“You’re going to meet someone...” When I make that kind of prediction for a young person, the reaction is generally wide-eyed excitement, enthusiasm, and curiosity. When I say the same words to people in their forties or fifties, “Uh oh” is a more typical response. Welcome to the real world of Venus, the Goddess of Love. The old astrologers called Venus a “benefic.” But how often has that planet brought you pain and heartbreak? Yet of course Venus can also bring us the greatest treasure we can find on this earth: loving companionship.

In this meeting of the Apprentcieship Program, our intention is to explore the astrological Venus as thoroughly as possible in the evolutionary context How do we understand its place in the natal chart in terms of signs, houses, and aspects? How do we work with Venus developmentally via progressions, transits, and so on? What about its mysterious and powerful “pentangular” eight-year cycle — or its even more mysterious forty year cycle? What about the “forgotten dimension” - its declination?

Love is perilous and complex territory. It is helpful to have a map as we navigate it. Venus supplies that orientation, both in the natal chart and the context of changing astrological weather. Who are your natural partners, soul-friends, and mates in this life—and whose tangled webs should you avoid? What are your own blind spots and how can you open your eyes? And how is 2016 different from 2017 in terms of all that? But Venus is not only about romantic love. Where would be without that human masterpiece we call friendship? Where would we be without grace, courtesy, and respect? And Venus is even bigger than that. It includes our aesthetic responsiveness. Can we even imagine life without art and beauty? How could we endure it?

Ultimately, at the core level, Venus serves yet another sacred purpose: calming our frayed nerves. Life can be jarring; how do we return to equilibrium after a blow? Maybe we need a hug. Maybe we need to turn up the music. All these pieces are interwoven and interdependent. Join us for a long, deep at the planetary Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Peace. As usual, Steven presents the basic theoretical perspectives, followed by the sorting Hat, picking volunteers from the class, looking at their charts and applying the principles to real-world astrological analysis.

20 hours 17 min. | Recorded in March 2016 in Calistoga, CA.

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