Venus stations retrograde at 8 Scorpio at 08.16BST tomorrow, travelling back to 22 Libra at station direct on 13 November. It’s a reflection period for relationships: where we’re connecting and where we’re not, and what’s really behind that.
The planet Venus represents the feel-good of life & love: enjoyment, pleasure, harmony, being moved by the beauty of the arts or of nature, desire & our capacity for friendship and/or intimate connection.
When Venus goes retrograde it appears that the beauty, wonder, majesty & enjoyment of life go missing. Yet like winter or night-time, it’s simply that we need a deeper contrast to discover more light.
A reflective starting point:
The beauty of a lotus is fed by the fertility of the mud in which it’s rooted.
The wonder of a newborn child arrives through the initiation of birth.
The fullness of summer is appreciated against the contrast of a dark winter.
When Venus goes retrograde we experience the contrasts to enjoyment. We face the shadows of ‘feel-good’ – what we discount or put to one side in favour of being loving or lovable. We are called to face the shadows we’ve put in the underworld, to embrace the ‘mud’ of our experience.
The Underworld is not what you think it is. It is a space of creative potency. It’s a place of Soul. Just like the smelly, sticky, mud that feeds the lotus bloom; it’s fertile, a place of nourishment, full of nutrients to feed new life. In this upcoming period, we can see where the potency of new life is held through the signs of Venus’s retrograde.
Scorpio: intimacy, passion, emotional honesty, resourcefulness, courage, staying power, death & rebirth
Shadow: non-communicative, ruthless, critical, jealous, possessive
Libra: sociability, balance, fairness, co-operation, diplomacy, win-win agreements, fulfilment
Shadow: dishonesty through playing nice, compromise, people-pleasing
The myth of Inanna (ancient Venus) relates Inanna’s journey into the underworld as Queen of Heaven (Libra) to emerge as Queen of Heaven & Earth (Libra & Scorpio). She experienced death, to be reborn and embody a new self. Venus retrograde mirrors this myth. Some facet of you is ready to die, to transmute its underworld state of being & reach for new life.
This Venus retrograde journey is extra-deep, as it brings her into three squares with Pluto, ruler of Scorpio. Squares create inner tension that are a powerful catalyst for healing. Together, Venus/Pluto unveil the shadows of power & control that lurk beneath the surface in the realms of relating, money, sex, enjoyment, and self-worth.
Venus always shows us what we want, what we value, and what we find beautiful or enjoyable. Venus/Pluto will reveal the underworld, the hidden agendas & shadows, in these areas. The guilt hidden in pleasure; the fear of loss that stops emotional honesty; the manipulation of power in finances; the deals we make to avoid conflict or pain.
The squares (15 September, 20 October Rx & 9 December) reveal where our relationships and/or values are truly rooted – in compromise, or balance; in hidden agenda, or emotional honesty & integrity. As Pluto is in Aquarius, it’s highly likely that we will see further revelations about sexual exploitation, financial dishonesty & abuse of power on the world stage. The culture mirrors our individual disconnections and vice versa.
With Mercury also retrograde in Scorpio 24 October to 13 November, our capacity to allow space for these deep processes to open & reveal their gifts is vital. As Buddhist teacher Thich Naht Hahn so beautifully wrote ‘No Mud, No Lotus’ when referring to the transformation of suffering. ’ Isn’t that true for you too?
The Astrology
Venus station retrograde 8 Scorpio on 3 October, station direct at 22 Libra on 13 November
square to Pluto at 3 Aquarius 15 September, 20 October Rx & 9 December
Mercury also retrograde 24 October to 13 November 20 – 5 Scorpio, on its retrograde shadow 5 October to 30 November
