“The orbit of Venus is inside the orbit of Earth, and is relatively close to the Sun in the sky. When Venus is on one side of the Sun, she is trailing the Sun in the sky and brightens into view shortly after the Sun sets, when the sky is dark enough for her to be visible. When Venus is at her brightest, she becomes visible just minutes after the Sun goes down. This is Venus as the Evening Star.
When Venus is on the other side of the Sun, she leads the Sun as it travels across the sky. Venus will rise in the morning a few hours before the Sun. Then, as the Sun rises, the sky brightens and Venus fades away in the daytime sky. This is Venus as the Morning Star.
The ancient Greeks and Egyptians thought Venus was two separate objects – a morning star and an evening star. The Greeks called the morning star Phosphoros,“the bringer of light” and they called the evening star Hesporos, “the star of the evening.” A few hundred years later the Hellenistic Greeks realized that Venus was actually a single object in the sky.”
Above quoted from: Fraser Cain, December 19, 2008 – “Venus, The Morning Star and the Evening Star”
“The Synodic Cycle of Venus is 584 days [19 months] from one conjunction with the Sun to the next one. There are exactly 5 Venus cycles in every 8 years, and the significant points migrate slowly retrograde (Rx) through the signs of the Zodiac. This means every 8 years the same Rx loop occurs at the same time of year, covering the same degrees of the Zodiac.
Psychologically, the Venus Synodic Journey, when Rx, represents a time of the most profound maturing of the Soul through the purification of the heart. We are invited to include that which has been excluded, to make amends internally, to seek forgiveness and to process unfinished business so that we may be renewed and released.”
Above quoted from: Melanie Reinhart’s compilation, “The Cycle of Venus” 2017
CURRENT 2017 VENUS SYNODIC JOURNEY DETAILS:
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| Heart Rocks, Sheep River, Okotoks 2016 |
Venus Stationed Retrograde (SR) March 4, 2017 at 13 degrees of Aries 08’ – here is when we underwent a purification of the heart – via the themes of Aries – assertion vs. aggression, action vs. non-action, pioneering vs. stagnation, warrior vs. pacifist (not to say ‘war’ here; it is more of standing up for what you truly believe, in the moment, onward). What changes have you undergone since March?
Venus Set as Evening Star (ES) March 21, 2017 at 07 degrees of Aries 01’ (still Rx – retrograde – inward-drawing energy) ending the Hesperus side of Venus - like the waning hemicycle of the lunation or Moon cycle (Full Moon to New Moon) – here we disseminated and extracted the meaning of all the emotional insights we gained whilst Venus was the Morning Star (MS) - August 22, 2015 until April 30, 2016.
Think back to this period of the previous Venus Synodic Journey within the Overtone/Archetype of the Feminine within fixed fire of LEO – the Queen/King of the mountain, leadership from the heart rather than Ego, via fun and play, creativity – as a team (vs. hierarchy) - and romance. Emotionally, what was missing from your life from this list? What has your heart desired to incorporate ever since? Did you ‘lead by example’ in some way?
Venus, still Rx, ‘kissed’ the Sun (conjunct the Sun) March 25, 2017 at 04 Aries 57’ – here Venus/Inanna regained her vital energy – her Soul self – to live again and begin her ascent up from the Underworld. How did this re-vitalization come to be in your life? What action/activity renewed itself for you? Remember, Venus was still Rx, therefore this energy was coming from Within you, not Without or outside of yourself.
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| Gibbous Moon + Jupiter 2017 |
Venus Rose as Morning Star (MS) March 31, 2017 at 01 degrees Aries 34’ Rx - Here Venus / Phosphoros brings to light emotion and evaluation to be infused with a new quality of will and purpose – gradually, over this next whole NEW 584.5-day journey of Venus. With a NEW Overtone/Archetype of the Fierce Feminine within the cardinal (initiating NEW / renewed action) fire of ARIES – WILD WOMAN WARRIOR! These next 19 months we’ll be dismantling the old way of how we are BEing, while DOing, Aries.
Much of old patriarchy orientation of being Aries will be removed, healed, renewed. Moving away from the more violent overlays of:
- Bloodthirsty
- Conquering
- I can do this all by myself! I don’t need your help!
- Wearing emotional/mental, or even physical armour (overweight), just to survive – especially for women in the workplace.
- Fighting just for fighting’s sake
- Let’s just make money – and fight over this too!
- Being brittle and/or rigid – ‘my way or the highway’ type of thinking and action.
We will replace as much of the above-noted overlays with:
- What the essence of TRUE Aries strength is – a combination of the feminine AND the masculine!
- More of: Flow, Change, and bring in Vulnerability, Strength and Courage
- Restoring Cosmic Balance, for the Good of All!
- Protect what needs to be Protected
- Support what needs to be Supported – at this time…
- To BE Strong AND Female/feminine all at the same time!
The Wild Woman Warrior archetype/overtone has been repressed and denied in recent cultures all over the world. It is interesting the new movie, “Wonder Woman” will be in theatres here in North America June 6th. Here is the depiction of the Virgin Amazon version of the Wild Woman Warrior! According to Shamanic Astrology, the Amazon archetype is “her identity is based upon her accomplishments and achievements.” How men have been identifying themselves all this time.
The added Virgin archetype is “she is complete unto herself, she doesn’t have to be with anyone to know who she is. She is a courageous defender of the Cosmic Order. She does what she wants; don’t tell her what to do. Honour her independence, freedom, and ability to play.”
This is also the original meaning of ‘virgin’ of which the mutable earth sign of VIRGO is named from. Interesting! And timely. Hence why it is deemed that the energy of Virgo feeds Aries. If we don’t know who we are, male or female, how can we take courageous action in our life, world or family to get what we want, and desire (Venus) moving the fears that have blocked our way forward before now?
And the energy of Aries feeds Scorpio – if we don’t have the COURAGE to look deeply into our Ego’s fears, then how can we overcome the inner mental/emotional blockages that hold us back from being our True Aries self?
Remember:all of us have the 12 signs of the Zodiac within our charts. Therefore, I think of Astrology as being natural and multi-faceted – just as each heartbeat who lives here on Earth is!
Some will have key sensitive points in Aries – either your Sun, Moon, Rising Sign, North Node/South Node or Midheaven – or some of the other planets therein.
People who are Aries or Libra (opposite sign to Aries – you will need to create an ‘AND’ between this duality) or Capricorn/Cancer (both square off to Aries – creating tension/stress Within to create much-needed inner change) will be directly affected by this new Venus Synodic Journey through Aries begun March 31, 2017.
Those of us in the other fire signs – Leo and Sagittarius – will find it an easier time. As if you are stepping into your power somehow. Just don’t overdo it – burning people up with your renewed fire isn’t the way to go! Be invigorated, yet steady and balanced.
Those in the other air signs – Gemini and Aquarius– will find a breath of fresh air coming in as oxygen to fuel their Inner fires! Gemini may become action-oriented vs. just talking about it, and Aquarius finds much-needed community-oriented outlets to create within – rebel WITH a cause perhaps?
Those of us in the fixed and mutable water/earth signs – Scorpio and Pisces, plus Virgo and Taurus - may find a renewed sense of energy, courage and fight we wouldn’t normally have. These next 19 months we will see a wave of activism across the planet on many fronts.
Virgo and Scorpio signs will need to let go of old, outworn patterns and conditioning of perfectionism (Virgo) and the unwillingness to change (Scorpio) those Ego-Self habits of fear! Too much fire will sap any water sign’s vitality – so watch that ‘energizer bunny’ ability my water folk! You’re not wired to keep on keeping on endlessly!
Fire and earth can stir up a dust-storm or add much-needed oxygen to enhance the courage to manage all those details in life that might have bogged you down before now. Effortless action to climb higher than before with goals and insights can be the order of the day!
Venus Stationed Direct (SD) April 15, 2017 – bringing forth Outward directed energy after our long ascent up from the Underworld we traversed between August 3, 2016 and February 28, 2017. Now we seem to ‘see’ and ‘know’ what our next steps in life are to be!
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| Okotoks Front Garden 2016 |
As Morning Star, Venus has begun her descent into the Underworld (read my PART II post for the Venus/Inanna story). During the previous Moon cycle (March 26 – April 25, 2017) we began our own journey of descent, removing our Crown via the Crown chakra – Gate 1 of Authority – during the Balsamic Moon phase – April 23rd– at 28 degrees of Pisces. This is when Venus connected with the Moon, during this Moon phase, in the sky.
Pisces, with Neptune, rules over our connection to the Divine, our Spirituality, how we see ourselves beyond this physical realm of Earth. Remember, we are removing distortions of how we have connected with our godhood. It is more than just a god – it is also the goddesshood – the goddess. We bring in a balance of the feminine and masculine here.
Within the Crown chakra resides the hypothalamus and pineal glands. The Sun rules these glands. The Crown chakra is about our Higher Will, Active Self, and how aware we are of self, then others. The main issues we address through this chakra are our spirituality, relationship to God/Goddess/Tao and the universal simplex.
Think back to April 25, 2017 until today, May 22nd, the current Moon cycle’ Balsamic Moon phase, now in Aries. Have you begun a NEW spiritual practice? Something more attuned to your feminine side? Are you balancing it out with the masculine? Feminine is receiving – via meditation, downloading insights via intuition, waiting, and listening deep Within.
The Masculine is acting – doing yoga, going for walks or hikes, being out in Nature to listen for the inspiration emanating from all living and growing things around you. From this inspiration, we gain energy to CREATE something new in our lives. This is the cycle of life here on Earth.
What has changed, perhaps subtly, perhaps loud and clearly, in your spiritual practice from passing through Gate 1 of the Crown chakra? When unbalanced, we lack inspiration, are aimless, feel lonely, create excessive materialism, lack spiritual connection, have difficulty meditating (!), are exhausted, sensitive to light/sounds, have poor sleep habits, migraines or tension headaches. The mantra OM helps to clear these distortions while meditating. [Chakra information gleaned from the Chopra Center]
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| Haloed Full Moon, Nanaimo |
Today’s Balsamic Moon is at 16 degrees Aries 41’ as of 8:38a MDT. This is Gate 2 of our Perception – removing our Royal Staff. Here we learn to remove any distortions from our Brow or 3rdEye Chakra. Within Aries, this means the patriarchy perception that Aries must be violent in all ways, always, will be removed somehow from your Inner Seeing eye. Perhaps you’ve carried Within yourself a stick that you beat yourself up with when you’ve denied yourself chances to take a risk, or action, that could have changed your life?
Instead of using a stick, why not drink from the Cup of Courageous instead? A gentler yet supportive way to help your Ego-Self take a deep breath and JUMP into a leap of faith, and trust you WILL land in the right and proper spot, designed just for YOU! Look for the cosmic longitude of this Balsamic Moon phase within your natal chart to find the House that holds the challenge for you within your life where you’ve been holding yourself back somehow.
Call me for a reading if you are interested in finding out how to navigate your chart, become familiar with it, and as an extension, familiar with yourself! I’m in Calgary, AB Canada at 1-587-353-8085 or myhouseofastrology 'at' shaw.ca via email.
Each Balsamic Moon phase brings forth something we need to let go of, from Within, that has been holding us back from being our true authentic self in some way.Because this Balsamic Moon phase is in Aries, it is most likely an action-oriented step that you usually miss at this juncture. Asserting yourself with another? Taking yourself out of your comfort zone? Going for a walk alone, or out to dinner alone? Something that doesn’t deny you your true independence – being strong within yourself, FOR yourself and you alone!
The 3rd Eye or Brow Chakra is where our pituitary gland resides behind the forehead.It is co-ruled by Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (constriction) via the posterior pituitary / anterior pituitary glands. The pituitary gland is the Master Gland of the endocrine system of your physical body. Its secretions regulate all the other endocrine glands. This gland represents one’s ability to coordinate the different aspects of one’s Life, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Problems within the endocrine system represent difficulty doing this. [If any of you have hormonal issues, this could be why] Many of us have compartmentalized our life – different areas of your life are separated from one another. How do you now weave them together to have a better flow between and betwixt?
The pituitary gland is linked with the Hypothalamus, also located in the brain, whose function is to maintain homeostasis in the physical body. This is the body’s way to return automatically to its level of highest functioning. Metaphysically, this means aligning the frequencies of the physical and energetic bodies to homeostatically return to one’s highest spiritual functioning. [from: CompassionateDragon.com]
The Brow Chakra is about self-reflective awareness and memory, our intuition, creative intelligence, clarity of sight (insight) and wisdom. The Body/Mind connection – we are MORE than just a brain and logic! It is so Aries to think all about ME and to leap before thinking of where you are leaping to. Aries rules the head, cranium / cerebrum (motor skills), face, eyes and nerves. Headaches, epilepsy, neuralgia, rashes on the face – all stem from an over-active Aries and being unbalanced with your inner fire too. Being impatient with self and others, needing to do things by yourself and denying help from others, to act willy-nilly without forethought as to consequences down the road – all of this is the unbalanced Aries energy.
Imbalances here include: poor intuition, lack of concentration, impaired judgement, confusion, depression, headaches, trouble sleeping or nightmares. The Brow Chakra is ruled by the Moon. The mantra SHAM helps you to trust your intuition and follow its wisdom and to understand the true meaning of life’s situations.
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| Okotoks, AB 2017 |
The co-rulers of the pituitary gland within the Brow chakra - Jupiter and Saturn – here’s where Astrology is so magical! Jupiter wishes to expand our boundaries beyond our comfort zones, and Saturn wants to constrict, keep us safe from harm, due to prior fears brought up in us as children. Notice how this corresponds with Gate 2 of Venus/Inanna’s descent into the Underworld. What aspects of expansion/constriction are distorting this chakra in you? How are you unable to weave all areas of your life together to create an ‘AND’ or whole, yet separate, area of your life?
This is what we will be working on between this Balsamic Moon phase/Gate 2 and the next Balsamic Moon phase/Gate 3 coming June 20th in Taurus.
Enjoy this next Balsamic Moon to Balsamic Moon journey with Venus, your Desire Body, through this second Gate as we slowly descend together to the Underworld where we will all ‘die’ to some aspect of what was our previous Desire Body/loving heart. During every Balsamic Moon phase, of every Moon cycle, you’ve already been 'dying' to some aspect of Self, either consciously or unconsciously. Through Venus, we are healing our emotional natures via the heart – to be more loving with Self, and others. To be more authentically ME, so that I can also do the WE authentically too!
BLESSED BE!
Note:I have combined Medical Astrology + Chakra wisdom + the extensive research I did in 2016 on the Endocrine System/glandular relationships to Astrology herein. All to show how multi-faceted Astrology is, and by extension, you are too! We are all connected via the planets and luminaries, chakras, each other and energy fields we live within. Believe it.
Photo Credits: Laurie Rae Rezanoff
