The Goddess of love and reason looks back

Venus turns retrograde May 13, at 21 degrees of Gemini where it will remain until June 25, when it turns direct at at 5 degrees of Gemini. It will remain in this sign until August 7^th when it enters Cancer. At the time of this post it has already entered the shadow period of its retrograde and energy is beginning to shift. Venus retrograde will be the time to look at the area of your chart Venus rules and prepare to re-access and re-view those things in the area of your chart Venus rules. A Venus retrograde is not the time to buy art, have cosmetic surgery, purchase anything expensive that relates to beauty, or get married or engaged.

Venus in Gemini

Venus is in Mercury’s sign and this means love energy is more intellectual than physical which seems to fit the times with Covid-19 quite well. The sign Gemini is associated with the intellect, thinking, ideas and reason.

Gemini is about adaptability, flexibility, and the evolution of ideas and thought.  It is during this period our thoughts and communication may become more open minded.  Ideas that have outlived their usefulness may be replaced with new ones, and we may all be a little more reasonable in our judgments, ideas, and attitudes that are formed during this time.

Gemini rules all forms of communication whether written, verbal or electronic. May and June are about communication within ourselves and others.  This includes the communication within our psyche of the constantly running mental tapes we all listen to-the ideas we have formed either correctly or incorrectly that color our world, our thoughts, reactions to others and activities. Now is the time to re-examine those mental tapes and determine if they are hindering or helping us in our lives and relationships with others. 

Those who were born with Venus in Gemini or another air sign may appreciate this period more than others, and those born with a retrograde Venus in Gemini will appreciate this period most of all as a time to reflect and re-design their emotional lives. Gemini is about the intellectual concept and value of love much more so than smoldering passion.

Relationships can change

 Love can slow down, and people often change their minds, or change their partners in a retrograde cycle of Venus.

As Venus retrogrades we have an opportunity to rethink and re-access 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. Feelings and intellect may become more defined giving clear ideas, originality and intuition, and an appreciation for all that is light and airy in relationships

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. Venus retrograde is sometimes associated with those we have known in the past. At times we can reconnect, or take many trips down memory lane whether positive or negative.

Venus retrogrades repeat by sign every 8 years

Venus retrogrades every 18 months. The last retrograde of Venus was October 5-November 17^th, 2018 in Scorpio-Libra. The retrograde period lasts about 42 days. The last time Venus was retrograde in Gemini (as it will be May-June) was May-June 2012, and 8 years earlier May-June 2004. Before this it was retrograde in Gemini May-June 1996.  It can be interesting to look back at these periods and remember what its affect was in your personal life. Venus repeats it’s retrograde in the same sign every 8 years. You could experience something similar to the Venus retrograde in 2012 as Venus turned retrograde then at 24 degrees of Gemini, and turned direct at 8 degrees which is very close to its retrograde degree this time.

Venus retrograde and its karmic affect

Venus retrograde affects love, money and our social lives. When it is retrograde all of these things can become more difficult in some way, but at the same time we can gain more clarity as to where we are going and who we are going there with. Venus retrograde has a karmic affect and at times our love lives can take dramatic shifts one way or another.  The karma of relationships sometimes play out and relationships can end, or come back together. If a relationship comes back together it was meant to, and if one ends at this time it is granting you the freedom to find someone more appropriate.

Venus squares Neptune: Illusion

Venus enters a lengthy square to Neptune on May 4^thwhich will continue through May 23. Venus square Neptune is a confusing transit especially relating to love and money. Feelings are often confused or confusing and new information can be revealed. Venus begins its square May 4^th, and turns retrograde in its square with Neptune May 14. It will make one more contact with Neptune again July 27-28 after it has gone direct. Re-occurring themes can crop up during these times, or it could represent a larger cycle concerning something or someone specifically.

For some this time can manifest as magical and things can seem beyond the ordinary. Creativity, dreams and visions can be at an all time high. For others it is simply a confusing period with a lack of clarity. It is important during these times to remember that Neptune represents illusion, and this can include self illusion so it important to keep our feet on the ground now matter how perfect (or imperfect) things may seem. At worst this could represent a transit of theft that could involve money, possessions or even the heart. If anything seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Venus squares Mars

Another significant date is June 3, when Venus (retrograde) will square Mars. This can bring up friction and jealousies and it is not the time to be distracted by a passing shadow that in the end may do nothing but take you off course.

Venus turns direct, Mercury retrogrades

Venus rules women and Mars rules men and both will retrograde this year. Venus turns direct June 25, but by this point Mercury is retrograde (June 18). By the time Mercury turns direct July 12, we should be in touch with our feelings and know where we are going emotionally.

All of this will occur just before Mar’s powerful retrograde September 9^th when the energies will become more difficult as it clashes with the cardinal planets-in particular Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto.

Love, money and values

Venus retrograde will affect our personal lives and it will play out in the world as well. Venus retrograde will be followed by Jupiter’s retrograde on May 14, and this places both of the financial planets in a retrograde position. This means money may come in more slowly and it could have an overall economic affect as well as an affect on the progression of covid-19.

The US chart will be affected by Venus retrograde. During this time as a collective we will be forced to re-evaluate what is working, what is not, and what we value as individuals as well as a collective, and make changes toward those ideas that do not serve the majority well.