July 22 – September 3
Key Dates :
June 5 – Venus enters Leo
June 11- Venus square Jupiter at 5 degrees Leo / Taurus
June 19 – Venus enters retrograde shadow zone at 12 degrees Leo
July 2- Venus square Uranus at 21 degrees Leo / Taurus
July 17- Venus begins stationing at 28 degrees Leo
July 22 – Venus goes retrograde at 28 degrees Leo
July 27- Venus Rx conjunct Mercury at 28 degrees Leo
August 9 – Venus Rx square Uranus at 22 degrees Leo / Taurus
August 13- Inferior conjunction of Venus Rx and the sun at 20 degrees Leo
August 22- Venus Rx square Jupiter at 15 degrees Leo / Taurus
(*August 23 – Mercury goes retrograde at 21 degrees Virgo)
August 28- Uranus goes retrograde at 23 degrees Taurus
September 3- Venus goes direct at 12 degrees of Leo
September 4- Jupiter goes retrograde at 15 degrees Taurus
(*September 15- Mercury goes direct at 8 degrees Virgo)
September 17 – Venus square Jupiter Rx at 15 Leo / Taurus
September 29 – Venus square Uranus Rx at 22 degrees of Leo / Taurus
October 7 – Venus exits retrograde shadow zone at 28 degrees Leo
October 8 – Venus enters Virgo
We are in for quite an exciting Venus retrograde. Venus is in Leo, the sign of the bold, courageous lion, for more than 4 months. It is usually only in a sign for about 3 or 4 weeks. So this is quite something indeed. And Venus entered its shadow zone on June 19th, which means that many of the themes and situations that Venus Rx will address are already kicked up in the collective, as well as in our personal lives. A shadow zone is the entire span between the degrees where a planet is retrograde, so since Venus will retrograde all the way back to 12 degrees Leo (where it goes direct on September 3), we can say that its shadow zone began on June 19 which is when Venus first crossed over 12 degrees Leo. So it is a significantly wider net than the retrograde alone. And Venus does not exit its shadow zone until it reaches 28 degrees for a second and final time on October 7th, just before it enters Virgo. So in many ways we can look at June 19-October 7 as a profoundly significant Venusian time.
Many Venus themes will come up in our lives during this period such as relationships, intimacy, finances, possessions, romance, enjoyment, the arts, and beauty. And as always, retrogrades encourage introspection and revision where these topics are concerned. The colloquial wisdom is to “not make big decisions” about these matters while Venus is retrograde. But that only tells part of the story. Because the truth is that we may get startling clarity on some of these themes with Venus Rx. Where we were once blind (or on auto-pilot) we may now be able to see. If we don’t pause and re-assess things in our lives from time to time, we cannot make necessary course corrections and this is a time for course corrections in all manner of Venus topics.
And of course the sign where Venus is retrograde, Leo, holds great meaning and significance as well. Leo is the sign related to the heart and to our impulse to bold, brave and heartfelt action. If we are coming too much from our mind, our ideas, our plans, our “practicality”, (in other words, a heavy emphasis on Air and Earth) it is time to step back now and get back in touch with our inner passion and momentum. Leo is a Fire sign. It acts on impulse, energy and excitement. When taken to extremes (like anything) this can be ill-advised and fool-hardy, but it is the essential element that guides us towards our highest impulse and soul desires and we cannot lose sight of it as a guiding north star. Especially if, again, we have become over-focused on Air or Earth qualities in our lives. Or if we have been ‘drowning’ in Water, over-ruminating on the past, sorrow, regret or keeping ourselves in a ‘soup’ of delusion, addiction or wishful thinking.
So this is one set of key themes for this particular Venus Rx. And the fact that Venus is joined by the sun and communication planet Mercury for part of the retrograde, also heavily reinforces the Leo emphasis on identity and visibility. So while Venus in general is concerned with “appearances”, we can say that in Leo this adds an even deeper dimension. But in its highest state, Leo is about true authenticity: being, showing, sharing who we are unabashedly from that heart level. “The Sun” card in the Tarot is all about this principle: allowing our unashamed and loving ‘inner child’ to lead us forward in life. Not an ‘immature, reckless’ inner child, but our “True Selves” who guides us from a sovereign place of both extraordinary wisdom and innocence.
So this Venus Rx is an incredible opportunity to get back in alignment with this part of ourselves. And follow ITS wisdom and guidance with regards to adjustments or revisions we are considering in the Venusian “love and money” realms.
We are aided greatly in this task by the clear and direct focus of the retrograde which is on an unusually small, yet re-occurring, set of aspects. Namely, a series of squares between Venus in Leo and the two planets in Taurus, Uranus and Jupiter. There are, in fact, no other significant aspects made by Venus Rx, since there are no planets in the opposing sign of Aquarius, or in the other fixed square sign of Scorpio. We could (accurately) say that the retrograde activates a trine to Chiron in Aries (at 18-19 degrees throughout this period), and that this is a sign of the healing (Chiron) that is available to us if we accept the invitation to radical honest and authenticity presented by the retrograde. But that invitation is extended by Jupiter and Uranus, and Chiron here plays more of a supporting role. The only other aspects involve the sun and Mercury, also in Leo for part of this time, and those (singular) aspects I will discuss in a moment.
But Venus makes 3 squares to both Uranus and Jupiter during this time frame. This is a very heavy activation and interesting for several reasons. It is interesting first of all because of the nature of the planets involved. Jupiter is the great expander, and Uranus is the awakener. We can see already that just like Leo, this Venus retrograde does not want to ‘play small’. Secondly, Taurus is a sign ruled by Venus and associated with Venusian themes such as pleasure, resources, sex and art. Hence a reassessment of our relationship with these matters is further reinforced. Taurus also, like the other fixed signs, is stubborn and slow to change, so often breakthroughs must be profound, radical and catalytic to ‘push the needle’.
And finally, BOTH Uranus and Jupiter go retrograde during this time frame. What that means is that the first set of squares occurs with all planets moving direct. The 2nd set of squares occurs when Venus backtracks and squares up to first Uranus, then Jupiter. And the 3rd set of squares occurs after Venus has resumed her forward motion but the other two planets are now retrograde. Interestingly, the 2nd and 3rd set of squares occur at the SAME degrees.
Venus retrograde squares Uranus at 22 degrees Leo / Taurus on August 9th and on September 29th Venus direct squares Uranus retrograde at 22 degrees Leo/ Taurus. There is about 6 weeks between these squares.
Venus retrograde squares Jupiter at 15 degrees Leo / Taurus on August 22nd. And on September 17th, Venus direct squares Jupiter retrograde at 15 degrees Leo/ Taurus. There is about 3 weeks between these squares. And they take place ‘within’ the Venus/Uranus window.
We can see that even though Venus comes out of retrograde on September 3rd, there are still a lot of important aspects happening straight up through the end of September. And Venus doesn’t leave its shadow zone until early October. Needless to say the above mentioned dates could be crucial, and issues may repeat or beg for resolution around the time of the final squares.
So what can we expect with squares between Venus & Uranus? And Venus & Jupiter? In some ways, Uranus is the main star here, and Jupiter is merely expanding! Underscoring! highlighting! emphasizing! the lessons and opportunities we are getting from Uranus. Uranus has been in Taurus since 2018, working to dislodge some of the most ‘immoveable’ parts of our psyche (and socio-political system) by ‘digging up the dirt’ in this fixed earth sign. Once things are ‘un-earthed’ it is hard to bury them again.
And so here we are, with Venus retrograde basically ‘checking in’ on Uranus in Taurus and seeing what kind of breakthroughs we have had, and changes we have made, specifically again in the areas of our relational and financial lives. And prompting us to take it up a notch even further. Do we REALLY want that thing/person/contract/relationship? Do we REALLY express what we desire? Do we REALLY show who we are at a deep authentic level to others? What is holding us back from that? And are we ready to look at it? Are there relationships or situations we are in currently that are not in alignment with our highest good? Are there relationships or situations from the past that are ripe for re-exploration? Either for closure or revitalization? These are the questions of this Venus retrograde.
And Jupiter want us to both get the message loud and clear, AND to lean into the faith, optimism and courage that when we are true to ourselves in this authentic way, things really DO work out for the best, even if its not what we think we wanted or expected. Jupiter in Taurus until May 2024 is all about helping us tend to what is most fruitful in our own garden, and weed out what is not. And all of this is done ‘in the name of’ living more and more truly from our Leo heart center.
On July 27th, mere days after Venus goes retrograde, it conjuncts Mercury at 28 degrees of Leo, the very same degree where it goes retrograde. This is called the ‘station degree’, and Venus is there from July 17th until July 28th, a very long time for Venus to be on a single degree. And very meaningful and interesting to have a conjunction with Mercury at that degree. Mercury is traditionally associated with communication, so this could be a time when we have communication or correspondence of some sort that could ‘set in motion’ some of our personal Venus Rx themes. A change, or reversal, of some kind could be part of what occurs during this period and prompts our Venus Rx reappraisals. An opportunity or person from the past could re-emerge, or we could have unanticipated changes with a situation from the present. Or it could be both. In any case, it is best not to override our own intuition, throughout this entire timeframe, but especially when Venus is stationing from the 17th until the 28th of July. The messages we get now will be crucial.
The inferior conjunction of the sun and Venus Rx occurs roughly every 2 years, and is a re-set to the Sun/Venus cycle. During this Venus Rx it occurs on August 13th at 20 degrees of Leo. While this is not *exactly square to Uranus at 22 Taurus, it is very close. And gives us a strong indication that this macro theme of stepping into our Uranian individuality and authenticity is of supreme importance to our relationships (Venus) and sense of identity (Leo) in the next 2 years, and we must dislodge what/who is not in alignment with that in our lives and double down on what is (Taurus). To shift ourselves in this direction now, and in the coming years, is an act of Leonine courage.
Besides courage, another important message from Leo is self-appreciation. Shifting our external relationships involves a shift in our relationship with ourselves. So this Venus Rx is not only about the recognition of who and what is lining up with our needs and desires right now, but a deeper internal experience of seeing, acknowledging and honoring exactly what those things are. Sometimes we skate through life without looking too deeply in the mirror to see who we have become and how we can name and love those qualities about ourselves. Leo likes mirrors 😉 and Leo knows what good it does the soul when we commit to loving and caring for ourselves from this place of true self-knowledge and self-worth. Both Leo and Taurus are encouraging us into this deep level or self-honoring and self-love, both for its own sake and so that our external relationship mirrors can upgrade. Then we are truly embracing Venus’ impulse to feel great, receive that which amplifies this, and ‘live our best lives’.
We will be getting a lot of information about exactly what we honor in ourselves, and need in our relationships, during this entire 4 month period. And while we can have the ‘blazing clarity’ that assists us in tapping into our knowing around these matters (especially with Uranus so heavily featured), we are also wise to retain a bit of that caution about not making ‘big’ changes- or better said “knee-jerk” changes- during this time. When the unexpected happens, or we are in emotional situations, there are the usual reactions: fight, flight, freeze. We will each likely have one that is most common or predictable for us, at least in a given context. The more we can go into ‘observer’ whenever any surprises or intense moments come up, the better served we are now. Taking a pause can give us time to allow our clarity or certainty to settle and help us build up our trust in any important decisions we may be making.
There are two other things to note in conclusion. The first is that we also have Mercury retrograde during this period, from August 23 to September 15. Since it is in the sign of Virgo it is not ‘directly’ impacting the Venus retrograde. However, since Mercury did make a conjunction with Venus Rx when it was stationing right at the beginning of the retrograde (on July 27), Mercury is still a player here. And the 10 day span between August 23 and September 3rd when BOTH Venus and Mercury are retrograde is very significant, and we should act with caution and discernment during this time.
Secondly, it is obvious perhaps, but worth noting that the relationship shifts that Venus Rx signifies can be both subtle and positive. When we think about relationship changes, we can often catastrophize or imagine the worst. But people change, and it’s possible people have been changing faster than ever over the course of the last few years of deep collective transformation. People from our past can surprise us, in a good way. They can be surprised WITH us, in a good way. And even if relationship changes do unfold that feel like losses, they don’t have to be dramatic or destabilizing. We can set the intention that the shifts presented by this retrograde be as smooth and harmonious as possible, and keep that in mind as things progress.
It is fully possible to come out the other side of this entire Venus in Leo period with a much deeper sense of who we are now and what we need and want in our lives and relationships, as guided by our heart and our true desires and passions. And to make strides in dis-aligning with what does not fit that, and realigning with what does. And that is a priceless invitation.
*art by @javiermartinart
vibrational-astrology.com 