A Moment of Exhale
This week the astrology is like a deep exhale after the more fiery and confrontational aspects at the end of June and first week of July.
Two fast but interesting events are Venus moving into Virgo (today) and into conjunction with the south node, as well as Mercury retrograding back into a conjunction with the Sun, marking the midway point of the retrograde cycle.
Venus in the Sign of the Goddess
Venus is considered to be in its “fall” in Virgo (opposite its exalted sign, Pisces). From a classical astrology standpoint, that is considered challenging (this, despite Virgo being the sign of the Goddess).
The translations of ancient concepts tend to polarize meanings into "good" or "bad," when it's always more nuanced than this. Eric’s classical astrology teacher David Arner suggested that astrologers look at planets in “detriment” (opposite rulership) and “fall” (opposite exaltation) as rising to a special challenge. Unusual properties will come out due to the extra effort required. In the end, this works a little like Chiron: an irritation that produces an unusual effect or talent.
Arriving in Virgo and immediately conjoining the south node could feel like most of the charismatic air suddenly leaving the room. The south node tends to reduce whatever is nearby and so Venusian themes may not have the usual energy or spark or may carry with them extra karmic weight, especially compared to her stay in bright and sparky Leo. The opportunity is to bring awareness into topics that arise on the Virgo-Pisces axis, as illustrated below.
There may be sparks of a different kind though, as Venus will also be applying to a square with Uranus. This is less of Venus’ “in love with life and love” fire and more like the Venusian soul getting shocked out of the karmic bog. This is good energy to use to leap out of any weepy replays of victim stories or pining obsessive worry, and into a more spacious place, offering a wider perspective free of unhelpful expectations. This may be exactly what Venus needs to find the fun, creative side of Virgo (yes, there is one).
