Venus & Mars in the Heart of the Sun

Whore of Babylon, painting by Ernst Fuchs. The artwork, measuring 190 x 150 cm, is a significant piece within his larger project for the Apocalypse Chapel at the Parish Church of St. Egyd in Klagenfurt, Austria. I really love this version of the goddess, and the magic-realism of his style.

On the 6 January at 12.04 am (New Zealand time), Venus, Mars and the Sun enter into a rare configuration; a double Cazimi. A fancy word for a special type of conjunction.

Venus and Mars perfect their conjunction on the 8 January just after 4 pm but the Cazimi peaks on the following day at the 20th degree of Capricorn when all three planets are conjunct.

Note the dates from 6 January to 9 January and if you live in the Northern hemisphere it will be 7 to 10 January. Of course times will vary depending on where you are so I might be a bit casual with the orbs. The main days are the 8 and 9 of January.

The last time we had a Mars and Venus simultaneous cazimi it was August 1987 in Leo. Among other things, that year was notable for the peak of the especially crass greed-is-good era of the 1980’s and the Black Monday stock crash that followed in October.

And something more hopeful; a push toward nuclear disarmament began with the signing of the INF treaty between Cold War super-powers in December of that year.

Cazimi — what does it mean?

Without getting into a technical description of the synodic cycles of planets (fascinating though they are), I can say that ancient astrologers attached great symbolic importance to a planet’s conjunctions with the Sun.

Its a lengthy process, each phase having its own name and meaning.

As the planet approaches the Sun and is within 15 degrees of orb it disappears from the night sky. The technical term being under the beams.

When Venus entered Scorpio and Mars entered Sagittarius on November 7 they both began to fade from the sky because they were under the beams. This initiated something, obviously they are in cahoots.

Symbolically when a planet is under the beams and invisible (because the Sun’s light obscures it), it is said to be acting in secret. Whether intentional or not, they remain hidden from us until they are on the other side.

Within 8 degrees of the Sun the planet is combust. Venus and Mars were combust at roughly at the same time on 7 December.

The closer they get the hotter they become. Like someone lost in the desert without a hat, becoming weaker and weaker until they wither and die. Thanks to Chris Brennan for the lovely metaphor (Hellenistic Astrology, p.203). So planets within 8 degrees of the Sun are increasingly ineffectual as they slowly fall into the Sun. The Sun takes all their power and light. It burns them up.

The paradoxical concept of Cazimi was adopted and developed by later Medieval astrologers who observed a seriously magical minute when the planet was within 1 degree of the conjunction. They called it kasmimi — in the heart of the Sun.

And because the Sun is the King they metaphorically sit on the King’s knee, holding all his royal power and authority.

A Cazimi in a birth chart is considered a rare and powerful signature for dignity. In contrast planets that are under the beams or combust require attention and awareness, but needless to say it’s rather common so don’t be concerned if you happen to have one or two.

I see Cazimi as a death and rebirth moment for the planet and the pinnacle of the entire synodic cycle. A planet’s journey around the Sun has come to an end when it meets the Sun. It dies in the heart of the Sun and then emerges once more, reborn, shiny, new and different.

A new cycle begins. A fresh new cycle of potential and possibility. The rebirth of the planet is a special and observable astrological process, where the planet gradually becomes visible either rising in the morning or setting in the evening.

As it becomes more visible it symbolically regains power and influence.

I love the mystery of them and the way we can track them to understand the story we are living in. Simply observing is all that’s required. The significance of it can then be embodied and thats how we heal and grow, from the inside out.

Think back to early November and ask what things have been diminishing or fading away? You might notice Venus themes like tastes that no longer hold any flavour, friends that have disappeared, clothes that don’t fit. Or Mars themes like jobs that begin to seem pointless or onerous, machines that don’t work, your strength or courage wanes, attractions and desires flip. Pay attention to these subtle signs, let your intuition guide you.

The Capricorn Cazimi in your chart

This story is especially for you if you have Sun, Moon or Rising in Capricorn and more so if near the 19th or 20th degree or any other planetrs nearby. Or potentially if you have Capricorn on one of the angles or you have more than one planet or the lunar nodes in Capricorn.

Even if you don’t have a strong Capricorn place it might be interesting to observe what’s happening among your friends, family, socials and community, or the world at large.

So considering Venus and Mars both have their cycles renewed — their rebirth moment, at the exact same time, what should we look for in our chart? What do these planets mean to you personally?

Summarised from their mythology they are the universal Lovers, War & Peace, the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine, Yang and Yin. There is much more to them than man-woman and gender stereotypes.

Note that Mars in Capricorn traditionally has immunity from the Sun. An exalted planet is said to be in its chariot, a kind of Ancient Greek vehicle that provided both shade and transport. I’m not sure if immunity helps Mars die quicker or more heroically. We will have to wait and see what sort of protection Mars will have, but it might be relevant to you that Mars in Capricorn supposedly has an affinity with soldiers and the police.

Look closely at the house where Capricorn is in your chart if you want to know the part of your life where you will feel this the most. This is especially crucial if Capricorn is your rising or on the 4H, 7H, or 10H, these being like the four corners of your life, the big themes like home and family, health, identity, relationships, career and ambitions, public reputation.

What about 2H or 8H, the financial themes? They could feel the impact of this event.

Something relating to these houses could be closed off, making space for something new, or something dies, is transmogrified, recycled or reconfigured in a new way. This is a permanent change, there is no going back now.

And look also at what houses Venus and Mars represent. This potentially connects large areas of your chart. Where is Taurus and Libra in your chart? Where is Scorpio and Aries? These houses will be activated by this Cazimi, maybe not in an immediately obvious way, but worth noting if you are looking for themes for the coming year.

Whatever happens it points to a shift that will influence the entire new cycle of Venus (about 9 months) and Mars (roughly a year and half).

I highly recommend keeping a journal and noting any synchronicities, dreams, insights, patterns or themes you see emerging, or even a symbol or totem that could be a guide on your future path. These things can reveal so much about the journey you are on (or not on, as the case may be) in the days and weeks following the Cazimi.

And if you are into chaos magic and the like, this might be a power moment, a good time to enact a ritual or create a sigil. You can learn about that here from the amazing Gordon White.

What about Capricorn?

The symbolism of the sign can say a lot about the context, the background or flavour of a situation that evolves out of an alignment like this. You might already know how Capricorn themes relate to the house where it is in your chart.

A very simple example: Cancer rising in a whole-sign chart will have Capricorn on 7H. Perhaps you prefer older, serious or earthy types in your personal or long-term relationships? Or perhaps the men you choose are emotionally unavailable, shy and stoic. Or you are serious and traditional in your views on marriage, or avoid it altogether.

The mythology of Capricorn relates to Pan — along with other kindred goat and sea-goat myth-beings, Pan is the most ancient nature god, predating even early Greek myth.

Did you have any strange or potent, goat-like, earthy, feral, or pagan synchronicities in your life? or encounters with raw nature, or ancient traditions?

There are many nuances to this feminine sign just waiting to be discovered by you.

What Else Can We Glean?

There are more techniques available to help us draw out more information and more details to add to the story. For instance, the symbolism of the degree and the decan.

The Chandra symbol for the 20th degree of Capricorn

The Chandra Symbol for this degree is “Many different perfumes carried by a breeze” These scents mingling in a breeze are an image of complexity that can be nearly impossible to analyse or define. This degree is always catching wiffs of things, passing fragments that can be very beautiful and uplifting. It fulfils its highest ability when it moves instinctively with these vibrational eddies without trying to take them apart or figure them out. Everything is always trying to work itself out — it is the ego that holds everything back. Step aside from the ego for a moment and these lovely resonances are picked up which can lead to the most marvellous and unexpected places.~ John Sandbach.

Read more about the Chandra symbol here.

The Sabian Symbol

A HIDDEN CHOIR SINGING DURING A RELIGIOUS SERVICE

This Symbol shows singing, playing or enjoying music, and, also, to be able to pick up on things that others don’t see or hear. The “Hidden Choir” brings songs, or sounds, with messages of salvation and faith.

Read all the description here.

Decan Capricorn II

This excellent article by T. Susan Chang says so much about Capricorn and themes that could turn out to be relevant.

The deceptively straightforward 3 of Pentacles harbours a secret in the recesses of its two darkened doorways. Behind Door #1, the Tower! Behind, Door #2, the Devil! Not since the 5 of Cups, where the Tower met Death, have two majors of baleful aspect joined forces so powerfully. But here, instead of the Grim Reaper, the Tower meets the Master of Strategy — whose plans are set on winning, winning, so much winning! Why is the Tower’s martial force so different in character here? We’ll get to that in a moment. ~ T. Susan Chang.

I recommend reading the whole thing here.

I’m looking forward to the new year, and whatever the simultaneous Cazimi manifests for you, I hope it’s just what you are wishing for. Feel free to let me know what happens and what resonates for you.

~ Anna Marie x