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Venus clothed with the Sun: this week on the Storyteller's Night Sky

As a star lore historian, my work is about trying to find the stories in the stars each week. So after looking at star maps and watching sunsets and moonrises, I look at ancient mythologies or astrological traditions, sometimes it’s the results of scientific research that get stirred up in my thinking about how to find the story in what’s going on, but over the years I’ve realized that, all of this is about trying to read the phenomena themselves. 

So what are the phenomena this week, and what story can we make out of them? 

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the waning crescent Moon will sweep past Venus, just as the planet Mars is making it’s once-every-two-years opposition with the Sun. So while the Moon encounters Venus in the early twilight looking east, Mars will be standing on the opposite shore, a great warrior guardian.

Looking ahead, I can calculate the dates that the Moon will meet Venus each month, and also, I know that there’s a Total Solar Eclipse coming in December. This eclipse will only be visible in South America, but still, it makes for an interesting story, because when an eclipse happens, the planet Venus, which is otherwise clothed with the Sun, becomes visible in broad daylight. When this happens, it’s as though Venus has dropped her veil, and this is where awesome encounter with the divine feminine begins ~ but only if we’re ready.

So what this week’s phenomena says to me is that Mars is standing by, encouraging us to take action and make preparations for receiving Venus when she is unveiled two months from now at eclipse. So plan your viewing spot this week, gather rose petals and poetry and anything lovely and beautiful, and have a moment with the sacred stars of dawn, as a way to make ready for the unveiling of the feminine that’s coming.