we are currently in the shadow of venus’ retrograde and have been since september 5th, but officially venus does not go retrograde until this friday, october 8th, just minutes after midnight (at 12:06am PDT). venus is aphrodite, the goddess of Love and beauty. she governs relationships, money, abundance, balance, social connection and all things aesthetically pleasing. when she goes retrograde she journeys into the unconscious, much like persephone did when she went down to hades. venus retrograde already has a plutonic energy due to her turning backwards/inwards towards the unconscious, but this retrograde occurs in scorpio, which is pluto’s sign, so it’s even more plutonic than usual. the last venus retrograde in scorpio was 8 years ago, 8 being scorpio’s number! and to top it off- venus stations retrograde at 13’13 scorpio, which is the goddess’ number, particularly the dark feminine (ever wonder why the number 13 has so much superstition and negativity associated with it? think about the number 13’s connection to the goddess and then ponder that!).
october is set to be quite a month! and relationships are a major feature. there is a new moon this thursday in libra- the sign of relationship and the next day venus, which is the ruling planet of this new moon, goes retrograde. new moons typically start up a new cycle of energy, but with the ruling planet going retrograde that new cycle is likely to manifest more on the internal/unconscious realms first and foremost. typically venus retrogrades are times where we reconnect with our past when it comes to relationships, Love and money situations. it’s a time to review our values and see if they really are supporting our highest good. it’s a time when ex’s can come back into our lives for another go-around or just some final closure. it’s a time when we can be thinking about our relationship patterns and have better ability to gain insight into what holds us back from the connections we say we want but cannot seem to find (the same goes for our relationship to money!). it can also be a time of dredging up old karma around relationships and money- that stuff that we didn’t want to deal with so we put it some place safe and faraway, thinking it would never resurface to find us again. yeah right! venus in scorpio is all about unearthing shadow and the past- so if you have skeletons in the closest i recommend you go FIND THEM first before they come find you.
i want to give you a bit of a breakdown on venus retrograde so that you understand what this cycle can look like. venus goes retrograde every 18-19 months for approximately 40 days (give or take). in a 8 year venus cycle venus goes retrograde 5 times, which when mapped out on a chart form a pentagram or a star. the pentagram is also a sacred symbol to the goddess- and the fact that venus forms this symbol during her retrograde cycles is pretty auspicious. this upcoming retrograde cycle began it’s shadow on september 5th when venus arrived at 27’40 libra. she stations retrograde this friday at 12:06am at 13’13 scorpio and goes backwards to the original point where the shadow began on november 18th at 1:19pm which is when she goes direct again (all times are PDT). her back-end shadow releases on december 20th when she passes 13’13 scorpio. so essentially this retrograde phase extends for nearly 4 months! venus stays in scorpio until 2011 when she moves into sagittarius on january 7th- so we pretty much have persephone/venus energy in our lives until the new year.
saturn is currently in libra and wherever saturn is we have a focus of lessons that require self-mastery, discipline, commitment and a clearing out of karma. while in libra the focus is on relationships, balance, boundaries, and our connection to and expression of the Divine Feminine. this cycle lasts for another 2 years, but this month we get quite the kick off on those lessons as the new moon in libra occurs, conjunct saturn by 6 degrees, while the ruler of both saturn and the new moon goes retrograde the next day. this week and month are set to be deep and intense, not like the volatile cardinal cross energies of the summer and early fall, but on a more subtle internal level that requires regeneration, transformation and perhaps even death and rebirth (symbolically speaking) when it comes to our relationships, finances and values.
as venus retrogrades she will go from the first 13 degrees of scorpio backwards to the last 3 degrees of libra- a particular corridor in astrology called the via combusta, also known as the firey way. many see this corridor as particularly inauspicious, but i prefer to see it as an alchemical container for transmutation. the fire is ignited and anything that is in it’s way will either get alchemically transformed from base metal to gold, or it will get burnt to a crisp and die. with venus retrograding this firey way we have the image of the alchemical crucible playing out in our relationships and financial situations! things can get intense- but it’s all for a Higher good on some level, so staying in the fire, rather than trying to escape it, would behoove us all (you can’t really escape it anyway, you can perhaps delay the transformation but never truly escape it).
libra and scorpio energies are very different, as are any neighboring signs. they are related in the fact that they are next door to each other, but there is a lot of disparity and a need to find a bridge of communication so that they don’t become waring factions. libra is an air sign that prefers to keep things light, intellectual, socially graceful, peaceful and harmonious. libra is gifted with finesse, beauty, balance and pleasing behavior, but her shadow is an inability to take a stand, a tendency to overcompromise, a tendency to manipulate subtly by passive-aggressive behavior, and the propensity to avoid dealing with the shadow reality in situations, preferring to gloss things over and make them pretty on the outside even if they are not so pretty on the inside. scorpio, on the other hand, is a water sign that is all about the depths, the shadow and the Soul. where libra likes to keep things light, scorpio likes to take them to the deepest places possible. scorpio wants to penetrate to the Truth of situations- even if (and especially if) things are unsavory. to scorpio it is better to look at what is than dress it up in something it’s not just to keep the peace. scorpio’s gifts are poignant instinctual awareness, an ability to plumb the depths and not drown, and penetrating insight that can get to the heart of a matter in an instant. scorpio’s shadow is engagement in power/control dynamics, manipulative behavior, jealousy, possessiveness and the need for things to always be intense with a simultaneous inability to be light and carefree. with venus transiting both these signs during her retrograde a need to find a way to honor both libra and scorpio energy, without it becoming a war between each or a polarization of this versus that, comes into focus.
the following is a list of important dates and aspects that venus will make over the coming months. make note of them and observe what is happening for you then- it can help you to see what venus’ retrograde is asking of you. i will speak to each of these aspects in more detail over the coming weeks in my weekly astrology blog- but i am putting them here for you to see ahead of time as well.
9/5 shadow of venus retrograde commences
10/7 new moon in libra at 11:44am PDT
10/8 venus goes retrograde 12:06am PDT
10/25 mercury conjunct venus
10/28 sun conjunct venus
11/1 venus sextile pluto
11/5 moon occults venus, new moon in scorpio 13’40- the degree that venus initially went retrograde (9:52pm PDT)
11/7 venus retrogrades back into libra
11/18 venus goes direct 1:19pm PDT
11/29 venus moves back into scorpio
12/20 shadow of venus retrograde releases
1/7 venus moves out of scorpio and into sagittarius
the sun/venus conjunction on 10/28 marks the midway point of the venus retrograde cycle and many things can come to light at that time. definitely put a star by that date. in addition the new moon and moon occultation of venus on 11/5 should be particularly illuminating, especially considering the new moon falls at the same degree that venus stations retrograde that happens this friday.
this upcoming retrograde will impact each of us wherever we have planets or angles in the first 15 degrees of scorpio or the last 5 degrees of libra, wherever we have planets that tensely aspect the above degrees, as well as whichever house scorpio falls in. for a brief breakdown of the signs see below, but for more in-depth application to your own life either look at your chart to figure it out or schedule a reading with me :) you can email me at divineharmony@me.com to set something up.
i wish you the best possible journey into the underworld in the coming months. remember- it is by going into the underworld that persephone became a queen. we each can reclaim and uncover parts of ourselves and our relationships in the coming weeks and months that can be profoundly growth-inducing if we allow ourselves to go deep.
enjoy!
~divine harmony
venus retrograde by the signs:
aries- venus retrogrades in your 8th house of intimacy, sexuality, Soul transformation, secrets and shared resources
taurus- venus retrogrades in your 7th house of relationship, commitments, open enemies and house of projection
gemini- venus retrogrades in your 6th house of health, well being, service and self-adjustment
cancer- venus retrogrades in your 5th house of romance, creativity, self-expression and children
leo- venus retrogrades in your 4th house of home, family, psychological life, and past life experiences
virgo- venus retrogrades in your 3rd house of communication, mind, intellect and immediate surroundings
libra- your ruling planet venus retrogrades in your 2nd house of money, values, self-worth and possessions
scorpio- venus retrogrades in your sign in your 1st house of self, persona, and Soul’s journey
sagittarius- venus retrogrades in your 12th house of the unconscious, dreams, your greatest gifts and deepest fears
capricorn- venus retrogrades in your 11th house of friendship, community, visions and goals
aquarius- venus retrogrades in your 10th house of career, standing in the world, and Soul’s purpose
pisces- venus retrogrades in your 9th house of spiritual and philosophical beliefs, travel, education, and connection to your Higher Self
