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Saturn & The First Saturn Return

In this post, I will talk about the 5 stages of the first Saturn cycle which begins at birth and ends at the 1st Saturn return between ages 28 and 30.

Saturn &The First Saturn Return by @PeoplesOracle

Saturn in the Natal Chart

Over time, Saturn seeks to cultivate sovereignty over oneself—the authority one has over one’s life. It’s authority one is born with. Yet during the first Saturn cycle, between birth and about 28 to 30 years old, we awaken to that power and wrestle with it. We tussle with external authority figures and ultimately take over where our parents and other authority figures left off. Over that time period we internalize our experience of power and authority figures who have influenced us and held responsibility for our lives.

  • How did our caretakers handle their authority over us and responsibility for us?
  • Were we responsible for ourselves before we were appropriately capable? Or, did we make a relatively smooth transition? Or, did we never fully take over responsibility?
  • Did we have to take care of those who were supposed to take care of us?
  • Was cooperation demanded? Submission coerced? Trust nurtured?

The other side of Saturn represents external markers of authority, power, and responsibility. It’s when we explore the limits of our power and influence in the world around us. This is the kind of authority that is, ideally, earned and built over time. It’s granted to the one who has shown competency. It’s recognizing the impact of our authority AND our responsibility for the world around us.

Who’s The Boss?

Saturn at Birth is 0°
Age 0 to age 7
The boss has all of the power and all of the responsibility. You are not the boss, at first. You are completely helpless and 100% reliable on others to take care of you, to make decisions for you, to provide structure and boundaries for you—even if no one is there, which is the case for some people. The boundary of where you end and others begin is molded during this phase.

The first seeds of self awareness and our innate authority sprout during this time. We flex our muscle but mostly retreat to the familiarity of the boundaries we know.

The 1st Saturn Square is 90°
Age 7 to age 14
The 90° square of any two planets’ is about awareness and emergence. There is friction between what is known and what is unknown. One is awakening to the limits around them, feeling along the walls to see where they end.

But at the 90° square between transiting Saturn and natal Saturn the boundaries of home and family are the foundation upon which the rules of the emerging world around you are built. A solid foundation makes this period a quick build; an unstable foundation often calcifies boundary issues—whether too porous/non-existent, or impenetrable. But, the rules you know and the new rules your experience rub up against each other. Authority figures and the limitations of your world now bring another set of rules, not just those unique to your home and family, but also to your community and culture.

The Saturn Opposition 180°
Age 14 to age 21
The Saturn opposition is a face-off. You want to take the reigns, and in some ways you are ready. But the authority figures in your life tell you, “Not quite”. At this point, authority figures take the form of parents, teachers, law enforcement, etc. You feel physically powerful in your body (thanks to puberty), and you feel like you have a grasp on reality—enough to “see things as they are.” Power struggles often color this time period as you push back against boundaries that you feel are being forced upon you.

The Saturn Square 270°
Age 21 to age 28
This is the time where the rubber meets the road. We finally have the authority, and the responsibility, that we’ve craved all along. How prepared are we? How prepared do we feel? Pressed by the world around us to make important decision about the trajectory of our lives; we feel pressure to think of the future and make long-term goals.

Squares bring friction, and the friction here sparks awareness of an impending end. Something in us feels what’s coming: the return of Saturn to its natal position, our first Saturn return. It’s an ending and a beginning. It’s where we come to terms with reality of our inner authority and responsibility.

Are the decisions that we’ve made a result of our own will and desire? Or are we living someone else’s dream? Will we accept it or change course?

The 1st Saturn Return 0°
Age 28 to age 30
This is an ending and a beginning. The natal house and sign placement of our Saturn gives us clues as to which area of our life and who or what is involved in this transition. This time reinforces our understanding of authority and responsibility. We may ask ourselves:

  • Who or what secures the foundation of our lives?
  • How can I take on the mantle of responsibility and adulthood in a way that honors my own voice, not just replicating the voices of those who have heretofore been responsible for me?
  • Who am I becoming and what do I need to do in order to develop competency in this becoming?
  • What am I doing to lay the groundwork to be an authority and garner respect in my community and the world around me?

Many of these answers do not come until after Saturn leaves the sign where it is in the natal chart. But the return itself is a completion and a seed planting phase. It’s dark, like a New Moon. It is very clear, for some people, what is happening and where things are headed. For others it’s a time of fear and many unknowns. Those born during the day (Sun in house 7-12) tend to have a more constructive experience, while those born at night (Sun in houses 1-6) tend to deal with more fear, resistance, and difficulty.

Think of this return as being born all over again. Yet you are already a full grown adult this time, and you have to do the work yourself to prepare for your birth. You’re emerging from a womb and coming into another world with new rules and expectations,. This time you are responsible for finding and creating those people and things that will be a foundation for you and your life as you mature into the role you’ll play in your community, career, and the world.

Got questions or comments about Saturn & The First Saturn Return? Let’s talk about it on Twitter @PeoplesOracle.

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Revelations: The Astrology of April 7, 2017 – April 15, 201

Important Dates

All transits are in sidereal. If you’re curious about your chart using the sidereal zodiac you can find a guide with instructions on plotting your sidereal chart here, and a post outlining some of the philosophical differences between tropical and sidereal here.

I’ve been saying that the week of April 9 is the turning point, but the astrology of Friday April 7 through Saturday April 15 are probably the most intense days of the year, second only to late August when the total solar eclipse in Leo occurs and early September when the eclipse degree is triggered. Think of this as act one. Here is a rundown:

April 7

Saturn Rx, 3 Sagittarius

Uranus enters Aries

Sun opposite Jupiter

April 9

Mercury stations retrograde, 10 Aries

April 11

Full Moon conjunct Jupiter, 27 Virgo

April 12

Mars enters Taurus

April 13

Aries Ingress, Sun conjunct Uranus

April 15

Venus stations direct at 2 Pisces

This 9 +/- period augurs a cyclical shift that sheds light on previously unclear circumstances so that power dynamics change. It’s an overlap of cycles beginning and cycles ending. One thing resolves and another thing surfaces to be addressed. April is extreme, but May provides respite. Read on for a detailed look at each of this astro events.

The Astrology of April 7, 2017 - April 15, 2017 - @PeoplesOracle

Saturn Retrograde at 3 Sagittarius, April 7

Saturn has spent the last 2 years in Scorpio. He entered Sagittarius for a brief 6 months stay on January 26, 2017. I’ve made observations on Saturn’s transit through Sagittarius. I want to use this space to talk about Saturn re-entering Scorpio which happens June 20, 2017 through October 26, 2017.

Saturn will spend 4 months back in Scorpio to wrap up unfinished business. Saturn is about power and authority. It’s about sovereignty over ourselves. In Scorpio, Saturn answers to Mars and highlights our volition; do we submit to authority figures willingly or are we coerced?

Saturn breeds either humility or hubris. It can also breed humiliation. That’s where we find ourselves with Saturn in Scorpio. Does the exercising of our will come from:

  • An understanding that our power is limited and we are always subject to someone or something?
  • A belief that we can strong arm our way to positions of power?
  • Or do we feel bereft of personal power and influence in our world?

These are the questions that we will be answering the 4 months between June and October. What is our relationships with our own power and the power of others? This is a theme that manifests in our individual lives, personal relationships, and collectively.

Sun in Pisces opposite Jupiter in Virgo, April 7

Oppositions are a fulfillment of a promise made at the conjunction. Look back to late September 2016 when the Sun and Jupiter had their annual conjunction at 9 Virgo. As the Sun progressed past Jupiter on to a 90° square (28 Sagittarius/Virgo mid January 2017) we met a crises point and opportunity for breakthrough. Let’s look at what this signifies.

The Sun is the mind, the intellect. It is perception and the light of illumination. Jupiter is synthesis, contextualizing all that is perceived, crafting a narrative, and setting a precedent for possibility. When they are conjunct in Virgo, they are subject to Mercury’s need to concretize perception and synthesis into language and symbols, equations and data. We get numbers, facts, figures, and statistics.

When the Sun squares Jupiter from Sagittarius, we get the first challenge to the data. Perspective is provided and an alternative narrative is developed.

Now that we are reaching the culmination, the opposition of the Sun and Jupiter, it’s time for a revelation. The Sun shines light on Jupiter from Pisces. Read more on this opposition below, under the Full Moon in Virgo.

Uranus in Aries, April 7

The significations of Uranus can be gleaned from Mars and Mercury alone. But there is something to be said for the validity of Uranus acting like a fixed star, as I have personally experienced the herky-jerky tribulations of a Uranus transit.

Uranus entered sidereal Pisces for the first time back in 2009, but for good in 2010. This was a feature of the Uranus-Pluto square that has dominated the astrological landscape for the past several years (since 2012). Uranus entered Aries briefly last summer (2016) only just into the 1st degree. This time, Uranus is an Aries for good until 2024/2025.

While Uranus brings disruption and chaos, in Pisces that disruption can be diffuse and misdirected, revealing no clear aim. Uranus in Pisces is like lightning striking water. The electrical current of the bolt scatters over the surface of the water in all directions. Anyone swimming, or ships near the location of the strike, will most certainly be shocked, burned, or killed. But the depths of the water is left untouched.

This is not to say that the many crises precipitated during Uranus in Pisces, especially its extended square with Pluto, didn’t change anything beneath the surface. It’s that Uranus in Pisces conceals the depths of Uranus’ change, it deceives the scope of the effect of the change. But Uranus in Aries comes to make it clear.

Aries doesn’t have the laser like precision of Scorpio. It’s more like an axe that hacks away till the tree comes down. But the tree will come down.

Uranus was last in Aries beginning in 1933. Anyone with just a cursory knowledge of history knows that year changed the trajectory of global politics and economics. I did an astrological comparison of Aries ingress charts from 1933 and 2017 in this post. And there you’ll learn that the Sun and Uranus are conjunct at 0 Aries in the Aries Ingress chart once every 84 years. So Uranus entering Aries is a BIG DEAL.

The next 7 years is a time where the change becomes permanent. Things are not going back to how they were. The Aries house in your chart is getting an old fashioned shakedown. It may be completely destroyed, or at least unrecognizable, after Uranus is finished. 

Most of you reading this have never experienced Uranus in Aries, so this is unprecedented in many ways. I’ll be sharing more about ways this may manifest in our individual charts in the near future​.

Mercury retrograde, April 9

Mercury in Aries is ruled by Mars. In Pisces, Mercury was a cauldron of symbolism, tasked with finding language for the unspeakable, the unspoken. Now, in Aries, the messenger becomes a bugle, a horn with a battle cry. Mercury in Aries is subject to the drive for self protection, and the will to survive. Words are weapons declaring war, meant to decapitate and permanently separate.

Mercury is following the path that Mars cleared just a few weeks ago. Mars was the bulldozer clearing the way. Mercury in Aries will reveal the messages on what has been cleared.

This is a particularly long retrograde. This one is almost 4 weeks, and it covers the first 10 degrees of Aries. The retrograde station is at 10 Aries on April 9, and the direct station is at 0 degrees on May 4, and that is conjunct Uranus. This is truly a time of dramatic change that upsets the status quo, begs for innovation, and requires constant adjustment.

The Shadow period began March 26, so you may be able to get an idea of what this period will feature for you as March ends and April begins. But we’re dealing with a volatile sign, and two unstable planets (Mercury and Uranus). If you have any angles in early Aries, or prominent planets there, then this may be a particularly busy time for you. And it’s only just beginning with Uranus coming.

It may be helpful to think back to May of 2016 which was the last Aries Mercury Rx. Thinking back to April 28 through May 22 of that year can provide clues to the topics and areas of life that may be up for review this year.

Mercury retrograde is a time to go back and review unfinished business, revisit past situations, and redo things that need to be adjusted. This period is also good for restarting things that didn’t work out the first time, or undoing things that turned out not to be a good thing.

Full Moon at 27 Virgo, conjunct Jupiter, April 11

Lunations are very important because the Moon’s phases are one of the larger cycles that often acts as a trigger for events. We can look at this Full Moon on April 11 as the bright light that illuminates everything else that’s going on. Particularly, the Moon’s conjunction with Jupiter is a trigger for other astro events that have been happening over the past 9 months.


All of the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) have made multiple aspects with Jupiter in Virgo. Jupiter in Virgo is a hardline logician. Not reason, but equations that provide measurable data.

Planets from Gemini squaring Jupiter in Virgo are spin masters, taking the hard data and spinning it like a magician (enter Donald J. Trump who has natal Mercury in Gemini square Jupiter in Virgo).

Planets in Pisces opposing Jupiter in Virgo work hard to contextualize that data into a larger scheme. We’ve watched a kind of two-way distillation process during sidereal Pisces season. So much information and varied data has been raining on our heads for months, but now it finally seems like we can understand exactly what is all of this data implies. Or maybe it means nothing at all?

Planets in Sagittarius squaring Jupiter in Virgo speak of  a partial breakdown. The zeal of dogma and the factuality of data squaring off head on. We’ve seen the zeal of both congress and the president receive pushback because the actual data and personal experiences of folks block bureaucracy

We’re going to see this square off politically as revelations RE Devin Nunes, the Trump family, Jeff Sessions, et al makes serious waves.

One thing that is particularly significant is that this Full Moon in Virgo is ruled by a freshly retrograde Mercury. That means that Mercury is still moving very slowly and is apt to cause delays, reversals, and revisiting matters in your Virgo house and Gemini house.

This particular story has been building since last August, so it may be beneficial to do a personal recap of what was going on in your life at that time.

Mars in Taurus, April 12

The transit from Aries to Taurus is a big one for Mars. He goes from his domicile (home) to far away from home, his detriment. Mars will be in sidereal Taurus from April 12 until May 26.

Mars in Aries is the infantry soldier, the tree logger, and the knife sharpener. Mars answers to himself there. He doesn’t ask for permission. And he doesn’t apologize, he just goes for it.

But in Taurus Mars must answer to Venus who isn’t sympathetic to his needs. Mars is divisive, combative, and conflicting. Venus is unifying, assuaging, and harmonizing. You see the challenge here? When Mars has to get permission from Venus in order to act, Mars has to shed his usual demeanor and take on a more conciliatory approach.

Taurus is about decorum, beauty, sensuality. As a Venus ruled sign it puts Mars in a bind. Mars wants to fight. It wants to cut and separate. Divide and deconstruct. So how do you fight with decorum? Cut with beauty? Divide sensually? It’s a conundrum. You become passive aggressive.

Mars in Taurus is the nice-nasty friend who slides in digs with a smile. It’s “bless your heart”, when they really mean to curse you. It’s fighting while maintaining a connection. And the ultimate in latent aggression. Mars in Taurus isn’t a pushover, just someone who wants to maintain decorum in the midst of the fight.

Aries Ingress, April 13

I’ve already written extensively about the Aries Ingress. Instead of outlining things here I will provide a list of links. These are links to a post on my blog and threads on Twitter where I talking more about what to expect in the USA regarding the Ingress. If you are not clear on what ia ingress is, read the first link.

Venus Stationary Direct at 2 Pisces, April 15

Venus has been retrograde since March 4. That day she sat still at 19 Pisces and appeared to begin travelling backwards through the zodiac. By April 15, she will have landed at 2 Pisces and once again sit still, but this time appear to move forward. She’ll be slow for awhile, though.

Planets moving slower than their normal speed and direction demand our attention. With regard to Venus it’s a time for reexamination of our desires;

  • Do you really want what you said you wanted?
  • Will you maintain your commitment?
  • Or is it time for a renegotiation?
  • Do you need more time to make a decision?

This can apply to anything that requires a consensus or agreement between people. It can apply to our physical desires as well. The essence of it all is choice. Venus Rx is a time to consider (which means to examine the stars) why we have chosen or choose as we do. What motivates your choices?

As Venus slows between April 7 and April 15, it is a time to reckon up. We must make an account for how we’ve chosen to proceed in certain areas of our lives.

The direct station occurs at a time when so much else is happening in the sky that it may be hard to know what’s what. But the end of Venus’ retrograde travel is like the icing on the cake to a week of unrelenting activity.

Mercury’s retrograde station and Venus’ direct station overlap and can make for quite a confusing time. Just when you feel like you’ve gotten your sea legs with Venus, Mercury comes along to shake things up. If the work of Venus has mostly been internal for you, Mercury lays the cards on the table.

Are you ready!

 

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Astrology for the Week of March 26, 2017

I’m ready to talk about the astrological excitement that is the April 7-April 16.
But First…

Astrology for the week of March 26 – April 1

All transits are in sidereal. If you’re curious about your chart using the sidereal zodiac you can find a guide with instructions on plotting your sidereal chart here. And a post outlining some of the philosophical differences between tropical and sidereal here.

Astrology for the Week of March 26, 2017 - @PeoplesOracle

March 26, 2017 we walk through a vortex. Mercury reaches 0 Aries, the degree of its direct station (more on that below). We’ve already experienced planets crossing this point, and it has not disappointed.

Zero degrees of Aries is the beginning of the zodiac, so it’s always a sensitive point. But this year, it’s a poignant trigger that helps us to time important events.

On March 1, 2017, the first planet crossed the 0 Aries Marker. Mars jumped the threshold after dancing with the Moon at 29 Pisces. Moon followed quickly. We came out of the proverbial waters of baptism into the fire of fisticuffs. (As of early Sunday) Mercury is now at that same degree, 29 Pisces, ready to cross the threshold into the fire. Once again, our allegiances will be tested

As the Moon and Mars traversed 0 Aries we were coerced into taking sides. No more walking the thin line of feigned neutrality. In the public sphere, news broke that implicated Jeff Sessions in Russia-gate. This was an omen of things to come as the Russia story has demanded more and more of our collective attention.

But in our personal lives, we’ve felt the conviction of choosing sides in inner and external battles.

Where have you felt compelled to profess where you stand?
What side did you choose?

Next up is a New Moon in Pisces with Venus retrograde front and center. This is exact Monday evening, but active once the Moon enters Pisces overnight from Sunday to Monday. Pisces calls us to connect to something larger than ourselves, to awaken our empathy, provide deeper meaning and purpose to all that we do.

This is surely at odds with Mercury and Mars in Aries. These two planets are divisive, where Sun, Moon, and Venus in Pisces are like adhesive, beckoning people to come together. But this leads me to the conclusion that as we choose sides and proclaim where we stand, it allows for allegiances to be born.

When we are unafraid to be bold in our declarations of who we are, we are able to identify those who resonate with our convictions. We are able to connect with others based on shared ideals and common goals.

Our intentions for this New Moon period should be to stand strong in our convictions as a means to connecting to something larger than ourselves. For some reason,  we believe we can fit in when we stand in the middle, but at this time standing there will leave you standing alone. Relinquish fear of being a leader.

Moon enters Aries on Wednesday March 29. He sets off Mercury and Mars like a lit match in a keg of dynamite. Wednesday and Thursday are days to lay low and plan how to be responsive rather than reactionary. Both days the Moon is applying to planets so that means busy busy news. Think back to on or about March 1, March 8, March 15, for clues to the Moon/Mars story in your life.

Moon enters Taurus before daybreak Friday March 31. Moon makes aspects with Venus on Friday and the Sun & Jupiter Saturday. That makes for a very peaceful weekend prefacing an excitable and busy week.

Now, Important Dates

I’ve been saying that the week of April 9th is the turning point, but Friday April 7 through Sunday April 16 are probably the most intense days of the year, second only to late August when the total solar eclipse in Leo occurs and early September. Think of this as act one. Here is a rundown

  • April 7
    • Saturn Rx, 3 Sagittarius
    • Uranus enters Aries
    • Sun opposite Jupiter
  • April 9 – Mercury stations retrograde, 20 Aries
  • April 11 – Full Moon conjunct Jupiter, 27 Virgo
  • April 12 – Mars enters Taurus
  • April 13 – Aries Ingress, Sun conjunct Uranus
  • April 15 – Venus stations direct at 2 Pisces

In an upcoming post, I will go into full detail on these astrological events. It was originally part of one big post, but that seemed like too much to put into one blog post. So I’ll post the rest this week.

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Astrology for the Week of March 6, 2017

Monday: Moon is in Gemini and Mercury is business. Great day for communication and correspondance.

Tuesday: Moon trines squares Venus then trines Mercury and the Sun. Another active mental day.

Wednesday: Moon enters Cancer and squares Mars in Aries. Continuation of last Wednesday?

Thursday: Cozy Cancer Moon trines Venus in Pisces and sextiles Jupiter in Virgo. Ghost of lovers past.

Friday: Moon enters Leo early AM. Fire Trine with Mars in Aries and Saturn in Sagittarius. Mercury moves into Pisces.

Saturday: Full Moon in Leo. Moon is bright. Can you see it now?

Sunday:  Moon in Virgo faces off with Mercury in Pisces. Who is telling the truth? Did you say what you meant or did you mean what you said?

March 6 Weekly Forecast - @PeoplesOracle

Monday, Mercury is cazimi the Sun in Aquarius. It will be within 17 minutes of an exact conjunction putting it in the heart of the Sun. In this position the sun confers its power to Mercury, giving it the platform to execute its goals.

Mercury in Aquarius is about speaking authoritatively. It’s insisting that one’s thoughts, ideas, and words come from a place of sovereignty over oneself. I wouldn’t be surprised if President 45 signs another executive order while Mercury is in this position as it reflects his desire to have unquestioned power. Ruled by Saturn, themes of this order have to do with the land under our feet, the elderly, boundaries, and the erecting of limits.

(He did sign another one before I was able to publish this post.)

Moon entered Gemini last night adding to the air in the sky. Moon spends all day applying to square Venus retrograde in Pisces which happens early in the AM on Tuesday .  She still moving at a snail’s pace right now. But the Gemini/Pisces square is one of the spoken word and the unspeakable trying to find a way to convey things to each other. Perhaps Monday and Tuesday are days  where we put into words and communicate our Venus retrograde revelations.

Tuesday Gemini Moon will spend the entire day applying to a trine with Mercury and the Sun in Aquarius providing an opportunity for the flow of ideas, social interaction, and intellectual stimulation. Gemini Moon can be busy and stimulating. Ruled by Mercury, it is changeable and in constant flux, adapting and reacting to stimuli it encounters.

After that trine business, Moon immediately applying a square to Jupiter. When the Moon is busy, we’re busy. So, Tuesday is is to be a busy day. Lots of conversation, correspondence, and coming and going. The square with Jupiter later in the day provides ripe conditions for debate over what someone said vs what they meant. The truth can come out with some prodding. Perhaps an important press conference occurs.

The Moon enters Cancer overnight into Wednesday. Early in the day she squares Mars. Wednesday is a feisty day. That square is goading us to move forward despite how we feel. Moon/Mars square can reflect battles between men and women and overall conflicting agendas and the motivation for them.

Thursday is the best day of the week. The perfect fall back from the electricity of Tuesday and Wednesday. With the overstimulated Gemini Moon, and the combative Moon/Mars square behind us, Moon in Cancer applies to a newly retrograde Venus in Pisces which occurs early in the day.

Thursday is easy and indulgent, cozy and comfortable relations and connections. This is a good day for someone from the past to resurface, or thoughts of past lovers giving you a bout of emotional deja vu. Venus Rx is known for bring back folks you think you want to let you find out if you really want them. Otherwise, themes of this Venus Rx weigh on us today.

Friday the Moon enters Leo at the crack of dawn officially beginning the Full Moon that perfects Sunday at 28 Leo. All of the week’s activity is a reflection of the dynamism of a waxing Moon.

Leo Moon is an intellectual Moon subject to the bias of personal perceptions. It can often mean we see what we want to see and feel what we think we see. It can be a projection rather than an authentic in the body experience.

Friday Moon in Leo reactivates the trine between Mars and Saturn. We get a grand fire trine Friday afternoon which is astrology for feeling like we need to act. That’s a day for structured and intentional energy.

Mercury leaves Aquarius for Pisces on Friday in the sign of its detriment and fall. The symbolism and language of Mercury finds itself mute and immersed in utterances that have more feeling than intellectual substance. Mercury will move at top speed through Pisces entering Aries on April 26 when he enters his retrograde shadow.

Saturday and Sunday are the Full Moon in Leo which is the peak of the lunar cycle. Full Moon’s reveal the Moon full of light and reflects revelations and illuminations in our lives. Everything is out in the open. What was hidden is now seen in the Leo house of our chart.

Moon enters Virgo Sunday immediately squaring Saturn and opposing Mercury in Pisces. Despite being the weekend, work starts early and is a productive day. Excellent for planning out the week and crafting your to do lists, or feeling irritated that there is too much to do and you can’t quite get it together. Try anyway.

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Venus Retrograde 2017

Venus retrograde occurs in the same sign every 8 years. Venus retrograde in sidereal Pisces occurred in 2009, 2001, 1993, 1985, 1977, etc. The last time Venus was retrograde was in Cancer in 2015.

All of the signs and placements of transits in this post are calculated using the sidereal zodiac, lahiri ayanamsa. Please use this guide to create your sidereal chart so that you can follow along.

Venus Rx in Sidereal Pisces - @PeoplesOracle

On Venus

Venus is the magnet that draws that which is separate together. It’s our drive to unify with another and others. Venus is how we come to consensus. Its sign placement tells the story of what attracts us to another and what attracts others to us. Venus is love, pleasure, sex, creativity, relationships, us/we, social status, aesthetics, art, music.

Looking to the ruler of the sign where Venus is retrograde can fill in the color where black and white explanations fall short. In Pisces she is exalted, ruled by Jupiter.

In a Jupiter ruled sign, Venus answers to our sense of generosity, integrity, and abundance of heart. Venus in Pisces doesn’t seek pleasure for the sake of satisfaction. It seeks an emotional consensus for the sake of the unity of people, things, and ideas. Sometimes that does have a sacrificial air to it, but Jupiter’s sign placement gives context.

Dates

The wisdom available via astrology is about the cycles they illuminate for us. As planets pass over certain points in the zodiac at their appointed times, they carve a story of significance in our lives.

As I shared in the weekly astrology post Mars has been leading the charge ahead being the first planet to move through each sign this year.

  • January 20, 2017 – Mars entered Pisces, the day of the US Presidential inauguration
  • January 23, 2017 – Mars reached the degree of where Venus will station direct, 2 Pisces
  • February 15, 2017 – Mars reached the degree where Venus will station retrograde, 19 Pisces

These dates bookend the preface to your Venus Rx story. You can think of the things that happened then as a preface. The changes and events of that time period set you up for the next 6 weeks of the Venus retrograde.

These are the dates for Venus’ retrograde cycle for 2017:

  • January 29, 2017, 2 Pisces – Venus enter its retrograde shadow
  • March 7, 2017, 19 Pisces – Venus is stationary retrograde
  • April 15, 2017, 2 Pisces – Venus is stationary direct
  • May 19, 2017, 19 Pisces – Venus leaves its retrograde shadow

Venus Retrograde 2009

March 8, 2009 Venus stationed retrograde at 21 Pisces. Venus stationed direct at 5 Pisces on April 18, 2009. That year was the last time we had the opportunity to get intimate with Venus as she carved a narrative and illuminated lessons in the Pisces area of our charts.

In 2009, Jupiter was in Capricorn where it is in the sign of its fall. Jupiter is exalted in the sign opposite Capricorn, Cancer.

The purpose finding, meaning seeking, and generosity of Jupiter is well manifested in Cancer. One’s inner compass and primal connection to their emotional experience guides them towards integrity and abundance of heart. In Cancer Jupiter’s vision of life and meaning is palpable in the body. It honors the legacy of kindred ties without sacrificing personal experience.

But when Jupiter is in Capricorn our need for synthesization of our personal experience is subject to hierarchies of power. We tussle with existing structures, traditions, and authority as we find our way to the truth about the world that resonates deepest with what we’ve experienced. It becomes easy to sacrifice our own eyes and perceptions for what has already been established as truth.

When Jupiter was in Capricorn in 2009, Venus in Pisces was subject to our need to negotiate the power dynamics that informed our core values and beliefs. So, as you craft the narrative of your 2017 Venus Rx story think back to 2009 and the ways you struggled and negotiated with authority and power structures in your relationships and involvement in community.

Venus Retrograde 2017

This year Venus in Pisces is governed by Jupiter in Virgo, another sign of Jupiter’s debility. I’ve written about Jupiter’s transit through Virgo on Twitter and on this blog.

Virgo is the calculator, scribe, and translator. Jupiter’s truth seeking is subject to the facts and figures that are countable and accountable when in Virgo. Because Virgo is the sign opposite Pisces, this creates a special tension within this retrograde phase of Venus.

Here are some keywords for this opposition:

  • Venus in Pisces – Jupiter in Virgo
  • Big picture love – Detailed values
  • Consuming relationships – Distinct perspectives
  • Romantic love – Statistic backed beliefs

The challenge with the opposition is getting caught up with one side over the other. Are we sacrificing love and opportunities for intimacy by being too focused on the details of how our relationships reflect what we want? Or do we avoid thinking about, communicating, and defining our core values because we fear the implications it would have on our ability to find love and connect with others?

Then (2009) and Now (2017)

If we take on the task of connecting the dots between what we learned then and what we can learn now, we have the opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive to the lessons of this current retrograde.

Venus retrograde of 2009 challenged the integrity of our authority over ourselves as it concerns our relationships, creativity, and expression/seeking of pleasure. Now we are tasked with highlighting the integrity of our core values and our ability to define them and communicate them.

During 2009’s retrograde, we were pulled down and grounded by external expectations and prescribed ways of contextualizing our relationships. 2017’s retrograde directs our focus towards the details of our core values and how they inform our relationships, choice of partners, artistic expression, and pleasure seeking.

  • What are your core values?
  • Can you communicate them clearly?
  • Have you written them down?
  • How do your current and past relationships measure up against your core values as you identify them now?

I keep seeing the image of an accountant doing a line by line assessment of who we say we are and what we believe, and how that lines up with our choice of partners. I’m seeing each of our hearts pulled between the drive to connect and the need to measure our love and evaluate its effectiveness in being a proxy for what we believe.

I hope that you are able to take the questions here and reflect on them as we venture through this retrograde period. These are perfect prompts for those of you who journal. And I’d love to hear your feedback and where you stand on these issues on Twitter. This is a conversation I’m looking forward to having with you.

@PeoplesOracle on Twitter