After spending the past 44 days retrograding through the stellar influences of Leo and Cancer, Venus stations and turns direct today at 9:14 am PDT. The evening star has completed its shamanic journey behind the sun and has re-emerged as the morning star. This phenomenon was observed by ancient sky-watchers and mystics, and became the basis of many myths involving death and resurrection. Christians, Mayans, and Hindus all describe the return of the morning star as symbolic of the return of their teachers.
A Venus cycle includes 5 retrogrades over 8 years, cutting a path in the shape of a star or pentagram. The 5/8 ratio has captivated astronomers, mathematicians, and astrologers because it relates to the Fibonacci Series and PHI. The Fibonacci numbers are named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci, although they had been described nearly 1000 years earlier in India by Pingala in Chandra-Shastra.
The Fibonacci Series is a sequence of numbers that when the sum is added to the previous number, a formula correlating to growth and harmonic cycles develops-- for example 0, 0+1 = 1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5, 5+3=8, 8+5=13 ect. When the sum is divided by the previous number the result is the golden ration, or PHI -- ie. 8/5 = 1.6 ~ 1.618. This ratio is found throughout the natural world such as in the growth pattern of plants. Flowers develop petals following the sequence 3,5,8,13,21,34,55 etc. For example, white calla lily has 1 petal, euphorbia has two, trillium three, and columbine has five, the most common number of petals in the flower world. The sunflower beautifully illustrations the spiraling ratios with it 34 petals and 55 seeds. Music also is rooted in the Fibonacci series: There are 13 notes in the span of any note through its octave. A scale is comprised of 8 notes, of which the 5th and 3rd notes create the basic foundation of all chords, and are based on whole tone which is 2 steps from the root tone, that is the 1st note of the scale.
In astrology Venus rules the fine arts, where the Fibonacci series and the golden ratio have been known and utilized for thousands of years. Ancient monuments were designed to fit in with nature, and thus reflected the golden ratio. Artists of the Renaissance used these principles in developing perfect composition that reflected nature and the divine order.
And according to recent studies, there is evidence that natural rhythms of the earth, such as the Schumann frequency, and human rhythms, such as brainwave patterns are connected in part due to these ratios. Human consciousness expands according to the sequence (1,2,3Hz Delta/sleep, 5,8 Hz Alpha/meditation, 13 Hz Beta/awake) and if researchers like Gregg Braden are correct the Schumann frequency may shift from 8 Hz to 13 Hz. In certain sound healing practices such as Acutonics, the frequency for Venus is a harmonic of 13 Hz. As the Mayan calendar is based on Venus cycles, and its end date aligns with the completion of the 2004 Venus pentagonal cycle, I can't help but wonder if the coming earth changes will raise our frequency to match that of Venus.
Of all symmetric geometric shapes, none represent so concisely the principles of PHI than the pentacle or five pointed star within a circle. This is probably so because the ratio of PHI is first derived from the square root of five. The diagram of the 5 retrograde loops of the Venus cycle is a symbol of the Five Holy Kumaras(4 Exoteric + 3 Esoteric - 2 Fallen = 5). According to the Secret Doctrine, these Promeathean-like beings gave the spark of intelligence and the seed of individuality to humanity. Thus Venus is associated with growth, fertility, and creativity.
In Vedic astrology the planet Venus is known as Shukra, meaning "white" or "bright" in Sanskrit, as well as "semen". In her lower aspects Venus governs sensuality and is the embodiment of love. Shukra is a male deity, the son of Brighu who was one of the Prajapatis and a Vedic Sage. Venus is the Daitya-Guru, the teacher of the asuras, rules the arts, bestows the wisdom of the Vedas, and has the power to raise the dead. The esoteric glyph for Venus is the circle of spirit above the cross of manifestation. According to Bepin Behari:
The circle represents the spiritual essence evolving through manifestation. It shows the wholeness of latent faculties of man to be developed during the course of his evolution . . . The life-giving principle expressed in the outer manifestation is symbolized by the encircled space. Venus, Mars and Mercury are concerned with this life-giving force. The Venusian impulse is important for generating, preserving and nourishing the various life forms on Earth. . . The cross represents the churning of the ocean. When two opposing forces combine together to activate electrical energy, there is much activity and the magnetic field becomes high charged. In the cross symbol, the masculine energy is presented by the vertical line, and the feminine by the horizontal line, together represent manifestation. Wherever life unfolds and any form of creation takes place, one finds the interplay of these positive and negative forces. Placed under the circle the cross denotes the Divine Essence involved in the creative process. The impulse generated by Venus always creates fundamental change and brings forth new manifestation. . . the sexual urge is merely one of the various forces generated by the churning process.
Thus in its higher aspect, the divine is made manifest by the impulse generated by Venus.
So what happens when Venus is retrograde? As I mentioned in previous posts, many Vedic astrologers believe that retrograde planets are more powerful as they often indicate a karmic result. They may be functioning to fulfill some karmic debt or promise or to clear up affairs from the past. This past retrograde took Venus from 8 degrees of Leo in the Nakshatra Magha to 22 degrees Cancer in the Nakshatra of Ashlesha. As it crossed through the critical Gandantic transition of fire to water (3 degrees Leo to 27 degrees Cancer), it started to unravel the karmic knot. It will return over these degrees between September 22 - October 2, 2007, and finally return to its point of retrograde on October 11, 2007. During this time issues that were brought to light this summer may finally find resolution, and like the promise of a Fibonacci sequence, show growth on our spiraling journey of spiritual evolution.
Namaste!
