The Occultation of Venus

A key astrological feature of 2012 is the Occultation of Venus, when Venus eclipses the Sun on 6 June 2012. This is a rare event, signalling a re-evaluation of values on both a personal and global scale. At the time of the occultation, Venus is retrograde, moving between the Sun and the Earth. During these retrograde phases, Venus reviews mundane and worldly matters. There are strong impulses to make changes in the areas of relationships, the arts, and finances.

Venus occultations occur in pairs, eight years apart, approximately every 120 years. In June 2004, the first of the current pair occurred. The upcoming Venus transit in June 2012 is the last for another 120 years. In this cycle, Venus makes one point in a star-shape path five times within eight years. This golden mean ratio of 5:8 is known as the divine proportion that can be seen in natural objects such as the shell and the rose. The shape of the rose is associated with Venus, love, beauty, and linked with mystical orders such as the Freemasons. The most symbolic representation of the rose is the five-pointed star, as represented by the Star of David and the pentagram. The divine proportion is behind all great works of art and architecture, the human body, and DNA structure. Gerald Holton created the peace sign, based on key points in Venus’ cycle, as an anti-nukes campaign symbol in 1958.

Transits of Venus are rare planetary events. They occur in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart, separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The last pair of Venus and Sun crossings happened in Sagittarius in 1874 and 1882, triggering the expansion of physical luxuries available in the developed world, and coinciding with the rise of the Dandy in Europe. This year, on 6 June 2012, Venus makes a conjunction to the Sun, initiating a new eight-year star pattern for Venus in the personal sign of Gemini. We are entering a phase of re-education, communicating, and becoming aware of our actions and their consequences within our environment. On a personal level, meetings of Venus with the Sun mark beginning points in our love life with other people and with ourselves.

For those of you living in Sydney, Venus crosses the right side of the Sun on Wednesday, 6 June 2012 at 8.16am, completing its crossing at 2.44pm. And while this may be a fascinating event, watching it with the naked eye could damage your vision. The Sydney Observatory’s sessions booked out months ago, however, there may still be vacancies at the University of Western Sydney Penrith observatory. Happy sky-gazing!