Venus is retrograde from March 4 to April 15 (from 13 degrees Aries to 27 degrees Pisces).
Few people listen closely enough to their Venus. To make up for this kind of ignorance–well, that’s what Venus retrogrades are for. At these times, Venus renews herself, transitioning from evening star to morning star, by first entering the underworld, where whatever was unfinished or unacknowledged may erupt.
Venus retrogrades remind me of Botticelli’s delightful painting of Venus and Mars. You’ll note that a spent Mars is passed out while Venus is alert and pondering, possibly scheming. (Recent scholarship suggests that Mars is actually stoned.) Traditionally, Mars is the active agent, while Venus, as receptivity, is passive. But during her retrograde, these roles are reversed. Mars (the conscious chooser of what we do and don’t do) lets Venus take over.
Fuddy duddy astrologers are usually alarmed, advising caution in any and all Venusian matters (like relationships, art, pleasure, and spending money). Venus might make you buy a crazy polka-dotted coat or fall for an ill-advised partner! It’s true; these things could happen. But there’s a reason. Venus has needs you’ve been ignoring and now she demands that you listen. She may raise a familiar desire to an uncontrollable pitch. She may inspire you to break out of your aesthetic box. She may trigger a visit from someone in your past. These are merely symptoms. Whatever happens in the outer world, in the inner world, this is an important time to renegotiate the relationship with yourself. It needs to have more pleasure in it. Venus will test the quality of your past decisions here. And your happiness in this area acquires a new urgency. Your moods may swing–from sorrow to bliss to indignant fury. Visions of better things may dance in your head. But the point is always this one: you need more joy.
Venus goes retrograde every eighteen months. During these six weeks everything that Venus rules–love, money, fertility, and creativity–is vulnerable to wild, ingenious, or deluded thinking. Maybe you remember Bibi and Poldi, the tortoise couple who’d gotten along amicably for over a hundred years. People say that Bibi started it. Maybe she just wanted more out of her long life–but during the Venus retrograde of 2012, the two couldn’t stop bickering. Then Bibi lunged at Poldi, taking a bite out of his shell. The experts at the Austrian Zoo were horrified. Supposedly such things rarely happen to long-term couples in the animal world. Zoo people counseled the turtles, fed them good mood aphrodisiacs, and tried to encourage more playfulness. But Bibi was determined to get away–and it seems from the Google search I just did that she succeeded.
Venus retrogrades can break up bickering relationships, start exciting new ones, and/or return former lovers to your life. These events may or may not be good things. The best defense is to know your Venus! Consider the needs described by her natal sign and house. Venus is retrograde from March 04 through April 15 (13 Aries to 27 Pisces). If you know where this retro zone falls in your birth chart, you’ll find more clues about what this time might mean for you.
Venus is retrograde—the perfect time to get seriously playful with your inner goddess. I’m excited to offer a new Venus retrograde special. From now until April 15, when you order “Your Venus Unleashed,” you’ll receive a free copy of my new personalized ebook, “Your Bliss: Heavenly Recipe,” (a $19.95 value), which will be released when Venus goes direct. Click here for more info!
will we be able to get “Your Bliss: Heavenly Recipe” separately at some point?
Yes–it will be released for sale around the time Venus goes direct. Thanks for asking!
Brilliant Article! I am very glad that I have found it. Thank you for such an amazing work!
Dear Dana, Thank you for your call of awareness! I have natal Venus in scorpio (house 1) and in the retrograde period will be moving in my house 5. Any suggestions on how this will show out and what should I do about it?
Thanks,
It’s useful to remember that sky pictures show us the hidden movements of living archetypes. They’re not the gears of a clock that will produce the same mechanical effects for everyone. Transits don’t happen to us, they happen from us. So in whatever house or sign you have natal Venus and transiting Venus, the prescription is the same. Investigate the sweetness quotient in your life. Look at the situations that are currently obsessing you. That’s where the work–or playground–of Venus retrograde will be.
Hello Dana, I’d like to ask you about what you said above about starting exciting new relationships.
You mean that they may start while Venus is retrograde or only old ones end during this, so we have the chance for exciting ones maybe later, when Venus is direct again?
I’m asking because I’m leaving for vacations and having 4 planets (including Sun as I’m Taurus) in Venus zodiac signs, I think I will be very affected.
Oh and about former guys coming back … I live it these days. I want to kick him and he doesn’t understand, he keeps on showing up trying to attract attention!
Both are true–relationships can end and begin during the retrograde. Tradition generally says to be wary of what begins at this time, as the retrograde will be a long-term feature of the relationship, which could prove frustrating. But, there are always exceptions to the rule. Again, the best defense is to know yourself and know your Venus!