The Flow! Venus Also Rises edition is now available here.
As before, I was invited by Jaxpagan to start crossposting my weekly blog and I hope you enjoy it. I realize not everyone appreciates astrological analysis, and have no intention of debating it's merits, beyond the statement made by Sir Isaac Newton to Edmund Halley "I have studied it, sir, and you have not!" I offer it as is, in peace, for those who can appreciate it.
This week is all about magnificent Venus, not quite yet visible after sunset, but soon to grace us with her radiant beauty from now until next Spring in the evening sky. We are in for a treat!
This Saturday, she entered Scorpio and changes nature as different as a light bonbon is to heavy bourbon.
Plus, who knew? Both Venus and the Earth dance around the zodiac in near perfect pentagrams!
Mid-week is apt to be a bit challenging both with the Full Moon on Tuesday and a bunch of aspects on Thursday not least of which is a come-to-Jesus Sun-Saturn conjunction for which we are prompted to take care of our duties and responsibilities.
If you like the diary, you might enjoy visiting the full blog, there are some nifty graphics and pictures of Venus, Venus' orbit in relation to Earth's, and an upcoming conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter that should be quite beautiful.
All this and more in the Daily Details!
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Blessings,
The Flow is a weekly blog published to better understand the flow of astrological, celestial, and magickal energies for the week, and how best to use them. It is intended for those with little knowledge of astrology.
For newcomers, the idea is to consider celestial influences as part of a larger whole, or the Flow. All too often, astrologers tend to write about astrological events as if each were an isolated specimen as if pulled out of the sky and analyzed by itself – and there is no dearth of astrological sites on the net that write that way. Here, it is the movement and interactions that are important and form the basis of discussion.
If any of the material is unclear or unfamiliar to you, it is probably unfamiliar to others as well, please leave a comment and I will be glad to answer your questions.
If you like what you see, please share it with friends! If you would like to get email notifications for when The Flow! is updated, or have a private question please email me at skywatcher888@yahoo.com. Thank you!
The Flow! is updated every Sunday.
Please note: all times are in the Pacific Timezone.
This week’s synopsis: Venus Also Rises
Ah, Venus! Queen of the evening and morning sky, goddess of love, beauty, and romance, she is also sister planet to mother Earth. I guess that makes her the auntie planet.
The very word Venus in Latin meant love and sexual desire, and is related to the words venerari, to honor or try to please, and venia grace and favor. But before we get too far down the road of traipsing through the tulips, the word is also related to venenum, meaning poison and where we get the word venom. Our lady is not always a beacon of sweetness and light.
Venus was also claimed as the patroness of the Roman clan Julii, as in Julius Caesar. Who, if the historical accounts are to be trusted, was quite skilled in the romantic arts. Wagging tongues of his time used to call him (though probably not to his face) “every woman’s man, and every man’s woman.” That is one way to win an empire.
Venus may have gotten her start in life from the Etruscan goddess Turan, goddess of love and vitality. Her name came from the word to rule, revealing who wore the pants in Etruscan families.
After the Romans conquered them, they positively swooned over everything Greek, and Venus more or less became Aphrodite with a coliseum. Though open to conjecture, the name Aphrodite is traditionally believed to come from the word for foam, which is why she is often shown ready to be baked in the half-shell.
Astrologically, Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces, and rules the signs of Taurus and Libra.
With Pisces, Venus shows her oceanic origins and makes Pisceans sensitive, emotional, and moody. She also gives them a strong need to be loved, and an ability to relate to people of all stations, backgrounds, and levels of education. A Piscean can hang with presidents or paupers without missing a beat.
With Taurus, she is an earth goddess, symbolizing fertility, fecundity, and fruitfulness. Venus’ gifts of sensuality also give the sign an ability to enjoy the good things in life to the fullest. Contented cows, and all that.
With Libra, she takes on a more refined air, symbolizing the fine arts, harmony, and intimate relationships. Venus here tends to give Librans a keen sense of beauty, an appreciation of culture, and strategic prowess. After all, when you rule the battle of the sexes, you must know a thing or two about strategy.
In a birth chart, when Venus is a morning star and rises before the Sun, she is “Venus Lucifer,” bringer of light, and promotes new values, ideals, social structures, and ways of looking at life. When Venus is an evening star and rises after the Sun (like it is beginning to do now), she is “Venus Hesperus,” the evening star, and tends to be more deliberate and reflective with values and feelings.
In fact, the very Ancient Greeks thought Lucifer and Hesperus were two completely different planets until convinced otherwise by the Babylonians. The Babylonians knew they were a single planet and had named it for their goddess of sexuality, Ishtar. I can just imagine some poor Greek astrologer throwing up their hands in resignation, “Alright, alright already, you win, it’s one planet! No, what’d you say you call it, Ishtar? Then fine, we’ll call it after our goddess Aphrodite. Happy, now?”
But as interesting as Venus is astrologically, she is glorious as a planet in the sky. No other comes close to her brilliant radiance when she shines at her peak, being visible even in broad daylight. And though you can as yet barely make her out in the early twilight after sunset, Venus is coming. She will grace us with her presence, rising ever more prominently in the western sky at dusk until next spring, when she will slowly sink in the horizon and by this time next year transform into a morning star.
Furthermore, Venus’ orbital relationship with the Earth is amazing. Not only is the relationship between the distance of Venus and the Earth’s from the Sun the famous golden ratio, but as Venus and the Earth travel around the Sun, they make almost perfect pentagrams!
Conjunctions of Venus and the Earth happen in almost exactly the same spot of the zodiac every eight years, and occur in patterns of five equally spaced conjunctions every 584.4 days. This gives them an overall pattern forming orbital pentacles as the pattern moves around the zodiac every 1,100 years, give or take a decade.
It perhaps then only stands to reason that Venus was the most important planet in Mayan astrology, and was frequently depicted defeating both the Sun and Moon. The calculations of Venus’ positions provided the basis for the Mayan calendar, and were used to determine the times for such significant events as coronations and wars. Now that we are able to better able to read and decipher Mayan writing, it will be very interesting to see how the Mayans used Venus for timing these events.
And there’s perhaps no better placement than where Venus is now, in Scorpio, to exemplify that nature. In Scorpio, voluptuous, loving, and venerable Venus becomes a venerable vixen. When Venus is in Scorpio, Aphrodite becomes an Amazon with the claws of a wolverine. Deep inside is a soul that revels in an orgy of passion, heat, and lust. Love is a winner take all, hell or high water, all’s fair affair. But no one is better suited for intense intimacy or excruciating ecstasy. With Venus in Scorpio as your guide, the heart may be a lonely hunter, but there is none better at capturing quarry.
And yet on the surface, her waters are as calm and serene as a bathtub. Butter does not melt in her mouth.
Do not be fooled!
While Venus is in Scorpio we all become a bit more passionate, a bit more outspoken, a bit more fierce. We know that if there is something worth having, it is likely worth fighting for. And if there is a price to pay, we are able to judge if it is worth unsheathing our swords. This is no lolly-gagging, lounging, lolling Venus in Libra, but a powerful woman on the prowl for her prey.
Xena, not Buffy.
Venus is in Scorpio until November 2nd. It is bound to be an interesting time!
And the other big story this week…But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, no not Juliet, Jupiter!
To the Daily Details!
Sunday, October 9th
No exact aspects
The Moon is in Pisces all day. Chances are, there were lots of things going on yesterday, Saturday, and this morning is a good time to try and sort them all out. Yes, there are lots of factors involved and emotional concerns to consider, but behind it all – you know what you need to do. Do it. Or at least, prepare to make it happen. In the later afternoon, early evening your path will become clearer, so you may want to let your thoughts simmer during daylight until the light dawns within. With the Pisces Moon about to move into Aries, you may feel like a juggler with a lot of apples in the air. When each is ripe, you will know. Until then, it’s right hand to left hand, right hand to left hand…
Monday, October 10th
No major aspects
Happy Columbus Day, and Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends!
The Moon enters Aries at 5:57am, starting a new cycle as we start a new workweek. Our work is set out for us, we have our missions, and we have our marching orders. The starting gun has gone off, and the time is now. With the Full Moon coming tomorrow, comes a wave of astrological aspects that can help move us dramatically forward toward achieving goals and aspirations if we are ready to help make them happen. Don’t be upset if you happen to hit a speedbump in the early afternoon. It’s only a minor setback, and shouldn’t be made into anything more than what it actually means on the surface – i.e., don’t read more into it than you must. The evening should be relatively calm and enjoy the last night before the Full Moon.
Tuesday, October 11th
Full Moon at 19°Aries at 7:06pm
The Moon is in Aries all day. The morning hours have us feeling good and are perfect for attending to business, doing chores, or making plans, so take advantage of it while you can. As we approach the time for the Full Moon, things are likely to get a bit disruptive. Unexpected calls, emails, or news can throw a monkey wrench into your plans, but try to work around it as best you can.
There’s almost a magickal potency to this month’s Full Hunter Moon, a perfect accompaniment for Venus in Scorpio. The key to using this month’s full moon energies is to tap into the most elemental fundamental aspects of why you want to accomplish what you do that resonate with your instincts and you will find yourself within grabbing distance of capturing your prey.
This evening, however, is likely to find us feeling a bit down, depressed, or sluggish. Barely capable of the energy it takes to flip the channel on the remote let alone traipsing into the wilds of the beyond. Fear not, intrepid heart, for by the end of the week you’ll be ready to his the trails once more.
Wednesday, October 12th
Mercury trines Neptune at 3:11am
The Moon enters Taurus at 6:35pm
Do we have to get up today and go to work? There isn’t much energy or will to do much except daydream and fantasize about the weekend this morning. Our imaginations, though, are highly charged and rearing to go. I bet if you do call in to take the day off, you’re able to come up with a very creative excuse. In fact, creativity is the keyword of the morning. Anything that involves a bit of creative juices is likely to be successful. If you do happen to make it into work today and are attending any meetings, how you say something is likely to be as if not more important than what you say, so be careful of how you phrase things. For those of you who feel as if you may be in a quandary, today is a good day to let your feelings do the driving. In general, our intuitions are powerful allies all day today, and can help lead us across troubled waters.
Be wary this evening of heavy discussions (read — arguments) with loved one’s this evening. There is a very high risk of saying something you don’t really mean that could be difficult to undo later. Be the good guy, just grin a lot and let ill-intentioned remarks slide off your back. Yes, your pride may be notched, but a notched pride is better than a bended knee begging for forgiveness!
Thursday, October 13th
Venus sextiles Pluto at 12:42am
Mercury enters Scorpio at 3:52am
Sun conjoins Saturn at 2:13pm
Happy Sukkoth! Today is the Jewish celebration of the harvest.
Today is also a busy day astrologically. The morning hours are very good for finances and for researching financial investments. If you have something you wish to buy or sell, this morning is a good time to look around.
Our relationships are also like to come front and center today, and there’s rapprochement in the air. Don’t be surprised if someone unexpectedly waves an olive branch in front of your face. And if you’re wise, you’ll return it in kind. That doesn’t mean that your plans are for naught, or that it really changes things, but truce is good, truces are always good!
A lot of what is driving things today is the Sun-Saturn conjunction. Responsibilities, karma, and duties all figure very prominently into our calculations and push us to take care of affairs. If you have affairs that need to be taken care of, don’t procrastinate!
Friday, October 14th
Venus opposes Jupiter at 4:53pm
The Moon is in Taurus all day.
Repeat after me – I will keep my relationship expectations under control today. Yes, we’re all feeling a bit needy, greedy, or weary with regard to the object of our affections, but do try and find a balance between your needs and the needs of your loved one(s). A little balance and compromise can go a long way. We’re also feeling like we can take on more than might be reasonable, so you might want to reschedule that visit to the Maserati dealership. This same Venus-Jupiter aspect also puts us in a party mood, so have a great time, just be sure you don’t overdo it, and do whatever you do safely!
Saturday, October 15th
No major aspects
The Moon enters Gemini at 7:15am. The party’s still on Saturday morning, so be sure you brought your sunglasses with you last night. We have been on a string of invigorating, enjoyable, easy-peasy kind of Saturdays and today is no exception. Whatever you have planned for the day should go well, particularly spending time with loved ones doing lovely things. Take in a movie, go to a museum, visit a park, or just sipping coffee together should go a long way towards revitalizing and recharging your body, mind, and soul. You don’t need me to tell you what to do!
Enjoy!
Wishing you all a wonderful week!