Before explaining why I have diverged from Shamanic Astrology and the Turning of the Ages Mystery School in how I mark the start of the Venus cycle, I want to acknowledge my teachers, Daniel Giamario and Cayelin Castell. The reintroduction of the synodic cycles into modern astrology must be attributed to them. It was during the early to mid-1990’s that they began to link the entire approximately 584 day Venus cycle to a mythic framework outlined in the Descent of Inanna, and to identify the structure you’ll find on this website and in the Venus Cycle Dates.
But what good student doesn’t eventually diverge in some way from their teachers?
Venus’ Heliacal Rise
Both TOTAMS (Giamario) and Venus Alchemy (Castell) anchor the Venus cycle around Venus’ heliacal rise when Venus suddenly becomes visible in the eastern sky before dawn, launching its eight-month period as the Morning Star. Many ancient cultures held rituals and celebrations or even went to war upon Venus’ heliacal rise, and relied upon this observation to rectify their calendars. Using Venus’ heliacal rise aligns with the Earth-based observer type of astrology that both Daniel and Cayelin have championed for decades.
And indeed, learning to understand the night sky, to connect the sky with the astrology chart, developing a direct relationship with the sun, planets, and stars has been a profound life-changing education for me, for which I am incredibly grateful. The first time I saw Venus’ heliacal rise was with Daniel and a group of Shamanic Astrologers in the Tucson desert. We had to wake up before 4 am. It shone so fiercely it was hard for me to believe it had been invisible the day before. It felt like a portent.
But I’ve always struggled with Daniel’s rationale for using the heliacal rise to mark the beginning of the Venus Cycle. He argues that it reinforces the direct participatory relationship with the sky. Then he calculates Venus’ heliacal rise by casting a chart for the moment when Venus reaches ten degrees separation from the Sun using astrological software. This is the method TOTAMS still uses. These charts often come up with times of day when Venus cannot be seen at all–midnight or afternoon or whenever Venus makes its exact ten degree separation from the Sun. The reasons are practical: Venus’ heliacal rise varies based on the observer’s latitude and other local viewing conditions such as horizon lines and weather. To me, this abstract chart somewhat undermines the direct participatory argument.
Venus’ Conjunction with the Sun
But the arbitrary nature of an astrological chart cast for Venus’ ten-degree separation from the Sun is only one reason I have instead chosen to use Venus’ exact inferior conjunction with the Sun to mark the beginning of the cycle. This conjunction occurs with precise regularity during every Venus cycle, when Venus passes between the Earth and Sun while moving retrograde.
I have instead chosen to use Venus’ exact inferior conjunction with the Sun to mark the beginning of the cycle.
First and foremost, the parallel between the Sun-Venus conjunction and the New Moon appeals to my sense of order. We use the Sun-Moon conjunction when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun to mark the beginning of the moon cycle, describing it as a time to plant seeds. Why not treat the Venus cycle in the same way?
Beyond that, the Sun-Venus conjunction packs an energetic punch that is hard to ignore. The inferior conjunction, when Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, is typically accompanied to the day by a sudden shifting of gears, or the beginning of a new major project or area of focus, particularly for those who will experience a Venus Return during that cycle.
While we cannot witness the Sun-Venus conjunction from Earth because the Sun’s brilliance interferes, neither is it in any way arbitrary. The Earth-based observer cannot see the alignment, but thanks to modern astrophysics, we can know the exact moment of the conjunction. This alignment does not vary based on latitude or local conditions. In short, the alignment is perfect.
Synchronicity: As Above, So Below
I find it interesting that the popular availability of astrological software which allows us to easily calculate the conjunction without needing to observe it coincides with the popularization of Jung’s concept of synchronicity, and with physics’ very public struggles with quantum entanglement and other notions of simultaneity.
Daniel Giamario has always maintained that astrology doesn’t work through cause and effect. The planets don’t cause change, their motions coincide with it through the Hermetic principles of “As above, so below.” Likewise, we don’t need to see Venus line up with the Sun to begin a new Venus cycle. Instead, a new Venus cycle can be understood to begin at the same time that the Sun and Venus align, though the alignment is hidden within the fierce glare of the Sun’s brilliance.
In the end, I believe that both methods are valid, the heliacal rise particularly for ceremonial purposes. But my planners uses the inferior conjunction of Venus and the Sun to mark the beginning of the cycle and to define its overtone.
Anyone tracking the Venus Cycle today would benefit from watching for the rise of the Morning Star and casting the chart for the first moment they see it in the east. An advanced project might precisely track the heliacal rise of Venus in your location across multiple cycles, working with the charts for those moments, trusting that your observation will be perfect for you through the power of synchronicity.
