Hello Reader,
Turning the page into autumn this year has been anything but subtle. With the Full Moon last week, just days after the seasonal shift, we've been called to let go and trust in new ways.
In the coming days, Venus will turn retrograde; from our perspective on Earth, it will appear as though she is moving backward, and she will stay this way until mid-November. Without getting into all the Astro babble, what does this practically mean for you?
I often think it's simplest to think of a retrograde as putting the prefix "Re" in front of the planet's archetypal energy. So with Venus, the Goddess of beauty, values, partnership, and passions, the next six weeks are our time to re-evaluate aspects of our lives.
Throughout her retrograde cycle, she will also shift from Evening Star to Morning Star. For months now, she has been very bright in the night sky.
In the coming weeks, she will begin to set closer and closer to Sunset, eventually setting simultaneously with the Sun and becoming completely invisible to us mere humans for a time. She will then reemerge pre-dawn as Morning Star.
Her descent into invisibility calls us to go inward and reflect on what we value most. This particular retrograde, occurring in both Scorpio and Libra, calls us to evaluate what we have held onto that we intellectually know no longer serves us.
- Where have you stayed willingly in discomfort out of fear of the unknown, particularly regarding relationships, pleasures, and aesthetics?
- What might be possible if you let things evolve or transform?
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Ask yourself:
- What do I want?
- What do I need?
- What are my non-negotiables?
Spend some time journaling on these things and see what emerges.
A quick caveat about this time. It's a fantastic time to review Venusian things and see where we want to change. Certain changes are usually ill-advised during this phase. Although you may feel the call to radically alter your hairstyle, completely change your wardrobe, or start a new relationship, you may want to wait until the retrograde is done, as Venus retrograde can sometimes lead to buyer's remorse.
One other quick thing to reflect on during this retrograde. The sign where Venus is retrograde is part of an eight-year cycle. Thematically, you may see similar patterns emerge in the coming weeks. History doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes, so echoes of your past may surface between now and mid-November.
Spend some time journaling about what was happening in your life eight years ago. How have your values shifted? How have your relationships shifted? How might looking back at those times help you understand or reframe your life today?
