As one of the inner planets, Venus represents aspects of the psyche that are overt or conscious. What we love, how we love it & why we love it are all a part of the Venus function within the self.

Traditionally, astrologers regarded Venus as a ‘benefic’, an energy that was positive. Today, we moderns understand that any energy has both proactive & reactive elements in its make-up. Venus can certainly enhance anything that it touches but, as with anything, there is a dark side to Venus. Love can become obsessive, manipulative, all-encompassing. Desire can turn into militancy if not consciously understood.

Venus is connected to two zodiac signs, Taurus & Libra. The Taurus side of Venus focuses on the internal dynamics of this function while the Libra side externalizes it.

In Libra, Venus seeks to create comfort with others. There is a need for balance which, in the area of inter-relationships often involves negotiation & compromise. When executed successfully, peace is the end result. And so it is, that Venus is often linked both to earthy pleasures, (Taurus) and cooperative conviviality & aesthetic refinement (Libra).

The mythology of Venus, as we understand it, is centered around love, passion, sacrifice, loss & reconciliation for the most part.  We can dip into the Inanna stories, the Demeter/Persephone stories, two of the most commonly known extrapolations of the Venus journey to get a sense of this. However, we can also dig a little deeper & discover a very different understanding of Venus within the Aztec mythology. It’s worth the time & effort to do so. The Aztecs understood the darker side of the Venus principle & regularly made blood sacrifices to this fearsome deity. Ponder that. How is sacrifice, death & sorrow connected to pleasure, love & satisfaction? As mentioned previously, all energy is dualistic in nature. Nothing is all good or all bad.

Part of the Venus cycle, as with most of the planets, involves a period of time when the planet is understood to be moving ‘retrograde’. We have all experienced the sometimes irritable conditions associated with the planet, Mercury’s retrograde movement. That occurs about three times every year. Venus, on the other hand, goes retrograde once every 18 months. This year, in December, we are due for a Venus retrograde!

When Venus retrogrades, the focus on values & deep heart-based impulses is turned inward. We can experience ‘buyer’s remorse’ in regards to established relationships. We might reconsider the essence of our value systems & might reflect on how we could amend our values to better reflect our current state of mind. The most successful humans are those who understand that the only constant is change, & if realized, transformation. After all, the end of the journey is the greatest of all transformations, one so profound that the great thinkers of this reality have spent countless hours pondering it & attempting to articulate it. No matter what your own thoughts on this final transformative process are, you, & for that matter, all of us, will not be able to avoid it. It is one of the two common elements that we all share & experience, birth to life & death into transformation.

The retrograde of Venus can also signal a time when something, either material, emotional, mental, or spiritual may be rekindled; when something ‘lost’ might be found. On the densest of levels, this could be an object of personal worth that resurfaces after a long absence. Emotionally, it could be the rekindling of an old love that heals & completes an unfinished personal drama. Mentally, the cognitive mind might be re-infused with clarity about some long-held but overlooked idea. Spiritually, we might re-dedicate ourselves to an old ritual of worship or service that has been neglected or absent-mindedly laid aside. It’s always interesting to track ourselves & see what it is that we, individually, may have misplaced or forgotten!

Venus begins her retrograde through Capricorn on December 19, 2021, & stations direct on January 29, 2022, covering Capricorn 27-Capricorn 12. Let’s take a lyrical journey through these degrees of the zodiac by examining the Sabian Symbols associated with each degree as Venus retraces her steps.

December 19, 2021 (RX) March 2, 2022 (D)

27* Capricorn: The path we take is our choice to take & in the highest of expressions, it is like “a mountain pilgrimage” where the path, at times, might be steep but the goal is clarity & freedom standing at the top, able to view the grand vista below. Make your feet humble & take the ‘holy road’ into the heart.

December 24, 2021 (RX) February 28, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Pluto exact (12.24.2021-12.27.2021)**

26* Capricorn: As we follow our path, we must strive to connect with the natural world, with raw energy, with the essence of life. We must polish our intuitive selves so that, just like “a water sprite”, we can easily connect to true knowing, innate wisdom that springs from source & not from man-made artifice.

December 28, 2021 (RX) February 27, 2022 (D)

25* Capricorn: We should surround ourselves with precious things that reflect our values & reinforce what we hold to be dear & true. Just like “an oriental rug dealer”, we must attempt to determine the worth of everything in our lives, test out whether what we hold to be dear is authentic & holds real value or not.

December 30. 2021 (RX) February 26, 2022 (D)

24* Capricorn: There is always a need for times of retreat so that we can refine our senses & draw healing energy. The self needs respite on a regular basis so we must be like “a woman entering a convent” and take time for ourselves, to reconsider, to reflect, to refine, to reinvent all that we are & all that we can be.

January 2, 2022 (RX) February 24, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Mars in Capricorn exact ***

23* Capricorn: The journey of LIFE can be both fulfilling & arduous in that fulfillment. We can walk with ease when we recognize that any challenge can be met if we cultivate courage & bravery in the face of that challenge. We can then expect “two awards for bravery in war”, one that comes in an external form through victory and honour & one that is realized privately deep within the realized self, an inner sense of having fought the good fight & run the race to the finish.

January 3, 2022 (RX) February 23, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Mars in Capricorn exact***

22*Capricorn: There is a time for all things under the heavens, a time for victory & a time for defeat. We must refine our inner understanding of where we are in the stream of time. If it is necessary, we must be like “a general accepting defeat gracefully”, knowing that the wheel of circumstance will inevitably turn yet again & our position will also inevitably change from one which acknowledges defeat to one that rejoices in victory. To be humble, to have humility is one of the greatest lessons this life teaches us.

January 5, 2022 (RX) February 22, 2022 (D)

21* Capricorn: In truth, we are running “a relay race”, not a sprint. We must always consider the consequences of our actions, not only in this current lifetime but also in subsequent lifetimes. All actions have equal reactions and so the karmic promise is fulfilled. Do your best to pursue peace & goodness & peace & goodness will follow you & keep you safe. Do wrong & evil will pursue you relentlessly.

January 7, 2022 (RX) February 20, 2022 (D)

20* Capricorn: We are not alone. Whether we subscribe to the knowledge that there exists a spirit realm or we are focused only on this mortal realm, we are many, surrounded by others. For those of us who sense the presence of the spirit realm, we can be assured that support is available; that there is “a hidden choir singing” in the background & the song that they are singing is one filled with blessing for us. There is more to life than merely that which we can see with our physical eyes.

January 9, 2022 (RX) February 18, 2022 (D)

19* Capricorn: We must never become down-hearted with the burdens that we bear. Yes, it is true that at times we feel like “a child of about five with a huge bag of shopping” to carry so that we are overwhelmed with our load. But if we pause and ponder the mystery that is life, we realize that we are never burdened with more than we can bear at any given time. So, whatever the challenge, the sorrow, the difficulty, we can overcome it, we can endure it, we can work through it. In time, all things pass & the path is taken, one step at a time.

January 10, 2022 (RX) February 17, 2022 (D)

18* Capricorn: All in all, we are not alone in this journey called LIFE. How important it is to ‘find our tribe’, like-minded folk who can support us & join us. We humans have always banded together under banners like “the Union Jack” to celebrate alliance, togetherness, commonality. It is a good thing, a thing to be sought & found, this commonality of perspective, principle & purpose.

January 12, 2022 (RX February 15, 2022 (D)

17* Capricorn: Pure & unrefined honesty can be a fearful position for some of us. It’s hard to speak the truth, to be naked in the eyes of others, just as we are and yet, anything less can leave us feeling cheap & deceitful. Perhaps, we need to exercise some judgment, like “a girl surreptitiously bathing in the nude”, and exercise a bit of judgment before we allow others who might not understand our truth to hear the whole of it. Let us be cautious as serpents while still retaining the innocence of doves.

January 14, 2022(RX) February 13, 2022 (D)

16* Capricorn: The self is made up of a variety of layers of being, the physical, the mental, the emotional & the spiritual. We must care diligently for all of these various levels of being since they form the pathway to the soul which is the element that exists both within them all & more importantly beyond them all. We must be like “boys & girls in gymnasium suits”, always at the ready to exercise wisely, to maintain health & well-being on all of these levels so that the channel of energy can flow from soul to self & self to soul unhindered.

January 15, 2022 (RX) February 11, 2022 (D)

15* Capricorn: As we walk this pathway of life, we should cultivate the demeanor of kindness, grace & peace. Say a silent blessing to all who cross your path. Who knows the suffering of any other? Does that other know our own suffering? If we keep in mind that we all have burdens to bear & challenges to face, we will certainly look kindly to those who we encounter. We will be more generous with both our forgiveness & our effort on their behalf. It is the giving spirit that can contribute “many toys in the children’s ward of a hospital” & it is the giving spirit that can exercise itself on behalf of those less fortunate. How can we meet the needs of those who cannot help themselves? There is no one or right response. Each of us must look deep within ourselves to find our own unique answer.

January 17, 2022 (RX) February 8, 2022 (D)

14* Capricorn: Each of us carries within us a lasting legacy that has been built over numerous lives. Or, at the very least over the course of the life that we are all living. It is like “an ancient bas-relief carved in granite”, enduring, impervious to rapid change. What is the theme in our personal ‘bas-relief’? Are we content with this representation of all that we have done, that which we leave behind? In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

                “Lives of great men all remind us

                We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time”

January 20, 2022 (RX) February 5, 2022 (D)

13* Capricorn:  The universe is a powerful ally. We are powerfully allied to this awesome force. Each one of us must be like “a fire worshipper”, passionate, dedicated, focused on that which we know to be authentic, true, just, right. Nothing should deter us from our path; our eyes must stay fixed on the undying flame of creative self-expression. If we choose to deny our inner truth, we will be burned by the very fire that we seek to embody.

January 23-29, 2022 (RX) January 29-February 4, 2022 (D)

12* Capricorn

The end & the beginning of our journey into our deepest nature. What have we discovered from our inner meditation on all that we value, all that we love, all that we pursue with passion & determination? Our journey into the very heart of our being should lead us into a greater understanding of ‘natural law’, of the organics of everything, of how to live in harmony & holistically with NATURE, herself, our mother who gave & gives us life. We must be like “a student of NATURE lecturing” to any & all who would listen. It is imperative that we all seek a better way to be alive in this critical time of shift. What is ONE THING that YOU can do to align yourself more closely with authentic human existence? It’s a question we should all seek the answer to. (Note that Venus lingers at this degree while she is ‘stationary direct’ for several days. Take the time to get your portfolio of wisdom organized & at the ready. We all have a lot of work to do to reset the damage done over the last few years by those who have no regard for honour, truth, or spirit.)

The “homework” you can do based on the above descriptions is to meditate on the Sabian Symbol connected to each degree of Capricorn on the days noted. How does the essence of that lyrical symbol demonstrate itself in YOUR life? Can you concretize any of the ideals contained in each symbol? It’s a fun self-developmental process that can open up the various chakra centers of your being.

** These days (and the weeks or so before and after the specified dates) can be transformative on a spiritual level. You could experience breakthroughs in regards to self-understanding, re-alignment of core values, a deeper understanding of your own inner moral compass & how it operates in the world of material reality. Be tender with yourself during this time period & especially be forgiving of those around you. Turn the other cheek instead of putting up your fists!

***These days & a few on either side can be rocket charged when it comes to passion & love. Give yourself permission to let your hair down. Take a leap into a new relationship or re-ignite some passion in an old one. Be sexy, be loving, be willing…have some fun!

 

 

The Venus Affirmation

I embrace the goddess of love

In every way

On every day

And my heart is healed & happy

Blessed Be