When Our Love Goddess Sleeps, What's it Mean for Us?

Every year, or about every eighteen months or so, we find a strange phenomenon in the skies. To the naked eye, it looks as if Venus, the famous Planet of Love, has stopped and is moving backwards. This is called Venus Retrograde and it happens for around forty days.

The fact that Venus Retrograde lasts for forty days is interesting as this is a significant number for many reasons. In the Christian calendar, the period of Lent from Ash Wednesday to just before Easter Sunday lasts for forty days. In the Bible, it rained for forty days in the story of Noah and the Jews also walked in the desert for forty years. The reason that this is important is that all of these examples are linked to times of purification or even repenting for one’s sins. This is also a key component of the Venus Retrograde period as we will find out later in this article. Another thing to note is that when Venus goes direct at the end of the retrograde period, Venus becomes a morning star and not an evening star. Historically, in the astrology of old, this was thought to be a very negative sign but we no longer view it as a bad omen in modern astrology.

Nowadays the general public knows more about retrograde periods than they used to because of the famous Mercury Retrograde which causes things like electronics to malfunction and communication to go haywire. Less is known however about the Venus Retrograde period, so if you want to know more then you can read on to find out exactly what to expect at this time.

The meaning of Venus retrograde:

As many people know, Venus is the Planet of Love so it is always associated with love, relationships and partnerships (both platonic and romantic) and beauty. On a spiritual level, it is also linked to our values and morals. This means that when Venus is retrograde, any of the things that Venus rules will be delayed or in some ways ‘stuck’. An example of this would be a new relationship that has been going well but which suddenly stalls, and this is also a very bad time to embark on something with someone new. If you are in a committed relationship that has been established for some time then you will not be affected as strongly by Venus Retrograde by you should also avoid serious relationship milestones at this time such as getting married, or popping the question.

Another thing we often see at the time of a Venus Retrograde is the return of a loved one, which can also happen on a Mercury Retrograde. As Venus rules love, ex-lovers or anyone we had a prior relationship with may come back into our lives. We may also find long-lost objects which have a huge amount of sentimental value. The best way to think of Venus Retrograde is as a time when things that mean a lot to us can suddenly return in some way.

Venus is also a planet strongly associated with our value systems and this means that a Venus Retrograde is a great time for us to think about these values. What is most important to us and why? This is a time for us to dig deep but also look back on some past life lessons. This is why this is not a good time to start anything new, as you need to look back and process the past before you can move forward. When it comes to our relationships, we need to examine what has gone before and ask ourselves what we really want in a partner, and what we are willing to give them in return. As this requires some soul searching, it means that we are just not in the right headspace to start a new relationship, which is why this should be avoided when Venus is retrograde.

Venus is about relationships across the board however, so the same advice also applies to any relationships or collaborations you may have, including in the workplace. You need to figure out what you stand for at this time and where you want to go with this work or business relationship. Again, Venus Retrograde is a time when we are busy thinking about and processing our values and feelings about all relationships so it is not the moment to dive into something new which needs our full attention.

But we also need to be careful about how we look back at some of our past relationships, especially romantic one. The issue is that, depending on how long ago these happened in the past, we may be looking back on our relationships through rose-tinted spectacles, or we may look at our previous partner too harshly. This is why Venus Retrograde is the perfect time for us to examine the past as it is asking us to look at the situation with fairness and grace. This is about digging deep into our past relationships and not just focusing on how we view them now, either too positively or too negatively.

In many ways, Venus Retrograde is a time when we are almost forced to confront our relationship past. When Venus is in this position, it is hard for us to move forward in our lives, but that is the point! By putting a roadblock in our way, we are forced to go back over the things that have happened and learn from them. This also applies to finding old objects that we thought we had lost, as these will bring back important memories for us and act as triggers that will transport us back to that place and time in our lives. By reexamining this, we can start to learn a few lessons.

Things to avoid when Venus is retrograde:

While, like Mercury Retrograde, there are many benefits to looking back when Venus is Retrograde, there are also some things that you should avoid. This is not the best time to do something for the first time for example, like embark on a new relationship. It is also not the best time to see an assessment about something new such as a valuation on a piece of jewelry or property. One caveat to that, however, is that you can get something reassessed if you thought that the answer was wrong the first time.

Venus is also the planet that rules the arts so you need to be careful about art works when this planet is retrograde. It is not a good time to start a new artistic or creative project, although you can continue to work on an existing one. You should also be careful about purchasing art work at this time. The reason for this is that when Venus is retrograde we are often reexamining our tastes so we may make a purchase that we later regret. We may also struggle to put value on things accurately so we may overpay for a piece of art work because our judgment is clouded. As such, you really need to wait for Venus to go direct before you drop a lot of cash on a painting or some new jewelry.

Venus in your natal chart:

If you are ruled by Venus then you will also be more affected by the retrograde period, just as people who are ruled by Mercury feel the Mercury retrograde period more acutely. This mostly means those who have Taurus and Libra as their Ascendants. As well as feeling all the general effects of Venus Retrograde, these people who have Venus as their ruler will find that they face obstacles and delays and that they struggle to make much headway in their lives at this time.

If you have your Sun or your Moon in the signs of Taurus and Libra, both of which are ruled by Venus, then you will also have more going on at the time of the retrograde. If you have a Taurus or Libra Sun sign then you will have to spend some time thinking about how you portray yourself to others and about how you come across to the rest of the world. In a sense, this is asking you to look within and make sure that you have not become too arrogant.

If you have your Moon in Taurus or Libra then the Venus Retrograde period is more likely to be focused on your emotions and this could be a very powerful time for you to look at how you feel.

Other signs that could be quite affected by the Venus Retrograde period are Aries and Scorpio as they are the opposite signs to Libra and Taurus on the astrological wheel so they have Libra and Taurus as their descendants. This also means that they will have some deep emotions and introspective work to do at this time.

Venus Retrograde can be a positive time:

It is important to remember however that all retrograde periods, whatever the planet involved, is not in itself ever a ‘bad’ time. It just means that we have to be mindful and avoid things that are not good for us, such as the prior examples of getting married or engaged when we have a Venus Retrograde period. As Venus looks like it is moving backward in the sky (even though it technically isn’t) there is no forward motion to propel a new relationship. You could, however, do something like renew your vows, as you are doing something which you have already done before.

It is also important not to look at this as a time when you can’t do anything or make any moves in your relationships. Instead, you need to look at the positives, which are that you get six weeks to figure out how you feel and do a little work on your inner feelings. If you are in a relationship then this is a good time to think about how and where this is going. It is also a time to look within and, when we are often consumed with thinking about others, this can be a nice time to focus on ourselves a little more.

You may also like: "What Happens When Mars Goes Retrograde?" 

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