As part of the extraordinary celestial influences we are experiencing this month, I just noticed that during this week and next, April 9 2017 through April 23, Venus will be retrograde, stationary and then start to move direct on April 15th. Venus will shift out of retrograde by April 15, 2017 and by this time her most important lessons would have been revealed to you. Venus will not be back to her usual energy and vitality however, until May 18th, 2017, so her lessons may linger until this time.

What is significant about all of this is that Venus has moved retrograde to 27 Pisces, which is the degree of exaltation of Neptune.  It will remain at 27 Pisces for almost 2 weeks, making that degree very strongly energized.  As Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, raising the level of the love to the highest ideal possible, Venus at that degree partakes of the essence of divine love now is a time during which you should be able to raise your ability to love to divine heights.  Compassionate, non-judgmental, forgiving, and impartial love is the highest level goal which can be reached.

We have had to put our desires and wishes on hold for the last month or so, and reflect on what we really value and hold dear.  Life should be lived with joy and gratitude, so being clear and conscious of what we desire, and clear about those goals, is important to living a worthwhile life.  Love, is of course, always at the center of a life lived well, so this is quite a special, unique and precious time that the Universe is presenting to us.

While Venus is at 27 Pisces, Saturn will be at 27 Sagittarius in perfect square.  The contact of Saturn to Venus can indicates loss, separation and sadness.  We may certainly experience some separations and losses in love and money at this time.  However, Saturn is also the Schoolmaster of our lives here on Earth, and this contact can be seen as the Cosmos teaching us a lesson in wisdom, patience, and discrimination.  It appears there has been a need for us to stop and think about our values, about how our relationships are fitting in our lives, and about our desires.  Do they truly serve us and others in our lives?  Sometimes, we need to have something or someone taken away from us in order to re calibrate our expectations and understanding of our own roles in relationships.  This is often a good thing, even if it is painful at first.

With Saturn in Sagittarius, and Venus in Pisces, what seems to be on the menu for us to consider is the wisdom of our value systems, as well as our capacity for love.  Venus square Saturn often implies Sacrifice.  Do we think about what we need to give up, to give away and to give forward?  Can a lasting love relationship be grounded on anything but the ability to give freely to others?  The lesson of Venus in Pisces is total selflessness.  That is certainly an element in love.  Love cannot require anything in return.

The paradox, in this world of duality, however, is that while we can’t expect anything in return, we must also realize that we are worthy of being loved, and if our partners are not able to give love to us, we are free to judiciously, calmly and with forgiveness, go our separate ways to seek love elsewhere.

The universe is in the process of helping us to come to the point of balance, where the greatest good can be achieved.  Where we can both give and receive love fully and freely.

Sonja Elison -Astrologer

sonja.eliso@gmail.com