Note the small black dots on the inside

of the zodiac ring.

These are the points in the zodiac at which Venus turns Retrograde, approximately every 18 months, and they shift backwards through the zodiac at a rate of only about 1° every 8 years.

These dots are 72° apart, a 'quintile' aspects in astrology, which bears the numerological symbolism

of the number five - 5 x 72 = 360.

When the dots are joined, a perfect 5-pointed star is formed within the circle of 360°

This reminds me of the phrase

'joining the dots'...

meaning to understand something well,

especially in terms of its consequences.

i.e. TO 'GETTIT' !!

 

Read on .....

 

• This calls to mind the famous image of Leonardo da Vinci, a man with arms outstretched, legs open, and contained within a circle.

• The pentagram also has an association with magic, and has therefore become a symbol carrying 'collective fear'. This is because its spiritual challenge is 'right use of the mind'. This means the mind is not to be used as an instrument of division, competition, domination and exploitation .... but rather as an instrument directed to worship, the creation of beauty, and the cultivation of true intelligence. This mind sustains the deep logic of a wisdom connected with the capacity for desire, pleasure and appreciation of the sensual realm, and by extension, a reverence for the entire realm of Creation.

• It is said that the Buddha achieved enlightenment as the Morning Star (Venus) rose, after he had been sitting for a long time under the Bodhi tree. In his lifetime, he had already known both indulgence in and renunciation of the world of desires, and came to realise that both extremes resulted in suffering. The Middle Path, associated with neither denial nor indulgence, seeks by intelligent enquiry to trace back to the Source these powerful energies, so that they may be consecrated in their expression.

• Note that you can draw a 5-pointed star without lifting your pencil off the paper! (Follow the lines, going across from one side to the other). This reflects the unifying and harmonising capacity of Venus.

• The Biblical use of the verb 'to know' as meaning 'sexual intercourse' is echoed in several different languages. If English isn't your first language, check it out! This clearly underlines the connection between right use of the mind and right relationship with the realm of desire.

And finally .......

• Here is a picture of this movement unfolding over time, through the zodiac.

• It takes about 1200 years for the 'round' to be completed.