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Malvin Artley has been a practising astrologer for more than 10 years. He is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers.
Malvin is the author of Bodies of Fire: An Exploration of the Lesser Chakra System. He has authored numerous articles and was a member of the faculty of the University of the Seven Rays, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching of the Trans-Himalayan tradition as expressed through the books of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and others.
His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism. He has done extensive work with Chinese astrology and the cycles they use and seeks to synthesize the great Western and Oriental systems on such matters.
Malvin lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He also works in the engineering trades and sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

Venus Conjunction 2004 [part 2]
Rare and Powerful Conjunction with the Sun on June 8, 2004

In this second part of the article, Malvin discusses the esoteric view of Venus as the Divine Mother, the source of souls, rather than simply the expression of desire. He argues that Venus as Lucifer ("Light-Bearer") played a major role in alchemy and religion, even, in a veiled form, in Christianity. Malvin also publishes a regular astrological newsletter, to which you can subscribe by clicking the link at the end of this article.

Traditional modern astrology associates Venus with adornment, refinement, the feminine, affability, riches, society, aesthetics, cheer, artistic appreciation, harmony, limericks, bliss, boudoirs, venous circulation, dancers, courtship, the sense of feeling, alliances, cats, friends, fun, poetry, the lungs and the colon, consistency, contentment, attraction and aptitudes. There is a lot more, but that gives us a general idea. What we see from this is the general trend toward the finer things in life and sense of things, the riches of life and the appreciation of them, the power of attraction in a person's life, the urge to union, and most especially how people and situations touch us in our lives.

Venus, the Divine Mother

In the ancient Teachings Venus was known as the Divine Mother, because it gave birth to Earth humanity as we know it and gave us our Souls. It was known as Lucifer (Light-Bringer), the divine nature in its entirety. Lucifer was the brightest of the Angels in the firmament of Heaven and was the mouthpiece of God before his fall into incarnation (hell). The Venus symbol is the globe poised above the cross, representing the triumph of Spirit over matter, whereas the symbol for our Earth is the globe with a cross superimposed upon it, meaning that our humanity is still mired in the material planes. The angel associated with it is Anael, connected with Uriel, one of the 4 karmic Lords. It is called the little sun in which the solar orb stores his lights. Venus is said to receive a triple supply of light and gives a third of it to our Earth. It is said that the Regent of Venus loved the Earth so well that He gave it perfect laws that were disregarded and rejected. Thus, it is said that every sin on Earth is felt on Venus, and that every change on Venus is reflected on the Earth in some way. Its humanity is almost perfected and is focused upon the Buddhic plane, the plane of direct knowledge and intuition. Venus represents the union of heart and mind and governs the emergence of the love principle through the directing power of the mind. Thus, Venus also has a direct rulership over science, but science as the revelation of the divine, rather than the materialistic science that holds so much sway now. Jesus, embodying the Christ at that time, is said to have initiated the era of intelligent brotherhood under the influence of Venus.

I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify these things unto you in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star [Venus Lucifer].

Revelations 22:16

All throughout history the great religions and philosophies of the world have sought to bring people into a greater union with God or Source and have spoken of the power of love as a principle of redemption through their great representative Teachers, whom the Christ has over-shadowed, whether directly or in veiled language. Even in the darkest times of human history when the forces of materialism have seemed to hold humanity in thrall, the power of love has always eventually prevailed and the freedom of the human spirit has won out over the darkness of matter. Venus has always been there working either directly or behind the scenes in human affairs and the struggle of humanity to overcome the darkness of the ignorance within our lower nature is the direct result of Venus action upon human consciousness. Venus is said to be the most mysterious, occult and powerful of all the planets and to be far older than the Earth. We are the younger brother to Venus and we are said to be subservient to it. And every 8 years we are realigned with Venus and given a fresh opportunity to renew our connection with the higher Self.

The aforementioned cycle of 8 years is used by the Chinese in their astrology. Every 8 years Venus conjoins with the Sun at Venus node at its inferior conjunction, thus commencing its 2nd-order cycle. All planets have these 2nd-order cycles and they define social cycles. The Chinese called those cycles planetary terms. To them, Venus was called the Metal Planet from their 5-element system. When it is low and close to the Sun (Lucifer phase) it is called the Great White, and indicates change. When it is high and away from the Sun (Hesperus phase) it is called Great Form, and indicates stability. When it enters its retrograde phase it ushers in a period of instability, culminating in the Great White phase, wherein it is seen to rise in the East ahead of the Sun in the morning light. To them, Venus is a Yang (male) planet and corresponds to the West (as a direction) and autumn. It is said to preside over weapons, the progress of the Moon (it was believed to cause eclipses), and the course of warfare and the administration of justice.

Another biblical reference that alludes to the previous sentence and the action of Venus in the affairs of nations is as follows:

And he that overcomes and keeps my works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations:
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken into shivers: even as I received of my Father.
And I shall give him the morning star.

Revelations 2:26,27,28

Venus was called the Prime Minister, and leaders were admonished to watch its movements very carefully and to adhere strictly to portents of Heaven when so doing. Otherwise, the results would be dire and the kingdom could fall to a foreign power. Venus was also said to have a special rulership over divination. The number 8 figures very prominently in their numerology.

In alchemical lore, Venus was associated with the metal copper. Our modern information and electrical age would probably not exist were it not for this wonderful metal. It is the only colored metal aside from gold. It is the primary metal used in all electrical devices. It connects all of us through the electrical grid and through modern communication. Even in its densest form there is no escaping the relation between Venus and interconnectedness. Copper is used in most of the aerials that receive and send our communications through the ethers. It has enabled our world to literally become a lighted place in our solar system, as satellite photographs of the Earth at night give testament. All throughout history and through many cultures, Venus in her myriad manifestations has connected us with each other, has guided our path back to the higher Self (the heart of God) and has established or re-established right relations between people and nations. To say that it is specifically connected with women is a misnomer, just as it would be erroneous to say that any other planet was connected specifically to men. Venus rules the marriage of the higher to the lower and the love that flows in between. It relates all opposite polarities and brings union. Thus, it brings peace through right relations and resolution. All people respond to these energies, though in our minds we associate these qualities more with the feminine. A strongly held belief has the power to move mountains, though, and the power of the feminine is on the rise.

True Gifts of Life

It is the connection with the soul that brings the true gifts of life. The marriage of soul and persona creates magic on the nether planes and brings true Light to a darkened world. The higher Self is an Initiate of all degrees, and when we aspire to the higher life we first court and eventually become wed to the Christ energy within each of us. Though the vows of marriage mean but little to many people these days, the intent and the symbolism is for two people to become as one life and to exemplify the life of the Soul as a couple on earth, just as the marriage to the higher Self merges two lives into a functioning and powerful spiritual unity. The words from the standard Christian marriage vows take on a very special meaning when it is uttered: "What God has joined together, let no man tear asunder".

As is sadly the case with humans all-too-often, Venus has given us perfect laws for living together and they are disregarded and rejected. Little as most people realize it, the life of the Soul is one of sacrifice, and any marriage or close union between people involves sacrifice of some sort. The Soul has put aside its own higher evolution so that the lesser lives within its care can be given opportunity to aspire to higher life. As so many Teachers throughout human history have laid all they have upon the altar to be sacrificed for the redemption and evolution of humanity, so they follow the example of the Soul and indeed stand as living examples to us of what a spiritual life should be and what it can bring, even on pain of great suffering and death. Their devotion to humanity exemplifies the life of the Soul in its relation to the persona. But the interplay works both ways, and the call of the Soul to the persona can perhaps best be summed up in the following little offering by the 13th century poet, Rumi:

I want a lover with a fiery heart,
At war with the world and the stars;
A lover not afraid of bloodshed or murder,
And whose fire no water can quench.

Before the more sensitive reader goes into apoplexy, a little explanation is in order. In the above, it is as if the Soul calls out for a lover (persona) with a heart afire with the aspiration to Spirit, at war within itself with all the perceived dualities of existence, but unafraid of the personal devastation that disillusionment with temporal living can bring. It is a heart whose aspiration no desire or attachment can sway from the higher life, and whose course goes onward undeterred until the final union with Spirit is reached. Such is the life of the true disciple and Initiate. It is a true shame and one of the saddest indictments of personal love that more people do not view their physical plane relations and especially their partners as Souls in a similar manner and seek to draw out the highest good in both themselves and their beloved until the final task is done, whatever that may be for two or more people and either the desired union is achieved or the agreement between souls and personas (contract, for those who like the term) is no longer seen to be viable from the higher perspective. People often do not allow nearly enough time nor space for things to evolve between parties, nor do they take into account the fact that the Soul moves to a longer timing than our overly busy world permits. Yet at the same time, in every human relation, one must always consider one's own life direction as clearly as it can be perceived before entering into any union or interaction that may divert one from one's life course and thus sully one's own connection with Spirit.

In part three of this article, Malvin concludes his discussion of the esoteric meanings of the Venus Transits, by examining the astrological aspects and meanings in the light of love.
Read part three of The Venus Conjunction

Malvin Artley is an accredited member of the American Federation of Astrologers. His primary focus over the past 25 years has been on the sciences as they express occultism and with bridging work between the two. His special interests in those fields are the human subtle energy system and all the chakras, or energy centres, physics and technology, astronomy and all aspects of Chinese occultism.
He sends out periodic emails about astrological happenings and developments. These email messages are sent as a gift and a sharing. They are sent to people of many persuasions, not just astrologers. Blessings. Click here to subscribe to Malvin's periodic letters.

Venus Conjunction 2004 [part 2] Rare and Powerful Conjunction with the Sun on June 8, 2004

Venus, the Divine Mother

True Gifts of Life

Venus Conjunction 2004 [part 2]
Rare and Powerful Conjunction with the Sun on June 8, 2004