Venus Retrograde (May 13 - June 25)
Photo created by @matherystudiomathery.it via United Nations Covid-19 Response via Unsplash
I think that the retrograde cycles of the personal planets—Mercury, Venus, and Mars—can offer us incredible insights and wisdom, and can be portals for powerful healing.
I can imagine that to some people that may seem bizarre, as retrograde cycles have gotten a bad rap, notably in pop astrology culture.
Yet, it seems to me that given that they are times for heightened reflection leading to more holistic inner awareness, that they have great value and virtue.
After all, they give us a time to pause, to slow down. The flow seems different; it feels like we are encouraged to orient from a more internal place when a planet when Mercury, Venus and Mars are in retrograde motion. Instead of being exceptionally active in doing, we may find ourselves drawn more towards a greater space of allowing.
The movement is backward and inward rather than more focused on being forward and outward. We revisit people, places, and situations in our lives, and with that we can be gifted with gathering awareness that comes through re-attending to arenas we have already experienced, getting to re-experience them through another lens. From this, it seems that we can craft a more complete, and more holistic, understanding from which can stem a greater level of consciousness and empowerment that we then have in moving forward.
My reverence for planetary retrograde cycles includes that for Venus Retrograde.
Since Venus symbolizes relationships, love, beauty, pleasure, and finances, the six-week period when the planet is in retrograde motion can yield great insights in related areas of our lives. With Venus representing what we value—as well as our self-value—it's the perfect time to re-evaluate who and what it is we treasure, as well as learn new ways to fortify our ability to treasure who we are.
Venus’ current retrograde cycle begins on May 13* and lasts through June 25. During this retrograde period, Venus travels from 22 degrees to 6 degrees of Gemini. (The last Venus Retrograde was October 5 – November 16, 2018 when Venus traveled from 11 degrees of Scorpio to 25 degrees of Libra).
Here are some Stellar Reflection Questions for this Venus Retrograde cycle:
What's my unique value?
What gets in the way of my valuing myself?
What brings me pleasure?
What does it mean to have a “rich life”?
What's my definition of beauty?
What allows me to experience inner harmony?
What really fulfills me in a relationship?
Use these queries of reflection to guide you through this period. They can serve as great barometers to measure your reactions, attitudes, and motivations.
Stepping back and re-evaluating the realms of finances, self-worth, relationships, and what brings us pleasure feels very timely given where we are in the trajectory of the COVID-19-inspired shake-ups we’ve been experiencing personally and collectively. It seems like this upcoming Venus Retrograde may help us to gain more quite-needed clarification in these realms.
If you’d like personalized insights on what this Venus Retrograde cycle may yield for you, as reflected in your individual astrology chart, please write me to inquire about doing a 1/2-hour session focused upon this time. in addition to exploring Venus Retrograde, I’ll look to other astrological invitations that may be occurring for your personally right now. Write me for more information.
(If you work with your chart using Whole Sign House System, or don’t know your full chart but do know your Ascendant, you can readily hone in on the house that Venus is re-traversing during its retrograde cycle, and then investigate what realms of life are related to this house, to get more personalized insights into what may be arising for you for re-evaluation during this time. If you have an Aries Ascendant, this current Venus Retrograde occurs in your 3rd House; Taurus Ascendant, your 2nd House; Gemini Ascendant, your 1st House; Cancer Ascendant, your 12th House; Leo Ascendant, your 11th House; Virgo Ascendant, your 10th House; Libra Ascendant, your 9th House; Scorpio Ascendant, your 8th House; Sagittarius Ascendent, your 7th House; Capricorn Ascendant, your 6th House; Aquarius Ascendant, your 5th House; and, Pisces Ascendent, your 4th House.)
May this Venus Retrograde period yield for you a greater forging of your sense of value as well as the inner knowingness of your unique beauty.
* Note that these days reflect Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and time zones east of that. In the United States, in the time zones west of EDT, Venus Retrograde spans May 12 - June 24.