Be sure to see my blog related to this article titled Venus Joins Jupiter: A Few of Our Favorite Things. If you encounter terms here that you do not know, check out my Astrologer’s Apprentice Cheat Sheet
A Rare Phenomenon, Indeed!
I was curious as to how often we have such a remarkable conjunction as the one this summer. A little look in the ephemeris showed the last time Venus and Jupiter had a triple-conjunction in the summer night sky was in 1991, 24 years ago. Will there be one 24 years from now? No. Then I saw that a similar triple conjunction in the autumn night sky occurred in 1971 and in 1995, also 24 years apart. That one will not repeat in 2019.
When I expanded the date range of my research, I uncovered a pattern of repetition. In a period stretching over four centuries, from 1680 to 2105, there were 22 triple conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter. All of them were part of a pair that occurred 24 years apart in the same sector of the zodiac. (I would say the same sign but often they bridged between two signs.) Twenty-four years apart, no more, no less, and only a pair; nary a triplet of triples. Half of the time, there was a 21-year gap between triple conjunctions. In these cases, the two triple conjunctions on each end of the gaps were not related (not in the same zodiac sector). In two instances, there was only a 3-year gap between triple conjunctions. These happened as a result of overlapping pairs 24 years apart staggered between periods of 21-year gaps. (Three is the difference between 21 and 24.) The next triple conjunction after 2015 will occur in 21 years.
Why are these Venus-Jupiter pairs always 24 years apart? That is a confluence of their transit cycles. Venus returns to a particular retrograde degree range after 8 years while Jupiter has an orbit of just under 12 years. Twenty-four is a multiple of both 8 and 12. I haven’t figured out the explanation for the 21-year gaps. If you know, please speak up!!
The Details
Venus and Jupiter are within the potent range of 5 degrees near one another from June 22 to August 11 and again October 19 – 31. Mid-August, the Sun gets too close to them for us to see them. By the end of August, they are visible again but in the morning sky.
Our 2015 conjunctions occur on July 1, August 4 and October 25. The first two are in Leo (at 21°37 and 28°35’); the third is in Virgo (15°38’). Both Venus and Jupiter are transitioning from Leo to Virgo from this summer into the fall. Venus only dips its toes into the entry (zero) degree of Virgo before it stops and backtracks into Leo.
When in Leo, Venus will make a helpful trine to Uranus in Aries three times. Those dates are June 29, August 19 and Sept. 22; the degrees are 20°12, 20°15 and 19°15’ of Leo and Aries. Jupiter was trine Uranus as well, twice in 2014 and exact on June 22, 2015, close to the solstice and thus reverberating throughout the summer season.
Venus makes three harsh squares to Saturn. These occur on July 14 (28°34’ Leo and Scorpio), Aug. 5 (28°17’ Leo and Scorpio) and Oct. 10 (1°54’ Virgo and Sagittarius). Saturn is back and forth between Scorpio and Sagittarius this summer into fall. The August instance is only one day after the second Venus-Jupiter conjunction. Jupiter and Saturn are square August 3, a day after Saturn stations, shifting to Direct motion. That is going to be one interesting week! We’ll see how much Saturn will rain on the parade of the expansive and fortunate blend of Venus and Jupiter.
Working with the Energies
Both Jupiter and Uranus are freedom-loving, as are the signs of Aries and Sagittarius. Thus much of this triple-connection energy is about being free concerning love and money, the two big areas with which Venus is associated. The challenges come from buzz-killer Saturn inserting its judgmental nose. Saturn is a stickler about rules, boundaries, maturity and commitment. Then there’s Virgo’s penchant for criticism of oneself or a partner. The Saturnian and Virgoan traits will have their strongest expression July 18-31 as Venus appears to stand still at the beginning (zero) degree of Virgo. The Venus retrograde date range stretches over almost four months. It may seem like a long time as we all seek our places along two spectrums: being a hedonist or a prude, and being a big spender or a penny-pincher.
24 Years Ago
Here are some noteworthy events from the spring to summer of 1991 when a comparable Venus retrograde extended its conjunction period with Jupiter. The exact dates of their meetings were June 18, Aug. 27 and Oct. 15. (Sources for these events: infoplease.com, historyorb.com)
International Relations
Warsaw Pact dissolved (July 1).
France agrees to sign 1968 treaty banning the spread of atomic weapons (June 3). Bush-Gorbachev summit negotiates strategic arms reduction treaty (July 31). China accepts nuclear nonproliferation treaty (Aug. 10).
Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia win independence from USSR (Aug. 25); US recognizes them (Sept. 2).
Haitian troops seize president in uprising (Sept. 30). US suspends assistance to Haiti (Oct. 1).
The Love and Money Connection:
Donald Trump proposes to Marla Maples with a 7.5-carat diamond ring (July 2).
Legal matters:
South Africa abolishes the last of its apartheid laws (June 17).
On the very day of the third conjunction, Clarence Thomas’s nomination to the Supreme Court was confirmed by the Senate even though he had been accused of sexual harassment by former aide Anita Hill and the Judicial Committee had not recommended his nomination. The Venus-Jupiter conjunction was in a biquintile (two-fifths of the sky apart) relative to his Moon, ruler of his employment area. The aspect is considered very lucky. Now that’s a testament to how powerful this do-gooder duo can be!
In the News Now
There are so many Venus- and Jupiter-related themes in the current news! Venus issues of fairness and equality abound; legal and international matters (Jupiter’s bailiwick) are rampant. As I write this at the end of June (on the eve of the first conjunction), three important Supreme Court decisions were just announced that favor liberal viewpoints (associated with Jupiter) over conservative values (a more Saturnian approach). The Equal Housing Protection Act and the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) were re-affirmed and marriage equality was instituted nationwide. Racism and segregation were dealt a blow by the hub-bub over the Confederate flag following the South Carolina church slaying. And the Trans-Pacific Trade agreement is steaming ahead. (Well, that pleases conservatives more than liberals).
All of these were good news for President Obama, who is a Leo. The second conjunction will be on his birthday. That’s just when the Saturn squares temper the benefits Venus and Jupiter might have in store for him. Still, with these strong aspects in force at his Solar Return, I expect over the months ahead, things will go his way and his approval ratings should improve.
If history is any predictor of the future, we can hope for positive developments in international relations. Maybe a nuclear non-proliferation agreement with Iran will really be reached. Might the Russians back down about Ukraine? Perhaps the Trans-Pacific Trade agreement will turn out to be positive. Time will tell. Meanwhile, we can enjoy the view.
© 2015 Janet Booth, AstrologyBooth.com
If you enjoy this blog, you will find similar discussions of celestial phenomena in Janet’s Plan-its astrology calendars.
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