Venus retrograde transit: July 22nd until September 3rd 2023
Venus is the planet that retrogrades the least in the zodiac, so it is always an unusual transit. The major meaning of Venus is what is valuable, and its retrograde motion really shows what is valuable to us on a personal level. See, we all are a bit influenced by the world, the likes and dislikes of society, so our inner values may get mixed up with external values. Venus retrograde is a time to clear that up. This is a time where you will see what people, ventures, pursuits and objects are truly worthy of your time and appreciation.
Look out for signs that something that seemed fun is feeling outdated, as if you could be doing something better or more productive. In your friendships, look out to see how deep these people are willing to go, do they just want to hang out or are they available when you truly need them? Can you truly open up with the people in your life, and if not, is it worth it? This sense of value and appreciation, in all our undertakings, is the true essence of this transit.
Astronomically, Venus is a very interesting planet with an unusual planetary cycle. It lasts 584 days, between being a morning star and an evening star. It spends 236 days as a morning star, then it disappears for 90 days. The evening star period lasts 250 days, followed by 8 dark days before it rises again in the east. This rise in east, disappearance in the west, an resurgence in the east is seen as a rebirth process.
This idea of rebirth is the reason why many ancient cultures, such as the Mayans, saw Venus as a special point. Venus, as a matter of fact, is an occult planet. Which is something usually left out in most pop-astrology writings. In Vedic texts, Shukracharya is the rulling deity of Venus and the tutor of the Daityas (a form of Asuras or anti-gods). Shukracharya has Sanjivini Vidya, which is the knowledge to raise the dead back to life. Brihaspati (deity associated with Jupiter), the tutor of the Devas (the gods), doesn’t have this knowledge. Making the Daityas more powerful than the Devas.
Venus, by this association also present in Celtic and Mayan traditions, is seen as a planet of life and death, or beginnings and endings. This is somewhat related to the nakshatra of Bharani, which is represented by a womb, and it deals with life and death extremes. The Sun also transits this nakshatra on May 1st, when a celtic fertility rite is celebrated. By these many meanings, I’ve noticed that the charts of occultists tend to have a strong or prominent Venus. A similar trend happens in the charts of medical doctors, although I don’t consider this planet as a necessary condition in their charts, and see it more as an improvement in dealing and healing the extremes of life.
So Venus retrograde becomes an excellent moment for studying and understanding the occult. On a mundane level, this could be a time where we see shifts in the economy and in women’s issues. Harsh events, similar to death, might be happening in the world.
Venus meanings: Relationships, women, agreements, diplomacy, contracts. Passion, love and romance. Comforts, luxury, beauty. Cars and vehicles. Clothes, jewelry and decoration items. Enjoyment and fun. What is valuable.
The interpretation of Venus retrograde is an interesting thing. Some astrologers say that, 9 months after Venus goes direct, something is born. Much like a pregnancy. On the other hand, I tend to believe that something is reborn or transformed with Venus retrograde itself. In our charts, this deals a lot with the house where Venus went retrograde. On a mundane level, it deals with the nature of the sign itself.
Venus last went direct on January 29th 2022, as we were on the verge of the Ukraine War. Venus went retrograde in Capricorn, on December 2021, and it went direct in Sagittarius. Capricorn is a sign that deals with democracies, large institutions and unions. Sagittarius is a warrior sign, showing the mighty centaur. In 2022, we saw the world’s institutions being shaken up by the war. Some countries started trading in currencies other than the dollar, new alliances were formed and a lot of the established certainties of the world shifted.
This time around, we are between Leo and Cancer. A similar retrograde happened in 2015. Leo represents kings, majesties and rulers. Cancer represents emotions, home, mother and comfort. On a mundane level, I believe that some changes with leadership are bound to happen. New figures or characters could arise, as wildcards, on the public sphere. Disagreements or complications between leaders are also a possibility now.
Looking back into the 2015-2016 period, that was a very unique time. This retrograde in Leo happened just as Jupiter had entered the sign as well. Jupiter remained in Leo from July 2015 until about August 2016. On January 2016, Rahu entered Leo too, where it remained until about August 2017. So this period in time had a Leo emphasis going on, which created a time of strong political clashes and turmoil around the world. 2023-2024 doesn’t have the same Leo emphasis, so politics will not be as prominent as it was around that time.
On a personal level, we might be reliving a lot of what happened around 2015. We might be rethinking projects started, or abandoned, around that time. Ideas that we’ve had, things we were pursuing, etc. If you have journals, or any other way of looking back, this is a great time to do this. Rethinking and recreating through what happened back then could be very important now.
Again, this goes back to the meaning of rebirth seen through Venus. Leo is the sign that deals with our pride/ego, our need to express ourselves and leave our mark into the world. In a lot of ways, this is the time of regaining our sense of importance, of feeling that we are worthy of making whatever personal journey we want to make. This could be a project, a study, a new venture or even just a new lease on life. This is the time to rethink and rise like a phoenix with something important to you.