The Astrology Blog 3 January 2022
All times in GMT
“Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher.”
Oprah Winfrey
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Oprah_Winfrey
“Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them, or you stay afraid of taking them.”
Jim Carrey
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Jim_Carrey
RETROGRADE VENUS
I was in an agony of indecision about going out or not on New Year’s Eve. It’s one of my favourite times of the year and I was pretty much the only one in my immediate circle who was hesitant about it, everyone else was going, in spite of the fact that the Covid numbers had already started skyrocketing in Greece and the numbers included cases on Lefkada.
You might think that an astrologer would never find herself on the horns of a real dilemma, but can we use astrology for these kinds of decisions? I’ve never bought into the idea of checking the astrology every time you want to leave the house! But these are unprecedented conditions and naturally I was aware that the applying aspect on that evening was the Sun (life) trine (harmonious) Uranus (groups/friendships) so that in itself was ideal.
You might recall from last week’s blog that the Sun – Uranus aspect was exact on the morning of New Year’s Day BUT the Sun then picked up a minor aspect to Saturn yesterday, 2 Jan. In other words, it wasn’t as simple as it looked because the Sun was re-invoking the huge Saturn square Uranus that has been the hallmark of the pandemic over the last year.
And that describes exactly what we’d expect to happen, that the celebrations no matter how muted would inevitably be the perfect conditions for a Covid party. But that doesn’t mean that everyone would get it.
So I was in more than two minds. Both the Sun’s aspects were harmonious but revisiting the big square could surely not be without some risk, but a calculated one? Also the ongoing Big Issue of a retrograde Venus (pleasures) in Capricorn (Saturn’s sign) spells caution. Should be okay if I watch my boundaries (Saturn) and not let anyone get too close? Is this me talking myself into it?!
In the end I compromised. I went out from 9.30 to 11pm, to avoid the crowds and minimize the risk of being kissed or hugged at midnight! I drove myself so that I wouldn’t fall into the wine based “caution to the winds” trap. This is so retrograde Venus in Capricorn – don’t enjoy yourself too much and be the grown up lol! This was also evident in the bar as they were following the rules (Saturn/Capricorn) – no music, everyone had to be seated, no milling around.
The only thing that threw a cloud though was the news that one of the bar staff was absent because of testing positive that morning. We were told this after I’d been there for about an hour, not notified in advance! He had in fact served drinks the night before to the friends I was with, so that’s how easily we can get caught out. But so far everyone is testing negative.
RETROGRADE PLANETS & THAT WHICH IS CONCEALED …
We’ve suddenly had some halcyon days weather and my first job on NYE was to put on a load of washing (machine is in outdoor storeroom, attached to the house). I then got ready to take the dogs out but went to hang out the washing before leaving, only to find that the washing machine had exploded and flooded the storeroom.
To cut to the chase the electrician guy I use was able to come over within a couple of hours and it took him about five minutes to detect the problem. A mouse infestation. They’d eaten through all the wires and cables underneath the washing machine, and when I started the clean up job I found that they’d also eaten their way through all my food supplies of things like oats, rice and dog food. Anything in a plastic or paper bag had been an easy target. A carpet of now sodden mouse droppings underneath everything in there was vile to say the least.
Venus rules food and produce of all kinds, and because of her current backward loop is working in unseen ways AND has also so far made two of the three conjunctions to Pluto, god of the underworld. This is what had been going on underneath the washing machine and in the dark corners of the storeroom. It two long sessions of emptying everything out into the garden, sweeping it out and then hosing it down with bleach and sweeping it out again to restore it to some kind of hygienic state!
Pluto is associated with death and endings of all kinds. The washing machine is defunct and if I didn’t put poison pellets down then there would be no point in buying a new one. The same thing would happen. It was pointed out to me that mice have hundred of babies …. I’ve had to rise above my hatred of killing anything. And btw if you remember the story earlier in the year about deciding not to destroy the hornets’ nest (in the same storeroom) that had a happy ending. They did vacate when their job was done. Sadly I can’t say the same for the mice.
So a major expense for me as the New Year starts, a new washing machine, which again fits the astrology as Venus also rules money. That was clearly illustrated with the second conjunction to Pluto being exact on Christmas Day –
Tens of thousands of people awoke on Christmas morning to a surprise from an unexpected benefactor – Santander. The bank mistakenly deposited £130m into 75,000 accounts on 25 December (BBC News)
They’ve now got to try and get it all back again – good luck on that one!
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK? VENUS ALL THE WAY …
The heavy astrology is starting to wane, but will take a long time yet to disappear, but the main ongoing theme is Venus’ retrograde journey and this planet dominates the picture during the first week of this New Year.
Starting with the bigger picture Venus would normally take about a month to travel through each sign but in her retrograde cycle, that happens approximately every 18 months, the long loop backward means that the journey can take up to four times longer than usual. Here’s a reminder of the full sequence that we’re in now –
- Venus arrived in Capricorn 5 November 2021
- 11 December Venus conjunct Pluto 25.18 Capricorn – 1st time
- 19 December Venus turned retrograde 26.29 Capricorn
- 25 December Venus conjunct Pluto 25.43 Capricorn – 2nd time
- 29 January Venus turns direct 11.05 Capricorn
- 3 March Venus conjunct Pluto 27.50 Capricorn – 3rd and final time
- Venus leaves Capricorn and enters next sign of Aquarius 6 March 2022
- So Venus will end up being in Capricorn for 4 months, four times longer than usual for a journey though one sign
Venus’ aspects this week –
Wednesday 5 January
- Venus 20 Capricorn sextile Neptune 20 Pisces 16.03
Sunday 9 January
- Sun conjunct Venus 18 Capricorn 00.49
If it weren’t for the fact that Venus is retrograde I’d be waxing lyrical about these aspects, but I’ll still be cautiously optimistic. Venus in a harmonious aspect to Neptune – strong in his own sign of Pisces which in turn is Venus’ sign of exaltation – is rather lovely for all matters relating to love, romance, kindness, money. And it has to be said that Neptune is god of the seas and rules all things related to water – there’s the new washing machine!
SUN CONJUNCT VENUS
We can look at all major aspects as natal placings for an idea of their symbolism coming to life. Three celebs with the Sun and Venus almost exactly conjunct each other in their horoscopes are chef Gordon Ramsay, (food) Oprah Winfrey (wealth, benefactor) and Ryan O’Neal (famous for Love Story).
The Sun – Venus conjunction this coming weekend is the most important feature of the week as this is a major part of Venus’ famous 8 year cycle – that is, the sign in which Venus turns retrograde repeats every 8 years. Here you can see the pattern –
Date | Venus turns Retrograde | Venus turns Direct |
2012 | 15 May – 24 Gemini | 27 June – 7 Gemini |
2013/14 | 21 December – 29 Capricorn | 31 January – 13 Capricorn |
2015 | 25 July – 0 Virgo | 6 September – 14 Leo |
2017 | 4 March – 13 Aries | 15 April – 27 Pisces |
2018 | 5 October – 10 Scorpio | 16 November – 25 Libra |
2020 | 13 May – 22 Gemini | 25 June – 5 Gemini |
2021 | 19 December – 26 Capricorn | |
2022 | 29 January – 11 Capricorn |
Venus’ five retrograde periods within every 8 years creates a five-pointed star or rose pattern in her eight-year journey. Here’s the visual as created by Melanie Reinhart and the link to the animation –
Earth Venus Tango round the Sun. (Just hit the play arrow if it doesn’t start right away.)
Beautiful isn’t it? And magical. Venus in traditional astrology rules all things sweet, beautiful and fragrant, including flowers and especially roses.
Also note that the Sun – Venus conjunctions alternate with the inferior conjunction (when Venus is retrograde) and the superior conjunction (when Venus is direct) – here’s the sequence over the next few years –
Sun Conjunct Venus Dates
8 January 2022 – 18 Capricorn, Venus retrograde
22 October 2022 – 29 Scorpio
13 August 2023 – 21 Leo, Venus retrograde
4 June 2024 – 14 Gemini
23 March 2025 – 2 Aries, Venus retrograde
6 January 2026 – 16 Capricorn
WHAT TO EXPECT – GENERALLY AND ON THE “CAZIMI”
So Venusian key issues are everything that might come under the huge umbrella of love, romance, sex, desire, pleasures, produce and money. Retrogrades don’t automatically signal that everything will unravel, but there may be some threads that will, but matters will not be as straightforward as you would normally expect them to be – more questions than answers, mixed messages, frustration, and factors beyond your control throwing a spanner in the works are the kind of themes to look out for.
So often retrograde = concealment, the things you can’t yet see happening. It’s a bit like Eclipse symbolism – what happened in the dark, what happened when you weren’t looking, what happened and was kept as a secret, what happened behind closed doors etc. In all your transactions and especially in relationships check your assumptions, whether you’ve been with someone a long time or getting to know someone new. Be open to different ways of doing things. People who drain you or depress you, keep them at arm’s length.
What were you doing on the last retrograde Venus, in Gemini in May 2020? That fell opposite my own Sun/Venus conjunction and I was on my mission to rescue a dog chained up in Cephalonia, during lockdown and up against some huge obstacles, but I succeeded in the end.
Lola is still with me and unrecognizable from the scraggy, scruffy and nervy creature that she was when she arrived. I still regard this rescue as one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, we’re still mutually besotted, so it’s a good illustration of how retrograde Venus periods can eventually bring rewards if we take on the challenge.
CAZIMI
You may recognize this word from info I include with every retrograde Mercury. At some point in the backwards loop there is a conjunction with the Sun and the same happens with a retrograde Venus. The aspect is extremely powerful as this is called a “cazimi” – when any other planet is conjunct the Sun to within 17 minutes of arc (just over a quarter of a degree). It means that the other planet is “in the heart of the Sun”, drawing on that massive energy rather than being burned up by it.
This conjunction is exact when the Sun and Venus both reach 18 degrees and 43 minutes of Capricorn. The cazimi therefore lasts approximately from 8pm on the evening of Saturday 8 Jan through to 7am on Sunday 9 Jan. This intensifies all the general issues but can be a vital hotspot of new developments or vital information.
For example, look out for second chances, revitalizing your sex life, meeting someone new or an ex, meeting up with someone you’ve only known so far online, looking seriously at who and what you want if you’re in any kind of love triangle, work or money making opportunities, gifts and generosity that make a big difference, anything that makes life easier, more enjoyable or more comfortable and so on, you get the picture.
With love stuff there may still be an experimental quality for some but be patient. Real answers and results are more likely to take shape towards the end of the month when Venus starts stationing (slowing down) in order to turn direct.
For now I’ll finish with another lovely little joyful spot this week –
Thursday 6 January
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 1 Pisces 02.58
As the Moon has a 28 day cycle then she catches up with all the other planets throughout every four week period. These conjunctions and all the other lunar aspects are too numerous to mention and way beyond the scope of this blog but this is the first Moon – Jupiter conjunction of the year and it’s the first one since Jupiter started his journey through his own sign of Pisces (ingress was 29 Dec).
Look out for an event or info that is characterized by the hallmarks of Jupiter – such as joy, generosity, abundance, travel, learning and opportunities. I’m getting involved with fund raising for our Cat Sanctuary here that is run by Evie Soldatos. What started as rescuing a few cats has mushroomed over the last couple of years, now the whole island brings the abandoned or injured stray cats straight to her, and she needs help with colossal feeding and vet bills. I want to give her a shout out here as a New Year gift as she does such important work, especially with neutering and spaying. If you think your donation would be too small to make a difference think again. A fiver would feed a feline for a fortnight –
https://gogetfunding.com/?p=7429131
Happy New Year everyone!
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna