With a number of planets now turning retrograde, including Venus, the collective energy is prompting serious reflection, especially regards our personal and collective values. It seems very relevant that many individuals, communities and nations are already re-thinking how they can live more connected lives post-virus. This process will be intensified as Venus always invites us to ‘think’ with our heart.
Note: Venus is currently at Her greatest brilliancy so look to the west just after sunset and you will see Her in Her full glory.
Stay safe and open-hearted
Blessings
Christine Rothwell
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.christine-rothwell.com
Contents
May begins with only Pluto retrograde but Saturn, Venus and Jupiter all station retrograde at different times during the month. Note: All the dates below are for Australian Eastern Time.
1. COVID-19 Update
In Australia and New Zealand, we have been blessed to have leaders who have been willing to take decisive action and we are now seeing the rewards in the speedy ‘flattening of the curve’. This suggests that Australia accepted the challenge of Saturn squaring our ASC/DESC axis in March and looks to be on track to reap the benefits of the grand trine that will form when Uranus will conjunct our progressed Sun, and both will form a grand trine with our ninth house Sun conjunct Saturn in Capricorn and fifth house Sun in Virgo.
Note: Venus is currently at Her greatest brilliancy so look to the west just after sunset and you will see Her in Her full glory.
Stay safe and open-hearted
Blessings
Christine Rothwell
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.christine-rothwell.com
Contents
- Brief COVID-19 update
- Wesak – Full Moon in Scorpio
- Venus retrograde 2020
- 2020 Astrology Classes
May begins with only Pluto retrograde but Saturn, Venus and Jupiter all station retrograde at different times during the month. Note: All the dates below are for Australian Eastern Time.
- May 7: Full Moon in Scorpio - Wesak
- May 11: Saturn stations retrograde
- May 12: Mercury to Gemini
- May 13: Venus stations retrograde
- May 13: Mars to Pisces
- May 15: Jupiter stations retrograde
- May 20: Sun to Gemini
- May 23: New Moon in Gemini
- May 29: Mercury to Cancer
1. COVID-19 Update
In Australia and New Zealand, we have been blessed to have leaders who have been willing to take decisive action and we are now seeing the rewards in the speedy ‘flattening of the curve’. This suggests that Australia accepted the challenge of Saturn squaring our ASC/DESC axis in March and looks to be on track to reap the benefits of the grand trine that will form when Uranus will conjunct our progressed Sun, and both will form a grand trine with our ninth house Sun conjunct Saturn in Capricorn and fifth house Sun in Virgo.
We have two more direct ‘hits’ from Saturn to our ASC / DESC axis - in July and October – so there will be more tests, but the grand trine from Uranus does suggest an easing of restrictions from June/July that continues through to 2021 when Uranus forms its last exact trine with the Sun and Mars in April and May.
The collective[global] energy still looks challenging as we have several more challenging aspects, especially from the potent square from Eris to Pluto, to process as well as two more conjunctions of Jupiter and Pluto.
As I mentioned last month, my sense is that Eris is the indicator of the virus while the stellium in Capricorn indicates the economic, political and social upheaval we are experiencing because of the virus. On the global level, Eris still has quite a few opportunities to create more strife and discord and I imagine it will not be until after She has completed Her last square to Pluto in October 2021 that either an effective vaccine is widely available or the virus wears itself. We can probably expect more tension in the global political situation while this aspect remains active.
2.WESAK: FULL MOON IN SCORPIO on May 7
The Full Moon of May 7 falls at close to 17 degrees of Scorpio and marks the annual Festival of the Buddha, known as WESAK. Wesak honours both the physical birth of the Buddha and his spiritual birth or enlightenment; it is the time when the Buddha returns to remind us of the possibility of awakening and enlightenment …and this feels particularly important at the moment.
The Wesak festival invites us to refocus on our spiritual lives and look at what needs to be released or let go, so we can become more compassionate and awakened. The days either side of Wesak are potent times for inner work, reflection, meditation and letting go.
This Scorpio full moon always challenges explore our fear and whatever we have buried deep in our personal underworld. This is a powerful time for deep sharing and strengthening of intimate connections of all kinds.
The opposition with the Sun in Taurus highlights the Scorpio / Taurus polarity: the urge to build and create as opposed to the urge to destroy, let go and transform. It is also about the urge to share and risk vulnerability [Scorpio] versus the urge to hold onto what is ours. All these patterns may come up for review under this lunation.
3.VENUS RETROGRADE …TIME TO REFLECT & THINK WITH YOUR HEART.
Venus is known in popular astrology as the Goddess of Love and Beauty, but She has a much deeper significance as an indicator of our VALUES. Her prominence though-out May and June as She moves retrograde asks us to re-evaluate our lives through the lens of our VALUES, something that seems especially relevant with COVID-19 challenging us all in so many ways.
It is time to think seriously about how we can align our outer reality with our inner self and CORE VALUES both personally and collectively. This is beautifully demonstrated through the heart motif.
Venus and the Heart Motif
When Venus makes Her closest approach to Mother Earth during Her retrograde phase She invites us to become more conscious of our values and think with our hearts as well as our heads. We could say that the Divine Feminine / Great Goddess comes into focus, challenging us all to consciously re-examine our values, and relationships and all we hold dear from a feminine or soul centred perspective.
The new cycle begins with the conjunction of Venus conjunct the Sun, an image of the Inner Marriage and the need to align our values [Venus and the heart] with our core self [Sun, identity, purpose and ego].
Venus’ challenge for us all to connect with our hearts is made literal through the diagram below which charts just over one synodic cycle of Venus. The loop represents the retrograde phase.
The collective[global] energy still looks challenging as we have several more challenging aspects, especially from the potent square from Eris to Pluto, to process as well as two more conjunctions of Jupiter and Pluto.
As I mentioned last month, my sense is that Eris is the indicator of the virus while the stellium in Capricorn indicates the economic, political and social upheaval we are experiencing because of the virus. On the global level, Eris still has quite a few opportunities to create more strife and discord and I imagine it will not be until after She has completed Her last square to Pluto in October 2021 that either an effective vaccine is widely available or the virus wears itself. We can probably expect more tension in the global political situation while this aspect remains active.
2.WESAK: FULL MOON IN SCORPIO on May 7
The Full Moon of May 7 falls at close to 17 degrees of Scorpio and marks the annual Festival of the Buddha, known as WESAK. Wesak honours both the physical birth of the Buddha and his spiritual birth or enlightenment; it is the time when the Buddha returns to remind us of the possibility of awakening and enlightenment …and this feels particularly important at the moment.
The Wesak festival invites us to refocus on our spiritual lives and look at what needs to be released or let go, so we can become more compassionate and awakened. The days either side of Wesak are potent times for inner work, reflection, meditation and letting go.
This Scorpio full moon always challenges explore our fear and whatever we have buried deep in our personal underworld. This is a powerful time for deep sharing and strengthening of intimate connections of all kinds.
The opposition with the Sun in Taurus highlights the Scorpio / Taurus polarity: the urge to build and create as opposed to the urge to destroy, let go and transform. It is also about the urge to share and risk vulnerability [Scorpio] versus the urge to hold onto what is ours. All these patterns may come up for review under this lunation.
3.VENUS RETROGRADE …TIME TO REFLECT & THINK WITH YOUR HEART.
Venus is known in popular astrology as the Goddess of Love and Beauty, but She has a much deeper significance as an indicator of our VALUES. Her prominence though-out May and June as She moves retrograde asks us to re-evaluate our lives through the lens of our VALUES, something that seems especially relevant with COVID-19 challenging us all in so many ways.
It is time to think seriously about how we can align our outer reality with our inner self and CORE VALUES both personally and collectively. This is beautifully demonstrated through the heart motif.
Venus and the Heart Motif
When Venus makes Her closest approach to Mother Earth during Her retrograde phase She invites us to become more conscious of our values and think with our hearts as well as our heads. We could say that the Divine Feminine / Great Goddess comes into focus, challenging us all to consciously re-examine our values, and relationships and all we hold dear from a feminine or soul centred perspective.
The new cycle begins with the conjunction of Venus conjunct the Sun, an image of the Inner Marriage and the need to align our values [Venus and the heart] with our core self [Sun, identity, purpose and ego].
Venus’ challenge for us all to connect with our hearts is made literal through the diagram below which charts just over one synodic cycle of Venus. The loop represents the retrograde phase.
It is interesting to note that this retrograde cycle is the same one from 2012 and 2004 when Venus transited the Sun in Gemini. Every 8 years Venus stations retrograde 2 degrees earlier and 2 days earlier as She traces a pentacle in the sky . Can you link this time with May/June 2012 and 2004?
Venus will station retrograde on May 13 in preparation for beginning a new Venus cycle when She conjuncts the Sun on June 4 at close to 13 Gemini
Key dates in the retrograde cycle
- Venus retrograde: May 13 to June 25
- Sensitive degrees: around 5 to 21 degrees of Gemini
- Retrograde loop: April 10 to July 29
- the new Venus Cycle begins on June 4 at close to 13 Gemini
- Venus reappears as the Morning Star around June 10
The 584 day cycle of Venus charts our likes and dislikes, our attractions and repulsions and most importantly – OUR VALUES.
Venus transits retrograde [appears to move backwards] once every 19 months for about 40 days. At the beginning of this period Venus is the Evening Star, visible in the western sky for a few hours after sunset. She then slowly dips lower in the sky and disappears into the blaze of the Sun to reappear as the Morning Star. A new Venus cycle will begin on June 4 when Venus conjuncts the Sun at 13 Gemini …and I will discuss the significance of this in my June newsletter.
Whenever a planet goes retrograde it offers us a new perspective. A doorway opens and we have the opportunity to develop a more objective viewpoint. It suggests a time of reflection on the past, and a need to refocus. The house position where this retrograde motion is occurring suggests the area of your life that will need to be reviewed.
Venus is at her closest to Earth at this point, calling us to reflect on whether who and what we find closest to us is a true reflection of our values. We are challenged to develop more objectivity and consciousness about all things Venus rules including our
- personal values
- relationships
- likes and dislikes
- tastes
- desires
- and self-worth.
Sometimes we realize the need to develop a new set of values and attitudes based on current personal beliefs and let go outdated values based on habits and attitudes that come from the collective and our conditioning. This may crystallize around the beginning of the new cycle on June 4 when Venus is at Her closest to Mother Earth and conjunct the Sun.
On a deeper level the retrograde phase and the conjunction with the Sun are calling us all to not only become more objective about and conscious of our tastes, likes, etc., but to also separate from our biological drives and conditioning and become conscious of the values on which we have based our identity [Sun]. This process may relate specifically to the house where Venus is retrograding and the affairs of any planets that Venus will aspect in the natal chart during this time, especially by conjunction.
Traditional astrology says that this is not the time to make a major purchase or begin a new relationship as it may be an over- reaction to old patterns. Personally I have not found this to be valid but this is a potent time to:
- Reflect on your current financial situation.
- Contemplate a change of image
- Reflect on how you can beautify your home or personal environment.
- Step back from your relationships and engage in a process of review. This is a time when you can gain greater clarity here.
- Reflect on self-worth and how you are honoring this in your relationships with both yourself and others.
- And most importantly …reflect on your values, especially regards the affairs of the house where Venus is retrograding. Reflect on whether you are walking your talk here or whether adjustments need to be made.
Sit with any shifts while Venus is still retrograde. The time after Venus moves direct and re-covers the degrees of the zodiac that She has moved backwards over –June 25 to July 29– is the time to start to move forward and honour the insights of the retrograde phase.
Every 8 years Venus goes retrograde around the same degrees. This retrograde phase will pick up threads from past cycles in 2012, 2004, 1996, 1988, 1980, 1972, 1964, 1956, 1948 etc.? Can you relate current events to these times? If you were born during one of these years then this cycle returns you to the one you were born into and this year may be quite a profound time for you.
May the Goddess & God Bless You All
Christine
www.christine-rothwell.com
[email protected]
2020 Astrology
All classes have shifted online for the time being. They are still held weekly in my Zoom Room.
Christine offers an in-depth psychological and mythological approach to astrology. These classes are suitable for those individuals who are wishing to learn more about themselves as well as those interested in becoming a professional astrologer.
Classes can be taken on a term by term basis and sound files are provided for any classes you miss.
First Year/ Beginners’ on Monday evenings from March 2
Second Year / Intermediate on Thursday evenings from February 20
Advanced Group: Second Saturday afternoon each month, beginning in February.
Please email for a brochure.
[email protected]
Or
www.christine-rothwell.com
For more information
Consultations & Gift Certificates
Are available via Skype or Zoom & will still be recorded and sent to you via an email link.
AN INITIAL CONSULTATION explores the soul’s journey as revealed through the personal symbol of the birth chart. The focus is on the potential inherent in the birth chart and the challenges that need to be embraced in order to realize this potential.
Other readings available include:
In-depth Consultation: Two hours to explore both the soul’s journey [see above] and the year ahead. Includes 2 supplementary e-booklets.
Chart Up-date: The Year Ahead: Explores the year ahead from a psychological perspective.
Understanding Your Child: A wonderful gift for new parents and explores a child’s unique needs, motivations, potentials and challenges.
Relationship Analysis: Helps explain the dynamic between two people to facilitate their understanding of each other and their relationship.
Relocation: Explains how a different location may impact on your psyche. This can be helpful if you are thinking of re-locating and can be included with any of the above consultations.
Christine
www.christine-rothwell.com
[email protected]
2020 Astrology
All classes have shifted online for the time being. They are still held weekly in my Zoom Room.
Christine offers an in-depth psychological and mythological approach to astrology. These classes are suitable for those individuals who are wishing to learn more about themselves as well as those interested in becoming a professional astrologer.
Classes can be taken on a term by term basis and sound files are provided for any classes you miss.
First Year/ Beginners’ on Monday evenings from March 2
Second Year / Intermediate on Thursday evenings from February 20
Advanced Group: Second Saturday afternoon each month, beginning in February.
Please email for a brochure.
[email protected]
Or
www.christine-rothwell.com
For more information
Consultations & Gift Certificates
Are available via Skype or Zoom & will still be recorded and sent to you via an email link.
AN INITIAL CONSULTATION explores the soul’s journey as revealed through the personal symbol of the birth chart. The focus is on the potential inherent in the birth chart and the challenges that need to be embraced in order to realize this potential.
Other readings available include:
In-depth Consultation: Two hours to explore both the soul’s journey [see above] and the year ahead. Includes 2 supplementary e-booklets.
Chart Up-date: The Year Ahead: Explores the year ahead from a psychological perspective.
Understanding Your Child: A wonderful gift for new parents and explores a child’s unique needs, motivations, potentials and challenges.
Relationship Analysis: Helps explain the dynamic between two people to facilitate their understanding of each other and their relationship.
Relocation: Explains how a different location may impact on your psyche. This can be helpful if you are thinking of re-locating and can be included with any of the above consultations.
Southern Sky Astrology Email [email protected] Website www.christinerothwell.com
Cat's Eye Nebula, courtesy of Hubble