Venus in Leo (June 28-July 22) Queen Bee with a Cause

Rider Waite Deck

With Venus in Leo (Queen of Wands in the Tarot deck) I keep seeing images of an empress or a queen holding court. However, this isn't just any queen, but a more noble queen with interests that go beyond herself and her kingdom.  Venus traveled into Leo on June 28 (one day before my birthday) and conjuncted with the asteroid Ceres.  Ceres is another name for Demeter who I believe was an earth goddess of harvest.  She's also famous for losing her daughter Persephone when Hades abducted the maiden and hid her in the underworld.  Well, that's Hades for you.

When Venus and Ceres join hands you can bet those two females have an interest in the welfare of the planet as well as, harvesting the bounty of the earth.  Venus after all represents more than just female allure and sexual attraction.  While she has gained a bad reputation over the centuries as a coquettish flirt whose only interested in herself, ironically, in the heart-centered sign of Leo, she wants to share her joy and love with the world while, yes, looking fabulous in the process and perhaps, standing center stage when she delivers her blessings to humanity and in this case, that has something to do with food, prosperity and abundance.

However, we ask, how is she going to achieve this aim given the current state of the planet? On June 28, Venus formed a sextile with Jupiter who was in the late degrees of Gemini--at that time she was feeling hopeful she would achieve her mission through higher learning and social media.  However, with a square to Saturn in Scorpio (4 degrees) she would need to overcome obstacles and prove that her mission is real and with in inconjunct to Neptune in Pisces, forgo the glamour and just get the job done.

On July 6 through July 9 (or 10th with a wider orb), Venus in Leo trine Uranus in Aries bringing out the warrior side.  Here you have the woman intellect or academic making pioneering innovations in the world.  Under this aspect you meet the fearless woman demanding her purpose is heard in the world.  Then on July 10 Venus in Leo opposes Juno in Aquarius (until July 14) where she battles with self verses humanity, as well as, a woman's role in relationships and the home.  Here again, you could see revolutionary women grabbing the spotlight or basking in the limelight.  We also see a square to Chiron (RX) at this time so women are dealing with childhood wounds too.  Perhaps, doubts creep up about not being enough.  Certainly, with Venus ruling women, the female half of the population will question their self-worth and value in the world.

Rider Waite Deck

Venus transits into Virgo on July 23, three days after Mercury goes stationary direct and Uranus goes retrograde.  At this point, Venus switches her focus to service and how she can serve others.  No longer the queen or empress, Venus dons the guise of the nun or the nurse.  And even with men, there is a sense of bringing out the servant and the mission of serving the planet in some way.  Venus also represents ecology and Virgo reaps the harvest or fruits of our labor.

However, back to Venus in Leo, we are looking at a short span  where the queen's eyes are on serving the greater good through some kind of harvest. With Ceres involved at the beginning of the transit and Juno and Chiron coming in later, as well as, brief transits to Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, we could be looking at women revamping their image along with the emergence of the Divine Feminine.  But in order for this to occur we must look at self-value issues, self-love without narcissist overtones, and bring out those zany and innovative ideas we would like to share with the world.

For men, this is about getting in touch with the feminine side and healing it.  It's okay to be vulnerable, admit you are sometimes wrong, that you don't have any answers, or if you do, you still need the other half of humanity to help you implement them.  But she's yelling along with Aretha Franklin, "R-e-s-p-e-ct!" And you had better listen.  This is not a time to blow up walls except for the walls that keep us separated or divided, and from the rubble build new bridges and new kingdoms that honor all living creatures. With Mars (which represents men and our male side in the feminine sign Cancer) this process could get underway because men automatically feel more vulnerable under this aspect.