Image Artwork by Rassouli
Venus turns retrograde only every 18-19 months, so when it happens we feel it. In fact, Venus retrograde is one of the most significant astrological transits that can happen.
Through 2018, we have had many significant retrogrades, including Mars retrograde. Also, right after Venus begins moving direct again on November 16, Mercury decides to follow and turns retrograde too.
This constant string of retrogrades is a clear sign from the Universe that we are all really being encouraged to evaluate, reassess, and to look over things with more detail. We are being encouraged to look to our past for answers and clues before moving forward.
Whenever a planet goes retrograde, I like to think of it as slipping into the underworld, into the hidden realms and hidden depths, where it can explore life from a different point of view.
I always think of retrogrades as a powerful time for insight, exploration, and self-discovery, and these themes are especially pertinent, as Venus is going to retrograde through Scorpio into Libra.
Scorpio is the sign associated with transformation and uncovering the deeper, hidden depths of the soul, and there is no doubt that we are going to feel this energy moving through us during the next few weeks.
The last time Venus was retrograde was back in March 2017, however, the last time Venus was retrograde in Scorpio and Libra was in October-November 2010.
We can look back to these times to see what patterns or themes may have emerged and what we are working to clear, release, or evolve.
We can also look to see what events were happening on the world stage, and what global effects may have been triggered, especially when it comes to Venus-related issues.
Venus rules all matters of the heart, but she also governs feminine energy, reproductive health, profits, money, art, creativity, relationships, sexuality, and our intuition. She rules over many domains, so we may have to keep an open mind when we look back to events from these time periods.
In fact, it would be better to think back in a general sense, and to ask yourself- What lessons have stirred since this time that have allowed me to love more and open my heart more?
When Venus was retrograde back in March 2017, my sister had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer is such that there are usually no symptoms, they call it a silent killer as you don’t discover you have it until it is too late.
By the time Venus has moved out of retrograde and had returned to her normal pace in the cosmos, my sister had passed away.
I share this not to point the finger at Venus, but to highlight that when shitty things happen during a retrograde, we tend to think they are going to happen again, after all, a retrograde is a time to visit the past and to look over things once more.
While this is true, retrogrades are not necessarily a sign that the same thing is going to happen again, or that you are going to have relive the traumas of that time. Instead, it is about moving to another level in regards to these events.
Think of it this way- your life path is like a spiral, and eventually you reach a turn in the bend where it may feel like you are back in familiar territory and walking a similar path to the one you were just on.
Even though it may feel like you are retracing your steps, in actual fact you are simply moving to a new level, and are at a point where you can see the past and the path you just walked from a new perspective.
Retrogrades help us to look back over things with a new perspective and a new insight. They help us to see things a bit differently, and to perhaps gain a new understanding about the road we have traveled.
When we understand and learn from our past, it helps us to move forward into the future. Our past makes us wiser, it makes us stronger, and it allows us to teach and pass on knowledge to others.
Venus is concerned with love and joy, and if I can share, the passing of my sister has definitely opened my heart and made me appreciate the feeling of joy in a new way.
When someone you love so dearly leaves this Earthly realm your life is never the same, and you wonder if you will ever feel joy again, but eventually some of the dark clouds part just enough to make you realize that all of us have limited time here, and we have to make the most of it by loving and living in joy as much as we can.
Read More:
Intuitive Astrology: Venus Retrograde 2018
Balancing the Heart Chakra During Venus Retrograde
The Rebirth of Venus October 26, 2018
