Here is yet another in my series of posts about astrology; and while this isn’t just an astrological blog, there have been so many interesting and powerful transits recently, I am just compelled to write about them; especially when people keep asking “what the heck is up??”.

So there are a few more things happening in the skies that are effecting us; Venus, Mars and then eventually Mercury once again. This will bring us to the end of the year.

I am not sure if I will talk much about the next Mercury retrograde period in this post since it’s a ways off, but just know that not too long after Venus goes back direct, Mercury will be set to go into retrograde in December so it’s been a “whole lotta retrogrades going on” this last few months.

So back to what I intended to write about!! Venus…

Venus is going…well I should say gone (by the time you read this) retrograde.

A little about retrograde.

All the planets show apparent retrograde motion at one time or another. I say apparent because they really don’t physically go backwards, it’s about how it looks to us.

They orbit the Sun as we do, and so when we observe them in the skies and chart their patterns during a year or two, we will see that they look like they are going forward for a time and then backwards for a time. Retrograde is when they move backwards from the point of view of the Earth (where we view them); therefore they go backwards through the astrological signs since we use the earth as the focal point of astrology. These movements are significant and have effects that can be felt and observed in our lives.

You might ask why in the world this would have any effect at all, since it is all an illusion. Good question! However there are as many answers to that  question as  there are people to answer it  🙂

My take on it is that “this” (meaning all of this loveliness we call the physical plane) is all actually an illusion in one manner or another (that screen you are viewing is really a whole lot of  points of light given instructions by a bunch of zeros and ones; and that chair you are sitting in is actually a bunch of  atoms and molecules made up of primarily empty space; at the outer edge of which are electron clouds whose position can only truly be called a “probability”) so I figure it’s all good and we can find usable truth in a lot of places. I personally find a lot in astrology, it’s a great language to talk about our collective consciousness and our larger energetic nature; it gives some good sign posts to watch pointing to tendencies and movement of energy so I am very happy working with it.

Ok back to planets…

Each planet has different aspects and qualities associated with them. Mercury retrograde gets a lot of air play because we are such a communications based society and so when Mercury (which is associated with communication among other things) goes into retrograde we can really feel it; plus it goes retrograde several times a year since it moves so fast in general (the winged messenger doncha know!).  Venus however moves much more slowly than our winged friend and so she only goes retrograde every 18 months or so, but when Venus is retrograde it lasts longer (about 6 weeks).

The planet Venus (Goddess of Love) is all about Love, romance, marriage and partnerships, aesthetics, beauty and fashion, money and wealth, feelings, emotions and relationships, female energy and interaction,  desire,  social attitudes and behavior. Venus symbolizes female relationships and social interactions in general. Where she is in our charts or in the heavens also influences our values, capacity for humor, and the pursuit of pleasure….plus hearts and flowers 🙂 (that last part I just threw in but I stand by it).

When Venus goes retrograde is can feel like everything has gone a little dull, people can feel they are less beautiful; it can be like looking out of a window that needs to be cleaned, everything looks a little grayer than normal.

People tend to get a bit more serious, and wonder where all the “fun” went. Well silly it’s cuz Venus our supreme party girl has left the building!! She isn’t really gone, she is just gone to take a powder for a few weeks, she is relaxing at a spa somewhere and so we are on our own more than normal to really cultivate our inner beauty and remember that our worth isn’t about external things at all… it’s, as they say, an inside job.

Venus retrograde changes our perception of what is valuable or what we desire. This is why people often suggest that it is NOT the time to redo your hair into a new style or color, or redecorate your house. The reason being that things that appear to us as “can’t live without” during this transit, will quickly move into the “re-gifting” pile once Venus is direct again (hmmm just in time for the holidays 🙂 ). It’s fine of course, to continue with things you started before this all came down; meaning you don’t have to wait if you have already picked out your new furniture, it’s just making the new decisions will be better served later.

It can be a great time to go antique buying or garage sale-ing AS LONG as you know the value. You can get great deals, since things may not appear as valuable during the transit, and so they don’t get scooped up. This is not the best time to look for property, unless again you really know the value. You might however get that loan you have been wanting if it’s been hard to do previously, since it’s all about perception; this transit shifts how things look, and how we perceive them.

Venus retrograde can be troublesome in some cases with relationships, and things tend to just go slower so try not to take stuff as personally if you can help it. Often we are forced to deal with deep feelings that have their origins in past events. However it can help resolve relationship issues that have been plaguing you in the past, it’s sometimes easier (with everyone so down to earth) to have those conversations that have been needed and perhaps even reconcile or resolve a troubled relationship, since folks aren’t nearly as distracted by pretty shiny things. This is the time to go back and take care of unfinished business; emotional, financial, relational.

Venus retrograde is notorious for people popping out of the woodwork that you haven’t seen or thought of in a long time. Past friends, and especially past loves figure high on the guest list of things revisited. I know last Venus retrograde I have 5 different people find me from 30 years ago and reconnect. Don’t be surprised if you have a lot of “blasts from the past” show up as friend requests on one or another social networking site!

It isn’t a great time to go get big ticket luxury items, and in fact many of us may feel the sense of not being able to afford those things, since Venus effects the feeling of desire and affluence. I have to remind myself that this is a transit, meaning it is temporary!

Venus will be going retrograde this time in Scorpio, which is a heads up for folks with strong Scorpio in their charts. It will be a time for deep inner reflection for all of us, since Scorpio is so much about depth, and this inner reflection will occur especially around the topics that are ruled by Venus. It is also advised for us to be mindful about potential feelings of jealousy since they might come up until Venus backs up into Libra around November 8th.

One other thing, is that Mars (planet symbolizing the masculine energy, Yang, warrior energy, sex, power) is in Scoprio and oh so close to being conjunct with Venus…ahhhh but no, not quite!! Just before the consummation of this conjunction Venus turns around and says ahhh nope, and goes retrograde. So it’s conjunction interruptus (bad I know couldn’t help it LOL), or maybe more like Tantra!  So this will draw out that energy for quite a while (spring I think) so Mars is adding a lot of power to this particular Venus Retrograde, plus there are a whole lot of amazing overtones due to the placement of these two planets.

I found an excellent article on that specifically and will include the link here. I really like what this astrologer had to say.

http://sasstrology.com/2010/10/the-venus-mars-conjunction-in-scorpio-and-gender-experimentation.html

For those of you who want the specifics of time and date here is the actual retrograde information.

Friday, October 8, 2010, Venus reaches her retrograde station at 13° Scorpio 14′, in preparation for a period of retrograde motion that will last until November 18, 2010, when she reaches her direct station at 27° Libra 40′.

Knowing about the astrological weather is as useful as knowing about any kind of environmental factor. It doesn’t have to determine your experience, but it can absolutely inform your experience. Now that we know that we are out in the field and see the big system moving in (can you tell I live on an island?) we can either get into the house in time to stay dry, grab a book and enjoy the show or we can set out our blanket and grab a thermos; let it rain stars and flowers on us, let the water soak us, run down our hair, fill our mouths and wash us clean. It’s still all about choice.

Blessings and aloha

Erika