Venus Transits and the Release of Prometheus

Venus Transit the Face of the Sun on June 5-6, 2012

As I have been discussing with anyone who will listen, the 2012 Venus Transit is certainly the most significant astronomical and astrological event of the year. On June 5-6, 2012 Venus will make its rare transit across the face of the Sun appearing as a distinct black spot that is 1/32 of the diameter of the Sun.  It will be large enough to see without the aid of a telescope. This phenomenon occurs in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits 8 years apart separated by long gaps of 122 years and 105 years.  The periodicity is a reflection of the fact that the orbital periods of Earth and Venus are close to 8:13 resonances.  After 243 years, the whole pattern of 152 conjunctions and 4 transits repeats almost exactly, with a discrepancy of only 0.5 days. Transits in June 2247 and 2255 be within degrees of the 2004 and 2012 transits and this repeated pattern will last for about half a millennium. Over centuries, a 0.5 day discrepancy will cause a slow shift in the positions of the transits, and eventually the pairs of transits will be replaced by two single transits in each 243-year cycle in 3089 (click here and here for more).

The last Venus transit occurred on June 8, 2004 in the sign of Taurus and the next pair of transits will occur over a century from now on 2117 Dec 11, 2117 and Dec 08, 2125 in the sign of Scorpio.  Therefore, each Venus Transit pair alternates between its own sign of the bull  (105) with 13 complete cycles and the Mars-ruled sign of the scorpion (122) with 15 complete cycles, each ushering in 100+ year periods that are influenced by these signs.

From the 1631 unexpected eruption of Vesuvius, to the 2004 magnitude 9.3 quake and tsunami that literally knocked the world off its axis, Venus transits have heralded global shifts in ages and consciousness.  Loren Coleman's recent post, Venus Transits Sol and Introduces Prometheus, is a fascinating look at Venus transits in historical context and inspired me to look more deeply at these rare astronomical alignments from an astrological and a mythological point of view.

The History of Observing Venus Transits

Although many ancient cultures tracked the cycles of Venus, the first of the paired groups occurred in May of 1518 and 1526 (prior to that only single transits occurred each century).  But this type of transit of the second planet across the face of the Sun was not theorized, or realized as a viewable phenomenon, until 1631, and not actually observed by human eyes until  December of 1639. 

Kepler

Horrock's 1639 Venus transit

Johannes Kepler was the first astronomer to predict the transits of Mercury and Venus across the face of the Sun.  Although he did not live to see it, Kepler's calculations of planetary motions enabled him to accurately predict a transit of Mercury on November 7, 1631, and a transit of Venus one month later, on December 6, 1631. Unfortunately no documentation exists of anyone in the world seeing the 1631 transit of Venus — a missed opportunity.  Eight years later a brilliant young astronomer by the name of Jeremiah Horrocks discovered inaccuracies in Kepler's published tables of planet and star positions and realized that a transit of Venus would occur on December 4, 1639, which Kepler had in fact failed to predict.  Horrocks, and his friend William Crabtree, became the first humans to witness a transit of Venus in 1639. (For more see Sky and Telescope.)

Crabtree witnessing the 1639 Venus transit

1631,1639
This first set of Venus transits occurred at 23-25 degrees Scorpio in the 18th nakshatra Jyeshtha located near the heart of the Scorpion and its red star Antares.  Jyeshtha means "eldest" and this part of the night sky is is situated near the oldest section of our galaxy marking the entrance to the galactic center, and may even point to the great attractor. Some Vedic scholars believe that originally there were only 18 nakshtras and that Jyeshtha was final lunar mansion of the series.  The stars of Jyeshtha are aligned with the mass of dark dust clouds of the Great Rift of the Milky Way.

This Dark Rift, or Serpent's mouth, is part of the 13th sign and constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent holder.  (You may remember the media hype surrounding the 13th constellation back in January 2011. Click here for more. )

Kepler's beautiful drawing of the allegorical stars of Ophiuchus belies his fascination with this constellation which also happened to produce the last visible supernova, called Supernova 1604, or Kepler's Star,  that was first observed on October 9, 1604, 27 years before the 1631 Venus transit.

 

This bright supernova must have caused quite a stir in the astronomical community as it was brighter at its peak than any other star in the night sky -- and all the planets other than Venus -- with apparent magnitude 2.5.

Kepler Supernova
Credit: Kepler's SNR from Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer,
R. Sankrit and W. Blair (JHU) et al., ESA, NASA

Although the previous century did witness another supernova in 1572 (Tycho 1572, in Cassiopeia), there have been no observable supernova in the Milky Way since that time. Moreover, Kepler's Star was visible during the day for over three weeks at the end of the 12 baktun, and beginning of the last and 13th baktun of the Mayan Calendar, which by now all of the world knows will reset at the ends of 2012.  Thus the first observable Venus transit also occurred in the same heavenly neighborhood as Kepler's supernova, in the "eldest" nakshatra during the final baktun of the Mayan calendar -- and of course paved the way for three more rounds of transits along the main axis of the Milky Way up to our current time. 

1631 and 1639 in Scorpio, Jyeshtha
1761 and 1769 in Taurus, in Mrigashira and Rohini
1874 and 1882 in Scorpio, in Jyeshtha
2004 and 2012 in Taurus, in Mrigashira and Rohini

It has been said that the new star which the 17th century astronomers saw flaring up in their night sky was a stellar thunderbolt.  This analogy is right on target as the deity most associated with the nakshatra Jyeshtha is Indra, the dragon slayer, whose weapon of choice is the thunderbolt!  It is also associated with the Greek god Zeus, who ruled over mankind like the 17th century kings of Europe caring little for the common man. The arohana shakti of Jyeshtha gives the power to rise and conquer, and during this time we saw the European colonization of the Americas.  Scorpionic Mars rules metals and the spoils of conquest brought South American gold and silver to build empires and weapons.  And this lightning bolt of inspiration also gave rise to modern science, in particular natural sciences, in Europe. Mars is also an indicator of mechanics and energy and in 1676 the speed of light is first measured by Ole Romer followed in 1687 with Newton's laws of gravitation and motion.   Moreover, the constellation Ophiuchus is also associated with the ancient healer Aesculepius, so it is no surprise that the birth of modern medicine also occurred at this time when technological advances in optics that viewed the heavens were turned towards the Earth, and the invention of the microscope revealed hidden worlds of microorganisms and bacteria -- the asuras that are managed by Venus.  One might say that Supernova 1604 was the lightening bolt that influenced the sudden growth through the Fibonacci patterns of Venus Transits in Scorpio.

Credit: John Flamstead (Atlas celeste, Paris, 1776, Ed. J. Fortin);

1761,1769
The next Venus transit pairing occurred in 1761 and 1769 in its own sign of Taurus in two nakshatras, Mrigashira and Rohini, just like our current century's Venus Transits.   Although Mrigashira is ruled by Mars, it is a gentle and peaceful nakshatra and its power is giving fulfillment, prinana shakti. Soma, the Moon god, who like his name is an embodiment of the divine nectar of bliss and enlightenment, rules this nakshatra. Rohini is marked by the great red star Aldebaran that makes up the eye of the bull in Taurus -- and is opposite the red star Antares in Jyeshtha.  Aldebaran is one of the Royal Stars of Persia often called the "Watcher of the East," whereas Antares is called the "Watcher of the West." In the Vedic tradition, Aldebaran is believed to be the abode of Brahma, and when it lines up with our Sun (and Venus) we receive its many blessings. Rohini's shakti power is rohana shakti, growth -- as might be expressed in the Fibonacci sequence, phi, the sacred geometry of the pentagram that Venus draws in the heavens over the course of eight years.  Thus a Venus transit in Rohini may herald a provocative shift in how energy is used to produce material and spiritual wealth.
 
The June 6, 1761, transit was observed from 120 locations around the Earth. As this illustration from France reveals it captured the attention and imagination of the public.  In the same year Mikhail Lomonosov discovered that Venus had an atmosphere. 

The 18th century transits also heralded the cultural and political shifts that preceded the American and French Revolutions which most Western astrologer's associate with the coinciding discovery of Uranus.  Although Uranus was not officially discovered by Herschel in 1781, it had been observed as early as 1690 by John Flamsteed, who misinterpreted it as star and named it 34 Tauri because it was transiting the sign of Taurus -- the sign of the upcoming Venus transit.  Even Herschel initially thought it was a comet. It was not until the 18th century transit of Venus in Taurus that the true nature of Uranus was revealed: by 1783 Herschel realized it was a planet.  Uranus was indeed a new and unusual planet: it is the only known planet that rotates or spins on its side.  Thus it is described by astrologers as "rebellious" and became a secondary ruler for Aquarius.  Some also associate  the rebellious and humanitarian spirit of Aquarius with the mythical figure Prometheus, whom we will discuss shortly.

Uranus was not the only "gas giant" discovery during this Venus transit period. Neptune -- considered in astrological circles as the higher octave of Venus -- was also found, or deduced, from changes observed in the orbit of Uranus in 1846.   In fact, as I mentioned in a previous post, the two gas giants were in mutual exchange, a parivartana yoga, as they are today and will remain until 2017. Neptune's discovery coincided with national movements towards ideal society like the rise of communism and publication of The Communist Manifesto in 1848.  Modern art movements sprung from a rejection of Realism and state-sanctioned definitions of art to the acceptance the individual suffering artist as romantic hero/god.  Abstract and subtle art began to gain acceptance, especially when realism could be captured and easily reproduced in a new medium: the photograph -- first revealed around 1839. 

1874, 1882
The 19th century Venus transits occurred in 1874 and 1882 in the sign of Scorpio, again, heralding the industrial age and a new wave of scientific discovery.  This time the transit was closely followed by the US Naval Observatory (USNO) which sent sent multiple teams to time the transit of Venus with the aid of photographic equipment.  Even John Phillip Sousa composed a March in honor of this astronomical event.



The late 19th century was an era of invention from the light bulb, to telephones, and ultimately to the 20th century discovery of nuclear power: Jyeshtha's thunderbolt strikes again. But it was also the dawn of banking and big corporations; incredible advances in medicine including vaccines and penicillin; and traumatic shifts in culture and politics that allowed the rise of communism, socialism, fascism and capitalism.  In 1875 the first civil rights act was passed in the U.S., declared unconstitutional in 1883 and finally later enacted in 1964.  And just after the second transit in 1882, the Krakatoa volcano explodes in 1883 killing 36,417 people. The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from its point of origin.  Remember the previous Venus in transit in Scorpio heralded the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631.

Venus Transits in Taurus: 1761, 1769 and 2004, 2012

With this history in mind, let's examine some of the historical events of the previous Venus transit in Taurus, so that we may be able to foresee what this next pair may bring.  The Venus transit of 1761 was much anticipated by astronomers of that era.  As Stuart Clark points out:

The 1761 transit of Venus was a watershed moment in the history of astronomy. It was the first time astronomers would have the opportunity to measure accurately the size of the solar system. . . In scale and ambition, plans to record the transit of Venus were the 18th century equivalent of the Large Hadron Collider.

When legendary astronomer Edmund Halley predicted that these transits would occur in 1761 and 1769, he called upon astronomers to prepare and warned them not to squander the opportunity. However, in order to observe this rare phenomenon astronomers had to travel to distant spots around the world, sometimes under hostile conditions, to collect their data.  

Drawings of the 1769 transit of Venus by James Cook

1761 was also the first year that sunspot data and solar maximum records were tracked.  As I have discussed in previous posts, there may be a connection between influenza, solar flares and Venus cycles, there was the first known influenza in America outbreak of influenza 1761 during solar maximum.  The current Venus Transit in Taurus is also occurring during a solar maximum period.

During the 18th century, the age of Enlightenment, which began under the first Venus transit in Scorpio, slowly lost its brightness as the people rose up against the elite establishment run by monarchies.  This reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature and a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms marked the beginning of the Romantic Era.  For the next 100 years Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental.  Whereas the Venus transit in Scorpio brought scientific discoveries, the Venus transit in Taurus heralded a return of the artist and importance of the artistic experience.  The Romantic movement in the arts, literature, and music is characterized by a reaction against neoclassicism, and an exaltation of the common man, imagination and emotions, especially melancholy.  Beginning with Goethe in 1772-1774, Romantic poets embraced the figure of Prometheus who was seen as the suffering champion of humanity – a symbol of freedom and a deliverer whose noble ambitions had incurred the wrath of the gods.  Lord Byron made the Promethean myth a parable for the romantic imagination -- capturing the imagination in art or in life was comparable to stealing the sacred fire.

 
The myth of Prometheus was a popular one in Romantic music, such as Beethoven's The Creatures of Prometheus, and art, such as Thomas Cole's Prometheus. 

The image of Prometheus as an outcast destined to a life of suffering at the hands of an uncomprehending public resonated strongly with the era's emergent understanding of the lot of artists -- exiles from society who nonetheless felt the emotional pain of their isolation.

So isn't interesting that as we conclude this upcoming Venus transit in Taurus, the science fiction film Prometheus is being released (preceded by the related film Alien vs. Predator during the 2004 transit).  Could our hero be getting an upgrade for a new age?

The Promethean myth is Hellenistic in origin.  According to one account, Prometheus and this brother Epimetheus, fashioned mankind out of mud and Athena blew in life (perhaps gnostic in origin?).  The proud Titan became attached to his creation and less impressed with the Olympian gods who had banished the rest of his giant family to Tartarus.

Athena blowing life into man

In the ancient classic Theogony, Prometheus is described as a rebel Titan who challenges to Zeus's omniscience and omnipotence. In the trick at Mecone, a sacrificial meal marking the "settling of accounts" between mortals and immortals, Prometheus prepared two sacrifices, one sacrifice of beef hidden inside an ox's stomach (nourishment hidden inside a displeasing exterior), and the other bull's bones wrapped in glistening fat (something inedible hidden inside a pleasing exterior).  Zeus saw through the deceit, and instead of punishing rebellious Titan, Zeus gave a warning.  Prometheus was afraid that Zeus had no compassion for the mortals on the earth below, and he was right, as later Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora (the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man.  I can't help but wonder if the Venus transit in the sign of the bull may trigger some of these Promethean themes, like the setting of accounts between men and the gods (ie.global bankers). 

Despite Zeus' warning, Prometheus took pity on the primitive mortals and gave man all sorts of gifts: brickwork, woodworking, telling the seasons by the stars, numbers, the alphabet, yoked oxen, carriages, saddles, ships and sails. He also gave other gifts: healing drugs, prophesy, signs in the sky, the mining of precious metals, animal sacrifice and all art.  But perhaps his most famous crime is stealing fire from Zeus (the thunderbolt god -- remember the last cycle was ruled by Jyeshtha) and giving it to mortals huddled in their dark caves. This gift of divine fire unleashed man's creativity, inventiveness, and productivity; but also gave rise to human hubris and caused great wars between human being. When Zeus realized the Titan's deception, he had Prometheus shackled to a rock high in the Caucasus mountains where an eagle devoured his liver each day.  As Prometheus was immortal, his liver would grow back each night, only to be eaten by Zeus' bird day, after, day, after day.  The long-suffering Prometheus was eventually unchained by Heracles, who shot the eagle with an arrow during his 10th Labor.  All became immortalized in the stars as Aquila (the eagle), Sagitta (the Arrow) and the Kneeler (Heracles) -- next to -- wait for it -- Ophiuchus.

Thus the Promethean myth shows two consequences of unrestrained power (fire): creativity and innovation coupled with the potential for war and destruction.  These two perspectives on technology and progress appear to shift under the influence of each Venus transit.  Under the influence of Scorpio, Prometheus is bound by his hubris (ie. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a Modern Prometheus in which the monster, who calls himself 'the Adam of your Labors' is a perverted creation of the Promethean Dr. Frankenstein), and now under Taurus unbound with revolutionary intentions. 

In Ridley Scott's highly anticipated 2012 film, Prometheus is the name of a spaceship whose crew is seeking the origins of humanity.  According to the plot outline listed in wikipedia (***spoiler alert***):

In the distant past, the spacecraft of an advanced humanoid alien race arrives on Earth. One of the aliens consumes a dark liquid, causing its body to disintegrate and fall into a nearby waterfall—seeding Earth with the building blocks of life.

This seeding of the earth by extraterrestrials is a popular theme in modern science fiction and in many sub-cultures like the ancient alien theorists (AAT) of the UFO community.  Many who believe in AAT also believe our ancient alien ancestors will return one day.  Instead of waiting for our masters/saviors to return,  Ridley Scott weaves a tale in which we go in search of them.

In 2089, archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a star map among the remnants of several otherwise unconnected ancient cultures. They interpret this as evidence of humanity's forerunners.

This star map is the subject of a lot of speculation as it resembles ancient cave paintings of Lascaux.

Lascaux Pleiades

Lascaux paintings also depict the Bull also connected with the Pleiades.

Check out the trailer which has a shot of the image inside of a cave (remember where Prometheus gave man fire).

The star formation in the movie does looks a lot like the Pleiades, which are an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus.  Other than Orion and Sirius, the Pleiades are the stars most associated with our ancient ancestors.

In Hinduism, the Pleiades are considered the wives of the ancient seers who protected Murugan (Kartikeya) through his youth. To ancient Egyptians the seven stars were seven goddesses whom the dead had to encounter and by whom they had to be judged.  And across the Atlantic, the Mesoamericans also created calendars that depict a Great Year cycle in which our solar system rotates around Alcyone, the central star of the Pleiades, every 24,000-26,000 years.

An unexpected connection to the Pleiades may be found in the megalithic structures of Neolithic Ireland. Ancient Celts used the acronychal rising of the Pleiades around the first of November to mark their month of mourning for dead friends. The Pleiades cluster not only marks the fall cross quarter on November 1st, Samhain on the Celtic calendar, but also the spring cross quarter on May 1st, called Beltane.  The monoliths at Newgrange remind me of those found in the cave of the Engineers in Prometheus.  And, as you may remember from my last post, the previous new moon and annular eclipse on May 20, 2012 was aligned with the Pleiades. 

Newgrange, Ireland

In Prometheus, the "Pleiadian" map leads to a distant moon LV-223 and by 2093 humans arrive and find their "Engineers," who it seems want to kill them.  According to wiki the movie ends as the Prometheus is crashed into the Engineer's spaceship in order to stop it from returning to earth to destroy humanity.  The survivors of the crew activate another Engineer ship to travel to its home world in an attempt to understand why they created humanity and now want to destroy it. Oh, the drama continues.

2004, 2012

Although the world premier of Prometheus took place on May 31, 2012, at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square, London, it will not open in the U.S. until June 8, 2012 -- two days after the Venus transit in Taurus completes its pentagram.  Just as the previous Venus transit pairs in Taurus inspired a great release of creativity and Promethean themes of artistic growth, so might this Venus transit in Taurus see new innovation and consciousness around material growth.  Might astronomers find new gas giants and alien worlds by studying this Venus Transit (click here for more)? Might the Scorpionic war machine, toxic energy, and corrupt global banking systems crash as we shift towards reconciling the accounts of man and "gods"?  Will Prometheus be unbound and inspire a new revolution for humanity?  And what will be the consequences of his freedom?

An example of this type of unbound Promethean innovation might be the social network revolution led by Facebook.  Just prior to the 2004 Venus transit, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook and thereby paved the way for social networking to inspire the Facebook revolution and Occupy Wall Street movements.  By linking the worldwide communication technologies of the common man, Facebook has connected nearly a billion users and mapped their social relationships.  Thus Mark Zuckerberg has passed the Promethean fire to the people to unite a world online; and with the recent Facebook public offering -- three days before an eclipse with planets transiting in Taurus including Jupiter transiting Zuckerberg's natal Sun that is aligned with the Pleiades --  he has invited them to take collective ownership.  Although the Facebook IPO may not be the financial success that many had hoped for, it ironically illuminates the deceitful practices of Wall Street investors and the abuses of an outdated market system which many believe are destined to change under the influence of this Venus Transit. 

So as the world witnesses Venus making her way across the face of the Sun, it will be super-charged with her passage. When the Sun engulfs the energies of a planet in Cazimi, it is said to imbue the planet with the intensely positive and life-giving energy through the Sun, which draws its energy from the shakti of the nakshatras that it transits: in this case Rohini. It is a moment of divine potential. Thus under the radiant light and blessings of Brahma, Venus will shift into the morning star, lucifer, the bringer of light -- a name also associated with Prometheus -- and lead us into the birth of a new era.  Where will our brave Venus lead us?  That remains to be seen, but one this is for sure, Venus, the bringer of light, promises a beautiful dawn.

Namaste!

.

Addendum: The first pair of Venus transits occurring at 8 year intervals began with the 1518/1526 pairing in May under the influence of Mrigashira -- the nakshatra associated with Soma -- and dancing.  Within two months of the 1518 Venus transit a strange plague broke out in Strasbourg, Alcace -- the Dancing Plague of 1518. Numerous people took to dancing for days without rest, and, over the period of about one month, some of the people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion.  According to Wiki: The authorities encouraged more dancing, in part by opening two guildhalls and a grain market, and even constructing a wooden stage. They did this because they believed that the dancers would only recover if they danced continuously night and day. They even paid musicians to keep the afflicted moving.  Some of the dancers were taken to a shrine where they sought a cure for their affliction.

Engraving of Hendrik Hondius portrays three women affected by the plague. Work based on original drawing by Peter Brueghel, who supposedly witnessed a subsequent outbreak in 1564 in Flanders.

Dancing mania is also known as St. John's Dance or St. Vitus' Dance.  It is described as a social phenomenon, or mass psychogenic illness (Ergot -- the precursor to LSD-- poisoning?-- soma), that occurred in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries involving groups of people who would dance uncontrollably,scream, shout, and sing, and claim to have visions or hallucinations.  In the 17th century St. Vitus' dance was diagnosed as Sydenham chorea -- a type of streptoccus infection. Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on June 15th (when the morning star reappears this year) and I would not be surprised if we see some type of similar phenomenon sometime this summer.

The Veils of May(a) 2012

Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose. 
Hail, bounteous May, that doth inspire Mirth, and youth, and warm desire; 
Woods and groves are of thy dressing, 
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing, 
Thus we salute thee with our early song, 
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.  

~ John Milton  1645

The month of May is ushered in with a promise of new life as the rising Sun continues its northern journey warming the freshly planted fields with its gentle rays. The glorious Sun is at its midpoint between the Vernal equinox and Summer solstice, a celestial station called the cross-quarter in many traditions and celebrated with fire rituals and fertility rites such as Beltane.  The lily of the valley is the flower of May as its spring blooms brings sweetness and happiness.  In Christian lore it is  associated with the tears of the Virgin Mary as well as the tears cried by Eve as she was kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  This sweet flower is also known as Jacob's tears or "ladder to heaven."  Strange allusions for a flower associated with happiness.

The Julian calendar was established in 45 BC and the month of May was called Maius, which may be named after the Roman goddess Maia.  Maius also means "larger, greater" and expresses the concept of  fertility and growth of both the season and the goddess.  The spring goddess was honored by the Romans on May 1st and 15th with an offering of a pregnant sow which signified the two faces of Mother Nature: -- one nurturing as each sow may birth anywhere from 6-12 piglets, and the other, wild and uncontrollable as sows are known to eat their young.  The Roman Maia was paired with Vulcan, the god of the underworld, because they were deities associated with heat and warming.  The warming breezes of spring fostered flora to grow, while the summer heat, ruled by Vulcan, brought ripening and harvest of crops. Ancient Greek farmers were cautioned not to sow grain before the time of her setting, or conjunction with the Sun, which may refer to the star Maia of the Pleiades located at 18 degrees Taurus that began to disappear in the rays of the Sun during the first days of spring in Age of Aries.   Strangely enough the precession has this conjunction occurring currently in the month of May when the Sun transits the nakshatra associated with the Pleiades, Krittika, from approximately May 11 - 25, and absorbs its dahana shakti, the power to burn and purify. 

In Greek mythology Maia is one of the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the ocean nymph Pleione. These mountain nymphs of Arcadia, Sterope, Merope, Elektra, Taygeta, Celeno, Alcyone, and Maia all had violet-colored hair and were immortalized in the stars as the constellation Pleiades after committing suicide upon hearing about the death of their father.  It is an interesting coincidence that the lily of the valley has a cluster of white flowers that resemble little stars.  Maia was the eldest and most beautiful of the Arcadian nymphs.  According to Hesiod's Theogony, Maia shared the sacred bed of Zeus and gave birth to Hermes (Mercury), the messenger god.  Hermes was also the god of commerce, the god of fertility, the creator of magic, and the psychopomp -- the guide to the underworld.  Thus Maia,  and the month May, are connected with all these themes -- but especially magic and fertility.

In Sanskrit the word maya is often described as the veil of illusion, but it is also the principal female deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the dream of duality in the material universe: Maya Shakti.

Maya is one of those active powers: the constant movement of the universe, pervasive to the atomic level. There is no life -- no existence, even -- without Maya, but she is so powerful that we cannot see the essence of things and mistake her movement for reality. For this reason, Maya is often called "the veil of illusion," the dance of multiplicity that distracts us so that we cannot see all matter as essentially identical. Illusion, however, as the sages have stressed, is not the same as falsehood. Maya is not a negative force, but can be a mesh through which we perceive the ultimate reality of existence -- if we are not distracted by her magnificent creativeness and complexity.  Unknown Author

The astrological line up for May 2012 may be full of Maya's creative distractions.  There is an incredible stellium of planets in the fixed sign of Taurus which will focus a lot of energy on the illusion of material comfort and prosperity.  As I have described in previous posts, Venus has been transiting the sign of Taurus since March 28, 2012.  During the first week of May it will be at its brightest -- its greatest illuminated extent in the Western evening sky.  Taurus is a powerful sign for Venus as its earthy energy is able to manifest the planet's creative impulse on the physical plane.  Venus in Taurus brings comfort and ease to life.  But as I mentioned in my last post, the luminous Evening Star has been followed by a "moon shadow," the south node, Ketu, whose energy of dissolution is unpredictable and can trigger upsets in the status quo.   When the two conjoined on April 11, 2012, six (the number associated with the planet Venus) large earthquakes shook the globe, including an 8.6 and 8.2 in Indonesia.

In addition, Venus is also on her journey of  transform from Evening Star to Morning Star during which time she appears to make a descent into the underworld, like the Sumerian goddess Inanna, setting in the West as the Evening Star and then rising again in the East as the Morning Star.

Along her path in the netherworld, Innana-Venus must pass through seven gates.  She is required to remove an article of clothing at each gate until she is completely naked, exposing her bright beauty to the darkest realms.   This descent begins on May 15, 2012 when she stations and turns retrograde at the 29th degree of Taurus -- the anaretic degree associated with an urgent need to correctly utilize the energy of that planet.  This degree is serious and indicates a narrow path. The following day Saturn, the lord of boundaries, will also be at 29 degrees in Virgo as it continues its retrograde motion shining brightly in the night skies.  Then on May 17, 2012 Jupiter will enter the sign of Taurus and bring its power of expansion and opportunity to the table.  Venus is supported by the big guys.

Although the classics consider retrograde planets to be stronger under reverse motion, they are still operating in a different mode that may cause a disturbance to their usual field of influence.  Moreover, energy slows down and becomes more internalized.  Astrologically, Venus represents how we get what we want and the nature of the love we receive. When this power is afflicted, relationships may loose some of their spark, communication may not be as sweet, or or we may not be able to get what we want as easily as when the planet is direct. When Venus is retrograde, it is a great time to turn our relationship radar inward and reassess any problems, differences, or unresolved issues.  So as the ruler of love and material security reverses direction, our boundaries around relationships and money are tested. Venus retrograde may bring events that inspire us to re-evaluate the conditions of our relationships or revise our financial plans, but as Lynn Koiner suggests, it is not a time to make any changes:

You become readily aware of any problems, differences or unresolved issues. It is NOT a time, however, to act upon any unfavorable awareness. It is purely a time of evaluation rather than direct action. As little frictions and disagreements crop up, they serve to remind you that the relationship is not perfect. Under the retrograde influence, you must assess the severity of the problem and the “cost-benefit” of the relationship. Only after Venus turns direct should you initiate any alienation if this is deemed necessary.

Moreover, the upcoming Venus retrograde takes place under the obscuring influences of two eclipses:  an annular solar eclipse on May 20, 2012 and a partial lunar eclipse on June 4, 2012.

May's new moon in Taurus receives the subtle shakti of the Pleiades from the nakshatra Krittika, but it is disturbed by Ketu's presence in the shadow released during the annular eclipse on May 20, 2012. (For a great video click here.) Its dahana shakti, the power to burn and purify, may become exaggerated under Ketu's fiery glance from Rohini.  Many astrologers assert that Ketu is debilitated in the sign of Taurus as the bull's accumulating nature is counter to the south node's impulse to dissolve and release spirit from its involution in matter.  Thus this Ketu solar eclipse in Taurus may cause discord in relationships, already pressed by Venus in retrograde motion, and downturns in financial markets.

Fortunately there is grace present as Jupiter enters Taurus three days before the first eclipse.  Many astrologers view Jupiter's sojourn into Taurus as beneficial creating prosperity and expanding "bull" markets.  Some even call Jupiter in Taurus the millionaire-maker.  However, the nodes are powerful and can disturb even the most beneficial of planets.  As my teacher used to say, when an eclipse occurs all the stars come out during the day, meaning that all the hidden issues that are always there beyond our immediate consciousness may suddenly appear.  Eclipses magnify the shadow issues underlying our illusions and amplify the emotional drama of our misconceptions and disagreements.  But an eclipse is also an opportunity to look at these hidden issues and collective denial, such as global wealth and debt issues, and shift course. 

June begins with a partial Rahu lunar eclipse of a debilitated Moon in Scorpio/Jyestha with Ketu in Taurus/Rohini followed by the astronomical event of the year: a vary rare transit of Venus across the face of the Sun on June 5-6, 2012.  Depending on your location you may see the transit either as her last steps as the Evening Star, or first steps as the Morning Star.  Most of North America sees the beginning of the transit in the afternoon and evening on June 5, whereas much of Eurasia sees the ending of the transit in the morning on June 6.  As Venus Morning Star is historically related to the goddess of war, those countries who first witness her in the morning may be the sites of future conflict.

Although Jupiter and Mercury will also be nearby, they will be hidden behind the rays of the Sun and unable to touch Venus with their direct glance.  With so many planets connected with "consciousness" lined up and in combustion with the Sun, Venus is left alone to receive the Earth's full attention.


As Venus passes between the Sun and the Earth, its movement is in essence very similar to a lunar eclipse.  So in a way we will be getting a double whammy of lunar and Venus eclipses within 24 hours of each other.   The involvement of the nodes with this Venus Transit suggests that this astronomical moment in time will be quite significant.  Because the south node, Ketu, will manifest its shadow the day before the transit, it is the only planet that will have a negative effect on Venus. Its energy of dissolution may release old karmic patterns during the lunar eclipse which may then be transformed the next day by the conjunction of Venus in the heart of the Sun, called Cazimi.  When the Sun engulfs the energies of a planet in Cazimi, it is said to imbue the planet with the intensely positive and life-giving energy through the Sun, which draws its energy from the shakti of the nakshatras that it transits: Rohini where the great red star Aldebaran resides making up the eye of the bull in Taurus.  Aldebaran is believed to be the abode of Brahma and when it lines up with our Sun we receive its many blessings. 

Thus the thus deity associated with Rohini is Brahma, the Creator, "who can bestow everything, so we should be careful of what we want." According to David Frawley, "Rohini Nakshatra represents the gods, dharma and good fortune (Lakshmi) and is said to be the most fortunate of all Nakshatras for worldly affairs."

Rohini's shakti power is rohana shakti, growth -- as might be expressed in the Fibonacci sequence, phi, the sacred geometry of the pentagram that Venus draws in the heavens over the course of eight years, and the movement of Maya Shakti.  As we shall soon see this Venus Transit in Rohini may herald a provocative shift in how we use our creative energy to produce material and spiritual wealth.  Remember that the transformation of Venus from Evening Star to Morning Star is one from the goddess of love to the goddess of war (see my previous post on Venus Cycles).  I pray that Venus becomes a warrior goddess to fight against poverty, hunger, greed and the obscene corruption in the global banking and business worlds by lifting the veil of the dance of multiplicity so that we may see that we are indeed ONE.

Namaste! Jai Ma 

 

Venus Enters Taurus and Prepares for Morningstar Transformation

March 28-July 31, 2012 Venus enters sign of Taurus
Venus Retrograde March 15 - June 27, 2012
Venus Transit June 5-6, 2012

Venus entered its own sign of Taurus, the Bull, on March 28, 2012 and will remain there until July 31, 2012.  During this time it will transition from Evening star to Morning star completing its fifth and final synodic cycle of its 8 year pentagonal dance.   Taurus is a powerful sign for Venus as its earthy energy is able to manifest Venus' creative impulse on the physical plane.  Venus in Taurus brings comfort and ease to life.  But this Venus in Taurus must also go through the shamanic process of shifting from Evening Star to Morning Star.  During its transit in Taurus there may be upsets in the status quo  especially when Venus conjoins Ketu on April 9, 2012 and later becomes involved in a lunar eclipse on June 4, 2012 followed by its spectacular Venus Transit between June 5-6, 2012.  Venus IS the planet to watch for the most significant astronomical and astrological events of 2012.

The planet Venus has been referred to as the Morning Star or Evening Star for thousands of years.  As its orbit is closer to the Sun than the Earth's, it can never stray very far from its source of luminosity. Its twinkling presence may grace either the eastern horizon in the pre-dawn sky, or the western horizon just after sunset; and is never seen during the night. At most it is visible for a few hours before disappearing into the radiance of the day or evening twilight. A Venus Cycle describes its retrograde patterns that bring the planet into what's called combustion with the Sun. During this time Venus disappears from view on the earth for approximately 40 days.

As I have discussed in many previous posts (click here and here), ancient sky-watching cultures interpreted the periods of darkness when Venus disappears from view on the earth as a time when the "star" traveled to the the underworld. Mesoamericans linked the Morning phase of Venus with Quetzalcoatl and the Evening Star with his twin brother Xolotl. The Greeks called the morning star phase Phosphoros meaning "Bringer of Light," or Eosphoros, "Bringer of Dawn,” and the evening star phase was called Hesperos meaning "setting in the West." The ancient Babylonians called Venus the double-phased Ishtar -- the Morning Star of War and the Evening Star of Love. As Morning Star Venus was often represented as a bearded warrior bearing weapons. However, as an Evening Star the archetype shifts and becomes softer, more attuned to reconciliation, treaties, bringing communication and cooperation to whatever it is uniting.

Some of the earliest references to Venus are found on clay tablets dating as early as 3000 BC from Uruk, an important early Sumerian city in southern Iraq. In ancient Sumer the goddess Inanna was associated with the planet Venus and the Uruk tablets specify her celestial identity as Venus with the symbol of an eight-pointed star.

There are hymns dedicated to Inanna that describe as her astral manifestation of the planet Venus. It is also believed that the myths about Inanna correspond with the movements of the planet Venus in the sky. Inanna's Decent to the Underworld (click here) explains how Inanna is able to descend into the netherworld, pass through a series of tests, and return to the earth by ascending to the heavens. The planet Venus appears to make a similar descent, setting in the West and then rising again in the East. And during her journey to the underworld, the goddess Inanna passes through seven gates removing an article of clothing at each gate until she is completely naked exposing her bright beauty to the darkest realms.

As my partner Joseph poignantly reminded me: The clothing represents the constructs of our ego and aspects of our false self. It only feels like Hell if we are attached to our egos. By removing her clothes Innana strips down to her bare essence and is given the opportunity to connects to her true self. In order to exit the underworld, Inanna was required to select someone to leave behind in her place. Could this be her shadow? When Innana returned to her kingdom, she finds that her husband Dammuzi had showed no concern for her during her absence. Thus she sent her "unconscious" male aspect, or animus, down to the underworld in her place where he is beaten and gashed with axes. Could the two faces of the Sumerian Venus and cycles of Venus represent the shamanic process of dissolving the ego, anima, and animus to release the divine enlightened self?

This year Venus makes this journey through the heart of the Sun in full view to the Earth during a rare Venus Transit in June.  We will be able to symbolically witness the goddess remove 7 layers of clothing until she stands before us naked.  Because Venus is powerful in the sign of Taurus, this revelation of her true nature should prove to be astonishing.  However, because we are also in the middle of a solar maximum there may be plenty of shadows, such as sunspots, in her path.  Should one of those sunspots emit a solar flare it would be possible for the coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun to brush past Venus and hit the Earth.  In my opinion, this possible phenomenon could bring an increase threat for a world wide influenza (click here for more).  Thus we should all keep a close eye on this event.




Venus Transit and 2012 Themes
 2012 is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated years of the modern era due to wild apocalyptic speculations concerning the end date of both the Mayan calendar and Terrence McKenna's Timewave Zero: the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2012.  Most Mayan scholars dismiss the idea of cataclysmic events as depicted in the highly entertaining, but inaccurate movie called 2012, and a few like John Major Jenkins point to the astronomical alignment of the Winter Solstice with the Galactic Center suggesting that intergalactic waves of energy or information may bath the Earth and transform consciousness (for more see my previous post Understanding the End Dates of the Mayan Calendar).  Moreover, there are no predictions of catastrophe in any extant Mayan texts. Timewave Zero, or Novelty, is a mathematical formula developed by psychonaut Terrence McKenna, who theorized that the universe has an evolutionary process of increasing interconnectedness that reaches a singularity of infinite complexity when everything will occur simultaneously.  Based on his calculations using the King Wen I Ching, he believed that 2012 would be an "eschaton" in which a collapse of time would usher in a new time.   It is very easy to see how these two concepts became "interconnected" over the years.

What these two systems do share is the measurement of the fractal nature of time and mathematics related to the harmonic numbers of Venus cycles: 5, 8, and 13.  In a previous post I described how Venus cycles relate to Phi and Fibonnaci sequences which are also found in the Mayan calendars. Venus orbits the Sun 13 times during the period in which the Earth orbits the Sun 8 times.  As Venus orbits the Sun 13 times, while the Earth orbits the Sun 8 times, then Venus must pass the Earth 5 times during those 8 years completing 5 synodic periods in 8 years, or 5 complete morning star/eveningstar cycles that inscribe its mystical pentagram across the heavens.

In the Taoist philosophy of the I Ching, the number 8 represents all possibilities in manifestation within the bagua and the forces of the phenomenal world.  The 5 elements (which may more accurately be translated as 5 transitions) describe how these forces of nature, or energy waves, shifts within the lunar year of 13 moon cycles.

In Mayan cosmology and mythology Venus was the focus of the timing of ritual.  The ancient Maya tracked the Morningstar phases of Venus that occur every 584 days, with great accuracy.  Within one of the few surviving Mayan books called the Dresden Codex, are six pages of Venus Tables that describe a Venus Round and the Sacred Day of Venus.  1 Ahau was the sacred Day of Venus for the Maya.  Ahau means "lord," "light" or "Sun" suggesting that a Venus cycle maybe connected with an inferior conjunction of Venus with the Sun, or even a rare Venus Transit of the Sun.  I find the glyph of Ahau to be intriguing as it seems to represent the Sun emitting or being caught by a beam of light surrounded on either side with two dots, perhaps indicating the inner planets Mercury and Venus. Or these two dots could they represent the two phases of Venus that figure so prominently in Mayan lore.




It may be a surprise to some, but not those who understand the concept of synchronicity, that Terrence McKenna was born on November 18, 1946 (7:30 am, Hotchkiss, CO), a day before an inferior conjunction of Venus in Scorpio/Vishaka ,which was in a configuration much like the upcoming inferior conjunction and Transit of Venus of June 2012, involving the south node, Ketu.  I have no doubt that McKenna's natal line up of Sun, Venus Rx, Mercury Rx, Mars, and Ketu in Scorpio predisposed him to transcend ordinary consciousness through hallucinogens and navigate realities and consciousness that seem to be connected with Venus Cycles and Galactic and Universal Timewaves.  On December 21, 2012 transiting Venus will rejoin his natal Venus in Scorpio in a beautiful chance coincidence of time.

Venus Transit: June 5-6, 2012

Thus during 2012 the planet Venus is the certainly one to watch for the most significant astronomical and astrological events of the year: the Venus Transit. On June 5-6, 2012 Venus will make its astronomically rare transit across the face of the Sun appearing as a distinct black spot that is 1/32 of the diameter of the Sun.  It will be large enough to see without the aid of a telescope. This phenomenon occurs in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The periodicity is a reflection of the fact that the orbital periods of Earth and Venus are close to 8:13 and 243:395 resonances.

The  2012 transit of Venus will begin a day after a partial Rahu lunar eclipse of a debilitated Moon in Scorpio/Jyestha with Ketu in Taurus/Rohini also "transiting" the Sun 11 degrees behind Venus.  In addition Jupiter and Mercury will also be transiting the sign of Taurus, but will be hidden behind the rays of the Sun and unable to touch Venus with their direct glance.  With so many planets connected with "consciousness" lined up and in combustion with the Sun, Venus is left alone to receive the Sun and Earth's full attention.

As Venus passes between the Sun and the Earth during a Venus transit, it is in essence very similar to a lunar eclipse.  So this time around we will be getting a double whammy of lunar and Venus eclipse.   The involvement of the nodes, which are markers for incarnation into the material field, with this Venus Transit suggests that this astronomical moment in time will be quite significant.  Because the south node, Ketu, will manifest its shadow the day before, it is the only planet that will have an effect on Venus. Its energy of dissolution may release old karmic patterns and materialistic bonds during the lunar eclipse which may then be transformed the next day by the conjunction of Venus in the heart of the Sun, called Cazimi.  When the Sun engulfs the energies of a planet in Cazimi, (Venus), it is said to imbue the planet with the intensely positive and life-giving energy and power of the Sun, who draws its energy from the shakti of the nakshatras that it transits: Rohini.

The previous Venus transit of 2004 also occurred in Taurus, but in the nakshatra of Mrigrashira which has a very different flavor than Rohini, also known as Surabhi - the celestial cow who is regarded as the source of all prosperity.   The fixed star associated with Rohini is the great Persian royal star Aldebaran, the "watcher of the east," and its residing deity of Rohini is Prajapati, the Creator who grants our deepest desires. Aldebaran is located in the eye of the Bull and is thus associated with sight, illumination and vision.  Brady believes that "this radiation of the Cosmic Bull implies that something will be destroyed or ruined, but then re-cosmogised, reborn, or remade afresh" which sounds very Mithraic to me.  She predicts that there may be another European or global currency/market crisis representing a harvest being destroyed. "This is a time when the heavenly patterns are indicating cosmogising -- destroying to remake afresh."
 
In the Vedic tradition, the power associated with this nakshatra is rohana shakti, growth -- as might be expressed in the Fibonacci sequence, phi, and the sacred geometry of the pentagram that Venus draws in the heavens over the course of 8 years. Rohini is also called the "star of ascent" that gives an increase in status in society, and perhaps to our souls. Thus this Venus Transit may instead herald a provocative shift in energy at that time in which we may be able to call upon the Creator and Universal forces for the star's gift of "ascension," be it material or spiritual, to be made manifest through Venus' shamanic transformation to Morning Star. Venus will remain in the Morning Star position through the end of the year, and travels to nearly the exact opposite side of the zodiac for the morning of the Winter Solstice, and completion of the Mayan Calendar in the nakshatra of Anuradha, whose symbols are the lotus and triumphal doorway.   Where will our brave Venus lead us?  That remains to be seen, but one this is for sure, Venus, the bringer of light, promises a beautiful dawn. Namaste!