Corruption and Scandal? Venus Squares Jupiter

Hey everyone, this is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology, and today we are going to take a look at Venus's upcoming square to Jupiter. Now Venus is in a Jupiter-ruled sign in Sagittarius and is going to be pushing through the square to Jupiter and Pisces by the end of this week. We are getting ready for that right now as the two planets are starting to get into that engagement range where Venus is coming to within three degrees of the square to Jupiter. So that is what we're going to unpack today. We're going to take a look at the archetypal universe cookbook has some really nice things to say about the Venus-Jupiter combination. I'm going to read you a little passage from an essay called Aphrodites Justice. And I'm actually going to read to you a few passages 1,2,3,4,5 brief little paragraphs here from the likes of people like Valens, Dorotheus, Orpheus, and Anubio, Pseudo Valens.

These are ancient Hellenistic manuscripts that commented on the Venus square to Jupiter. And we're going to talk about why this transit was sort of illicit in the ancient world and why there might have been some, maybe even some cultural or historical prejudice or baggage around how ancient astrologers read. Venus Jupiter transits like. You'll be surprised to find out that some of the way that they would have interpreted Venus and Jupiter was surprisingly negative. And you'd be like, Well, why we're going to unpack some of that today, and also hopefully, vindicate Venus and Jupiter's square from some of the negativity that you see in some of the ancient texts, which I as I was looking into it today, I just found all of it fast, all of this fascinating, and I was like, I think you guys will, too. So anyway, that's what we're going to do today.

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All right. Well, let's take a look at this transit, which is coming through at the end of this week. But we are in; you should be feeling it already. So here we are. All right, there's Venus. There's Jupiter. And the two are coming together here on Friday, December 9. Now, as of today, it's Wednesday. So let's back this up two days. See, Venus is at about 27 degrees as of Wednesday, December 7. So we're in a three-degree engagement range where you really start feeling and noticing the, let's call it, the manifestation of the symbols will start to appear whether you experienced that is an energy, a feeling or an event, or a synchronicity somewhere in your life or something happening to someone around you, you notice that at the grocery store, these are signs and omens, floating through the ethers. And our job is to look at them and give you a sense of what the symbol is all about.

There's not just one thing that comes up with a set of astrological symbols. There are many; they're called multivalent. And so the multivalent nature of astrological symbolism has to be unpacked from a variety of different angles so that you have a sense of what to watch for because it'll show up rather differently in your life. Every time like every time that Venus and Jupiter come through over years of looking at Venus, Jupiter contacts, I've seen so many different interesting manifestations. So we're going to talk about some of those things today. But anyway, the transit comes through Friday, and then Venus is going to shift into Capricorn over the weekend, at which point Venus is now configured to Jupiter by a sextile. Instead of a square all the way up until Jupiter enters Aries, which is right around the winter solstice, if you're here in the northern hemisphere, around December 20, 21st, at which point, then they shift back into a square with one another. So kind of an interesting dynamic between Venus and Jupiter that's unfolding right now. Let's see here.

We're going to talk about three things to watch for. But first, I want to tell you what ancient astrologers wrote about this combination was not very positive, and you'd be really surprised. It's about illicit corrupt, scandalous things, you'll find that these texts their interpretation of Venus and Jupiter is not very positive, but it's under one specific circumstance. So let me just show you; I am going to put this back on the screen now for a second. So in ancient astrology, I'm going to get everything out of the way here except for Venus and Jupiter because it will help you make the point just a little bit more easily. So in ancient astrology, when you're combining aspects, one of the things that you have to figure out is who is in the sort of who's, who's on top, and who's on the bottom. That might be a way of saying it. Or you could say who is sending and who is receiving, or who is exerting a kind of dominant impression on the other planet.

So, in other words, it's very different if Venus is exerting its influence over Jupiter or if Jupiter is exerting its influence over Venus. And there's a way of figuring out who is exerting their influence on who in any given aspect. Well, at least in some of the aspects, there are some aspects that are excluded from this dynamic, for example, the conjunction and opposition. But with the squares, the sextiles, and trines, you'll always have one planet that is sort of exerting its influence over the other. And here's how you decide which one that is.

So right now, we have a square between these two planets. Now, this is called the square because if you draw from each of the whole signs of the same modality of double-bodied signs, let's go to Gemini. Let's go to Virgo, and then we're going to connect Virgo up to Sag; you get the shape of a square geometrically. Now, if we're looking at this square between these two planets, Venus and Jupiter, what we're trying to do is we're trying to figure out which one is in what we call the superior position. Superior doesn't mean I'm better than you, it means the one that's tending to exert its influence or its nature upon the other, and the other one is then receiving that.

So, in this case, what you do is imagine that you're looking into the middle of the wheel like You're like the planet, the little glyph for the planet is like you as a person, and you're looking into the middle of the wheel. And as you look into the middle of the wheel, you want to figure out which of the planets has the aspect coming off from the right-hand side. So let me erase this, and we'll show you. So if Venus is looking into the middle of the circle, and that's like you, your Venus, and you're standing there facing into the middle of the circle, the square to Jupiter is coming off from your right-hand side, you see how that works. So this would put Venus in what we call the superior position. That means that Venus is exerting its influence over Jupiter.

Now, if we were to take this forward quite some time, and let's get Venus out in front of Jupiter, and so that you can see, here we go. So now they're in a square. And there we go, there square now, and this is with Venus and Leo and Jupiter in Taurus, which will happen this June at that point in time. Now, if you go into the middle of the circle from Jupiter, Jupiter is making the superior square to Venus, so in this case, Jupiter would be exerting its nature or energy over Venus.

So listen to what is said when Jupiter is exerting its influence over Venus when it's Jupiter; that's the one impressing its nature upon Venus. Indicates good things. They provide it provides pleasure, health, and honor, according to Dorotheus. For according to Orpheus, if Zeus is impressing its nature upon Venus, then unexpected wealth and marriage for the unwed and children for those in wedlock, and it brings peaceful resolution to activities. Anubio says that when Zeus asserts its nature on Venus, it gives benefits for hard work, and it gives rejoicing. Pseudo Valens says that people who are unmarried will get married and have kids, and so on. Very positive. Okay.

Now listen to what is said when we flip the dynamic, and Venus is the one asserting her nature quote, unquote, over Jupiter. Aphrodite, on to Zeus, that would mean Aphrodite being in the superior position, disturbs and troubles through women. Plays one's hopes false, and nothing of what one intense comes to pass. Aphrodite on to Zeus causes dangers sick this is from Orpheus now, sickness enmities, judgments on account of family, and contention within the family. And if this woman is pregnant, she will miscarry. Anubio, I mean, by the way, it's real medieval once it's over. It's like you're watching, you're walking into like a little dungeon when you look into some of these texts. The way that I teach my programs is not like, Hey guys, let's all dress up like warlocks and, you know, try to read people's charts according to the grossest possible things we can find in literature from 2000 years ago. There's actually so much brilliance in these ancient texts. But there's just much there's a lot of heavy things, and to my mind, this, well, I'll get to that in a second.

Anubio, Aphrodite under Zeus doesn't rejoice, for it causes ungraciousness and groundless expectations, and pseudo Valens, when it comes to be on impressing its nature upon Zeus that would be Jupiter makes the time harmful and unpleasant and full of disturbance and especially for the household. It causes treachery and plots, and chicanery through women. Well, let me tell you, friends, I believe that we have a problem. I believe that this comes from, I mean, people always ask me, you know, as a teacher of ancient or traditional astrology, is there something about the ancient world and its time and being a prisoner of its moment that is reflected in the text such that you know, is this astrology like outdated or, and the thing is, is that the distinction between superior and inferior is brilliant, but the delineation texts where some of the astrologers then try to unpack the meaning. Sometimes they hit, and it's really amazing. But to be honest with you, sometimes their delineation passages, whether it's with this theory or any other theory, are colored by the prejudices of their time.

That's something that's why I call my class Ancient Astrology for the Modern Mystic because our task is to take the brilliance of the original craft but also try to extract; you can understand a lot about how ancient astrologers read texts, but it's not as though their interpretation of the symbols wasn't colored by their moment in time. And that's something we're always contending with as students of astrological history in general, whether you're studying Hellenistic astrology, ancient Indian astrology, Persian, Arabic, or medieval renaissance astrology, you're always having to read in that way. But the general idea behind this one would be that because Venus is asserting its nature over Zeus, So you get these troubling things. Well, why is that? Okay? Well, let's dig into it a little bit.

Jupiter would Zeus would have been broadly speaking as the greater benefic, the ruler of something like universal order, whether that's through law, which Zeus was associated with, as the kind of cosmicrat, whether that's law and order, or whether that is morality and virtue, cohesion and rulership. So Jupiter is not like, I don't want to say that Jupiter is like a tyrant or that means in mythology, of course, we know that Zeus can be a tyrant, but as an archetype in ancient astrology, Zeus is not like a dictator or anything, it's a considered a very benefic planet. But you have a clear you, you have a clear prejudice at work when it is thought that if Venus, the goddess of earthly desire, sensuality, women, and everything in, exerts its influence over Jupiter, that cohesive things are somehow taken apart, it's the equivalent of saying, and, you know, forgive me for even having to, like utter this terrible thing, but it's the equivalent of saying that women distract men from their virtuous quests, you know, like, the man is going toward the grail and like, whoa, that's so stupid, but it's like, you know, be careful that the women don't distract you.

That's the equivalent of what's being said in these passages when Venus is asserting her nature on Jupiter. Oh, that's bad because that will degrade something of coherence, or peace, or cohesion or unity, and it will lead to all these disturbances and good things that are supposed to be good will sort of fall apart because the Yin, when the Yin sort of dominates the Yang, then you know, it's it's chaos, confusion, disturbance, unpleasantness, blah, blah, blah.

Okay, now archetypally, I will say, as a father of two girls married, both of my dogs are our, you know, female dogs? I have, I can say that there are, I think there are clear distinctions, you know, between Yin and Yang, generally speaking, that exists not only between, you know, men and women or whatever but just in all beings everywhere. Yin and Yang are, to me, like fundamental archetypes that live in all things everywhere, all people, you know, regardless of how we orient or where we sit on any kind of spectrum. Yin and Yang are just like fundamental parts of how we express; we all have them both within us. And I think that there are fundamental distinctions. And I think that it's possible that the Yin can overthrow the young. So I would leave room for, like, let's say, Venus in a square with Jupiter. Remember, squares are of the nature of Mars, and Venus is dominant over Jupiter? Could it be like, I'm going to break my vow of celibacy because Rita certainly looks hot today. Like, maybe you end up regretting that. Thank you, Rita. Whoever you are, like, yeah, you can.

So there could be some sense in which the feminine archetype of Venus sort of asserting its dominance over Jupiter leads to something sort of falling apart. I can leave room for that. But does that mean that every single delineation of Venus in the superior position over Jupiter through a square should mean that the feminine is going to, like, disturb the order of the universe? That's shit, right? Like, that's, that's crappy astrology. So let's not do that. But I thought you guys would find that interesting. I think that you know, these are like little details within ancient texts that, you know, that I think we can learn a lot from, there's a lot to be like, it's interesting that so all of those texts basically say, Well, if Venus is asserting her dominance over Jupiter, then like, everything's going to shit. It's like, well, how crappy is that? I don't think that's the case at all. So I want to read you two things.

One is from an essay called Aphrodites Justice. You see, the thing is, in the ancient world, I also want to make a case for the fact that it's not as though just because these texts in the ancient world maybe have a very narrow, I mean, like I said, I can acknowledge some element of truth in the Yin, overthrowing the yang archetype really in a way that may be complicated or sometimes destructive. But the opposite is also true. Right? The Yang can overthrow the Yin ways that are destructive too, so it's a two-way street here. And I think in the ancient world, that same idea of both the harmony of Yin and Yang as well As the potential conflict is well represented in the teaching in Taoism all over the board so let me read you something from this book Aphrodite is justice. Maybe this gives us some sense of what kind of universe Venus inhabits versus Jupiter.

In ancient times, the world was a cosmos, not a universe. Universe was the Latin translation of Cosmos, and it is a typical Roman idea, meaning turning around one. Rome, of course, center of the empire, Peters rock on which the Universal Church stands, pivot of the civilized world; see, that's very Jupiter.

Cosmos, however, means in good order to sit in order as a government duly becomingly, decently an owl cotta Cosman means shamefully, like out of cosmic order. Cosmos connotes both aesthetic and ethical order, both adornment and decency. The night sky exhibits the cosmos by the Spangled display of stars and the rhythmical, lawful precession of the planetary bodies. For us today, it is odd indeed to find in the one term meanings such as embellishment, ornament, and the dress of women.

As in cosmetics, yet also the idea of ruling and governing of honor and credibility today cosmetics is disdainfully superficial, and cosmology has been so emptied out of beauty that it refers mainly to the study of the big bang, the black hole, and measurements, and unimaginable magnitudes or to Cosmonots whirling through gaseous space. Cosmos eventually came to be used, e.g. the New Testament as we say, world and as a world in sold and Anima Mundi, which Plotinus, in late Greek thought, said, the Anima Mundi, the world is always an Aphrodite.

The implication is clear the world is also a presentation to be appreciated rather than only a problem to be figured out. Offenses to its aesthetic display are unjust to the order of things, and societal injustice is not cotta Cosmo on shameful and ugly both the walls between the ethical and aesthetic dissolve attention to aesthetics is ethical behavior, and ethical behavior is an aesthetic display. That's from James Hellman's. Aphrodite is justice.

So it's not as what I'm not trying to say Oh, look how backward everyone in the ancient world was the same. You have people like Plotinus who say that the insole cosmos is an Aphrodite. Every world is an Aphrodite. It's not as though there weren't enlightened people, but it's just it's a mistake to think that every delineation text in ancient astrology is free of its own. You know, its own bondage to the moment that it's in. And in my opinion, this is one of the aspects that barely very clearly represents some of the, you know, sexism of the time. Oh, look at the Yin trying to disturb and take down the Yang and So, Venus, Jupiter, Jupiter on to Venus, wonderful. Venus on to Jupiter, beware of women, you know, like, so, anyway, again, I thought you guys find that enlightening.

Now, let us refocus, and I would like to read you. I'd like to read you what Renn Butler says about the Venus-Jupiter pairing, which I think is much closer to the nature of Venus impressing itself on Jupiter through the superior square. This comes by the way from his book, The Archetypal Universe, by Renn Butler. As you guys know, it's like one of my favorite desk references. Feelings of grand happiness and enjoyment, positive and supportive relationships have gorgeous and expansive beauty, impressive taste and style, the glory of love tendencies toward rich living and indulgence, social ambition and snobbery, cloying sweetness and friendliness, a gaudy and overblown aesthetic, habitual laziness and passivity.

So those are some really nice combinations. But do you see how in that combination? What Renn does is he turns; you can feel Jupiter impressing itself on Venus or Venus impressing itself on Jupiter. I still do think that the superior-inferior distinction is super helpful in terms of understanding what you're more likely to feel right now, which is Venus impressing itself on Jupiter. That's a distinctly different vibe. And so, for example, the ones that I think are most like that would be feelings of positive and supportive relationships where Venus impressing itself onto Jupiter brings relationships and love that are quite positive. Whereas when you have expansive beauty, that's something that I mean, you could feel it with Venus Jupiter in either direction, but you'll tend to feel more of everything Venusian being amplified by Jupiter when Jupiter is impressing itself upon Venus.

Anyway, those are little distinctions that sometimes can make a big difference too. In terms of how you read birth charts, when you're reading a birth chart, you want to be able to get a feeling for which planet is sort of asserting itself over the other one because that'll create slightly different moods and themes, some of which are bigger than others depending on House location as well. But at any rate, so, and you can feel him mentioning some of the shadow sides as well. So, for example, tendencies toward rich living and indulgence, social ambition and snobbery, cloying sweetness, and friendliness. Cloying, you know, maybe you're trying to get something out of someone. You know, and again, you could, like, okay, let's break that went up for a little bit; social ambition and snobbery. So when Venus asserts herself onto Jupiter, you're more likely to see that one as a shadow. Where or, but if you reverse it when Jupiter asserts itself onto Venus tendencies toward rich living and indulgence.

So then those are subtle, right like, and sometimes I will tell you that, like, you could argue that you would see these archetypes applied regardless of who's in the superior or inferior position. But generally speaking, making that little distinction can matter a great deal, and it clearly mattered to ancient astrologers, who had some brilliant ways of helping you understand the difference between all sorts of aspects depending on who's in the superior versus inferior position. But also in those delineation texts, in particular, you can also see some of the limits of their own moments. So hope you guys found that little lesson interesting. Here are three things to watch for, in my opinion. Venus squaring Jupiter as Venus is in the superior position.

One, Venus seeks to be included. If Jupiter represents something cohesive, a philosophy, a group of people, a project and ambition, an idea, or an etiology. Venus says I need to be included in that you better count me in. So Venus impressing itself on Jupiter, says, if I'm not included, then there's a problem. So, for example, spirituality without room for the body, religion without the presence of women in leadership, these kinds of things to me, Venus is saying, I need to be included. Now that could mean something sensual, something feminine, something beautiful, oh, you're going to have this great ceremony? Well, Are there going to be flowers? You know, is there going to be incense? Will there be colorful clothing? Will there be song and dance? You know, if the joy and beauty and pageantry of Venus isn't there, it's not a cosmos. So Venus needs to be included. Watch for that and consider that as the week is going on, wherever it shows up in your life.

Two, Venus seeks to overthrow. Now maybe it's a little it's like one step up. So this overthrowing couldn't be like I have a moral virtue. And it's a very high horse. And Venus comes along and is like, Come on, let's just smash some pizza in our faces. Come on, you know, like, let's do something centrally indulgent. And so Venus may seek to overthrow something that's pompous or arrogant or high horse moral, spiritual, religious, political, by bringing in something sensual and saying, let's be real here. You're a human being; you're embodied in the world. And I'm going to try to overthrow your high horse moral act or whatever it is, with the need to bring Venus in.

Okay, well, then that could be really good in some situations, but the opposite of it would be what all of the ancient authors were pointing to, where indulgence overthrows morality like you have an affair, and that's maybe not a healthy thing at all, right? So it could be that but is that all there is to it? You know, these ancient authors? They just didn't like women. at least some of them anyway.

Number three, um, Venus brings blessings and benefits. So I think this one is probably the most exciting Venus impressing itself on Jupiter is; it reminds me of. I love The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and all the Narnia books. So in the new in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where I think it's Father Christmas. Father Christmas ends up bringing the kids gifts, and the gifts that they bring are useful to their adventure. So it's almost like the combination of something beautiful but also something that's that helps you in your larger mission or quest or helps you build momentum in some way. So Venus, putting her nature on to Jupiter, says let me bring blessings, gifts, and sort of things that are pleasing are fortunate. And when I bring those things, Venus is speaking here. I guess when I bring those things to you, it will help you with your ideals and with whatever your moral or philosophical convictions and mission and wherever it's leading you in life, here are some blessings to add to that, you know, for example, if you find someone is well a great example would be falling in love with someone that you share a spiritual path with or being like what you know look I'm so I found I've met someone and this person that I'm attracted to shares the same values that I do be very Venus, square Jupiter.

Anyway, Venus bringing blessings and benefits, a general Venus-Jupiter combination that I think applies right now. I would the only other thing I would be careful of is spending too much. Eating too much. Whatever any kind of overindulgence anytime Venus and Jupiter are together, and basically any aspect, in my opinion, there's always the potential of like, Oh, don't go to the grocery store on an empty stomach or something like that, you know, as a metaphor. All right.

Well, anyway, I hope that this was interesting. And that you were that you thought that some of these texts and ideas were as provocative as I found them because I was certainly like, yeah, you know, I was returning to these ancient texts, which I often do when I'm making my notes and looking over them. It was like, oh, yeah, that's right. They had such a backward idea about the Venus-Jupiter combinations and really favored Jupiter on Venus but not Venus and Jupiter. Anyway.

So yeah, I'm, that's it for today. We're gonna be back tomorrow; I think we're going to look pretty soon; we're going to preview the nodes of the moon, moving into Aries and Libra. It's a little early, but I think it'll be good to start prepping ourselves since the nodes are coming down the homestretch in Taurus and Scorpio. We're sort of now in between Eclipse cycles again. So kind of like, well, that was powerful eclipse season. What do we have in store? Like, what's coming up next? So we might do that? Maybe Thursday or Friday. We'll see. Anyway, that's what I've got for today. Hope you guys are having a good one. We'll see you again tomorrow. Bye.