Shortly Venus in the heavens to retraces her steps in retrograde motion. In the divine dance of our heavenly sister around the Sun inside our own orbit around it, she appears to move, stop, and move backwards and forward again. The ancients, in their observations of the brightest star in our heavens noted the complex motion that appears from our perspective on earth over the course of time to trace a pentagram and also a rose.
These are potent symbols, imbedded in our psyches as well as our tarot cards, archetypes of life and love.
The orbit of Venus is profoundly tied with the life cycle of humans. Venus usually moves through a sign in twenty-eight days, matching the lunar month, and a woman’s menstrual cycle. Being within 48 degrees of the Sun’s position at all times, the only major aspect she can make to the Sun is the conjunction which she does every nine months, the length of a human pregnancy. She has been at turns associated with war by the Sumerians and the Maya, and with sensual love by the Romans and the Greeks. Galieo discovered that Venus could be viewed in phases, like the moon, which smashed the idea that the planets revolved around the earth. She could only be thus viewed if she moved around the Sun. So it was that Venus can be seen in the same manner as the moon, moving from “birth” to “death”.
Venus turns back onto her orbit, we are driven to look at events in our past. Venus in Scorpio is a darker Venus than most, delving into our deepest selves. We suspect or perceive the manipulations of others. Relationships with old lovers or significant women are examined with aching compulsion. We are driven to explore relationships that are magnetic in their draw, obsessive in their nature. If we are open enough, we find our own fatal flaw, and if not, find the fatal flaw in others. The story that best illustrates Venus in Scorpio is the tale of the Rape of Persephone, a tale that lay at the heart of the Eleusian Mysteries, a religion of the Greek culture that featured a risen god, established at least 1,500 years before the birth of Christ.
The Back Story of the Rape of Perspephone
Persephone, the daughter of the earth mother, Ceres was raped and forced marriage to Hades. Persephone was gathering flowers in a field, out of her mother’s site when Hades caused the ground to open up and he swept her into his chariot and took her down into the Underworld. As with all things Plutonian, Hades saw what he wanted and took it.
This story marks a period in human history where matriarchal cultures who worshipped the Goddess were overturned. This happened by stunning earth changes (the Theran volcanic explosion around 1600 B.C.) and the invasion of the warrior civilization the Mycenaeans.
Barbara Hand Clow wrote this story of Medea, “The Search for the Golden Fleece”
“. . .The violence of the Earth in my times were beautiful like the wild, wild wind. The Earth crunched and groaned so that the rocks became molten liquid. The water rose so high . . . The volcano was of such violence, the earthquakes shook all that was left in your soul; and then men decided to never trust again.”
The destruction of the powerful matriarchal Minoan civilization centered on Thera marked the first throws of the end of the Bronze Age that existed during the Age of Taurus. We see how slowly astrological ages turn over the reigns of power in the story of the Myceneans, the northern tribe that overtook and redefined Greek culture from 1600 B.C. to their eventual decline at beginning of the Iron Age around 1100 B.C., the Age of Aries. Though historians disagree with the reasons behind the collapse it is said that the Myceneans could not withstand the attacks of invading Dorians who wielded technologically superior iron swords.
In Clow’s rendition of Medea’s story and her part in the Quest for the Golden Fleece, Medea’s mission was to restore the balance of female/male energies due to imbalance caused by the earth changes. In this quest, Jason was forced to kill Medea’s brother, a sacred prince, and Medea killed her uncle to secure the throne of Pagasea for Jason. But these murders poisoned the intent of the quest. Jason refused the throne secured by matrilineal descent, looking “for a better throne”. Jason’s refusal to take the offered throne shattered the last hope for a sacred kingdom based on the king as protector of home and hearth. The trust between man and the Goddess was broken, earth was not blessed, and the imbalance remained. Jason was thus banished by the priestesses of the Moon that raised him.
From that point the power of women was diminished. Athenian women lost the vote, the war goddess Innana morphed in the playgirl Aphodite, the gods did not invite an ancient goddess, Eris, to an important wedding, and Hades was allowed to make off with the Earth goddess’ daughter and force her to be his wife.
Tomorrow: The Story of Ceres
Image of Roses courtesy of Photobucket user GreenWhite
Image of Venus Orbit published under a Creative Commons license from from Wikipedia
Astrology for the Week of October 1 to October 7
—The burdens of the world are on your strong shoulders, Ram. However, you do not like this one bit. Forced to spend more time than you like away from significant others because of certain responsibilities, you are feeling more than a little sorry for yourself. You are also questioning whether certain relationships are worth it. Certainly you are feeling that you aren’t getting what you deserve. Well, throw a pity party, Aries, but the only attending is you. Consider this just one more battle you have to wage before you rejoin the ones you love.
—The motives of the other people are obscured to you right now. You wonder what they are hiding. It’s not like you to be so paranoid, dear Bull. So what’s gotten into you? Is it because it seems like other people are trying to manipulate you. This is a month where are feeling particularly alone in the world, but this is only because the Universe is calling you to explore your inner self. Ironically, the sex you have has never been hotter.
—All is sane and happy in your corner of the Universe. Relationships are going well and you are happy in your work. Consider this a welcome respite from the trials you’ve been undergoing of late. Things are going so well that other people are willing to offer up their resources for your use. If you are looking for a loan or refinancing, this is the time to do it. Sssh, you can also ask for a raise, but don’t tell your friends. 
—Personal relationships present such a challenge to you this month, dear Crab, that you find yourself reminiscing about the one that got away. Spicy daydreams may make for interesting internal drama. However, the upshot is you still have a way to go in transforming how you approach relationships in the first place. In your case, hindsight is not 20-20 but clouded by a haze of what might have been. The reality is that you must do the work to get what you need from your significant other.
—There are many ways for you to get into trouble this month noble lion. Love and money are fraught with difficulties as you find that other people involved are withholding important information. You have several bright spots however, which are relationships with your father or grandfather, and your children if you have them. Hang out with these folks to get a fresh perspective on who is meaningful in your life.
—Dark and mysterious people enter your life, providing plenty of temptations for sensuous Virgo. But, you know, sometimes temptations are more delicious in the anticipation. Once sampled, the dark side comes out. Maybe he or she are moody loners, or they have a shady secret that makes them unsuitable for a long-term relationship. Virgo likes things ship shape and that includes the people in your life. Before you consider yet another human reclamation project, consider whether or not you can afford to spend your precious external and internal resources on people who might not be worthy of you.
—Your innate sense of fairness is stretched to the limit as those in authority insist on rigid methods to accomplish results. Though you and your friends are in agreement, banding together only serves to entrench those in charge into their positions. What you are not seeing is that “they” have information that they are not allowed to share with the body politic. The issue then is trust, since it comes in short supply both for you and your buddies and those whose charge is to monitor your activities. Here resistance is not only futile, but dangerous. Look out for yourself but promoting the interests of those who are responsible for you.
—Your song for this month is “All By Yourself”. Not that you are physically alone, but mentally you are feeling rather isolated. This is not unusual for Scorpio, but not particularly healthy. Sometimes you are so pre-occupied with protecting your sensitive inner self from others that you seal yourself away from the rest of the world. On top of that, you find yourself reflecting rather fondly on relationships from the past, which is rather counterproductive, since you know these things are long past over. Your future lies in radically transforming your ideas about relationships. This is a good time to start the process, but you have to take the first steps yourself.
—Got to love you, Archer. While the rest of world is falling apart, you are planning a party. Friends and significant others are particularly lucky for you, even if you have to use a little bit more than the usual charm to get them motivated. Certainly your natural leadership skills get others to do the work. People are inspired by your enthusiasm and are drawn to you.
—You face significant challenges with persuading others to your point of view. While you only have their own best interests at heart, you appear to be rather rigid and unfeeling in your approach to interpersonal problems. Coupled with a reticence to share critical information, your actions appear quite contrary, even draconian to others. While you don’t want to scare other people with all you know, maybe it might be worthwhile to share a bit with others to show what it is at stake. Keep your ear to the ground. Women have critical information to share. 
—You are very aware that there is more to the story than what appears on the surface. You revisit issues that have to do with women and you find you do not like what you see. Fortunately, you now have the support of authority figures to put your plans in place, even if you distrust their motives. If you find yourself being pushed too hard too fast slow things down a bit, but make like you are working furiously. No one dares to interrupt an Aquarian in a flurry of activity so use this tactic as camouflage to pace the work in the most comfortable direction for you. Keep clear of men who seem like trouble. They are.
—You aren’t quite sure where you stand with others. Consequently you find yourself either withdrawing from social situations or inserting yourself awkwardly into social situation in which you have no place. There is something to be said for a period of solitary reflection and for you, dear Pisces, this might be the time. Where or not you realize it, the Universe is offering a brief respite from the stresses of the world. Take your vacation time now, because you’ll be much too busy later to take even scheduled time off.
(Astrology Explored) Astrology for the Week of September 24 to September 30
Christine O'Donnell
Astrology for the Week of September 17 to September 23 
(Astrology Explored) Astrology for the week of September 3 to September 9
Leo—Usually the star player, this week you are handed a bit role. Remember, there are no small parts, just small actors.
(Astrology Explored)–Astrology for the Week of August 27 to September 2
