During our formative years-the first seven or eight years-our personal value system was set, it began simply by choosing what we like and what we do not like. Throughout life we make choices, but our core values were formed early. Our big issues in life are about our values versus the values of others. When we don't understand how somebody can believe something or do something that we wouldn't even contemplate, we tend to have problems. In relationships we tend to be drawn toward people, who share our value system, but then no two are alike and we must learn the art of compromise. Where we choose to spend our money, similarly, is based on what we value and is often a source of friction in a relationship. Once every 18 months (and there are lots of astrological cycles with that duration) we need to realign or reconnect with our core values; one of the most persuasive teachers in astrology is Venus-who repeats an almost identical lesson once every eight years.
In 2009 Venus will be in Aries for 112 days, this is a phenomena that repeats at eight-year intervals and in the same sign 13 times in the course of a century. At these times we look to find true value in an area of our lives and with specific people. Each time we get a little closer to unfolding the potential within us.
Throughout February Venus is brilliant in the sky shortly after sunset for about 2-3 hours. Venus is approaching Earth and when something is closest to us it has a bigger impact than something at a great distance—it feels personal. Venus is moving slowly in her approach to Earth; this began to influence us at the beginning of February. Over the next four months, we will have the opportunity or obligation to re-assess and re-evaluate something of importance in our lives. This is the end of an 18-month cycle; the new cycle begins March 27.
The question posed is 'do you love it?' Astrologically Speaking we can look at what ‘it' is by assessing where Venus in your personal chart by area of life and in her relationship with other energies in your horoscope.
We can get clues by recalling what took place the previous time. The Venus in Aries themes repeat from the Spring of 2001, 1993, 1985, 1977, etc. (Approximately February-June) Deduct 8 years to get the earlier years; typically there are 13 periods in the course of a century in the same sign. As Venus typically spends only about three weeks in a sign, we can see that almost four months is a big deal. Venus breaks her 3-week rule once every 18 months. — other signs at the end of this post
• Venus in Aries February 2-April 22 and April 23-June 6
• Venus in Pisces January 3-February 2 and April 11-23
• Venus will be retrograde March 6-April 17.
• Rx station at 15° Aries 28 March 6
• New Venus at 7° Aries 16′ March 27
• Direct station at 29° Pisces 12′ April 17
The dates listed above give us specifics in timing, and the dates from prior years give us periods which tend to link together by personal themes in our lives. If you have planets at the listed degrees-13-15 Aries, 5-7 Aries or 27-29 Pisces-the impact is stronger. In terms of the Sun, these degrees are active for those born February 17-19, March 26-29 and April 5-7. Whenever we have a planet moving slowly this influences our lives more. Think of it as a house guest you thought would stay with you for three weeks, but ends up staying for almost four months. This forces you to accommodate your visitor and attempt to be on your best behaviour for a really long time. We behave differently when we have company than during times when we only need to please ourselves. Venus represents love, cooperation, balance, harmony, money, beauty and our values.
The potentially tricky part of Venus in Aries at length involves our interactions with others and how we handle money matters. Aries is as far from home as we can find Venus; she does not function well in the domain of aggressive Mars. Venus in Aries can be selfish, me and my needs first—yours last. We may be quicker to point an accusing finger when we perceive that something isn't to our liking. But we were not intended to go it alone. We may chant ‘excessively' how we are worth a new car, house, furniture, facelift and the job regardless of whether we can afford it, deserve it, etc.
Venus will move counter to her norm from March 6-April 17. What tends to happen around the beginning-the first 21 days-is that we become aware of the flaws in the way we handle money, how little we manage to earn or keep, and in our relationships. We tend to find that something important falls short of our expectations. In the second part of this retrograde period we begin to look at new ways of handling the issues that are not to our liking. Often the crux of the matter is that we feel that we are personally giving more than we are receiving. This is not an ideal time to buy a house (the entire 43 days), unless you go into it knowing that you just bought a fixer-upper. I expect the news around this time to be rather pessimistic about the value of real estate. Some of us will recall how the stock markets took a beating, resulting in hefty losses, back in 2001. It may be a good idea to pay close attention to your retirement funds/investments during this spring; the first loss is the smallest—it may be a time to bite the bullet and absorb the loss now rather than let it careen out of control.
If you have a planet in Aries, particularly near one of the degrees listed above, the expression is through the planet involved. For example, Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has Mercury at 12°Aries; and he may find that he needs to adjust his thinking and communication during this spring. Because we are talking Aries, he could become rather defensive about his ideas and feel that he has to continually justify his actions. Michael Ignatieff has both Venus and Mars in Aries, and he may find that his values and actions are scrutinized—perhaps the public opinion begins to make statements that he doesn't act in accordance with his stated values. Aries energy is known to be impulsive, and now would be a time to curtail that instinct, however, the political debates will be interesting to observe.
February 19-March 20, we have more opportunities to experience how it feels for another; thus if we are willing to share and share alike, we improve our lives and our experience of things. March 14-April 22 can be an excellent time to resolve any long-standing issues; compromises and concessions as well as assistance tend to fall into place rather naturally.
The horoscopes for each of the signs from the perspective of Venus will be posted shortly and as the Pisces 2009 Edition of Astrologically Speaking. This article and more is available at www.annemassey.ca
©Anne Massey, February 2, 2009
The other signs involved are Gemini (Spring-Summer 2004, 2012), Leo (Summer-Autumn 2007, 2015), Scorpio (Autumn-Winter 2002, 2010) and Capricorn (Winter-Spring 2005-06, 2013-14)
Banner Graphic by, Warwick J. Massey, www.silentw.com
is a certified astrological professional. who has maintained an astrological practise since 1988. To learn more about Anne read her bio and to learn about consultations click here. To book a consultation with Anne call her office at 1.604.888-9552 or send an email.
Learn about your personal horoscope...what do the planets tell about who you are...
If you'd like a more detailed horoscope for your personal year, check out the Order Reports on line section. You can get birthday reports that cover your year in great detail.
Photograph: Ritva Sillanmäki August 2007
Anne is the the founding president of the Fraser Valley Astrological Guild, an International VP for ISAR in Western Canada (International Society for Astrological Research), a member of the Finnish Astrological Association, and a member of the Canadian Association for Astrological Education and of the National Council for Geocosmic Research
