I thought this might be a good subject for contemplation during this Dark of the New Moon in Libra–I think many of us are feeling the need to re-focus on talents and assets; too much energy scattering and distraction of late have left many feeling just a wee bit ragged.

In assessing talents I go straight for Venus and Chiron in the natal chart. Venus represents our assets, sometimes quite literally; these are traits and abilities we can pull out of our pockets and use, the best examples being Venus-ruled gifts such as singing ability or artistic talent. Venus attributes always carry an undefinable je ne sais quoi that shines through and designates the result as talent, rather than mere effort. Venus is like ability currency we can spend as we like; it draws admiration, and marks us as naturally skilled, whether we work to develop that ability or not.

Chiron is another kind of attribute entirely, a much more subtle ability that is highly unique and personalized to our Beingness and experience. The Chirotic skill has the quality of being channeled through us, and because of this it’s an asset we can freely offer to others, while this specific aid remains unavailable for our own use. We can profit from Venus; the profit we derive from Chiron is personal and spiritual, for the most part, with the goal being to take the Chirotic experience from a personal to a transpersonal level.

We can make the most of our total assets and abilities when we find a way to make Chiron and Venus work in concert; this doesn’t necessarily involve them working together in the same area–in fact that rarely produces success, instead fostering a confusion of purpose and values–but rather calls for each to be prominent in its proper domain, dictated by placement and aspects.

We have a fine, subtle example of the two working in concert in actress and activist/ ambassador Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929, 3:00 AM, Ixelles Belgium). She began life drawing strongly on Venus, studying ballet, but after a move to the Netherlands in hopes of sheltering from the Nazis, she and her mother weathered the occupation, where young Audrey carried messages, hidden in her ballet shoes, to resistance fighters. This duality of gifts continued throughout her life, as she became an international movie star and UN goodwill ambassador, visiting and advocating for those experiencing some of the harshest conditions on earth.

She has Venus in Aries retrograde in the 1st; the 1st spans from the 28 Aquarius ASC to 26 Aries cusp of the 2nd, and also contains Pallas and the Moon in Pisces, and Uranus in Aries. Venus rules the communication 3rd and the 8th of support from and resources of others/ life and death issues, and she has six Taurus placements: Ceres, Chiron, the Sun, Jupiter, the North Node, and Vesta. Her Chiron, as mentioned, is in Taurus, and thus concerns the Venusian outlets of Taurus, in this case perhaps the food supply, as that was the focus of the UN activity. Her wound in this regard may have shown in the circumstances of the occupation, with food scarce and stability and security non-existent, and her gift may have been the appreciation of these very things–many of her movie roles show a woman who moves her focus from appreciation of the material to appreciation of the fabric of human relationship.

Venus in the 1st in Aries suggests a personal leadership role that has value to herself and to others. She was out front as both a fashion icon (and lifelong friend of designer Givenchy) and as a celebrity advocate–she was one of the first to visit the places in need of aid and interact with the inhabitants for the camera, in the hope of inspiring the world–this in itself says she was able to elevate Chiron from personal to transpersonal, as a world stage (depending, of course, on the size of your world) where one’s actions have a large ripple effect is one of the signs Chiron has been maximized.

Venus ruler Mars is in Cancer in the 6th–this was everyday work for her, suggesting she was living her values, very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ position. Mars ruler Moon is in the 1st in Pisces, giving the personalized connection to the Collective welfare. Moon ruler Neptune is in the 6th in Leo, just at the DSC–helpful for an actress–and Neptune ruler Sun is in Taurus in the 2nd of talents and Self-worth–and we’re back to Venus.

We see Chiron swept up in the Venus energy flow in this chart, and get a further hint as to how it works in concert as Taurean Ceres sits at the midpoint of Chiron/ Venus; this draws a picture of how important nature and personal authority would be in this life, suggesting that these areas would bridge the manifestations of both Venus and Chiron as she sought to bring aid and comfort, by using her personal authority, to others.

See my books on Chiron and on personal relationships here http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com