Seventh Venus Gate of Descent in Aquarius
The journey of Venus travelling through our sky mirrors the myth of the Descent of Inanna. At this time, we are continuing the phase of her descent; meeting each of the seven gates of initiation that lead to the underworld.
At each gate Inanna must remove one of her mes, which are detailed in Sumerian mythology as divine orders that are essential in understanding a human-god relationship; the mes can be considered sacred powers that make civilisation possible, and each corresponds to a Venus Gate (a visible Venus-Moon conjunction).
• On 13th August Venus joined the Sun at 20°28’ Leo. Beginning a new 19-month synodic cycle at her pentagram point.
• On August 17th Venus became visible above the horizon in the morning sky, still retrograde at 18°07’ Leo. Venus Pentagram Point in Leo — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On September 4th Venus stations direct at 12°12’.
• On 11th September, Venus meets the waning Moon at 13°19’ Leo to form the first Venus Gate of descent. First Venus Gate of Descent in Leo — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 10th October, Venus meets the waning Moon at 1°20’ Virgo to form the second Venus Gate of descent. Second Venus Gate of Descent in Virgo – The gate of perception — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 9th November, Venus meets the waning Moon at 1°07’ Libra to form the third Venus Gate of descent. Third Venus Gate of Descent in Libra — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 9th December, Venus meets the waning Moon at 5°40’ Scorpio to form the fourth Venus Gate of descent. Fourth Venus Gate of Descent in Scorpio — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 8th January, Venus meets the waning Moon at 12°06’ Sagittarius to form the fifth Venus Gate of descent. Fifth Venus Gate of Descent in Sagittarius — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 7th February, Venus meets the waning Moon at 19°05’ Capricorn to form the sixth Venus Gate of descent. Sixth Venus Gate of Descent in Capricorn — Jema Killala-Barnard (jemakillalabarnard.com)
• On 8th March, Venus meets the waning Moon at 26°08’ Aquarius to form the seventh Venus Gate of descent.
Innana is so close to death now that she can almost taste it. The air is thick with decay, her heavy feet sink into the ground. There is so little to take from her now, when so much has already been stripped away. She drops her robe to the floor; releases any protection she had left. She is all in now.
Her journey through each of the last 6 gates has opened her, softened her, stripped away her powers and protections. Ereshkigal, her sister, Queen of the great below, knows she is close now. She has paid the final price and has nothing left to give. Naked and powerless this once radiant goddess looks broken. Each step has been taken willingly with trust, but those who have travelled to the great below before know this moment. All is lost but there is still a long way to go. What lies ahead is the darkest part of the journey yet!
This seventh gate gets to the root of yourself, the root of everything. Roots give a sense of stability, of safety and this chakra connects you to the earth, to the manifest. Lack of grounding can lead to anxiety, fear and trouble resting. A practice of grounding, stillness and connection to your body can help with these issues.
Venus in Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, a planet associated with limitations and structure. I have been re discovering Saturn through the lens of Qabalah recently. Binah, the third sphere on the tree of life, is the cosmic mother, the primordial womb, the dark ocean from which everything is formed. She is a far cry from the Chronos-Saturn that I have previously worked with, devouring his children for fear of being replaced.
Binah, the Mother Saturn takes inspiration, dreams, thoughts and gives them form. She is the great mother through which all is birthed. You are one with Mother Saturn every time you give form. You are her as you birth each creation into the world, taking the endless possibilities of the universe and making a sandwich, or a business, or a baby! You are the cosmic mother!
This Mother Saturn gives limits because that is how we thrive! A house with no walls would be useless in a storm (or really under any circumstances). But where there is form, there is flourishing, everything is created through Mother Saturn. This is the gate of manifestation and Mother Saturn is the path to making things manifest.
Before there is form all is expanding but never manifesting. Dreams and ideas disintegrate into nothing, whole worlds never become more than dust. They must be absorbed into the dark ocean, the bitter sea of mara, in order to be birthed, to be given form, edges, separation and limitation. Your limits are what make you more than dust. As Saturn travels through Pisces this year the lessons of this bitter Saturnian sea are available to us.
Grounded in this cosmic mother energy of Capricorn, lay bare your foundations. Held in her cosmic womb, see your sacred form, your edges. The ways that you are limited and the ways that you have limited yourself. Take a moment to caress those edges. To allow yourself to be held by them. Did they look different when you were younger? Admire the ways that you have grown and make space to grieve the edges that have closed in around you. Notice where your limits are self-inflicted, and you are not taking up all of the space that you could. You are no obliged to take up all of your space right now, but remember that there is space to grow, if you choose to fill it. The cosmic mother is as generous as she is cruel. Neither side is good or bad, but they are all important. Just as she gives form, she also gives time, which means that death is also her gift.
Entering this gate, you step towards death, it is almost time to recognise this final truth and assess your stability in the face of this final sacrifice. Do you feel safe here? Does death care about your safety? Are you still willing to risk it all to be reborn?
This gate is here to test your foundations, Mars is squaring Uranus which can shake things up in unexpected ways, the Sun sextile Uranus may bring positive surprises, but be ready to pivot, the ground is shifting beneath your feet. Mercury is aligned with Neptune opening up higher communication, look for synchronicities, listen to your dreams, your analytical mind is listening to the poetic language of the cosmos, make space for the understanding to land in your soul.
Compelled by love, Inanna takes a breath of the dusty air and remembers the home she left to embark on this journey. She realises now that she can never return to the way things were, she is already changed. The darkness ahead is foreboding yet compelling, she is called inwards to face the truth. To face herself.
Prompts for Journaling or a Tarot Spread:
What is your relationship to limits?
Where do you see the edges of yourself?
Do they feel constrictive?
Do you need to assess your boundaries? Are you wasting energy that could be contained?
