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Read more in Solstice Fire and the Art of Service, by Eric Francis.
This week the Sun is in the last few degrees of the sign Cancer, and will ingress Leo at 11:30 pm EDT on Wednesday (3:30 am Thursday UTC). Meanwhile, Venus, having just entered Virgo, is slowing to a halt and will station retrograde on Saturday morning (5:28 EDT / 9:28 UTC).
Lion on the Ishtar Gate. Image: Mbzt/Wikimedia
We are experiencing a sign change of the Sun and also an inner planet station-retrograde at the same time.
Either of those could, on their own, have a pronounced effect. Together, the effect is multiplied, and you may feel a condensation of experience.
Things — feelings, facts, different aspects of truth — may seem to ‘come out’ or to reveal themselves, with a lot of emphasis on a relatively short period of time.
Other factors suggest there’s a need for caution around perfectionism, particularly in matters of the heart, and of creative expression. If you are striving to be emotionally and creatively authentic, I would remind you that perfection is not a value.
A natural aesthetic sense can be manifested, through Virgo, into a form of artistic expression. Pay attention to your creative impulses over the next week or two. Be wary of any obstacles arising from over-precision or self-doubt; just let the inspiration flow.
Of course, Venus’ best-known domain is over love and relationships. As with any inner planet retrograde, you may get a feeling of retracing your steps, going over old ground, or simply looking within. Decisions made at this time might also be revisited as Venus returns through the last degrees of Leo.
Venus is retrograde for only about six weeks every 18 months — the shortest total time of all the planets. During these special periods she looms large — both literally and figuratively, since she is closest to the Earth at this point.
Most people can undergo retrogrades in a variety of ways, to some extent depending on the area of the chart affected. However, the planet and sign involved often indicate themes being touched on that are commonly felt by many.
The present astrology in particular suggests the reappearance of old emotions. Notice if you begin to re-experience an inner critic that first arrived in childhood. Most of us have one. If you start to have moments of self-chastisement accompanied by unexplained strong feelings, that’s the critter.
Dealing with early programming can be tricky. What I suggest you do is to try and work out what that pesky voice is saying specifically, and where that comes from. Recognize that it’s there, then try to let it go. You don’t need it any more. Why not listen, instead, to the voices of people who really love you?
Let the Leo sunshine into your heart; relax, unwind, have fun; release your inner Beethoven, or your inner Jackson Pollock. And above all — love, dance and hope.
Additional writing and editing by Eric Francis
Amy – I appreciate the advice you bring to this current time. I think it is right on topic for this momentum we are in.
I cant recall the last time a saw Your name above a column here on PW’s – and wondering where you have been. Reminded by this article just how much I enjoyed your perspective and analysis. Hope you keep writing here.
Yes – i loved this piece too, Amy (and Eric). very helpful. thank you, particularly this “Let the Leo sunshine into your heart; relax, unwind, have fun; release your inner Beethoven, or your inner Jackson Pollock. And above all — love, dance and hope” . Hit by a great deal of anxiety, out of the blue, starting yesterday – and my computer conked out. Managed to get it going again – by some miracle – but have lost a lot of stuff, and don’t know whether the computer will last. think it’s suffering from heat exhaustion – like its owner. Feels very mercury retrograde. Anyone else?
Yes, cheers, Amy. It’s good to see another star writer emerging from Eric’s stable of serious ‘strology scribes. More, please, Amy.
Totally agree, Lizzy. It feels like that last mega-Mercury retrograde never really went away. Maybe it’s merging with the upcoming Venus swivel and perhaps personal planet retros have similar feels regardless of the planet. Just glad the Sun and Moon don’t do it!
Good to see you back on the boards again, Cowboyiam. I hope things continue to astound. When I clicked on one of your previous posts that led me to my full horoscope from astrodienst, I discovered I have Salacia in my first house. I didn’t know that and had never read about that particular asteroid’s attributes before. Amazing!
Thanks Geoff. When I posted that Natal Chart with the transits it was showing the Mars Mercury conjunction directly on my ascendant opposite Pluto directly on my descendant early Wednesday morning. I have been really getting slammed around this last 6-7 months and I wonder what it all means for me but today I feel fine. 😉
My weekend has really served as a liftoff for some brand new faze in my life. A project that I have been working on and with for several years has just sort of stood up and roared. People from various places are being attracted together in ways I only dreamed could happen a couple of years back. Sarah’s reading yesterday really jelled with what I am experiencing and I take her advice very personally . I think we are all standing on sacred ground and it holds us above the shifting hollow ground if we can focus and feel safe in our faith.
But the time is now! Relax and enjoy the terrible beautiful show. Feeling safe is a decision made by faith. Something larger than all of us holds us lovingly safe from the daily drama and we are its children, who have been designed to have the opportunity to bring into existence this new world. Love is the answer!
Yes – Geoff, I too am interested in what Salacia has energetically – Eric once said it was like a calm sea. It is natal-ly 1+ above my descendent and the transiting Salacia has been slowly surveying my MC now just beyond by a degree+. I have taken solace in its presence natal-ly I ponder may have mellowed the Pluto energy on my 14+ Capricorn DS, and gotten me through some real rough days.
And Amy, I’m glad you aren’t hiding today. I do very much understand the feeling of wanting to help run things from behind the scenes. That has been my pattern in life – one which is outworn and being challenged now. I think we all are feeling the need to speak our clear truth into the creation now. Hope you keep bringing it forth.
“Just glad the Sun and Moon don’t do it!” Ha ha! Thanks for the solidarity, Geoff.
Thanks for the kind comments, and I’m glad if this made sense for you. 🙂
Cowboy, I’ve been stoking the boiler, washing the pots and filing the back office paperwork – which is what I tend to do when left to myself, but Eric is slowly nudging me out of my shell 🙂
Lizzy: you’re very certainly not the only one having tech issues right now. I haven’t the foggiest what’s going on, other than Geoff’s explanation – unless it’s Asbolus in Gemini bringing coding and hardware faults into the light of day. Hope your computer gets well soon!
Geoff, I’d love to hear more about Salacia, if you’d care to share. I don’t know much about that particular asteroid. It’s square my Sun-Chiron.
You too, huh? Thanks, Amy, I seem to have got it working OK again -fro now, but as soon as I get the chance, will take it off to have it properly checked – and also to see if i can retrieve some files :((. It’s struck some really deep chords.
Keep coming out of that shell – leave the pots for another day!
Amy (and Eric): Thank you. The idea of experience condensing (and precipitating) resonates strongly with me today. May the resulting “rain” (reign?) serve as you inferred – to be like love. May we all be safely and comfortably cleansed and refreshed.
Hi,
Should I be wary of Venus retrograde?
Thanks,
Emily
Hi Emily – Astrological transits don’t carry any intrinsic “good” or bad” – they just happen, and how they affect us depends a great deal on what we make of them, and which areas of our consciousness they touch. It’s important to recognise this, even if Mercury retrogrades do drive many of us up the wall 🙂
Anyway, Venus does most things with gentleness and grace, including changing direction.
Ok, thanks! 🙂
“…that’s the critter.” Oh, yes it is. Thanks for the heads up, Amy. Self-doubt now firmly in check.
Cheers, everyone, and belated blessings to Len for continued feelings of better.
TNO (trans-Neptunian object) 120347 Salacia is a large planetoid in the Kuiper belt and takes 271 years to orbit the Sun. It was discovered on September 22, 2004 by Henry G. Roe, Michael E. Brown and Kristina M. Barkume at the Palomar Observatory. It is probably a dwarf planet and is currently retrograde. Now that Pluto has become such a “star” I expect other large Kuiperlings will be wanting their picture taken too.
I assumed its name probably came from the same root as salacious – meaning down and dirty in a sleazy, porny, sexy sort of way – but I was quite upended by its gentle, nay Venusian, qualities when I googled http://www.astrologicaldepth.com/TNOInfo/Salacia.htm
Right now it’s at 29 Pisces 38.5, so it’s close to completing a round of the zodiac which is probably as good a time as any to acknowledge and review its properties and effects. From what I’ve read so far it tends to soften hard aspects to natal planets and makes any difficulties easier to handle. A very useful attribute I think most people would agree, except, possibly, for those who believe it’s the effort needed to overcome difficulties which provides the backbone and character for survival in tough environments.
In my case Salicia is at 22 Sag, close to natal Venus (24 Sag), trine Jupiter (24 Leo), and opposite Saturn at 20 Gemini. Although mostly close to penniless, my life certainly couldn’t be described as a hard one thus far. Through laziness I have wasted some lovely cosmic gifts in the form of grand air trines, and my own inquisitiveness has made me make the worst of situations on occasion just to see what would have happened if I hadn’t been so fortunate (Aquarius Sun and Moon: don’t you just love their easy-going quest for knowlege?) This statement is, of course, a classic tempting of fate and it’s possible that everything will turn contrarywise for me when Salacia reaches 0 Aries on March 1, 2017, should I live that long.
As with all slow-moving outer objects it’s hard to remember what effects Salacia would have had when in aspect to natal planets. (Note to all serious students: keep an astro-diary.) I can certainly endorse the one rather cautionary remark about this TNO on astrologicaldepth.com. Alcohol. It may be legal, but that doesn’t make it innocuous. Enjoy if you wish but treat with respect or you may fall over.
Now, where did I put the arnica?
Geoff that lines up well with the idea that Salicia brings a calming effect to wherever it falls in our chart.
Geoff: thank you, that site is pure gold! And thank you for the info on Salacia. Etymology Online suggests that the original root was salire, to leap. Salient also derives from this. I’m wondering if the name is intended to be more referential to ‘salt’ as in the salt of the ocean.
She’s certainly given you a good dose of “incisive humor, comedy, wit”, anyway. 🙂
Amy: Why thank you, ma’am. Sorry this reply is a bit late. PW moves so fast for an old ‘un, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with replies to posts. Salient it certainly seems to be – maybe I’m over-identifying with characteristics I’d like to own but it did give me a “Yes!” moment when I read its properties.
I thought after I’d posted, Cowboyiam, that Venus sometimes can be quite salacious, particularly when in Scorpio, but I like the idea that it’s had a calming effect on my Saturn. I like the idea of discipline, but the pain of it not so much …
I didn’t know where to post this but thought I would pass it on for general U.S. political interest. No great surprises, perhaps, but shows Obama’s frustration. It’s from a BBC interview, so the video may not play in domains outside the U.K.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33646704
And now this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33646707