This Venus Retrograde period feels very long and poignant. Some of us will have experienced foreshadowing for our own ‘Venus Retrograde Moments’ (VRMs) as far back as September 3rd, when Venus entered the ‘shadow’ period prior to the retrograde station. This retrograde cycle seems to be full of nuance. I have counted no fewer than 18 notable moments related to Venus in this cycle (see image, above), spanning from September 3rd all the way to December 17th!
Here they are listed out, for your convenience (be sure to read on below the list for potential meanings):
Here they are listed out, for your convenience (be sure to read on below the list for potential meanings):
Already past*:
September 3rd - Venus enters the retrograde ‘shadow’ at 25 degrees Libra
September 9th - Venus enters Scorpio
September 29th - Venus arrives at 10 degrees Scorpio
October 5th - Venus stations retrograde at 10 degrees Scorpio
October 10th - Venus squares Mars
October 11th - Venus leaves 10 degrees Scorpio
October 15th - Venus is conjoined by Mercury
October 19th - Venus becomes invisible as an evening star
October 24th - Venus sextiles Saturn
October 26th - The Sun conjoins Venus
October 31st - Venus enters Libra and opposes Uranus
*The information is presented for your reflection convenience, the info below is what is up next!
Yet to come:
November 2nd - Venus becomes visible as a morning star (heliacal rising=new synodic cycle!)**
November 9th - Venus trines Mars
November 10th - Venus arrives at 25 degrees Libra
November 15th - Venus stations direct at 25 degrees Libra
November 22nd - Venus leaves 25 degrees Libra
December 3rd - Venus re-enters Scorpio (+ meets the moon=1st ‘gate’!)**
December 17th - Venus passes 10 degrees Scorpio, leaving the retrograde ‘shadow’
**These two notes have to do with the Venus Synodic Cycle, which I will be following over the next 18 months. Stay tuned for a separate post about that and all of the ritual fun to be had! You can read more about the project here.
What does it all mean?
For the meaning section, I’ll focus on the yet-to-come. First, we have the heliacal rise of Venus on November 1st or 2nd, depending on where you are on earth and how you count the degrees of distance from the sun. If you go outside before sunrise on Nov 1st or 2nd, you can decide for yourself which day Venus becomes visible. That’s all ‘heliacal rise’ means: that Venus has re-emerged as a morning star, she has gotten far enough away from the sun not to be outshone..
Folks who study Venus and her cycle attribute slightly different phase meanings to the different celestial phenomena associated with the planet. Some say the heliacal rise is the beginning of the new cycle, while some would count from other parts of the cycle for different reasons, other than visibility. Either way, it is a poignant moment of emergence! (One that coincides with the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, which you can read more about here.) See what kind of emergence you notice on this day! If you’d like to get a reminder about this, consider joining my Facebook group: Beautiful Astrology Community.
On November 9th, Venus trines Mars. A major aspect between two personal planets in the same element. It should offer some interesting, useful ‘tension’ between the two energies. Venus in her own sign, though retrograde, and Mars in the same element seems to suggest that their aims might be amicable to one another at this time. Sweet Action!
Venus arrives at 25 degrees Libra the next day, November 10th. This is significant because this is the degree in which she will station direct 5 days later on the 15th. Then, she remains at this degree for an additional week, until November 22nd (Happy Thanksgiving, for those of us in the US of A). During this time, you may notice energies around relationships shifting from internal to external or difficulty to resolution… Everyone’s chart is different, but this feeling may be ‘in the air’ for these two weeks. If you find that the dates in this list are significant for you, you may want to consider booking a reading to get more fine-tuned, personal insight.
Then, on December 3rd, Venus returns to Scorpio AND meets the moon! Her meeting of the moon will not only be lovely, it has special meaning for those of us tracking the phases of the Venus cycle and working with them as they relate to the myth of Inanna. This is one of the magical 'gates' that Inanna passes on her way to and from the Underworld! So, this 'gate' has a special, symbolic significance around releasing and reclaiming.
This is what my Venus Synodic Cycle Project will be focusing on this time around. Last time, I focused on just paying attention to Venus in each sign, but this time, I'm being ever more so specific. At this point, my idea centers around the idea of ‘tea parties’, since the cycle begins in Libra and that felt like a lovely, social occasion to share with friends (I'm leaving it open to metamorphosis, as Venus often has her own ideas). I will be hosting some kind of gathering for each ‘gate’ that Venus passes during her entire synodic cycle, which lasts over a year! Sign up for my email list to stay informed!
Finally, on December 17th, taking us almost right up to the Winter Solstice, Venus passes the 10-degrees-of-Scorpio mark, the degree at which she stationed back in the first week of October. In other words, she leaves her retrograde ‘shadow’ and everything that we’ve been covering (or uncovering) during her retrograde period should reach some kind of resolution.
And that’s just the Venus cycle! So much more is happening in November! In addition to some major Astro-Weather shifts, I am hosting a month of moon-discovery in my private Facebook group. All month long, I will be sending out reminders on certain days for participants to take note of the emotional tone and experiential themes for the day. I will also send out notices of major astro-shifts (such as when Jupiter enters Sagittarius). If you’d like to play along, join us!
RSS Feed
