This is Me in an Aphrodite Evening Star Type Imagery Rising from the Waters taken in 2008

by Cayelin K Castell

She Changes Everything She Touches
And Everything She Touches Changes

The last few years have been Everything Venus as we have dived deep into the process of exploring the potent alchemy of the Venus cycle and our personal Venus Signatures. For that reason, I am not surprised the words to this song, She Changes Everything She Touches, have been in my thoughts. Additional words to this song relating to the Great SHE who weaves the night sky are:

She is the weaver and we are the web. She is the needle we are thread…

What we have been learning about Venus, the Goddess and her cycle has been so much more than we could have ever imagined. For me personally, this love affair with the synodic cycle of Venus really started in the 1990’s and has been increasing at an exponential rate since my age 56 Venus Return that began in November of 2010 and ended in June of 2012 around the time of the last Venus Transit over the Sun. (another cool story for another time)

Venus Alchemy was birthed in 2014 in a magical way though we did not realize how the Alchemy was going to transform even the direction we thought we were going in – forever changing us and those who have been called by Venus to join us in our sacred exploration of Venus. Or at least that is the feedback we keep getting, confirming the profound impact this has for those taking both our Ceremonial Morning and Evening Star Classes and Venus Signature Series.

Here is what Jennifer shared with us. I have been blown away by the powerful insights of the beginning of the “Getting personal with the Goddess” series – so much so that I found myself close to tears at the recognition of myself in the section on the Metamorphic Underworld. So much of what you describe has been such a huge part of my life experience and has helped me understand so much more about my own life’s journey. My Gratitude is Beyond Words. Jennifer

How This Got Started
I have been working with the Venus Cycle since the mid-90’s, ever since Daniel Giamario (founder of the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School) did the original research on the synodic cycle of Venus. When Daniel first presented this material it just so happened I was in my age 40 Venus return though I wasn’t quite 40 yet. I am an Evening Star Venus near the end of the 19 month cycle, so my Venus returns always begins about 15 months before my 8 year birthday.

In 1994, we were NOT yet looking at the entire 19 month cycle as the full window of initiation. Over the years the original insights about this cycle have grown and evolved as we have gained deeper understanding from our direct experience and from those who have also worked with us in this cycle. We are continually amazed at how powerful and transformative ceremonially engaging the personal Venus Return is and continues to be. Over the years, more is revealed with each passing Venus Cycle, including additional insights and understanding of the potency and magic that is connected to these mysteries.

My Venus Story
In November of 1994 (right as my Venus return began), a new friend told me she was about to ordained as a Priestess of Isis. When I heard the word Priestess, without having any idea what that meant, I said I want to do that! So she put me in touch with Nicole Christine, the creatrix of the Awakening the Priestess Within process. Nicole called me in December of 1994 to let me know she was having a preview meeting about the process in early January. I already knew I didn’t need the preview meeting because I knew I was doing this – whatever THIS was.

On March 1 of 1995, about 4 months after my Venus Return began, I was initiated into the Priestess Process, a 9 month journey. In those days, many women were afraid to use the “P” word outside of our circle, concerned others would think they had really gone off the deep end. Truly, we were on the leading edge of the Priestess revolution that has now shown up all over the world in many different forms. However, back then we didn’t know how this would grow and evolve beyond our small circles.

I so loved doing ceremony with my Priestess Sisters. I loved how we were honoring the Goddess and I loved that I was able to bring the understanding of Venus as seen through the lens of Shamanic Astrology to my Priestess Community and they loved it too.

I emerged as a Priestess of the As Above, So Below mysteries 9 months later on December 2, 1995 with 5 other Priestess sisters. (see image to the right of me and Nicole at the emergence ceremony). We were witnessed by a community gathering of about 50 people including my second husband, my four children and my parents just three months before my 40th birthday and exact Venus Return.

My life was forever changed in the best ways I could possibly imagine and beyond. And I realize all these years later the Goddess has been guiding me toward this deeper work with Venus ever since.

My own Venus returns have been profound for me over the years, as I discovered ways to work with it ceremonially and share that with clients who were in their Venus Return. Little did I know that would soon become something beyond anything I had ever imagined…

In 2014, Tami and I were guided to begin a ceremonial online journey working with the story of Inanna, a cosmological telling of the Venus Cycle that informs how we engage the Venus Alchemy possible when we attune to Venus (and the Goddess through Venus).

The first class was conceived and launched within a month guided by the Circle of Grandmothers, returning to greater conscious awareness and overseeing that our first class focused on the Capricorn Goddess. The response was magical and so much better than anything we were imaging. So we knew we were on track with what we were being called to do.

Cayelin and Tami, congratulations to both of you on this goddess stimulating class. I am overwhelmed with knowledge and joy and look forward to soaking up every bit you present. Mary

The Birth of Venus Alchemy
We were so delighted when members of the first class had asked us if we would continue to do these ceremonial classes for each of the 5 overtones or MetaGoddesses. (There was a new MetaGoddess who came on line in October of 2018 (Libra) and there will another MetaGoddess coming on line in 2025, moving from Aries to Pisces).

The sign Venus is in when she begins a new Synodic cycle has been called the Overtone of that cycle. In 2015 we began seeing that MetaGoddess was a more all encompassing term. We all have a Venus MetaGoddess that helps to inform either our emerging Goddess expression for women, or the connection to the Inner Feminine for Men.

As we were completing our first journey with Venus, we realized this work needed its own website. At that time we had been using our personal websites to advertise and post class materials and recordings. We started brainstorming names and I was making a list of possible URLs. Of all the names we had, our favorite was Venus Alchemy. Imagine our surprise when that URL was actually available! Clearly some greater magic was at work and we felt humbled and excited.

In August of 2015 a New Cycle of Venus began in Leo and the response to the start of this class was even more amazing than our first class. This has continued to be the case for the Aries, Libra and Gemini Cycles as well and we are ever so grateful for all the participants that have helped us dive even more deeply into these transformative alchemical mysteries.

In a future article I will share more about the Venus Signature Series and how that has deepened our understanding of Venus in all her infinite expressions beyond anything we had previously imagined.

Thank you Cayelin and Tami for sharing this wonderfully transformational work. Knowing where Venus is in the Venus Star Phase, and if at a gate etc., gives us an opportunity to go deeper into how Venus is expressed. This is so brilliant I am at a loss for words. Thank you seems hardly enough but I am deeply grateful. RM