Venus Goes Direct! And Emerges From the Ocean Yet Again

Life is a quarry, out of which we are to mold and chisel and complete a character. Goethe

For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is. You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature. Les Brown

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. Kurt Vonnegut

I always wanted to be someone, but I should have been more specific. Lily Tomlin

After some forty days, Venus is now going direct and there's the promise of moving forward after this recent rather long period of retracing our steps in many ways. To recap, I said in my Venus Retrograde newsletter:

Venus is retrograde for 40 days. This reminds me of the "40 days and 40 nights" story from the Bible. Jesus wandered in the wilderness, fasting, after which he is said to have been tempted by Satan. It was the number of days in Noah's flood. For more information click here for a Wikipedia page on the number 40.

Retrograde Venus can feel like a time in the wilderness. Whether it's around the issue of money, spending, earnings, direction, possessions, integrity, beauty, attractiveness, love, romance, or all of those things put together, it's a time for changes, reflection, going inward, revisions of attitude, revising the past and plotting the future, it's a time when things come up for some kind of inspection and realization. It's interesting to note that the glyph for retrograde, Rx, is also the glyph for prescriptions.

Venus will be stationing (apparently standing still) on Pisces 30 for several days from approx. April 12 to April 24. The Sabian Symbol for Pisces 30 is A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling a Face is Idealized By a Boy Who Takes it as His Ideal of Greatness; As He Grows Up, He Begins to Look Like it.  

This is a wonderful degree of self actualization and realisation. There is little doubt that Nathanial Hawthorne's story of The Great Stone Face was what inspired this Sabian Symbol. In this story, a boy, Ernest, grows up under a wonderful rock formation that resembles a face. The people in the valley where he lives are inspired by this wonderful figure who looks so grand, wise and kind. For generations, going back to Indian lore, the people believed that one day someone would come that looks just like that face - someone big, successful, someone to be admired and respected. Over the years, people come into the valley, people who've somehow "made it" in life and the villagers would faun over them. Ernest, as he grows up, can see through these people who come by with their big successes and egos. It appears he doesn't so much judge them, more that he sees through their facades. The prophecy of someone manifesting themselves to be just like The Great Stone face appears to be just an empty promise until Ernest, now grown into an older man, is seen by a visiting poet to be the embodiment of those wonderful ideals. The man has grown into those ideals through holding them close to his heart and mind.

The promise of Venus being on the last degree of Pisces, The Great Stone Face, for 14 days is one of choosing who we want to be, how we want to actualize ourselves, what our profile is. How do you see yourself? This degree brings to mind the lyrics of a song from the wonderful band Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen.

He would see faces in movies, on tv, in magazines and in books...
he thought that some of these faces might be right for him....and
through the years, by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his
mind....or somewhere in the back of his mind....that he might, by
force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal....the
change would be very subtle....it might take ten years or so....

As I write this, on April 15 in the US and April 16 in Australia, Mars and Uranus are conjunct (aligning with each other) on Pisces 25: The Purging of the Priesthood. This brings a very strong, ambitious and determined energy to this degree. The "purging of the priesthood" speaks of sorting out who is worthy of being in our lives and who is not. Who (and what) contributes to our spiritual, emotional or material lives in ways that further us? Who (and what) should not be given this position, responsibility or privilege of being in our lives? Seeing through how some manipulate, use or push you into places you don't want to be can be very freeing. With this degree so strongly amplified, some will fall from grace, be pushed out or otherwise shut out of our lives.

On April 16 and 17, Mars moves onto Pisces 26: A New Moon Reveals That it's Time for People to Go Ahead With Their Different Projects. This is rather self explanatory, especially coming after The Purging of the Priesthood. Of course, this parting of the ways can come without people actually leaving your life - this can happen on emotional or mental levels where we have strong insights on how to move forward in our lives, leaving behind mental, emotional or spiritual constructs that haven't been furthering us. We are then freer and can move into new realms of being.

Then, on April 22, Venus and Mars collide on Pisces 30: The Great Stone Face. This is a wonderful time that really, truly, pushes us to reconcile with ourselves what our projections of ourselves and our futures are to be. Do we see a great vision? How can we sculpt one so it more reflects our potentials, instead of outlining our deficiencies?

Mars then moves onto Aries 1 for a few days, and Venus, then occupies Aries 1 until approx April 28. Aries 1 is the emergence. The Sabian Symbol is A Woman Has Risen Out of the Ocean, A Seal is Embracing Her.

Keywords for this degree are: Cycles starting. Beginnings. Emergence into concrete manifestation. Embracing and honoring the shadow. Recognizing our animal side. Tropical islands or lands. Rocky shores. Seals. Oceans and water. Shedding skins. Transmutation. The Selkie myth. The Sedna myth. Grounding one's energy. Stepping between the sea and the shore. Androgyny. Love and its embrace. Finding your feet and your voice. Mermaids. 

To recap - the message is emergenc - we've been through trials and tribulations lately - some excrutiatingly so. Now we are to focus on the future. What would your future look like if you had to paint it?

Comments

[Natasha]

Lynda - your posts , this last one especially ,have been a light at he end of the tunnel for me - I always seem to end up turning to you at the right moment - and there ,all is expalined..... I am always so amazed and inspired in the thought that I am influenced by all those celestial entities - and yes the last 40 days have been a real personal trapse throught the jungle for me & I am so utterly glad that I might have learnt things and that I might have made it to safer ground......MUCHAS GRACIAS for your incitefulness.......XXXX

[melissa]

If i could paint my future it would definately include my long lost loved one and I.. Ive constantly been going over my thoughtssince Venus turned retrograde and i want so badly to take the first step and approach him personally for the first time in over a year and i miss him dearly. But i've been insecure about that decision lately. what should i do?

[Lynda Hill]

Gosh, Melissa, I'm not sure what to say. It's so hard when your heart is taken. It sounds to me like you should be in touch with him. After all, if you don't you won't know what might happen. It's not easy, though, eh? I wish you luck with it, although my gut feeling is that there is something better out there for you!

[Lynda Hill]

Natasha, thanks for dropping by and your lovely sentiments... You mention being influenced by 'the celestial entities - well, you may not have realised how spot on you were; today the Sun degree is Aries 29: A Celestial Choir Has Risen to Sing - or, as another reading of this Symbol has it, The Music of the Spheres.

[beth in cary]

Thanks Lynda--been on my own journey--and when I have questions or feel a confusing "energy"-I ursually always end up somewhere reviewing your Sabian astrology (I REALLY need to get your books on!).
But yes, Aries 1-and feel like been in wilderness for 4o days-feel very strong though..Empowered..
Does not bother meto be in the solitude right now-to keep quiet.Don't mind.
Feels right..something to emerge. (the woman from ocean-April 1?)
Thanks for the guidance..

[chrissy tamehana]

kia ora lynda, my name is chrissy and i thank u for giving me the chance to learn the sabian astrology its unreal,i had never heard of it before. the more i read the more my heart races it feels like i have done all this before. thanks for introducing me to the sabian astrology i still have a long long way to go yet but its exciting. Your new friend.