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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

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Astrology for the Week of February 27, 2017

This week is very busy. Here is an overview of each day—all signs and transits in sidereal:

Monday, February 27
Mixed bag with Moon entering Pisces, Mars and Jupiter perfecting their opposition

Tuesday, February 28
Venus and Jupiter take over as Moon in Pisces conjuncts Venus then begins applying an opposition to Jupiter

Wednesday, March 1
FIERY! Moon sets off Mars/Jupiter and both Moon and Mars enter Aries

Thursday, March 2
Probably the quietest day of the week, Moon still skating through Aries though

Friday, March 3
Moon skates out of Aries and settles into Taurus, passing the baton to a demanding Venus

Saturday, March 4
Moon in Taurus sauntering to square planets in Aquarius, especially Mercury

Sunday, March 5
Venus stops to demand our attention. Moon is busy, too!

Now for the nitty gritty details!

Weekly Forecast - @PeoplesOracle

The week starts off with the Moon in Aquarius on Monday. She’s not making any aspects before she leaves for Pisces around 1pm CST. Don’t let that fool you though. Mars and Jupiter perfect their opposition today.

Tuesday and Wednesday are busy busy. Mars is teetering on the last degree of Pisces daring us before he kicks off a 6 week stay in his domicile of Aries. Mars has been ahead of all the planets giving us a taste of what is to come for a while now.

On December 16, 2016, Mars triggered the August 21, 2017 Eclipse degree (4 Leo) by opposition. On that day, President Obama announced that the Russian government had indeed initiated the hacking of DNC emails. He vows to retaliate.

Mars activated the February 26, 2017 solar eclipse degree on December 29, 2016 (13 Aquarius). That day, then President Obama announced sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 elections. At the same time, Michael Flynn was having conversations with Russia assuring them that they didn’t have to worry about those pesky sanctions.

Just as the Sun entered Aquarius on February 13, 2017, setting the stage for the next New Moon Eclipse, flynn resigned as National Security Advisor amid news that he may have promised Russia that the Trump administration would relax sanctions once they took office.

All of that to say that the story of the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse at 4 Leo will be Russia. Trump will get hit pretty hard. Stay tuned.

Back to this week!

Moon is in Pisces on Tuesday applying to a conjunction to Venus most of the day. Later in the afternoon she’ll pass up Venus and begin applying an opposition to Jupiter. Moon opposes Jupiter earlier in the day on Wednesday and then it’s game time! Moon reactivates the waning opposition between Mars and Jupiter making Tuesday into Wednesday a big news day.

Tuesday will feel powerful yet indulgent with Venus and Jupiter getting all of the Moon’s attention. With Mars out of the way, the Moon has a chance to facilitate a conversation between Venus and Jupiter. This conversation speaks of possibilities that won’t quite manifest right now but will come up again later, May 19 to be exact. That date is important and will come up again, so write it down.

Venus is moving extremely slow. She’s settling into her retrograde station which means she’s powerful and demanding our attention. Watch for women in the news on Tuesday. Also, women may feel particularly intense and passionate. If you’re on Twitter we’ve seen women dominate conversations. Even this weekend a normally male dominated practice was taken over by women when Remy Ma released a diss track about Nicki Minaj.

Expect more of this kind of energy this week and over the next month.

Both the Moon and Mars enter Aries Wednesday evening. But first, the Moon conjuncts Mars at 29 degrees of Pisces before jumping over enter Aries just a few minutes before he does. Then they sit together in partile conjunction at 0 Aries. This shifts the conversation for a minute for women focused to men focused. Assertiveness and aggressiveness dominate until the Moon enters Taurus on Friday.

Wednesday can go a few different ways. Moon and Mars at 0 Aries introduces us to the energy that will lead us forward. Mars has been clearing the pathway all year as he’s been ahead of the Sun, Mercury, and Venus. He’s been the first to enter every sign.

Now, here we are. Mars is crossing into Aries which undoubtedly gives us a the first pieces of our Aries Ingress story both collectively and personally. This is a day you want to set intentions for because it may be wild and electric once the day actually arrives, it may get away from you once it sets in. So, spend the ease of Tuesday evening preparing for Wednesday.

If you’ve read my Aries Ingress predictions you’ll know what this setup is for.

You’ll want to mark this day for yourself. Even if nothing happens, pay attention to how you feel, what’s on your mind, and what area of your life your attention is directed towards.

Wednesday evening, Moon trines Saturn. That provides an opportunity for whatever had us raging earlier in the day to come down to earth and ground a bit. This could solidify a conflict or separation, giving you the courage to move forward boldly.

Thursday is relatively quiet. While the Moon is still in Aries, it’s skating towards its last aspect while in the sign, a sextile with the Sun. This is a waxing Moon so energy is building towards the First Quarter Moon which is the bend in road towards the upcoming Full Moon.

Moon sextile Sun late and overnight on Thursday keeps the Aries Moon energy moving full throttle with nothing in its way. That’s his last aspect before leaving for Taurus on Friday evening.

Friday is still fast paced for most of the day, but Moon skates uninhibited through the rest of Aries. The weekend energy comes at us slow and easy with a sensual Taurus Moon. Soon as the Moon enters Taurus Venus takes center stage for many reasons.

Moon in Taurus applies to a square with Mercury in Aquarius all day on Saturday, trying to put into words what we feel.

Sunday is busy once again. Moon sextiles Venus with reception. But Venus stations retrograde that day making her the dominating influence for the day. Relationship issues may surface as we once again visit the themes we’ll be dealing with for the next few weeks as Venus retraces the path she’s travelled since late January.

This is a long trip ya’ll so I will write more on Venus rx later.

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Mercury enters Capricorn – February 3, 2017

Mercury enters Capricorn Friday, February 3, 2017 on the same day as the First Quarter Moon in Aries and the collective conversation changes tempo. Mercury will leave the domain of Jupiter, the sign of its detriment, and enter Capricorn, the domain of Saturn.

All sign changes and transits listed in sidereal.

Mercury in Capricorn: February 3 – February 22

Mercury in Capricorn 2/3/2017 - by @PeoplesOracle
Mercury Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter in Virgo, had the news cycle moving rapidly. In true mercurial fashion, the onslaught of stories and the scattered pace of events made it difficult to know what was important.

Mercury gathers and organizes information, calculates, and works with the hands. In Sagittarius Mercury answers to Jupiter and is forced to fit the information into a larger narrative and understand the deeper implications. Sagittarius often runs hot and cold with passion, zeal than apathy. Mystery attracts Sagittarius and sets them on a path of discovery, seeking. But with so much information passing through it’s difficult to discern the importance of every message and story and to know just what one has found.

Mercury becomes more calculated and grounded in Capricorn. Rather than being overwhelmed with information and trying to piece it together, Mercury is systematic and methodical here. The messenger leaves behind the task of synthesizing info and begins to organize it in a hierarchy.

Mercury in Capricorn is about method and praxis. Structures of thought, organized communication, and calculative interpretation of information provide a means to process and translate our perceptions. Here, Hermes answers to Saturn which is newly in Sagittarius.

Mercury Answers to Saturn

Saturn in Sagittarius, so far, has meant a collective means to establishing order and structure with immigration and religion in the US. Ruled by a debilitated Jupiter in Virgo, power structures and government actors have been shortsighted. Claiming that only 109 people were directly affected, it shows the weakness of Jupiter in Virgo.

In that sign, Jupiter uses numbers, data, facts, and calculations to synthesize info and see the bigger picture. But it lacks good judgement, empathy, and truth. The implications for a singular circumstance inevitably has a much larger impact that 109 inconvenienced people could ever show.

Jupiter’s debilitation in Virgo makes it difficult for us to see how current events and our present circumstances affect us in the long term, the big picture. In times like these, the fragments don’t always reflect the whole. Or maybe we can’t perceive the whole as accurately as we think we can.

Mercury and Jupiter will be in a trine relationship with one way reception (Mercury receives Jupiter being in the sign of its domicile). The trine shows a willingness and opportunity to work together. And the reception means Mercury will accept whatever Jupiter offers. Jupiter is offering a fragmentation of the truth and Mercury will take those numbers, those facts and figures and put them in hierarchical order. Perhaps the most pressings themes will emerge as what we need to focus on what’s.

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2017 Aries Ingress: Predictions for the New Administration

In this post I made predictions about the internal workings of the Trump administration based on a chart cast for the place and time of the inauguration.  The Aries Ingress chart can give us a more comprehensive look at the administration, what its focus will be, and what it will contend with as it seeks to execute and implement its agenda.

The Aries Ingress is a tool of classical mundane (world affairs) astrology. It marks the point when the Sun reaches 0 Aries. The location is set for the capital of the country you wish to read for.

Mundane astrology has very specific rules for reading and interpretations. Each planet has specific significations. I will share what they are as I make read the chart and make predictions.

In this post, I will look at the 2017 Aries ingress chart to make predictions about new American president and administration.

Here’s the 2017 sidereal Aries Ingress chart for the USA: Sun-0 Aries (sidereal) April 17, 2017 4:33:38pm, Washington, DC:

Chart for the 2017 Aries Ingress - Sidereal

1. Look to the ascendant. If a Cardinal sign is rising (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) the chart lasts for 6 months. Cast another chart at the Cancer ingress. That chart will last till the next Aries ingress.

If a common/mutable sign is rising (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), the chart lasts for 3 months. Cast 3 more charts. Cancer ingress, Libra ingress, Capricorn ingress.

If a fixed sign is rising (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), the chart last for the entire year.

Leo is rising and it’s a fixed sign. This chart will last all of 2017.

Here is the sidereal 2017 Aries Ingress with the outer planets added:

Chart for the 2017 Aries Ingress - Sidereal (with the outer planets)

I added the outer planets so that you can see both the Sun and Uranus at 00 Aries. THe Sun is actually applying with 20 minutes of orb. I normally don’t bother with outer planets unless they are less than 2 degrees from a personal planet or angle. In this case Uranus is less than half a degree from the Sun. Even though cazimi is 17 minutes, I’m willing to give this Uranus cazimi status. I don’t have any reason why except to say that having The Sun and Uranus this close is a rare occurrence. But, don’t quote me.

The first house and the planet that rules it represents the citizens and the general conditions of the country. Since Leo is rising, the Sun rules the first house. By nature of the chart the Sun is in Aries, exalted. Not in its own sign but the honored guest of the King, comfortable and very well taken care of. I’ll discuss exaltation again concerning another planet.

Sun, ruler of the ascendant, significator of the people and the conditions of the country is in an exact conjunction w/Uranus, and trine Saturn in Sagittarius. I know ya’ll think Uranus is all cute and exciting, revolutionary, quirky, eccentric, etc, but the Sun conjuncts Uranus in the Aries ingress chart every 84 yrs.

The last year the Sun and Uranus were conjunct in Aries? 1933. Do we need a brief history lesson? I believe so!

The history lesson that follows is brought to you by the every 84 years conjunction of the Sun and Uranus in Aries, in the Aries Ingress chart.

1933

Franklin D Roosevelt was inaugurated as president during the darkest days of the Great Depression. He campaigned promising to undo the damage the previous president’s, Herbert Hoover, policies had done. Sound familiar? Hoover refused to intervene in the grave economic crisis that his policies were responsible for.

Now the Great Depression had already begun, but we didn’t know that it would be as bad as was. The unemployment rate peaked at 25%!

On the other side of the Atlantic, Hitler was elected and he swiftly dismantled all the other political parties leaving only the Nazi Party and he declared himself dictator. Simultaneously, the first concentration camp was being built land was soon complete. All of this was preceded by a painstakingly written plan outlining what he was going to do. Everyone read it, yet they didn’t believe it. Not even the USA.

Roosevelt’s first 100 days in office were unprecedented. He created new departments & programs meant to alleviate the dire conditions of American people.

Now would be a good time to compare the 1933 Aries ingress with the 2017 Aries ingress.

1933 Aries Ingress vs 2017 Aries Ingress

Comparing the 1933 and 2017 Aries Ingress Charts - Sidereal

Disclaimer: i’m not predicting another great depression or market crash.

To understand the difference between these two charts and what they indicate for the US, we’ll look at two things only: House place of the Sun/Uranus conjunction, and the placement of Aries’ ruler, Mars.

1933

  • Sun/Uranus in the 4th house trine Mars in Leo in the 8th house.
  • 4th house is the land, crops, housing market, common people…
  • 8th house is death and mortality as well as financial considerations of and with foreign nations

For the most part the 4th house is self explanatory if you know history. Regarding the 8th house: USA left the gold standard which was a HUGE deal!

2017

  • Sun/Uranus, 9th house. Mars in Taurus, 10th house
  • 9th house: courts & the judiciary branch, foreign travel, religion, universities
  • 10th house: the President & the administration, majority party.

Mars & Sun/Uranus are not in aspect. Sun/Uranus are in the 12th house of the house of Mars. The 12th house of any house can represent the undoing of that house, and hidden enemies of the people represented by that house. So the Sun and Uranus and powerfully undo or sabotage whatever Mars represents. His undoing may be an inside job.

Sun/Uranus in the 9th house shows the opposition to the majority party and the administration using the courts to undo the office and administration of the president. Whoever is opposing the presidential administration will be in position to control the office of the president.

So, in comparison, the 1933 chart the Sun/Uranus conjunction put the focused on domestic policy and its effect the citizens of this country, the land, and resistance to the establishment.

The 2017 Sun/Uranus conjunction focuses on public issues between the president, the courts, and an enemy/enemies of the administration.

Mars in a daytime chart (2017) is destructive and divisive. Mars in a nighttime (1933) chart is more self protective which we saw in FDR’s policies. We can expect that Mars in the 10th house of the 2017 ingress chart to be destructive and disruptive to the presidential administration.

Mars is a general significator for war. It’s position in the 10th house at the very least shows conflict and perhaps violence. The only other testimony for that is the fact that Moon is applying an opposition to Mars. That leads me to believe that this will be a war of policy and a war of protest against the administration. The Moon is a general significator for the people in general, and women specifically. But also this theme of hidden enemies resurfaces as the Moon rules the 12th house where Cancer is.

Sidenote: Moon in the 3rd house. News, media, publications, may be the venue of the people’s resistance, dissension, and opposition.

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Significator for the President and the Administration

What planet signifies the president? Both Mars & Venus. Venus primarily, because it rules Taurus, the sign on the 10th house. And Mars because it’s in the 10th house.

We’ve already talked about Mars. Mars is some external or inner circle entity that disrupts and/or overtakes the presidential administration. But it is also the President himself. Mars being in the sign of its detriment and contrary to the sect of the chart brings out it’s more negative meanings. William Lilly says (as adapted by Deborah Houlding of Skyscript.co.uk):

Manners when badly placed: Then he is a prattler without modesty or honesty, a lover of slaughter and quarrels, murder, thievery, a promoter of sedition, frays [36] , and commotions, and highway-thief, as wavering as the wind, a traitor, of turbulent spirit, perjurer, obscene, rash, inhumane, neither fearing God or caring for man, unthankful, treacherous, oppressors, ravenous, cheater, furious, violent

I had to look up some of these words. Needless to say, it describes the character and temperament of Donald J. Trump explicitly and accurately.

That leaves us with Venus. Venus rules Taurus which is the sign on the 10th house. Where is Venus? In hot feces, I tell you!

Venus is retrograde in Pisces in the the 8th house. The puts the new president and his administration in a dire predicament. The retrograde status of Venus emphasizes its significations, but challenges it’s effectiveness. It’s moving backwards. So, that’s not progress, that’s regression, revisiting, returning, and reversals. But, it actually gets worst!

Venus is in a terrible condition called besiegement. It’s separating from one malefic and applying to the other. Venus is separating from square with Saturn and mutually applying to a sextile with Mars. That “harmonious” sextile with Mars doesn’t mean much which Mars is powerfully placed and contrary to the sect of the chart. At most, it means the trouble it brings may be brought be a perceived friend.

Venus and Mars mutually applying means that they both have some interest in each other. But I’m not sure the president (Venus) is going to want what what the courts or his opposition is offering (Mars ruling the 4th & 9th house) is offering. The reception by sign (Mars being in Venus’ sign of Taurus) can mean that Venus has no choice but to accept what Mars is offering.

Based on the rest of the chart, it seems likely that Mars as ruler of the 9th house means some legal issues surface as brought about by opposition to the administration.

Besiegement ultimately means that the president is stuck between a rock and a hard place. From the trouble of foreign entanglements to legal problems domestically. He thinks Mars is is friend (sextile and in Taurus), but they are not his friends, perhaps only to save him from himself.