Venus Retrograde: Love on Hold?
Venus the planet of love, creativity and pleasure makes one of her rare retrogrades this July which will begin with her in analytical Virgo and then see her heading back into Leo – the sign that is drawn to the finer things of life which of course, Venus also rules. So, as Venus rules romance, does this mean love is on hold for all of us during her retrograde period? The answer is both yes and no. Venus retrogrades last for longer than Mercury’s – this one will last for almost six weeks ending on the 6th September when she will head direct again at 14 degrees of Leo. So, as Leos birthday season occurs during this retrograde period, if you are a fixed sign – Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus, you will be impacted by this more than other signs, as will the Librans out there as they are ruled by Venus.
Back to that question of whether love is on hold. Venus retrograde periods are not a good time to begin a new romance just as Mercury retrogrades are not a good time to engage in anything new that Mercury rules. Instead, Venus retrogrades allow us to look at all our relationships and review them. This time allows us to see if there are imbalances present in any connection – and this can be a friendship, business partnership, collaboration as well as our romantic partner. Very often during a Venus retrograde we can suddenly see that there is too much giving on our side and just taking on the other as opposed to it being reciprocal. This clarity can allow us to adjust the relationship accordingly or else make a decision about whether we want to continue with it or not. You may suddenly see you are always there for a friend, but when you need support they are always busy or absent. You may decide not to end the connection, but simply not to be available to them in the future the way you have been.
If you do meet someone new during the Venus retrograde then my advice is to spend your time really getting to know them before jumping in. Of course, you may not want to tell them the reason for taking things slowly is because Venus is retrograde but you can tell them you appreciate taking the time to get to know one another properly before things get too serious. Use this time to evaluate who they really are and compare this against your own needs in a relationship. Once Venus goes direct once more you will have a clear idea where you stand and if you want to get further involved – or not. Again, Venus retrogrades are an excellent opportunity for all of us, whether we are in a relationship or not, to review what our previous relationships have taught us and from that, the kind of person we need to make us happy.
The most obvious effect of a Venus retrograde depending on the houses of your chart she transits, is the reappearance in your life of a former lover or partner. Again, if this occurs and you are thinking about getting re-involved with them, take time to evaluate your past relationship against present day needs and also ask yourself if you have both learned and evolved since then. Remember, you both need to be able to acknowledge the challenges that caused you to split up in the first place in order to prevent history repeating itself. It may be the person just comes in in order for you to close a chapter of your life once and for all. Or it may be that you discover a renewed love. But only the re-evaluation that a Venus retrograde offers will allow you to see this.
Remember, all connections in our lives are love connections. Approach them in this way and you’ll emerge from the retrograde with an enhanced appreciation of your relationships and increased knowledge of your own role in them. Above all, emerge from the Venus retrograde with a better idea of what it is to be loved – and loving in return.
