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january 15, 2022
This week’s article is coming out under the light of a Cancer Moon. The Moon will reach fullness on January 17th, sometime in the afternoon. If you notice that things in the outer reality seem to be escalating, or building up to something big, you are right on the money; it’s always that way right before the full Moon. With that in mind, because it’s unwise to make predictions when too many variables have yet to make themselves known, while I sit back and watch the chips fall where they may, I am going to mind my own business, play my cards close to my chest, and use this article to answer a few questions.
I get a ton of questions every week. Sometimes I have time to take them into consideration and sometimes I don’t. This week an inbox filled with questions will give me a chance to explain a few things. Much of what I am about to say may only be of interest to you if you study astrology, or work in the field – if you don’t fall into either category who knows? The words that follow might give you something to think about.
RETROGRADE PLANETS:
Outside of the Sun and the Moon, all of the planets and asteroids spend periods of time in retrograde motion. This has to do with the fact that every planetary body has a specific orbital radius, and a specific rate of motion. This means that there are periods of time when a faster moving planetary body will over take another. From an earthly standpoint, whenever this happens, the planet that is being over taken appears to fall behind, or move backward. This condition holds steady until the body that has been left behind appears to catch up with the Earth and continues on in its normal fashion until the same thing happens again. If you want to get a clearer sense of how this works, turn to the page that says ‘Retrograde’ in Nicholas Devore’s, ‘Encyclopedia of Astrology’
Most of us are familiar with the fact that Mercury goes retrograde. This is a predictable occurrence. It happens three times a year. Each time it happens it lasts for about three weeks. With the exception of the Sun and the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and every other body in the solar system has their own retrograde cycle. The outer planets are in retrograde mode one-third of the time.
To give you an idea of how this phenomenon plays out in real time:
If you understand that the ‘As Above, so Below’ axiom is literal, and not just a philosophical concept, it’s easy to grok the fact that the movements of the planets have a direct impact on what goes on here on Earth. I find it hard to believe that the same folks who are so concerned with recycling their tin cans, who obsess about climate change, who spend a fortune on solar panels and raw silk pajamas, and who are 100% committed to their all natural ways, have such a hard time extending that mindset to the idea that if everything in the natural world is connected, why wouldn’t what’s going on in the heavens be part of the program? For the life of me I just don’t get it....but let’s not get sidetracked. We came here to talk about retrograde planets.
I’ve been interested in astrology since 1964. In all the years that I have studied the subject and worked in the field, I have never come across a book or a teacher who covered the retrograde phenomenon to my satisfaction. What I know about it has been culled from multiple sources, but also from what I have observed, and from what I do with my brain when I lie awake at night trying to figure this stuff out on my own.
With that in mind, please heed this disclaimer; the words that follow are not the last word on the subject. At some point, when I am dead and gone and some lonely soul happens across this article it may turn out that what’s written here winds up being the last word on the subject – but for now I am here to say, that none of this is written in stone, and none of it has been approved or accredited by a higher authority – it is only what my research and my work in the field have taught me. Take it for what it’s worth and if you work in the field, stretch what’s written here over your own experience and see if it fits.
Each planet and asteroid holds space for a specific archetype. Each archetype governs certain functions and certain aspects of human behavior. In his book, ‘The Theory of Celestial Influence’, Rodney Collin put forth the theory that each planet is directly connected to a specific endocrine gland. At the moment of birth, depending on where the planets are situated in the heavens, each endocrine gland is triggered to function in a particular way, according to the nature of the planet and the influence of the sign that it occupies. Of late, I have come to the conclusion that the way the endocrine glands function gets triggered at conception – but that’s a whole other story and a subject for another article.
I mentioned earlier that all of the planetary archetypes govern specific areas of life and specific aspects of a human being’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual expression. To help you understand this, let’s take a quick peek at the Sun and the Moon
The Sun rules the heart. Much like the Sun, the heart is the center of the human solar system. It rules the blood, and the life force in general. By extension it rules light, and love, and heat, and joy, and vitality. The core essence of a human being is ruled by the sign and house position of the Sun, and on how the Sun is disposed to the other planets at the moment of birth.
The Moon rules the past. It governs the cellular memory and its contents. It has a lot to say about the emotions. It relates directly to the Mother and the family. The Moon is all encompassing and oceanic. I wrote a book on the subject of the Moon that you are welcome to read if you’re so inclined. I don’t want to get too deep into it here, because even though the Moon turns Void-of-Course every few days, it is never retrograde.
You might wonder why I got things rolling by bringing up two bodies that are never retrograde; there is a method to this madness. I mention the Sun and the Moon because they are front and center. Even people who could care less about the stars, can handle thinking for more than a minute about the Sun and the Moon. If I can get you to entertain the thought that the two ‘lights’ are hooked up to specific aspects of human expression it might tweak the notion that every other celestial body has its own set of correspondences, and through the Hermetic ‘Law of Correspondence’ lead you to see that every single one of them has an impact on what happens here on Earth.
We aren’t here to write a book so let’s dip our toe into this ocean of information, move on to cover the impact of Mercury and Venus, take a peek at how their retrograde and direct movements operate, talk about how those frequencies trickle down and impact all of us here on Earth, and last but not least, try to figure out why it matters.
Mercury retrograde: Even people who have no interest in astrology know about Mercury retrograde. We joke about it, we know that it marks a period of time when ‘Murphy’s Law’ reigns supreme, and we use it to explain away what happens to our plans and commitments when things don’t go the way we expect them to. To understand why this is so, we have to look at how Mercury operates.
Mercury governs the left side of the brain and the way it functions. It rules the way we think. By extension this planet has everything to say about how we make our decisions and what we decide to do when it comes to making plans.
The mythology books tell us that Mercury was the Messenger of the Gods. That being the case, in the same way that his winged feet transported him all around Olympus delivering memos to his superiors, here in the human realm he is responsible for connecting the circuits that govern our thinking processes and our motor skills. Stretching that idea out into the world, Mercury rules anything that involves communication. He has to do with the way we talk and what we talk about.
Stretching things past their human expression, in keeping with these circuits and avenues of communication, Mercury superintends our roads and everything that happens when we are ‘on the road’. He rules planes, trains, and automobiles. Newspapers, magazines, radios, telephones, books, pamphlets, elementary schools, and elementary school teachers – all of these things are ruled by Mercury.
When I started writing this article, that fact that the things that live in Mercury’s domain are too numerous to mention slipped my mind, so let's move on to talk about how things work when this planet ticks along in his normal pattern.
When he orbits through the heavens in his direct mode, everything functions like a well-oiled machine. Life spins like a top and works like a charm. We ‘know what we are doing’, our plans make perfect sense, we get to work on time, we keep our appointments, the checks come in the mail, people know what we’re talking about, and we live with the impression that this is how things are ‘meant to be’ - until Mercury enters his retrograde mode, and all of the above becomes subject to change.
Why is this so? Remember what I said at the outset: ‘Mercury governs the left side of the brain and the way it functions’. Our egos, our plans, and our fixed ideas about how life is supposed to go are linked to the left brain. When Mercury turns retrograde, those functions turn ‘Off’; it’s like he goes on vacation. Because of this, everything that we expect to keep spinning like a top breaks down; our plans, our cars, our conversations with people we thought we knew – all of it flies south. When this happens, everything we associate with our well oiled machine gets redefined, rearranged, and redirected.
If we are too stuck on needing things to be the way we think they need to be, Mercury retrograde can be a frustrating time. During these periods it’s important to keep in mind that the ego is in charge of, and in cahoots with the left brain. Together they have come to believe that they know who we are, what we need, and what needs to happen, when in fact all they really know how to do is lull us into thinking that our survival depends on bowing to their dictates. Armed with their ‘bright ideas’ we go through life, firm in in the belief that the house of cards they construct for us, and the instructions that go with it are exactly what we need.
When Mercury turns retrograde, the left brain shuts down and puts the ego on the spot. Without his little gopher the Nazi in our head loses control of the well oiled machine. This brings up issues that throw a monkey wrench into the works and turn our attention to possibilities that lie outside the left brain box. The outer inconveniences and delays that Mercury retrograde is so famous for, and that appear to be such a nuisance, function to rearrange our plans in ways that ungirdle our fixed ideas and open the space for what is in the best interests of our higher self to enter the picture.
Here are a few examples:
I could go on but I am sure you get the picture. We get to turn lemons into lemonade when Mercury’s retrograde. Left to her own devices, the right brain has all kinds of wonderful things up her sleeve. On her watch what comes out from behind the door is always way more valuable to us in the long run than whatever we were led to believe would do the trick. Serendipity and synchronicity live inside the breakdowns, the missed appointments, the miscommunications, and the falling apart of the left brain’s tight little ship. Instead of whining about how Mercury retrograde screws everything up, sooner or later we begin to notice that it’s in these serendipitous gaps and interruptions that the light shines through and what life is really all about gets to happen.
Since we are currently moving through a Mercury retrograde phase, keep an eye on what happens between now and February 4th and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Now let’s take a look at what’s up when Venus turns retrograde: Venus rules love and money. Underneath all of that she rules ‘what we value, what we cherish’. By extension she governs what we are attracted to and what we do to draw it to us. For most people there are two sides to this. By that I mean that based on the way we are programmed, our egos are drawn to ‘want’ certain things. Whether we know it or not, those things often have very little to do with what our souls really yearn for.
Breaking this down, based on what the status quo leads us to believe, the average person wants an education, a good job, a big paycheck, a nice home, money in the bank, a harmonious family life, a blissful love life, perfect children, outer success, respect, a good position in the community, and all the freedom in the world to do as we please – the list goes on and on and on.
The sign and house position of the planet Venus, along with the way she is aspected, have a lot to say about how we draw those things to us. When she’s rolling along in her direct mode we don’t question our desire for all of that or wonder why we want it because it’s well known that ‘everybody’ wants those things. What we call ‘having it all’ is Nirvana as far as most of us are concerned, so much so that without ever wondering what’s going on inside them, or how they really feel about life and themselves, we actually look up to and respect people who have managed to acquire those things.
If you stop for a minute and come down to Earth long enough to see what’s really going on here, it surprises me that we are so stuck on these Venusian visions – because hardly anyone gets those pictures to manifest. While some invisible force holds them out like the proverbial carrot on the stick, maybe one out of ten people knows how it feels for the dream to come true. So what is the deal? What is up with this generic vision of the perfect life? What do all of these outer things have to do with anything, and why do they mean so much to us?
When Venus is in her direct mode we don’t question it too much. We go along with the regularly scheduled program and do what we can to acquire all of the above. We have been led to believe that these things are what we are supposed to want and that they will make us happy.
When Venus turns retrograde a shift occurs and we get an opportunity to see it from a different angle. The mental constructs that shape the idea that having it all is where it’s at, come up against the realization that there’s more to it than that. On the days when we have more money in the bank than we’ve ever had in our life, and even so, all we want to do is break down and cry, we start to wonder – or, the flip side of this – when we haven’t got a penny to our name and for some strange reason we feel totally fulfilled and at peace with the world, what's up with that? Both sides of the coin give us a chance to ask ourselves if the generic vision of the perfect life works for us, or works for anyone, for that matter.
These questions lead us to the understanding that the best things in life aren’t things. They open the space for us to see that what our hearts yearn for and what we are really after are the things that money can’t buy. Whenever Venus turns retrograde we have a chance to close our eyes on the world of appearances and come to terms with who we really are when all of that is stripped away. Who would we be if we wound up out on the street with nothing but a shopping cart, and a cardboard box? In that situation, from God’s point of view, at the end of the day what would we be worth?
Venus has to do with love too, so how does that fit in with her direct and retrograde motion? From what I have noticed, when she’s direct, we take love for granted. We go through the motions without giving it too much thought. We share the same house, we share the same bed, we take care of the kids, we take walks on the beach, we exchange gifts, we have candle light dinners, we live day to day, we pay the bills and keep everything organized, and because all of this makes it look like we are connected, we assume that these things keep us together.
When Venus turns retrograde things come up that put a damper on our ability to see the point in the display. We keep going through the motions, we keep doing what’s expected, and we might as well be sleep walking, until something in us realizes that we are not there, for any of it. This makes us wonder? Do we love this person? Does it matter? Would more sex, or an expensive gift, or a vacation, or a shopping spree do something to repair this ennui? What can we do? Does the fact that I am not here for any of this mean that the relationship is over?
As far as love goes, when Venus turns retrograde the instructions are, ‘Get back to your self’. You haven’t lost touch with your lover, you’ve lost touch with your self. Do whatever it takes to reclaim that piece until Venus turns direct. Being together in a conscious way requires us to be ‘Alone with the One’ for periods of time – that’s all. Revisit the part of your being that made your partner love you to begin with and give them space to do the same.
In the gaps where Venus is retrograde we get to reconnect with ourselves and reassess our values. During these phases we come face to face with what it is that we really long for. At that point we have no choice but to disengage from outer things and come back to ourselves – in a real and true sense. In the act of redefining who we are, what we love, and what we truly value, these periods of self reflection open the space for us to reenter the outer reality with a deeper understanding of what has worth. If we do our homework what we discover is that, that which is lasting and permanent costs absolutely nothing and comes from within.
Venus will be retrograde until January 29th. This gives all of us close to two more weeks to figure out what really matters. This will be easier for some of us than it will be for others. The more attached we are to status quo constructs, the harder it will be to deal with things that remind us that appearances lie, that money isn’t God, and that as far as love goes, it’s an inside job.
Uranus turns direct: Uranus is the spirit of change and revolution. It has been retrograde since last August. Its direct motion coincides with the upcoming full Moon, on January 17th. From what I have noticed, when Uranus turns direct, changes that have been a long time coming make themselves known.
Because Uranus is the most unpredictable planet in the solar system I have no way of knowing how these changes will play out. What I do know is that retrograde Mercury is ready to support the idea that it’s time to rearrange a few things, and that retrograde Venus is giving us a chance to come to terms with what matters - so let’s cross our fingers, be prepared for anything, keep an eye on the way the world turns between now and the first week of February, and keep reminding ourselves that God always wins.
Till next time - XOXOXOX
---------------------------------------------
New York Times Article
‘Astrology is Hard, Even if it’s Fake’- by Callie Beusman
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/style/astrology-exam.html
This piece floated across my screen a couple of days ago. People read things like this and take it as gospel. For someone like me, or anyone who has worked in the field for as long as I have, this article is not just condescending; it’s bullshit. Beyond that it propagates ignorance. And because people are of the mind that The New York Times is the last word on everything, it eclipses any impulse that their readers might have to dig deeper. Part of me would like to punch the author in the face – but, what good would it do? Sometimes you just have to turn the other cheek and forgive people, because, ignorance is bliss, and ‘They know not what they do’.
Copyright - Cal Garrison: 2021: ©
I get a ton of questions every week. Sometimes I have time to take them into consideration and sometimes I don’t. This week an inbox filled with questions will give me a chance to explain a few things. Much of what I am about to say may only be of interest to you if you study astrology, or work in the field – if you don’t fall into either category who knows? The words that follow might give you something to think about.
RETROGRADE PLANETS:
Outside of the Sun and the Moon, all of the planets and asteroids spend periods of time in retrograde motion. This has to do with the fact that every planetary body has a specific orbital radius, and a specific rate of motion. This means that there are periods of time when a faster moving planetary body will over take another. From an earthly standpoint, whenever this happens, the planet that is being over taken appears to fall behind, or move backward. This condition holds steady until the body that has been left behind appears to catch up with the Earth and continues on in its normal fashion until the same thing happens again. If you want to get a clearer sense of how this works, turn to the page that says ‘Retrograde’ in Nicholas Devore’s, ‘Encyclopedia of Astrology’
Most of us are familiar with the fact that Mercury goes retrograde. This is a predictable occurrence. It happens three times a year. Each time it happens it lasts for about three weeks. With the exception of the Sun and the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and every other body in the solar system has their own retrograde cycle. The outer planets are in retrograde mode one-third of the time.
To give you an idea of how this phenomenon plays out in real time:
- At the moment Venus happens to be retrograde. She entered that phase at the 26th-degree of Capricorn on December 19, 2021 and will turn direct at 11-degrees of Capricorn on January 29th.
- Just a day or so ago, on January 14th, Mercury turned retrograde at the 10th-degree of Aquarius. The ‘Winged Messenger’ will resume his direct motion at the 24th-degree of Capricorn, between February 3rd . and 4th.
- Uranus, which turned retrograde back on August 19, 2021 will go direct just in time for the full Moon, coming up on January 17, 2022.
If you understand that the ‘As Above, so Below’ axiom is literal, and not just a philosophical concept, it’s easy to grok the fact that the movements of the planets have a direct impact on what goes on here on Earth. I find it hard to believe that the same folks who are so concerned with recycling their tin cans, who obsess about climate change, who spend a fortune on solar panels and raw silk pajamas, and who are 100% committed to their all natural ways, have such a hard time extending that mindset to the idea that if everything in the natural world is connected, why wouldn’t what’s going on in the heavens be part of the program? For the life of me I just don’t get it....but let’s not get sidetracked. We came here to talk about retrograde planets.
I’ve been interested in astrology since 1964. In all the years that I have studied the subject and worked in the field, I have never come across a book or a teacher who covered the retrograde phenomenon to my satisfaction. What I know about it has been culled from multiple sources, but also from what I have observed, and from what I do with my brain when I lie awake at night trying to figure this stuff out on my own.
With that in mind, please heed this disclaimer; the words that follow are not the last word on the subject. At some point, when I am dead and gone and some lonely soul happens across this article it may turn out that what’s written here winds up being the last word on the subject – but for now I am here to say, that none of this is written in stone, and none of it has been approved or accredited by a higher authority – it is only what my research and my work in the field have taught me. Take it for what it’s worth and if you work in the field, stretch what’s written here over your own experience and see if it fits.
Each planet and asteroid holds space for a specific archetype. Each archetype governs certain functions and certain aspects of human behavior. In his book, ‘The Theory of Celestial Influence’, Rodney Collin put forth the theory that each planet is directly connected to a specific endocrine gland. At the moment of birth, depending on where the planets are situated in the heavens, each endocrine gland is triggered to function in a particular way, according to the nature of the planet and the influence of the sign that it occupies. Of late, I have come to the conclusion that the way the endocrine glands function gets triggered at conception – but that’s a whole other story and a subject for another article.
I mentioned earlier that all of the planetary archetypes govern specific areas of life and specific aspects of a human being’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual expression. To help you understand this, let’s take a quick peek at the Sun and the Moon
The Sun rules the heart. Much like the Sun, the heart is the center of the human solar system. It rules the blood, and the life force in general. By extension it rules light, and love, and heat, and joy, and vitality. The core essence of a human being is ruled by the sign and house position of the Sun, and on how the Sun is disposed to the other planets at the moment of birth.
The Moon rules the past. It governs the cellular memory and its contents. It has a lot to say about the emotions. It relates directly to the Mother and the family. The Moon is all encompassing and oceanic. I wrote a book on the subject of the Moon that you are welcome to read if you’re so inclined. I don’t want to get too deep into it here, because even though the Moon turns Void-of-Course every few days, it is never retrograde.
You might wonder why I got things rolling by bringing up two bodies that are never retrograde; there is a method to this madness. I mention the Sun and the Moon because they are front and center. Even people who could care less about the stars, can handle thinking for more than a minute about the Sun and the Moon. If I can get you to entertain the thought that the two ‘lights’ are hooked up to specific aspects of human expression it might tweak the notion that every other celestial body has its own set of correspondences, and through the Hermetic ‘Law of Correspondence’ lead you to see that every single one of them has an impact on what happens here on Earth.
We aren’t here to write a book so let’s dip our toe into this ocean of information, move on to cover the impact of Mercury and Venus, take a peek at how their retrograde and direct movements operate, talk about how those frequencies trickle down and impact all of us here on Earth, and last but not least, try to figure out why it matters.
Mercury retrograde: Even people who have no interest in astrology know about Mercury retrograde. We joke about it, we know that it marks a period of time when ‘Murphy’s Law’ reigns supreme, and we use it to explain away what happens to our plans and commitments when things don’t go the way we expect them to. To understand why this is so, we have to look at how Mercury operates.
Mercury governs the left side of the brain and the way it functions. It rules the way we think. By extension this planet has everything to say about how we make our decisions and what we decide to do when it comes to making plans.
The mythology books tell us that Mercury was the Messenger of the Gods. That being the case, in the same way that his winged feet transported him all around Olympus delivering memos to his superiors, here in the human realm he is responsible for connecting the circuits that govern our thinking processes and our motor skills. Stretching that idea out into the world, Mercury rules anything that involves communication. He has to do with the way we talk and what we talk about.
Stretching things past their human expression, in keeping with these circuits and avenues of communication, Mercury superintends our roads and everything that happens when we are ‘on the road’. He rules planes, trains, and automobiles. Newspapers, magazines, radios, telephones, books, pamphlets, elementary schools, and elementary school teachers – all of these things are ruled by Mercury.
When I started writing this article, that fact that the things that live in Mercury’s domain are too numerous to mention slipped my mind, so let's move on to talk about how things work when this planet ticks along in his normal pattern.
When he orbits through the heavens in his direct mode, everything functions like a well-oiled machine. Life spins like a top and works like a charm. We ‘know what we are doing’, our plans make perfect sense, we get to work on time, we keep our appointments, the checks come in the mail, people know what we’re talking about, and we live with the impression that this is how things are ‘meant to be’ - until Mercury enters his retrograde mode, and all of the above becomes subject to change.
Why is this so? Remember what I said at the outset: ‘Mercury governs the left side of the brain and the way it functions’. Our egos, our plans, and our fixed ideas about how life is supposed to go are linked to the left brain. When Mercury turns retrograde, those functions turn ‘Off’; it’s like he goes on vacation. Because of this, everything that we expect to keep spinning like a top breaks down; our plans, our cars, our conversations with people we thought we knew – all of it flies south. When this happens, everything we associate with our well oiled machine gets redefined, rearranged, and redirected.
If we are too stuck on needing things to be the way we think they need to be, Mercury retrograde can be a frustrating time. During these periods it’s important to keep in mind that the ego is in charge of, and in cahoots with the left brain. Together they have come to believe that they know who we are, what we need, and what needs to happen, when in fact all they really know how to do is lull us into thinking that our survival depends on bowing to their dictates. Armed with their ‘bright ideas’ we go through life, firm in in the belief that the house of cards they construct for us, and the instructions that go with it are exactly what we need.
When Mercury turns retrograde, the left brain shuts down and puts the ego on the spot. Without his little gopher the Nazi in our head loses control of the well oiled machine. This brings up issues that throw a monkey wrench into the works and turn our attention to possibilities that lie outside the left brain box. The outer inconveniences and delays that Mercury retrograde is so famous for, and that appear to be such a nuisance, function to rearrange our plans in ways that ungirdle our fixed ideas and open the space for what is in the best interests of our higher self to enter the picture.
Here are a few examples:
- The car breaks down on the road to Boston and we wind up falling in love and forming a lifelong relationship with the guy who drives the tow truck.
- The car breaks down on our way to work, we get stuck at home for a few days and wind up having all the time in the world to work on our book.
- We made plans to step out with our friends for lunch. Those plans fall through. Instead of wasting time with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a bunch of people we need a drink or two to even hang out with, we wind up taking a walk in the woods. We stop to meditate in a quiet spot. After an hour in our hearts, we open our eyes filled with revelations about life and ourselves that totally blow our socks off.
- We get into a conversation with a friend or a family member that turns into an argument. We can’t believe they said what they said. After twenty years, we find out that this person is not who we thought they were. As unpleasant as it was, the argument brought the truth to light – and we would still be under the illusion that we have a connection to them if life hadn’t offered us the opportunity to duke it out.
- We have plans to go to the Yucatan – we’ve waited for years for this. They won’t allow us on the plane because we don’t have a vaccine passport. Instead of getting bummed out about this we decide to take a road trip to Arkansas and wind up buying a trunk full of clear quartz crystals that not only pay for the trip, but inspire us to open a crystal shop on EBAY.
I could go on but I am sure you get the picture. We get to turn lemons into lemonade when Mercury’s retrograde. Left to her own devices, the right brain has all kinds of wonderful things up her sleeve. On her watch what comes out from behind the door is always way more valuable to us in the long run than whatever we were led to believe would do the trick. Serendipity and synchronicity live inside the breakdowns, the missed appointments, the miscommunications, and the falling apart of the left brain’s tight little ship. Instead of whining about how Mercury retrograde screws everything up, sooner or later we begin to notice that it’s in these serendipitous gaps and interruptions that the light shines through and what life is really all about gets to happen.
Since we are currently moving through a Mercury retrograde phase, keep an eye on what happens between now and February 4th and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Now let’s take a look at what’s up when Venus turns retrograde: Venus rules love and money. Underneath all of that she rules ‘what we value, what we cherish’. By extension she governs what we are attracted to and what we do to draw it to us. For most people there are two sides to this. By that I mean that based on the way we are programmed, our egos are drawn to ‘want’ certain things. Whether we know it or not, those things often have very little to do with what our souls really yearn for.
Breaking this down, based on what the status quo leads us to believe, the average person wants an education, a good job, a big paycheck, a nice home, money in the bank, a harmonious family life, a blissful love life, perfect children, outer success, respect, a good position in the community, and all the freedom in the world to do as we please – the list goes on and on and on.
The sign and house position of the planet Venus, along with the way she is aspected, have a lot to say about how we draw those things to us. When she’s rolling along in her direct mode we don’t question our desire for all of that or wonder why we want it because it’s well known that ‘everybody’ wants those things. What we call ‘having it all’ is Nirvana as far as most of us are concerned, so much so that without ever wondering what’s going on inside them, or how they really feel about life and themselves, we actually look up to and respect people who have managed to acquire those things.
If you stop for a minute and come down to Earth long enough to see what’s really going on here, it surprises me that we are so stuck on these Venusian visions – because hardly anyone gets those pictures to manifest. While some invisible force holds them out like the proverbial carrot on the stick, maybe one out of ten people knows how it feels for the dream to come true. So what is the deal? What is up with this generic vision of the perfect life? What do all of these outer things have to do with anything, and why do they mean so much to us?
When Venus is in her direct mode we don’t question it too much. We go along with the regularly scheduled program and do what we can to acquire all of the above. We have been led to believe that these things are what we are supposed to want and that they will make us happy.
When Venus turns retrograde a shift occurs and we get an opportunity to see it from a different angle. The mental constructs that shape the idea that having it all is where it’s at, come up against the realization that there’s more to it than that. On the days when we have more money in the bank than we’ve ever had in our life, and even so, all we want to do is break down and cry, we start to wonder – or, the flip side of this – when we haven’t got a penny to our name and for some strange reason we feel totally fulfilled and at peace with the world, what's up with that? Both sides of the coin give us a chance to ask ourselves if the generic vision of the perfect life works for us, or works for anyone, for that matter.
These questions lead us to the understanding that the best things in life aren’t things. They open the space for us to see that what our hearts yearn for and what we are really after are the things that money can’t buy. Whenever Venus turns retrograde we have a chance to close our eyes on the world of appearances and come to terms with who we really are when all of that is stripped away. Who would we be if we wound up out on the street with nothing but a shopping cart, and a cardboard box? In that situation, from God’s point of view, at the end of the day what would we be worth?
Venus has to do with love too, so how does that fit in with her direct and retrograde motion? From what I have noticed, when she’s direct, we take love for granted. We go through the motions without giving it too much thought. We share the same house, we share the same bed, we take care of the kids, we take walks on the beach, we exchange gifts, we have candle light dinners, we live day to day, we pay the bills and keep everything organized, and because all of this makes it look like we are connected, we assume that these things keep us together.
When Venus turns retrograde things come up that put a damper on our ability to see the point in the display. We keep going through the motions, we keep doing what’s expected, and we might as well be sleep walking, until something in us realizes that we are not there, for any of it. This makes us wonder? Do we love this person? Does it matter? Would more sex, or an expensive gift, or a vacation, or a shopping spree do something to repair this ennui? What can we do? Does the fact that I am not here for any of this mean that the relationship is over?
As far as love goes, when Venus turns retrograde the instructions are, ‘Get back to your self’. You haven’t lost touch with your lover, you’ve lost touch with your self. Do whatever it takes to reclaim that piece until Venus turns direct. Being together in a conscious way requires us to be ‘Alone with the One’ for periods of time – that’s all. Revisit the part of your being that made your partner love you to begin with and give them space to do the same.
In the gaps where Venus is retrograde we get to reconnect with ourselves and reassess our values. During these phases we come face to face with what it is that we really long for. At that point we have no choice but to disengage from outer things and come back to ourselves – in a real and true sense. In the act of redefining who we are, what we love, and what we truly value, these periods of self reflection open the space for us to reenter the outer reality with a deeper understanding of what has worth. If we do our homework what we discover is that, that which is lasting and permanent costs absolutely nothing and comes from within.
Venus will be retrograde until January 29th. This gives all of us close to two more weeks to figure out what really matters. This will be easier for some of us than it will be for others. The more attached we are to status quo constructs, the harder it will be to deal with things that remind us that appearances lie, that money isn’t God, and that as far as love goes, it’s an inside job.
Uranus turns direct: Uranus is the spirit of change and revolution. It has been retrograde since last August. Its direct motion coincides with the upcoming full Moon, on January 17th. From what I have noticed, when Uranus turns direct, changes that have been a long time coming make themselves known.
Because Uranus is the most unpredictable planet in the solar system I have no way of knowing how these changes will play out. What I do know is that retrograde Mercury is ready to support the idea that it’s time to rearrange a few things, and that retrograde Venus is giving us a chance to come to terms with what matters - so let’s cross our fingers, be prepared for anything, keep an eye on the way the world turns between now and the first week of February, and keep reminding ourselves that God always wins.
Till next time - XOXOXOX
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New York Times Article
‘Astrology is Hard, Even if it’s Fake’- by Callie Beusman
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/style/astrology-exam.html
This piece floated across my screen a couple of days ago. People read things like this and take it as gospel. For someone like me, or anyone who has worked in the field for as long as I have, this article is not just condescending; it’s bullshit. Beyond that it propagates ignorance. And because people are of the mind that The New York Times is the last word on everything, it eclipses any impulse that their readers might have to dig deeper. Part of me would like to punch the author in the face – but, what good would it do? Sometimes you just have to turn the other cheek and forgive people, because, ignorance is bliss, and ‘They know not what they do’.
Copyright - Cal Garrison: 2021: ©
“The Walk of Life”
I have been a working astrologer for fifty years. The column that you see posted here every Sunday has been in print for the last thirty. Over time, my horoscopes have gained quite a following. Of late, they have expanded to include articles that showcase more than just run-of-the-mill, sign-to-sign predictions. If you learn something from what you find here, or if what I write helps you to make sense of things, or inspires you in some way, it means a lot to me. While you are on this website, you are welcome to take a look around. There are short stories, articles, videos, and free downloads that you won’t find anywhere else. All of it is free, and shared with a desire to bring light to the world. On any day when what’s written here opens your heart or your mind to something new, and you feel called to ‘pay it forward’ with some ‘loose change’, a donation, large or small, made to my PayPal account (paypal.me/calgarrisongmailcom) would be greatly appreciated, and make it possible for me to not only share the very best of what I have to offer, but to continue, “The Walk of Life”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTHn_sxrN0&list=RD_qTHn_sxrN0&start_radio=1&t=0paypal.me/calgarrisongmailcom
“The Walk of Life”
I have been a working astrologer for fifty years. The column that you see posted here every Sunday has been in print for the last thirty. Over time, my horoscopes have gained quite a following. Of late, they have expanded to include articles that showcase more than just run-of-the-mill, sign-to-sign predictions. If you learn something from what you find here, or if what I write helps you to make sense of things, or inspires you in some way, it means a lot to me. While you are on this website, you are welcome to take a look around. There are short stories, articles, videos, and free downloads that you won’t find anywhere else. All of it is free, and shared with a desire to bring light to the world. On any day when what’s written here opens your heart or your mind to something new, and you feel called to ‘pay it forward’ with some ‘loose change’, a donation, large or small, made to my PayPal account (paypal.me/calgarrisongmailcom) would be greatly appreciated, and make it possible for me to not only share the very best of what I have to offer, but to continue, “The Walk of Life”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTHn_sxrN0&list=RD_qTHn_sxrN0&start_radio=1&t=0paypal.me/calgarrisongmailcom
