Venus moved into Scorpio September 8, and will move into the next Zodiacal sign of Sagittarius January 7, 2011. There is more to Venus’ travels this Season and next. Venus will return back to Libra November 7 for three weeks. Three weeks is the norm Venus visits a zodiacal sign. The delightful anomaly is when Venus spends extra time in a sign—since 1962 this particular cycle has been exclusively in Scorpio. This year, Venus returns to Libra by a little over two degrees, and in eight years by almost five degrees and naturally somewhat longer than three weeks. Venus weaves her magic with the precision of a metronome.
Venus favours Libra and Scorpio for longer than usual. Venus moved into Scorpio September 8 and stays in this sign until November 7, and comes back for an encore beginning November 29 until January 7, 2011. We had even more of Venus in Scorpio back in 2002—Venus was in Scorpio exclusively September 7, 2002 to January 7, 2003. This year Scorpios need to share with Libra (and that will go on for another five decades or so, with the Libran share of Venus’ company growing). Venus was in Libra from August 6 to September 6, and she is coming back for an encore of another three weeks in November; refer to Venus’ travel schedule for details.
The upcoming Venus retrograde cycle (October 8-November 18) is one of re-evaluation. The question Venus asks is ‘do you love it’. Is it worth your effort, energy, and time to pursue what you are currently involved in? The details are to be found in our natal charts, and the suggestions in this column are based on Sun signs and the associated solar charts.
What to avoid
The period when Venus is retrograde is not ideal for purchasing something of value as in the final analysis it might have been overvalued. I personally might avoid buying a house or a business during those 5-6 weeks (October 8-November 18). On the relationship front it isn’t a great time to begin a new relationship; we might begin one for all the wrong reasons. Neither is it a good time to end a long-term relationship, we might want out for all the wrong reasons, particularly when we decide during the retrograde period rather than that the decision was made and now you knew it was time.
The changing phase
Venus is at the end of her cycle, she has been in her evening star phase for the past nine months (yes, there has to be a reason our pregnancies last nine months). This part of her cycle began January 11 when Venus and the Sun met in Capricorn, and set the agenda for the first nine months of the year. Let’s deal with practical matters, do things right—steady and slow progress, none of those get rich fast schemes. When a planet gets too far ahead of the Sun, we on Earth experience a period of retrogradation, which simply put is that the planet that got too far appears to be moving backward in the sky from our earth-bound perspective. Well, Venus will change direction astrologically speaking. Her retrograde periods, which occur at 18-month intervals, last those magical (biblical) forty days and forty nights (October 8 – November 20—that’s 41 days this time). On October 8 she makes her retrograde station. Stations in astrology increase the potency of the planet, that are the effects we may feel (the planets symbolically represent life and it’s glorious, predictable cycles) are stronger and can have extended influences on our lives. The Scorpio cycle of Venus started in 1962 and repeats every eight years. The one we experienced 18 months ago was in Aries another Mars ruled sign. Scorpio is ruled by Mars in traditional astrology.
Venus begins her Morning Star phase on October 28 with a meeting with the Sun at 5°Scorpio 30’—a New Venus. Until then we need to decide what to release, what no longer meets with our personal approval or serves our desires in life. All of the retrograde periods are review times in our lives, now the question becomes does something still hold value to you, be that your closest relationship or that brand new vehicle in the drive way. If what you have is deemed unimportant by you not others, it will be eliminated by you. Others by their actions and words will influence your thought processes, but ultimately the decisions are yours based on your own values as weighted against those of others.
We may be feeling increasing disappointment with the choices those near and dear to us appear to be making, the clashing of values can start gaining momentum now. Scorpio likes to have control and Venus in Scorpio will go to ‘battle’ for what they believe in and find of value.
Scorpio is the symbolic and literal representation of death. It is the sign which represents where we are letting go of things and issues that are no longer feasible, those that cannot survive. This is one of those “tests of time” — not everything stands up to the test of time. On a spiritual note this is a wonderful time frame to reassess your values, your needs and your desires. Do a cyclical clean up by eliminating unnecessary “clutter” from your life. Note that this is an excellent time—hey almost four months— to refocus on what you want out of the next eight years of your life in a specific area of your life.
Once Venus marches on as a Morning Star, we begin our acquisition phase of nine months. We have taken the time to re-evaluate and now we know what we want and are going after it. All of this plays out in our natal charts, which are the blueprint or pattern for our life, the analysis in the horoscopes that follow is speculative at best.
About Venus
Venus is in control of not only relationships but our money and values. She has a dominion over our assessment of ourselves and our values. Venus in our charts shows what gives us pleasure and symbolically represents our desires. Through her association with values, she has control over what we consider important and worthwhile. You cannot do something that your conscience objects to, another part of our lives Venus also “controls”; she ensures that we check in with our higher self before committing to anything.
About Scorpio energy
Scorpio on the other hand at its most extreme can be without scruples (takes one to know one, eh), Venus is not thought to be happy and function well in the sign of her detriment. Scorpio is the cloak Venus will be wearing until Epiphany on January 7, 2003, as the biblical term for the date the festive season ends implies, by then we should have got the message. (Epiphany = great revelation). Not quick and painless like the Mercury transit. This lasts long enough to make a difference, and it does repeat from 1994 and 2002—- remember those months?
Scorpio energy is intense, passionate and can be unforgiving. It is transforming energy even when weak. Good or bad, never indifferent. The symbols used for Scorpio is the scorpion, which when cornered will kill himself and the Phoenix rising from the ashes. All signs have two extreme manifestations not just Scorpio, but because Scorpio in the zodiac marks our realization of own mortality and brings us face to face with death in order to get us to accept that the body is mortal and the soul immortal, the polarity seems more noticeable. For the soul to ascend it has to transform while cloaked in a body — to put it into somewhat metaphysical terms.
Upcoming Venus events
In 2011 Aquarians get a double treat—Venus will be in Aquarius from March 1 to March 26 and again December 20, 2011 to January 13, 2012 as we prepare for another Venus cycle in 2012. That’s the next big one, Venus in Gemini from April 3-August 7, 2012. Big, because it is the second Venus occultation in our lifetime and these only occur eight times in a millennium—eight at the north Node, which for Venus is in Gemini. The previous one took place in June 2002 and before that a quarter of a Millennium ago—1761 and 1769. We get two at eight year intervals and the counterparts are at Venus’ South Node in Sagittarius; we had two occultations in 1874 and 1882. The next ones roll around in 2117 and 2125.
Copyright Anne Massey September 2010; the associated individual horoscopes are posted at Anne’s website www.astrologicallyspeaking.com/Venus2010.htm and this column will appear on her blog www.annemassey.ca. To schedule an appointment with Anne call her office at 604-574-9545 or send an email to anne@annemassey.ca
Venus schedule
- Venus in Libra August 6-September 8, 2010 and November 7-November 29, 2010
- Venus into Scorpio September 8 – November 7, 2010 and November 29, 2011-January 7, 2011
- Venus retrograde October 8-November 18, 2010
- Repeats from October 10-November 20, 2002
- Previously from October 12-November 22, 1994
- 1986, 1978, 1970, and 1962
- Venus Rx station at 13°Scorpio 14’ October 8, 2010
- previously at 15°Scorpio 37 October 10, 2002
- Venus Direct station at 27°Libra 40’ repeats from 251 years ago; the first in Venus in Libra direct station for a very long time
- Previously at 0°Scorpio 03’November 20, 2002
- Venus Rx conjunct the Sun—New Venus at 5°Scorpio 30’ on October 28, 2010
- The previous one was at 7°Scorpio 53’ on October 30 ,2002