Jul 23, 2007

Venus Retrograde

On July 27th Venus, the planet of love, beauty and social expression will turn retrograde until September 8th. This retrograde occurs at about 3 degrees Virgo and will move backwards to about 17 degrees Leo. What happens when the planet of love and social expression turns retrograde? Quite a bit, actually.

For starters, a retrograde planet means that from our perspective here on Earth, that planet appears to be moving backwards instead of forward. Of course this is not really the case but it is our perspective and so since astrology is the study of how planetary patterns influence us here on Earth the perspective we have as humans when the planet of love seems to be moving backwards is enormous.

The energy of any retrograde planet will be internalized before it is externalized and so when it comes to Venus this means our ability to express love will be compromised. The social expression for most of us will change dramatically for the rest of the summer and we will be seriously criticizing and nitpicking our personal values when it comes to lovability issues as well as the dynamics of any personal or romantic relationship we are currently involved in. This will be particularly strong while Venus is retrograde in the sign Virgo since Virgo is the most discriminating and refining sign of the zodiac. All that is wrong in our relationships will be picked at.

Once Venus turns back into Leo it becomes even more intense. Leo is the sign concerned with having respect, adoration and romance. We will have a difficult time playing around in matters of love with Venus retrograde in Leo and may find that we withhold our generosity and ability to give love easily to others.

If you have any personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars or Ascendant) at the degrees of this retrograde then you will be particularly affected by it. In addition, if you are a Taurus or Libra or have these signs rising in your chart then you are ruled by Venus and thus will be quite influenced by this retrograde period.

In general, under a Venus retrograde it is never a good idea to begin dating someone new. The ability to express feelings in the context of relationship is just way too compromised and you already have three strikes against you. It is very favorable however for rekindling a romance with an ex so if this happens over the next few weeks you have a green light to get back together!

Since Venus also rules beauty, it’s not a good idea to get plastic surgery under this transit either. You will not love the results, plain and simple.

Venus is also a money planet and you may find yourself spending more money than usual under this transit while income seems to get restricted or you do not have easy access to your funds. This will clear up by mid August to some extent however since the other money planet, Jupiter, is set to turn direct by then. Still, it’s wise to hold off on major investments until mid October.

Venus retrograde periods are a great time for enhanced creativity since this planet rules such matters as the arts. You will find yourself flowing with ideas and needing to express yourself in this way since the love consciousness will be so internalized it will be hard to just say what you feel. You can easily say it through your art.