Venus at 7 Gemini

 Venus Anadynomene (Venus of the Sea)

by Théodore Chasseriau (1838)

By astro-definition, any degree between zero and nine of any sign is a degree which manifests physically or as a descriptor of our actions, aims or direct motivations.

As a sign, Gemini represents our learning about the world – our curiosity, our interests, our ability to put information together and learn. Often thought of as a ‘dual’ or ‘plural’ sign because the figure of Gemini is that of a pair of twins, Gemini’s association with a lot of choices is often used by people who like to dabble, who by habit tend to be disorganized, who like to have a finger in many pies (as the saying goes) or who end up scattering their efforts.

Let’s face it – life is complicated and there’s a ton of things to do. But if the object is to get something done (ultimately, that is) then we have to choose what to do and optimally, we have to prioritize things in their order of importance both so we can get things assembled in some rational manner and so vital things don’t just slip through the cracks.

Putting degree and sign together, we thus know that 7 Gemini has to do with things we do (or the reason to so something) which has to do with making a choice, establishing or following our priorities.

But what choice? What priority would we be talking about?

Answer: our Venus priorities.

This statement may seem a bit opaque on its face, but it's not all that hard to sort out. For one, the myth of the Gemini twins has one twin (Castor) who is brawny and - in metaphysical terms - more about the mortal, the earthy, the corporeal and material side of things. The other twin (Pollux) is mental - a bit more intellectual and ethereal.

Oh yes...and Pollux is immortal.

That these two are the Gemini twins and that Gemini is an airy sign all about the 'idea' and the 'thought' and the theory of the thing...that sort of tells you right off the bat where the story of these brothers go.

But it's how it gets there which really tips the balance. In the usual tragic manner of Greek mythology, we come to a moment where Castor's mortality catches up with him. And it's Pollux - the immortal thought which elevates the pair to celestial status. Pollux goes to Zeus (I'd guess it's always nice to know the Big Guy Olympian) and asks if he (Pollux) can share his immortality with his brother.

Zeus (aka Jupiter) obviously says yes, and so we have the constellation of the twins: Gemini.

The saying is...'it's the thought which counts.' The story of the zodiacal 'thinking sign' (Gemini) is that it isn't just what Pollux thinks...it's that he does something about the problem, he communicates the problem and he's willing to choose in favor of the shared accomplishment.

Okay...now with all that said, don't go sacrificing yourself all over the place - it bears remembering that both of these precepts, the mortal and immortal are US. But when push comes to shove and the chips are down, if the signature is Gemini, following through on the thought is the way to solve your problem.

All that said, on to the Venus part of our tale.  

Having gone retrograde at 23 Gemini back in mid-May, Venus finally arrives at the end of its retrograde journey in reaching 7 Gemini. It accomplishes this as of 12:20 in the afternoon on Friday, June 22 (UT/+0) time…even though Venus will not go direct until June 27th at 3:08 in the afternoon – again, UT/+0 zone time.

And even after that, Venus will linger at 7 Gemini until the afternoon of July 2nd.

That’s a lot of 7 Gemini to absorb.

Utilize.

Respond to.

For those who have projects under way, this would seem to be a good time to be pressing on while keeping things organized. For those whose lives may be in disarray, this could be time for a good ‘cleaning house’ …even if that means the garage!

But no matter who you are or what you're doing (or not doing) don't expect things to be light and airy. Confusing, they may be. Delayed, they may be. They may come with a 'little twist' you hadn't expected. Or a cost you hadn't known or thought about.

That thinking things leads us back to Gemini being an air sign. So we can expect an aura of contemplation, perhaps evaluation to be in the air. Maybe some evaluating which needs to be done – of some messy situation, some effort which seems to be developing tentacles, taking up all your time…maybe your mindset. Have you gotten a bit stagnant, perhaps? Are you clinging to some aim, thought or set of personal priorities simply because you’re used to it (them) even if they’re not benefiting you worth squat?

Long thought to be all about luxury and looooove, Venus is no more about either of those than Pluto is “about sex.” Pluto symbolizes the emotional affect which comes out of seeing where any situation – be that one we’ve chosen to get involved with, or one we’ve avoided like the plague – where that situation goes. So Pluto is not “about” sex – sex is just one of the many venues which affects our sense of self-worth. And that’s why, as ‘outcome’ ruler of Scorpio, Pluto is associated with death, with sex, with investments, with scandal, with rehabilitation of a person or a neighborhood…it’s not the ‘thing,’ Pluto speaks to what’s at stake.

So it is with Venus. Venus is not ‘about’ love or ‘about’ money or ‘about’ luxury, Venus is about the result of what we have done. Venus is about the response to what we do, how we do it and who we are for doing it that way. So yes – Venus can denote ‘appearances’ and ‘how the thing’ (or person) ‘looks.’

But what happens when we find out that thing – or that person – doesn’t stand for real quality? Don’t you get annoyed? Don’t you dislike anyone who will try to fake you out or con you?

That anger, that rejection of the person who lies or cheats, that’s a Venus reaction too. Venus is the response “quotient” – the fact that there is a response to all we do and all we are. But by itself, Venus does not dictate what kind of response we get.

Got it?

In Gemini, the ‘Venusian output’ is likely to be verbal. So this is a verbal time. Answers people have been waiting for will turn up, people will be talking, talking, talking – it’s a goodly verbal time.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all honest. Or even well intended!

Because Saturn is going to go station-direct during this time, things we say (or have said) can now have consequences. Or they can carry weight. Because Saturn is doing it’s turnabout in Libra, honesty counts (big time!) and that probably goes double for those who have been kidding themselves.

 A 'false color' photograph of Saturn taken by Voyager 2

 (photo credit: NASA-JPL)

Considering that Jupiter has just toodled into Gemini and will be passing over the 7 Gemini mark come mid-July (July 14-18) this brackets a period of time which for you may be cause/effect (start now, see results then) or which might be the duration of a project. Or the time you have to pack your house. Or the period when you and your family are going to be on vacation.

The one thing to be said about this ‘dotted line’ between Venus and Jupiter at 7 Gemini is that it may be ‘expensive.’ Now this can be a good expensive in that it may indicate a time when money is well spent. Or it could indicate a time when good money is earned.

What would seem foolish however, would be to assume “all is well” as this airy sort of assumption may well spell going ‘over the line’ in some fashion and Jupiter in Gemini is FAMOUS for people talking too much, spending too much, being overly optimistic, not minding the p’s and q’s and otherwise splurging ‘personal capital’ of some sort (or even monetary capital) where a more judicious attitude might well serve them better.

It’s also to be noted that this position (7 Gemini) is under a months-long inconjunct by Pluto. The ‘heart’ of this inconjunct began in December 2011 and will end around November 22, 2012 even though there is an argument to be made that the ‘aura of change’ or the need to change which goes along with this ‘high fixation’ Pluto/Venus combination goes back as far as January 2010….with the aftermath playing out until around September 2015.

You’ve heard me talk a lot about Pluto conjuncting Facies this year. The simple crux of this message is that of our tendency to play victim-aggressor. And to attract victim-aggressors who through playing out their own dynamics cause us to get off our duff.

Everybody’s feeling put upon. The question is, what are you going to do about making your life one which suits you in your own (Gemini) thinking? What are you doing…or what do you need to do to make your life into something which doesn’t work because you keep hammering away at it or sticking corks in the leaks but because it just works for you?

Mental security is worth a lot, you know. A lot of what has come down the pike this year – especially with May’s Gemini solar eclipse – seems to be saying ‘get that old way of thinking out of your head and out of your life!’

Venus’ 7 Gemini station is in a natural inconjunct with Pluto/Facies at 8 Capricorn, marking this Venus ‘turnaround’ as either a time when we are adjusting what we’re doing in life…or when we’re realizing we need to.

So good luck with making changes! Here’s to all of our updated priorities!