Venus Retrograde in the 9th House

By Bridgette Nicole Diaz

"I hate the College of Arts and Letters! It is a place where people are trained to make a career out of spending their lives sitting in one corner, meditating in introspection about their own egotistical 'art' and worshipping authors they don't know when there are people out there who are starving and lost or are in desperate need of their guidance and help!" I unleashed this tirade on two of my close friends and course mates. They must have been taken aback by the venom that finally spewed out of my mouth. They had been egging me to tell them the reason behind my decision to shift from BA Creative Writing to BA Political Science. They knew I was doing pretty well in my course, so they knew grades weren't the issue, so I gave them the answer they were looking for.

But, if they ask me the same question now,  I would just dismiss the issue and blame the mishap on none other than Venus.

As someone who had been soaked in modern astrology for five years, I thought Venus stood for what you find beautiful, pleasurable, artistic or romantic. I've also heard that it tells you what your values are, but I don't think I ever understood what that meant until the retrograde happened. What was even more stupefying was the fact that it happened in my ninth house-I'm a Sagittarius rising, and yes, I do feel strongly about ninth house matters.

I was struggling with how my values as a person, as a member of the Filipino society and as an "Iskolar ng Bayan" was translated through my education. What was I being molded into by my education? Was it something that I believe in? Something I personally would stand for?

Ever since I could remember, I knew that my fieriest desire was to help the people. At the time, I couldn't believe that there was a way to that with my face buried in books about high-end, European literature. I felt pathetic. There I was in the College of Arts and Letters or CAL, being much like an elitist, flaunting my knowledge of Greek and Roman culture as depicted by their great authors and such while the people in the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy were directly learning social, economic and political theories, studying the masses and society as a whole and learning ways to make everyone's situation better. As far as I was concerned, the subjects that were taking up most of my time had no direct effect on the improvement of society or the government. I could not feed the poor the novels I wrote. I felt useless and worthless-I felt like a scum of a human being. How dare I study the arts and serve myself when there is greater glory in being of service to the people who are in fact counting on me to bring change?

As I write these things, my past thoughts appear more and more ridiculous to me. When the retrograde ended, my dad guided me through some kind of catharsis, and I changed my mind. It was final. I wasn't shifting anymore, and as time went by, my resolution became stronger and stronger: It was completely uncharacteristic of me to underrate the power of the pen-especially as someone with the Midheaven in Virgo and Fortune in Gemini. Writing was also something I valued. I just forgot how much I did so. And as for serving the people? I believe I can hit two birds with one stone just like many prolific Filipino writers have.

So yes, I am staying in Creative Writing, and I am absolutely in love with my course.

Venus may be the planet of "pretty," but beware, it can make anything appear horrid to you--even the things you love the most.

Luna's Mars and the Warrior Archetype

By Resti H. Santiago 

The narrative of a modern nation-state is not complete without a retelling of the sacrifices of its heroes, especially around its birth. Some stories were written in blood and these should not be forgotten by each succeeding generation. The film "Heneral Luna" is one such effort -- a brilliant, entertaining and moving one.

In medieval society, the distinction between classes is clear-cut and this is astrologically defined as well. Some are meant to write or to teach (Mercury), some are meant to lead (Sun), some are meant to take care of others (Moon),some are meant to bring about prosperity (Jupiter), some are meant to bring honor to the country using their God-given talents (Venus) but in times of conflict, war or the fight for freedom, we turn to Mars to bring out heroism among the populace. In Philippine's war with America at the turn of the 20th century, one man stood out -- Heneral Antonio Luna.

According to astrologer-translator Robert Hand, the best expression of Mars energy is by fighting for a cause, especially with the objective of protecting one's loved ones. Heneral Antonio Luna was one such warrior who expressed this Mars energy to the fullest. To him, as with other heroes, it is not enough to protect one's family and loved ones. One must be willing to sacrifice even one's blood for the country. The team behind the movie, led by Jerrold Tarog, promotes it with this question:"Bayan o sarili?" These words together with "Negosyo o kalayaan?" were at the heart of the story of Heneral Luna. A glance at the astrological map when the Philippine's ablest general was born will reveal that he was co-ruled by Mars. He got a sharp mind and a sharp tongue who asked tough questions that called for immediate decision and corresponding action.

The concept of fate is seldom discussed now; but in the movie, Luna's mother asked whether it was his will or whether it was his fate that made him a general, deeply involved in the war.  Astrology provides an answer. Despite having been trained as a doctor, it was Antonio Luna's fate to become a leader in the army. Of course, free will must align with fate. It is in the process of finding one's fate and accepting it that heroes are made. While in Belgium, Luna studied military strategy and upon his return to his motherland, he set up a fencing school. These are also expressions of  Mars energy. And when he was called to join the revolution, he knew that he was needed, he knew it was his calling, he knew what to do and what it takes. Luna knew his fate.

Mars is prominent on the chart of the leaders of KKK (Kataastaasng Katipunan ng mga anak ng Bayan). Andres Bonifacio himself, the Supremo and is now considered as the first President of the Philippines, [click here for more details on Bonifacio's chart] is ruled by Mars in the secretive sign of Scorpio. Another general, Emilio Aguinaldo, has Sun in Aries, which is ruled by none other than Mars (in kingly Leo). The lives of these three men were thus intertwined with Mars.

Mars by itself is considered a malefic, or bad planet. In the table correspondence between the planets and things, Mars is said to rule the bolo, the revolver, and the sword. In the table of correspondence between planets and people, Mars is the rebels, the army, and the generals. But one problem with Mars is that it is despotic and in the case of Aguinaldo, also dictatorial. One might argue that Luna has the same tendencies.

Being ruled by the red planet, which is also associated with blood and anger, these men have a fiery temper. This character flaw is considered to have led to the death/assassination of both Bonifacio and Luna. There were; of course, a  variety of reasons, the most important of which is that generally, the higher octave of Mars, brings about a highly-principled warrior. In the astro charts of both Bonifacio and Luna, Mars is dignified. Unfortunately, these traits were used by their enemies to justify the need to have them eliminated. It was all about competition, pride and power struggle. As the movie showed, the responsibility for their deaths falls into the hands of Aguinaldo. As Luna aptly observed, our first real enemy is ourselves.