Your Ultimate Guide to Venus Retrograde
Look around you. What do you see? How do you feel when you take in the contents of the room? When you think of the person sleeping next to you in bed? How does it feel to be alone with yourself?
Now think of what you do with your day. Maybe it’s work, maybe you’re looking forward to creating something beautiful. Or perhaps it’s been years since you created something that’s truly yours.
How does that make you feel?
Think about love. Sensuality. Your body and its response to the thought of touch, beautiful music, the smell of roses, the taste of wine.
Does that make you uncomfortable? Excited? When was the last time you felt radiant and sensual in your body? When's the last time you could receive without giving anything in return?
Every 18 months or so, the planet Venus stations retrograde. And when it happens, you’ll find out how you (truly) feel about love, sensuality, creativity, and how you live your day-to-day.
What is Venus Retrograde?
We all know a thing or two about Mercury retrograde, but did you know that every planet in our wee solar system stations retrograde at some point?
Retrogrades, in general, happen when the alignment of the earth, the sun, and the planet in question are aligned in a way that makes said planet appear to be moving backward.
Venus is decidedly not moving backward, but this particular alignment can still have an effect on our lives.
Venus retrograde has earned itself quite the reputation over the years (with Mercury taking first place as the most well-known) because of the impact it can have on your romantic relationships.
But Venus rules way more than just your love life. It covers all things love, relationships, beauty, creativity, harmony, and even your personal finances and your surroundings.
And since all retrogrades ask us to slow down and pay attention to specific aspects of our lives, you may begin to feel some contraction, frustration, or emotions begin to pop up regarding the above themes.
Think of Venus retrograde shining a light on all things love to make sure we're still in alignment with our soul's needs.
Sure, this time can bring up some old challenges you thought you worked through, or maybe some texts from an ex. But really, this 6-week period an opportunity to examine how you feel about your love life ... even if that's just how you're loving on yourself.
The good news is, we only experience Venus retrograde every 18 months or so. The last one was in October 2018. But the bad news is, these last for a while. About a month and a half.
Venus Retrograde 2020
Get ready for all the chats, the banter (Love Island, anyone?), and deep conversations. Since Venus is in the sign of Gemini throughout its retrograde journey, this is an AMAZING time to get intimate… with your thoughts and words.
Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, perception, and the intellect. That means it doesn’t just govern how we think, but how we take in, process, and communicate information.
Gemini is known for intelligent, dynamic, witty conversations, but can also trigger petty arguments. So, Venus in Gemini will likely offer up some amazing opportunities to have some fun… but also strengthen your communication skills.
You may notice that your old ways of communicating aren’t working. Since this seems to be the year of the GREAT PIVOT, maybe it’s time to try some other ways of being heard.
This also gives us an incredible opportunity to start communicating with our loved ones in entirely new ways. How exciting! Here’s some Venus in Gemini tips and tools...
Listen like your love depends on it.
Ask questions before you start talking about yourself.
Think before you speak.
Play this question game with a Zoom date or your partner.
Start a serious journaling practice (communication with yourself!)
Grab this Self-Compassion journal and get to work.
Or try some exercises in my favorite book on shadow work.
Think of some new, creative ways to get your emotions and thoughts across… multi-media art projects! Singing! Tap dancing!
When in Doubt, Get Curious
This advice goes for any planetary retrograde. Everything coming up for you right now is meant to teach you something.
If you begin to notice repeating patterns or themes and you blow past them to your next big project or start blaming all your problems on other people, you’ve just missed the train to your big retrograde opportunity!
With a light shining on communication and all things love, it’s possible for tensions to run high. Or to feel misheard.
Before you take your laundry list of grievances to your partner, your date, or a friend or family member, sit down and do a bit of inner work. Examine your desires, repair old wounds, and restore your energy with some deep self-care.
THEN you can talk it through or redraw your boundaries.
If things seem rocky with your partner in the coming weeks, this is a great opportunity to tune in and re-examine what you want and expect from each other. This can be uncomfortable but powerful.
Schedule some date nights in, light some candles, and make some compassionate space for real, non-reactive conversation (if possible). I highly recommend keeping alcohol out of the picture. Booze can heighten emotions and make you react in ways that you wouldn't when you're sober.
Listen with an open heart and take breaks if you need to. It's insanely hard not to take the pains and complaints of your partner personally. But truly listening without judgment is some seriously powerful medicine.
This is also a great time to step out of any illusions of what you THINK you want from a relationship.
Do you love the idea of hiking and being with a super outdoorsy partner? But when it comes to packing the car with camping gear, you'd much rather be planning a night out at a fancy restaurant? Let go of the fantasy and get real with yourself during this time.
Money, Creativity, and Your Surroundings
Venus is also the planet of pleasure and rules your ability to experience beauty. And when it comes to how you experience pleasure and luxury, money and material things are bound to get involved.
You might feel your relationship to your work, creativity, and money changing during this time. Again, this is the time for introspection and reassessment. Make some time to re-evaluate what’s truly important to you.
This could look like quitting your job and pursuing your Tarot card reading side hustle full-time. Or doing a Marie Kondo-style refresh and giving most of your possessions away to charity.
Given everything going on in the world, you could find that material things don’t mean as much to you and start giving more to those in need. Pay attention to what brings you peace, harmony, and pleasure during this time. It may surprise you. You can also experiment with new ways to appreciate (or create) art and beauty.
Venus rules love and high emotions, but like all things feminine, it’s a multifaceted planet with a lot more going on than romantic drama.
Venus and the Feminine
Speaking of feminine energy and archetypes, Venus also rules feminine power. That could mean a lot of things, but for me, it brings up the idea of our personal and collective relationships with feminine energy.
Traditionally, the feminine represents receptivity, being (as opposed to doing), nurturing, healing, and creation.
Those are some interesting themes to meditate and journal on. How often do you feel in touch with your feminine power? What are some ways you’ve been conditioned to rely solely on the masculine energy of doing and control?
Where do you see feminine power represented in the world? Nature is a fantastic example of feminine energy — constant, strong, always creating, while silently trusting in the process.
Where could you tap into your feminine power more? How can we better nurture and heal our fellow humans and the world?
Don’t be surprised if these kinds of thoughts come to mind during Venus retrograde… and maybe even cause some internal conflict. In a world where we are not all treated as equals, your inner caretaker might be chomping at the bit to DO something about it.
No more “thoughts and prayers,” it’s time to create some real change. Honor that.
Remember: Everything that comes up during a retrograde is an opportunity for reflection and growth. After all, that seems to be what we’re here for. Embrace the evolution, my loves! And be gentle with yourself.
If you feel like you need some support, you might want to check out my Spiral Magic Mentorship: an 8-week container of energy healing, magic, and so much more.