Mercurial Wanderings under Venus Retrograde…

Venus has turned retrograde with the last full moon in Gemini and has been hovering around Pluto for quite some time now and this post is a reflexive product of it somehow. As usual a mix of personal experience and food for thought which I hope you might find useful, or inspiring, or at least entertaining. 

Mercurial wanderings…

I sometimes find it amusing the way that our society works. Not that I am completely outside of it, of course not. But with the strong Aquarian, Uranian, 11th house and out of bounds emphasis in my natal chart, I confess that it feels like I am ‘out of bounds’ myself most of the time. I don’t think I always fully understand the logic behind some of our taken for granted agreements. 

I see a powerfully strong Capricorn theme when it comes to work ethics, productivity, goals, and visions of success. Ambition is very high rated, material gratification too. But I am also especially thinking about the idea of ‘professionalism’ here. 

When did we stop valuing humanness and buying into this concept that absolute detachment equals a more ‘professional’ and capable approach? Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for ethics, in a deeper sense, I would say. But the coldness that usually accompanies the generally accepted ‘professionalism’ really hugs me, no, I mean bugs me. 

Another thing that comes to mind is how value is attributed to money and how much not having money has a detrimental effect on self-esteem. It is difficult to value yourself if not having enough money prevents you from having a voice, from making choices and being considered important by other members of society. 

As my secondary progressed ascendant slowly transitions from Sagittarius into Capricorn (it has already made the shift in Solar Arc direction last year), the more I see myself valuing professionalism and the material realm without losing sight of some of the questions stated above. I have most of the time considered myself a freedom loving and informal type of person – always hated the hypocrisy that sometimes being ‘professional’ makes you comply with.

But now I see myself getting increasingly tired of the hippish approach to life and really feeling the need to gather all my professional experience (which by now is kind of considerable as I’m no spring chick anymore…) and put it into one place. Have a brand – (did I really say that?!) – and make a proper income (whatever that means) solo from astrology work. Get myself deeply involved with the potential productivity, which is quite vast considering the possibilities that the internet and digital era offers us.   

You see, these words seem like a great example of what we could be doing during this cycle of retrogradation from Venus in Capricorn. Ask ourselves where we are going and if that place is truly aligned with our core values. I would also say, as I think about the shift that my progressed ascendant seems to be reflecting, this could be a great time for catching up with your shifting values too. What important and major themes in your life are slowly fading and losing their grip on you now? How aligned are you with your natural changes and the resulting new-born values within it? 

Recently, while I was trying to relax and enjoy the holiday season, I decided to reread my last journal – another great thing to do during one of the fast-moving planets’ cycles of retrogradation. It can be wonderfully insightful to be able to see your process and how (surprisingly) congruent it usually is with how you intuitively feel from moment to moment. 

This time I was surprised to see how much had been written about my search for a fulfilling relationship (another relevant topic for this Venus retrograde period) and how to get there by being clear about what I really want – my natal Venus/Neptune square has been transited by Pluto, whilst progressed Venus conjoined natal Saturn.

There is no healthy relationship without healthy boundaries. 

I can’t remember where I read this, or who mentioned it to me, but it is so true. 

In one entry from my journal, I wrote: 

‘Is this what self-worth looks like? Making difficult choices that puts your mental/emotional/physical wellbeing first? I guess so. His love life is a mess that I don’t want to be part of – There is no role for me there, at least, there isn’t a role that I am willing to play.’    

And later I wrote:

‘It is exciting to be able to be more myself and less of what people want me to be’, with the conclusion that more validation coming from within gives space for authenticity to be truly expressed out there. 

If you don’t feel comfortable being yourself around someone, or if that person does not support your authenticity and shows no appreciation for who you are, always making demeaning comments or trying to change you into what they want you to be, it is a sign that this might not be the right relationship for you. 

Remember, you are nobody else’s dream! (that used to be a little note to myself, natal Venus-Neptune’s things…) 

And these thoughts also remind me of psychotherapist Mark Vernon’s great article ‘What is Love?’ where, amongst other things, the author discuss the idea that love grows through conflict – and that in fact, the secret of a successful relationship many times is in our capacity to deal with disagreement and not necessarily in our capacity to love. In his words ‘an inability to handle conflict is a good predictor of divorce’.

According to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ‘experience shows us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction’, and for that to happen, we have the obligation (with ourselves, more than anyone else) to know our values! To be (absolutely) aware of the importance and urgency of asking ourselves: what do I value the most in life, partnerships, career, daily choices, etc?! With Venus retrograde this is the perfect time for you to seriously (Capricorn) and deeply (conjoined Pluto) ask yourself these questions, get to the bottom-line of your core values and how much they might be changing. Cath up with them, ponder on them. Befriend them, for in a way, your values define who you are.

Get ready for Venus retrograde in 2 months!

Astrology is such a wonderful tool for observing cycles – cycles within cycles within cycles…it seems to me that that’s what life is made of. 

We can investigate any of the planetary movements and brainstorm what it might mean collectively or personally as you place it in the context of your natal chart. 

I have been thinking about Venus a lot recently, as my progressed Venus made a conjunction to natal Saturn and transiting Pluto and Neptune slowly activate my Venus at the same time, I become increasingly aware about the importance of being attuned to our personal values in a deeper sense.

How do you make your decisions in life? How do you ponder which way to go when you reach a crossroad?

I find that Venus, differently than what we find in most basic astrological textbooks, has a very important function when it comes to our decision-making process. 

A life worth living is a life aligned with our deepest values and we can only be aware of our values if we relate to the Venusian principle in our charts authentically. 

Yes, Venus is about what we find attractive and how we attract, what is beautiful and pleasant for us, but in a deeper level, it is reflecting what we value the most. Venus in Sagittarius will value freedom and being adventurous outdoors very much whereas Venus in Scorpio will value intensity, exploring taboos and harsh inner landscapes more. 

You get the gist.  

When we look at Venus in our charts, we also must contextualise, for instance, Venus isn’t just in Virgo, it is also forming aspects (or not), and it is also placed in a house. Everything will have something to say about what you value the most and how you value yourself as well. 

This little article is a heads up so we can prepare ourselves for the next Venus’ cycle of retrogradation which will be happening in 2 months. So here is some astrological info on this cycle and hopefully we will be able to get some insights into our own journey. 

The last time Venus was retrograde was from May 13 until June 25 in 2020, it happened in Gemini and this cycle of retrogradation involved Neptune in Pisces as there was a square between the two planets. Around that time, we were dealing with illusions of all kinds but also potentially refining our values through the longings that were brought to the surface. 

The next time Venus will go retrograde is in December 19 at 26 degrees Capricorn and conjoined Pluto (at 25 degrees Capricorn). This one seems to be a powerful period for revisiting and purging everything Venus related – our compulsive relationship patterns, our values, how we enjoy ourselves, pleasurable obsessions, etc. 

Venus takes a trip into the underworld for a longer period here! 

The last time Venus and Pluto met in the sky was at the end of January 2021 at 25 degrees Capricorn – the exact degree of the next conjunction this coming December. Do you remember what was going on around that time?

(It is interesting to see how I felt the urge to write this little article whilst Mercury is retrograde at 24 degrees Libra and square Pluto right now. Libra, a Venus ruled sign, has a strong resonance with one-to-one relationships and the process of knowing oneself through the eyes of another. And Mercury retrograde is about reassessing, rethinking, etc.) 

Venus will turn direct on the 29 of January 2022 at 11 degrees Capricorn but before that, on January 17th, there will be a full moon at 27 degrees Cancer (closely activating the degree of the conjunction between Pluto and Venus). Full moons usually reflect culminations and the potential for intense situations providing insights into our journey. Whatever happens around this full moon will have something to do with that Venusian purging process which started during the conjunction between Venus and Pluto in December 2021. 

It won’t be until March 2022 that Venus, now in its forward motion, will meet Pluto again at 27 degrees Capricorn. The interesting thing is that this conjunction will be a triple one also involving Mars in Capricorn – and because Venus will be coming out of its retrogradation period, and for that reason slower in motion, they (Venus and Mars) will be moving together for quite a while (most of February and March 2022). 

Masculine and feminine (yin/yang) will be aligned not only with each other but also with Pluto!

What a powerful time ahead for revisiting and realigning ourselves with our deepest values. The conjunction between Mars/Venus/Pluto in March 2022 could be reflecting not only the purging of what/how we love, but also how our actions could be aligned with it. 

We could detox and empower the ‘yin/yang’ principle within us by that time. 

So, take the next few months to think, feel and reflect on what are your deepest values and how aligned with it, or not, your life is – and here I mean all areas. Periods of retrogradation are wonderful for asking questions rather than rushing into answering them. 

Do you love your job? How do you invest your time in general? What is the state of your personal relationships? Do you love your home? Do you love yourself, and if so, how do you express that on a daily basis? What are the things that you value the most in yourself, in your friends, in your partner, in your life in general? 

These are some of the questions that can guide you to a transformative and empowering process reflected by the coming Venus retrograde conjoined Pluto. 

Let’s take responsibility (Capricorn) and make the most of it!      

Insights on today’s Full Moon!

Today is Full Moon on Jupiter day!

This already gives away much of what I felt in relation to the energies reflected by this lunation. When the full moon takes place in the axis of Sagittarius and Gemini I feel that there is usually great intellectual energy in the air. Information gets somehow revealed, and because of Mercury travelling in Sagittarius at the moment as well, we can also potentially put the newly found information within the bigger picture of our lives and contextualise.

Astrology reveals cycles within cycles and the interconnection of everything, this full moon wouldn’t be different and I see it as a moment of revelation pos Scorpio Season (also pos last month’s reassessment and insight reflected by Mercury retrograde in Scorpio). I feel that now we can digest all of that much more and by contextualising it, we can achieve not only greater understanding, but we can also move on from whatever came up in the last month.

Mind you, I did see the T square that both the Sun and Moon were doing with Neptune, a planet usually connected to confusion and dissolution of boundaries, so maybe some confusion might still be in the air, but because this t square is a separating one, rather than an applying one, I see it as past confusion not coming confusion. I can imagine Neptune’s presence in the configuration as a reminder to search for something higher in whatever situation you find yourself in.

Transcendence, Neptune also talks about that, so transcending the limitations that we came to meet from very close during last month’s lunation and mercury’s retrogradation process..

Another strong presence during this full moon is Saturn/Venus/Pluto, all very close to each other in Capricorn. This configuration reflects the need to become deadly serious about our values! Ask yourself what do you truly value, how do you value yourself, is there any way of improving this? How do you communicate your values? What are your values in relationships? Transformation is also in the air, and it is important to be conscious of what needs to be changed in order to achieve greater empowerment within and without!