Venus Return - Her Synodic Journey PART I

“Any sky object’s synodic period is measured as the time between repeated appearances of that object, as seen from Earth, in the same position with respect to the Sun. [Synodic means "the conjunction of planets" and the synodic period means "time between successive conjunctions of a planet with the Sun].

Venus’ synodic period is approximately 584 days [or 19-month journey]. It begins with the re-appearance of Venus’ heliacal rising [meaning she rises just before the Sun does before dawn] as the Morning Star, after a period of being in line with the Sun, lost in the glare of the Sun’s light. 

While Venus is aligned with the Sun, it is as if she has vanished from the sky [like the Moon does during the New Moon phase, being within the Sun’s glare too – we don’t see the Moon until she moves away from the Sun, during the Crescent Moon phase OR just before she returns to the Sun’s position in the sky during the Balsamic Moon phase].

Astronomically, we track Venus’ synodic period as follows:

• Day 0: Venus moves just far enough ahead of the Earth in its orbit so that it re-appears in the morning sky and begins a new synodic period. At this point, Venus is about 10 degrees from the Sun and can be seen by careful observation just before the Sun rises in the east. Venus will rise earlier and earlier each day, getting further and further ahead of the Sun, and higher and higher in the sky at sunrise, until…
• Day 65: Venus is about 46 degrees ahead of the Sun in the morning sky. Now she begins to rise later each day, moving back toward the Sun’s glare at sunrise until
• Day 247: Venus makes its last appearance as the Morning Star. Now she begins to move behind the Sun as seen from Earth, and so becomes hidden from view (as if invisible).
• Day 286: Venus is behind the Sun and cannot be seen from Earth. This point is called her superior conjunction.
• Day 325: Venus has moved far enough away from the Sun to be seen again, this time as the Evening Star. At this point, Venus is about 10 degrees away from the Sun and can be seen by careful observation just after the Sun sets in the west. Venus then sets later and later each day, getting further and further behind the Sun, and higher and higher in the sky at sunset, until
• Day 507: Venus is about 46 degrees behind the Sun in the evening sky. Now she begins to set earlier each day, moving back toward the Sun’s glare at sunset until…
• Day 572: Venus makes her last appearance as the Evening Star. Now she begins to move in front of the Sun, as seen from Earth, and so becomes hidden from view.
• Day 578: Venus is in front of the Sun and cannot be seen from Earth. This point is called inferior conjunction.
• Day 584: Venus re-appears in the morning sky, ending the previous synodic period and begins the next one. In the meantime, Earth has moved through one full orbit (1 year or 365 days) and three-fifths of another (about 219 days). In that same time, Venus has moved through two of its own orbits and three-fifths of another.”

Above from: DaleDellutri.com website

Venus, astrologically, represents our Desire Body – what does our heart truly Desire, so feelingly, we attract it to us? Be it a person, thing or event. Be it positive and/or negative. Venus rules both Taurus (fixed earth sign) and Libra (cardinal air sign). Here we choose to create something tangible on our own (Taurus) or, we choose to create something meaningful in partnership and through relationship with someone else (Libra). Or both! We Love this idea, notion, inspiration so much that we have to DO something to bring it to fruition.

Remember: Taurus is FIXED, meaning we can be stubbornly avoiding any or all change that is bubbling up from Within. The situation can be so loud and perhaps painful, yet we avoid changing our habits, our thoughts, our actions until Fate or Destiny does it for us! Scorpio is the opposite sign to Taurus – here our deeply hidden fears, lack of trust, and feelings of being rejected can lie.

Libra is CARDINAL, meaning we NEED to do something different this time round – we MUST make changes to let go of habits, thoughts and actions that kept us smaller and in the dark before now. ARIES is the opposite sign to Libra (!) and we now see how this current Venus synodic journey with the overtone of Aries will impact HOW we all do relationships and partnerships within the coming 19 months, healing the distorted Ego version of “all about me, at all costs!” archetype.

In Shamanic Astrology, we find the following:

•  “Venus in a Woman’s chart: signifies what version of the feminine principle she is working on in the current life. A woman’s Venus answers Freud’s famous question, “What does woman want?” In Shamanic Astrology, there are 12 different answers, depending upon what Venus position [sign she is in] the woman has.
• Venus in a Man’s chart: signifies what qualities of the feminine principle he is most attracted to. Similar to Jung’s anima, Venus is associated with the “magical feminine.” These are qualities of the feminine the man must develop within himself in order to get the sacred marriage – this is when he walks with the qualities of his inner woman on his arm at all times, regardless of whom he is with, or whether he is with anyone at all.”

Above from: The Shamanic Astrology Handbook, page 94

Each 19-month journey Venus makes is repeated FIVE times within an 8-year period. At the end of this period her path during those 8 years in the sky creates what is called the Cosmic Pentagram, the 5-pointed star. See the graphic I created below:

Venus' Synodic 8-Year Journey of 19-month Returns

The dates within the graphic signify when Venus started a new 19-month journey, on Day 0, and the degree and sign she did so. Note that Venus began this journey in Capricorn back in 2014 and will end this particular 8-year synodic journey in Capricorn in 2022, completing a circle of healing regards to how we Desire our material needs and gains and goals.

Astrologically, all of us experience a synodic Venus Return near our birthday (when Venus returns with the Sun, as she did at our birth) at the following ages:

8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80, 88, 96  and 104 (if we live this long!)

If you are at one of the above ages at the time of any current Venus’ Synodic Returns, this means you will undergo significant changes deep within your inner feminine self. What you previously knew to be true re: Love, Relationships/Partnerships, what you TRULY Desire for yourself and your life – any or all of this will change. Be you woman or man – Venus works equally with all genders.

The Venus Synodic Journey brings forth five different meta-goddesses within each 8-year period. Each meta-goddess is brought forth, as an archetype or overtone, within the astrological sign she is in on Day 0 as the Morning Star.

The previous 19-month synodic period of Venus began August 22, 2015 in the fixed fire sign of LEO at 19 degrees. The meta-goddess archetype brought forth for all of us to experience was Sekhmet – the Egyptian Lion Goddess. To become a leader in her own right, leading from the heart (not the Ego) with humour, fun and play, to create that which the world needed at the time. Leading within a team, within community. Yet fighting to the death, if needed, to stand her ground and acquire what she desired for the good of all. Interestingly, this synodic period ended in March 2017, signified by the March on Washington in the USA: “I am woman, hear me roar!”

We began the current 19-month Venus’ synodic journey March 31, 2017 in the cardinal fire sign of ARIES at 01 degrees. The meta-goddess archetype now, coming away from the fixed fire of Leo (dealing with the details, as Queen) to embrace cardinal fire (initiating new change as Warrior) continues with the Egyptian fire Goddess Sekhmet – now seated on her throne as Queen – to wield much-needed change within what the ARIES archetype brings forth. We have now moved from Queen, to the ‘Wild Woman Warrior’ archetype.

PART II: In this series, I bring forth the mythology of the Venus Synodic Journey stemming from as long ago as the time of the Sumerians and Babylonians (Mesopotamia) as she journeys through the skies, meeting up with either the waning Crescent Moon (Balsamic Moon phase) or the waxing Crescent Moon (Crescent Moon phase) seven times, corresponding with our chakras along the way for much-needed healing and balancing.