Astrology is such a wonderful tool for observing cycles – cycles within cycles within cycles…it seems to me that that’s what life is made of.
We can investigate any of the planetary movements and brainstorm what it might mean collectively or personally as you place it in the context of your natal chart.
I have been thinking about Venus a lot recently, as my progressed Venus made a conjunction to natal Saturn and transiting Pluto and Neptune slowly activate my Venus at the same time, I become increasingly aware about the importance of being attuned to our personal values in a deeper sense.
How do you make your decisions in life? How do you ponder which way to go when you reach a crossroad?
I find that Venus, differently than what we find in most basic astrological textbooks, has a very important function when it comes to our decision-making process.
A life worth living is a life aligned with our deepest values and we can only be aware of our values if we relate to the Venusian principle in our charts authentically.
Yes, Venus is about what we find attractive and how we attract, what is beautiful and pleasant for us, but in a deeper level, it is reflecting what we value the most. Venus in Sagittarius will value freedom and being adventurous outdoors very much whereas Venus in Scorpio will value intensity, exploring taboos and harsh inner landscapes more.
You get the gist.
When we look at Venus in our charts, we also must contextualise, for instance, Venus isn’t just in Virgo, it is also forming aspects (or not), and it is also placed in a house. Everything will have something to say about what you value the most and how you value yourself as well.
This little article is a heads up so we can prepare ourselves for the next Venus’ cycle of retrogradation which will be happening in 2 months. So here is some astrological info on this cycle and hopefully we will be able to get some insights into our own journey.
The last time Venus was retrograde was from May 13 until June 25 in 2020, it happened in Gemini and this cycle of retrogradation involved Neptune in Pisces as there was a square between the two planets. Around that time, we were dealing with illusions of all kinds but also potentially refining our values through the longings that were brought to the surface.
The next time Venus will go retrograde is in December 19 at 26 degrees Capricorn and conjoined Pluto (at 25 degrees Capricorn). This one seems to be a powerful period for revisiting and purging everything Venus related – our compulsive relationship patterns, our values, how we enjoy ourselves, pleasurable obsessions, etc.
Venus takes a trip into the underworld for a longer period here!
The last time Venus and Pluto met in the sky was at the end of January 2021 at 25 degrees Capricorn – the exact degree of the next conjunction this coming December. Do you remember what was going on around that time?
(It is interesting to see how I felt the urge to write this little article whilst Mercury is retrograde at 24 degrees Libra and square Pluto right now. Libra, a Venus ruled sign, has a strong resonance with one-to-one relationships and the process of knowing oneself through the eyes of another. And Mercury retrograde is about reassessing, rethinking, etc.)
Venus will turn direct on the 29 of January 2022 at 11 degrees Capricorn but before that, on January 17th, there will be a full moon at 27 degrees Cancer (closely activating the degree of the conjunction between Pluto and Venus). Full moons usually reflect culminations and the potential for intense situations providing insights into our journey. Whatever happens around this full moon will have something to do with that Venusian purging process which started during the conjunction between Venus and Pluto in December 2021.
It won’t be until March 2022 that Venus, now in its forward motion, will meet Pluto again at 27 degrees Capricorn. The interesting thing is that this conjunction will be a triple one also involving Mars in Capricorn – and because Venus will be coming out of its retrogradation period, and for that reason slower in motion, they (Venus and Mars) will be moving together for quite a while (most of February and March 2022).
Masculine and feminine (yin/yang) will be aligned not only with each other but also with Pluto!
What a powerful time ahead for revisiting and realigning ourselves with our deepest values. The conjunction between Mars/Venus/Pluto in March 2022 could be reflecting not only the purging of what/how we love, but also how our actions could be aligned with it.
We could detox and empower the ‘yin/yang’ principle within us by that time.
So, take the next few months to think, feel and reflect on what are your deepest values and how aligned with it, or not, your life is – and here I mean all areas. Periods of retrogradation are wonderful for asking questions rather than rushing into answering them.
Do you love your job? How do you invest your time in general? What is the state of your personal relationships? Do you love your home? Do you love yourself, and if so, how do you express that on a daily basis? What are the things that you value the most in yourself, in your friends, in your partner, in your life in general?
These are some of the questions that can guide you to a transformative and empowering process reflected by the coming Venus retrograde conjoined Pluto.
Let’s take responsibility (Capricorn) and make the most of it!
Hi Fernanda, January 2021 makes sense on a relationship level, something out of the blue started then…
Interesting to know 🙂, yes, the cycle progresses and there is more to come – as Pluto is involved in the picture I believe it will have something to do perhaps with deepening the bond, or dealing with shadows that are typically triggered only by love relationships .. we will see. 💚
Define harsh inner landscapes…..
If I “purge” my passions, I will be without any desire to live, I think. What will be the point except to follow the status quo, to listen to the man/machine and join the chain gangs? Why would I dump my desires, my standards, my interests? If I gave up art or astrology, what would give me reason to look at the sky at night? Or, give up pursuing a loving relationship? Give up my “type(s)?” What would I do then?…”settle for anything and anyone?” ‘Sounds really positive…said no one.
Like I need more reflection time…and doubting or shutting myself down. So, this retrograde period will just enforce the parent in my family, and everyone, including myself will be telling me to stop doing whatever I do, because, to them, it’s wrong. Stop doing that. It’s not the right time or place for that foolishness. You are foolish, Writingbolt. Stop doing everything you do and do what we say. [If I give up my passionate energy, I might as well comply like a good little slave.]
What I meant with ‘harsh inner landscapes’, in a very general way (meaning without considering the whole natal chart), speaks of the darker corners in our psyche – Venus in Scorpio, and Scorpio in general, relates to psychology and probing. They want to go deeper and do the shadow work that most people wouldn’t dare doing out of their own volition. And regarding the purging, I don’t mean purge all of your passion in life as in loosing the lust for life. Quite the opposite, purging as purifying from what is not authentic – old toxic and abusive relationship patterns, etc. You get the gist. A life without passion isn’t worth living (says my Scorpio rising) 🙂
I wouldn’t say I WANT to dig deeper…but it seems inevitable? I DO tend to want to give something more time and consideration than most people I meet. Others will give up or not look beyond the surfaces I tend to look under. I check under mushrooms while other people just grab and go. I stop to frame photographs while others just snap and go.
And, yea, I’m a bit of a psychology guy…though I probably won’t ever have certification to do the work. I looked into art therapy, and, apparently, you have to be a certified psychologist, first…and that sounds silly and excessive.
I don’t know what would not be authentic if I feel/think it. Yea, well, I cannot exactly purge myself of my not-so-healthy family, can I? I mean, right now, they’re all I’ve got. I could purge all my lackluster friendships and find myself completely alone; that sounds fun. [Sarcasm.]
And, if I have bad patterns of doing things, wouldn’t that require some extreme rehab to change/crack? I see lots of people who revert to their habits, good or bad. You mean this phase would actually bring remarkable self-rehab’ in all of those people? No more crappy reality-TV-support systems?
Oh, you have a Scorpio Rising, do ya. See. I think you and I have some mixing and mingling to do. 🙂
[…] thought that with the approaching retrogradation of Venus (December 19, the same day of the full moon), I could write a little about planetary dignities and […]