Rosy Love Goddess update

Retrograde Venus is now in that all-important very phase as she re-enters the last degree of Pisces (tropically) on the 12th of April, staying the sign of her exaltation until the 24th April; meaning she is in the best possible place she can be to emanate a cosmic kind of love within the collective environment. This end degree of the zodiac implies an inherent understanding of all that has gone before; with the planet of love at 29 degrees Pisces it suggests that when we come from the heart we’re able to forgive, show tolerance and empathise in any given situation to be compassionate towards others (even if they upset us). At this very last degree of the zodiac imagination is the key to shaping the future.

Venus, symbol of all we care for and cherish, as a morning star awakens the love vibration; and as she rises she is also gaining light with her greatest brilliance on May 5th. (Lucky Taureans who have birthdays around that time!)

After her biblical 40 day retrograde, Venus goes forward on the 18th April. Yet the day before she leaves Pisces to go back into Aires she kickes her heels in two last moves in her cosmic dance, which are rather extraordinary as she first conjunts Mars on the 21st, then occults the Moon, on the 22nd April. (Venus last occult the moon October 2008).

Exalted Venus can have a soothing effect upon feisty Mars, and previous warring factions should come to an agreement; Mars only disarms for Venusian charms. The the coming together of the cosmic lovers signals ♥ LOVE CONQUERS ALL ♥ and to actively raise bodhicitta (opening the heart-mind) in order to show limitless compassion to other sentient beings becomes even more relevent, on a universal scale. This dynamic union preceeds the occultation, the hidden transference of energy between planets as they come together to create a potent influence. Mars is dynamic, while Venus represents love, and the Moon our emotions.

With this particular occultation the Moon will be waning. A waning moon encourages us to release negative feelings. A Moon~Venus ~Mars transmission of this calibre is specifically about overcoming personal desires and balancing our sense of self-worth with the needs of others, i.e. the collective. This is not to say we should be selfish or egoist, but to see the value in being oneself aligned within a greater whole, i.e. there is no difference between one or many. To be aware of this interdependence encourages self-awareness and unconditional love (of self and others) and an ability to act upon heartfelt intention at the same time mindful of the changes now being implimented in the spirit of cooperation.
Let the love shine on….

Cham Dance

Masked dance always strikes an unexplainable chord within me. Dance takes us to those unfathomable depths that enable one to communicate with the Divine. The Tibetan Masked Cham dance is particularly wonderful; I also like it because it is in 3 parts – like the action of a retrograde planet, such as Venus who is our current Queen of the cosmic retrograde Dance. Venus had been pressing ahead into the radiant night sky, full of stately splendour, eagerly seeking love with lust and ardour; then on March 7th, she stopped at 18◦ of go-getting Aries before internalising a retrospective phase to deal with certain *issues* and, like the Cham Dancer, confront her demons. In our present Venus-in-Aries scenario, the issue we can effectively address is self-love, and the barriers we create to total self-acceptance.

I don’t mean ‘self-love’ in an egotistical ‘Hey, everyone look how great I am!’ kind of way, but valuing the innate kindness and love that comes from the heart is essential for a positive self-image and self-acceptance. Funnily enough, we westerners can have such big of issues about self-worth; thinking ‘oh, my nose is too big’ or ‘I’m not rich enough’, or, ‘I’m not fabulous enough to have a lover, job or friend that is good for me’; the mind then allows such thoughts to get us down and damage our self-esteem, and we end up believing all the lies and misconceptions our ego tells us. His Holiness, Dalai Lama is always amazed how westerners can devalue ourselves, when the precious human rebirth is such a treasure. Everyone has their own gift to bring humanity, for some it is healing, music, dance or sport, for others its meditating, parenting, caring, working with animals, swimming, singing, driving or making or selling things, even the way of the warrior can be spiritual, (especially now, with Mars in Pisces).

The second part of the dance is on Aoril 12th, when Venus will retrograde back into the anaretic 29th, very last degree of Pisces; in her sign of exaltation she emanates an unconditional cosmic kind of love, when the teachings on love and compassion, for oneself and others becomes so pertinent. Taking time for totally forgiving past mistakes (seeing them as something to learn from) and learning to love our demons can be so liberating. The strange things is that when accept and love our negative points they change to become positive –demons can then be transformed into becoming happy because they are loved, and so they stop pestering us! The 3rd part comes on th 18th April when Venus goes forward again. Stevie Wonder says “If you can’t love yourself, then who can you love?” With his words I encourage you to let the Goddess of the Dance open your heart to an endless sea of love and discover in that endless ocean heartfelt compassion and knowledge that the universe always supports you.

Jangchub Lingpa's Cham Dance video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ser_0mBGqjY