Corrine Kenner
Imbolc celebrates the coming of spring. It falls at the midpoint between the winter and spring equinox, when the Sun is halfway through the sign of airy Aquarius—which is also the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a cross-quarter holiday that’s also known as Brigid, Candlemas, or Brigid’s Day.
In the Celtic calendar, Imbolc marked the start of the lambing season. The word itself means “in the belly,” and it signifies pregnancy and the quickening of new life.
Mythic Astrology: Venus, the Goddess of Love
Almost everyone knows that Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, and desire—but what often goes unsaid is that her physical desirability inevitably led to pregnancy and childbirth, too.
Happily, she held boundless affection for men and children.
Venus—Aphrodite to the Greeks—was the daughter of the sea. She rose from the waves, gently shook her long, flowing hair, and the droplets of water that fell were transformed into glistening pearls.
All the gods wanted her as a wife, but Jupiter gave her to Vulcan, the celestial metalsmith, for the service he had rendered in forging thunderbolts. It was the height of irony: the most beautiful goddess was married to the ugliest god. He was the son of Juno, queen of the gods—but he was a squalling, red-faced child. Horrified at his appearance, Juno threw the child from Mount Olympus. When he landed, he broke his leg, and he was left permanently lame.
His marriage to Venus was doomed from the start. Not only was he miserable to look at, but Vulcan was also mean-spirited and cruel.
Plus Venus was too much for one man. She had a long string of torrid affairs with gods and men alike.
While she never had children with Vulcan, she did have several with Mars, including Cupid, the god of love, and Concordia, the goddess of harmony. They were also parents to twins Phobos and Deimos, the personifications of fear and terror, who accompanied their father into battle.
After a rendezvous with Bacchus, she gave birth to Priapus, a fertility god with an oversized phallus.
Mercury—also known as Hermes—fathered her child Hermaphroditus, the original hermaphrodite.
Venus took mortal lovers, too, including Prince Anchises. He fathered her son Aeneas, who founded the city of Rome. When Aeneas was wounded in battle, she raced to save him and was wounded herself.
She had a mythic love affair with Adonis, the most handsome man on earth. When Adonis was killed by a wild boar, Venus went mad with grief—until Pluto, the god of the Underworld, agreed to let him spend six months of every year with her, while he spent the other six months in the realm of the dead.
Venus was generous with her power, too. She owned a magic belt that she loaned out to lovesick women, because whoever wore it was imbued with Venusian grace and beauty, which made them irresistible to men.
Venus’s placement in a horoscope chart, by sign and by house, describes your most heartfelt desires, romantic pursuits, dalliances, and desires.
Ancient astrologers referred to Venus as the lesser benefic; like Jupiter, Venus was generous and kind. In an astrological chart, Venus graces everything she touches with ease, comfort, affection, and enjoyment.
Venus rules two signs: Taurus, the earthy sign of creature comfort and spiritual values, and Libra, the airy sign of social grace and balance. She also rules two houses of the horoscope: the second house, where astrologers look for information about property and belongings, and the seventh house of marriage and partnership.
Reading the Signs
The Sun moved into airy Aquarius on January 19. It will move into Pisces on February 18.
On Imbolc, the Sun and Venus are conjunct in Aquarius, where their energy is focused on visionary causes. Venus moved into Aquarius on January 18. It will transition into watery Pisces on February 10, and fiery Aries on March 6.
At the moment, Venus is in an uncomfortable square with Jupiter in watery Scorpio. Their discomfort is minimized, however, by the fact that both are benefic planets; if anything, they’re probably at odds about how to distribute favors and blessings. In Aquarius, Venus is focused on groups, while Jupiter in Scorpio wants to benefit private partnerships.
Jupiter will probably win this argument, and the benefits it bestows will be tangible. That’s because Jupiter is in a powerful sextile with Pluto in earthy, businesslike Capricorn, where it’s poised to reward hard work and commitment.
Saturn, the ringed planet of boundaries and limitations, is also in earthy Capricorn. In this case, Saturn’s rings don’t merely confine us: they can also define us.
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Planetary Positions |
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• Sun in Aquarius |
• Jupiter in Scorpio |
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• Moon in Virgo |
• Saturn in Capricorn |
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• Mercury in Aquarius |
• Uranus in Aries |
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• Venus in Aquarius |
• Neptune in Pisces |
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• Mars in Sagittarius |
• Pluto in Capricorn |
There’s a second power struggle underway in the Imbolc chart. Uranus, the planet of the unusual and the unexpected, has squared off in fiery Aries against Pluto, the planet of unavoidable endings.
Mercury is in Aquarius, in an easygoing sextile with Mars in fiery Sagittarius. The messenger planet will continue on into Pisces on February 18, and Aries on March 6. Mars will charge into Capricorn, where it’s exalted, on March 17.
On Imbolc, the Moon is in earthy Virgo, in an opposition with Neptune in watery Pisces. It’s a creative aspect that lends itself to art and dreamy self-expression. Write, draw, or paint—but don’t try to conduct important business for most of the day. The Moon will be void of course from 2:07 am until it enters airy Libra at 4:47 pm When the Moon is void of course, it’s suspended between signs, and if you try to force change, you’ll only be spinning your wheels.
Phases of the Moon
On February 15, a New Moon in airy Aquarius invites you to get together with groups of like-minded friends and allies. New Moons occur when the Sun and Moon are conjunct in a sign. During a conjunction, we can’t actually see the Moon because its dark side is facing the Earth. In a day or two we’ll see a silvery crescent in the sky.
On February 15, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from the southern tip of South America. Historically, solar eclipses were said to impact emperors and kings—which means it could bring political news to light in the southern hemisphere.
On March 2, a Full Moon in earthy Virgo reflects the light of a Pisces Sun. It’s a good time to meditate and seek emotional well-being for the sake of your physical health.
On March 17, a New Moon in watery Pisces could offer an escape from the harsh realities of your physical existence and invite you into the dreamlike world of cosmic mysteries.
Practical Astrology
All of the planets are constantly traveling through all twelve signs of the zodiac. Occasionally, one of those planets will find itself stuck in a sign that seems completely foreign to its own basic nature.
Venus, for example, loves being in Libra, the sign that she rules. But send her to Aries, 180 degrees from her usual home, and she feels like a stranger in a strange land. She’s forced to work with elements, energies, and an environment that are completely different from her own—which means she’s at a distinct disadvantage.
Astrologers use a system of essential dignities to clarify how the planets will feel—and function—in the various signs of the zodiac.
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Planet |
Dignity (Domicile) |
Exaltation |
Detriment |
Fall |
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Sun |
Leo |
Aries |
Aquarius |
Libra |
|
Moon |
Cancer |
Taurus |
Capricorn |
Scorpio |
|
Mercury |
Gemini/Virgo |
Virgo |
Sagittarius |
Pisces |
|
Venus |
Taurus/Libra |
Pisces |
Aries |
Virgo |
|
Mars |
Aries/Scorpio |
Capricorn |
Libra |
Cancer |
|
Jupiter |
Sagittarius/Pisces |
Cancer |
Gemini |
Capricorn |
|
Saturn |
Capricorn/Aquarius |
Libra |
Cancer |
Aries |
Dignity (Domicile): Planets feel at home in their domiciles, the signs they rule. The Sun is at home in Leo, for example, while the Moon is at home in Cancer. A planet in its own home is said to be in its highest form of dignity.
Detriment: Planets that find themselves 180 degrees from their usual placement are as far from home as they can go. They’re forced to function in a land of opposites. They’re weak; the placement is a detriment.
Exaltation: Each of the seven traditional planets has its exaltation in one zodiac sign, where their energy is compatible. Planets in exaltation are honored guests in another planet’s home. According to some astrologers, the exaltations were the original domiciles of the planets, before Adam and Eve’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.
Fall: On the other hand, planets in fall are in a sign 180 degrees from their exaltation. Rather than being honored guests, they’re unwelcome visitors—humbled, dejected, and at their absolute weakest.