spiritually Virgo is the Sign of purity and selfless service, also of ritual Earth Magic.”

This Moon phase will be particularly significant for Aquarius, born January 22 to 24 (by conjunction); Leo, born July 23 to 25 (by opposition); Taurus, born April 21 to 23 and Scorpio, October 24 to 26 (by square); Gemini, May 22 to 24 and Libra, born September 24 to 26 (by trine).

Other Transits I notice at this time are Uranus conjunct Ceres in Aries (comments welcome on this one. I am looking up major mundane events under the same conjunction). The Sun and Moon in sextile to Uranus and Ceres. Then Mercury in Capricorn trine Stationary Mars in Virgo.

Due to the flood I am unable to get to my office, my main power supply. Our solar batteries power is very low and so I can’t waffle on as usual. Here though is a Chart of the recent Aquarius New Moon calculated for our local coordinates. See any flood in it? Keep me posted if you have any idea you want to share about the weather or other topics. Always happy to hear from you.

click to view larger image

Venus of mercy and grace, transiting Pisces from January 14 to February 8

The Water, Earth and Mutable Signs are the ones who will feel more keenly the passage of Venus through Pisces. Pisces in particular, of course, but also Cancer and Scorpio (via trine), Virgo (via opposition), Gemini and Sagittarius (via square), Capricorn and Taurus (via sextile). You don’t need to be born under these Sun Signs; it is enough if your Moon, any planet or Chart’s Angle (Ascendant 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 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 companions’ 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.

As I remarked in a previous post, for the brief spell of three weeks, Venus in Pisces is also announcing the imminent passage of Neptune in the same Sign (on February 4), transit that will last instead for the next 14 years. While with Venus in Pisces we become more aware of  the need for forgiveness, compassion and unconditional love in our personal relationships, the long transit of Neptune in Pisces will make us more aware of the same need at a collective and universal level.

Here is a list of the major transits of Venus while in Pisces. Usually Venus’ transits last an average of two to three days, unless it is the Moon forming a transit to Venus, all lunar aspects lasting only a few hours.

January 16: Venus is conjunct Chiron on the second degree of Pisces. 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 or unresolvable hurts from the past.

January 21: Venus is sextile Pluto in Capricorn (06 degree). This is a passionate aspect, awakening depth of feelings that could be fascinating but a bit scary.

January 27: the Crescent Moon conjunct Venus, a visible transit, not to be missed in the early evening sky, looking west. Today we can best express our caring feelings for family and loved ones, putting others first and enjoying acts of giving.

January 29 to 31: Venus moving from a semi-square to Jupiter in Taurus to a semi-square to Mercury in Aquarius (the two forming a mutual square); the Moon transiting Taurus on the 31st making these aspects more active. Some difficulties, misunderstanding, stubbornness stopping the easy flow of feeling that is the most precious gift of this watery Venus. Around the same time though Venus will also be passing by Vesta, Goddess of the temple’s fire, helping us to keep what is essential in focus.

February 2: Venus is in opposition to Retrograde Mars in Virgo. This aspect could excite our senses, making us more sensitive to all forms of desire. This is the archetypal feminine versus masculine aspect, with all its positive and negative implications. It is also a transit that could be used creatively or practically to accomplish much in a short period of time.

 

 

Libra Last Quarter Moon, January 16 to 20, 2012

After sharing or broadcasting our Cancer Full Moon experiences during the Virgo Disseminating phase (January 13 to 16), we should be now engaging earnestly in some serious inner dialogue during this yearly Libra Last Quarter. The way this dialogue will develop will depend on how much at peace or at war we are with ourselves at present. It could turn out to be an inner, painful struggle with some very personal demons, and/or an opportunity to gain precious insights on what has made this Moon cycle thick (since the Capricorn New Moon on December 25).

What we have ultimately learnt from it? And how can we integrate this ‘lesson’ with our overall life?

A Libra self-reflective phase got to be about relationships, focusing on the ideals we may cherish about them versus their flesh and blood reality.

The Quarter Moon (First or Last) is always a symbol of contrast, the light and the dark faces of the Moon showing us some dual aspects of reality. When this phase occurs in Libra two sides of our relationships becomes more apparent. The aim of Libra is to bring harmony between our life and the lives of other people, to find a common ground that will allow for a peaceful and well balanced existence, when both our individual needs and those of the ‘others’ in our life are met. Too often the ideals and dreams we cultivate about relationships are a far cry from their reality. How to bring harmony in this disharmony? How to reconcile ideal and real?

During the Last Quarter we tend to look within for causes and remedies. So it is within your heart that you will find the answer to this quandary. How much do we abide ourselves to the standards of relating we have set up for other people? Are we always aware of how much of our own psychic baggage we put on others?

Let’s give a look at the transits active a the start of this Libra Last Quarter, to observe what other planetary energies are contributing to this particular phase. The Moon is active in transit,  but so are the Sun, Venus, Saturn and Chiron.

Here is the Horoscope for the exact phase, calculated for the coordinates of Wollumbin, Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia. The relative positions of the Sun, Moon and Planets to each other and in the Signs will be the same all over the world; while their orientation to the local horizon changes for each locality (Ascendant, Mid-Heaven etc.).

click to view larger image

The Moon is involved in a complex configuration of transits, approaching first a conjunction to Saturn in Libra, then a trine to Neptune in Aquarius, an opposition to Jupiter in Taurus, and finally a trine to Venus and Chiron in Pisces.

The Moon-Saturn conjunction, the first aspect to become exact, gives a serious tone to the whole phase, making us feel more personally responsible for the discordance we may be experiencing in our close relationships, also more able to look realistically at what is going on. Both Saturn and Neptune are on the last degree of the Air Sign of Libra and Aquarius forming a mutual trine that will very close for a while but fail to become exact because of Neptune’s ingress into Pisces on February 4, and Saturn’s retrogradation through Libra, beginning on February 7. The Moon here is forming a link between these two planets, bringing their energies together in occasion of her Last Quarter. Neptune here can help us to get in touch with the more subtle, spiritual aspect of our experiences. So, while we can be practical and focused under the auspices of Saturn, we can also be aware of the mystery and the sense of fate underlying this period, with particular regard to relationships. Neptune highlights the need for compassion and forgiveness, as also do the Moon-Venus trine and the Venus-Chiron conjunction in the Neptunian Sign of Pisces.

As the Moon enters Scorpio, early on January 17, she opposes Jupiter in Taurus. Jupiter resumed his Direct motion in this Earth Sign on December 27. The contact with the Giant Planet gives a boost to the lunar emotions and moods, magnifying them but also giving them meaning, weaving them in the big tapestry of our life, connecting them like new threads to the whole design. Venus is, at the same time, also in sextile (harmonious aspect) to Jupiter, making the whole configuration more auspicious, promising wisdom in matter of love surging from the inner struggle of the Last Quarter Moon. Again compassion, surrendering to what is, rather than struggling toward the unattainable, healing of those wounds of inadequacy that stop us from giving and receiving the human affection and warmth we really need; all these are suggested by the connection of Moon,Venus, Chiron in the Water Signs of Scorpio and Pisces.

The recent ingress of Venus in Pisces (January 14 to February 8) is more than just a monthly Sign change for Venus. Neptune is very close to entering this Sign too (February 4), to remain there until 2025/26. Venus and Neptune are sympathetic planetary energies, embodying the powers of personal and universal love respectively. I can see then how our Evening Star in Pisces is heralding the soon to take place ingress of Neptune in the same Sign, reminding us of the spiritual unity of all human beings and the need to be more inclusive and open to address the ills of the world. Venus has began to show us the way in the context of our own personal relationships before Neptune direct our attention to more collective issues.

For more on Neptune in Pisces please navigate to this post on the major transits between January and March 2012 or Here and Here for two earlier articles.

Apart from those transits that directly involve the Moon others are also happening at the time of the Last Quarter, the most significant being the trine between the Sun in Capricorn and Mars in Virgo and the separating conjunction of Mercury and Pluto in Capricorn.

Sun-Mars’ contact is an energetic, constructive aspect that could help us to achieve much in action, especially by reforming negative habits and creating healthier and more efficient routines in our daily living. The Mercury-Pluto’s contact provides depth of understanding and the courage to look at the truth within and without. We can now cut through the crap of  idle conversation and and get into ‘real’ talking.

The Quarter phase traditionally covers the whole week to the next New Moon (in Aquarius, on January 23), but there is another minor phase, known as the Balsamic Moon phase, beginning on January 20 when the Moon will be in Sagittarius, half way between Last Quarter and New Moon. For more information about the astrological significance of all the Moon phases please navigate to my Moon Page.

Venus enters Pisces: lighting a candle to save the world, and dancing at a village ball

Venus enters Pisces on Sunday, March 27, transiting this Mutable Water Sign until April 21.

I have chosen this painting by Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), titled ‘The Lute’, for Venus in Pisces because the female figures here seem to be immersed in water or vapor; or perhaps bathed in the light of green foliage along a calm river; or at the edge of a misty lake. It is not clear, they could as well be in another world.

The picture is mysterious and ambivalent, just like Venus in Pisces.

The ball in the Hall of Arts in Uki village will take place on Saturday, March 26, in time to welcome this new incarnation of Venus. Great evening for music, dancing, friendly get-together, falling in love in the moon light (it would have to be pretty late for that!).

To make the evening more romantic Earth Hour is on, the one time in the year when we are all encouraged to switch off electric lights and light a candle, a symbolical gesture to become more aware of the plight of our Earth and the need to reduce carbon pollution. The entrance of Venus in Pisces is appropriate for this too, because Pisces is one of the Signs closest to nature and also the most sensitive to pollutants.

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, the kind of selfless affection unlikely to end in disillusionment for them. The late environmentalist and adventurer Steve Irwin (Pisces Sun, Virgo Moon) is a great example of this Venus in Pisces trait.

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. We can be easily deceived by appearances during this transit, misinterpreting situations in accordance with our fleeting 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 undirected, 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.

Weekly Astrological Highlights, March 21 to 27

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Highlights of the week

Apology for again posting this weekly update late. There is so much going on at the moment and so little time (and electrical power) in my personal life I’m finding it hard to stick to my deadlines.

Big cosmic events have happened at the start of the week, with the Aries Equinox and the conjunction Sun-Uranus on Monday, March 21.  I have already discussed these events in a previous post, Full Moon in Virgo and the Aries Equinox conjunct Uranus so I’ll only make a note about them here.

The most important mutual aspect this week will be the sesqui-square (135 degrees) between Saturn retrograded in Libra and Neptune on the last degree of Aquarius, on March 25.

Also coming on, but not exact until March 29 is the last opposition Jupiter-Saturn, from Aries to Libra. The most recent difficulties experienced by the global economy, due to many natural and man-made disasters, bear the signature of this historical opposition, the third and last to occur since May 2010. It will be a topic for next week’s highlights.

The Moon is Waning this week, from the late Virgo Full Moon on Sunday, March 20, to the Capricorn Last Quarter Phase, on Saturday, March 26, always a time for self-reflection, when we can begin preparing for the next New Moon in a week time.

To end the week on a positive note, Venus will enter the Water Sign of Pisces, a suitable ambiance for our Love Goddess, on Sunday March 27.

March 21: Astrologers all over the globe are seeking answers in the transits active at the time of the Aries Equinox, the Birth Chart of the new astrological year, to glean a sense of what this new year might bring.

This time, we all agree, the wind of change is blowing, altering the lives of millions in a clean sweep. We all expected dramatic events of some sort, due to the number of significant shifts at hand, but reality has surpassed all expectations.

Putting aside the recent cataclysmic events and gloom and doom predictions, this Sun-Uranus’ conjunction, at this pivotal time of the year and so close to a Full Moon, will present opportunities for a lot of  people to take their lives into their own hands, to become more independent and self-reliant, to accept their differences and find the courage to live by their principles, rather than those the ‘system’ has prepared for them. Psychological freedom from excessive conditioning is what a powerful Uranus’s transit is supposed to foster, even when your external situation may take a longer time than your inner self to shift.

As we have seen in collective uprisings in many parts of the world, people are now impatient for change, ready to fight and even risk their lives in order to make a difference, and to outgrow the past.

If Uranus can make revolutionary heroes out of average citizens of an average world, so too he could revolutionize your life. You need to answer his call however. Change will not happen of its own accord, in most cases, and it would be preferable anyway to be at the helm rather than passively suffer upheavals imposed upon by outside circumstances.

The Sun Sign people in direct contact with Uranus, at the moment, are Aries (March 20 to 22), Cancer (June 21 to 23), Libra (September 23 to 25), Capricorn (December 21 to 23), and also Leo (July 22 to 24) and Sagittarius (November 21 to 23), or anyone with the Moon, one of the four angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Mid-Heaven and Lower Heaven) or a planet in the first degree of the same Signs. Due to the slowness of Uranus (it will remain in Aries for nearly seven more years) this transit will extend its influence for many months.

MARCH 25, FRIDAY: the sesqui-square (a tongue twister of an aspect) between Saturn retrograde in Libra and Neptune, on the last degree of Aquarius, may be considered a minor aspect by some, but in this case it is not. The two planets are in fact slow moving  enough to savor this relationships, not perhaps for as long a time as with a square, opposition or trine, but long enough to leave a definite mark. In this case, for instance, the transit started becoming active in mid March and will remain active until early April (using a one degree orb). Furthermore this is already the second pass (occurrence) of this transit, because the two planets formed the same angle at the end of October 2010, when Saturn was still traveling in direct motion (first pass), and will be forming it again in late August 2011 (third and last pass).Covering such a long period of time it has certainly an impact on the collective psyche and events.

While this angle is said to cause some discordance and delays that require patience, the two planets involved are known to have some natural difficulties in working together anyway, due to their very different natures: Saturn all down to earth and Neptune all spaced- out.

This week in particular it could prove difficult to reconcile the need to be practical and grounded with the need to transcend limitations and allow creative and spiritual experiences to take place. When planets are in aspects the idea is to make them work together, rather than give one or the other the upper hand. In this case, the ideal would be to keep the vision alive (Neptune) without losing our sense of reality or forgetting our duties (Saturn).

Individuals more likely to feel the difficulties of this transit are Libra (October 6 to 8 ), and Aquarius (February 3 to 5).

MARCH 26 and 27, SATURDAY and SUNDAY: these two days are dominated by the Sign’s change of Venus, from logical Aquarius to romantic (and not so logical) Pisces. A post on this shift is in the pipeline. A few words here: in traditional Astrology Neptune is said to represent the higher octave of Venus (a musical term meaning the reproduction of a sound at a higher, or lower pitch), because if we identify Venus with love, we then have to identify Neptune with compassion, the highest expression of love, when we love not for what we can get out of the other person (attention, pleasure, support etc.), but unconditionally. Venus transiting Pisces, the realm of Neptune, is said to take on the spiritual garb of the Oceanic God, to allow us to experience the unconditional love toward our fellow human beings and the sense of unity that that love brings. This is also a very imaginative and artistic Venus, helping us to appreciate beauty in all its forms, from natural to cultural beauty, sensuality and poetry. Negatively we run the risk, while Venus is in Pisces, of glamorizing the idea of love and idealizing the people we love to excess, looking for the ever elusive soul-mate of our dreams. Keeping the heart anchored on something solid (a sense of self), and keeping some emotional boundaries up will help to avoid these pitfalls.

Individuals more likely to feel the enchantment of Venus in Pisces, over the next month, will be Pisces, of course, as well as Cancer, Scorpio, and, mixed with difficulties, also Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius.

Venus will be transiting Pisces until April 21.

If interested, please click HERE to navigate to my Venus in Aquarius post .****

Click here to navigate to my most recent post on the transit of Uranus in Aries, and other major transits.

For more information about the imminent ingress of Neptune in Pisces, please check two of my posts on the subject HERE and HERE.

A post on  Jupiter transiting Aries can be found HERE.

For a list of all Transits this week and for the rest of the month please CLICK HERE to the Monthly Transits Page

or HERE to navigate to the Astro-Calendar Page.