By Madame Dana Zia
The planet Venus is going on her bi-annual retrograde on July 23rd for 40 days and nights till September 3rd in the sign of Leo. She is the closest planet to Earth and considered our sister planet so when she goes retrograde every other year, we all feel this deeply in our heart!
Venus is a turquoise planet that sparkles brightly in our pre-dawn morning and post sunset evening skies, depending on her cycle. Oddly enough, since she is not ever very far away from the Sun, (45 degrees) you will never see her overhead. There is a time however that you won’t see her at all … that is when she is traveling with the Sun. This is when the Ancient stargazers believed she was in the underworld experiencing purification to be reborn as a glorious morning star.
As Venus slows down in the night sky now, she will grow dimmer and dimmer as she falls towards the Sun that is speeding to catch her in a fiery embrace on August 13th. This passionate union only lasts for a few days, then the Sun will leave sleeping beauty in her castle in the sky and carry on with his burning quest.
Venus continues to apparently move backwards until she is reborn again, the “Queen of the Heavens” as a morning star. Her visibility as a morning star will start around August 23rd, depending where you are located. The retrograde period will end on September 3rd when she stations direct, waking up renewed, gazing down on the Earth at pre-dawn for the next 9 months.
Named after the Goddess Venus, she is one of the only planets considered feminine and rules over very rewarding emotions like love, pleasure, beauty and joy. She is a titan but instead of a weapon she wields love, kindness, play and desire. What sign and house Venus occupies in your natal chart shows how you love to be desired and how you attract things to yourself.
This retrograde will bring up heart probing questions such as:
How is your love life?
Do you regularly experience joy?
Are you doing what you love?
Are you in love with life?
Are you in love with yourself?
Since Venus is in Leo during this retrograde, it is also influencing this time. Leo is the sign that shines like the Sun. The Sun has no guilt, shame or worry about being who it is, it just shines! Consequently, Venus in Leo is about radical self-acceptance and care. Playing and being creative stimulate her but sometimes she just likes to lounge about on velvet couches, doing what pleases her. (Think Lion)
With this retrograde being in the sign of self-acceptance, what can you do during this next 40 days to deepen your relationship with yourself? How can you do what pleases you without guilt?
How can you invite more playfulness and delight into your life?
Venus’ retrograde time is a time to slow down and sink into self-care, sparkling up your relationships, and letting go of the relationships that aren’t serving you. This retrograde is a time to guide you back to what brings twinkles and love back to your life. To guide you towards what really matters.
