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The Rose of Venus & Inner Alchemy
If you are currently feeling strongly drawn inwards to reflect, experiencing scenarios where issues or longheld aspirations are bubbling up to the surface, or that are bringing the past back to life – you are not alone, me too!
Of all the planets Venus spends the least amount of time retrograde, but because it happens when she is at her closest to Earth combined with Venus aligning with how we love, connect, and value ourselves it makes her retreat a time when the shift in energy is especially noticeable and emotionally stirring.
Venus is involved with our hearts, relationships, sense of self-worth, personal values, creativity, and finances and means these areas are in laser-sharp focus right now, perhaps touching our deepest vulnerabilities and absorbing a lot of our inner attention.
Astrology’s gift to us is knowing that this is not random – it has been mapped out all along, so is something to be expected (not feared), and importantly a time we can navigate with awareness.
Venus is at maximum intensity when she is retrograde – for a reason – because by creating a pressure cooker for our desires, relationships and priorities, it makes it impossible to keep brushing unresolved issues under the carpet.
Then as the pressure mounts, we come face to face with our attractions, attachments, emotional triggers, and material distractions and are compelled to evaluate what truly matters – and make adjustments.
As always, the sky is giving us insight into how to navigate. As there is a highly expressive Venusian chain of events, unfolding through connected Venus ruled lunations and the illumination of Venus Cazimi (when Venus is “in the heart of the Sun”):
- Libra New Moon (17° 21) on 10th October
- The Venus Star Point (Venus Cazimi) at 0° Scorpio on 24th October
- Full Moon in Taurus (2° 45) on 26th October
The Star Point is always a significant moment in her cycle. However the upcoming Venus Star Point is especially momentous – the final Venus Cazimi of our lifetimes in Scorpio – with the next one not occurring until 2177.
Venus reveals her true power in the depth and intricacies of her entire cycle. It is fascinating, captivating, mesmerising – fully illuminates the sacred that is woven by design into her path through the sky, along with the transformative power of her 40 day retrogrades.
Venus forms 2 different precise conjunctions with the Sun, the inferior cazimi conjunction when she is retrograde, and the superior cazimi conjunction when she is direct.
Over a 100 year period Venus retrogrades in just 5 areas of the zodiac, and every 8 years Venus makes a full loop and returns back to the same sign where she started. The continuous, looping back and forth path of Venus over those 8 years links up with sacred geometry and traces out 5 petals of a flower in the heavens – the Rose of Venus . What is more, as she meets the Sun 10 times (5 direct & 5 retrograde) in 5 different zodiac signs along the way – these 5 Venus star points connect to draw a 5-pointed star – a pentagram – beautiful and magical!
Connecting Earth with the spiritual realm and uniting us with deeper spiritual truth.
As what’s more her “40 days and 40 nights” retrogrades are not by chance, they reflect illustrations of major spiritually testing times that lead to transformation, for instance how long – Jesus was in the wilderness, the rain fell on Noah in the Ark, Buddha fasted and meditated before achieving enlightenment.
By embracing the spiritual insight of this, we can flow through this moment in time more easily, knowing it is a sacred pause. A time to surrender to the process of deep inner reflection that leads to the truth shining through. In essence, a process of inner alchemy designed to refine our desires and values so our outer world reflects the enhanced wisdom we have discovered through our tests and challenges.
As Venus makes her last Star Point in Scorpio – it significantly deepens the intensity, magic, and alchemy. Scorpio welcomes delving deeply into the dark, no matter how painful – to find the truth, the light that leads to healing, transformation and renewal. To face the raw truth of what we love, value and desire. To recognise the shadows in ourselves, others, and the darkness in the world. Venus in Scorpio opens up a powerful process of inner alchemy; it provides potent energy to transform the ‘lead’ of challenges into the ‘gold’ of wisdom and soul growth.
Venus was last retrograde in Scorpio & Libra in 2018, so looking back to then, and reflecting on how our relationships, values and sense of self-worth has changed since then is beneficial. We can turn inwards to ask, journal about, or meditate on:
- How have I changed and grown since then? How have my desires and values shifted?
- What is outdated in my life now and needs releasing? What old habits or attachments am I holding onto unnecessarily?
- What still needs healing? What do I need to forgive?
- Who do I need to ask for forgiveness?
- What is still true – and what is newly true for me now?
The Libra New Moon sets the stage, gently turning our intellect inwards, allowing private thoughts to become seeds of reflection. The Venus Cazimi follows – the start of a brand new Venus cycle – when Venus is purified by the Sun as old attractions and illusions are burned away, to illuminate our core truth. Helping us to refine our deepest desires and what we truly value. Clarifying them for the path ahead, before being anchored and grounded by the Taurus Full Moon.
Sending you love & blessings for the journey ahead, have a beautiful day X
