Venus Cazimi Meditation
Transmissions from the Heart of the Sun
The Venus retrograde cycle is associated with the myth of Inanna, the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, justice, and political power.
As one iteration of the story (loosely) goes, Inanna descends to the underworld, and unlike other deities, returns to the heavens. In this purification process, she crosses seven "gates," which align with Moon/Venus conjunctions and the symbolic order of the chakras, from the crown to the root. Each gate on the descent represents something Inanna must give up or shed, and which, upon her ascent, becomes a tool or gift she uses to reclaim her sovereignty.
From the psycho-spiritual perspective, Inanna, and Venus’s retrograde cycle, represent a letting go of old conditioning and identification of the self, and, in the sign of Leo, the retrieval of our true heart’s desire.
Inspired by Inanna’s descent into the underworld, please enjoy this 20-minute recorded transmission. A visual meditation timed with the pivotal Sun/Venus conjunction, Venus’s rebirth, on August 13 at 4:12 am PT (your time zone) at 20 degrees Leo.
Written by friend and colleague Julianne Cohen when Venus’s rebirth was in Libra, adapted by Neva Welton for the current cycle, and recorded by Liz Wickhart, this guided journey is an invitation to deepen into the last 20 days of Venus’s retrograde, find strength in the heart of the Sun, and ready oneself for the next 20 days of her cycle— the ascent.
Consider this…
Venus cazimi is the halfway point of her retrograde dance. It’s a powerful moment to make offerings to Venus and to meditate on the connection between what we have lost, as a conduit to what we have gained. Heartbreak leads to heart opening when we walk the beauty way.
Venus officially becomes a morning star when she emerges from the beams of the Sun on August 23. On September 4, Venus stations direct, and then leaves Leo on October 9.
Between now and Venus’s station direct, consider reversing the order as presented in the meditation and allow yourself to travel from the 1st gate to the 7th gate, reclaiming what you stripped away during the descent and using each retrieval as a tool for liberation.
We still have a few spots left for our second AO Salon, August 24, 11 am – 12:15 pm PT. Join us for a creative discussion on the significance of the Nodal shift into Aries and Libra! Limited to 12 people.
Thank you. My answer was you don't need to know anything...
Thank you AO for sharing this beautiful post and mesmerising meditation! I found it so illuminating after a challenging week. I had not realised how armoured and martial in appearance my descending part was relative to the accompanying evening star in the meditation. It felt empowering to visualise the gradual release of those protective/defensive layers and to return to feeling empowered from the sacred depths within. Thank you!