(St. Teresa of Avila came to mind for Venus-Eros in Virgo)
Venus enters Virgo: September 4 at 9:05 PM Pacific
Leaves Virgo September 29
Venus will ingress into Virgo in a close conjunction to asteroid Eros in Virgo – and the two will travel in orb together during Venus’ stay in Virgo.
Eros is an archetype of obviously – the erotic – but more broadly, the deepest sensations of aliveness. In my Eros research and understanding, Saturn is always in the picture archetypally. This is because the deepest feelings of aliveness can inspire our love ethic, our standards, and our capacity to say yes to life.
Inversely, the struggle of Eros relates to the ways in which we wall ourselves off to life and sensation. Historically, the prevalence of sexual shame and persecution of the erotic is an example of the cultural response to the force of Eros.
When I think of Eros, it is about being penetrated by life (Cupid’s bow piercing hearts).
Welcome back! Or in case this is your first time here, I’m Sabrina Monarch and I’m a soul-centered astrologer. I love providing perspectives on the opportunities of transits and putting into words what the zeitgeist feels like at this moment in time, to support you on your path & open a dialogue between us and the cosmos. If you would like to receive my writing to your inbox and be notified of upcoming educational opportunities, sign up for my mailing list here.
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Let’s consider Venus in Virgo and come back to the Venus-Eros conjunction that will be an influence this month.
Venus in craft, precision-oriented & methodical Virgo conjures up images of interior designers, herbalists, housewitchery, and art that is by its nature Mercurial.
At an inner, psychological level, Venus in Virgo puts us in contact with the parts of our relational nature (to self, to other, to life) that can see the possibility of improvement and inversely, all that is ‘wrong’, imperfect, not good enough.
Naturally, this month may put us contact with these types of Venusian crises around self-esteem or dissatisfaction within relationship. To an extent, being aware of what could be better inspires progress (especially if we can take relevant, aligned action in relationship with the awareness). But also, the consciousness of “not enough” is infinite.
There have been a few times in my life I’ve really died to the illusion that one day I would have everything figured out or be perfectly organized or have all my systems running perfectly at once. Life is messy, and something being in a state of perfection/cleanliness is only temporary and requires upkeep. Perennial perfection is not a fair standard to hinge love upon, so Venus in Virgo can invite us to find love in what is, as well. Where do we draw the line between acceptance & the need to do something about it?
Venus and Eros together in Virgo – some possibilities
Practices that help us open to life
Practices that help us cultivate a relationship with the erotic may be especially relevant at this time or emerging in our awareness. It could be embodiment practices, self-massage, doing enchantment magic in the mirror, meditatively making herbal tea and being present with the plant, breathwork — endless possibilities. But these are ritualistic games we play to practice opening to life.
Opening to life is not always about pure rapture and bliss or even just “feeling good”. Opening to life brings up a variety of sensations. Intimacy with ourselves can relate to the way we develop range and capacity to be with ourselves with whatever is coming up. Maybe we have an idea that self massage “should feel good” but in actuality our skin feels tender, we feel the ways we are disconnected, and it feels crunchy. What does it look like to say yes to that?
I love (and die inside a bit in the best way!) when the people I’m in connection with love me as I am in moments I am having difficulty accepting myself. The relationship we have with self and the relationship we have with others is truly not as separate as it appears. Loving where we are at can be a radical medicine to give to ourselves (in the doses we can really accept, increasingly). Acceptance also makes way for change, should we like to improve ultimately.
The erotic inspiring us to “be better”
At this time, our experiences of the erotic inspire a sense of wanting to “be better”. This can range from feeling painful (being in the painbody of not being good enough) to being a profound feeling of inspiration – to love or be penetrated by life so deeply that we feel parts of ourselves dying and new parts of ourselves being born.
It is not easy or kind to beat oneself into shape and transformation need not be so self-abusive. If we are in the pattern of self-punishment, practices that help us relax into self-acceptance become more important. I enjoy embodiment practices and self-development practices that allow me to dramatize and exaggerate where I am currently at so that I can say yes to it all the way, and then let that layer fall off. This has been more effective for me than suppressing behaviors or emotions that I judge.
The more I get to know Venus, it feels like she likes expression and to be expressed, she likes to be messy too. It can be as weird as rolling around on the floor making guttural noises, as delicate as dancing out a nuanced feeling of tenderness. Creating some space in our alone time to be weird and expressive in a way that is edgy or unfamiliar to us is an internal version of overcoming shyness and getting comfortable talking to people at a gathering. Alone, it is getting comfortable with our own being, our own animal. In a space of integration, this kind of enlivened self-intimacy does impact how confident, comfortable, and creative we feel in our connections.
The erotic inspiring us to be “be better” could be an exquisite feeling of being so moved by the goodness, by the depth, by the beauty, that we want to up-level, we want to make critical adjustments in our lives to reach toward the erotic inspiration we have met.
A spiritual & ritualistic suggestion
Prayer and having an ongoing conversation with Spirit/God/Source is profoundly important in my experience. The Virgo-Pisces axis is about braiding Spirit & Matter, Heaven & Earth, and the various dualities along these lines which are really so inter-penetrating more than they are separate. Sometimes feelings are so large to carry – it is just as meaningful to build the capacity in the self and the body to be with life, as it is meaningful to ask for divine support.
At a layer of crisis, in moments of despair/anxiety/etc, I pray to the angels or stars or whoever I feel called to to help me transmute. Or I say, “I am opening to a new frame of time,” and ritualistically step into a new moment. This is not to “spiritually bypass” my problems, but to acknowledge I am not alone in dealing with them.
At a layer of fun, I like coming up with playful magic like saying, “I have beautiful and inspiring dreams” when I braid my hair at night before bed, or “my eyes perceive beauty” when I put on my eyeliner. I just do this for fun, but it opens up a new layer of creativity and also emphasizes the correspondence between intention/ether and material reality.
Find or come up with your own practices to say yes to aliveness this month.
Special Event coming up September 9
Mars remediation 🥇 Daniela Gil and I are hosting an event September 9 that will help you access the Akashic Records as a new (or deepened) spiritual tool to engage the upcoming Mars retrograde.
Mars in Gemini will aspect Neptune during this retrograde, so having a spiritual tool/practice like accessing the Akashic Records seemed incredibly relevant. The Mars in Gemini higher M.O is to understand we have options – the Mars-Neptune higher M.O is to choose an inspired path, an inspired choose your own adventure at any multivalent crossroad.
I’ve been tuning into the records every day since Daniela’s retreat in Crete & am excited to be collaborating with her and sharing this amazing practice with you.
Sign up here. September 9 2-4 PM pacific, astrological transmission from me and Akashic teaching and support opening our own records via Daniela! recording available for those who register but cannot attend live.
with Love and Eros,
Sabrina Monarch
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