Category: Venus

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Triple Conjunction: Mercury Venus Chiron in Pisces – Invisible Ties

On March 4th we have a rare alignment: Mercury, Venus and Chiron meet up at 27° Pisces. On the same day, just few hours earlier, we have another exact alignment: Sun conjunct Neptune at 13° Pisces.

This is a lot of Piscean energy to deal with. Let’s go back for a moment to the symbolism of Pisces. The Pisces symbol is two fish tied together by a rope. Yet, the two fish swim (or at least, try to swim) in completely different directions – one swimming toward individuality, and the other towards universality.

Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, a symbol for a journey that has come to an end. At the crossroads, we have two choices: to go back into the material realm and restart the cycle or incarnations, or to leave behind the material realm to become one with the spirit.

Pisces does not give us the answer to this struggle, it simply depicts the struggle of having one foot in the ‘real’ world and the other in the invisible world. Wherever you have Pisces in your natal chart, that is a place of restlessness and ambivalence.

Now let’s have a closer look at the triple conjunction – Venus, Mercury and Chiron at 27° Pisces.

Triple conjunctions (three planets lined up at the same degree of the zodiac) are very rare and therefore highly significant. What makes this conjunction special is the link to Chiron. Chiron will move in Aries on April 17th so this is the last time Chiron meets up with Venus and Mercury in the last sign of the zodiac for the next 50 years.

The ‘key’ to understanding this triple conjunction is Chiron itself. Mercury and Venus are personal planets and they are much more accessible to us.

Mercury represents our mind, how we make sense of the world around us, how we communicate with others, how we express ourselves.

Venus represents how we relate to others, how we make connections with the outside world. If Mercury is concerned strictly with exchange of information, Venus wants to make something valuable with this information – to establish exchanges, to negotiate, to give and take.

That’s why Venus is not only connected to love and beauty, but also with money and possessions. Venus is our unit of value exchange.

Therefore, Mercury and Venus coming together are concerned with exchange of information (Mercury) about what we value, about what is important to us (Venus).

Chiron is a different ‘animal’ altogether and probably the most cryptic astrological significator in one’s chart. While Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (the transpersonal planets) are even more enigmatic than Chiron, they are completely inaccessible to us. Chiron comes with the potential to be – at least to a certain extent – grasped within the limitations of the human mind.

To understand the nature of Chiron we need to keep in mind that Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus. Saturn is the most material planet, the last planet visible with a naked eye. Saturn represents the highest form of our ‘mortal’ existence.

Uranus on the other hand is on a higher order. Uranus breaks free from the limitations of the material world – Uranus represents liberation from the chains of what is holding us down here on Earth.

Chiron is therefore KEY, the link between the world as we know and the higher realm of consciousness.

Chiron rules our DNA, which is nothing more than the ‘code’ passed down from one generation to another. This code represents that part of us that never dies, that information that cannot be destroyed. When nothing else is left of our bodies, we still live through our children, a part of us is still manifesting and unfolding with each coming generation.

The reason we keep on passing on a part of ourselves is to bring the potential of our human existence to the highest possible form of manifestation. 

And that’s why Chiron is connected to the concept of Gifts. Only the strongest sequences or our DNA are passed on to the next generations, so they can become stronger and stronger, and come closer and closer to ‘perfection’.

But until we learn how to integrate this genetic information that has been passed on to us and to bring it to a higher order of manifestation (the Uranian side of Chiron), Chironian gifts can feel like wounds.

The enigmatic “Las Meninas” by Velazquez is one of the most important paintings of the all time.

Las_Meninas,_by_Diego_Velázquez Chiron

The painting depicts a scene from the Spanish court of king Philip IV. The young princess in the center of the scene is Infanta Margaret, the daughter of the king and queen of Spain and the heiress to the throne. Apparently, the whole scene and all the characters revolve around the little princess.

If we look more closely however, we notice a painting in the background of the scene showing the king and the queen of Spain who are the little princess’ parents. If we take an even closer look, we notice that this is not a painting, but a mirror. The mirror in fact shows a reflection from the painting Velazquez (the painter in the left side) is working on. He is actually painting the royal couple!

The main character of the scene is not Infanta Margaret anymore, but her parents. The royal couple is posing in front of the scene as Velazques paints them, while their daughter and several other characters watch. The painting therefore shows their view of the scene. Of the nine figures depicted, five are looking directly out at the royal couple. Their glances which seek for approval, affirm the royal couple’s presence and potency. 

The painting was commissioned by the king himself. He chose not to have himself or the queen painted. At least at the first sight, they are missing from the artwork. However, if we dig deeper and understand the cryptic composition of the scene, we understand that they are the ones in the center of everything. Their power is unquestionable. Their power is what gives everything meaning.

But again, the painting says more than that. Although the royal couple’s power is unquestionable, they are merely a reflection in the mirror. The future is in front of them. Infanta Margaret, the future Queen of Spain, will pass on their power to the next generations. Infanta is still a child, and although she doesn’t have yet any real authority, she has the promise of power encoded in her genes.

The triple conjunction between Mercury, Venus and Chiron will give us ‘access’ to one of our gifts. As we described earlier, Mercury and Venus are accessible planets. They will bring to our awareness Chiron’s otherwise cryptic information.

Just as Las Meninas becomes more and more accessible to us as we look at it, some highly important pieces of information about who we are, and what we are meant to become in this lifetime, will be revealed to us.

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Venus conjunct Sun conjunct Pluto – What is Your Venus Archetype?

On January 9th 2018 we have an extraordinary planetary alignment: Sun, Venus and Pluto all align at 19° Capricorn in a triple conjunction.

Triple conjunctions are pretty rare. When we do have triple conjunctions we usually have the Moon (the fastest moving planet) involved. But to have 3 planets – other than the Moon – aligned at the same zodiacal degree is very unique.

Needless to say that if you have planets or angles around 19° Capricorn (and also in Aries, Cancer or Libra) you are especially in the spotlight.

What is also very interesting is that Venus, one of the 3 planets involved, is now in the middle of her synodic cycle. Venus is in fact at the farthest possible distance from the Earth, on the other side of the Sun. When Venus is far away from the Earth we usually miss the earthy expression of Venusian gifts (love, attraction, relationships, money, personal values). On the other hand, on the other side of the Sun, Venus becomes more Goddess-like, more ethereal, more spiritualized.

1200px-Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci

If Venus close to the Earth is the meal we enjoy with our senses, Venus far away from the Earth is a beautiful painting displaying the same meal. If Venus close to the Earth is the love we consume, Venus far away from the Earth is the idealized, spiritualized, platonic love. Venus close to the Earth is similar to the Moon in nature, while Venus far away from the Earth is similar to Neptune in nature.

When Venus is far away from the Earth as she is now, she expresses herself in an abstract way. And because she is in a conjunction with the Sun, our Self, our personality (the Sun), gets infused with this abstract expression of Venus. Now is a time to approach love and relationships as an ideal concept. Ask yourself: what does love mean to me? What does beauty mean to me? What are my personal values? You can set your ideals as high as the heavens – there has never been a better moment to dream of the highest expression of what you are capable of.

To better understand the different expressions of Venus, have a look at your natal chart and see in which position is your Venus relative to the Sun.

Venus can be maximum 48° before the Sun, and maximum 48° after the Sun. Venus can only be in the two signs which precede, or follow your Sun sign. If your Sun sign is Virgo, your Venus can only be in one of the two signs before Virgo (Cancer, Leo), in Virgo, or in one of the two signs after Virgo (Libra, Scorpio).

If Venus was in direct motion, and within 10° before or after the Sun at the time of your birth, Venus was at the farthest possible distance from the Earth (just like now). You have a very idealized view of love and you can wait a lifetime for the price charming, even if you are in a happy marriage. There is a part of you who doesn’t belong to this world, who wants something that doesn’t exist. It is good to search for more spiritual type of partners who can understand you.

If your Venus is within 10° of your Sun, but it is retrograde, the opposite is true. At the time of your birth, Venus was at the closest possible distance from Earth. You have a more Earthy expression of Venus, you are likely more down to earth, more practical, you go for what makes sense to you, and if you stop liking something, or someone, you just change it and go for the next best thing.

Now coming back to the triple conjunction we have on the 9th of January.

What is really, really interesting is that we have Pluto as the third planet in the triple conjunction. And Pluto contracts are always interesting. If Sun reigns over the visible world, Pluto reigns over the underworld. Sun and Pluto together are the shaman, representing the Soul that has traveled to heaven, has traveled to hell, and has understood the cycles of life and death.

Pluto is a generational, archetypal planet. Pluto’s transit in a sign defines the drives of a whole generation. Baby Boomers for example have been associated with the transit of Pluto in Leo, while nowadays Millennials are associated with Pluto in Scorpio.

Although we are all unique, we do share some traits – and this common traits, this underlying drivers of our personality are the domain of Pluto. When Pluto touches a personal planet, he gets to the very essence of that planet, for good and for bad. People with Sun conjunct Pluto can be very ego-driven and can misuse their personal power (the lower manifestation of the Sun) or on the contrary, they can use their power for good and become extremely generous and compassionate leaders.

Same with Venus. Pluto with Venus can bring Venusian themes to the extremes, for good and for bad. Pluto with Venus can bring extreme jealousy, addiction to love and sex, obsession with money, or, in the higher manifestation can bring deep, passionate love, extreme beauty or artistic sense, the ability to create value and abundance.

Pluto will distill the characteristics of Sun and Venus in Capricorn. Pluto will get to the core of the matter. Capricorn is the most ambitious sign of the zodiac, always reaching for the next version of himself, always aiming for the top. Sun and Venus in Capricorn will want to get to the heights of love, beauty, appreciation. Sun and Venus in Capricorn are interested in nothing but the best – the most beautiful piece of art, the most successful relationship, the best status.

Sun conjunct Venus conjunct Pluto is the best time to ask yourself what do you really, really, really want to achieve. What is the best possible expression of yourself? What is that one thing that defines the ideal you, the YOU of tomorrow?

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Venus Conjunct Jupiter on November 13th 2017 – Splendor In The Sky

Venus and Jupiter have a spectacular encounter in the morning sky on Monday, November 13th 2017, at 7° Scorpio.

Venus conjunct Jupiter is not just a regular conjunction… it is a superconjunction. Why is that? Because Venus and Jupiter don’t only cross their elliptic path, but are also become parallel. This means they are on the same declination and longitude. They are basically one next to the other.

You see, if an astrologer says a planet is conjunct another planet, this means the two are aligned along their ecliptic path. But as seen from the Earth, the distance between the two can be significant.

When two planets are also parallel, they show up one next to one another in the sky, and their energies are much more intense than when they are in a regular conjunction.

Venus Jupiter

And there is one more thing: Venus and Jupiter are both visible. In ancient astrology, visibility was the most important omen when making predictions.

Basically, when a planet is visible with the naked eye in the sky, it is much more powerful. When a planet is invisible, its energy is weaker, more introspective, and cannot express itself freely.

Let’s take the example of the Moon. When we have a New Moon, the Moon is invisible, and can only express its energy through the Sun. Same with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. When the 6 planets are close to the Sun, they are invisible in the sky.

When Mercury and Venus start their retrograde cycles, they are invisible. You may know that Mercury and Venus retrogrades are times of introspection. But what you many not know is that their energy is lower because Mercury and Venus are invisible, and that’s the reason why they can only express themselves though the Ego of the Sun.

Now let’s go back to our Venus Jupiter conjunction. What is truly special is that Jupiter just became visible. When a planet becomes visible for the first time, its energy is at its strongest. It is basically the most powerful manifestation of the planet’s energy.

Jupiter disappeared into the sunset in the last week of September and has been out of sight ever since. Finally on November 11th, Jupiter made its appearance low to the east-southeast horizon. In the coming days, Jupiter will be slowly ascending, getting higher and more prominent.

Sunday morning on November 12th,  Jupiter and Venus will be separated by less than 1°. And finally, Monday morning on November 13th, Venus and Jupiter will appear together, side by side: Venus on the left and dimmer than Jupiter on its right.

Now think for a second of what that means. Jupiter, the planet of abundance, luck and faith becomes visible for the first time, just to meet with the 2nd best planet in the sky, Venus, which is also visible and powerful.

Not only we have a conjunction between Jupiter and Venus, the most beneficial planets in our solar system, but a super conjunction when Venus and Jupiter are also parallel to each other. Moreover, the  two planets are visible and stronger than ever, especially Jupiter!

This is truly amazing!

And if this sounds too scientific, just do what our ancestors have done for millennia: set your alarm, wake up early and watch them for yourself.  What you will experience will be breathtaking.

You will see them right next to each other. The two brightest planets in the sky, will be one next to each other, almost merging in one single light.

Astrologically, the Venus Jupiter conjunction takes place at 7° in Scorpio and marks a new Venus Jupiter cycle. Those people blessed with planets or angles around 7° Scorpio will especially benefit from this conjunction.

Venus and Jupiter meet approximately once a  year to start a new cycle of abundance and growth especially in the area of finance and possessions.

Venus Jupiter cycles repeat themselves every 24-years. 39 revolutions of Venus are equal to 24 revolutions of Earth and 2 revolutions for Jupiter. Every 24 years, the themes of the particular Venus-Jupiter conjunction will come again into our lives. The last cycle took place on 8th of November 1993. Do you recall what happened in your life in November 1993?

As you may know, Jupiter is the luckiest planet in our solar system. Jupiter expands everything it touches. Jupiter stands for growth, abundance, wealth, hope, faith and belief. Jupiter is a symbol of the ruler, of the priest, of the hierophant, of the one who holds the torch of truth.

No wonder Jupiter has faith. You can only search for the truth if you have faith. When you say “YES” to the world, this is when the opportunities come to you. And somehow, when you say yes, sooner or later, things turn out well. Always. This is the one truth about life and Jupiter knows it better than anyone else.

Now let’s talk about Venus.

Venus stands for how we relate to the world, what we like, what we dislike, the 5 physical senses, what we enjoy doing, our relationships, our ability to give and receive love, our appreciation for beauty and aesthetics.

The Venus Jupiter conjunction takes place in Scorpio, the deepest place in the Zodiac. Scorpio rules the big cycles of life and death, our legacy, what we “share” with others and with the universe as a whole, those things we have no say in. You have no say when you are born. You have no choice but to die, sooner or later.

Scorpio rules the deepest corners of our psyche, these part of ourselves we are not even aware of, but which take over every time – our instincts, our reflexes, our reptilian brain.

Scorpio also rules transformation. We are not really ‘born’ and we don’t really die. We just move from one form of existence to another.

Scorpio is about this deep knowledge that we can only access in brief moments of truth.

Venus conjunct Jupiter is one of them.

Venus and Jupiter will shine bright in the sky and will join forces to light our way. But what way? What exactly are they going to point to?

Venus and Jupiter will show us the Beauty (Venus) of Truth (Jupiter). Whatever part of your chart this conjunction will stir, will come with one surprising truth. The veil will be lifted. Venus and Jupiter will light your way so you can see what needs to be seen.

What is this truth? Chances are you already know it. Nothing too fancy, nothing too out of reach. Don’t expect to have your life turned upside down. The truth that you are going to find is not unexpected. It will not take you by surprise. You will likely find yourself saying “I can’t believe I’ve missed that all my life”, “I can’t believe I’ve been so blind all this time”.

You don’t need to do anything special. All Scorpio wants is authenticity and genuine connection. What is stopping you from getting in touch with yourself? What are you afraid of in getting to know about the other?  What are you afraid to say, what are you afraid to hear, what are you afraid to know?

What do you really want? With Jupiter almighty in the morning sky, all you have to do is ask for it.

Jupiter conjunct Venus will help you find a deeper meaning in your life. Something will be revealed to you in a different light, a more truer, a more beautiful one. Neptune is in a trine to the conjunction, bringing Venus and Jupiter to the next level, to a higher expression of beauty and love.

In the heart of the Scorpio, where truth and nothing but the truth can prevail, beauty becomes almost a mystical experience. Truth becomes spiritual healing. Beauty and truth become a deeper understanding of how everything makes sense out there, in the higher levels of existence.

You may need to bring the hidden parts of your soul into the light. Or maybe not. Sometimes catharsis comes without too much soul searching. You can find beauty in the smell of a flower, in the way a stranger smiles at you, or by looking at the sky in the dim light before the Sun comes out.

The sabian symbol for the Venus Jupiter conjunction is “A calm lake bathed in the moonlight”, suggesting that beyond all our efforts, lays the need for peace and the readiness to accept the illumination from above. We are sometimes so blind to see the beauty that lays just in front of our eyes.

Venus, the Goddess of beauty and love, meets with Jupiter, the Priest. The path of pleasure and the path of spirituality can be difficult to reconcile.  But in the truth of Scorpio, we have the unique chance to blend them together.

Who says there is nothing spiritual in beauty and pleasure? Who says that a spiritual path means renunciation? Right now, we can distill the essence of both. In the alchemy or Venus and Jupiter, we can find the secret formula, the magical elixir that is much more than the sum of its parts.

Wondering how the Venus Jupiter conjunction will affect you?

Look in which house you have Scorpio to find out which area of your life will come into light. For example if you have Scorpio ascendant, this will be your 1st house, if you have Sagittarius ascendant it will be your 12th house and so on.

Something will be revealed to you. One deep, beautiful truth.  This insight will empower you to ascend like the Phoenix from the ashes of your old self identification.

You will feel the energy more strongly if you have planets around 7° in Scorpio.

If you have strong Scorpio and 8th house energy in your chart, or a lot of Water, you will connect with this energy more easily. If you have mainly Air or Earth, then the energy can be traumatic at the beginning.

But no need to worry. With Jupiter in Scorpio, the good always wins in the end. You can finally find a resolution for a problem which was haunting you for years. You will finally take your power back.

Looking for more guidance? The Jupiter Reports for your Ascendant reveal what exactly you can expect from Jupiter in the coming 12 months, according to the area of your life which is transited by Jupiter.

Aries Ascendant

Taurus Ascendant

Gemini Ascendant

Cancer Ascendant

Leo Ascendant

Virgo Ascendant

Libra Ascendant

Scorpio Ascendant

Sagittarius Ascendant

Capricorn Ascendant

Aquarius Ascendant

Pisces Ascendant

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Venus Conjunct Mars – The Cosmic Lovers Meet, A New Relationship Cycle Begins

Venus conjunct Mars – a new relationship cycle

Venus conjunct Mars in transit marks the start of a new relationship cycle.

The Venus Mars conjunction happens once every 2 years and marks a new beginning in relationships and partnerships. Like a New Moon, new planetary cycles offer a fresh beginning.

Venus Mars cycles repeat themselves every 32 years. The last Venus Mars conjunction was 32 years back, on October 5,1985. Try to remember what happened back then, as this conjunction will have a similar energy.

Venus and Mars are the cosmic lovers and in astrology they describe attraction, love and relationships. Mars rules Aries and Venus rules Libra – Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, ruling the Ascendant and the 1st house, Mars is “I”. Venus is the 7th sign of the zodiac and rules the 7th house, or the descendant, and stands for the “The Other”

Even people who are not very familiar with astrology know that Venus stands for the feminine, and Mars, for the masculine. The astrological symbols for Venus and Mars are identical to those used in biology to identify sexes.

One of the most famous books of all time is “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus”.The book shows the polarity of the two energies – Mars, the assertive, masculine energy, and Venus, the feminine, receptive energy.

Venus conjunct Mars
Venus conjunct Mars

Venus, Mars and attraction

If you look at the sky, it makes sense that Venus and Mars are all about relating. Venus is the next planet inward from Earth, and Mars is the next planet outward. As in astrology we take the Earth as the center, Venus and Mars are two planets on the right and on the left.

While Mars relates to the world by taking the lead, acting, doing, Venus relates to the world by sending subtle messages and choosing what she likes, and rejecting what she doesn’t. Mars rules war, Venus rules the law of attraction.

It is not that Venus does not take the lead. In fact, Venus is the one that chooses and invites Mars to get closer. In courtship, it is Venus who sends the courtship signals, makes eye contact and smiles to Mars. And only then Mars is “allowed” to approach Venus.

When Mars comes to Venus without being invited, he might get some success, but all research and studies show that this “success” is short-lived. It takes two to tango.

To have long lasting attraction, Venus and Mars need to express their role in a natural way. Venus sends the signal, Mars approaches, Venus chooses and the courtship goes on.

The polarity of Venus and Mars

Venus and Mars are planets of polarity, irrespective of one’s gender or sexual orientation. In homosexual couples usually one of the partners takes the Venus role, and the other the Mars role.

It is so important that polarity exists in relationships, that life cannot be created without it. We won’t be here without Mars and Venus. Is it the passion between Venus and Mars, the “secret mix” between the two, that allows creation to take place.

Without a “chemical reaction” between Venus and Mars, we cannot create anything. The world around us is made out of polarities, we have yin and yang, 0 and 1, the North Pole and the South Pole.

The opposite poles of two magnets attract each other, but their similar poles repel each other. That’s why we need both Venus and Mars to create a “magnetic field”.

And as no magnet has only one pole, we both have a Venus and a Mars inside us.

Most creative people in the world tend to have Venus conjunct Mars in their natal chart.

Van Gogh, Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, Bette Davis, Al Pacino, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Bruce Lee, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruno Mars – they all have the Venus conjunct Mars signature.

In Astrology, Venus conjunct Mars is a great time to start new relationships, especially when Venus and Mars rise in the morning sky.

When Venus and Mars rise before the Sun, they have not been “burned by the Sun”, they have not got into the “Ego zone” yet, and can express their qualities freely.

This does not mean evening conjunctions are not benefic, but they express different planetary qualities. For new beginnings, morning rise planets are the best.

Venus and Mars – the divine feminine and the divine masculine

Venus is the Divine Feminine and Mars is the Divine Masculine, so when these two planets meet, they express a special energy that we can all benefit from.

When we master the Divine Feminine, when we master the Divine Masculine, when we allow them to blend into one another, this is when we become “one” with the divine consciousness.

Venus conjunct Venus will ask us to balance our masculine and feminine energy.  When the masculine and the feminine energies are in balance, we experience a state of easiness, flow and great vitality.

If you feel tired or unmotivated it could well be because there is an imbalance in the expression of the Mars energy, of the Venus energy, or both.

You can balance your Mars energy by surrounding yourself with good masculine role models, by watching hero movies or reading hero books, by asserting yourself when you are taken for granted.

You can balance your Venus energy by spending time with good Venusian role models, by discussing relationships with people you trust, by developing compassion and appreciation.

Venus and Mars in your natal chart

Look at where Venus and Mars are in your chart. Is Venus in a feminine sign or in a masculine sign? What about Mars?

Venus and Mars are also crucial in synastry when you want to assess the potential of a romantic relationship.

There are many indicators which describe compatibility, such as Sun and Moon. But if you want to understand the potential for intimacy, passion and sexual chemistry in a relationship, look at your Mars and Venus placement and at your partner’s Mars and Venus placements.

If you are a woman or take the feminine role in a relationship, and your Venus or your Mars are in feminine signs (Yin), a good match for you is a partner who has Venus and Mars in masculine signs (Yang).

If your Venus and Mars are in masculine signs (Yang), again, you are still better off with a partner who also has Venus and Mars in masculine signs, especially Mars.

When a woman is Yin, she needs a stronger man, with more masculine energy. When a woman is Yang, she needs an even stronger man.

If you are a man or take the masculine role in a relationship, and your Venus or your Mars are in feminine signs (Yin), look for a partner who has their Venus and Mars in feminine signs (Yin). If your Venus or Mars are in masculine signs (Yang), both partners with feminine or masculine Venus and Mars are a good match.

When a man is Yang, he needs a softer partner, with more feminine energy. When a man is Yin, he needs an even softer partner.

A Yang Woman with a Yin man is the most difficult combination, but it can be overcome with awareness and acceptance. Physical chemistry is not a “make or break” element anymore in an enlightened, mature relationship.

You will feel the energy of the Venus conjunct Mars stronger if you have Aries, Taurus, Libra, Scorpio ascendant.

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Hold The Torch – Venus At Greatest Elongation And Triple Conjunction

Venus is in the spotlight on June 3rd . If you look at the night sky 2 hours before the sunrise you will notice she is very bright these days. This is because Venus reached the maximum eastern elongation, a.k.a. she is at the greatest distance from the Sun.

Venus is highly independent she is at her greatest elongation, especially when she is a Morning Star. Far away from the light of the Sun, she can express herself freely, and enjoy her creative independence at the maximum.

In this part of the synodic cycle, Venus knows what she stands for and what she wants. She expresses her views freely. Many leaders of the feminist movement were born under this Venus phase. But independence can be a blessing as well as a course. After she reaches the point where she cannot go anywhere further, Venus decides to dive back down to earth. But before that, more exactly on June 3rd at 03:15 (EDT) Venus reigns undisturbed from her Eastern throne.

And if having Venus at greatest elongation was not special enough, Venus also makes a record of 3 conjunctions with Uranus, Eris and Pallas. The closest aspect is with freedom-seeking Uranus (at 27° Aries), signifying the awakening of the feminine to its intrinsic power. The aspect promises electrifying experiences and can bring sudden changes in the area of your life ruled by Venus (look in which house you have 27° Aries).

Venus Eris Pallas Uranus

Venus conjunct Uranus in the bold sign of Aries is the feminine version of Prometheus, the Greek God who stole the fire from Mount Olympus to give it to the mankind. Venus touched by Uranus brings the eternal flame of love to the mankind, holding the promise that no matter what, we are loved.

The second conjunction is with the asteroid Pallas. In Greek mythology, Pallas Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage, strategy and skill, and is associated with creative intelligence, especially related to war and craft making, as well as with perception – more exactly our ability to see patterns in large amounts of data.

The third conjunction is with the minor planet Eris. Eris is a powerful feminine archetype. She is the feminine version of Mars, the God of War (Mars was Eris’ brother), and is associated with the concept of discord. We tend to give a negative connotation to discord, however discord in necessary for the perfection of the harmony. Many astrologers (including myself) believe Eris rules Libra, the sign of the scales.

Indeed, “balance” and “discord” can be the different sides of the same coin, and you can’t have one without the other. If we break down the word “discord” we have the prefix “dis”, meaning “different,” and “cord”, which means “heart.” So that leaves us with “different hearts.” When we believe too much we tend to know very little. Eris tempers the absolutist quest for one single truth and brings the much needed “balance”, ironically, through discord.

If we look at the famous Trojan war myth we can get a better understanding of how these feminine architypes (Venus, Pallas, Eris) play together.

“The goddesses Hera (Juno), Athena (Pallas) and Aphrodite (Venus) had been invited along with the rest of Olympus to the forced wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Eris was not invited to this wedding because of her history of creating troubles. She then tossed into the party the ”Apple of Discord”, a golden apple inscribed  “For the most beautiful one”, or “To the Fairest One” – provoking the three goddesses to begin quarrelling. Paris, Prince of Troy, was appointed to select the fairest. Hera offered political power,  Athena promised infinite wisdom, and Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen of Troy. While Greek culture placed a greater emphasis on power, Paris chose to award the apple to Aphrodite. His choice marked the beginning of the 10-year Trojan war”

Altogether the triple conjunction in Aries stands for freedom, empowerment, integrity and justice. These aspects are particularly important now when Venus is at the greatest distance from the Sun. Venus, struck (Eris) by the divine fire (Uranus) of wisdom (Pallas), shines brighter than ever. We have pure, empowered feminine energy. Venus is truly a Goddess now and is asking every single one of us (regardless of gender) to stand for our sacred feminine values.

On top of the quadruple conjunction, Venus joins Saturn and the North Node in a Grand Fire Trine, being at the apex of an aspect called Castle. A Castle is a rare astrological event which stands for a promise from the Universe that if we build solid foundations (Saturn) in our life, only the sky is the limit in what we can accomplish (North Node).

We need to build a torch, a solid foundation, to keep the divine fire alive.

 

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Venus Turns Direct – The Sleeping Beauty Awakens

Venus turns direct after 6 weeks of retrograde motion. For the first time in 40 days, she begins moving in forwarding motion.

After spending “40 days in the desert” in introspection, Venus has seen in all – and has finally decided to “move on” and catch on speed.

Venus direct

The direct station of Venus is about manifesting a new feminine identity. Irrespective of gender, the YIN part of your psyche will experience an awakening.

If in the inception phase, the seed has been planted at the time Venus met the Sun in the sky, this time, when Venus turns direct, the seed is blooming into a beautiful flower, just like Venus grows brighter and brighter in the morning sky.

From now until Venus reaches her greatest morning elongation, you will feel at ease with your Feminine Self. During the next 50 days, this urge of feminine individuation will make you take full responsibility for your feelings and choices.

You are now brave and you know what you want – as you had enough time to ponder on matters of the heart or personal values during the retrograde period, you now feel that after all that introspection, it’s time to act upon your values and your feelings.

The only danger during this Venus phase is the danger of entitlement. You may have a tendency to think that all you need to do is “show up” and expect things from others just because “you are you”.

On the other hand, just like Venus is catching up on speed, you are also open to change, open to “do the work” and move to the next thing with confidence.

But just before the Sleeping Beauty awakens, you have one more trial. As Venus turns direct at 26 degrees in Pisces, she has to face for the last time the Pain of  Separation (the last Venus square to Saturn in a series of 3) and the Wound of the Heart (Venus conjunct Chiron). The aspect will last for up to one week because of the slow motion of both Venus and Saturn.

Before she turned retrograde on March 25th, Venus, just like princess Aurora pricked her finger on the spinning wheel and fell asleep, Venus let her heart get stung by Chiron.

Now, when she finally awakens, we have the same scenario, as Chiron in wandering in the sky around the same mathematical degree as Venus. Or, do we?

The last weeks have been painful. We were asked to revisit our Wounds and go deep into the pain. And, “thanks” to Saturn, we’ve been asked to go as deep as we can, until there is no more place to go.

But this time, as Venus awakens and lets herself get stung for one last time, things are quite different.

You’ve already opened your heart to the pain, and as a result of confronting those almost forgotten, but now exposed – wounds, you are now a different person. You’ve made peace with those parts of you – the guilt, the shame, the inadequacy – and you’ve learned to live with them. And by learning to live with them, you are now ready to live without them. You are now clear about what you truly value and about what you really need.

 

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Venus Conjunct Sun – A New Venus Cycle, A Rebirth Of The Hearth

Venus will conjunct the Sun on March 25 at 4° Aries, marking the beginning of a new Venus cycle. A Venus cycle is about new beginnings in love, beauty, money, and personal values.

What is a Venus cycle? Just like the Moon,  Venus also goes through different phases, depending on her relative position to the Sun.

A conjunction of Venus to the Sun -when Venus is retrograde, is called an inferior conjunction and it is the  equivalent of a New Moon. But if a Moon cycle lasts for 29 days, a Venus cycle lasts 18 months, and a complete cycle (a series of 5 Venus cycles) lasts 8 years. Eight years ago, in March 2009, Venus and the Sun united at 7° Aries. What happened to you then?

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The pattern of Venus around the Earth draws a 5-petalled rose in the sky, as viewed from the Earth. Every 8 years, when the Earth and Venus “kiss”’ to form another petal, Venus comes back to the same position in the sky. The patterns of Venus are extremely beautiful – the heart and the rose,  revealing one more time what Venus stands fore: pure beauty and love.

This particular Venus cycle starts in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, so expect a lot of new beginnings in love.

Set your heart free by Christian Schloe
Christian Schloe “Set your heart free”

Aries, or “The Fool” as depicted in the Major Arcana in the Tarot, represents the unlimited potential of life. His journey is unknown but he embraces it with innocence. Every day is an adventure and each moment is lived to the fullest.

Venus,  starting a new cycle in the first decan of Aries represents the innocence and the purity of our heart. We are now  ready to leave the past behind, and start over with a newfound confidence that will manifest over the next 8 years.

This transit of Venus reminds me of David Bowie’s song “Absolute beginners”:

“I’ve nothing much to offer

There’s nothing much to take

I’m an absolute beginner

I absolutely love you

If our love song

Could fly over mountains

Could laugh at the ocean

It’s absolutely true”

I “absolutely love” this aspect and I believe it is by far one of the most important aspects of the year. Not only Venus starts a new cycle, but the conjunction takes place just after the Equinox and just before the first New Moon of the astrological year (2 days later, on March 27th).

We have so much fresh energy in the skies that is impossible to stay still, we MUST go and pursue our heart’s desire.

Spiritually, this is the point at which we experience a metaphysical rebirth of the heart. All new phases (New Moon, new Venus) are “dark” because the planets are not visible in the night sky. The depth of the night, just like the depth of the sleep, is the best time to connect deeply with the essence of the planet.

Venus will be invisible in the sky until March 29th so in the coming days take the time to reflect what “Venus” means to you. What role does love play in your life? What about beauty? Personal values? What about money and resources?

In the next three weeks (until Venus turns direct) dare to ask yourself the right questions and ponder what really matters to you. More clarity about what this new cycle is about will come after the New Moon on March 27th  and two days later on March 29th when Venus will start to rise again, now as a morning star.

Venus’ direct station  on April 15th is a good time to take action on whatever has been the outcome of your reflection.

January 9th 2018 will mark the half-way point of Venus’ cycle, when Venus  – now direct – will conjoin the Sun at 19° in Capricorn.  This is just like a  “Full Moon phase” of Venus  – a culmination of what you started on March 25th.

The theme of this new Venus cycle is Passionate Love. Passion for your lover, for your career, for what you like, for who you are. It is a time to get in touch with yourself and literally go to the heart of the matter. Now is the time to tell the world “this is what I want, this is what makes me happy” and then go and get it.

Venus in Aries is in mutual reception with Mars in Taurus which means that the two lovers get the best out of each other. No more settling for what others expect out of you. No more waiting. You will all feel an urge, an “all or nothing” desire to honor your heart and let your true self emerge.

Marked by the new Venus cycle, 2017 will be the YEAR OF LOVE. Those of us with planets or angles around 4° in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will especially be blessed with love this year. For all of us this new solar cycle will bring something new in your life: romance, relationships, beauty, money and possessions, values.

Anything is possible now: a new love, a new source of income – let the door open and Venus will shower you with her gifts.

Whatever is coming up for you right now is coming up for a reason.

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Venus Goes Retrograde – What Matters Most To You?

Venus goes retrograde on March 4th at 13° Aries. You have 6 weeks to review, revisit, re-evaluate your love life, your relationships with the close ones, your relationship with money, and in general your relationships with attachments of any sort. Venus will turn direct on April 15th 2017.

Venus Retrograde is best known for bringing back into our life past lovers, unfinished businesses or repeating patterns in our relationships.

What does it mean “repeating patterns” in your relationships? For example, if you are the “giver” in relationships, Venus retrograde will make you see the reality for what it is. Maybe people take advantage of you for being nice. Venus retrograde will make this crystal clear to you. No more hiding and fooling yourself that these people you’re giving yourself to need you or love you. Venus retrograde wants you to reclaim your feminine power and become your true self.

You can only become that when you take your time and do an honest introspection. This is what Venus Retrograde can help you with.

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Victor Nizovtsev

Venus and the Sun – A Unique Relationship

Venus spends less time retrograde than any other planet: only around 40 days in a 584 day synodic cycle.

During her synodic cycle, Venus is a morning star for 263 days, followed by about 50 days when she’s not visible at all (due to the proximity to the Sun) – to reappear again in the evening sky for another 283 days…and to disappear for the final 8 days before she starts all over again.

Because Venus’ synodic cycle corresponds to the Earth orbital period at a ratio of 5:8, the Venus cycle repeats 5 times over a period of 8 years. Eight years ago, in March 2009, Venus and the Sun united at 7° Aries. What happened to you then? Each inferior conjunction marks an 8-year anniversary of a previous Venus Retrograde, and is therefore a time to reflect on what happened in the past 8 years.

This applies to your own natal Sun and Venus relationship as well. This is why – once every 8 years – you will have both a solar return and a Venus return on approximately the same day (around your birthday).

The new synodic cycle starts on March 25th when Venus, three weeks in retrograde and exactly between the Earth and the Sun, applies an inferior conjunction to the Sun and a new cycle begins. Venus synodic cycle is the Venus correspondent of a New Moon and marks new beginning in the areas of love, relationships, money, personal values.

Venus Retrograde And Unfinished Businesses From The Past

Venus Retrograde is a highly introspective time. Venus Retrograde gives you the courage and clarity to revisit the past and complete any incompletions in your life, to finally allow them to be released from your psyche.

It can also manifest as someone coming back from your past, or even from a previous lifetime. The soul connections during Venus Retrograde are incredible magnetic and almost impossible to resist.

I’ve seen it over and over again in the charts of people who fell in love at the first sight with what they would call “ a twin flame” or started clandestine relationships with people who were dangerous, or not available. Even if they knew that the relationships started during Venus retrograde were no good, they could simply not resist the incredible Karmic pull.

Contrary to other astrologers, I do not advise to restrain from forming relationships during Venus Retrograde. What you should do instead is gain AWARENESS for what you’re experiencing and take responsibility for the consequences.

Existing relationships, if solid, can be strengthened during Venus Retrograde because of the potential to get to the heart of the matter. Because Venus Retrograde favors getting in touch with what you really want, finding true love becomes a real possibility now, even if this love is short lived.

During Venus Retrograde you can also finally achieve closure with your past. Some resolutions are necessary  in order to move forward and open yourself up to the potential of something new.

When Venus is in the middle of the retrograde cycle and closest to the Earth, she ultimately gives us an opportunity to re-examine who we really are and discover what we hold most dear…as well as what we are used to cling to out of habit. Ask yourself: Is it worth it? If the answer is “no,” get ready to make some bold decisions. Venus will guide you in making the right decisions in order to honor your inner goddess and her needs.

Take advantage of the heightened awareness. Do not fear Venus Retrograde. The question here is: will you choose to view the retrograde as an unwelcomed intrusion to your regular routine, or will you choose to see it as an opportunity to gain perspective about who you are and what is important to you?

What comes, will go. What is found, will be lost again. But what you are is beyond coming and going and beyond description. You are It.~ Rumi

If you have planets between 26° Pisces and 13° Aries you will be especially in focus during this retrograde ESPECIALLY if those planets are Venus or Sun. If you are born around 25-27th of March or if your Venus is around 4° Aries then expect an amazing year ahead, full of opportunities in romance or new sources of income. This is because the new Venus synodic cycle commences on the 25th of March,  just after the Equinox and just before the New Moon.

This is an amazing transit for all of us – no matter your placements, make sure you mark your calendar on the 25th of March.

Things to reflect upon during Venus retrograde:

  • How do you love and feel loved?
  • How do you let others in your life know that you love and appreciate them?
  • Where is your relationship heading? Are your relationships needs being met? If not, how can you honestly communicate with your partner to ensure you are both happy?
  • What do you appreciate, what makes you feel good? What clothes you like to wear, what do you like to taste, what do you like to smell? What do you like to have around you – material goods, people, friends?
  • Which people, groups, relationships, and financial commitments serve your best interests?

Aspects Venus makes during the shadow and retrograde phase (retrograde aspects in bold):

  • Jan 30th: Venus enters shadow (26° Pisces)
  • Mar 4th: Venus goes Retrograde (13° Aries)
  • Mar 18th: Venus conjunct Mercury (9° Aries)
  • Mar 25th: Venus conjunct Sun (4° Aries)
  • Apr 8th: Venus square Saturn (27° Pisces)
  • Apr 15th: Venus goes direct (26° Pisces)
  • April 21st: Venus square Saturn (27° Pisces)
  • Apr 28th: Venus re-enters Aries
  • May 19th: Venus opposite Jupiter (13° Aries)
  • May 20th : Venus leaves shadow (13° Aries)
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Venus conjunct Chiron – How deep is your love?

Venus and Chiron meet up early March in the last degrees of the zodiac, bringing together the past and the future.

This is the last time Venus and Chiron meet in Pisces, in the last sign of the zodiac. The next Venus Chiron conjunction will take place in Aries, on April 23rd 2019.

Just before a new cycle starts, we are being tested.

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Emily Balivet – The Key

The test we are being put though is one of endurance and compassion. Is our heart “strong enough”, “trained enough” and ultimately “healed enough” to give and receive love?

The ultimate question Venus and Chiron in Pisces are asking is “how deep is your love”? The journey of digging deep into your heart is the journey of your consciousness towards greater wholeness, greater balance, greater harmony and, ultimately, greater love.

Exposing that sore spot in your heart is not easy. And Chiron won’t give you any “magic pill” to make the pain go away. Chiron looks for the root cause, for whatever is unresolved, unreconciled, unhealed, buried deep within your heart.

So yes, your heart will crack open, and in the process you may shed some tears.  But there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Chiron is not only the wounder, Chiron is also the gifted teacher, prophet, and mentor. Chiron’s symbol is the KEY – the magic key that opens any door, unlocks any secret and heals any pain. And what is the key? Your Wound is the key.

Your Wound is your Gift.

It is only when you finally embrace the Wound which is in fact your Gift, when you heal. You cannot remove the Wound (Chiron is called the wounded healer for a reason – Chiron’s wounds never really heal) – because by removing your Wound, you would be amputating a part of yourself.

In truth, nothing needs fixing. Your Would is part of your personal history, it is part of You. Whatever you are experiencing right now, it makes absolute sense at a higher order of existence. Your life is in perfect order and balance, even if you might not see it that way. You were born for a reason, and your life IS unfolding as it should.

And if you are ready to embrace the idea that nothing is wrong with you, during this transit you can discover a skill, a talent for the first time.  A blind spot can become a strength. A shadow can turn into light. Shame can turn into authentic vulnerability.

Chiron’s vulnerabilities can create an intense magnetism – you can find yourself drawn to the promise of healing.

Ultimately, it is LOVE and only love that heals all the wounds.

If you have planets around 25°-29° in mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and especially Pisces) or if you have a natal Venus-Chiron aspect in your natal chart, you are going to feel this energy stronger.

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Venus In Pisces – The Mermaid

The Greek legend says that Venus arose from the foam of the sea shore. She is frequently pictured  wafted on a large sea shell to shore as a gift from heaven, symbolizing the watery female principle, essential to the generation and balance of life.  No wonder in astrology Venus is exalted in Pisces, which literally means that is in this watery placement where she is able to express herself at her best.

Pisces is ruled by the mystical Neptune, the God of the sea, who is also the higher octave of Venus. In Pisces, Venus brings all the Venusian attributes of love and beauty to higher realms – of enchanting beauty, spiritual and compassionate love and receptivity, and authentic connection.

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Photo by Igor Bulgak

Just like the ocean, deep and wavy, love has now the power to conquer all the oppositions and differences. The struggle of duality between the Lower and the Higher Selves, represented by the two fish going in opposite directions (the Piscean symbol) seems to dissolve now. In the higher realms of Neptune, there is no more “me” and “you” – the spirit of Love dwells everywhere.

Another theme of Venus in Pisces is the one of sacrifice. Looking through the Neptunian lenses, sacrifice becomes  the supreme gift, not out of generosity, but because in the last sign of the Zodiac, the sacrifice becomes  the natural vibration of life. Life can only exist and continuously recreate itself when we have a ‘giver’ and a ‘receiver’ playing along – in this way, life propagates through all matters of existence – just  to return to its immortality whatever it needs to go back into the ocean of conception, to emerge later in a different shape.

Judas who betrayed Jesus was the 12th apostle (symbolizing the sign of Pisces) – he HAD to betray Jesus because someone had to do it to fulfill the prophecy and save the world. In a way, it was only him who loved Jesus enough and  sacrificed  to do the ordeal.

In Pisces, Venus likes to dream, and the border between dreams, imagination and reality may change just like the boundary between the ocean and the shoreline changes with every wave, inviting us to surrender to the unknown.

Bathing in the Neptunian ocean of neverendings, Venus becomes the mermaid, the elusive and mysterious half-woman, half-fish creature which can swim in deep waters and then emerge to the surface to allure sailors with her grace and beauty.

Just like a mermaid, there is a longing in each one of us for the depths of the ocean, for that primordial environment we all emerged from, millions of years ago.

During the Venus transit in Pisces we can feel an intense longing to merge with the divine, and to escape from a reality devoid of meaning.

And this is because Venus in Pisces craves for connection – not any connection, but a spiritual connection that can last the span of lifetimes. We look now not only for romance, but for a love that will bring us a sense of higher purpose. If we start a relationship now, we will feel like the Spirit/God/Source/Universe has conspired for us and the object of our desire to meet.

In relationships, the transit of Venus in Pisces will bring a long-awaited period of warmth and connection. You will find it natural now to reestablish intimacy and to communicate about any issue that is causing distance between you and your partner.

In a relationship or not, this is the time of the year when we all crave a fairy tale romance. We now long for a deep soul mate connection, we want not only to love, but to merge with the other.

Our intuition is highly developed now, and we can relate deeply to art, poetry, nature and music.  Whether you are in love right now, or longing for love, Venus in Pisces is a great time to focus on your spiritual practices, to read poetry, visit art galleries, read fantasy books, go to the church or to the ashram, or simply buy beautiful clothes, scarfs, shoes or bed linens.