Venus’ Retreat
Venus is currently retrograde in the sign of Leo from July 22nd 2023 until September 3, 2023.
Imagine Venus. Picture her as goddess, archetype, planet, or myth. See her peach gold hue, her rose kissed glow. Venus is sweet dusk haze, and pure morning light. Her voice speaks grace, and her words breath charm. Beauty, both inner and outer is her realm, and her magic: pure honey dust, sprinkled freely on lovers, artists and peacemakers alike. She dispenses her precarious sparkle of romance and pleasure with loving care and exquisite danger, uncaring of consequences, and blind to remorse. Yet Venus also thrives around peace and harmony, revels in the hush of the sated senses, and awakens wherever creativity lives.
In the astrological birth chart, Venus represents how we love, what we love, and who we love. The sign and house our Venus is in shapes our style of receiving and giving pleasure, and gives clues about what we find the deepest appreciation in or what we recognize as both beautiful and worthy of love. For this reason Venus also symbolizes what we value, and at the most mundane level, what we buy or own.
Her rulerships of both Taurus and Libra demonstrate her ability to express her essence both in the external, mundane and earthy world (Taurus) and her corresponding qualities in the airy, abstract realm of the mind and (Libra).
In Taurus, she expresses her bounty in the pleasures of the flesh and the juiciness of the five senses. She is queen of pleasure, indulgence and comfort, wanting nothing more than to revel in the beauty and bounty of the earth.
In Libra, she rules as the consummate hostess, exuding charm and grace. She wields the superpowers of balance and equality, and here she creates justice, excelling in blending opposing forces into a harmonious web.
In the natal chart, the astrological sign Venus is in tells about how we love, our style of attraction and what brings us pleasure. Venus in air signs wants words and ideas shared and expressed to feel loved and appreciated. Venus in fire signs thrives on bravery, passion and action, Venus in water signs opens up to emotional and spiritual connection, and Venus in earth signs needs physical manifestations of affection to feel loved. The house where our Venus lives describes the terrain where we express our Venus, the types of environments and situations that coax her into appearing.
During a Venus Retrograde several years ago (October of 2018), the love planet turned retrograde in Scorpio. As a way of understanding the Venus Retrograde cycle more deeply, you may want to go back to that time period to see what was happening for you, as this particular Venus Retrograde had some stand out features. At this time she went retrograde in a sign (Scorpio) where she was classically known to be in “detriment” and returned to a sign that she ruled (Libra). Scorpio’s realm is death, rebirth, power and sexuality. This water sign holds the power to purge and cleanse in order to be reborn into a new form. It is the snake shedding it’s skin, Innana going down into the underworld, leaving all her jewels and finery behind, being hung on the meat hook and only when the grief cycle is complete, does she return to the world of the living. During the shadow period of this cycle, all of the shadow sides of love flew out of the skeleton closet, especially during the first part of the 40 days and 40 night retrograde cycle. We may have been confronted with our love wounds from the past, our own self-doubts and questions about our power and worth. During these weeks it is important to summon our heart courage, our ability to face our love demons in the face and stare them down, or embrace their pain, or find them another job to do. This is where the power of transformation and healing lies.
As Venus moved back into Libra it was possible to reconnect with our love ideals, re-integrating our values and re-formulating our approach to relationships. The beauty and pleasure of life can be remembered. What we needed to achieve inner balance can be re-established.
Overall the Venus retrograde cycle allows the Venus principle a chance to rest, rejuvenate and revision the quality of her varying forms of expression. On a personal level, during the Venus retrograde, we have a chance to explore and deepen our relationship to Venusian themes and qualities. Retrograde periods slow down and often internalize the qualities of a planet that is (seemingly) going backwards. A retrograde time can also be experienced as a stoppage or constriction of energy or experience associated with the planet. For this reason, traditional astrologers consider Venus retrograde periods to be a challenging time for romantic relationships in particular, but also relationships in general. Finances, socializing and culture are also said to suffer at this time. During the month and a half or so of the Venus retrograde it is usually recommended that people postpone starting new relationships, hold off on buying luxury items, or clothes in particular, cut back on socializing and refrain from overspending. It is also strongly recommended that weddings are not held during this time.
While all these tips may indeed prove to be useful, and it can be interesting to experiment with consciously ignoring the Venus retrograde advice and seeing how that new relationship (or car, dress, etc.), holds up when the period passes, there is another, shall we say, more “empowering” approach.
Viewed from the evolutionary astrological perspective, the slow and internal pace of the retrograde can be seen as an opportunity for growth rather than an unavoidable and fated negative experience. By matching our own energy to the flow of the planet, we can work with rather than against planetary movement, benefiting from this seemingly backward motion rather than fearing it. Venus retrograde then becomes a time of retreat and reflection, when we allow the Venus principle in our chart the space and freedom to rejuvenate and rejuice.
Most retreats involve periods of contemplation, reflection and rest. A retreat is a time to renew and review our relationships with ourselves and reconnect with our source energy. Retreating can also be associated with stepping back and away from highly charged or stressful encounters, creating space and room to rethink our approach. Sometimes a retreat can even be seen as a defeat, when we feel that we need to step away from an unrewarding or difficult situation that may be draining and discouraging.
If we choose to work with the energy of nature, and particularly the stars, planets and sky, we can maximize our experience of this Venus retrograde and retreat gracefully rather than be forced into retreat by external events.
As we embark on our own personal Venus retreat, it may be helpful to frame our experience with some key questions: Which of our relationships or relationship patterns need to be revised and transformed now? How do we approach comfort, art and beauty in our lives? What is our own particular expression of Venus and what needs to be adjusted or shifted here?
It’s possible that we already express Venus in our lives by creating beautiful bouquets from our gardens, or we arrange and order our possessions in pleasing ways. Perhaps we make art, hostess dinner parties, or model fierce and passionate love in our relationships. Maybe we excel in peacemaking, charming difficult people or decorating, adorning and enjoying our bodies. Or we revel in relaxing and soaking in the deep pleasure of our five senses, making time to rejoice in the sacred and sensual mysteries of our physical body. It’s possible that we celebrate and honor Venus in our lives in some or all of these ways on a regular basis, or, it’s possible that we don’t.
If we have anything to do with the rhythms of our culture, living, working and surviving in mainstream society, the chances are good that we often neglect the rich and juicy flows that course through the veins of the Venusian mysteries. Residing as we do in an environment that worships the triple gods of technology, consumption, and speed, it may be hard to nurture and maintain the heart and soul of Venus’s core. Venus tends to behave badly around this triple deity, showing only her most crass and shallow guise, developing in a warped mutation that prevents the full expression of her most pure essence.
The Venus retrograde cycle gives us an opportunity to take time to look at how love, beauty and values operate in our lives . Examining our particular Venus dynamics can lead to a reassessment of what we want our relationship with Venus to look like in the future. We just may decide during the Venus Retrograde to dedicate ourselves more fully to awakening this archetype in her pure form, seeding our individual efforts into a collective wellspring of juicy Venus goodness.
Some practical ways to honor Venus during the retrograde period:
*Create an altar to honor Venus, your version of Venus. For an online altar version try adding Venus images to Pinterest, Instagram or other social media.
*Make peace with an old lover, offering apologies, forgiveness or communication to resolve issues from the past.
*Explore what it means to integrate your spirituality and your sexuality.
*Investigate what stands in the way of you and LOVE. How can you love more? Better? Deeper?
*Choose outfits that make you feel beautiful and take time and care as you dress. Ask yourself, what's the difference between "adornment" and "getting dressed"?
*Rearrange your home using beautiful objects you already own.
*Plan a "Venus Direct" party using all the Venus themes that arise during the retrograde period.
*Write a personal history of Venus in your life, reflecting on your past and your own expression of Venus qualities.
*Review your relationship with your partner, using this time to make any needed changes if necessary.
Want to receive a focused look at Venus in your chart? Book a New Client or Update Client Reading and Note *Venus focus in the intake form.
