We are approaching the end of the Leo cycle of Venus, with the seventh and final Moon-Venus conjunction representing Inanna’s ascent through the Crown chakra, crowning the Sovereign Lioness. This completes the journey that began in August of 2015 with the inferior solar conjunction of Venus, and peaked during June of 2016 with the superior solar conjunction of Venus. As Venus enters the shadow period of her next retrograde, this moment is joined with the 2017 Aquarius New Moon, which is observed as the Lunar New Year around the world.
There are several transits that occur during the window of time between the Aquarius New Moon on January 27th and the Moon-Venus conjunction on January 31st. First we will focus on the configuration that surrounds the totally unaspected Sun and Moon.
During the Aquarius New Moon, Venus is in exact aspect to Saturn, Jupiter, and Vesta, forming a lampshade pattern. Mars is at 29 Pisces, forming a T-square to Juno in Sagittarius opposite asteroids Persephone and Prometheus, both retrograde at 29 Gemini. By the time the Moon catches up to Venus, they take Mars’s place in that T-square, meanwhile Mars will have entered his home sign of Aries.
The lampshade configuration begins with the sextile between Jupiter in Libra, and Saturn in Sagittarius- a great functioning aspect between outer planets that combines Saturn’s uncompromising steadfast persistence with Jupiter’s broad strides toward harmony, bringing out the best of both.
We must face the challenges of the squares on either side of the sextile, to get to the reward of the trine.
Jupiter Square Vesta
Jupiter square Vesta is an epic challenge that is exacting as Jupiter stations retrograde at 23 Libra. His transit through Libra is about finding harmony in relationships by any means necessary- Vesta’s retrograde from Leo back to Cancer is about turning away from the external stimuli that feeds the ego, to focus inwardly on the self-care lifestyle that enables us to have a peaceful emotional center. There will be a struggle to balance both of these realities.
Saturn and Juno Square Chiron, Venus, and Mars
The squares between Sagittarius and Pisces involve five players. Saturn is at 24 Sagittarius, square Venus 24 Pisces and Chiron 22 Pisces. Juno is at 28 Sagittarius, square Mars at 29 Pisces. Saturn square Chiron is a very long lasting aspect, staying within 3 degrees orb for the next several months. It is about seeking out- or being forced to face- the places where we lack integrity in our own lives. As Saturn collaborates with Jupiter to build stronger relationships, Saturn is simultaneously under the mentorship of Chiron, so we cannot get away with lying to ourselves during this process. Saturn square Venus is YET ANOTHER continuation of the epic series of squares between Saturn and Venus stretching back several years, pushing the evolution of the embodiment of the divine feminine forward into the individual lives and collective culture of the 21st century.
I have been saying that the relationship between asteroid Juno in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Libra is a type of mutual reception- Juno is so prominent in the relationship work and power struggles that are being brought forth by Jupiter. Juno has been transiting Jupiter’s home sign of Sagittarius since November of 2016, and during this time we have been able to observe a deeper level to the communication patterns, behavioral habits, and other factors that influence our perception of our status in a relationship. As she squares Mars right before he crosses into his home turf, we are being challenged to actually DO SOMETHING about what we have observed. How can we pro-actively, NOT re-actively, assert our selves and our needs? How can we sustain boundaries in such a way that benefit our partners as well as our selves? How can we take what we have learned about each other and actually move forward, together?
Venus Trine Vesta
Which brings us to the trine- after building on the foundation of Jupiter sextile Saturn, and working through the challenges of the squares, we can achieve the reward of Venus trine Vesta. Venus is nearest to her maximum elongation and maximum brilliancy, meaning that she is higher and brighter than at any other point in her orbit of the Sun. This is a powerful, magical mystery Venus, in Neptune’s Pisces. And Vesta is like the Ascendant of Venus, the identification with the sensual self, the hearth-stoker. Vesta in Cancer, in her dance with Jupiter, speaks to the power and motivation that can be drawn from our love for others, when it is our inspiration to develop our true self and live our best life. No matter what happens on our path of exploring intimacy, we are ultimately exploring our relationship with our selves, our egos, our shadows, our projections, our turn ons and fantasies, our insecurities and fears. Intimacy is the final frontier- Knowledge of Self is the Star Ship.
Inanna – Lioness Crowned
Which brings us to the seventh ascending gate of Inanna. On January 31st 2017, the Moon transits conjunct Venus for the seventh ascending gate of Inanna/Venus as the Sovereign Queen (the Leo cycle of Venus), corresponding to the opening and activation of the Crown chakra. The Crown chakra is our connection to the cosmos, to source. It is the receiver of human consciousness. We use our crown chakras for higher reasoning, for maintenance of our central nervous systems, and for developing a compassionate worldview through transcendence of the individual self. As the Moon crosses over Venus for the seventh time since she has risen from the Underworld of superior solar conjunction, now blazing as the evening star long after sunset, we state our intentions to blossom into the fullness of our crown chakra.
Venus has already crossed into her retrograde shadow at 27 Pisces when the Moon joins her there, picking up the T-square where Mars left off, joining Juno in Sagittarius opposite Prometheus and Persephone, who are stationing direct on the final degrees of Gemini. Ceres has advanced to 28 Aries, trine Juno and sextile Prometheus and her daughter Persephone. Lilith in Scorpio trines the Moon-Venus conjunction to complete our view of the Sovereign Leonic Crown.
Lilith in Scorpio is a unified female sexuality that is untouchable by judgement. She Is Who She Is. Her connection to the activation of the crown chakra is vital. It is common for people to say “I don’t care what others think of me” but it can be easier said than done when we are perfectly and exactly aware of the judgements that others are making. Scorpio Lilith is not only aware of the judgements, she is aware of the shadows inside the judger that cause them to project their negative feelings onto her, and she can use this knowledge for her own alchemy. It is this magic, based in total self-knowledge, that sets her free.
Asteroid Persephone, stationing direct near the summer solstice point, carries a deep magic that I explored in this short article – Summertime Persephone. As Persephone revels in the warmth of the earth, she experiences unity with her mother Ceres in the form of a sextile. This is the embrace of wholeness, of belonging.
Persephone’s arrival at this place in her cycle is connected to Moon and Venus by less than 1.5 degree orb, and connected through Juno to the generationally relevant transits of Saturn and Jupiter, and beyond into the fractal of the zodiac.
The square between Moon/Venus and Juno is tied to the square between Chiron and Saturn. This reveals that with an open and activated crown chakra, you can hold all of your thoughts like you hold a cup of tea. You can observe your own mind. You can build a map of your own mind, and then you level up because you’ve identified the shadows, demons, trauma, whatever you call it, it’s just another category of things you’ve objectively observed inside your own mind. But that is only the first step of a life long journey- It takes diligence, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to choosing love over fear, to keep your crown chakra open and fully integrate all levels of your being.
album art. sivert hoyem – lioness
Pluto, Mercury, and Psyche
Not shown on the chart – asteroid Psyche has stationed retrograde in Virgo, and due to her very long station she has been trine Pluto in Capricorn since the beginning of December 2016. Between the Aquarius New Moon and the Moon-Venus conjunction, Mercury transits conjunct Pluto and trine Psyche. This gives a massive boost of support to anyone who has been pouring emotional effort into getting real with themselves, and getting shit together in general. And for most of us born in the early to mid 1980’s, Pluto and Psyche are forming a grand trine to our natal Chiron in Taurus, intensifying the fuck out of this process by tying it to our physical health and/or our family of origin. Remember, Mercury stationed retrograde just short of Pluto on December 19th, so when he finally crosses over, trine Psyche, it will be a breath of fresh air. You will get some help that you need, and it will be a relief.
Unaspected Sun – Taking it All Back to the Body
As the Leo cycle of Venus draws to a close with these two charts, the Sun, ruler of Leo, is unaspected in Aquarius. Our solar life force is collectively free floating, leaving our physical energy free to fully drop down into Gaia. It reminds me that the cards I drew for the Sun and Venus at the beginning of this cycle were the Ace of Wands and the Five of Pentacles, and I said “our physical bodies are literally appendages of our planet. From this unity we can claim the sovereignty of Leonic Queen Venus. … We will find our sovereignty, but not in our accomplishments, not in our beauty, not in our goals, and not in anything that we identify with as individuals…”
Click here to see a look back at all seven charts for the Moon-Venus conjunctions that represent Inanna’s ascent and the seven chakras. The Sovereign Queen Rises
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