Sunday, December 19, 2021

Venus Retrograde in Capricorn: A Practical Metamorphosis of Values

 

'Transformation' by Maciej Wierzbicki

Venus Retrograde in Capricorn:  A Practical Metamorphosis of Values

 

Still visible in our evening sky until her heliacal setting in early January, Venus has been slowing down in preparation for her retrograde station on Dec. 19th.  Surrounding that station, Venus is conjunct Pluto…the planet of Decomposition, Metamorphosis, and Rebirth. 

Each time Venus comes to a retrograde, she is nearing the end of a synodic cycle.  This particular Venus cycle began June 3rd, 2020 in Gemini and a new cycle will begin on January 8th, 2022 in Capricorn.  Until then, an ‘elder Venus’ is releasing her last breaths of wisdom from a relatively difficult cycle.  All the while, Pluto is with her…acting as Death Doula and aiding her decomposition and metamorphosis that leads to her rebirth as Morning Star.

Art by C.H. Thorburn


This is a very soulful process we’re all feeling, especially as it relates to our values and our relationships, but it also intensifies the necessity of releasing that which is dying, served its purpose, and run its course.  Past relationships often resurface during Venus Retrograde times, as well as past transgressions in these relationships.  This one, with Pluto’s influence, might bring up some particularly heavy or even traumatic parts of our past to be worked through.  This part of the long-running transformation that has been happening in Capricorn since 2008 (when Pluto first entered this sign) may require a change of heart in all of us.  And, individually, that will look different for each of us.  But, collectively, we’ll be seeing a dramatic alteration in traditions that were once valuable to us but no longer reflect our collective values. 

Already, we can see some of these processes unfolding.  For one example, what once held the derogatory name of Squaw Mountain in Colorado is now being renamed Mestaa’eahehe Mountain (pronounced mess-taw-HAY) in honor of an influential translator and mediator in the early 19th century, also known as Owl Woman.  Venus, as the quintessential feminine planet, often venerates women’s roles in relating, bringing things (and people) together, and reconciliation.  Venus in Capricorn also highlights the crucial role of the Wise Woman or the Council of Grandmothers who are important pillars of our society that have often been degraded (such as in the term ‘squaw’) or dismissed (such as the ageism that plagues our elder women) in modern society.  At this time, we’ll see more and more instances of them rising up to reclaim their power to guide us into values that are more sustainable.



Venus entered Capricorn on November 5th, but it was November 17th when she first entered the degrees of Capricorn that she will soon be retracing through her retrograde.  From that day until December 19th, we were going through our first introductions of the kinds of changes she means to inspire in us throughout the course of this transition (which will come to a close in early March 2022). 

This introduction has already brought up some difficult matters of the heart and soul.  When Pluto is in the mix, things can feel heavier, more intense, or more crucial.  As the higher octave of Mars (which has much to do with the will to act), Pluto has to do with the deeper actions of rebirth that are beyond the will.  In other words, Pluto inclines the transformation processes that will happen whether we are willing or not.  It is the inner workings within the chrysalis…or the phoenix reborn from the ashes.

'From the Ashes', artist unknown


Beautiful symbolism, yes.  But when it comes down to it, we humans are largely terrified by the idea of losing anything we know well and surrendering to the life-altering changes that restructure our lives into ‘something else’.  It becomes a crisis, and often those crises bring us to total collapse before we can begin to rebuild what is necessary from all that has changed.  And yet, when we must…we must. 

We may be in a process of saying farewell to something we held tightly to in the past, whether it was good for us or not.  Many of us may find ourselves questioning the longevity of certain relationships in our lives, or even our own ways of relating with others.  Ideas, concepts, or structures of love, money, beauty, or anything that we may hold as valuable…any of it could be up for review as Venus slows down to retrograde and shift our perspective. 

The thing about Capricorn (or any sign of the Earth element for that matter), is that anything that expresses through Earth is concerned with practicality.  Capricorn, in particular, is an Earth sign that administers practicality through objective orchestration.  The Capricorn way is ultimately one that works to provide practical changes that will endure the tests of time. Sustainable change doesn’t often happen overnight (especially during a year where Saturn square Uranus is the dominant theme).  It is an incremental process that addresses what is systemic in the roots of a thing, and that requires some wise and careful planning and implementation.  Therefore, much of the Capricornian change is happening ‘underground’, so to speak.  So that on the surface, we may wonder if anything is really changing at all.  This can bring us humans, who have largely been conditioned to value both convenience and immediate gratification of our desires, into worry.  The worry is that the rot that threatens our roots is quicker and more powerful than our potential to reverse the damage done.  But the Capricorn way is often to be prepared for any challenge…making its way from sea level to mountain top one sure-footed step at a time.

'Capricorn' from Cyril Rolando's Dancing Zodiac


These Pluto in Capricorn lessons have been important for the whole world to experience on a deeper level since 2008, but they are even more crucial for the people (and the government) of the United States to learn.  This country was founded when Pluto was in Capricorn (27 degrees tropical Capricorn, or 5 degrees sidereal Capricorn).  Pluto reaches 27 tropical Capricorn in February 2022 and 5 degrees sidereal Capricorn in 2024…which is a two year window where the U.S. is building up to its first Pluto Return, a significant Rite of Passage for any nation.

On either side of this national Rite of Passage, transmutations (beyond the will of the country) will happen.  It is a long and often grueling process that leads to a completely new expression of our national soul through crisis.  We have been through a couple years now of the Separation phase of this Rite of Passage.  And for the next two years, we will be Crossing the Threshold.  Then in 2024, we will be in the Integration phase of this Pluto Return, where we gradually begin to express the deeper meaning behind this Capricorn change through Pluto in tropical Aquarius. 

So with Venus showing us how to rebirth in Capricorn at this time, her dance with Pluto is wise medicine for the resilience of heart and soul through hard times.  As we Earthlings dance along with our sister planet, we celebrate the beauty of these Solstice days we are entering and the shifts we all must go through to honor our light. 

 

wise words from Alice Walker

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

 

 

P.S.  Below, I have listed some of the dates of this part of the Venus cycle (as Venus transitions from Evening Star to Morning Star, making her way through these degrees of Capricorn and beyond).

 

Venus Cycle

11/17/21- Venus first enters Rx degrees in direct motion

11/19/21- Venus trine UranusRx (single transit)

Unprecedented advancements of females.  Amplifications of expressions of ‘strange beauty’ or ‘strange love’ that unites traditional values with untraditional twists.  An emphasis on the social side of technology.  Out-of-the-box expressions of creativity.  Spontaneous and improvisational ways of relating.  An easy flow of unexpected reconciliation that may only last briefly, but provides something novel to consider.

Global example:  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is transferred presidential power for a short time while President Biden undergoes medical treatment, making Harris the first woman in U.S. history to become acting president. During this unexpected event, the transiting trine formed a Grand Earth Trine with Harris’s natal Uranus-Pluto-Venus stellium in Virgo, and the transiting Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse was conjunct Harris’s natal lunar nodes.

11/30/21- Venus sextile NeptuneRx (Part 1:  The Introduction)

Opportunities to engage the heart with the higher octave of the heart.  Mystifying occurrences, as if in a dream, that may pull on the heartstrings.  A confusion of values that can draw people together spiritually or creatively.  An inspiration of creativity when working together with others. 

Global examples:  Honduras elects Xiomara Castro, their first female president.  Dame Sandra Mason is inaugurated as first president of Barbados, as the country becomes the 34th Republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.  Mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, USA.

12/3/21- Evening Star Greatest Brilliance

Venus at maximum brightness in the night sky.  From this point, she begins to significantly slow down in preparation for her retrograde station.  This gradual shift intensifies Venusian themes in our Earthly awareness.

12/11/21- Venus conjunct Pluto (Part 1:  The Introduction)

Crisis of the heart.  Dramatic change through destruction that leads to rebuilding.  Crucial lessons in relating.  Things of long-held value lost or released, making way for the rebirth of our values.

Global example:  Quad-state tornadoes leave a trail of death and damage in the U.S.

12/19/21- Venus stations Rx in CAP 27 (Sabian Symbol- ‘a mountain pilgrimage’)

We are not quite ready for the mountain pilgrimage that the heart desires, we have some preparation to do first.  With Venus, we will retrace these Capricorn steps to find the Heart Matter we must bring with us to this Mountain.  All Venusian themes are on high…be it lessons in reconciliation, relationships, love, beauty, money, or values…and we’ll feel the great pause to reconsider these things leading up to and through this station. 

12/25/21- VenusRx-Pluto conjunction (Part 2:  The Retrograde Revisit)

The reconnection of Heart and Soul.  Reconsideration of what transpired around 12/11 with a different perspective on what we’re releasing. 

12/29/21- Mercury-VenusRx conjunction (single transit)

Aligning the mind with the heart.  Expressing ways of communicative relating.  Messages of love or value.

1/2/22- Heliacal Set as Evening Star (West)

At her setting, we say farewell to Venus gracing our night sky as she rests into the invisible transition between cycles.  This invisible phase, lasting until Heliacal Rise on 1/14, is when the retrograde pull of Venus draws us most deeply into our inner heart.

1/5/22- VenusRx sextile Neptune (Part 2:  The Retrograde Revisit)

Another opportunity to engage the heart with the higher heart, but on a more inward level than on 11/30.  Inspired creativity from within.  A mystification of inner values that can lead to constructive release of addiction or escapism as one Venus cycle ends to make way for the new.

1/8/22- Interior Conjunction of Sun-VenusRx (New Venus)

The Capricorn Venus cycle begins in CAP 19.  The Sabian Symbol is ‘a 5 year old child carrying a huge shopping bag’.  In this New Venus cycle, we are tasked with showing up in more responsible ways.  These new responsibilities require a great deal of effort…maybe more than it might seem we can handle at first.  But we are stronger than we may think.  In this cycle, we can prove that we are capable of taking on these responsibilities and contributing our efforts in new ways.

1/14/22- Heliacal Rise as Morning Star (East)

Around the time we can first see Venus rise before the Sun as Morning Star (which is different for each of us, and dependent on our location)…we may start seeing how our own heart transformations reflect in our environment. 

1/29/22- Venus stations direct (trine Uranus):  Sabian Symbol- ‘a student of nature lecturing’

The intensification of Venusian themes returns and draws us outward and forward again to integrate what we have learned through retrograde.  While Venus does not fully return to exaction of the 11/19 trine with Uranus, those themes of unexpected occurrences and out-of-the-box ways of relating are still part of the shift.  We have a fresh perspective now on the nature of Heart Wisdom, and we want to share what we’ve learned with others.

2/14/22- Morning Star Greatest Brilliance

Venus is at Maximum Brightness in our pre-dawn sky.  From this point, she begins to pick up more speed as she moves forward through our Zodiac.  Soon, she will begin her long descent in our sky toward her ‘Underworld’ Initiation. 

2/16/22- Venus-Mars conjunction in Capricorn

Venus meets with her lover, Mars, to combine the heart with the will.  These are often passionate conjunctions, where desires feel paramount.  There are two this year, which is unusual.  And, in this one, Mars is moving a little faster than Venus.  So he catches up with her, overtakes her, and moves ahead of her for a few weeks.  And, although Venus is still quite bright in the sky, Mars is exalted in Capricorn and much stronger at this conjunction.  There is likely to be a theme of taking what we want in a calculated manner.  Consideration for others who will be impacted by such moves is key.

2/24/22- Venus sextile Neptune (Part 3:  The Integration)

Lessons that arose for us on 11/30 and then again on 1/5 are now being integrated after revision.  The creativity of this aspect may now become fully manifest.  Working with others on creative or spiritual projects can boost opportunities.

2/27/22- Moon-Venus conjunction (1st Descending Gate, the Gate of Authority)

Venus, now descending in our morning sky, begins her long journey through the Underworld gates…a visible representation of the Inanna myth.  This first gate is related to the crown chakra, where Venus/Inanna gives up her royal crown to pass.  This is symbolic of releasing any distortions we have of our own authority and distortions with our direct connection to Spirit and our own divinity.

2/28/22- Venus trine North Lunar Node, sextile South Lunar Node (single transit)

Venus is in good relationship with what we are collectively taking in as well as releasing during this time.  Soul encounters with others now are likely and ultimately beneficial. 

3/1/22- Venus leaves previous Rx degrees

As Venus finally moves past the 27th degree of Capricorn where she stationed retrograde in December, we are now able to move forward with our plans to make that symbolic ‘mountain pilgrimage’.

3/3/22- Venus-Pluto conjunction (Part 3:  The Integration)

Themes that were present surrounding Venus’s retrograde station in December (particularly the 1st two Venus-Pluto conjunctions on 12/11 and 12/25) return for deeper integration in our lives.  What have we learned of the crisis we have been through?  There may still be some remnants left of that time to more fully release.

3/6/22- Venus-Mars conjunction in Aquarius

Venus catches up with her lover, Mars, for one more conjunction…now in the 1st degree of Aquarius.  This time, she overtakes him…but in doing so, she finds herself caught between the two malefics (Mars and Saturn) again for another few weeks.  While there may be some noticeable constriction from Saturn’s influence in Aquarius, the inherent passion of this conjunction is still present.  When used constructively, it can add a little more spice to a relationship or bring more motivation to creative endeavors. 

 

Additional Coming Transits

12/19/21- Chiron stations direct in Aries

12/21/21- Sun enters Capricorn (December Solstice)

12/24/21- 3rd Saturn-Uranus square

12/28/21- Jupiter re-enters Pisces

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