by Robert Wilkinson
Venus goes retrograde at 1:53 pm PST, 4:53 pm EST, 9:53 pm Greenwich on December 21 about 4 hours after the Winter Solstice at 9:11 am PST, 5:11 pm Greenwich. What can we expect?
Let’s begin looking at this Venus retrograde by examining some things about Venus. Venus symbolizes what we like, what we value, what we appreciate, and our overall aesthetic inclinations. So when Venus goes retrograde, it definitely affects everyone’s values, pleasures, love life and other close relationships.
When Venus is retrograde, we can find different ways to relate to others, or different ways to image what we like and how we like it. It can bring back old relationships, old memories of relationships, or old relationship patterns updated for the present. Given Venus rules values, it can bring back old value systems for new evaluation, or the return of old memories of things we valued and appreciated in the past.
During a Venus retrograde period, we have a chance to review, revalue, reevaluate, and rework our appreciations and our ways of relating to others. Because Venus is associated with Narcissus, we can get different looks at direct and indirect forms of narcissistic behaviors, or how people in our past exhibited these, as well as our subconscious vanities and superficialities which enable us to be seduced by the passing fancies of our world.
Venus Retrograde in Capricorn
This one occurs entirely in the sign of Capricorn, a sign that is in harmony with Venus’ rulership of Earthy Taurus, but in conflict with Venus’ rulership of Libra. Still, Venus in the sign of “the truth of Taurus” and the “grounding platform of Libra” should make this a very harmonious and stabilizing Venus retrograde period.
This will set some long wave energies into the atmosphere, since Pluto will be transiting the Venus retrograde Capricorn span for many years to come. While not as “important” as the last Venus “occultation event” in Gemini back in May-June 2012, this one will still have a major impact wherever it falls in our charts, based in what aspects it makes.
Also, I should note here that Venus has a recurring cyclic dance it does with the Sun. In this case, Venus will closely track its retrograde span from late December 2005 through early February 2006. During that time Venus went retrograde at 2 Aquarius, and retrograded back to 17 Capricorn. This one begins at 29 Capricorn and moves back to 14 Capricorn, so it does substantially overlap.
Looking back, Looking forward
I found what I wrote in December 2005 about that retrograde, and have edited it so that you can consider its relevance to what we’re looking at for the next several weeks. For your consideration, from December 2005, what I wrote about that Venus Retrograde.
Venus just went stationary retrograde today, a great time to begin reflecting on values and relationships. This would include our relationship to money, wealth, and things in general, as well as why we value what we do in our relationships, and whether we're working off of old tapes, old hurts, old attachments, and old aversions in relationships that bear no resemblance to what we're living with today.… That most of the retrograde will be in Capricorn in favorable aspect to Mars in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio offers us an opportunity to be very pragmatic and practical in updating our likes and dislikes to current values and conditions freed from old subconscious tapes that are not useful in our present day to day relationships to people and things. (Note – this one is favorable to Saturn in Scorpio.)
It may bring memories of old hurts and misunderstandings, but in re-experiencing old wounds we are given opportunities to free ourselves of subconscious patterns that seduce us into suffering by superimposing our mature self's values and short circuiting the echoes of memories of perceptions based in prior ignorance or victimization. That some people hurt others is a reality in this impermanent world. Still, we do not have to suffer needlessly based in old emotional habits that do not serve our need for love, wisdom, veneration, compassion, and self-respect.
I have found that even when these are absent, and hurtfulness is all around, by maintaining these higher values within me, I can transcend the outer conditions, and no longer struggle with those who want to suffer, or dish it out to others. A very wise man once said words to the effect that life is painful, but we do not have to suffer.
It does take courage, strength, and good will to transcend the tendency to suffer, but in releasing the habit of suffering, we take control of our magnificent eternal consciousness and are able to find a tremendous compassion and power. Using these, we are able to enter into the pain and suffering wherever we find it, and break the link between the two.
So as you move through these times, whether they are cheerful or painful for you and those you are with, try to remember that regardless of what's going on around you, we have the choice to BE however we need to be in that moment to bring forth the highest self we are able. It is that which is beyond the fluctuations of personality, and the means by which we can be the light in the darkness of this impermanent existence.
A brief look back at the last Venus retrograde period in Gemini.
That Venus retrograde period in Gemini was called an “occultation,” or a Venusian eclipse of the Sun. It conjuncted the 2011 Eclipse points, and was followed by Jupiter transiting the zone of that Venus retrograde just after that, which boosted the overall Eclipse effects.
While relatively rare, a Venus occultation of the Sun usually occurs every 120 years, mas o menos, though it has been known to occur more often. That particular “event” tied together past and future in a huge way, in that it will be in play for the 10 Jupiter cycles that followed.
As I pointed out at the time, that Venus RX period and the subsequent Jupiter transit triggered some long wave energies directly related to themes set into motion around 1889-1895 when Neptune conjuncted Pluto in Gemini, beginning a 500 year period. Everything that’s happened in the past 120 years is directly related to the seeds set into motion by that conjunction. As I told you then,
Neptune and Pluto danced around the conjunction, going stationary at 2, 5, 7, and 8 Gemini before actually conjuncting at 8 and 9 Gemini in 1891-92. After that they danced on their stations near each other at various points between 8 and 16 Gemini before moving out of range. Themes related to this “primum mobile” will be explored and expanded to whatever degree thanks to this Venus retrograde coupled with Jupiter’s transit of this span in Gemini over the next year.So say goodbye to an old 120 year cycle, and hello to a new one! This is a "change of season" in the 500 year Neptune-Pluto cycle, and marks the beginning of a new quarter cycle, or "season" in that long wave influence.
Obviously this Venus retrograde with the Sun will affect different signs in different ways. It affects Taurus and Libra Sun, Moon, and Ascendant people strongly, since Venus rules these signs. Of course, it will bring Venus-related returns and reviews wherever we have 14-29 Capricorn in our charts.
This retrograde will influence the rest of the signs differently, based in how each sign relates to Venus-ruled sectors. In future articles I’ll explore critical factors related to this retrograde, such as Sabian Symbols and various aspects, so stay tuned!!
Copyright © 2013 Robert Wilkinson
Great information, makes sense already as the rx station point is on my Natal Saturn, already a couple of unexpected communications from 2 controlling males from my past, who have judged me harshly/cruelly and blamed me for all of the extreme difficulites occurring for our family when I had already taken responsibility for what was mine and my "fear driven choices" doing the best I was able with the black and white, either/or choices I was given from the true mother perspective (Divine mothers been aspecting my Sun for a while now), when it was they who werent honouring their responsibilities, disrespecting what a mother needs to do because its not the same as what a father needs to do etc etc etc. Plus the Venus rx station back in 2005 conjuncted my daughter's saturn and stationed direct on her BML, she rapidly went down into deep depression, panic disorder, social phobia plus many other phobia's due to emotional and sometime physical abuse from her father. The judgement on me is that 8 years later she is still only just beginning to move forward and because I chose to not leave here when she was an unpredictable danger to herself and get a job, I and my now adult children have been in poverty for a few years now and not had a place of our own to live since the solar eclipse of Nov 2011, as a mother it was a no brainer, ahead I will be able to look back at poverty and what it caused us to endure with a clear conscience having honoured the blessing of children being given to me to be their mother, the death/suicide of a child because I chose money over her well being, is not something this Cancerian sun mother with a moon in 12th Libra moon and ascendant would consider fair or ethical. I have done well (I am passionate, not bitter at all) and the courage of my children, is amazing, even if still a way to go. Thus the communication from these 2 family members, did not trigger a reaction, I replied with good manners and yet from a place of authority within me, my intuition has served me well contrary to how it "looks" to the old world heirarchy and I will trust it to know what to do in response to what they offer, if there is more to be offered. I am still a little stressed at times, yet my core is in the "eye of the hurricane" and I awoke just a week ago with a very strange sensation, realising with joy, that this is what a clear conscience feels like.
Looking forward to the rest on this one as it has more significant aspects happening in my chart that I do really feel in a place of neutral balance and ready to tip the scales in a positive direction, finally! I also hope this sharing may help any others who are faced with extreme and often cruel choices to remain firm in looking honestly at themselves and being the authority of themselves in their own life. Its not the "damned if you do damned if you dont" dilemma you may think it is, I have found it to be, "damned if you dont, blessed if you do" the hard work to honour self. NAMASTE and heartfelt wishes for a joyous, safe festive season filled with the true blessings of your hearts desires, everyone!
Thank you Robert :)
Posted by: debbie | December 19, 2013 at 07:30 PM
Oh Robert, I am a 23 degree natal Jupiter in 2nd house Capricorn.I'd like some Venus returns in that area.
Posted by: Starbright | December 19, 2013 at 08:47 PM