Yeah baby – she’s got it!

Leo 2023

There’s been a lot of attention paid to Venus lately on the astrowaves. It is fitting – because since she is in the sign of Leo she loves being centre stage. So much so, she has decided to stay longer by walking up and down the cosmic catwalk before she leaves the stage for Virgo land on October 9th.

On the 5th June this year she put on her finest attire and headed out to be adored. Like all planets, she has a job to do as she struts though a sign. The zodiac sign shows how she will do this work, and in Leo she will be noticed. You could say she’s ‘hot’. Think climate, wildfires, and perhaps Barbie.

The lyrics of the song in my title go on to say “I’m your Venus, I’m your fire, what’s your desire?” A good question for now.

What’s her job?

Venus is not only the goddess of love and desire, she is also the goddess of money and values. One of her main principles is fairness. She also represents talent, since if we love something enough, we will engage in that activity frequently and become good at it. Venus adores beauty and harmony, but she is also a goddess who can use her beauty or sensuality to get what she desires, especially when being compared to others. That, she really hates.

So her job, in any sign, is always to get us to focus on what we value, and our own self-worth. And to stand against anything that is unfair. When she is in Leo she asks us to be true to our hearts, to value what we want and to give others the love we would want ourselves. She also reminds us to truly love our work in the world and to focus on what is important in a heartfelt way.

Back and forth – Venus goes retrograde

At 28 degrees of Leo nearing the end of her Leo catwalk she thinks: “Wait a minute. I need to go back and check something.” So on the 22nd July she stands still, giving us a chance to notice her. She then takes a backward stroll to 12 degrees Leo, when on 4th September she has enough of walking backwards and continues over the same ground to make sure we have heeded her lessons until she leaves Leo on 9th October.

So far – two important dates for Venus in Leo

5th June – on the day that Venus entered Leo it was reported that “Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film required so much pink paint during construction that it wiped out an entire company’s global supply.” While at the same time, Canadian wildfires increased intensity, causing havoc for air quality, with over 400 fires ablaze. And even in neighbouring US states, air quality alerts were triggered for June 5-6, which continued for some time afterwards.

President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak got together just after this on June 8th to discuss AI dangers. Hollywood actors are protesting, as are many others, about the danger and especially the ‘unfairness’  of AI.

22nd July – It was clear by now that millions of people have seen Barbie – perfect timing for women’s issues to be in the spotlight. Whether you love the film or hate it, all the Venusian themes are being seen and discussed. We are going back over old ground, as Venus does! The themes in Barbie take on the plight of women in patriarchal systems, but also highlight problems that men have had. However, it’s all about Barbie, as the name suggests. It is interesting that Barbie chooses to be real, rather than an outdated, idealised version of womanhood. The film is right on time!

At the time of writing, Barbie has passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. Its director, Greta Gerwig, is the first solo female filmmaker to achieve this. Women are getting famous for earning money – a very Venus in Leo motif.

Who does Venus meet on her sojourn through Leo?

As Venus struts through Leo she meets the Moon four times. As I write, she has done this 3 times: on 22nd June, 20th July and 16th August. She meets her once more on 11th September. These are brief encounters, as the Moon moves quickly. However, July 20th and 16th August put women (Venus and the Moon) firmly in the spotlight in a different way. On July 20th the Women’s Football World Cup opened and, with perfect timing on the 16th August, the UK Lionesses! won a place in the final. The world is definitely looking at all these fiery women!

Spain was ‘on fire’

Disappointingly, for the Lionesses, a much ‘hotter’ country won the World Cup. Dressed in peppery red rather than cool blue, the women of Spain’s team took the trophy. Sadly, after the game, the news was of a kiss planted on the lips of Jenni Hermoso by FA chief Luis Rubiales, rather than the fantastic achievement of these women. This act is being labelled as sexual harassment. It seems more people need to heed the Barbie message. We’ve had it with the patriarchy, but also with this sort of news. Can we please focus on the talents and worth of women rather than what some men feel called to do to them!

Venus waits for Mercury but doesn’t catch her lover Mars

As Venus backed up, Mercury raced past her on July 27th and we got the news (Mercury) from the UN secretary general that July is set to be the world’s hottest month on record. “An era of global boiling has arrived!” By now the fires on the Greek Island of Rhodes had devastated parts of the island. All that Leo energy is indeed hot. Wildfires are blazing in many countries. We are supposed to look at balance and what we are valuing as a species – but are we getting the message?

Venus is on her own here – Barbie is without Ken, as Venus doesn’t catch up to Mars while she’s in Leo. But she has other support in the form of the Sun, the ruler of Leo. The Sun is perhaps symbolised in the Barbie film by her creator, Ruth Handler.

The bigger cosmic event

On August 13th, Venus did something she does approximately every 19 months during her retrograde period. She passed by (under in this case) the sun. Sky watchers may know that this is the time that Venus changes from being an evening star – setting after the sun, to being a morning star – rising before the sun. She can now be seen again in the pre-dawn sky, after the sun’s brightness hid her from our view for a few days.

Actors strike

As Venus got ready to pass under the sun, the US actor’s union SAG-AFTRA leadership went on strike with picket lines in LA and New York. This was a wakeup call to treat actors (Leo and the Sun) and writers fairly, and value their work, including paying them properly. Now it has turned into one of the the biggest strikes in the US in the last thirty years. Venus is clearly in the spotlight (near the sun) here.

Lahaina

And all the while, fires raged out of control in Canada, and on the Hawaiian island of Maui. By August 13th it was clear that Lahaina, on Oahu, had suffered catastrophic losses and that the whole town had been virtually obliterated. According to The Washington Post it is “the deadliest conflagration in modern US history.”

Non-native grasses haven’t helped

Officially the cause of the Lahaina fire appears to have been power lines brought down by Hurricane Dora. The spread of flammable non-native grasses combined with winds could have been a factor too, especially after a drought. And, of course, climate change. My heart goes out to all those who have lost everything – family, houses, and cherished possessions. Also in Greece and other countries still threatened by fires.

Much of the tragic devastation in Greece was caused by human hands, either through arson, or inadvertently. Admittedly some people are not very mindful when it comes to fires, or are even stupid. But arson? There is a lot of fiery anger in this world of inequality. Perhaps Venus is attempting to highlight what we need to value in the world: the beauty of our natural earth and justice for the disenfranchised. The world is indeed ‘not fair’.

Venus’s messages

If we study the two main myths associated with Venus, we see that there are warnings about what desire can do. When Paris had to choose the ‘fairest’ goddess from the three – Venus (Aphrodite), Hera, or Athena – he was persuaded by Venus’ promise that he could have the most beautiful woman in the world. He chose this above Hera’s offer of dominion over Europe and Asia, and Athena’s offer of unparalleled wisdom and skill in battle. Men!

The woman in question turned out to be Helen of Troy, the wife of another, which of course led to the Trojan war. Perhaps the lessons here are: desire is dangerous, and don’t take what isn’t yours. A lesson for what we are doing to the earth.

Venus tames Mars

Desire landed Venus and Mars in hot water too, since they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. The message in this myth is that desire and passion can lead to chaos and destruction. Venus knows how to engender lust – she has a special girdle for that. However she also understands that love that is true and authentic, including love for ourselves, is what will make us happy and mend broken hearts.

So what’s your desire?

The devastation around the globe, brought on by something as uncontrollable as fire, has highlighted many areas that are lacking. Protection and warning systems are clearly inadequate. Lessons have not been learned from past events and warnings. Governments have been too slow to act to help. Companies have been completely chaotic.

But in amongst all of that has been an outpouring of help, love and support from ordinary people. Many have gone above and beyond the call to help people in distress and need. The thing about these sorts of tragedies, when we have to flee, is that we are forced to identify what is in our heart, what we most value. We grab people, and pets if we have time, and our most valued possessions after that. When we lose everything, and have to start again, we know what we have lost. And we see clearly the value of those around us. And we grieve at the loss of people, trees, and animals. It is those things that we truly desire.

Let’s look to Venus – she’s got it!

But why do we need a tragedy? Venus wants us to love and value what we have without the need for such devastation and heartbreak. War, a very Martian pursuit, rages on. Fire is also very Martian. Venus is the only one who can tame Mars. Let’s listen to her while she is still in the spotlight. Venus as the Morning Star is a symbol of a bright new day. New beginnings and a symbol of hope and inspiration. No matter how dark it is, there is always a brighter future. In some cultures, the Morning Star represents the illumination of consciousness and the pursuit of spiritual truth. Let’s hope beautiful, strong, fiery Venus can show us the way.

Faye Blake

Interesting websites

The path of Venus explained – its called an inferior conjunction which seems a bit sad for such an event:)

An interesting article on the symbolism of Venus.

One of my favourite people, Bettany Hughes, has a book out called Venus and Aphrodite, which I must add to my reading list.

And for astrologers a long but good podcast on Venus retrograde.

Quotes of the month

“Venus’s life story across 5,000 years reminds us not to trivialise the power of desire: the ancients were right to never underestimate its influence.” Bettany Hughes

“For an actress to be a success, she must have the face of a Venus, the brains of a Minerva, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of a Macaulay, the figure of Juno, and the hide of a rhinoceros.” Ethel Barrymore

“When archaeologists discover the missing arms of Venus de Milo, they will find she was wearing boxing gloves.” John Barrymore