The Dance of Venus
At 3.30 on Friday 26th, as Venus conjunct Jupiter culminated in the sky, the Wheel of Astrologers performed the ‘Dance of Venus.’ This dance emulates the 8-year Venus-mandala. A train of about 8 persons wheel around, and one has to revolve in the reverse direction to the direction of motion: Venus is the sole planet to revolve on its axis, the other way to which it rotates around the Sun. It revolves exactly twelve times in space, in this 8-year period. It comes nearest to the Earth five times, performing a retrograde ‘loop’.

Thus we weave the pentagram pattern, so that we come in to the centre having moved two-fifths of the way round with respect to the previous time.

It happens, as part of the marvellous synchrony, that the same part of Venus’ surface faces Earthwards, every time it comes nearest - i.e. at its inferior conjunction, SUN-VENUS-EARTH. So, we face the centre every time at this closest approach.

One moves very much more slowly at the centre, than around the outside. The loops are done very slowly, by comparison with the movement around the outside. Two opposite moods are required, for doing this dance. On the outside it is one of ecstatic abandon as one whirls around, while on the inside there is a mood of caring concern for Mother Earth.

Venus’ furthest distance from the Earth is six or seven times further away than its nearest approach. The motion expands and contracts, between moving furthest away from the centre and drawing closest.