The Gnostic cosmology held that the Earth is the center of the universe, surrounded by air and seven concentric heavenly spheres (the moon and six of the planets).  Beyond Saturn, the last of the concentric spheres, resides Leviathan -- a snake coiled in a single circle, devouring its own tail.  Beyond the spheres which are inhabited by the demonic entities called archons and beyond Leviathan lies Paradise, with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil at its center.

The Divine Feminine--Sophia, the Goddess who presides over the sacred convergence of time and space, destiny and choice, spirit and nature--stands watch.

Sophia, one of humanity’s oldest deities, is often described as the Threefold Goddess--the Maiden, Mother, and Crone--who represents three phases of women’s spiritual power: independence, creativity, and wisdom. It was Her Divine guidance that was invoked when life-altering decisions were to be made. Sophia is the archetypal Divine Feminine wisdom of the past brought into the present to direct and manifest the future.

The birth of a new religion is a profound event in any culture, arising when old religious models no longer explain reality or satisfy people's spiritual needs. During the last 20 years, a spiritual movement led largely by women, has emerged like Persephone from the Underworld and it is now the fastest growing religious movement in the United States.

In the dominant Western religions--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam--the Divine is exclusively male, served by male prophets and clergy who interpret the will of a Father/Son God. And biblical dogma is both source of and reinforcement for the exploitation of the earth and the oppression of women--from Eve’s responsibility for the "downfall" of humanity to the murderous Witch craze ordered by Pope Innocent VIII in the Malleus Malifacraum, which condemns women as tools of the Devil, liars, filled with carnal lust, and in constant need of male supervision because
"When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil."

The three biblical religions also share a common transcendental theology in which God created the world, but is not present in it. Two thousand years of Western civilization have been built on the conviction that the Divine is absent from the world in which we live. This existential separation of humanity from divinity is the most profound condition of alienation imaginable. It is a deep wound at the heart of Western culture and it is precisely why our social crises so precisely parallel the self-destructive behavior of neglected children, particularly in terms of violence and addictions to alcohol, drugs, sex, and rampant materialism--all intended but unable to fill our spiritual emptiness.

But a new vision is emerging, springing from feminism’s challenge to patriarchal religions. Women will never be completely free as long as a culture's image of the Divine is exclusively male. At the crossroads, women have found a home in the ancient religions of the Goddess.
Retrieving and recreating the spirituality of their foremothers, women have rediscovered Sophia.
Perhaps Her greatest gift to us at this crucial moment is Her role as a shamanic guide through the three realms of divine reality--the "underworld" of ancestors and spirits (the past or unconscious), the "middle world" of daily life (the present moment of choice or ego), and the "upper world" of divinity (our future and our spirituality). Only Sophia has the power to travel between all three realms of being, and it is She who guides our collective journey from an underworld of greed, destruction, and death, to a world of rebirth and divine revelation.

Ancient and modern Goddess religions--particularly that of Sophia--incorporate shamanic practices that enable us to experience direct, personal, ecstatic communion with the Divine, to discover the sacred within ourselves and to see it manifest in the world around us. All of the practices, the arts of Sophia, are varieties of active meditations conducted in the presence of nature, enabling us to transform and empower ourselves through our connection to this sacred source of being. Among these techniques are ritual, meditation, (similar to prayer), energy raising, dancing, visualization, and journeying. These are all means of enabling us to experience all aspects of creation as embodiments of Divine energy, and to experience the interconnection and oneness of life created by that energy.

The world is a paradise that we have never left. With the shamanic practices and insights of Old, we can transform our culture by restoring the lost feminine. Sophia is the magic of the moment--the infinite made visible in the miracle of life--the Divine presence whose wisdom and magic await us at the crossroads, guiding our choice.

Mary is linked to ancient Triple Goddesses through much of the symbolism associated with her. The Protoevangelium of James, which describes Mary's girlhood, portrays Mary as spinning in the Temple. This links her with the triple Fates, the three Goddesses known as the Moerae or "Marys" who spun out the destinies of those on earth. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Coptic Discourse, linked the three Marys at the foot of the Cross (Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Salome) with these same triple Fates. A striking similarity occurs in Nordic mythology where the three Fates stand at the foot of Odin's tree of sacrifice. Welsh mythology links Mary with their triple White Goddess, Brigit. Even today, Mary is called The White Mary

The concept of the Triple Goddess is found in many cultures and belief systems. In fact, this triple-goddess has appeared in the history of virtually every known culture around the globe.

As a Maiden (whole unto herself-symbolized by the moon), (The Seventh Sphere) Saturn appears in our astrological chart for the first time. Saturn returns to our natal chart when we are around thirty-two years old to signal the commencement of the second season, Mother (creatix-full moon). And like the waning of the moon, the third Saturn return occurs around the age of fifty-five, ushering in the time of the Crone (knower of mysteries). (SEE REV 12;1-9)

In all religions of antiquity the number twelve, which applies to the twelve signs of the zodiac, are reproduced in all kinds and sorts of forms. For instance, such are the twelve great gods; the twelve apostles or Osiris; the twelve apostles of Jesus; the twelve sons of Jacob; the twelve tribes; the twelve altars of James; the twelve labors of Mars; the twelve brothers of Arvaux; the twelve gods Consents; the twelve governors in the Manichean System; the adectyas of the East Indies; the twelve asses of the Scandinavians; the city of the twelve gates in the Apocalypse; the twelve wards of the city; the twelve sacred cushions, on which the Creator sits in the cosmogony of the Japanese; the twelve precious stones of the rational, or the ornament worn by the high priest of the Jews, etc. The Jews of Syria and Judea were the direct precursors of Gnosticism; and in their doctrines were ample oriental elements. These Jews had had with the Orient, at two different periods, close relations, familiarezing them with the doctrines of Asia, and especially of Chaldea and Persia. The prophet Daniel was Chief of the college of the Magi at Babylon.

The Aquarian alignment 14th February 2009

We measure our global sense of both space (latitude and longitude) and time (universal time - UT or GMT) from the prime meridian located at Greenwich, England. So we can perceive the collective influence of this momentous astrological event by looking at the alignment from this globally ‘centered' perspective.


When we do something extraordinary and exquisite emerges

At dawn on 14th February the day dedicated to St Valentine, the patron saint of Love, the Moon in Libra enters the seventh house of relationships. And Jupiter and Mars are aligned in Aquarius in the twelfth house of spiritual transformation.


Forty years ago, the intuitive words of a song called Aquarius, brought the dawning of the new age into our collective awareness:

When the Moon is in the seventh house

and Jupiter aligns with Mars.


Then peace will guide the planets

and love will steer the stars...

At dawn on 14th February the Cosmos actually embodies this perfect alignment to support our collective manifestation of love and peace and dawning of the Age of Aquarius.


The Aquarian chart of 14th February reveals an incredible concentration of cosmic influences blending with the energies of Aquarius in the twelfth house. Expansive Jupiter and energetic Mars are aligned with the higher purpose of the North Node. The presence of Chiron the wounded healer offers us the opportunity to heal the schisms that have separated us for so long. Neptune emphasizes collective humanitarian movements and the co-creation of social justice. And the presence of the radiant Sun enlightens the entire alignment.


Mercury also in the twelfth house but just beyond the cusp in Capricorn, allies with transformational Pluto to communicate and anchor the Shift throughout our global structures and institutions.


The Moon in Libra in the seventh house emphasizes harmonious real -ationships.


Venus in Aries in the first house energizes and empowers dynamic co-creativity.


And whilst Saturn the great task master in opposition to Uranus the unexpected awakener is suggesting an ongoing confrontation as the dregs of the unsustainable old paradigm reluctantly give way to the untested hope of the new, their placements in Virgo and Pisces brings practical altruism and visionary inspiration to the transition.


 

“Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.
”
~William Shakespeare~

Venus Retrograde: March 6th until April 17th, 2009
Pre-Influence: February 2nd until March 6th
Post-Influence: April 17th until May 21st

DESCENT OF THE DIVINE FEMININE

“Come, Neti, my chief gatekeeper of the Kur, heed my words. Bolt the seven gates of the underworld. Then, one by one, open each gate a crack. Let Inanna enter. As she enters, remove her royal garments. Let the holy priestess of heaven enter bowed low.
”
~Myth of Inanna~

Traditions across antiquity have myths about the descent of spiritual figures into the Underworld, often women. Popularly interpreted as agricultural symbolism, they can also be understood as mythic interpretations of the movements of Venus.
Because it is closer to the Sun than the Earth, Venus appears to have a dramatic pattern of movement:

A: For the past few months, it has been our bright night time companion in the southwest sky as the Evening Star.


B: It will soon turn retrograde, appearing to be motionless for ~11 days and then move in reverse for six weeks.


C: During its retrograde motion, it will briefly disappear. This occurs as it makes an interior conjunction with the Sun.


D: After which, it will reappear but rise before the Sun as the Morning Star. It will then stop again, correct its motion, and go forward.


Elements of this planetary movement are found in the myths themselves: descent into the night sky as the Evening Star (journey to the Underworld), motionless for a brief period (die and become a corpse), disappearance, backwards motion (travel back to the upper world), and reappearance during the day as the Morning Star (rebirth).


For example, the Goddess Inanna travels to the Underworld to attend a funeral in the Sumerian descent myth. Her sister Ereshkigal, goddess of the dead, has her stripped of an article of her royal costume at each gate, killed, and hangs the corpse on a hook. Before she left, Inanna told the deity Ninshubur to send assistance if she was missing for more than three days. Seeking out the god Enki, he creates two spirits and gives them the food and water of life to resurrect her. Following the rules of the Underworld, Inanna needs to find a replacement before she can leave. She returns to find everyone in mourning except her consort Dumuzi, a god of vegetation and animal husbandry. She chooses him but negotiates his stay to six months a year, which creates the seasons.




[The great goddess Inanna.
]

RETROGRADE MOTION

“Watch the stars, and from them learn. To the Master's honor all must turn, each in its track, without a sound, forever tracing Newton's ground.
”
~Albert Einstein~

The consistent and regular movement of the planets was traditionally seen as a symbol of order in the universe. A retrograde planet goes against this pattern. (Retrograde, Latin, "backwards stepping".) It appears to be moving normally, suddenly slows to a stop, and then moves in reverse. This false direction is an optical illusion created by differences in the relative speeds of the orbits of Earth and Venus. During a retrograde cycle, Venus passes ahead of us in space. Being slower moving, it appears to move backwards from our perspective on Earth. Venus is actually at its closest point to the Earth when retrograde and appears very bright in the sky, if visible.


Retrograde is a buzz word with lots of fear unnecessarily projected on to it. Venus goes retrograde about every year and a half for a six week period. It is proportionally the shortest retrograde, when you compare the length of its reversed and direct motion. While retrograde periods can be disruptive, they serve an important function. The planet passes through the same region of space three times: once normally before it stops, once backwards when retrograde, and finally direct again after it has corrected its motion.
It does the same thing in our lives, asking us:

A: TO REORIENT: To examine and change our connection to the parts of life the planet represents. More importantly, to reconnect to parts of the psyche the planet represents in our inner life.


B: TO REVIEW: To review the past, taking care of unfinished business and seeing how past events are shaping our current life.


C: TO REINTEGRATE: To recognize repressed things as they rise to the surface of our consciousness so they can be integrated.


THE EVENING STAR IS THE GODDESS OF LOVE

“Muse, tell me the deeds of Aphrodite, the one from Cyprus, who stirs up sweet desire in the gods and who subdues the races of mortal humans, and birds as well, who fly in the sky, as well as all beasts- all those that grow on both dry land and the sea. They all know the things done by the one with the beautiful garlands, the one from Kythera.
”
~Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite~

Astrology uses the apparent movement of the planets and the mythic elements traditionally associated with them as keys to understanding their energy. We can look at Inanna’s descent myth (or many of the others) as a primer on the energy of Venus retrograde. The Underworld represents the deep elements of our psyche, like the unconscious. If we map the current movement of Venus on the pattern of the myth, the Goddess is just about to die and hang as a corpse in the sky. (Retrograde cycles begin and end with an intense period of motionless energy called a station.) Each planet represents particular parts of life and Venus rules relationships, social interactions, what we value, and pleasure.
Look for its corresponding realms to be prominent during this period:

A: LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS: An adjustment of our one on one relationships, particularly our partners but also family, friends, and co-workers. Unresolved personal business reappears to be addressed, so the past can finally be released. People can experience pressure in their relationships, usually because of misunderstanding and miscommunication. However, reconciliation, healing, and stable relationship dynamics are the likely results if people address the issues. The realm of love makes unexpected turns as old friends and partners reappear, suppressed feelings resurface, and potential new partners temptingly show up.


B: SOCIAL INTERACTIONS: Personal interactions in general can seem awkward or potentially combative. Traditionally, women and relationships with women are especially influenced. Since agreements in general are influenced by Venus, resolutions in ongoing diplomacy, business negotiations, and legal issues can be have odd momentum. For example, something from the past will find resolution but the results of current discussions get delayed. It can trigger a strong pull to withdraw in some people.


C: VALUES AND VALUABLES: We take stock of our money and material resources, careers, and things of a more intangible value like our self worth. We examine not only who and what things we value but our values themselves. Just like negotiations, both spending and earning money can have odd movement. For example, money owed from the past unexpectedly appears but future projects are delayed. Examining how/why we spend or learning money management tools like budgeting is fruitful.


D: BEAUTY AND PLEASURE: There are fluctuations in life force. Some feel a deepening of creativity, especially for delayed or incomplete projects, others feel no inspiration at all. Be careful to avoid excess in food, drink, sexuality, and purchasing. Both impulse and emotional sensitivity can be changeable now and we may use them to cope with the rise in feelings. The need for affection, desire, and sexual identity may all need to be addressed.




[Things believed to be under the influence of the planet Venus. 15th century block print.
]

Each person experiences the energy of a retrograde planet different. These are just potential themes. The point is the realm of Venus will be activated.
If we remember the astronomy, there are three important keys to harness this time period for our benefit:

A: CLOSE: Venus is physically close, making it more intense but easier to see what needs to be addressed.
What was there before but we couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see?

B: ILLUSIONARY: Venus is displaying illusionary motion, revealing our own misperceptions about the realm it rules.
What do we think we understand but are actually misperceiving?

C: INTEGRATION WITH THE EGO: Venus will make a powerful conjunction with the Sun when backwards, the astrological symbol of our identity.
What parts of our identity related to Venus need to be addressed?

In the Inanna myth, the goddess is revived by receiving the water and food of life. The next six weeks are an opportunity for us to see what needs to die and what needs to be revived. In most versions of the myth, Enki sends the two spirits to comfort Inanna’s sister Ereshkigal first, grieving the death of her husband. In return, she offers to give them a a gift and they ask for Inanna’s corpse. As she returns to the surface, Inanna is accompanied by underworld demons that demand a substitute. As they come upon individual gods, she refuses to choose them because she knows they mourned for her. Angered her consort did not grieve, she finally suggests Dumuzi. His sister offers to go in his place. Inanna is moved by her faithfulness and allows them to alternate every six months, which produces the seasons.
If the figures are understood as aspects of ourselves, this as a powerful time to address deep wounds (Ereshkigal grieving in the
Underworld) and resolve current imbalances in our consciousness. (Personal demons seeking a substitute to die, some parts of us are passed over, others are chosen for modification.
)

For example, Venus Retrograde often asks us to examine our relationships. This serves a corrective function, bringing disorder in our interactions to the surface to be addressed. At the same time, we get insight into our notions of partnership that might otherwise be hidden, usually rooted in experiences in the past. When we have clarity about ourselves and our relationships, we are able to determine what sort of connection we really want to have with someone. (If at possible, major changes should be reserved until the end of Venus retrograde.) When it finally moves forward, so can we.


While complications can happen, they usually occur when we are moving against the planetary tide. Initiating something new in an area ruled by the retrograde planet is traditionally avoided. It develops in an unexpected way, often needing to be corrected or at worst, redone.
Because our perspective regarding Venusian things can be distorted now, we should carefully approach:

A: LOVE AND BEAUTY: Beginning a new relationships, purchasing luxury items, or major beautification projects like renovations, plastic surgery, or major changes in our physical appearance are traditionally delayed.


B: MARRIAGE: It is considered an inauspicious time to get married, unless you are renewing your vows, marrying the same person again, or rescheduling a delayed ceremony.


C: MONEY: Because our notion of value can be off, large investments should be investigated thoroughly. However, we often find deals on all types of purchases for the same reason.


We are often given advice like “Don’t sign a contract during Mercury retrograde!” It isn’t that easy. Life doesn’t stop because a planet seems to be moving backwards. If you must begin something Venusian now, honor its repetitive movement by examining it throughly. We can misperceive value and taste during Venus retrograde, thinking we like something only to find out we really don’t when it goes direct. Measure twice, cut once. Before starting things like a relationship, renovation, or large expenditure now, be sure you know how you really feel about them and their true value, both in the monetary and less tangible sense. Expect things to move in an unexpected way.




[Mayan manuscript. Venus as the war-like Morning Star spearing a victim.
]

THE MORNING STAR IS THE GODDESS OF WAR

“And now of love they treat, till the evening star, love’s harbinger, appeared.
”
~Milton~

Being influenced by the Greek and Roman traditions, we tend to associate the planet Venus with the traits of the goddess Aphrodite/Venus: femininity, love, sexuality, material culture. Other cultures have seen the planet as male. In the Hindu traditions, Venus is known as Shukra and depicted in two conflicting ways: as a sensual young man associated with love or an older bearded men who serves as the teacher to demons. This conflicted double representation is found throughout the planet’s symbolism; Inanna herself was both the goddess of love and war. Venus as the Morning Star and the Evening Star are often attributed with radically different energies or even personalities. Before there was a single Venus goddess in antiquity, there were two gods: Hesperus (“evening or western star”) and Phosphorus (“the light bearer”).


Cultures as diverse as the Babylonians to the Maya have seen the Evening Star as more loving and the Morning Star as more war-like, even potentially dangerous when it first appears. In the Sumerian myth, Inanna returns from the dark as the Morning Star with the demons of the underworld surrounding her. For months Venus has brightly illuminated the western sky as the Evening Star. When the planet turns retrograde, it will quickly leave the night, seem to disappear, and then dramatically reappear as the Morning Star. Contemporary Western astrologers often interpret the Evening Star as the more introverted expression of Venus and the Morning Star more extroverted. The negative associations with this transition are likely rooted in the radical shift in the planet’s energy.
Just after the half-way point of Venus retrograde (when the Morning Star first appears), we should be conscientious of potential erratic behavior, impulsiveness, dramatic displays
of emotion, and carelessness leading to harm.


THE BROADER CYCLE OF VENUS

Although we tend to focus on just the backwards motion, Venus retrograde is actually a cycle much broader than March 6th to April 17th.
Each part has a specific energy:



A: Pre-retrograde Shadow (February 2nd until March 1st): Around February 2nd, the planet Venus crossed over the point in the sky where it will eventually correct its backwards motion. Different sources disagree about the exact start of the larger retrograde cycle but this movement across the eventual finish line is the standard answer. Although technically not Venus retrograde yet, you can feel the energy of the planet starting to change. Themes, events, and issues we experience now can be previews for the main event.




B: Retrograde Station (March 1st to March 11th): At the end of the shadow, the planet begins to slow down and eventually stops completely from March 1st to March 11th. The date listed as the start of Venus Retrograde (March 6th) is the exact middle of this stationary period. These eleven motionless days are usually the most intense display of the planet’s energy. Venusian themes will be present everywhere but hard to move through since the planet itself is not moving. While the station seems oppressively static, the slow movement that occurs before and after them can be chaotic.


C: Retrograde (March 6th until April 17th, 2009): The planet appears to be moving backwards, crossing back through the same space it just passed through. Roughly halfway through this period, Venus will disappear as it makes a conjunction with the Sun. (March 28th). A few days after, Venus will reappear as the Morning Star. Traditionally, this shift in the day vs. night expression of the planet’s energy was approached with caution. The middle of any retrograde cycle is deceptive in general. The planet has returned to its normal speed but is moving in the opposite direction.




D: Direct Station (April 12th until April 22nd): Just like in the beginning, the planet begins to slow down and eventually stops completely from April 12th to April 22nd. The date listed as the end of Venus Retrograde (April 17th) is the exact middle of this stationary period. Once again, the days of either slow or stationary movement tend to be intense.




E: Post-Influence Shadow (April 17th until May 21st): After returning to its normal direction and speed, the planet still has to cross through the same part of space one more time. Although technically Venus retrograde is over, its energy can linger until it passes the point where the backwards motion began on May 21st. This post influence period is used to implement the changes Venus retrograde has revealed to us.


UNDER THE RAYS OF A BACKWARDS VENUS

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.
”
~Augustine “Og” Mandino~

Not everyone is equally sensitive to an astrological event. Because they live with its energy daily, those born with Venus retrograde in their birth charts often experience it less intensely. They are most likely to benefit from it now. Each person’s experience of Venus retrograde will be different. We already have a relationship with all the planets, as expressed in our birth chart. The planets keep on going and their movement interacts with our inner static version through transit. Although astrological events occur at a particular degree of the zodiac, they display a geometric mandala of influence across the sky.


This particular Venus retrograde will likely influence:

A: Sun Sign Libra, Sun Sign Taurus. Each planet rules over one or two zodiac signs. Since Venus rules Libra and Taurus, they are sensitive to changes in its energy.


B: For the same reason, those with Venus prominent in their charts.


LIKELY TO BE INFLUENCED AT THE START OF THE RETROGRADE MOTION:

C: Because it begins in Aries, Sun Sign Aries. Especially those born in early April, specifically around the ~5th. It’s possible stationing retrograde Venus will make a conjunction with the location of the Sun in your birth chart. Those with other planets in Aries, specifically around the degree of the event, 15’27” Aries.


D: The other cardinal signs: Sun Sign Cancer, Sun Sign Libra, and Sun Sign Capricorn. Especially Sun Sign Cancer born in early July, specifically around the ~7th. Especially Sun Sign Libra born in early October, specifically around the ~9th. Especially Sun Sign Capricorn born in early January, specifically around the ~6th. It’s possible stationing retrograde Venus will be in opposition (Libra) or square (Cancer, Capricorn) your natal Sun. Those with other planets in Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Specifically around their 15’27” degrees.




[Aries. Venus is in detriment in the sign Aries, meaning it struggles to display its energy as it normally would. Aries is focused on the development of the self and Venus seeks out interaction through partnership.
]

LIKELY TO BE INFLUENCE AT THE END OF THE RETROGRADE MOTION:

E: Because it ends in Pisces, Sun Sign Pisces. Especially those born in mid March, specifically around the ~20th. It’s possible stationing direct Venus will make a conjunction with the location of the Sun in your birth chart. Those with other planets in Pisces, specifically around the degree of the event, 29”16” Pisces.


F: The other mutable signs: Sun Sign Gemini, Sun Sign Virgo, and Sun Sign Sagittarius. Especially Sun Sign Gemini born in mid June, specifically around the ~21st. Especially Sun Sign Virgo born in mid September, specifically around the ~22nd. Especially Sun Sign Sagittarius born in mid December, specifically around the ~21st. It’s possible stationing direct Venus will be in opposition (Virgo) or square (Gemini, Sagittarius) your natal Sun. Those with other planets in Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius. Specifically around their 29’16” degrees.




[Pisces. Venus is exalted in the sign Pisces, meaning the energy of the sign is in harmony with the qualities of the planet. It will be very close to 27 degrees Pisces, the degree where Venus is believed to be the most exalted. Venus will turn stationary direct at 29 degrees Pisces. The last degree of any sign is generally believed to be a critical degree, a place where the energy of a planet is magnified. This is especially true of Pisces since it is the end of the zodiac itself. The end of Venus retrograde will likely be strong and bring dramatic beginnings/endings to its realm.