The Summer of Self-Love
Welcome to the Summer of Self-Love!
We have passed the Solstice and summer is truly now underway. Between now and the end of 2023, we will be experiencing several planets in retrograde – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Of these, the most significant will be Venus (in Leo), which I will break down for you.
Butterfly Lovers, Carrie Ann Baade
Venus retrograde is when Venus changes from being an Evening Star (Venus Hesperus) to a Morning Star (Venus Lucifer) in our visible skies – beginning this year at 28° Leo on July 22, 2023, and stationing direct at 12° Leo on September 3, 2023.
Firstly, all retrogrades mean is it is time to review, revisit, revise, release, renew, rehash, recalibrate – all the “re” words – anything to do with that planetary energy and the house it is visiting in your natal chart. With Venus, it involves artistic expression, beauty, beautifying the self (especially in Leo), beautifying the space or home or office, attracting partners, lovers, investors, or clientele, or investing in art, real estate, music, or anything beautifying.
During Venus retro we are advised not to get plastic surgery, new tattoos, new hairstyles or color, new wardrobes, or buy big ticket items because when Venus turns direct, we will have major regrets and want or need to redo whatever was done when Venus was not entirely herself.
In Leo, Venus retrograde is about deeply revisiting how we honor the Self with our Self-Love practices, and how this integrates into your life depends on which house(es) in your chart Venus will be traversing during her retrograde. Personally, I’m taking 100 Days this summer (currently on Day 39! Ends on September 4) to renew my Self-Love and Self-Care practice with abstaining from alcohol, improving my sleep hygiene, cleaning up my diet, improving my exercise habits, increasing and deepening meditation, healing from old heart wounds, and engaging in creative pursuits more intentionally and more often. This sort of just happened upon me (I was guided to do it during meditation) and I went with it as it perfectly aligned with the Venus retrograde cycle and, being Venusian myself as a Libra Sun and Midheaven, and deeply needing some time in the Underground (Venus is traveling through my 8th house of depth, renewal, and magic), it has opened into being one of the most nourishing and restorative intentional practices I could have imagined. And Venus hasn’t even turned retrograde yet! I’m hoping to be a shiny and new human on the other side.
So, to summarize our solar system planets that retrograde (Sun and Moon don’t, of course) and what they affect:
· Mercury = thoughts, mind, communication, learning, intuition
· Venus = love, art, beauty, attraction, money
· Mars = action, sex, energy, drive, anger
· Jupiter = luck, faith, wisdom, religion, excess
· Saturn = rules, structure, boundaries, mastery, restriction
· Uranus = change, rebellion, invention, chaos, awakening
· Neptune = imagination, spirituality, fantasy, delusion, addiction
· Pluto = transformation, power, obsession, endings, sexual intensity
The only one we won’t experience this year is Mars retrograde. (Thank goodness!)
Pluto, Saturn, and Neptune are already retrograde, and Venus is in its shadow zone. The shadow zone is the degrees the planet visits prior to the retrograde that will be re-visited during the retrograde. Think of the shadow zone as a preview of the energies the retrograde will be reviewing, so it is a great time to prepare. It is kind of retrograde-lite, so the advice that applies for that planet in retrograde applies in shadow, yet with some caveats.
Venus in shadow (pre-retrograde) is actually an excellent time to purchase (but not sell) large-ticket items (cars, homes, stocks, antiques, jewelry, other valuable investments) because you will likely get a better bargain than you would if purchased during the retrograde. The seller usually doesn’t value (or is unaware of it) what you’re buying as much as you do, and you’ll get a screaming deal of high value for a low price. I actually bought my current car 5 years ago during Venus shadow and it is hands-down the best car I’ve ever owned! And I got it at a great price with only a worn out trade-in as a down-payment, and my monthly payments are super affordable, too.
However, during Venus retrograde, you may think you are getting a good deal on something valuable – and this goes for relationships, too – but once the retrograde ends, you’ll see the thing for what it’s really worth, and it won’t be a lot.
Venus retrograde is notorious for rocky relationships ending, and this is because their real value is revealed. If your relationship is healthy and solid, no worries. This can be a great time to do self-work, self-reflection, tune up your already-existing beauty routine, tune-up or edit any art, music, or writing projects, cleanse, self-care, spa and wellness visits, massage, and overall self-rejuvenation.
Venus retrograde is also notorious for previous lovers returning out of the blue. This is when you’ll get that “How YOU doin’?” text from the guy who dumped you three years ago, or when the girl you crushed on so hard but never noticed you suddenly notices you. Beware, these usually fizzle out by the time Venus turns direct. It’s just everyone doing their “re-“ work (usually unconsciously) and it shows up in funky ways sometimes.
What NOT to do during Venus retrograde:
· Buy expensive jewelry, furniture, investment items (cars, homes, stocks, expensive artwork)
· Change your hairstyle or hair color
· Get a tattoo (No Rergets!)
· Start a brand-new relationship (or expect a returned, former lover to stay permanently)
· Get plastic surgery
· Buy a new wardrobe
· Paint your house (inside or outside)
· Do or purchase anything related to love, art, or money that is either impossible or difficult to reverse because the chances are that, after retrograde ends, you will have serious second thoughts.
The Pentagram of Venus - synodic cycles - Image by Astro-Seek.com
VENUS RETROGRADE TIMELINE:
· Venus enters Shadow Zone: June 19, 2023
· Venus at its brightest in the western evening sky, “Venus Hesperus”: July 7, 2023
· Venus stations retrograde: July 22, 2023
· Venus disappears from the evening sky, going “underground”: early August, 2023
· Venus inferior conjunction (closest to the earth) with the Sun: August 13, 2023
· Venus reappears in our skies as Morning Star, “Venus Lucifer”: August 22, 2023
· Sun into Virgo, August 23, 2023
· Mercury Retrograde August 23 – September 15, 2023, at 21°51’ Virgo
· Uranus Retrograde August 28 – January 27, 2024, at 23°04’ Taurus
· Venus stations direct at 12°12’ Leo: September 3, 2023
· Jupiter Retrograde September 4 – December 30, 2023, at 15°34’ Taurus (squaring Venus)
· Venus leaves Shadow Zone: October 6, 2023
If Venus is your chart ruler, which it is if you are either Taurus or Libra rising (Ascendant), Venus retrogrades are very important for your chart and your well-being. This also applies to anyone with personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) or other chart angles (Midheaven, IC, or Descendant) in Taurus or Libra. You will also want to pay attention if you have any personal planets or angles between 12° and 28° of any of the fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius – as Venus will be in hard aspect to them.
Please contact me for a reading if you want to understand how this Venus retrograde will affect you personally.
Venus in the evening sky (Hesperus)
THEMES COMING UNDER REVIEW WHEN VENUS RETROGRADE TRANSITS THE HOUSES:
1st HOUSE: Your image, how you present to the world, people’s first impressions of you, your skin, your hair, your weight, your clothing, your style, your vibe, your ability to “own the room”
2nd HOUSE: Your material belongings and financial resources, your bank account, your self-worth, your perceived value, how much you like yourself, your stability, your perceived ability to provide value to others, what you are “worth”
3rd HOUSE: Your communication style, your propensity to gossip, your learning style, your siblings, your neighbors, your neighborhood, your written word, how you express yourself, how you “spread the news”
4th HOUSE: Your home, your house, your inner self, your sensitivity, your childhood wounds, your life behind closed doors, how you cook, how you decorate your rooms, where you feel safe (or where you should), your intuition
5th HOUSE: Your children, your artwork, your artistic expression, your romances, your flirtatiousness, your need for dramatic expression, your childlike playfulness, your ability to take the stage and put on a show
6th HOUSE: Your daily work, your daily grind, your routines, your pets, your health, your healthcare, your job, your ability to get things done, your ability to make plans and stick to them, your service to others, your feelings of usefulness
7th HOUSE: Your relationships, your partnerships, your one-on-one relating style, your enemies, your betrothed, how you feel about your betrothed, your choice to be involved in partnerships (or not), your ability or desire to commit
8th HOUSE: Your sex life, who you deeply partner or merge with, your joint finances, your investments, your interest and involvement in the occult, your secrets, your hidden depths, your deep healing and transformation, your perception of other people, your soul needs, your ability to radically transform yourself
9th HOUSE: Your travel plans, your foreign affairs, your interest in higher learning, your interest in or activities in philosophy, publishing, law, foreign lands, foreigners, foreign languages, travel, higher education, gaining knowledge and wisdom, your enthusiasm for life, your desire to reach enlightenment
10th HOUSE: Your career, your public-facing self, your reputation, your ability to work with other people, your strengths, where you shine, what makes you shine, what makes you stand out from the crowd, where and how you earn money
11th HOUSE: Your friends, your peer groups, your hopes and wishes, your windfalls, your luck, your group activities, your ability to make friends, your need to let people go gracefully, where you attract fortune
12th HOUSE: Your dreams, your delusions, your addictions, your loneliness, your pilgrimages, your need for solitude, your sacred spaces, your regrets, your premonitions, your need to sleep on an issue before knowing which direction to take, your need to release pain and trauma of all types
Circe the Sorceress tames one of her lions with gentle persuasion and strength - Strength Tarot Card
I wish you all a Happy Venus Retrograde and would like to extend to you a
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~Venus Blessings!
Laura
Psyche Astrology
https://psycheastro.com/readings