The Venus Tablet
On her time in Libra
The earliest trace we have of Astrology being practiced is found in ancient Mesopotamia around four thousand years ago. When the first wave of archaeologists were digging away in the sands of modern-day Iraq, one of the greatest history-shaping discoveries was made near Mosul with the majestic city of Nineveh. There was also a great library filled with cuneiform tablets that were happened upon, 70 of which compose the Enuma Anu Enlil (“The Book of Heaven and Earth”). And it’s on the 63rd where we discover their relationship to our favorite evening star in the ‘Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa.’
Currently, Venus is an evening star. She is also now domicile in Libra. These two bits of intel would have been important to our ancestors waiting for her appearance each night on top of those ziggurats. By the time of the recording of the Enuma Anu Enlil, Venus had two sexes, and a clear polarity of expression whether she was seen in the West or the East. As an evening star, she was a Goddess (Ishtar/Inanna) and leaned more into the correlations we know her for today: beauty, fertility, wealth, balance etc; Yet, when she was in the East as a morning star, she became a he, and was associated with the warring side of all her associations. There isn’t much evidence of the use of Signs for their omens, but there are intimations around Libra/Scorpio, which survive to this day.
Zibanu, which is Babylonian for Libra, was indeed associated with scales, and balance in heaven. Yet, just like today (though overlooked often), when Venus is in Libra, it doesn’t just summon peace, it invites in conflict as well. War and peace, the same coin spinning forever throughout time. Which brings us to the ingress of Venus recently into Libra (until Sep 10th), and the narrative just east of where these clay tablets were found: Afghanistan.
With the Taliban now in control of the country and 20 years of Ishtar shaking her head from heaven while watching on, the world now debates on what is right, and what is wrong with this situation. From the modern perspective of Venus in Libra as an evening star, this should be creating balance in heaven and on earth; From an ancient perspective, we can’t know for sure, but again conflict is an integral part of Libra. Constellate this into our own lives, locating where a similar narrative is taking place, and we have a story we can personally relate to.
There is a country within us under siege
There is a world out of balance somewhere inside us
There is something like the Taliban in our own Psyche
that won’t give up
It is devoted and blind to the rest
sheltered and alien
yet resilient
unbelievably resilient
And when it comes to Venus, she too is resilient. Out of all of the ancient Gods and Goddesses, she is the only one who seems to still hold most of her original associations. She started out as a God and became the beautiful Goddess we know today. She has had her role to play in all the wars throughout history, and all the peacetime as well. She is the Queen of Heaven and might be the light that guides us out of this mess.
How?
There is more than one history of the world
and there are infinite opinions about all of them
We must cultivate tolerance and a deep interest in other perspectives
Only then we will get to experience that balance of heaven…and on Earth
* Track her down in the sky and in your chart. Don’t be shy to bring her nice things. Make her blush with your praise.
~*~
Eudaimonia,
Adam
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