Summer of Love 2023

 

Venus and Mars have entered fun loving Leo and remain together until July 10th. Venus will remain in this sign for the next 4 months due to its retrograde in July.

When Venus transits through Leo our thoughts turn to love, desire, passion and fun. Leo loves to indulge, eat, drink, entertain, buy beautiful things, socialize and be merry! The best and highest manifestation of Venus in Leo is childlike joy, fun and happiness along with mutual respect for yourself and others.

When Shakespeare wrote “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,” he must have surely been thinking of Venus in Leo.

Leo is entertaining, bold and dramatic and many will play out their dramas in real life between now and October. We will experience a great deal of acting out and people will speak their minds, hopes, desires and needs in a bigger way.  Some will come across as flashier and make large gestures toward those they are romantically or physically attracted to. Now is the time to take a chance and enjoy the warm weather and the possibility of summer romance with the two planets of love in Leo.

The downside of Venus- Leo occurs when things go sideways in love or someone doesn’t feel as though they are being treated with enough deference. The green eyed monster can make an appearance if things don’t go just right, or if enough attention isn’t being paid to the significant other.  Personal drama can be extreme, over-stated or egotistical, and actions or even conversations can occur simply for the dramatic effect they will cause. Leo does not like to be turned down or criticized and can take great offence when this occurs, or simply walk away never to be heard from again.

When Venus and Mars join up sparks can really fly. Venus and Mars are the two planets of love and when they are together more opportunities exist to meet someone special.

This combination could really work well for Leo, Aries in particular and Sagittarius. It is not limited to these signs however and can aspect other planets in your chart if favorable. This will be the most fun loving and exciting time of the year.

Venus retrogrades July 23rd

Venus turns retrograde in Leo July 23^rd until September 4^th. Venus is the planet that rules love, money, values and our social lives. When Venus retrogrades love matters can slow down or change, break ups can occur, some couples get back together and at times people can even change partners during this powerful cycle of Venus. Our values can change or become more clearly defined at this time and retrograde Venus can affect money matters as well as our social lives s depending on the part of your chart Venus is retrograding through.

Since Venus retrogrades in the sign Leo we can look for this period of time to involve a great deal of drama; some of it just for effect.

When Venus retrogrades we have an opportunity to rethink and reassess our relationships with others and those closest to us. Love energy may be harder to come by during this period, but we may compensate for this by loving ourselves more and participating in more self care at this time. Feelings may become more defined about whom and what is most important in our lives.

Problems can come to the surface in relationships so they may be dealt with. At times, new information about a partner or potential partner may come to the surface that can seal the relationship or end it depending on the strength of the bond between two people and their status with each other.

If you begin a new relationship on a retrograde Venus it is said the love energy is never fully expressed. If this is the case, things could also change after Venus turns direct again and energy shifts again.

Venus retrograde is strongly associated with those we have known in the past. At times we can reconnect, or take many pleasant trips down memory lane. We may have no interest in reconnecting with some who may reach out at this time, or alternatively it could be someone who has had meaning at some point in our lives. Those you may run into from the past are not necessarily all of a romantic nature but can include friends, clients and others, and you may reach out to others as well.

Many astrologers including myself associate retrograde Venus with ‘fated events,’ or situations and changes that are meant to be.  Those relationships that end are simply an open door toward meeting someone more suitable. If you get back together with someone during this period, that is meant to be as well.

Other possibilities of this transit include:

-Becoming acutely aware of financial loss or gain

-Giving up on a friendship or someone gives up on you.

-Job loss

-Obsession with others, stalking or vice versa

-Rejection or rejecting someone else

-Digging up the past, or skeletons in the closet coming out

-Issues concerning sex coming to the surface

-Sexual scandals or getting caught up in a ‘taboo’ relationship

-Healing relationships and difficult past issues

-Circumstances, meetings and events that seem karmic

-Being forced to deal with an unpleasant reality concerning relationships

Venus affects values, money and our social lives

Venus is not only the planet of love, but it also rules money, values and our social lives and standing. During a retrograde Venus money can become scarcer at times or slow down for a period. If this is the case, it will typically pick back up when it turns direct again.

Our social lives can be affected as well as matters of the heart. Friends may come or go, and we will spend time redefining our closest relationships with others as well as love matters. Sometimes we may decide to opt out of certain social circles if they are no longer meeting our needs. Venus retrograde is typically not the most significant or exciting period in our social lives.

Venus retrogrades in the same sign every 8 years. The last time we experienced a retrograde Venus in Leo was August/September of 2015. If that period of time was significant in your life, this one may be as well.

Of course, this will affect us globally as all transits do, and we will all be in a position of reassessing our collective values. Expect much grandstanding among politicians!