Venus Meets Sun in Underworld
As I've shared in recent moon posts, Venus – who represents the Divine Feminine in Creation and in us – is currently in the underworld, where she spends about 3 months every 19.
Orbiting between the Sun and Earth, Venus has been observed by sky-gazers since ancient times. She is observed to spend a period of time in the morning sky (where she is called a Morning Star), then disappears for a time, and emerges months later, miraculously as an Evening Star in the nighttime sky.
Imagine for a moment the wonder of this direct observation.
Astrologically, we see her seeming disappearance as a time when she is embarking on a journey through the underworld. (If you know the myth of Inanna, this is she-on-the-hook).
In the underworld, the Feminine faces her shadows, disconnects from false sources of power, reclaims lost soul fragments, dies to the past/inauthentic self, surrenders and transforms.
The underworld is a death initiation. And like spring follows winter, new life comes next.
In the darkest moments of her journey, Venus meets up with the Sun. (This cycle, on March 25.)
That is – when Venus is in the deepest of darkness, she meets up with the greatest source of light. And here, she realizes her deepest medicine, her most profound light, lies deep within her. That some of her greatest brilliance is found in her greatest moments of despair and her fertile darkness.
Whew, take that in a minute. Let it seep into your bones.
When you close your eyes and tune into your own wise self, what is the personal medicine for you in this astro-contextual moment?
Venus and the Sun are meeting up at 5 degrees of Aries. Aries is the sign of the sacred warrior, the defender of what matters and of cosmic and natural order, the energy of devotion, courage, boldness, trust and innocence.
The Chandra symbol for this meeting-degree is:
Sensuous pleasure, powerful passions. Body wisdom. Impulses and instincts, desires and cravings, and the festive celebration of being alive here now...Candid and willing to release into what arises... In touch and in tune with what wants to happen here, your gut conviction is fiercely strong. You are unashamed.
This is solar feminine medicine.
Ceremony and ritual are ways for us to consciously participate and co-create with Creation. A simple ritual offering you might explore this week:
Go to a room where you can create complete darkness. Bring a candle and a way to light it.
In the darkness, contemplate what aspects of your being are journeying through a death-rebirth process (what is being annihilated, shed, released, surrendered).
Feel them. Trust yourself.
When you are ready, light the candle. Call in your greatest light, your greatest brilliance – that which is found in the depths of your soul. Feel into this vitality, warmth, power.
Write about what you discover.
Offer it to the fire, plant it in the earth, give it to the waters. Or keep it close to you for a time.
I'd love to hear what this stirs in you.
ADDENDUM
I have a story to share with you about Snakes and Surrender. An animal medicine initiation I experienced a few years ago that feels apropos for this time.