 | By Malvin Artley
Greetings Everyone!
It was a beautiful day when I left Vancouver Island. The ferry bore me swiftly across the calm waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait. As the great engines hummed along the water yielded up its little surprises and secrets as seals and the occasional whale would surface for a moment of breath and disappear again into the depths. I wondered at their ability and thought about the stillness that their existence beneath the waters must bring to them. My heart longed for such stillness. The mountains in the distance, still capped with snow, stood as silent sentinels for the ancient land and the ageless, continual renewal of Nature as they bade me farewell. As I left the land of the First Nations peoples and was ushered into the bosom of the Motherland and the waiting, expectant arms of family and close friends, the mountain ranges gave way to vast stands of pine lining the shore. It had been a long ride. The day was bright when I left, but now the Sun began to cast its long shadows through the pines and hills and I knew that my trip was going to be very different to the one that I had planned. Due to the events of recent weeks, I traveled now into an unknown and uncertain future, and that after this trip all of my relationships would be different in some way, whether with people, land or with spirit. I also knew that when I had to come this way again on my way back to my adoptive homeland of red earth and The Dreaming that my Dreaming was to be different, too. I was looking forward, but my current dreams were unsettled.
I have started with the preceding paragraph because it ties in with the tone and subject of this letter - the Venus transit over the face of the Sun in a couple of weeks. I also include it because Canada is being specifically stimulated this year and for the next 8 years because the rulers (Vulcan and Venus) of its two synthetic astrological expressions - Taurus and Libra - play a pivotal role in this transit and at this point in time, although the entire world will be affected. True to form as well, I have received a larger than average number of subscriptions from Canadians and Americans since the Wesak letter and I felt I had renewed an old connection in that northern land when I was there but for a short time. I feel Canada has something unique to offer the world in the coming cycle of Venus and I will be interested to see what I feel there when I pass that way again and say my final goodbyes to my kindred Libran land for the time being. As is usual, this Wesak period has brought its share of liberating influences and personal intensities. Virtually everyone to whom I have spoken over the past week has commented upon the increase in the energies of the times and on how confronting some events have been. The same is true of world events, and we can see that many things that have been going on behind the scenes are being brought forward to be given account of. No one is immune. On the 18th of this month (Australian time) Venus began its retrograde phase prior to its conjunction with the Sun and passage across the face of Sol on the 8th of June. I am sending this letter to you now because that conjunction will closely coincide with the Goodwill Festival on the 3rd and will set the tone for it. I send it now also because during the retrograde phase of Venus over those two weeks there is a grand opportunity to go inward and to explore more fully one’s relationship to one’s higher Self, especially since this conjunction is going to be particularly combust. As we will see, above all else, Venus defines the relationship between the little self and the higher Self.
We should begin to unravel what this transit will mean to us by reviewing what we know about Venus. Most people and astrologers associate Venus with the feminine archetype and with love in general. It is supposedly the planet that most fully expresses what we know of love and is the planet that is said to bring love to us astrologically. This latter statement is truer than we know, but do we really know what love is? Most people associate love with romance, friendship, companionship and family life - warm personal relationships. Love does indeed underpin all those relationships. From a larger perspective, though, personal love is not true love. It has more to do with attachment than with love many times. From a larger perspective, love is the great unifying force in our universe. I have mentioned this point in previous letters. Brotherhood is seen, then, not to be a warm sentiment or ideal, but is rather the interrelatedness of all life and all peoples. Love, unity and brotherhood are all different terms for the same energy and action. Our local universe is based on love. But, if that is so, then all planets would express love in some way, and in fact, they do. It is simply difficult for us to see those different ways of love sometimes. The love that Saturn helps us to realize feels very different from the love Venus brings, for example.
VENUS CONSCIOUSNESS
What Venus actually represents to us is to be found in the relationship between our own planet and the planet Venus, esoterically considered. From the ancient lore and Teachings it was Venus Who was responsible for the appearance of the individual consciousness in the humanity of our globe - our own self-consciousness. The great Lives that came from Venus in those days so many millions of years ago brought about a union between the lower, animal form of the humanity of the day and the Spirits Who were seeking experience through the lower planes of earth existence, what we know as our own personal reality of body, mind and emotions. Those Spirits are our own higher Selves. Persona and Spirit were merged via the Soul. Venus thus holds the same relationship to our Earth as the Soul does to the persona in personal terms. So, rather than representing the feminine archetype in the larger view, Venus actually represents the relationship between Self and not-self - between Soul and persona. In our perception of things on the lower planes this works out as standing for a feminine archetype somehow - and it does work astrologically - but it is the belief structure of humanity that drives its success in interpretation rather than the truth of the matter.
Traditional modern astrology associates Venus with adornment, refinement, the feminine, affability, riches, society, aesthetics, cheer, artistic appreciation, harmony, limericks, bliss, boudoirs, venous circulation, dancers, courtship, the sense of feeling, alliances, cats, friends, fun, poetry, the lungs and the colon, consistency, contentment, attraction and aptitudes. There is a lot more, but that gives us a general idea. What we see from this is the general trend toward the finer things in life and sense of things, the riches of life and the appreciation of them, the power of attraction in a person’s life, the urge to union, and most especially how people and situations touch us in our lives.
In the ancient Teachings Venus was known as the Divine Mother, because it gave birth to Earth humanity as we know it and gave us our Souls. It was known as Lucifer – “Light-Bringer” - the divine nature in its entirety. Lucifer was the brightest of the Angels in the firmament of Heaven and was the mouthpiece of God before his fall into incarnation (hell). Venus’ symbol is the globe poised above the cross, representing the triumph of Spirit over matter, whereas the symbol for our Earth is the globe with a cross superimposed upon it - meaning that our humanity is still mired in the material planes. The angel associated with it is Anael, connected with Uriel, one of the 4 karmic Lords. It is called ”the little sun in which the solar orb stores his lights”. Venus is said to receive a triple supply of light and gives a third of it to our Earth. It is said that the Regent of Venus loved the Earth so well that He gave it perfect laws that were disregarded and rejected. Thus, it is said that every sin on Earth is felt on Venus, and that every change on Venus is reflected on the Earth in some way. Its humanity is almost perfected and is focused upon the Buddhic plane, the plane of direct knowledge and intuition. Venus represents the union of heart and mind and governs the emergence of the love principle through the directing power of the mind. Thus, Venus also has a direct rulership over science - but science as the revelation of the divine, rather than the materialistic science that holds so much sway now. Jesus, embodying the Christ at that time, is said to have initiated the era of intelligent brotherhood under the influence of Venus. ”I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify these things unto you in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star [Venus Lucifer].” Revelations 22:16
All throughout history the great religions and philosophies of the world have sought to bring people into a greater union with God or 'Source' and have spoken of the power of love as a principle of redemption through their great representative Teachers, whom the Christ has over-shadowed, whether directly or in veiled language. Even in the darkest times of human history when the forces of materialism have seemed to hold humanity in thrall, the power of love has always eventually prevailed and the freedom of the human spirit has won out over the darkness of matter. Venus has always been there working either directly or behind the scenes in human affairs and the struggle of humanity to overcome the darkness of the ignorance within our lower nature is the direct result of Venus’ action upon human consciousness. Venus is said to be the most mysterious, occult and powerful of all the planets and to be far older than the Earth. We are the younger brother to Venus and we are said to be subservient to it. And every 8 years we are realigned with Venus and given a fresh opportunity to renew our connection with the higher Self.
VENUS - MORNING LIGHT
The aforementioned cycle of 8 years is used by the Chinese in their astrology. Every 8 years Venus conjoins with the Sun at Venus’ node at its inferior conjunction, thus commencing its 2nd-order cycle. All planets have these 2nd-order cycles and they define social cycles. The Chinese called those cycles ”planetary terms'. To them, Venus was called the Metal Planet from their 5-element system. When it is low and close to the Sun (Lucifer phase) it is called the Great White, and indicates change. When it is high and away from the Sun (Hesperus phase) it is called Great Form, and indicates stability. When it enters its retrograde phase it ushers in a period of instability, culminating in the Great White phase, wherein it is seen to rise in the East ahead of the Sun in the morning light. To them, Venus is a Yang (male) planet and corresponds to the West (as a direction) and autumn. It is said to preside over weapons, the progress of the Moon (It was believed to cause eclipses.), and the course of warfare and the administration of justice. Another biblical reference that alludes to the previous sentence and the action of Venus in the affairs of nations is as follows: “And he that overcomes and keeps my works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken into shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I shall give him the morning star.” Revelations 2:26,27,28 Venus was called the Prime Minister, and leaders were admonished to watch its movements very carefully and to adhere strictly to portents of Heaven when so doing. Otherwise, the results would be dire and the kingdom could fall to a foreign power. Venus was also said to have a special rulership over divination. The number 8 figures very prominently in their numerology.
In alchemical lore Venus was associated with the metal copper. Our modern information and electrical age would probably not exist were it not for this wonderful metal. It is the only colored metal aside from gold. It is the primary metal used in all electrical devices. It connects all of us through the electrical grid and through modern communication. Even in its densest form there is no escaping the relation between Venus and interconnectedness. Copper is used in most of the aerials that receive and send our communications through the ethers. It has enabled our world to literally become a lighted place in our solar system, as satellite photographs of the Earth at night give testament. All throughout history and through many cultures, Venus in her myriad manifestations has connected us with each other, has guided our path back to the higher Self (the heart of God) and has established or re-established right relations between people and nations. To say that it is specifically connected with women is a misnomer, just as it would be erroneous to say that any other planet was connected specifically to men. Venus rules the marriage of the higher to the lower and the love that flows in between. It relates all opposite polarities and brings union. Thus, it brings peace through right relations and resolution. All people respond to these energies, though in our minds we associate these qualities more with the feminine. A strongly held belief has the power to move mountains, though, and the power of the feminine is on the rise.
It is the connection with the soul that brings the true gifts of life. The marriage of soul and persona creates magic on the nether planes and brings true Light to a darkened world. The higher Self is an Initiate of all degrees, and when we aspire to the higher life we first court and eventually become wed to the Christ energy within each of us. Though the vows of marriage mean but little to many people these days, the intent and the symbolism is for two people to become as one life and to exemplify the life of the Soul as a couple on earth, just as the marriage to the higher Self merges two lives into a functioning and powerful spiritual unity. The words from the standard Christian marriage vows take on a very special meaning when it is uttered “What God has joined together, let no man tear asunder.” As is sadly the case with humans all-too-often, Venus has given us perfect laws for living together and they are disregarded and rejected. Little as most people realize it, the life of the Soul is one of sacrifice, and any marriage or close union between people involves sacrifice of some sort. The Soul has put aside its own higher evolution so that the lesser lives within its care can be given opportunity to aspire to higher life. As so many Teachers throughout human history have laid all they have upon the altar to be sacrificed for the redemption and evolution of humanity, so they follow the example of the Soul and indeed stand as living examples to us of what a spiritual life should be and what it can bring - even on pain of great suffering and death. Their devotion to humanity exemplifies the life of the Soul in its relation to the persona. But the interplay works both ways, and the call of the Soul to the persona can perhaps best be summed up in the following little offering by the 13th century poet, Rumi:
I want a lover with a fiery heart,
At war with the world and the stars;
A lover not afraid of bloodshed or murder,
And whose fire no water can quench.
Before the more sensitive reader goes into apoplexy, a little explanation is in order. In the above, it is as if the Soul calls out for a lover (persona) with a heart afire with the aspiration to Spirit, at war within itself with all the perceived dualities of existence, but unafraid of the personal devastation that disillusionment with temporal living can bring. It is a heart whose aspiration no desire or attachment can sway from the higher life, and whose course goes onward undeterred until the final union with Spirit is reached. Such is the life of the true disciple and Initiate. It is a true shame and one of the saddest indictments of personal love that more people do not view their physical plane relations and especially their partners as Souls in a similar manner and seek to draw out the highest good in both themselves and their beloved until the final task is done - whatever that may be for two or more people - and either the desired union is achieved or the agreement between souls and personas (”contract61;, for those who like the term) is no longer seen to be viable from the higher perspective. People often do not allow nearly enough time nor space for things to evolve between parties, nor do they take into account the fact that the Soul moves to a longer timing than our overly busy world permits. Yet at the same time, in every human relation, one must always consider ones own´s life direction as clearly as it can be perceived before entering into any union or interaction that may divert one from one’s life course and thus sully one’s own connection with Spirit.
LEARN TO LOVE
We learn to love more fully and justly in the human realms by emulating the Soul - by staying as close as possible to our highest expression - through patience when others try to rush things, through tolerance when others cannot see our point of view, through giving when appropriate with a joyful heart because it is the natural thing to do regardless of how it may be perceived or received, by living exemplary lives and by living well, for then we show the gifts of our own Soul in action and also by seeking always to draw out the best in others rather than focusing upon differences, for then we not only aspire to our own Soul but to theirs as well. All people are noble, accomplished Souls in their higher essence, regardless of how we may view them personally.
This transit of Venus occurs at 6:45 PM AEST on the 8th of June, 2004.I will not go into its significance in terms of the Mayan calendar because there is already a wealth of information available on it. In my own tradition this year marks the start of the New Age and there are many ways of reckoning it, each with their own validity. In Western terms it is said that this particular conjunction only comes around every 120.6 years. But, the 2nd-order cycle of Venus comes around every 8 years and marks a readjustment of thinking in the realm of human relationships at every turn. The 120-year cycle is particularly combust - the disc of Venus being smack in the middle of the face of the Sun. As has been stated in other articles, these greater periods mark major advances in the areas of science and particularly human interaction and interconnectedness, as we would expect. Under its influence in recent history we have seen the Reformation, the birth of the postal service, world circumnavigation and the women’s Suffrage movement. All of these have been landmarks in the greater adjusting of human conditions to the call of the higher Life and of movements for a more just expression in the realm of human affairs. People everywhere are sensing the need for equality and justice in all walks of life. People also sense the need for greater ease in communication and for more open, honest sharing with each other. But beyond all this, there is as well a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the economic climate as it is, with the consumer-driven economy that sees people working longer and longer for less and less, and there is a growing recognition that there is a basic need for a simpler life that has more time for Spirit and for quality time with family and community. The Soul moves in a timeless and infinite continuum to our limited view and the fact that we feel we have to run around in such a frenzy in this life seems ludicrous in comparison.
The Sun and Venus conjoin at the 18th degree of Gemini, the symbol for which reads thus:
"Two Chinese men converse in their native tongue in an American city"
Dane Rudhyar, in his commentary on the Sabian symbols, made the observation that this symbol carried the energy of “being in the world, but not of it.” I see a bit more to it than that, though. I have thought a lot about relationships throughout my life, being so strongly under the influence of Venus myself, and the thing that speaks to me from this symbol is the need to find common denominators between people in any given circumstance and to be able to go from strength to strength with people - to build “common ground” - rather than going against the tide of things. Whenever two or more people meet together it will invariably be found that they ultimately have things in common that will serve to foster a relationship between them. The two gentlemen in the symbol might very well be able to speak English in their environment, but why go against the tide of their nature? Why not build on the old connection? To me, this symbol is about finding strength or alliances in otherwise strange or out-of-the-ordinary circumstances. It is always possible to find those situations in which connection with another can be made and where differences can be bridged through commonality of past experiences.
Venus rules Gemini as the esoteric ruler, and through that sign it brings together multitudinous and sometimes opposing factors and thus establishes new paradigms in human thought as a result. Gemini rules commerce and personal interplay as well as brotherhood in orthodox astrology, and it is the first sign wherein cooperative effort is undertaken. The ability to communicate well demands an ability to see all or the most important sides of a question or quandary and a willingness to hear the other side’s point of view. What is really going on behind the scenes in the more awakened Geminian is the Venusian factor of the bringing together of various ideas in order to make a workable synthesis from them and to establish a better link between the personas of all parties involved in order that a wider good or purpose may be served. In fact, both rulers of Gemini are in Gemini in this figure, so the Geminian influence is to be of most importance over this greater cycle of Venus. As with the other recent 120-year conjunctions of Venus, communications and interconnectedness will be the order of the day and the cycle, and the whole idea of what we might call global community stands to be very much more put to the fore and accelerated in its development.
THE VENUS CHART
The Sun/Venus conjunction is also trine to Neptune in this figure, and with this we find a very powerful idealism and refinement of forces and character. The insights to come from this conjunction will reach far into the future - and the future will stand revealed to those who have the eye to see. Neptune is revelatory in its action and when the right relation between the various parts of one’s nature are in correct alignment under this influence, the possibilities for union, refinement and the most astounding visions become possible for those who make the needed effort. But, there is a catch with this. The tendency for this sort of configuration is for people to become very “ungrounded” and “off with the fairies” when under its influence. The visions and the bliss of spiritual union can be so sublime that the temptation to stay in the spirit worlds can become so great that the needs of the flesh, so-to-speak, often go unattended. The orthodox interpretation for its energies is for a quiet charm and magnetism, strong intuitions, all-pervading optimism, good fellowship, high impressionability, a strong romantic inclination, an extreme idealism and exquisite, lavish taste, along with a genuine appreciation of beauty, poetry and music. The arts should find great enhancement and advancement under this period of influence.
For those who would love to get lost in the ethereal realms under the influence of this cycle and never have to return to this little world of seemingly endless woe and worry, I am afraid they will be in for some rude shocks under this cycle, for the Sun/Venus conjunction is opposed to Pluto in this figure. Pluto will ensure that the needs of the lower worlds will be met and that all earthly debts are paid before the heaven worlds will be realized. I have called Pluto “The Restorer of Souls” before because it removes all obstacles to the higher life and strips away all that clouds the vision and purpose of the higher, thus restoring balance and clarity to the Soul’s expression on Earth. It will be as if anyone who wants to dwell only on love’s ecstasy and who would see only the rosy side of life during this transit and in the coming cycle will come in for dressing down and receive periodic “reality checks”, which will be a very good thing for anyone concerned. In short, there will be thorns among the roses to remind us that we are still human and that periodically some blood must flow to remind us of why we are here. Added to this is the fact that Chiron is only aspected by an opposition to Mars in this chart, and the scene is thus set for some powerful, deep and cathartic resolution of old wounds and the danger of new ones if we fail to keep a balanced perspective on our lives. Little as some people may realize it, too much of a focus on the higher side of life can be as damaging to the Soul’s purposes as too much attention to the material world. Either one can short-circuit the work of the higher Self for a given life by putting one in too extreme a focus in either direction. Venus should produce balance in life, not hedonism - material or spiritual.
So, for all who would lay all they have upon the altar of love in service and sacrifice to one’s fellow man or creatures the rewards under this cycle can be grand indeed. But for all who would lay all on love’s altar and seek only after love’s solace and ecstasy under this transit, be aware that it is just as possible that they would come to know the power of love to devastate as well as to bless. Love, being the prime evolutionary force of this system, destroys as well as unites in order to establish right relations, and an ill-founded idealism and attachment to people and things always carries with it the promise of corrective action at some point along the way. The heart of the true server that is open and thrills to the fullness of love has known all too well the utter emptiness of desolation that comes from a loss of attachment and sentiment, ever the deluder of souls, for is only through such desolation in the past that the server has come to realize the foolishness of attachment to anything temporal. It is through knowing the emptiness following emotional devastation that we come to learn the full value of tenderness and harmlessness in our interactions with people, because we then know first-hand what people feel when they have to go through such experiences and we know better how |
