Dear Friend and Reader:

My old therapist Joe once said if he were to hang a sign over his counseling room door, it would say, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” If I were to hang one it would say, “Curiosity will set you free.” One of the most certain ways to grow — indeed, the essential ingredient — is to be curious about yourself.

One of many ‘dick sticks’ made by sculptor Dan Zeigler of Flint, MI. This one is being used as a paperweight to hold open Esoteric Astrology by Alice A. Bailey (AAB) and the Tibetan, Djwal Khul.

Gemini is nothing if not curious. It’s a whole sign dedicated to the interplay of polar forces, of opposites, of little kids who are motivated by nothing but their quest for experience. Cue: Esoteric Astrology by Alice Bailey, page 391 of the paperback edition. “In Gemini, Venus reveals the desire for the pairs of opposites for each other for this is the underlying theme of the entire creative and evolutionary process — the interplay of opposites.”

Today at 10:33 am EDT, Venus stations retrograde in Gemini. For the next 43 days, Venus will take us on an introspective journey into many of the opposites and inner polarities that we contain, many of them emotional and psychological. Venus is one of the guardians of the sexual realm, and in Gemini, the dance of opposites will have an extended opportunity to explore within those polarities, which are being livened up by the attractive quality of Venus.

For this experience, remember to take your curiosity and use it like one of those awesome overpowered Maglites as you investigate who you are and what you’re made of. Curiosity needs to be balanced by compassion, and Venus will help provide that element. What you get with Venus in an air sign (associated with yang energy) is a quality of assertiveness that’s not usually present when Venus is in a water or earth sign. Curiosity is one form that assertiveness might take. Another could be the desire to communicate about things you don’t usually talk about.

Many times I’ve observed that Venus is the planet that grants intelligence. Mercury can bestow wit, it moves information, it has ideas — but true intelligence, emotionally grounded and supported by authentic values, I believe is often described by Venus. In Gemini, Venus will be in a Mercury-ruled sign, doing something that Mercury does a lot of — being retrograde. So we will have all the tools we need to conduct an adventurous inner investigation, which will be safe as long as you remember curiosity and compassion.

You may not have words for the things you discover. Twins have an interesting property — when left alone and unattended by adults, they will develop speech unique to them. This is called an ideoglossia or sometimes cryptophasia. Think of this as a language that manifests between two people that cannot be understood by anyone else. Occasionally, ideoglossia manifests within a single individual — a language between you and yourself.

You don’t need a lot of people to understand you; you understanding you is a good start and even one other person will make a difference. The contact will likely be synchronous or seemingly coincidental. As you move through your inner spaces, notice who seems to understand you intuitively. Let your curiosity guide you!

Venus stations retrograde on May 15, 2012. Chart is set for Kingston. Notice the grand air trine — Venus in Gemini (blue, left side with a 24 next to it), Saturn in Libra (yellow, bottom of chart, with at 24 next to it) and Nessus in Aquarius (very light blue, right side of chart with a 26 next to it). Eris (red, very top of chart, with at 22 next to it) turns this into a kite pattern — it’s the exit point from the cycle indicated by the grand trine. If you get stuck in your head, the bold escape from that is to take action, but you might not be able to predict the results.

Here are couple of facts from the chart for Venus stationing retrograde.

♥ Venus is opposite the Galactic Core (three degrees away) when it stations retrograde. It’s been close to this degree for a few days. I think of this point as being directly in line with the messages emanating from the heart of our galaxy; imagine this as a homing signal that is viscerally spiritual.

♥ The Moon is in Pisces, square Venus. Moon square Venus can have an emotionally needy feeling, and the Pisces Moon is the astrological definition of emotive. If you handle your sense of need with compassion and curiosity, it can be a dependable way to translate your feelings into the realm of desire. Desire feels more voluntary and gentler than need.

♥ Venus is stationing retrograde exactly trine Saturn in Libra. Venus is the ruler of Libra and Saturn is exalted in Libra. This trine suggests that there will be actual flow of emotions, though on the level of air signs — easier to move through and to describe in language. I suggest being careful about over-talking. If you’re going to overdo anything with language, make it writing, so that this way you have something to show for it.

♥ Venus is trine Nessus, the bad boy of the centaurs who is most often associated with shadowy sexual material. Nessus and Saturn are also in a trine, so this is a grand air trine. That has the hint of caution about going in circles (one way that grand trines can manifest — a feeling of being caught in a loop). To find your way out, indulge in the divine chaos or focus on a specific subject or theme.

♥ Mars is about to oppose Chiron. That aspect is exact on Thursday, but it’s going at full strength right now. This is the spirit of the healing-spiritual ‘warrior’ (if there can be such a thing). Think of it as a brave heart and the ability to focus your intentions on the greatest good for all concerned.

One last thing I would note is that because Venus is in a Mercury-ruled sign, we may have something of a Mercury retrograde kind of effect for the next few weeks. Be mindful if communication seems to get slippery — pause for a review, or switch modes (for example, change from email to telephone to get a better grip). I suggest backing off on the outbound cash flow if you can; avoid making investments in anything other than something you actually need. (I am watching with one eye to see how the Facebook IPO turns out, but that’s another topic entirely.)

For today: all hail the goddess of curiosity.

Lovingly,

I cover Venus retrograde in Spring Checkpoint 2012.