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 Postscript [Part Three]
the personal consequences and ramifications of the 2004 Venus Transit

In part three of this article, Malvin Artley concludes his discussion of the esoteric aspects involved in the Venus Transit of 2004. He explains that the Soul speaks to us through symbols and that many of the primary symbols that pervade and underlie our culture have been long misunderstood.

We are contradictions and paradoxes, one and all—all imperfect, yet entirely divine. Lucifer, seen in this light, then becomes the Soul in incarnation, rather than an evil entity, and we know that the Soul is the true Light-bearer and Master of the persona. We are divine in our true essence. But we are yet imperfect. Thus we must suffer the vagaries of life in the physical realm by taking on new bodies periodically and slowly learn what it means to be a god incarnate until we finally attain back to the heart of God and cease our rebellion—a rebellion born primarily of ignorance.

The Soul Speaks in Symbols

To get the true meaning of any scripture—the substance of the written word—they must be read as allegory and in historical context. I have written many times before about how the events of our lives are but the Soul speaking to us in symbols. The same is true of the written and spoken word. To get the true meanings of life and word one needs to be steeped in the language of symbolism, which awakens and brings in abstract thought. It can be a messy business and very confusing in the early stages, but persistence yields results. The devil is in the detail, of course. In fact, the progress of one’s journey in human evolution can be followed through recognition of ability to work with symbolism and thus abstract thought—what the esotericist would call higher mind. This higher mind is the abode of the Soul in incarnation and constitutes what, to clairvoyant vision, is known as the causal field or body. This is the true realm of Venus, although Venus governs the development of the mind in all its aspects and thus the construction of the “rainbow bridge” with the Soul at every point. There is so much occultism in all this that all I can do is to give certain indications and hope this sparks some kind of recognition within the heart and mind of the reader. In short, Lucifer is an allegory for the Soul in incarnation and for the full evolving of the Light of God in humanity. This is a far cry from what the fundamentalists would have us believe. I also believe it gives us one of the greatest causes for hope in this often troubled world, a point to which I will return later.

But, what of Satan? We have had a look at Lucifer. Most people think they are one and the same. I hold a somewhat different view, and I draw certain distinctions between them. Astrologers will know that the name “Satan” bears more than a little resemblance to the name of our old friend in the heavens—Saturn. Satan In fact, many of the demons of theology got their names from the planets in an effort by the early church to stamp out paganism and astrology in the process. I am not taking up a banner and trying to turn the tables the other way with all this. I simply point it out because in recognizing what is really at play here we can get a clearer notion of what all this business is really about and come to a saner approach to both religion and to astrology. The two are more intimately interlinked than exponents on either side would care to admit. Astrology has been demonized by the church for a very long time. I wonder how many people know that the Catholic Church has one of the largest—if not the largest—astrological libraries in the world, and that they have staff astrologers who routinely use the heavens to mark their spiritual festivals, along with other things? Much of the hold the church has over people would disappear were it not for the role of Satan, Lucifer and the gang in their dogma. Satan has his role to play in human evolution as well as does Lucifer. It kind of all makes the hair stand up on one’s back, does it not?

A Lesser Angel

To me, Satan was a lesser angel than Lucifer. In esotericism, Satan would rule over the lower mind, whereas Lucifer rules over the higher mind. Saturn makes things concrete for us and establishes—fixates—the field of our karmic liabilities. I am taking certain liberties with the esoteric side of things, but I think those versed in such matters will see the point I am making. I am actually reversing the usual order of Venus and Saturn as they apply to mind. In point of fact, Saturn rules the highest plane of the Soul (Atma). And the highest, most abstract mind—the third type of mind—who rules over that? None other than the Christ Light itself. The Soul on its own planes has been called the Christ consciousness. It is beyond the causal field and is an aspect of the divine. Abstract mind is pure thought impulse or vibration. It is beyond symbolism as we know it in our limited human consciousness. It is formless, yet it carries all knowledge within it. It is Niscience, the opposite of nescience. It is the sea of mental fire and it is that which sets the entire mental field in motion in all its ramifications. It is Light. Venus stands in between the Christ Light and Satan and resolves the two. This mental fire is the lowest aspect of Uranus.

I will return to Satan in a moment. There is a rather interesting facet to all this. In the inter-relation of these three planets—Saturn, Venus and Uranus—the entire unfolding of a human life can be mapped in terms of the evolution of consciousness. It is tied up in the numbers 7, 8 and 9, and each of those numbers represents a respective cycle for one of those 3 planets. Two of those numbers (7 and 9) are esoteric (Ray) sub-cycles and they are equated with Uranus and Saturn, respectively. The Chinese have used this esoteric 9-year cycle of Saturn for centuries in their astrology and Feng Shui. The 7-year cycle of Uranus has been masked behind the quarter-cycle of Saturn. In a way, we could say that Satan has masked the Christ Light in astrology as well as in religion. This 7-year sub-cycle of Uranus is the true basis behind such things as the 7-year itch, 7-years of bad luck, etc. The 8-year cycle is, of course, related to Venus and is an orthodox astrological cycle, as has been put forward in previous letters. In the interweaving of these three planetary cycles, the benchmarks of every phase of the growth of human consciousness in any given life are accounted for. All that is needed is for the astrologer to find where the cycles actually start in the horoscope. But, that’s the fun part. The dynamics of all that will have to wait for another letter, but the astrology of the future will employ all these esoteric cycles as a matter of course.

Between Two Thieves

In the story of the crucifixion, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. It has been said that those two thieves are an allegory for the two lower types of mind—concrete and higher, Saturn and Venus, Satan and Lucifer, resp. Jesus was crucified on Golgotha—“Place of a skull”—, the place where the mind is assumed to preside. The story of this is worth a read for those who are interested [esp. Luke 22: 39-43]. Van Eyck Crucifixion (detail) The symbolism is both exquisite and fascinating. Saturn in the persona is the most fear-laden and restrictive point in a horoscope. Conversely, in the chart of a Soul it marks the path and point of liberation and abstraction, occultly considered. Daemon est Deus inversus. It rules over the plane (Atma) wherein the disintegration of all that has hitherto hidden the Light, Love and Power of the eternal Spirit (Monad) takes place. Attainment over Saturn and thus the plane of Atma marks one as a true spiritual Master—a Chohan, to use the esoteric jargon.

At lower levels, by overcoming our fears and limitations we gain mastery over our persona. By relinquishing even our very Soul on a much higher “turn of the spiral” we enter fully into the heart and resplendence of God and realize our true spiritual Calling. Satan is the taunter, the inhibitor, the one that seeks to keep us bound and who causes us so much mental anguish at personal levels. Through judgmentalism it keeps us separated from others. But, through those trials and struggles we come to a fuller appreciation of the opportunities that life has to offer and we find our way eventually to freedom. Though Satan (Saturn) makes life hell initially, we learn and thus find the goodness in us through our adversity. It is another way of saying that good things can come from bad circumstances, if we allow ourselves to be open to the possibilities.

Saturn shows us the way to freedom through struggle against obstacles. Venus shows us the way to freedom through unity of effort and through maintaining connection with our highest purpose. Uranus gives us freedom through the magical power of the Christ Light. It is freedom in its essence. There is no need to struggle with Uranus, though we always tend to struggle against change as humans. We need only recognize what its gift is to us in the form of better conditions and freedom of thought. I no longer believe in eternal damnation for non-believers. All are eventually saved, no matter how misguided, no matter how long it takes. I no longer believe in a personified evil or great evil being that is after my Soul and seeks to bind me forever to his servitude. The only demons I have to fight are my own. That is more than enough sometimes, and I have had many “dances with the Devil” throughout my life, in a manner of speaking. Actually, it is rather more like salsa-dancing with my own confusion or misapprehensions. Yes, there is evil on a cosmic scale, but with that we have no fight. It is all well-contained by Beings vastly more powerful than us, and the grand Order of the universe goes ever onward unabated. All we need do is invoke Their help when needed.

Light and Realization

I know this has been a long digression, but it was necessary to give a fuller understanding of Venus, its symbolism and its effect on our lives. In summary of the preceding, we again see Venus as the great connector, standing as the way-station and regulator between the Soul on its own plane and the lower, reasoning mind. As the Light-bringer, Lucifer, it first does its work through a long series of lives wherein the main thrust of experience is along material lines, thus building up a vast storehouse of concrete knowledge and experience along the way. The Soul is “cast into Hell” (outer darkness), i.e., takes on incarnation after incarnation, there to work blindly and in the mire of matter until Light finally begins to dawn in the persona and realization comes that there is a higher Life Who guides all things from behind the scenes (from beyond the veil of matter). Hence, we slowly come to realize “the evidence of things not seen”, our faith becomes more confirmed to us and Light eventually begins to flood in. Eventually, we come to realize that, instead of Light being shown to us, we are that Light, and the darkness that we once thought held us in thrall was naught but illusion and that all is Light if we only hold the proper focus. In this way, through the long millennia of spiritual pilgrimage, our Souls eventually return home to the Father. Venus and Saturn, initially posing as Satan and Lucifer, have equipped us to lead the life of the Soul incarnate and to exemplify that Soul among the still-struggling personas among whom we find ourselves. Instead of our lives being symbols to us, we become living symbols in the lives of others and of what can be for them. The gates of Hell are cast open, we are redeemed because of our works and we are allowed into Heaven once again and for eternity, there to take up even more stupendous works and journeys in the infinitude of Eternity and Space.

Light on Mountain Monk by Svyatoslav Roerich

Though Venus is typically associated with science and the development of the lower mind in esoteric works, that mind develops as a direct result of the interaction between the material spheres and the Soul on its own plane (Saturn and Uranus, respectively). It is a process characterized by a constant and endless litany of mental constructs (Saturn) and thus human creations being built up, serving their purpose and then being torn asunder to make way for the next evolutionary step (Uranus). We learn the ways of the higher life through that process–for humanity on this planet evolves through destruction of form–by learning the proper uses for and intricacies of those forms and then by relinquishing all attachment to them. The substance or essence of the lessons learned is absorbed then into the causal field in the form of a symbolic language. Through seeing the symbolism of our experience we grow in our connection with the divine (Venus). On the other side of the coin, it is of interest to note that most, if not all, of the great steps forward in science have started as dreams or visions–symbols from the Soul as it seeks to make its impress on the material worlds and to further the aims of God’s great Plan for this world. Far from being a curse and demons against which me must constantly battle, Lucifer and Satan, as allegories for Venus and Saturn, always were and still are the servants and mouthpieces of God, eventually leading us back to the throne of our almighty Spirit by teaching us how to live lives of sacrifice as Souls, as all the great world Teachers have done through the ages, through the struggles we each go through with the “demons” that are our own unresolved and unredeemed psyches.

After the Grand Quintile

Returning to our discussion of the present Lucifer phase of Venus, after the Grand Quintile, Venus will begin its steady descent back toward the Sun to finally rejoin it on the 31st of March, 2005, just after the Aries full moon and the beginning of the high point of the spiritual festivals for that year. During the Grand Quintile we will have an opportunity for the unique artistry of our Souls to show through. There may be struggles involved if there needs to be something set fee in order to realize those gifts. As the herald of the coming sunrise in the darkest hours before the dawn Venus, during its greatest separation from the Sun and through the agency of those quintiles, will offer up a taste of what is to come for humanity over the next decades. Children born under these influences may indeed be the vehicles of expression for rare Souls Who will add greatly and uniquely to society and culture on our world. Their impress will not be felt for several decades to come, but come it will.

The commencement of any cycle is a period that begins the out-picturing of the potencies held latent within the basic energies that define the cycle itself. With this recent Venus transit we will eventually see an out-picturing of new modes of relating to one-another as the fresh impulses from the higher Self begin to show through. We need to remember with this that everything that happens on our earth is a reflection somehow of greater events taking place upon Venus. Of course, this is a moot point to all but a very few people. But, for those who are sensitive enough and who can read the currents of divine Mind and hence the esoteric psychology (which is divine Will as far as we are concerned), research into what is happening with Venus will go a long way toward explaining what is happening with our humanity. The preceding will seem a little vague to many readers, but I need to include it because there are some people who would benefit from such an understanding.

The next yearly spiritual dispensation, beginning with the Aries full moon of 2005, will see a changed world in many ways. As Lucifer ends its phase for us in April and the gentle energy of Hesperus takes up the reins of Venus’ expression for us I feel that many of us will have dramatically different lives. Many people will see this period of their lives as a major milestone. Still others will see it as a millstone around the neck. The wisdom of the past 9 months will then be given birth and a new understanding of life on this planet will be available to us. For those who dance with the devil now and feel life to be a struggle, be assured that the Soul is moving upon you. In Christian terms, the Lord is your shepherd. And for those readers who may want to know a bit more about what those unique gifts may mean for them, I would suggest that a look at their horoscope with an eye toward quintiles, the placements of Venus and Uranus and the 4th house and its ruler(s) would yield up results. Everyone has their unique gifts, bestowed upon them through lifetimes of hard work and valuable experience.

The Wisdom of Ages

The Wisdom of the Ages is a book upon whose pages all of us have written and of which we all have an intuitive understanding. In these days look to Venus for your process of connection with your higher Self and know that Light is yours. All we need do is make due application and persist in our efforts. In our striving upwards response always comes when the needed work is done. Though experience may seem bitter, the sweetness of life comes with but a simple change of heart when the fires of the Soul show us the way out of our illusions.

There is an aboriginal painting on my wall at home entitled “Spirit Dancer”. As I walk from my study or my bedroom it is there to remind me that life is a beautiful dance, even though we may have to dance among stones or on uneven ground. Dancing has been called “vertical lovemaking”, but there is no more intimate a dance than the one we perform at each moment with our own higher Self. In the rhythm of life we are assured that our “partner” is always with us. In learning the dance we grow in grace and we learn to love more with each step along the way. And, we develop our own unique style and learn to show the elegance of the Soul as a master Teacher.

As you dance your way through the coming days and years may your lives each become elegant in the living, profound in wisdom and daring in its unique gifts. And, may Venus as Lucifer be restored to its rightful place in your life as the mouthpiece of your Soul and the herald of your angelic grace. God created us all to shine. May your lives be as beacons to those whom you touch, and may your artistry in the coming years be masterful.

May God’s bounty be yours,
Malvin.
25 July 2004

This concludes this article on the esoteric meaning of Venus as the Divine Mother, the source of Souls and her role in our spiritual evolution.
Return to the start of Venus Postscript

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.