Venus UnVeiled • Image Credit: NASA, Magellan Project
A Venus Transit occurs when we can see Venus passing directly in front of the Sun. This is similar to when the Moon passes in front of the Sun on a solar eclipse. Unlike the Moon, which covers most of the Sun, Venus appears as a small dot crossing the face of the Sun. A transit (sometime called a passage) can only occur with the inner planets–Mercury and Venus–because they are the only two that can lie between the Earth and Sun during their orbits.
We are in the midst of the first Venus Transit of this millennium. The Venus Transit presently upon us comes in a pair, with each transit in the pair spaced eight years apart. There will be one transit on June 8, 2004 and one on June 6, 2012.
This is a rare once in a life time event. In one 243-year Venus Transit cycle there are two pair spaced 121.5 ±8 years apart. The last Venus Transit (pair) occurred 129.5 years ago in 1874 and 1882. The next pair will occur 113.5 years from this one, in 2117 and 2125. Although the transits currently occur in pairs, this is not always the case, sometimes there is only one transit, as explained later in this article.
This article explores the eight-year pentagonal cycle of Venus; how the retrogrades of Venus are created; the 243-year Venus Transit cycle; why the transits in this cycle come in pairs for a while and why they then become singular; the drift of this cycle through the zodiak; the star alignments of the 2004/2012 transits in the sidereal zodiak; the psychophysiology (mental-emotional-physical facets) of Venus in our lives; and the astrophysical resonances of Venus in light (color), sound, and brain wave frequencies.
Venus transiting the Sun on June 8, 2004
Photo by Jay Ouellet, Quebec Canada.
Image used with permission: 2004©Jay Ouellet, firstname.lastname@example.org
The following chart shows the dates of several Venus Transit pairs and the Venus Transit Cycle.
The times in red reveal the primary cycle. The times in blue reveal the dual sub-cycle occurring between pairs. The times in yellow reveal the duration between the last transit of one pair and the first transit of the second pair.
Venus is the Roman name for the Greek Aphrodite, goddess of love, grace, beauty and sexual rapture. Venus has also been called the “jewel of the sky”; “Eosphorus as the morning star and Hesperus as the evening star”; from a modern day astronomer’s view, “Earth’s sister planet”; and from an astrologer’s view, the “compliment to Mars.”
Other cultural names for Venus include: the Babylonian Ishtar; the Syro-Palestinian goddess Ashtart; the Aztec: Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (meaning “Lord of the House of Dawn.”), an apparition of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent; the Maya: Kukulcan (Venus was the Mayan patron of warfare, with several battles coinciding with significant Venus alignments); and the Norse Sif, noted for her “conjugal fidelity.” Aside from the asteroids, Venus is the only main planet named after a goddess–sorry to say for our soul-ar system.
Image: Aphrodite (circa 100 BC): Found on the Aegean island of Melos in 1820.
Venus orbits the Sun in 224.701 Earth days ( ~.615 Earth years ), moving slightly faster than Earth. Because of the two different orbital rates of Venus and Earth, Venus must orbit the sun 2.6 times while Earth orbits 1.6 times before the two planets align. This period (583.92 Earth days) is called the Earth-Venus synodic cycle (synod means “place of meeting”).
An alignment of Earth, Venus and Sun when Venus lies between Earth and the Sun is called an inferior conjunction. Conversely, a superior conjunction occurs when the three align but with Venus lying on the far side of the Sun. A new Earth-Venus synodic cycle begins on an inferior conjunction, while the superior conjunction marks the mid-point in the synodic cycle.
See Synodic Cycles & Planetary Retrogrades to learn more about synodic cycles and Synodic Astrology.
Because the Earth moves 584 Earth days, (about 1.6 years around the ecliptic) before the two planets align, each alignment occurs about 215.6° further than the previous one (about seven astrological signs apart). As this process continues, five unique Venus-Earth locations are created in the ecliptic. The result is a pentagonal synodic series that takes about eight years and which consists of five synodic cycles (shown below). This near perfect pattern (also called a grand quintile) occurs because five cycles occur in an even number of Earth years–almost.
The sixth alignment, which begins the next synodic series, occurs near the same place as the first one, but it is shifted slightly west from the first one by about 2 to 3 degrees. This slight drift occurs because each synodic series actually occurs in 7.997 years, slightly less than eight years. This causes the entire synodic pentagonal series to continually drift westward around the ecliptic in approximately 2° increments.
quarternary world–that is, from the cyclic and temporal boundaries of space and time.
- The Way is through the Passage of the Heart -
Venus revolves in the opposite direction compared to Earth and to its rotation around the sun. Thus, on Venus, the sun and stars rise in the west and set in the east. A Venus day is longer than its year, It takes Venus 243.0187 Earth days to make one rotation, and 224.701 Earth days to orbit the sun. The Venus day is exactly two-thirds of an Earth-year (243 Earth days).
Because Venus revolves once every 2/3 of an Earth year, Venus revolves exactly twelve times in the eight-year pentagonal period–thus showing the same side of her body to Earth in the eight-year period. This near perfect harmonic resonance between the Venus day, the Venus year, and Earth’s year is one of the astrophysical dynamics creating the gentle and harmonious astrological character of Venus.
Thus, we have 5 synodic cycles and 12 Venusian days occurring in 8 Earth years creating a near perfect Venus-Earth synergy.
An interesting numerological technique is to explore the ratio between the Product and the Sum of a set of numbers:
The Product: 12 x 8 x 5 = 480.
The Sum: 12 + 8 + 5 = 25
The Product / The Sum = 480 / 25 = 19.2
Qabalistic Numerology defines 192 as the the Divine Mother number. The mother element (the first element) is Hydrogen, from which life proceeds, fuel of the Sun; embodiment of the Divine Mother Principle.
The Arithmetic Reduction of 192 is 12, the Hebrew number Lamed, which corresponds to the sign of Libra – the astrological domicile of Venus.
The Venus Day / Earth Year harmonic interval is 2/3, the perfect musical fifth (3:2), the most universally consonant (pleasing to the ear and emotionally peaceful) harmonic and most durative (strong and long lasting compared to other harmonics which subside before the fifth). The Earth Venus pentagonal harmonic is 5/8, the sixth (8:5). The sixth emotionally invokes the concept of joy or natural innocence; in German, the concept of “lust,” is associated with gold’s. natural state (as exemplified in Wagner’s Opera “As Rheingold”–a story about forsaking love for gold).
The term “harmonic interval” or “musical interval” refers to the relationship between one frequency (wave) and another, independent of the frequency (time interval) of the wave itself. What are frequencies and how do planets express them? Think of a frequency (or wave) as the exchange of energy between polarities (from one element back to the other element)–how the energy moves. Thus, the old saying. “Are we on the same wave length?” is a question asking if the nature of our energy exchange is harmonious or not (concordant or discordant). Planetary waves, for example, exist between a planet’s orbit and the point around which it orbits (orbital period), or between its circumference and its center, just to name two of many planetary waves. We also have the relationship between one wave and another wave: for example, the wave created by the Venusian day and Earthian year; or between the Venus year and Earth year. Wave relationships are harmonic or musical intervals, and there are a variety of musical intervals, that is, wave relationships, all with unique qualities. Some are harmonious and some not so. The more harmony (concordance) the more attraction there is–like between two people–and the more discordance, the more repulsion. Planets and our entire star system of planets compose a variety of musical chords (combinations of frequencies and their harmonic intervals) all continually changing as the ever-changing dance of the planets compose a majestic symphonic expression–the Music of the Spheres.
The most famous work exploring the “Music of the Spheres” is that published in 1619 by Johannes Kepler in his “Harmonices Mundi.”
Planets, as do people, have their own “vibrational signature.” This signature is a unique blend of waves that are self contained–for example a wave created by the circumference of a planet and its center. Another slang saying is one about “the vibe” that a person is giving off. This refers to the self contained vibrational expression of a person.
Another type of wave is that created by the relationship (harmonic interval) between a self contained vibrational system and another–two vibes interacting. In this case, we have an oscillation occurring between to vibrating elements, like between a planet and its orbit about the sun. Thus an oscillation is also a wave, as is a vibration of one single element, Vibrations can also be composed of a group of oscillations– the collective vibe given off by a group of interactions. Thus, a person exhibits a vibe that is composed of a variety of inner oscillations (some harmonious, some not so) between the vibrating atoms and molecules within, those that are directed by the thoughts and feelings the person has. A planet exhibits a vibration that is composed of a variety of oscillations found within itself–including the vibrational signature of the collective consciousness created by the interacting (oscillations) relationships (the musical intervals) of the collective populace.
When enough of us, as individuals, express in the relationship of unconditional love, then we, as a planet, will express the resonance of unconditional love, and then we will graduate from the bounds of discord, quarantined and separate from the universe around us, and graduate into the majesty of extraterrestrial awareness–into the awareness of cosmic-God-consciousness.
When Venus approaches and passes its alignment with Earth (an a new synodic cycle begins, we experience a Venus retrograde period. At that time, when viewing Venus from Earth’s perspective, Venus appears to move backward (westward) in the backdrop of the stars.
Venus retrogrades five times in one eight-year “retrograde series”–each retrograde occurs when each Earth-Venus Sun alignment occurs (the synod), and so the retrogrades form in the same sequence that the pentagonal pattern is made (about seven astrological signs between each one). The sixth retrograde begins a new retrograde series in the same location where the first one began, but shifted slightly west from the first. Thus, the entire retrograde series continually drifts westward in the ecliptic along with the synodic series.
The orbit of Venus is tilted about 3.394° with respect to the orbit of Earth (the ecliptic plane–the plane defined by Earth’s orbit around the sun). Two nodes exist in the Venus orbit where Venus crosses the ecliptic plane. The Ascending (North) Node is where Venus moves north of the ecliptic plane during its orbit around the sun. The Descending (South) Node is where Venus moves south of the ecliptic plane.
The five retrograde paths in a synodic series are unique due to the slight tilt between the orbit of Venus and the orbit of Earth. Some paths make a symmetrical s-shaped pattern across the ecliptic and some make loops above and below the ecliptic.
When the Earth-Venus alignment occurs, Venus moves closer to Earth and then away from Earth. If Venus is above or below the ecliptic when that occurs, the line of sight from Earth to Venus moves above or below the ecliptic as well, creating a looped path. The symmetrical s-shaped pattern occurs when the Earth-Venus alignment is near one of the Venus nodes (when Venus is crossing the plane of the ecliptic).
The current location of each synodic cycle is shown below. The Sidereal Heliocentric Location is the ecliptical location of the Venus Earth alignment looking from the Sun. Note that after five synods, a new pentagonal series begins but is shifted a couple of degrees.
Unlike other Earth-planet synods, which do not have an orbital synergy similar to Earth-Venus, our Venus synodic cycles, and themes of growth in consciousness they create, repeat over and over in a consistent pattern, slightly drifting through the zodiak.
See “Synodic Cycles & Planetary Retrogrades” to learn about the synodic cycles with all of the planets and how they create a symphonic expression of growth in consciousness.
Venus Synodic Cycles
Sidereal Heliocentric Location
Jun 8 2004 TRANSIT
22° 51′ Scorpio/Ophichus
Jan 13 2006
28° 37′ Gemini
Aug 18 2007
29° 46′ Capricorn
Mar 27 2009
12° 09′ Virgo / with Haumea
Oct 29 2010
10° 22′ Aries
Jun 6 2012 TRANSIT
20° 35′ Scorpio/Ophichus
Jan 11, 2014
26° 02′ Gemini
Aug 15 2015
27° 28′ Capricorn
Mar 25 2017
09° 45′ Virgo
Note: the transits and retrogrades are seen from Earth looking toward the Sun, while the synods themselves are defined looking from the Sun toward the Earth-Venus alignment. Thus the synods and retrogrades occur in opposite sides of the ecliptic. This is true for Venus and Mercury only because their orbits lie inside that of Earth’s orbit.
When Venus lies very close to one of its nodes (on the ecliptic) and when a new synodic cycle begins (when a Venus-Earth alignment occurs), the line of sight from Earth to Venus is such that we see Venus crossing the disc of the Sun. (This is when the symmetrical retrograde pattern occurs as well.) This is called a “Venus Transit” or “Venus Passage.”
When the alignment is not at one of the nodes, the line of sight from Earth to Venus lies north or south of the Sun’s disc, thus, we do not experience a Venus transit.
If the Earth-Venus synodic series did not drift around the ecliptic, and if one of the five alignments in that series were always in line with one of the nodes, we would experience a Venus Transit every eight years (every five synodic cycles). However, a transit (or a transit pair) occurs 121.5 years apart because the Earth-Venus alignment drifts away from the location of the Venus node and Venus lies to far above (or below) the ecliptic for the Earth-to-Venus line of sight to hit the Sun’s disc.
The symmetrical s-shaped retrograde pattern eventually morphs into a looped pattern as the Earth-Venus alignment and subsequent retrograde drifts away from the node of Venus and Venus moves further above (or below) the ecliptic.
We experience a Venus Transit every 121.5 years–with one transit occurring at one node and the following transit occurring at the opposite node. This duration of time exists between the transits because as the first Earth-Venus alignment drifts away from one node, the second alignment in the series does not arrive to the opposite node until the entire synodic series drifts about 35° westward in the ecliptic. Thus, we have two half cycles (from node to node) comprising one 243 year duplex cycle. (Duplex means alternating from side to side, two-sided).
As the symmetrical retrograde path (occurring at one node) morphs into a looped path, the second retrograde path, which is a looped path, morphs into a symmetrical path as it approaches the opposite node, Then the third path morphs into a symmetrical path as it approaches the original node, and so on.
The following three illustrations reveal an entire 243-year cycle:
In the last of the three illustrations above, we can also notice that in one complete 243-year duplex cycle, the two Venus transits occurring at the end of the cycle have drifted (one eight-year notch) eastward from the where the previous pair occurred; i.e., the second transit of the 2247 / 2255 pair occurs at the location of the first transit of the 2004 / 2012 pair. This eastward drift is due to the very slow movement of the Venus nodes. Thus, while the synodic cycles and retrogrades of Venus drift westward, the entire 243-year cycle (and the location of the transits) drifts eastward about the same arc-distance as the 8-year synodic pentagonal series drifts westward (about 2°).
There are periods when there is only one Venus Transit occurring rather than two, This happens when the Earth-Venus alignment lies exactly on the Venus nodes. At that time, the transits cross the center of the sun’s disc. When this occurs, the adjacent transits (8 years apart) miss the sun’s disc–as shown in the second illustration below. It is only now that two adjacent transits are seen to occur because the Earth-Venus alignments producing them are close to, but not quite on, the node. It will take several more 243-year cycles before there will be only one transit occurring rather than two spaced eight years apart, as the Earth-Venus alignments occur closer to the nodes.
The singular transit (not to be experienced in our lifetimes) marks a greater Venusian Cycle.
The entire transit pattern drifts across the sun over thousands of years. When there are two transits, one of them eventually drifts off of the sun’s disc as the entire pattern drifts. As one is moving off the sun’s disc, the other transit will drift toward the center of the sun.
When there are two transits (as occurring now) the Earth-Venus alignments are straddling the nodes. As the Earth-Venus alignments drift to occur exactly on the nodes, there will be several occurrences where there is only one transit across the sun. Eventually, as the pattern drifts again, there will be two adjacent transits crossing the sun’s disc. This singular-transit / transit-pair oscillation drifts in and out over a long period of time–over several thousand years–defining the great Venusian Cycle.
For simplicity of discussion, let’s just consider the south node transits. but the same occurs for the north node. The last exact single transit (on the south node) occurred in 3837 BC (astronomical year-3836), The next exact one occurs in 6872 AD. Thus, a few thousand year period centering around 3837 BC produced single transits only. Single transits continued through 60 AD. We did not start to experience transit pairs until 303 AD (60 AD + 243 years). We experience transits pairs from 303 AD through 3713 AD, then (starting in 3956) we will start to experience single transits again, as the exact Earth-Venus-south node alignment approaches in 6872 AD.
The following illustration shows the transit pattern drifting over time. Here we can see that 60 AD produced the last single transit. From that time onward the pattern drifted downward across the sun and we began to experience transit pairs, We will experience transit pairs until 3948 AD, when the transit pattern drifts enough such that the transits becomes singular again. There are about 30 transit pairs (alternating from the south to north node) between 60 AD and 3956 AD.
The pair occurring now (2004 / 2012) is such that the two Earth-Venus alignments producing them are very close to being equally spaced around the south node. Thus, the transits are symmetrically placed on the sun’s disc.
Currently, the transit pairs that occur at the south node transit lie in the sidereal sign of Taurus. This is where the June 2004 / June 2012 pair will occur–in the horns of the bull. The following pair (Dec 2117 / Dec 2125), which occurs at the north node transit, will be seen in the opposite side of the zodiak, in the sidereal sign of Scorpio (in the constellation Ophiuchus).
In the Horns of the Bull
The two retrograde paths of Venus at the
times of the 2004 / 2012 Venus transits
The 2004 Venus transit occurs at 22° 51′ sidereal Taurus *
The 2012 Venus transit occurs at 20° 35′ sidereal Taurus *
* Sidereal longitudes are based on the Galactic Ayanamsa.
The sidereal signs (not tropical signs) are shown in the above illustration.
To learn of the difference between the sidereal and tropical zodiaks, their
intimate relationship, and the Galactic Ayanamsa,
please explore the Sidereal Astrology WEB page.
To view a star map of the entire heavens visit “The Sidereal Heavens: Under the Stars“
The retrogrades of 2004 and 2012 occur in the second half of sidereal Taurus–in the “horns of the bull.” El Nath is the north horn and Al Hecka is the south horn. The 2004 / 2012 retrogrades begin just under Auriga (the charioteer) and under the auspices of Capella, the messenger of light, and just under Al Nath, the north horn. The retrogrades complete over Aldebaran and Hyades. Aldebaran is the “Eye of the Bull” marking the center (~15°) of sidereal Taurus. The “Gate of Man” of the Holy Cross is also shown. It lies at 5° sidereal Gemini, at the feet of the Twins, Pollux and Castor. The Twins stand upon the galactic equator.
Although the Venus-Sun conjunction lies in sidereal Taurus, the theme of the 1.6 year Venus synodic cycle beginning on June 8, 2004 is defined by the star alignments looking from the Sun toward Venus, Earth (and Pluto) (the sidereal heliocentric view), all residing in the sidereal sign of Scorpio and in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Each Earth-Venus synodic theme is presented in the Lunar Planner in which it occurs (links in the Synodic Cycles Chart above).
When Venus lies directly in front of the Sun and in line with Earth, the resonances of Venus are highly focused (emblazoned) upon the Earth–inspiring a new level of “intuitive awareness” to permeate Earth and spread in and through human consciousness. This specific transit pair (2004-2012), because it coincides with the Holy Cross, strongly supports the reintegration and emergence of the Divine Feminine principle in our world–which desperately awaits the guidance and balance of the Goddess. The Venus Synodic Cycle becomes extra significant when a Venus Transit occurs.
The astrophysical resonances of Venus govern the heart bio-energy centre (chakra), and the thymus, which is the neurological control center for the immune system. The heart chakra is our centre of intuitive knowing, harmony, magnetic attraction, that which we value, love, romance, and sexual rapture. It is where we find our capacity for compassion and appreciation of beauty. The heart chakra and thymus resonate to the emotional tone of fear and judgment. It is fear that shuts the heart down and causes all immune related problems. We defend our fear with judgment. Like the thyroid (governed by Mercury) is reflexed to the liver, the thymus is reflexed to the spleen. All immune disorders are fear related. The astrophysical resonances of Venus govern heart musculature and firing, lungs, bronchiole, and breasts. All asthmatic and breathing conditions, a sunken chest, and breast problems are fear / judgment originating.
Venus (and the heart chakra), when mature and clear, expresses love in art and beauty, with a wonderful capacity for unconditional acceptance of all conditions–true, non-judgmental love. The unconditionally open heart receives and expresses love that is harmoniously balanced. Mature Venus is open to new experience, is courageous, optimistic, and aware of soul intent and purpose–as the unconditionally open heart is where soul fully radiates its light. Mature Venus is also sociable, fashionable, artistic, good willed, benevolent, diplomatic, and magnetically sensuous. Venus is also of wealth and resources and plays a prominent role in financial matters and the flow of money.
Afflicted Venus expresses as all fears and phobias, breathing allergies, and catarrhal problems. The poisoned heart is bitter and vengeful–closed to life in a way that manifests as an inability to integrate and accept experience; with an inability to receive, or to give love. Afflicted Venus negates in jealousy the beauty, abundance, luxury and luck of others–projecting disdain and negativity instead. The poisoned heart is hesitant and insecure, has little self-confidence, and lacks the ability to trust in self or to trust others. Fear to open our hearts leaves us stuck in the head, unwilling to feel, touch, or breath in life–hiding in fear and expressing mentalized judgments with an incessant need to control our reality. The loss of our intuitive ability leads us to blindly follow dogmas and gurus in submission to propaganda and systems of belief, whether our own or those of others.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars lie in that order in our soular system (a system for the evolving soul), Mercury is of logistical thinking, Venus of intuitive awareness, We must integrate the resonances of Mercury and Venus in our lives before we can express through the creative forces of Mars in balance–this being a fundamental lesson for souls on Earth. Until that occurs, our expression of Mars remains awry. Expressing from Mercury alone is mentalized judgment, without heart. Expressing from Venus alone is blind heart. Synthesized Mercury and Venus express as Intuitive Knowing. When we express integrated heart and mind (Intuitive Knowing) through Mars we demonstrate Creative Wisdom in Physical Manifestation.
This chart shows the astrophysical resonances of Venus translated to light (color), sound, and brain wave frequencies. To learn about “planetary harmonics” and how to understand this chart visit the Planetary Harmonics WEB page. There you can also learn how to adjust the pitch of a musical scale to the resonances of Venus.