The Soul of Venus
April 6, 2004 – It is important to have a secret, a premonition of t'ings* unknown. The unexpected and the incredible belong in this world. Only then is life whole.
C.G.Jung
*Caribbean for things.
Here at 1atitude 18 N 40, the FULL MOON in ARIES/LIBRA is rising over the sea, dropping a pool of moonlight on the water. The edges of palm fronds glitter and sway, as the tree frogs celebrate in full chorus. This is the equinox Full Moon, the heavenly Easter Egg.
Important messages are coming through before the end of this Moon cycle. MERCURY and VENUS are talking, from each other's signs. Mercury stepped briefly into Taurus and bows to Venus before going retrograde almost immediately, on April 6. Mercury rules Gemini in the mundane world, but Venus rules the sign of the Twins on the soul level, and will be there for an extended period of time.
Gemini sets up dualities and polarities. Black and white do not turn to gray, but interplay. The positive and negative ends of the battery make the juice flow. Venus, the goddess of Love, evokes the power of attraction to bring opposites together. It relates on the horizontal level, as in person to person. It also activates vertical polarities, such as the higher mind and the lower mind.
Venus is SO radiant! On stargazing nights, people have been asking, Is Venus brighter than usual? I'm sure it is so! Venus is just passing through the Pleaides — what a lovely sight — and then on to flirt with Mars. Venus rules
Libra and Mars rules Aries. This Full Moon lights the stage for these two planets that are getting closer and closer in the sky over the next few weeks, On April 30, they are four degrees apart. (Mercury goes direct that day as well. Such celestial coordination.) However, Venus is slowing down, and will back up, going retrograde on May 18. Isn't that just like a woman to change her mind. It isn¹t time yet, she says. She has to check on something. She is as far as she can get from the Sun and must go on retreat for emotional renewal, a beauty treatment for the soul. Look me up in December, she calls to Mars, I'll meet you in Scorpio. That sounds good to Mars, ruler of steamy, erotic Scorpio.
Meanwhile, with Venus and Mars in Gemini AND Mercury retrograde, this promises to be an interesting time for relationships of all kinds. Gemini can be a bit ambivalent about commitments. Communication is important; you might need to say things more than once. Networking, connecting with people, sharing news and information. Learning new things. Special unexpected meetings and reunions. Short journeys. Gemini is spontaneous and likes to keep options open. This is not a time to be stuck. Some things unravel. Use the Mercury retrograde to think things over, consider a fresh point of view. Where Mercury stops in your chart is where you need to feed your mind with new thoughts and images. The Sabian symbol for the Mercury retrograde degree at 2 Taurus reads:
Look to the sky for extraordinary activity. Comets are coming! Perhaps we'll have more super solar flares stirring up the Earth's electromagnetic field with auroras and flashes of insight.
By the end of May, Venus will set with the Sun and be lost in its light, on a journey to the underworld, innerworld. Venus goes retrograde every other year. Over the course of eight years, Venus makes five retrogrades, drawing a five-pointed star around the zodiac and coming back almost exactly to the same place as she started. Highly aesthetic, reminding us that Venus is goddess of the arts. Frequent museums, art galleries, music halls and theaters to get in touch with Venus.
Do you remember what was going on with you in May-June of 1996, the last time Venus went retrograde in Gemini? Wherever this happens in your chart is the second highly energized area of re-evaluation.
Venus Occultation
This year, and again eight years from now, in 2012, Venus will cross the face of the Sun. This is rare, a once-in-a-lifetime event that hasn't happened since 1882. Most of us will be able to see the small disk of Venus cross the face of the Sun. It's called an occultation. You'll be hearing lots more about this. It's the celestial event of the year, in my book. Well, two comets, a new planet and near-Earth asteroids could qualify, but I can't see that new planet or those asteroids. Venus can bring a personal and beautiful feeling. To see Venus when she is conjunct the Sun is like seeing into the soul of the goddess. She calls you inside, to tell your heart a secret. She wants you to be happy, to love yourself and others. There is the potential for some extraordinary harmony. It's something to sing about, like Gloria Estefan, a high priestess of song:
I only want to be the wind that lifts you high above the ground
Living only to unleash the sacred power that we've found.
Only want to breathe your essence, be your comfort, fill with laughter
Every moment that we live from this day on forever after.
I'll steal your heart and set it free, so free I'm sure it will astound you.
Let's be astounded with some incredible, secret, some beautiful t'ing. Let's have a premonition of love.
CHART SPECIAL
YOUR MESSAGE FROM VENUS: In honor of Venus retrograde, I'm offering a chart reading focused on the cosmic feminine. We'll discuss the Venus factor in your chart, natal placement and where it is retrograding. Asteroids and Black Moon Lilith may have something to add. One hour: $108. Through June 2004.
NOTES: I'm starting to plan my summer-fall travels, so far to the northeast, Texas and Colorado.
Editor's note: Astrologer Kelley Hunter lives on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, where she leads stargazing nights. She is astrologer-in-residence for the Self Centre at Caneel Bay Resort and for the Omega Institute winter programs in the Caribbean. Hunter recently earned her doctoral degree in an interdisciplinary combination of philosophy, cosmology and myth. For an astrological consultation or to be on her e-mail list for monthly articles, write kellhunter@earthlink.net. Explore her Web site here
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