Venus Retrograde Reflections
"Once we begin to feel deeply all the aspects of our lives, we begin to demand from ourselves and from our life-pursuits that they feel in accordance with that joy which we know ourselves to be capable of."
–Audre Lorde, Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power
Transiting Venus is retrograde in Leo from July 22-Sept 3, 2023. On Sept 3, Venus goes direct and will remain in Leo until Oct 8, 2023.
8-YEAR CYCLES
Venus retrogrades stimulate in the same area of our chart every 8 years. So, it could be fascinating to look back and reflect upon significant themes and happenings in your life during summer/early fall of 2015, 2007, 1999, 1991, etc, when Venus was traveling retrograde through Leo. Your reflection could offer insights into the 2023 Venus cycle that is currently in the process of unfolding.
Inner planet retrogrades are a time for intensified reflection, revisiting and reevaluation which can lead to significant and course-correcting resets, if needed.
VENUS RETROGRADE, in particular, can have a way of unearthing awareness around the ways we’ve been operating from a lack of self-value, self-connection and/or connection TO our values which can put us in touch with what we truly want and need.
VENUS IN LEO brings into the spotlight: Our desire for true joy and more happiness, lightheartedness and fun! Our need to feel seen for who we are and what we bring to the table. Our longing to creatively, authentically self-express and to feel the glow of confidence and warmth of connection that naturally arises when we receive positive attention and genuine enthusiasm from others. Leo highlights our need for vibrant, loving, uplifting relationships and sense of community.
Heightened awareness around these themes can lead to the empowerment to make different, more deeply self-valuing, self-honoring choices (the resets!).
URANUS SQUARE VENUS
It just so happens that during this Venus Retrograde in Leo, URANUS is making a dynamic 90 degree angle (square) aspect to Venus, which is exact on Aug 9. Squares tend to stimulate with tension/friction which often pushes us to grow and make change.
Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) is the planet of freedom, invention, radical authenticity and collective liberation. It represents the need to question status quo/social norms, to challenge the old guard. Uranus seeks to break through repressive, binary, hierarchical conditioning and situations inside and out.
When Uranus is stimulating a planet in the sky or in our birth charts, we are invited into a process of critically examining and questioning the way things currently are or have been up to this point, especially related to the themes of Venus, in this case – planet of love and connection (relationships), creative self-expression and attraction, resources and core values.
We are encouraged to meet this Uranian energy with a willingness to consider new perspectives in Venusian areas, to experiment and explore outside of the box and make some different choices than we usually would right now. All of this in service to moving into greater congruence with our authentic values, desires and needs.
Venus is the ruler of my birth chart due to having Taurus Rising and Venus being the ruler of Taurus. So, just about ALL things relationship endlessly interest me, especially when the content stretches my mind or stirs up my curiosity, wonder and awe (Venus in Gemini). Needless to say, I absolutely loved listening to the audio of this essay, Talking to My Fiancé About My New Girlfriend, written by the author of Many Love, Sophie Lucido Johnson, as it illustrates one of infinite examples of the possibilities that emerge when Uranus and Venus co-mingle. Enjoy the listen or the read!
To read more, please visit my Venus Retrograde Reflections Newsletter.