Venus Retrograde is often a challenging astrological season that can influence you in may subtle ways. During this time, you are being called to shift your perspective inward, to cultivate your experience of love, self-worth and abundance from within.
TIMING
- April 9th – Retrograde Pre-Shadow Begins
- May 13th – Venus Retrograde
- June 25th – Venus Direct ‘ Peak of Retrograde’
- July 26th – Post- Shadow Ends
Venus is officially ‘retrograde’ for about 6 weeks, from May 13th- June 25th, 2020 However, when you include the pre and post-retrograde shadow periods (and you should!), the entire ‘season’ is actually closer to 4 months, from April 9th until July 26th.
Venus’ last retrograde season was during Fall 2018; after this year, she will not be retrograde again until December 2021.
KEY THEMES OF ALL RETROGRADES
- LOOKING INWARD
- LOOKING TO PAST EXPERIENCES
- A CALLING TO GAIN NEW PERSPECTIVE AND WISDOM
- ‘FOLLOWING THROUGH’ WITH FORMER PURSUITS
What Happens in the Sky During Retrograde?
UNDERSTANDING THE VENUS RETROGRADE JOURNEY
Venus rules;
- Abundance
- Love & Relationships
- Business partnerships
- Prosperity
- Money/Wealth
- Generosity
- Our sense of self-esteem and self-worth
- The ‘sweetness’ of life
THE ENERGY OF VENUS IN ‘RETROGRADE’ + TIPS FOR FLOWING CONSCIOUSLY WITH THESE VIBES
During Venus Retrograde, fated events and repeating themes will reinforce where the soul is being called to evolve. Venus in retrograde is more likely to reveal her ‘dark expressions’ like superficiality, jealousy, fear, possessiveness, or infidelity. You may feel a strong lack of abundance, prompting the temptation to ‘buy happiness’.
The evolutionary calling of Venus in retrograde is to explore your inner experience of self worth. This is a time to let go of attachment to wealth, status or even relationships as markers of your value in the world.
Relationships
Relationships can feel at their worst during this time, as Venus retrograde amplifies sources of tension and brings up old baggage from the past. You may find that every little thing your partner does is getting on your nerves, yikes! And, major issues like fear, co-dependency, jealousy, past betrayals or forms of self-sabotage will need to be addressed. Notice where you, or your partner (or both!) may be operating a place of not feeling loved or worthy.
An important theme of Venus retrograde is strengthening the foundation of your relationship, so couples therapy is a great option to facilitate this kind of work. Remember this is also an important time for communication, compassion and forgiveness.
Venus retrograde is a time to evaluate your current relationships, and you may end up deciding that the only way to resolve a major issue is for the relationship itself to end. The question of what you are sacrificing for the sake of your relationship, and whether it’s really worth it, is a potent one. Breakups are common during this time, however there is also a strong possibility for reconciliation once the retrograde season has passed, after late July 2020.
As retrograde is a time for looking to the past, for new insights, you may hear from an old flame, or be tempted to reach out to an ex to make amends. While you may finally be able to work through and resolve issues that had seemed irreconcilable in the past. On the other hand, retrograde may be making an ex seem like a good match temporarily. It’s possible this feeling can wear off after the retrograde season has passed.
While this is a great time to spend working through tough spots in your relationship, it’s not a good time to start a new relationship, or to take your existing relationship ‘to the next level’. Remember that Venus retrograde is more for tying off loose ends from the past than investing your energy in the future.
Money
Money typically feels REALLY tight, and you are more susceptible to stress over income, investments, savings and/or debt. If you’re feeling this way, breathe, because you are most definitely not alone. You’re being called to reflect on your values and ideals around material wealth now. What expectations do you have for yourself around money and status, and where did these originate?
You may need to evaluate your spending habits and become more disciplined about your financial goals. Notice the emotions that arise when you feel motivated to make discretionary purchases and see if you can address the underlying sense of ‘lack’ through a shift in mindset. Venus retrograde calls for us to develop a deeper sense of abundance, acceptance, and self-love from within. In fact, risky investments, lavish purchases or new business ventures made during Venus retrograde typically backfire or end up being a waste of money. Remember the focus needs to be within, not without.
It’s important now to have faith in the face of uncertainty: you may not have the financial security you desire for the future, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have exactly what you need as the need arises. Financial stress can also be addressed by returning to types of work that you used to do as a renewed source of income. It can also be a great time for rekindling business projects that have been left unfinished for some time.
Confidence and Self-Image
Insecurity and low self-esteem are more common during Venus Retrograde, and this can be an important time to address the perceptions and beliefs underlying negative self-talk. Avoid the temptation to spend a lot of money on a new wardrobe or expensive beauty products to enhance your image because, again, this is likely to backfire. So can you let yourself off the hook for not being ‘perfect’? What does true beauty really look like?
Remember that Venus in retrograde calls you give yourself the love, validation or acceptance you have been seeking from others.
The Influence of Venus Retrograde in Gemini
Gemini vibes are clever, quick-witted, social and spontaneous! This fast-paced, airy energy is characteristically ‘in motion’, juggling numerous activities and thought-processes simultaneously. These vibes rule open-mindedness, with the ability to entertain multiple (seemingly endless) points of view.
Gemini is perpetually in a state of gathering and synthesizing information. It sees truth as subjective and is highly sensitive to the opinions, and criticisms, of others. Making firm decisions or taking an unpopular stance absolutely goes against Gemini’s nature. When this energy is strong, you may need be reminded look within in order to reconnect with your personal truth.
While it’s easy for Gemini to shift focus from one thing to the next, this energy is also prone to distraction by the next new thing; much is ‘in progress’ and little actually reaches a state of completion. Nevertheless, Gemini’s inherent adaptability and strong orientation to the ‘here and now’ is what allows it to be so wonderfully spontaneous, enthusiastic and energizing.
Key Expressions of Venus Retrograde in Gemini
- Dishonesty; telling ‘white lies’
- Fickleness or disloyalty
- Compromising personal integrity or otherwise trying too hard to please others
- Judging relationships based on superficial factors
- Feeling insecure or inadequate, needing approval from others
- Burning out from taking on too many commitments
- Wasting money on trivial purchases; the need for instant gratification
The Lucifer Period
The ‘Lucifer period’ of Venus retrograde is typically the last 2 weeks before Venus stations direct. This can bring up the darkest and most intense experiences of retrograde, when you are more susceptible to ‘despair’ and when it can be most difficult to have faith. For this Venus retrograde season the Lucifer period will be from June 12-25th, 2020.
Common Experiences during Mercury Retrograde
- Frustrations or confusion resulting from miscommunication
- Important information tends to be missing or ‘veiled’, especially related to plans, decisions, agreements (contracts) and financial commitments
- Plans are disrupted; unexpected detours
- You feel fatigued + more likely to back out of social commitments at the last minute
- Transportation blunders, breakdowns, delays etc.
- A focus on the past, which may involve working through something currently unresolved
- A focus inward; introspection and reflection
- Being in a state of receiving; heightened intuition
- Spontaneous inspiration leading to ‘magic moments’
- Unexpected opportunities and synchronicities come to you
Mercury Rules:
- Communication
- Learning
- Planning
- Decision-Making
- Travel (especially domestic or short distance)
- Transportation (vehicles, planes, trains & their schedules, etc)
- Technology
- The transmission of ‘messages’ – In Greek mythology, Mercury was the messenger god.
In the Zodiac, Mercury rules Gemini and co-rules Virgo with Chiron.
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Some ‘quick tips’ for flowing with Mercury retrograde vibes:
- Relax and trust that you don’t know what ‘ought’ to be
- Create extra time and space in your schedule for rest and self-care
- Look for the ‘silver lining’ when there are unexpected derailments to your plans, magical opportunities lie beneath the surface!
General Activities to avoid during retrograde!
- Making financial commitments or plans which are inflexible – making big purchases or locking yourself into plans that you cannot easily back out of without a financial penalty are all very risky during retrograde. Remember, key information is missing or hidden during retrograde and its shadow periods. This is also a time when unexpected events are more likely to arise, which can shift the assumptions underlying these commitments.
- Initiating New Long-Term Projects – Starting new projects such as beginning a new job or launching a new product or service through your business during Mercury retrograde typically lend themselves only to short-term prospects. So, if you want to launch a new long-term endeavor, plan to do it before or after the retrograde and shadow periods.
- Signing contracts – When you sign a contract, you do so with the assumption that all of the relevant facts and details are known – however during Mercury retrograde, remember that the chances are much higher that we do not have yet all of the relevant information!
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