The Sun-Venus Cycle

Reasons for increasing the subscription fee.

I thought it might be interesting and maybe even helpful to shed some light onto the reasons for the upcoming price increase. While there are obvious reasons for doing this - such as increased operating costs, inflation, competitive analysis and growth strategies - there is a deeper reason why this time seems appropriate for such a change. I want to share this deeper reasoning with you, and to hopefully show both how far LUNA has come and where she is going.

First, I fully acknowledge that I just personified astrology software. To me, however, she is more than that. Bringing LUNA into existence has been a labor of love and has challenged my abilities more than I could ever imagine. More importantly, though, is the intention that is behind her birth and life. While I'm not fully comfortable sharing all of it publicly at this time, I can at least say that the heart and soul behind her is larger than just one person; and the fact that you are reading this now is proof of that.

What I want to draw attention to is what was happening last year when I decided to lower the price from the original amount of $9/mo to the current price of $3/mo. We all know about the impact COVID-19 has played in our world to varying degrees. Certainly that was part of my reasoning:

Since folks were having to tighten their belts financially, why not help them do so by offering LUNA at a lower price, especially in light of the fact that the business was so new and only starting to grow?

In early June 2020, Venus was retrograde in Gemini and conjunct the Sun. This is called the Sun-Venus Inferior Conjunction. It's so-called because Venus is retrograde at this conjunction as opposed to moving direct. Later (at the end of March 2021) Venus will conjunct the Sun again but in direct motion. That is called the Sun-Venus Superior Conjunction. I will explain more about this below.

My view of astrology includes a cycle-based approach whereby I find a wholistic set of connecting principles by considering that every planetary pair is always in some phase of development with one another. In other words, from conjunction to conjunction, I am able to always find a level of meaning between any two planets even if there isn't an aspect between them. This is because they are always in motion and thus always within some phase of relationship with each other[1].

So what is the nature of Sun-Venus and how do these two conjunctions factor into a pricing update?

To express it simply, I'll just say that the Sun-Venus relationship is about developing one's value system. Of course the entire chart factors into one's value system in terms of general life intentions and so forth, but Sun-Venus specifically seems to be a planetary cycle with the purpose of directing one's attention to their value system in order to clarify it in some manner. We can look at it as a cycle of motivating us to reflect on what matters most, and then becoming clearer and more authentic about it.

Thus the astrology of the situation can be seen in this way:

1. What does this mean to me?

The Inferior Conjunction plants the seed of a new valuation period.

2. Coming to understand the value & significance of it.

This period develops over time as the Sun and Venus move through the zodiac.

3. Knowing the cost/value relationship.

The valuation period culminates at the Superior Conjunction.

4. Improvement through clarity.

The remainder of the cycle is spent integrating what has been learned and sharing it with others.

Last year at the Sun-Venus Inferior Conjunction, there was an intuitive sense that LUNA was still learning how to walk. Now I don't mean that there were any problems or bugs, but rather that she was still quite young and developing. The feature set available was solid and the visual design was aesthetically pleasing, allowing me to feel confident in referring to her as "beautiful and professional" - two principles that guide every design and architectural decision I make during development. Yet there was a quality about her that still felt quite new and inexperienced. There was so much more that still needed to be done.

When we look at the nature of Sun-Venus, and consider their Inferior Conjunction as a seed planting moment, then we can apply these astrological ideas directly to the real-world situation that was occurring. From here it becomes evident that a price reduction was appropriate, even if it didn't fully reflect the "true value" of LUNA. That is to say, sometimes we must pull back on our ambitions to re-evaluate them, and to accept that the value we see in them may not yet be completely shared by others, at least not fully.

Throughout the last year LUNA has had her first real growth spurt. I won't belabor all the various updates here and instead will simply comment on how her foundational layers have seen some tremendous development. Some of these layers are technical and would probably bore you to death and so I'll spare you those gory and geeky details. They are quite significant, however, as they all serve to create the environment within which so many new features can come to life. Just like we learn how to perform more advanced tasks as we move through school and the like, LUNA has developed new abilities over this last year.

Now as we approach the Superior Conjunction and I see what has been accomplished, the future roadmap of upcoming features, and the growing list of beautiful customers - like you - who have been so kind and supportive of LUNA, I am finding the confidence to say that this price increase is fair and appropriate. Bearing in mind that all active and current customers of LUNA Astrology as of March 28th, 2021 will continue to receive legacy pricing for as long as their account remains active and current, I truly feel and believe that the new price point is still an incredible value for the money as we continue to watch LUNA grow further into her own self.

I hope this has helped you understand a little more about what's behind some of the guiding principles of LUNA Astrology, but more importantly that you found something useful in this short explanation of Sun-Venus for your own life.

With Love,

Kevin DeCapite
Founder & Developer
LUNA Astrology

[1] Dane Rudhyar goes into this concept of cycles, phases and the corresponding seed-fulfillment principle in the book he co-wrote with his wife Leyla Rael, "Astrological Aspects: A Process-Oriented Approach".