On May 28th, the waters of the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy turned a bright, fluorescent green. The transformation was initially believed to be the work of climate vandals but the evidence behind the enchanting emerald water was ultimately due to the presence of something far more mundane, a substance called fluorescein, which is used to test water quality. Although this seemingly banal event would appear to be unrelated to astrology, upon closer inspection there appears to be a great confluence of planetary themes.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/mystery-bright-green-water-venice-canal-solved-officials/story?id=99693501
Venus is the planet of love, union, relationships, aesthetics, and the senses. At this time, Venus was transiting through the Moon-ruled water sign of Cancer. Though Venus’ transit through Cancer may be felt on a global/personal level, Venus has a special relationship to the water bound city of Venice, and her transit may offer us an opportunity to meditate on their connection. So, before we dive into the astrology of this particular event, let’s first get some historical context.
The city of Venice derives its name from the Veneti people who originally inhabited the area in the 10th century BC. The word Veneti is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root “wen” and means “to strive, to wish for, to love”. The etymologically related root word for the planet Venus, in Latin “eris”, means “love, passion, and grace.” Venice and Venus thus have a direct etymological connection.
The city of Venice, comprised of a series of islands joined by canals and bridges, was the capital of the Republic of Venice for roughly 1,000 years and is considered to be the world’s first real financial center. As Venus is a planet prone to the decadent pleasures of the senses, the concept of money, wealth, and possessions are often associated with her many significations.
During the Renaissance period, a group of Venetian painters began an artistic movement and Venice became a major cultural center. The Venetian style favored warm, rich colors with a heavy emphasis on textures and light over the solidity of line. One of the most notable Venetian painters was the artist Titian, who appeared to be uniquely inspired by the planet Venus, and painted her in various states of undress.
Titian’s painting Venus of Urbino, famously features a reclining Venus, nude, with her hand pressed between her legs, suggesting self-pleasure.
Titian also created a series of paintings, each one a variation on the reclining, nude Venus, collectively known as “Venus and the Musician”.
Finally, the Venetian painter Giorgione died while painting “Sleeping Venus”. Titian is largely credited with finishing the painting after Giorgione died.
Now, that we have established a rough history, let’s return to the present day and the astrological themes present in this story about the green waters of Venice.
As mentioned previously, the city of Venice is comprised of a series of labyrinthine canals and islands, emphasizing the presence of water. The sign of Cancer is a water sign and is ruled by the Moon. Its significations are generally related to the concepts of nurturing, protection, and the primordial waters of the womb.
In the Western Magical Tradition, Venus, the planet of love, is the ruler of the seventh sephiroth on the Tree of Life and is assigned the color green. Venus’ transit through the water sign of Cancer would appear to echo this theme of the emerald waters of Venice (whose name means “to love”). Additionally, the enchanting beauty of this image may also relate to the Venusian desire to beautify public spaces.
During this time, Venus formed a sextile with Uranus (rebellion and disruptions), as well as a sign based sextile with both Mercury (communications) and Jupiter (justice) in Taurus (Venus-ruled earth sign). The Moon (emotions) which rules the sign of Cancer, was also in a sextile to Venus.
Initial reports of the incident laid blame for the green waters as a form of protest by climate justice activists, distraught over perceived inaction regarding climate change. We thus have the suggestion of persons who are emotionally charged/overly protective of Mother Earth (Venus in Cancer) rebelling (Uranus) through performative protest (Mercury) in a call for climate justice (Jupiter in Taurus). Jupiter/Mercury may also play some part in overhyping this initial suspicion.
Finally, Venus formed a sign based opposition with Pluto (transformation) in Aquarius (“the water-bearer”). Here we may find an echo of the theme of transformation as the water is changed from blue to green. The revelation that it was not the work of climate change activists, but in fact the presence of a chemical substance, may not only speak to the transformative aspect of Pluto, but the Aquarian use of technology also.
