The Eight-Year Cycle of Venus and the Global Economy

Astrology is the study of cycles and patterns. What goes around comes back around. It is always interesting to look at where we were the last time a particular planetary return occurred and take stock of where we are now and what we’ve learned in the process. This summer it is time to look at where we were eight years ago, the summer of 2007, as a point of reference to where we are now.

Nearly eight years ago, on August 9, 2007, the housing bubble burst, beginning the Great Global Financial Crisis, which has taken the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. (1) That event was signified astrologically by a Venus retrograde cycle across the cusp of Virgo/Leo which also passed through the rings of Saturn three times (i.e., was conjunct). The planetary alignment for August 9, 2007 shows natal Venus at 29° Leo, Saturn at 26° Leo and the Venus Star Point (exact on August 15) at 25° Leo. (2) There was also a Neptune opposition to all three of these points, from Aquarius. With the two Venuses sandwiching with Saturn, the financial news and even the news for the romantically inclined was heading toward depressing, if not downright grief-producing. And with Neptune inserting itself into this mix, a whole lot of delusion, deception, and disappointment — cry me a river of tears. That event produced the domino effect of a financial crisis that has been called the worst one since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  It has, in fact, been nicknamed The Great Recession.

Most of us were not alive for the crash in the 1930s, but for the past eight years, it might seem that economic conditions in an unsettled world have been tough to endure. Economist Richard Wolff has stated that we were headed full speed into a brick wall in 2007 and nothing has changed. (3) He seems to indicate that we have learned nothing from that event and are ultimately headed there again. The questions are: can we look to the Venus Star Pentagram to track the progression of these economic cycles, and if so, how?

The answer is YES, we can use the Venus Pentagram to track these cycles. Venus is the key to this cycle in that the pentagram she produces with Earth while orbiting the Sun completes one round in eight years.

graphics by Arielle Guttman

So here we are, August 2015, coming into the critical eight-year return cycle of Venus. Where have we come from, what have we learned (Saturn always gives us ample opportunity to learn something big), and where do we go from here?

In August, Venus is again in a retrograde cycle in Virgo/Leo, squaring Saturn, conjoining Jupiter, and opposing Neptune. Venus squares Saturn three times (July 14, August 5, October 10), along with its buoyant and optimistically inclined conjunctions with Jupiter (July 1, August 4, October 25).

It is useful to examine the Venus Retrograde cycle itself. Every 1.6 years Venus goes retrograde on one of the 5 Star Points of its orbiting star. Every eight years it comes back nearly exactly to the point where it transited before. This year it repeats the retrograde on the Virgo/Leo cusp, but instead of interacting solely with Saturn, we find this Venus Star Point (VSP) also dancing with Jupiter a total of three times. Unlike the Saturn-Neptune configuration of eight years ago that captured Venus in her path and ultimately initiated a slow unraveling of the economic system, Jupiter’s presence this time will offer hope, optimistic bullishness, and even some greedy grabbing up of basic resources before the ultimate ring-pass-not of Saturn and Neptune puts a crash landing to it all. (4)

Note the similarities between the dates and degrees of the Venus Star cycle of 2007 and 2015:

Both Venus Retrograde cycles occur on the Leo/Virgo cusp;

Both Venus Star Points occur in the third decanate of Leo;

Both Venus events encounter Saturn three times.

The primary difference is that the 2015 cycle encompasses Jupiter three times. With Jupiter representing hope, expansion, risk-taking, speculation, and inflated values and ideas (certainly Venus to Jupiter can overdo it on a grand scale, spending at a dizzying rate), we will no doubt witness some of that during this period. But with Saturn squares still in the picture, there is a strong degree of conservatism at play here. Will the Venus Star, poised between Jupiter and Saturn, have the effect of neutralizing one another? More likely, there will be a vast surge of buying contrasted rather quickly by a sudden and necessary act of selling. In October we have a three-way encounter between Venus, Saturn, and Neptune: October 10–16 is definitely a time to watch financial indicators very carefully, especially in regard to those individuals and companies who are being deceptive. But the whole period of July through October 2015 is definitely when we will likely witness the titans of the world (banks, governments, corporations, groups, individuals) topple over and disintegrate right before our eyes, creating an opportunity for others to seize what has crumbled and take over.  Stay tuned — and stay tuned in — and you will know which way to go.

Venus-Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune?
It’s a four-way encounter with these planets during this Venus Star cycle. There are still honest people in the world, but this configuration will greatly test that honesty when it comes to money and possessions. We will observe what absurd lengths people will go to in order to profit. The message could be “buyer beware,” so negotiate firmly but fairly when in dispute with another over goods, services, money, or property.

Some wildly speculative “get rich schemes” will emerge, but only if you “act fast”! Be careful about buying into thin air or investing in a balloon that’s about to burst. Saturn and Venus retrograde in Virgo urge us to invest in something more solid and practical, like higher education or training, journeys to distant lands with people who inspire us, skills enhancement, self-knowledge, health care, and overall maintenance of that which we already possess.

Meanwhile, Venus, the Venus Star Point, and Jupiter play around in Leo in the early part of the summer. The collective influence of all that fire in the sky (Jupiter in Leo until August 11, along with Venus and the Venus Star Point in Leo, and Uranus in Aries) is fire danger on earth. The more creative side of all this fire is the ability to HAVE FUN and Relax. Spend time with children or youthful-oriented adults and engage in play. Pour yourself into an art project or enjoy attending musicals, concerts, opera, and festivals. Be creative and try something new in the garden this year. And remember how much energy fire gives us to engage in something we’re truly passionate about.

References:

(1) Wikipedia: Financial Crisis of 2007

(2) Venus Star Point (TM) is a term described by Arielle Guttman in her book Venus Star Rising. Arielle traces the conjunctions of Venus with the Sun in their five-pointed star pentagram and describes their symbolism unfolding in personal and global events. For more about her innovative work, visit Venus Star Rising where she also has a short video describing a pioneering use of the Venus Star Point in group situations.

(3) Richard D. Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

(4) Transiting Saturn will square Neptune three times — exact on November 26, 2015, and June 17 and September 10, 2016.