Venus, Virgo, GMO, gluten

You Gonna Eat That?

Venus has moved into Virgo as of July 22nd, 2013. The Goddess of Love will be in the sign of the virgin until August 16th. Traditionally, Venus in Virgo is not considered to be a load of fun - especially compared to her party-friendly placement in Leo - but don’t let that discourage you.

Virgo is the sign of the harvest, the image is of the goddess holding a shaft of wheat. There are many signs that we associate with agriculture, given that at one level the zodiac describes the cycle of planting, growing, harvesting, and storing food. Of course, these images refer back to a time when farming was a more down-to-earth process.
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Regulus, the Royal Star, progressed from Leo into Virgo over the past few years, a major astrological shift that has corresponded with growing concern about our food supply. We perhaps see this most obviously in the controversy over genetically modified foods (GMOs) and Monsanto, although the issue extends far beyond this one issue.

As we face the need to feed more than 7 billion people - double the population of 50 years ago - questions about how to grow food and what to eat are bound to arise. Vegetarianism, Veganism, and organic foods are growing trends, at the same time we realize the problems associated with processed foods and additives.

The sudden prevalence of gluten intolerance points directly to Virgo, a sensitive sign known for a certain pickiness. Think of it: Wheat, and bread, the “staff of life” is now suspect as a disease causing agent. Something seems very wrong. People are becoming (or realizing that they are) sensitive to one of the key ingredients in the human food supply for millennia. As the image of Virgo shows, it was the cultivation of wheat that was initially the solution to feeding a growing population - now we think it may be the problem. Perhaps we are moving to a post-grain diet, although we’ve made only modest progress moving to post-meat.

With Venus in Virgo, expect to see an amplification of issues around food, food intolerance, and the food supply. And as Venus transitions out of Virgo in August, she’ll be followed two of the goddess asteroids. Ceres - associated with grain - will be in Virgo from August 28 to November 3rd. Vesta, associated with Virgo (Vesta = Vestal Virgin = Virgo) is in the sign from September 10 to November 15th. We will be hearing about these issues at a very charged level through the autumn - although with Regulus in Virgo, this issue is here to stay.