“Venus, then, is the temperament of the celestial gods, and the friendship and union, by which their harmony subsists; for as she is proximate to the sun, in conjunction with whom she revolves, she fills the heavens with the best temperament, gives fertility to the earth, and is the source of perpetuity to the generation of animals. And of all this the sovereign sun is the primary cause: but Venus concurs in her operations with this divinity; alluring our souls with pleasure, and diffusing from aether, delightful and incorruptible splendours on the earth, far superior to the brightest refulgence of gold. “
~ Julian’s Oration to the Sun, translated by Thomas Taylor
Venus became visible in the evening sky around May 2, 2021. This glittering bright planet emerged as an evening star after traveling invisibly behind the beams of the Sun from late January to mid-May, 2021. The exact date depends on where a person happens to be on the planet, and local atmospheric conditions – making a great reason to go outside and see her around sunset! Venus’ renewed visibility in the night sky at dusk has been a momentous event for sky-watchers since ancient times; and the astrology of some ancient astronomer-astrologers would consist exclusively of their records of when planets was visible, the dates they disappeared, and then the dates they reappeared again.
Venus’ heliacal rise is an important moment in her cycle. The ancient Greeks term for the the moment a planet becomes visible again after having been invisible is phasis. It was so important that its re-appearance alone was thought to color the entire significance of the chart. Looking to the Venus’ position in terms of sign placement and aspect configuration, everything else that is going on in the sky in the time-capsule of that moment can indicate a storyline that is unfolding on the planet, from the macro to the micro levels.
Looking back on the story line of May 2021, you may notice themes begin to emerge in line with Venus’ renewed visibility. These themes may be in our lives, in the world, in our dreams, or in our awareness.
- A saturation of Venusian themes occurring in this early -late May time period that Venus becomes visible as an evening star
- A woman rising in prominence, an important woman or Venusian figure enters one’s life, visiting beautiful places
- Women’s issues/issues of femininity or of the Feminine coming to the forefront
- In general, the return of Venusian themes and concepts that had previously been hidden or unavailable: friendliness, socialization, Venusian benefactors, the arts, beauty, relationships, gifts,connection, pleasure, enjoyment.
Astrologer Gary Caton notes that for this heliacal rise of Venus, she makes 7 consecutive conjunctions with the waxing Moon from month to month until she reaches the moment of her greatest brilliance at about -4.4 magnitude in December 2021 – as if she is being raised up and becoming more brilliant with each consecutive month through the end of the year!
If you want to keep track of Venus’ synodic cycle with the Sun, use astrological software, an ephemeris, or an app like TimePassages to note when Venus makes these transitions from invisibility to visibility, retrogrades, stations direct, and forward movements, and note what happens in your awareness, the world, and your life at these key moments. Earlier in the year I shared a list of key dates for Venus’ cycle this year, you can find it here. If I can find make the time and the will, I will finally share a project I’ve been working on to track planetary synodic cycles from year to year…. pray for me on that one!
