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Sunday, September 5, 2010

Out of Saturn's Shadow, Into Venus' Mire



Saturn - source: NASA 



Come September 5th, two seemingly opposing things happen: Saturn exits the shadow of the retrograde it went into back on January 13, 2010....and Venus enters the shadow of a retrograde it will go into come October, 2010.

On the fact of it, this closes out an entire cycle of structuring and shedding of life structures/commitments dating back to January 13th of this year - that being the Saturn part. Occurring at 4 Libra, we know this is a first decan physical/action concern with the lore on 4 Libra being about the missing of opportunities due to concentrating so much/too much on yourself. Allegedly, thus we become vulnerable to those who will exploit our self absorption. At the core of this situation is a glitch in one's personal self worth system - said glitch necessitating the attention on self which then someone exploits or otherwise exacerbates. 

Saturn being about what we take on (commit to) or what we wall ourselves off from (get rid of, separate from), the real question is whether you are now settled into whatever it is you committed to then, are done with your 'separation anxiety' incurred at the time...or possibly you've realized that what you let go of shouldn't have been let go of? Or what you took on is not the Cinderella's slipper good fit?

Something has run its course. Does that mean you simply up and dance off into the sunset? Or even (considering this is Saturn, and therefore a bit more sober, upright and sedate) set off with head held high?

Well...not exactly. Yes, we have the gist of the thing now in hand or mind, but there are evidently some ancillaries to be attended to. And this would be the Venus part. 

You remember Venus, right...?



 Venus - source: NASA


And that other Venus - remember her...?



Venus de Urbino by Tizian


Metaphysically, these two images have everything in common. Yes, I know - hard to imagine, right? But the secret is in the details: Venus the planet is (on the average) a very hot place...about 464 C (867 F) degrees hot, give or take a hotfoot. And what we think of Venus the goddess is that she was (to use the vernacular) so very smokin' hot that she could get whatever she wanted.

So as you see, like goddess, like planet.

What is to remember here when we think of Venus (either planet or goddess) in our own life is it is the what we present (the "package") which others react to by wanting to please, cater to, gift to, etcetera. And this is why Venus rules Libra, sign of the mentality of interaction... the what we think of each other and how our ideas affect each other. Venus in Libra is the presentation, the effect we have on each other with the 'mode' of how this operates being airy (since Libra is an air sign) which means what they think of me or what I have to offer.

Saturn is also powerful in Libra - and potentially, very powerful to the positive. But that just means we can structure things, not that they're going to be fine or upstanding in nature. Or even that they'll pay off well. 

And why would Saturn be what astrologers call "exalted" in Libra? That would be because so much of life is based on what others think of us, the connections we make, the relationships we build, how we present ourselves and our abilities - all that. In Libra, Saturn is all about the time and diligent attention it takes to build a good relationship with someone, be that relationship of the business, romantic or platonic type.

Also highlighted by Saturn in Libra is discernment - the ability and willingness to sort good from bad, profitable from not profitable and lie from truth. And it's this part of the Saturn/Libra thing which we can easily relate to the nature of 4 Libra and thus perhaps, to the Venus quality of what has happened over these past months.

This is thus a moment for sort out good from bad and realizing how what we've done has affected others - and thus our reputation or relationship to the world. It's also a moment for discerning what yet needs to be done - which is where Venus moving into the shadow of it's upcoming retrograde comes in.






This Venus cycle is founded in Libra. It's therefore always about who we are to others and thus how we are received by others.

It starts in Libra's 3rd decanate at 27 Libra, a degree about stability which promotes safety , with the 3rd decan part of this being that we don't ourselves get to decide what's stable or safe. No...much as we might like to, much as we might have our own opinion on the subject, this is about what others think of you or what you've done - in conjunction evidently, with what you've done, built, been through or otherwise neglected, jettisoned or eliminated (for positive or negative) during these months since January 13th.

Along the way, Venus will move into Scorpio - and this is the real crux of the niggle. Venus in Scorpio is power and power plays incarnate. It's about an all-or-nothing, rather myopic focus on winning and losing, without much regards for the rules of how you play the game. Famous for feelings of manipulation, swindling, meanness and other various kinds of disparagingly unpleasant attitudes, the thing to remember about Venus in Scorpio is that at its heart it's not about the feeling, but why you feel that way. So if someone cheats, it's about what makes them feel cheating is necessary. And if you call them on it, what that means to you and your relationship to them or whoever is bearing witness to this event. Venus in Scorpio is sometimes when things get 'covered up' and sometimes when very sticky, icky issues get uncovered. 

And that's just Venus in Scorpio direct!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Right now the issue is to recognize what you've been through and to properly discern what that means. Who and where you are is one part of this. What you're doing and where you think you're going, another. Then there's your reputation and what you're doing to give as good as you get.

This is a moment for assessing and getting your life in perspective. But it's just a moment; then we move on, which is so very Saturn, our cosmic, human lifespan, solar systemic timekeeper....





 
...which isn't supposed to be alarming. It's supposed to be motivational and empowering!

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