Venus Preview: Two Weeks Only!

12.14.05


That's right, Venus watchers. Get your Venus in Aquarius while it lasts.

This limited engagement of lovely-lady Venus in the weird-and-wonderful sign of Aquarius begins today (Thu Dec 15), and lasts only through the end of '05. Venus in Aquarius is the perfect all-things-to-all-people placement, to support us in managing those busy holiday-time social calendars (without giving too much of ourselves!). It assists us in finding some patch of common ground with virtually everybody we come in contact with… even those creepy cousins, grumpy grandpas and awkwardly bashful new boyfriends. When in doubt, say something wacky and off-the-wall—who cares about stiff-lipped dignity, if bizarro tangents will break the ice?

And what's so amazing about this two-week-only stint? (After all, Venus usually only slightly longer—about three weeks—to transit a sign.) Well, for one, during the whole two weeks, Venus remains entirely within the first two degrees of the sign. It's like she's almost standing still. Which can only mean… Venus is soon to be retrograde. (It's also grants a magically elusive, everyone-loves-me-or-do-they? charge of charm to folks born Jan 19-21.)

Retrograde… the word is like a shrill alarm to some people. But, trust me, after the recent claustrophobia generated by the double retrograde of Mercury and Mars (over! thank God!), Venus retrograde (Dec 24-Feb 3) won't be nearly as bad.

After the largely self-focused pressure cooker of the last couple months, think of the upcoming month-and-a-half as the ideal window for reviewing the value of your relationships. Rededicate your attentions to those you feel deserve it most. Sever cords, or reattach them. Get back in touch or get lost, but in any case, get real about who makes you happy and who doesn't.

Really, though, this Venus retrograde is just a last-leg continuation of the same-ol' lagging set of astrological circumstances we've grown oh-too-accustomed to. (I warned you over a month ago that we'd be settling into more of the same.) The grand cross is still in effect. Mars is still in Taurus through mid-February. And no planets will be changing signs until then, except for Mercury, who'll be damn glad to pass through the shadow of his recent retrograde by next week and zip across new terrain…

… and, of course, Venus, who backpedals into Capricorn on Jan 1 and stays there until early March. Venus's momentary dip into Aquarius for the next couple weeks is a bit of a tease, inciting our appetite for unconventional interaction and colorful defiance. Venus in Capricorn, however, is serious…. though not without its hearty brand of wry humor, to laughingly defuse everyone's awareness of everyone else's (and its own) imperfections and shortcomings. If nothing else, Venus in Capricorn has its standards, and generally makes them known.

But for a couple weeks, at least, let's let go of the earthy practicality we've had shoved down our throats, thanks to Mars's presence in Taurus since, oh, forever!… and embrace the Aquarian vibe. Simply put, do your own thing, no matter how bizarre your Christmas sweater, how raucous your lampshade-wearing partying, how untraditional your traditions. After a helluva last few months, we all deserve to blow off some steam by being weird and wonderful. At the new year, Venus'll turn back to Cap and put us back in line.