Of all the degree numbers that planets can be in, the 17th degree of each sign is, I feel, one of the most unusual. According to Kabbalah the number 17 is ruled by Venus, and so the 17th degree of each sign is its Venus degree.
It seems to me that the 17th degree of a sign is on a quest for value – that is, is trying to find out the value of the sign its in. 17 has a feeling of never being satisfied with the surface. It is always looking deeper, and even when it finds something deeper it is always feeling there is something deeper yet to find. What 17 is looking for is the Spiritual Light hidden in each sign.
Sandra and I both have the 17th degree of Leo in our charts – I have Saturn there and she has Moon. The Omega Symbol for this degree is “A giant squid asleep in the ocean depths.”
The whole purpose of the sign Leo is to express and be a channel for the Spiritual Light. When Leo reflects this light into the world, it has attained its highest purpose.
The Leo polarity is LITTLE VERSUS BIG. When Leo becomes petty, demanding of attention, touchy, worried as to its own worth, and in need of constant reassurance it makes itself little. When it opens up and allows the spiritual light into itself and then reflects that spiritual light out into the world with magnanimity and love, it allowws itself to become big, that is, true to its higher nature. The giant squid of the symbol represents the bigness of Leo, for the giant squid is the biggest animal on the face of the earth. And the fact that it lives in the ocean means that it is at home in the depths of its own intuition. All emotions are some form of love, negative emotions being some form of a distortion or lack of love, and water, that is, the sea, signifies emotion. The fact that the squid is an animal that is so hidden means, I believe, that the true beauty of Leo (17=Venus) is to be found when it retreats from all outer contact and becomes aware of the depths of its own true nature. Leo 17 is about, among other things, being totally and absolutely true to oneself. Unless this happens the beauty of Leo cannot and will not manifest.
Sandra has another degree 17 in her chart – her Sun is in the 17th degree of Gemini. The Omega Symbol for this degree is “Deep in a cave a large albino snake.”
Realize that this snake is albino because it has no exposure to the Sun. It lives in the UNCONSCIOUS (The Sun signifies all that which is conscious). The snakes whiteness signifies purity, and so this is an image of the the wisdom (snake) of the unconscious (cave) in its pure (white) state. YES!! That is truly the beauty of Gemini! When Gemini attunes to the pure wisdom within itself it attains to its highest value (value=Venus=17).
Another example: The Omega Symbol for 17 Pisces is “Getting on his hands and knees a man uses a piece of white chalk to draw a circle around himself.” This is a typical way of beginning a magic ritual. The circle symbolizes spirit. The white of the chalk is purity, the man on his hands and knees is coming into closer contact with the ground – is grounding himself. How about that for an explanation of the true beauty and value of Pisces! When Pisces seeks spiritual protection (places a circle around itself, and grounds itself within that circle it attains to its highest value and beauty.