posted October 01, 2010 06:40 PM         

If the first person who answers the phone cannot answer your question it's a bureaucracy. If the first person can answer your question, it's a miracle.Gerald F. Lieberman

That's an amazing invention [the telephone], but who would ever want to use one of them? Rutherford B. Hayes (US president)

Well, if this is the wrong number, why did you answer it? James Thurber

I waited and waited and when no message came I knew it must have been from you. Steven Wright

Gossip is nature's telephone. Sholom Aleichem

I've suffered from all of the hang-ups known, and none is as bad as the telephone. Richard Armour

Middle age is when you're sitting at home on Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you. Ogden Nash

Throughout the ages, stories with certain basic themes have recurred over and over, in widely disparate cultures; emerging like the goddess Venus from the sea of our unconscious. Joan D. Vinge

Venus favors the bold. Ovid

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Happening only every 18 months or so, Venus is going retrograde on October 8 and is turning direct again on November 19. However, the actual entire retrograde phase started with Venus going into its shadow (the shadow period is when a planet goes back over degrees it's previously gone over) on September 5 and Venus will clear this shadow on December 20 when she starts her journey again on fresh ground.

Venus is retrograde for 40 days. This reminds me of the "40 days and 40 nights" story from the Bible. Jesus wandered in the wilderness fasting, after which he is said to have been tempted by Satan. It was the number of days in Noah's flood. For more information click here for a Wikipedia page on the number 40.

Although it doesn't have to, retrograde Venus can feel like a time in the wilderness. Whether it's around the issue of money, spending, earnings, direction, possessions, integrity, beauty, attractiveness, marriage, love, romance, or all of those things put together - it's a time for changes, reflection, going inward, revisions of attitude, revising the past and plotting the future. It's a time when things come up for some kind of inspection and realization. Second thoughts can come up, with things you previously thought were on a sound footing feeling like they're crumbling away under your feet. Here are two conflicting quotes about "second thoughts":

Second thoughts oftentimes are the very worst of all thoughts. William Shenstone

Among mortals, second thoughts are wisest. Euripides

So which way to go? Believe those second thoughts or see them as retrograde steps? It's interesting to note that the glyph for retrograde (as in planets being retrograde), Rx, is also the glyph for prescriptions. Plus RX was the telegraph and radio abbreviation for "receive or receiver". Considering the Sabian Symbol for Venus going retrograde, that's a big line-up of symbolism. Sometimes the way forward is startling clear with no alternatives, so - no choice. Other times you can find yourself having those second thoughts and realizing what made you happy in the past is no longer relevant, possible or rewarding. Relationships sometimes end, others will start and some will go deeper into working out issues that are inhibiting true relationship. However, the main thrust is to make sure you're traveling on the path with the sound footing.

Venus is going retrograde on Scorpio 14: Telephone Linemen At Work Installing New Connections. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom*

‘Telephone Linemen at Work Installing New Connections’ shows people working and concentrating on laying the ‘Lines’ for ‘Connections’ so that people may communicate with each other easily and effectively. They are laying cables to allow for the smooth functioning of the ‘Telephone’ system. They have a clear understanding of how the equipment works and how necessary and valuable it is to enable people to link up with each other.

This Symbol reflects an increase in the forms of communication that you can have access to, or that you have more communications coming to you. You may find that there has been a failure in communicating your thoughts, ideas or emotions lately. Something is being (or needs to be) done or laid down, in order to solve, repair or patch up the situation. There is nothing to be achieved by worrying about any recent “connection” failures, however something should be done to set about making or repairing the necessary ‘Lines’ of communication. Sometimes advice and help must be called on for all to be resolved. This may need to be expert advice, but it can also be gathered from your own common sense. This can symbolize expansion into areas like the Internet, faxes or business lines. It can also represent the spiritual connection to the “other side”, even channeling. Sometimes, however, in the ‘Installing of New Connections’ problems of crossed-lines occur. It’s important to listen for the real truth in the communications that are being made, not to all the faint chitchat that surrounds what’s being said. Networking and new lines of communications often open up after this Symbol is revealed.

Keywords: Acupuncture and other therapies that work on the body’s meridians. The nervous system. The Internet. Forming new lines of communication. New connections taking place. Linking people up. Making sure that messages get through. Mobile phones, faxes, email. Networks and networking. Switchboards. Satellites. Wires. The ability to reach far distances. Getting on other peoples’ wavelengths. Contacts. Hooking up with the system. UFO experiences. Mobile phones.

The Caution: Failing to see the necessity for repairs to personal communication. Becoming involved in other people’s lives. Gossip. News, thoughts and ideas spreading rapidly and getting out of control. Constant chatting. Being fickle. Sabotage. Engaged signals.

Venus and Mars are conjunct (next to each other), with Mars on Scorpio 16. The Sabian Symbol is A Girl's Face Breaking Into A Smile. This is a wonderful degree which shows the need for smiling and radiating happiness which allows you to draw others closer to you. For some, with Mars on this degree (which can be a positive or a negative, depending on your circumstance), there may be a lack of happiness, warmth, sincerity or desire to reach out to others. Certainly this is a very strong Venus retrograde with Venus and Mars together in Scorpio. Scorpio brings up strong feelings and emotions including passion, rage, jealousy, envy and the desire to relate on a deep level.

The Quest Degree of Mars (the degree following and the degree that Mars moves quickly onto) is Scorpio 17: A Woman, Filled With Her Own Spirit, Is The Father Of Her Own Child. This can show single parenthood, being proud of one's individuality, feeling capable of anything, spiritual experiences that fill one with one's own spirit, self-reliance, the lack of a father figure, in vitro fertilization, the complications of adoption, self sufficiency, facing the world feeling whole (or not), having the right to determine one's own future. It can also be uncompromising feminism or chauvinism, feeling like one has to be responsible for everything, unrealistic independence, being left alone and abandoned, having no one to turn to for support, being an adult before one's time.

Mars continues to move forward through Scorpio, while Venus goes backwards over the degrees. The Karmic Condition of Venus (the degree before) is Scorpio 13: An Inventor Performs A Laboratory Experiment. This can show the need to make some experiments in your life. What's not working? What might work if you try a new set of ingredients? What changes can be made? This degree is sometimes about taking risks and looking for answers.

The next degree that Venus retrogrades over is Scorpio 12: A Brilliant Assembly Of Dignitaries At An Official Embassy Ball. This speaks of partying and having fun, manners and protocol, dressing and looking right, who knows who and what it's worth, social and political standing, the Cinderella story, sparkling occasions, international relations, the "My Fair Lady" story, social engineering, speaking the right language. It can be gate crashing or feeling like you'll never get an invitation to 'the ball', having to sit at home while others are out socializing or having to do all the housework and cleaning up after others.

Venus goes retrograde smack on the new Moon in Libra. Libra (the sign that rules relationships) is ruled by Venus (the planet that rules relationships), so this is a very strong Venus retrograde story. Further, Mercury and Saturn are conjunct (together) in Libra. Plus, Venus will retrograde back into Libra. So, relationships are definitely in the spotlight.

Mercury and Saturn are conjunct on Libra 9: Three Old Masters Hanging In A Special Room In An Art Gallery - Sometimes They Seem To Speak To Each Other. This speaks of reverence for art, form and tradition, images bringing messages (this is the Sun degree of Marc Edmund Jones, the astrologer who gave birth to the Sabian Symbols), it's about the art of placement, the Sabian Symbols as images, animations, portraits, faces. This conjunction of Mercury and Saturn can show loneliness, alienation and feeling like one can't speak one's truth. A remedy can be getting your life in order (perhaps doing the filing, taxes or paperwork) throwing things out that don't work, being discriminating about what you allow into your life.

Although Venus goes retrograde on October 8, in reality it's been in its shadow period since early September. Venus goes direct (forward) again on November 18 on Libra 28: A Man Alone In Deep Gloom, Unnoticed, Angels Are Coming To His Aid. This speaks of feelings of finally not being totally alone, awareness of spiritual forces in times of need, salvation versus depression, feeling like one's luck is about to change, changes in the "weather", helpers arriving just when they're needed, brightening influences, angels and spiritual forces for good, guardian angels. Hopefully, the message of this Venus retrograde period is one of coming out of difficulties, finding friends and helpers (or being that for others) and feeling a release of energy.

Venus is then in its shadow period (passing back over the degrees it's previously transited) until December 20 when it's back on Scorpio 14: Telephone Linemen At Work Installing New Connections. So, it will be Christmas before Venus really gets going in forward motion over new ground.