The Courtly Dance of the Goddess of Love

‘Skyvibe’ Astrology Forecast for October 2018

By Joanne Rixon

Welcome to October 2018. The big astrological news for this month is that Venus will be turning retrograde on 6th October for 40 days until she again assumes forward motion on 15th November. She begins retracing her path in Scorpio, where she will be throughout October, and with the beautiful symmetry that we would expect from Venus, enters Libra right on cue on 1st November. She turns retrograde at 10° Scorpio, and turns direct at 25° Libra. Make a note of these degrees, as they may be significant for the way this retrograde affects you.

Before we get into the astrological meaning of a Venus retrograde, a few words on the wonders of the Universe, the Music of the Spheres, and the courtly dance of Earth and Venus. Unique amongst the planets of our Solar System, the Earth and Venus are locked together in an eight year cycle which, if you follow their orbits from a perspective above or below the ecliptic, sees them come together transcribing a pattern of a beautiful five petal flower. If you join the points of connection, it results in a perfect 5 pointed star. I imagine the planets as powdered and bewigged characters, performing a intricately choreographed dance. The steps are slow and considered, each partner in perfect tune with the other, bowing and dipping, moving forward and back in a ritual that goes back millennia. Earth is the gentleman proffering his hand to Venus, whose graceful moves transcribe the flower. It is the retrograding Venus that forms the petals of the flower.

This eight year period represents five Venus cycles. When Venus retrogrades, she comes back to the same area of the sky, activating that part of your chart. Interestingly, Venus does not go retrograde in Libra, Sagittarius or Pisces. She only starts her retrograde in Scorpio, Leo, Gemini, Aries and Capricorn. This particular retrograde commences in Scorpio and remains in Scorpio until the end of the month, when she moves into Libra on 1st November, so for this Sky Vibe we will focus on her progression back through Scorpio and what effect that may have on us this month. We will talk about Venus retrograde in Libra in November’s Sky Vibe.

So, astrologically speaking, what does this all mean? Superficially, if you meet “the one” this month, don’t commit too deeply. Wait until Venus is direct and have another look at your paramour – do they stand up to the cold light of day? Online shopping. Fill your cart to your heart’s content, but don’t finalise the sale. Come back tomorrow and have a look at your selections; at least one item will make you ask yourself “what was I thinking?”

But Venus’ retrograde is through the intense sign of Scorpio, and there is nothing superficial about Scorpio. Venus is also a multi-faceted planet. Certainly she is the goddess of love, but she is also about what we value and what we are prepared to give or take in exchange for our personal value. This is a time to re-evaluate our deepest, most intense and committed relationships, those we have bought into body and soul. Are we valued in the relationship? Is it a partnership of equals, or does someone have all the power and control? Are we in a fair exchange for our true worth? This is a really scary ask, on so many levels, not something to undertake without being prepared to face up to some harsh realities and take action if and when it is needed to promote our soul’s journey.

One of the reasons that this Venus retrograde has such a life-changing transformative feel is that many people have trans-personal planets that will conjunct or have a hard aspect to this transit. When we look at the effect of transits on our charts, we usually discount the personal planets as they move relatively quickly and their influence is short-lived, but in this case we are looking at Pluto and Scorpio, so it needs to be given the respect it duly deserves. If you were born between November 1983 and May 1984; or August 1984 and November 1987; or May 1988 and September 1988, then you have Pluto in the Venus retrograde zone – between 0° and 10° of Scorpio. This Venus will, at some point, conjunct your natal Pluto, which may bring up some deep issues for you to confront. Check your chart for more accuracy on degrees and dates. If you are a Baby Boomer with Pluto between 0° and 10° Leo, Venus will square your natal Pluto. Not as profound as a direct conjunction, but some issues may feel blocked and need attention. Likewise look at your chart to see if you have Neptune between 0° and 10° Scorpio; expect some confusion or delusion around your relating to your significant other on those days.

If this all sounds a bit doom-and-gloom, it really is not. The Sabian Symbol for 10° Scorpio is “A Drowned Man is being Rescued”. This Symbol represents someone who has fallen into something that is beyond his ability to control, however help is at hand and all will be well. We can all feel overwhelmed at times, adrift in a relationship, situation or life that is suffocating and squeezing the breath of life out of us. We always have a choice: we can passively give in; seek help to change the situation; or save ourselves. This Venus retrograde through Scorpio is giving us the opportunity to revise, re-visit, review, renew, regenerate and re-evaluate how much of ourselves, our self-worth and love, we are giving in deeply committed relationships. Are we always the drowning victim, the one who needs rescuing, or are we the rescuer, rushing in to “save” our nearest and dearest at the slightest hiccup, when the truly loving thing would be to let them struggle for a bit so that they don’t continually repeat the victim cycle? Or are we, or they, a true support, the one person who can be counted on when the seas of life are rough and overwhelming? A few things to consider between 6th October and the end of the month as Venus pirouettes on her courtly dance through the sky.

The New Moon is at 11.46pm on 8th October at 15° Libra and the Full Moon is at 12.45pm on 24th October at 1° Taurus. The month wraps up with the feast of Samhain on 31st October, coinciding with Venus’ retrograde into Libra. Samhain is also known as Halloween, the Feast of All Souls when the veil between the worlds is at its most porous. A most appropriate way to end this month of forensic introspection.

— Joanne Rixon
October 2018