By Sheridan Semple

Photo by Sheridan Semple

New Venus Cycle in Capricorn

Starts in January

Venus represents the Sacred Feminine in Shamanic Astrology. This is true of both Venuses – the planet and the Goddess. Both have had many names throughout history. The first written record we have is of the Goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, who represented Venus (the planet).

This story, written on clay tablets from ancient Sumer, recounts the path Venus takes through the sky, but told as Inanna’s journey into the underworld and back. Our beloved planet Venus, who has represented various Goddesses for millennia, teaches us about the Sacred Feminine within each one of us as well as around us in the world.

Your personal Venus archetype

The sign Venus was in at your birth, represents which aspect of the Divine Feminine you have come to learn about, embody, and help usher back into the world. Your sex makes no difference. We are all the union of the Feminine and the Masculine. We each have both within us. Venus and Mars are on all our charts, representing the Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine we are all discovering and empowering within and without.

Venus has a unique pattern through the sky, in that it repeats itself, in nearly the exact same manner, every 19-months. The cycle begins when Venus rises in the morning sky, ahead of the sunrise. This is happening in January! We begin a new 19-month Venus cycle in the New Year, January 14th to be exact (or thereabouts). Generally, we say Venus can first be seen, with our eyes, once she moves 10 degrees away from the Sun. Depending upon your location and horizon line, this can happen earlier or later.

Venus in Capricorn

Venus has already moved into Capricorn and will remain there until the new cycle begins. This Venus cycle will have the overtone of Capricorn for the entire 19-months. Our understanding of the Sacred Feminine will be evolving within the context of Capricorn. Capricorn represents the wise, sage energy, the crone spirit, or the Native American idea of the Circle of Grandmothers. This new Venus cycle will be getting an infusion from the Grandmothers, who generously lead us and teach us who we are and how to be in this world. They show us how to care for ourselves, each other, and our beloved Mother Earth.

Capricorn has a “boots on the ground” energy to it. It is a practical archetype in its way of teaching us how to manage our energies, our communities and our relationship to the Earth. We are craving deeper connection to our ancestral ways of living in communion with the Earth.

We want to feel ourselves purposefully living within the greater whole of life, understanding our place within it. Following the Venus cycle is an excellent place to start. It not only gets you outdoors to watch her move through the sky, but it also empowers you to connect more deeply to your own Venus expression, your internal Divine Feminine and find your place within the greater whole.

Venus, Inanna and the 7 Chakras

Venus will move through the seven chakras twice during the 19-month cycle. This allows each of us an opportunity to clear, become more conscious of, and ultimately empower the areas of our lives that each chakra governs. We move through one chakra per month when the Moon conjoins (gets close to) Venus. It’s a powerful sight to witness. This is an excellent time to do ceremony, creating intentions for what you wish to work on within each chakra and within your feminine expression. Dive into this Venus cycle and see what it brings to you.

Where to learn more

An excellent place to begin understanding the entire cycle is through the original research our founder Daniel Giamario did on the Venus cycle. Here is the link to download an article he wrote in the 1990’s that kicked off Shamanic Astrology’s deep understanding of the Venus cycle and the profound impact honoring her cycle brings into our lives.

I encourage you to begin following the Venus cycle for yourself. Do ceremony. Get back in touch with your ancestral roots and connect to the brightest planet in our solar system. I promise your ancestors were doing this practice hundreds and thousands of years ago. It’s in your DNA, you just have to remember and reclaim it. We are all beings of the Earth and Sky. We are the union of the Feminine and the Masculine. Honoring the new Venus cycle will help to bring you one step closer to that union within.

Sheridan Semple

https://sheridansemple.com/

By: Sheridan Semple
https://sheridansemple.com/

Using plant spirit medicine for your astrology chart

All too often we go to an astrologer, have this incredible, mind-blowing, life-affirming experience and then forget the gist of it within weeks. We lose the connection to how we’re going to implement this new knowledge into our day to day lives. I’ve had this experience, and not just with astrologers but energy healers, psychics, etc.

It’s as if we reach a higher vibration together, in the reading, and then we can’t get there when we’re back in the world, out on our own. It is frustrating, even disheartening. We went into the session to gain a greater understanding of ourselves and then we struggle to use what we’ve learned as a springboard into a more whole place within ourselves.

Certain plants have been associated with astrology for thousands of years. Most likely, since we first started looking to the sky to better understand ourselves, we have simultaneously looked to the earth for the same education and support. We would see connections between what was happening in the sky and what changes were taking place around us on the earth. It has and always will be a symbiotic relationship. We just have to remember to look.

Why astrology and aromatherapy?

Marrying the earth and the sky is my passion. Coming to Shamanic Astrology from a background as a Holistic Health Practitioner, it was natural for me to look at the plant medicines I was using for physical health and learn how I could expand that into the spiritual.

Plant medicines are always working on multiple levels: physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual. We may not have conscious awareness of this, but it is nonetheless true. Any physical symptom we deal with has emotional/mental and spiritual components. Another way to say this is plant medicines work on all three worlds within us as well: underworld, middle world, and celestial world. It’s all the same. As above, so below, as within, so without.

Knowing your astrology chart and understanding the three world themes within your natal chart doesn’t necessarily easily translate into navigating these worlds gracefully or even consciously.

This is where plant spirit medicine comes into help. Utilizing the consciousness within the medicine of the earth entrains you into the vibration of the earth, which contains the vibrations of all the archetypes present on your chart. It’s that simple and that profound.

If you’re feeling a desire or need to go deeper with the archetypal energies within yourself, the plants and the earth can help. Having a daily touchstone connects you more deeply into yourself and your archetypes.

It moves this understanding from an intellectual process into a physically energetic one. I have found it accelerates the process. You could use any of the earth’s medicines with which you personally resonate: herbs, crystals, stones, hugging a tree, flower essences, earthing, etc. The key is daily use, with intention.

I was taught aromatherapy by an old, traditional naturopath, whom I apprenticed with. He learned it back in the 60’s, long before it became popular. That’s my area of expertise, so I’ll share how to use spiritual aromatherapy, but you use anything that calls to you.

Spiritual aromatherapy

For my clients and students, I recommend using several drops at least once a day, every day. I personally use them several times per day. Anoint yourself, with intention. Make it a spiritual practice, a little ceremony, as part of each day. Meditating with the essences is extremely powerful. They are sentient beings, so talk to them. Welcome them into your life. Say hi. Introduce yourself.

Ask them to help you know your Mars or Venus sign better. Ask them to help you with the sign you are struggling to understand better within yourself. Ask them to support you with the Moon’s energies or any current cycles you are experiencing.

For example, I have Neptune squaring my natal Mercury in Gemini. I ask Douglas Fir to help me let go and be ok with learning that my mind can’t know it all. Douglas Fir (not even a real fir, a trickster energy) playfully and lovingly helps me to learn this lesson. It raises my vibration to connect into the essence of Gemini and brings me into the energy of my intention.

Here is a starter list, to get you going. There are many essences you could use for each sign. There are also essences for each of the different planets. It’s limitless what you can do when you begin to marry different vibrations together that bring you more into the vibration of your Soul. Enjoy! Let me know how it goes!

Aries – Red Pine: passionate grounding and standing in one’s power

Taurus – Rose: sensual pleasure and lover

Gemini – Douglas Fir: trickster and playful

Cancer – Pinon Pine: unconditional mother love

Leo – Ylang Ylang: radical self-love promotor

Virgo – White Sage: spiritual connector and cleanser

Libra – Rhododendron: helps us find our spiritual family, conscious equal partnerships

Scorpio – Vetiver: a root that guides us gently through the underworld

Sagittarius – Laurel Leaf: truth seeker and courage grower

Capricorn – Frankincense: ancient wisdom keeper

Aquarius – White Pinecone: opens our pineal and connects us to cosmic consciousness

Pisces – Yarrow: deep blue essence that holds our hearts in the heart of Spirit

Astrology is Based on Intentions

It is so easy to get caught up in thinking, “Saturn, why are you doing this to me?” “Pluto, can’t I get a freaking break?” We anthropomorphize the planets and celestial bodies, treating them like Gods and Goddesses of old, feeling at the mercy of their whims. But, we’re not. As Hermes taught us, “As above, so below.” The solar system is simply and profoundly the mirror reflection of the energies we are all experiencing. We are born into a specific energetic soup, reflected in the heavens above. That stew isn’t a mandate sent from Spirit, saying you will be like this or do exactly that. It is the intention of your beautiful Soul desiring to learn, grow and evolve. Timing is everything and your birth alignment was exactly perfect for what your Soul had in mind. Our astrological charts don’t lock us into who we are, but instead offer us a way, a path we can choose to follow or not.

We still have free will

We can always skip the growth and evolution part. That choice may not bring a lot of ease or grace, but it is valid, nonetheless. We can choose to engage with our Soul’s intent to whatever degree we want. How interested are we in our Soul’s intention? It is our path, and we can walk it however we choose, conscious or unconscious, without judgement. Heck, you may be here to learn the lessons of completely shining your Soul’s intention on. Who are any of us to judge one another?

For me, understanding my Soul’s intention through my birth chart and transits simply feels better. I feel more in command of my experiences. Co-creating with my Soul provides me with a deeper understanding of what I’m experiencing. I can engage with my lessons more consciously and that feels purposeful. It brings deeper meaning to my life. Being conscious of what I’m here to learn and how I’m here to learn it takes the victim energy out. I know this is my path, my Soul’s evolutionary path, and I just need to put on my big girl pants and seek the maximum education out of it. It feels sacred to help my Soul evolve!

Intention not prophecy

2020’s Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto conjunctions or 2021’s Saturn-Uranus squares are examples of intentions, not prognoses. We could estimate something big was coming, huge even, but we didn’t know what it was exactly. They demonstrated a collective intention, to grow and evolve. (It’ll take some time and hindsight before we’ll know how we did.) There is nothing deterministic in these alignments, saying there would be a pandemic and we would respond in a set way. It was simply a reflection of our internal energies, providing an opportunity for change, growth and transformation.

The alignment of the Sun and planets at your birth is the same thing, an intention not a prediction. It’s kind of cool to connect with your Soul in that way and marvel at your higher Self’s desires for growth. It sure makes the journey feel a lot more worthwhile. It takes the randomness out of life and makes it all much more fun. Who doesn’t want to support their Soul’s evolutionary growth? I sure do! It also takes the sting out of all the crap we each have to endure. If I can focus on the gifts I’m cultivating from the challenges, aka the growth and power that comes from them, then wow that is so much more empowering. Take it from a lady who has an underworld signature to just about everything on her chart!

It’s easy to get caught up in saying Jupiter is doing this or you’re going to be like this, but that is wrong. All we can see is your intention. It’s up to you to engage with that as much or as little as you want. I like to think of the image Daniel Giamario, the founder of Shamanic Astrology, taught me several years ago. Imagine your Soul is about to incarnate and must appear before the council to get the final ok for its new life plan. It lays out what it wants to do, reflected in the energies present at your impending birth. The council says, “This is a pretty big shift from what you’ve been doing. Are you sure you want to go in this direction?” Your Soul, says, “Yup! I think this will be great! Look at everything I’ll be challenged to learn! Imagine how much I’ll grow! I got this!” The council stamps your proposal with approval and off you go, riding the Milky Way to incarnate through the Silver Gate of the Sacred Hoop. Enjoy!

Sheridan Semple

https://sheridansemple.com/

Use Astrology to Become More YOU

We all want to know why we’re here, who we really are, what’s our purpose, and what are we meant to be doing. Right? That’s often a big part of what draws us to astrology in the first place. We’re trying to make sense of our lives, our experiences. We’ve got big questions and we’re searching for big answers.

Some of us even come to astrology looking for psychic answers. We want to find out what’s going to happen in our lives and when. Should we do this or is doing that better. We approach our sessions as if astrologers are clairvoyant and have a magical connection to other realms of knowledge we don’t. 

Shamanic Astrology isn’t predictive and won’t tell you what is going to happen and when. We don’t pretend to know what Great Mystery has in store for us. Our special sauce is using astrology to help you become more YOU! That’s what really gets us excited. We look to the sky to better understand you and your unique path. 

Your birth chart holds the clues to your Soul’s intention.

The precise alignment of our Solar System at your first breath is the outward energy you chose to birth yourself into. Where the planets were in relationship to one another and the archetypes they were present within shows us what you came here to learn about, experience and explore. This is your Soul’s intention for this lifetime that you are living right now.

 Use astrology to mine the gold that is you! No one else has your exact birth chart, born under the same sky, at the same time, in the same place. Not even your identical twin.  You actually are a special snowflake, so live it. Your birth chart is the map to discovering those reasons. Astrology is the language used to decipher that mystery.

Still unclear why you’re here?

Before you put undue stress and pressure on yourself, know that this unfolding is a process. A lifetime process, so you’re only job is to keep getting clearer and clearer as you go. None of us will ever arrive at a perfect moment where we have all the answers. Hopefully, we will all be evolving right up to our very last breath. But, continuing to study your birth chart and the transits you go through teach you everything you need to know for that evolutionary process.

Your natal chart is the starting place. What are the predominant archetypes you are learning about this go round? Start there. Then, once you’ve got a feel for the archetypes playing the leading roles in your life, begin to understand their significance within the planets held by those signs. Is Libra big on your chart. Learn about Libra first. Then, what does it means to have both your Venus and Mars in Libra. Look at your personal planets first: Moon, Sun, Mars, Venus and Mercury. These are the lesson plans of your life.

Next, look at the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, and beyond. Which of them are in a dynamic aspect (conjunct, square or opposite) with your personal planets. These outer planets are your guides and teachers for the above lesson plans. How have they guided your experiences that make up you? How do they guide you into expressing more of you? Initiation cycles aren’t always easy, but the intent is to clear away more of the muck that isn’t you.

Finally, look at the transit cycles you are currently experiencing. These are your current life teachers and initiation cycles. The more you understand, the more you can interact consciously with what you are trying to learn. It doesn’t necessarily make it all easy breezy, but it sure helps to feel like you’re steering the ship of your own life. Knowing where you’re going and the intent behind it makes all the difference between feeling like a victim and feeling like a student of your own life.

It’s a process, so be patient and allow yourself the space to blossom into you

Like learning a new language, it’s a process. It takes time and simple tuning into… you! It’s not rocket science and you don’t need a genius IQ to get there. You just need a willingness, a desire, and taking the time to feel into yourself. If things don’t feel right in your life, go deeper. There’s always a silver lining, even if it’s hidden behind a huge storm cloud. 

It’s all about unraveling the mystery that is you. It’s about learning those lessons and bringing yourself more and more into alignment with your Soul’s vibration. You’re always walking on your path, but does it feel right? Do you feel in alignment with your higher self and purpose? If not, then dive more deeply into your chart to get the clues as to where your Soul wants to go. That is always the solution to feeling better. 

Astrology is here to help you, step by step, see the path in front of you and learn more about yourself, your true nature, who you are and what you’ve come here to be and do. You may not like the path always, but it’s yours, so don’t fight it. Keep going. It’s an uncovering process that takes a lifetime, your lifetime. You got this or you wouldn’t be here.

Sheridan Semple
https://sheridansemple.com/

Beginner’s Corner with Sheridan

Archetypes in the Sky and on the Earth

These two Aquarian Full Moons in a row have me visioning more deeply into what I do and what I bring to the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School. Many of you new to Shamanic Astrology have probably wondered, at some point, does the “shamanic” part refer to plant medicines? For most Shamanic Astrologers it doesn’t, but for me it does. I came to SAMS as a Holistic Health Practitioner well versed in plant spirit medicine specifically. Plus, with a Virgo Moon and Virgo Jupiter conjunct my Ascendant, Earth medicine is my jam!

What does any of this have to do with you and your delving into your chart through Shamanic Astrology? Well, I’ll tell you 😊… the archetypes aren’t solely in the sky. They are here within you. “As above, so below” is one of our truths at SAMS, as is “as within, so without”. These powerful statements help us to understand the archetypal energies are everywhere, in the sky, in our bodies, and on the earth.

See the Archetypes on the Earth

Your birthday anchors you into a seasonal time of the Sun. If you just had a birthday, you’re a Leo. If your birthday is next week, you’re a Virgo. That’s your Sun sign, of course. Your Sun sign fixes you into a certain season of the earthly cycles. It places you around a Solstice or Equinox, or around a cross-quarter holi-day. The Householder signs (Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Libra) kick off the Solstices and Equinoxes. The Self Exploration signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) settle us squarely in the Cross-Quarter days. The In Service to Spirit signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) carry us into the next Solstice or Equinox.

You were born into a certain timing of the seasonal cycle of the Earth and the Sky. The Sun is in the same part of the Sky, with the same constellations and stars every year. (Note: this changes slowly over time with the precessional cycle.) The Earth is also in the same season. As astrology enthusiasts we tend to look up at the Sky, but it is equally powerful to look down and around at the Earth to better understand your personal Sun archetype. And, ALL of the archetypes as well. What does the energy feel like at different times of the year? What is the temperature like? What plants are growing? Are they sprouting, fruiting, seeding? What are the birds or animals doing? Increase your awareness and understanding of yourself through the energy that the earth is experiencing as well. This isn’t hemisphere specific. It’s you and your surroundings specific. It’s tuning you more deeply into your ancestral roots, when your life was intimately intertwined with the Earth and the Sky.

Discover the Archetypal energy wherever you live

For example, I’m in Colorado, in the northern hemisphere, where Leo season marks the middle of summer. It’s hot. The Sun is high in the Sky. The land is turning beige and brown, from the heat. But, I can feel the coming Fall Equinox in the cooler nights. Lush golden flowers and shrubs are blooming, such as Rabbit Brush (pictured in image) Goldenrod, and Gumweed. All very heart opening plants. Very Leo types of plants that support loving yourself more deeply. 

Nearer the equator, Ylang Ylang trees are blooming. Another self-love powerhouse of a plant spirit. It has these golden yellow blooms that smell of the tropics, sensual and sultry. Ylang Ylang is used for anything to do with the heart physically, emotionally and spiritually. It helps us stay with our emotional healing and brings us into profounder states of self-love.

In the southern hemisphere, Leo season anchors in winter, but like Aquarius season here in the northern hemisphere, you can feel the hints of spring. Depending upon how far south you live, you may even have the first bulbs starting to come up, such as golden daffodils, reaching for the lengthening daylight Sun. Again, opening your heart, bringing light within. One could even see the growing light as being more Leo in the southern hemisphere than the northern where the light is lessening. It’s all about your perspective and what you see and feel when you walk outside.

Get in touch with your surroundings and let the Earth teach you more about yourself, the archetypes in your chart and the path you are walking in this lifetime. What does Leo season feel like to you? Virgo season starts in a few days, how does that feel different? What does the Earth teach you about Virgo? What’s blooming or turning to seed? What are the trees doing? The animals? The birds? How do you feel? It’s your experience, so you can’t get this wrong. There is no one right answer, just your growing connection to yourself through the Earth and Sky around you. This is really what Shamanic Astrology is all about.

For a deeper dive into how the archetypes work in both hemispheres – and so much more  – check out “Further Adventures of Shamanic Astrology, episode 12” with Daniel Giamario and Gemini Brett here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MopXYtVkXCc I highly recommend this video!

Sheridan Semple

https://sheridansemple.com/