Many astrologers also believe that Venus affects stock market. The next Venus retrograde period begins May 17, 2004. Also check back to October 10, 2002 to see what was happening in your life during last Venus retrograde so you can draw some conclusions as to how you handle these transits.

A client wrote me during an earlier Venus Retrograde: “I've been reading your eZines and wondering what ‘difficult time’ we are all having is. Then, I experienced it with a deep, fast plunge to bottom complete with a few extra bumps to round out full force of impact. Whew! I haven't been down here in awhile. ”

A student in my ongoing Tuesday night astrology class wanted to know, “How can a dinky little inner planet like Venus cause so much trouble?”

Well, these are very good questions.

The answer is partly imbedded in relationship of planet Venus to esoteric properties of Number 5. Let’s take a closer look at this planet, Venus and Number 5!

The physical planet of Venus (in sky tonight) is a strange amalgam. Named after Roman Goddess of Love, nonetheless, she is surrounded by such a noxious yellow atmosphere that life is impossible (permanent greenhouse effect). It doesn’t surprise us, then, to know that Roman goddess herself had several epithets. One of them was “Venus of Sewers”. Venus also rules venereal disease.

The ancient Aztecs had a Venutian goddess who walked earth as a man for 40 days of retrograde cycle. The warlike Aztecs declared war when Venus went retrograde.

These are some of our clues as to what lies beneath surface of a Venus retrograde transit and why it can be so disruptive on a very personal level.

In transit, Venus goes retrograde five times over a period of eight years, coming back to same sign in which she started at end of five 584-day cycles (or eight years). This is Venus’ cycle to herself. She is working her way in stations back through zodiac, 2 to 3 degrees earlier in each sign, each time.

The stations of Venus form a quintile (five-ish) pattern against backdrop of zodiac. A diagram of Venus stations across a horoscope actually makes an image like a pentagram.

The quintile aspect reminds us of other quin in astrology -- quincunx aspect (signs that are 5 houses before and after one another). As every astrologer worth her salt knows, quincunx is most difficult aspect of all to reconcile within an individual’s chart (psyche). It is also very difficult to “read” in a chart other than saying there are “irreconcilable differences”. There are certainly good ways for professional to interpret this aspect but that isn't within scope of this article.

For a good grip on qualities of Number 5, take a look at “fives” in Tarot deck. The Fives are ruled by Major Arcana V, The Hierophant, Teacher of Hard Life Lessons.

One of meanings expressed by Hierophant is that apparently there are some things in life that can only be learned in School of Hard Knocks. People with a #5 Birth Force learn through doing not by reading books or listening to lectures.

Five is also known mystically as "Number of Man". It represents ability of man to understand things of an esoteric nature and is most familiarly represented in drawing of Leonard DaVinci showing a male figure with arms and legs spread against a circular background. I remember seeing a very dramatic presentation of Marlowe’s Faust in San Diego where this figure was cast in stagelights across floor of Dr. Faust’s study as curtain opened and Our Hero”Everyman/Faust began his mythical struggle with his own nature.

In a small town in Midwest, near turn of century, a boy named Robert grew up on wrong side of tracks. He wore hand-me-down. His parents couldn’t afford to get him a haircut. The other kids teased him. People whispered that his father was irresponsible and had too many kids.

Robert wore shame of his father’s poverty and yet he was very spiritual. One day a revival came to town. His grandparents took him to revival tent where many people heard Jesus call them personally for. The energy at a revival is “contagious”. After a few people get ball rolling, rest will join in. Sometimes it’s a genuine calling but sometimes it’s just so as not to be left out.

Back at revival, people were getting call, but that night nothing happened to Robert. Rather than going along with crowd, Robert did not join throng of people who came forward for baptism because he did not feel Jesus call him inside.

This would be a matter-of-fact story except for one thing. On way home, Robert, who genuinely believed that something authentic had happened to all others in revival tent, came to conclusion that Jesus had not called him because he was not worthy.

Robert didn’t check out his “thesis” with anyone any more than most children do and for rest of his life, he felt rejected and shamed. Even Jesus did not want a poor boy.

There is a happy ending to this story. Robert grew up to be a well known and successful psychologist in La Mesa, California. He had a great professional and personal life, a very long and happy marriage. Robert was well to do and was respected in community. He often spoke at big Unity (metaphysical) Church in San Diego. I am not telling you a story he has not told publicly many times. Robert went through a healing process to understand that as a boy he had added 2 + 2 and gotten nonsense.

As children, we put world together as best we can. As adults, it is our gift to ourself to return as an adult to some of our bigger decisions and connect dots again properly if necessary.

I would like to give you another example that is a little more sophisticated. It has to do with way being unconscious can keep us from seeing things plainly before our eyes.

In 40s and 50s, it was considered glamorous or “manly”, to smoke. I know I could hardly wait! Louis Armstrong, King George VI of England, Betty Davis, Clark Gable, Babe Ruth and Humphrey Bogart all smoked heavily in public and in their films. They died in their mid-fifties of smoke related diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema. In a horrifying and ironic twist of fate, even Wayne McLaren, celebrated “Marlborough Man”, died of lung cancer at very early age of 51. Smoking was considered glamorous and I planned to start as soon as I could.

Like boy Robert, I did not have eyes to see. I looked at Humphrey Bogart and was told how sophisticated he was rather than noticing what was plainly before my eyes. “This man is a walking cadaver.”