I’m not going to rehash all that others have written - what retrograde means, in particular. If you are here reading this, you already know what retrograde means. Nor am I going to get into explaining all of the astrological, metaphysical, or astronomical terminology I use as this distracts from the purpose and intent of this article (which is to discuss the possibilities and meaning of the Venus retrograde).
Venus will station retrograde at 15’27 Aries on March 6, 2009. She will be moving very slowly in preparation for this shift and will linger at 15 degrees of Aries from March 2 - March 11. The Sabian Symbol for 15 degrees of Aries is “An Indian weaving a blanket.” What does this image suggest to you? The weaving of a blanket calls upon the energy of yin and yang, the blending of passive and active energies that can bring about a balance…in the process of weaving, the warp and weft creates an item of worth, something to keep us warm when the sky darkens. Likewise, Venus stationing and turning retrograde at 15 degrees of Aries will help us create an ‘item of worth’ as our struggles and insights during this time will help refine our souls. During the retrograde period Venus will shift from her masculine Evening Star phase to her feminine Morning Star phase…this is a process of transformation and some may have to deal with the bloodier aspects of this becoming. This is not just a simple ‘time to go inward’ nor is it a time where we can nonchalantly minimize this energy down into a few simple guidelines and suggestions to get through. Because Venus herself has been so misunderstood and minimized to Goddess of the arts and love (which is a very loaded word to begin with, though most want to keep it on the happy and harmonious side), it is easy to understand why the advice given seems to focus so much on love relationships, finances, and creativity…but Venus is a dualistic goddess who can create a war as easily as she can bring about harmony and compromise. This war will manifest as an internal war for most of us, an inner conflict between what we truly feel and value and what we think we feel and value due to learned beliefs. In the chart for the exact time of her actual retrograde (12:17 PM EST) we see the Sun at 16’16 of Pisces approaching Uranus (22’15 Pisces) and trine the Moon at 17’58 Cancer…the Moon squares Venus. The Sun conjoins Uranus on 3/12 - 3/13 at 22’36 Pisces…approximately a 2 degree orb from the recent Saturn-Uranus opposition we experienced on February 5th. The Sun’s movement to conjoin Uranus will activate the energy of that opposition so if it has seemed relatively sleepy in comparison to November 2008’s Saturn/Uranus opposition, you may find that situations start to perk up in March, ready or not! In addition, Pluto stands out in the Venus retrograde chart as he is not making a major aspect…this suggests that his energy isn’t integrated and therefore can become a dominant yet hidden force (perhaps becoming noticed in late June when the Sun salutes this point from Cancer). Click on the chart below to see the Venus Retrograde chart:
Venus in her masculine Evening Star phase - in Aries! - will certainly dredge up primal energy while also initiating some of us into her deeper, darker energy through the shadow side of Love…Hate. We will be dipped into our unconscious and what lurks inside there isn’t likely to be a lovely woman standing on a half shell; no, I think quite a number of us will see her rising from the underworld covered in blood and guts. Whether literal in the form of terrorism, violent weather, relationship violence, or figuratively in the shape of past demons (thought patterns, memories, thoughts of old lovers) coming back to hound us, Venus in Aries as the Evening Star will aggressively push us forward no matter what that takes in whatever area of life denoted by where she is passing through our personal charts…but don’t expect this to all happen suddenly (though it is possible for those with direct planetary strikes, especially if you have planets from Pisces 20 - 22 and 29 degrees and Aries 7 - 15 degrees). It will take several months before we realize the full ramifications of this retrograde period, though we may start to have a good idea approximately 50 days after the New Venus on March 27th at 7‘15 Aries (Sabian Symbol: A man successfully expressing himself in two realms at once).
I expect we will see shifts in relationships on a global scale, which can lead to bloodbaths just as easily as positive change. Although I would love to see nations joining together in harmony and concern for one another, this isn’t quite a natural expression for Aries. Let’s face it, Aries can be very impulsive, very selfish, and driven by a desire to show off as well as show who’s boss . If Venus retrograde in Aries feels vulnerable, is she more likely to talk things through or take immediate action? Aries is much more physical than mental and doesn’t take kindly to being questioned, refused, or disobeyed. On the positive side, this energy also presents an opportunity to start anew and to develop a new perspective and improved relationships with others who are different and hold a different view of the world…it is how the energy is used that will determine the outcome. Blind faith would paint a joyous and happy picture of world peace emerging from compromise and a striving to really do what is best for all concerned…reality may present a much more somber experience.
On a more personal level, take a look back about 8 years to March 9, 2001 as the 2009 retrograde is a continuation of the Venus cycle in Aries. What happened between March 2001 and June 2001? You may find that the current retrograde eerily brings up situations that were happening then, but you are not the same person now, are you? Venus has been working her magic on you and helping you in your personal process of becoming. What - and potentially who - was important to you then may no longer suit who you are or the person you are becoming. Your values have changed and will continue to shift, perhaps noticeably, over the next four months. As you dip down into the depths of your own inner being you may find that you are no longer satisfied toeing the line your elders have set for you. Indeed the realm of relationships is undergoing major changes, which I see daily in my work…fighting the changes taking place will create a battle within and this may express as anger, aggression, depression, fault-finding, and a deep emotional/mental imbalance. Venus retrograde in Aries is asking a question, and she is asking it very loudly! Are you up for the task of approaching love and life in a whole new way? Can you initiate changes in your personal life that will help you integrate more of your own personal chart/potential for the evolution of the human race? Are your values in line with who you (and we) are becoming, or are you caught up so tightly in the web of the past that you will struggle and fight with outmoded beliefs and desires, some of which aren’t even your own? During this retrograde cycle it is your obligation to explore your deepest most personal needs, those needs that inspire you and light the flames within. Instead of focusing on faults in your relationships, keep an eye on the positives. If the positives are far and few between…well, the New Venus offers a long-term opportunity to make progress and start anew. While Venus remains retrograde it is better not to take action but rather to contemplate and consider what needs to change…then when Venus is fully in her Morning Star phase and visible to the naked eye in the morning sky (mid-May), begin to implement the necessary changes that will lead to a truer you.
The Venus retrograde will affect each of us in a unique way, depending on what aspects she makes to our natal and progressed charts, what house she is traveling in , and our own individual upbringing, worldview, societal imprint, and personality. During this 4 month time period (March - June) we will experience an awakening that is very personal. It is a time of discovery…if you shy away from exploring, you may find that the energy is thrust on you from outside yourself. Those who fight the need to look within and refuse to do it will have to deal with more sudden manifestations of Venus in her raw form. At the inferior conjunction, as the Sun approaches Venus from behind (this conjunction is the New Venus and also when she begins the shift from Evening Star to Morning Star) some of us may find that the dead has arisen from the grave and is walking about looking for closure, understanding, or renewal. Is this Zombie a part of your own inner being you have denied? Is it a lover who you miss dearly but denied in the past out of fear of true relating? Is it a dead value or an outdated view of who you are? Discord and discontent will plant the deeper seed of consciousness now that will grow and bloom in June…be it an anemone or a rose! Both have value when it comes to the shaping of the Spirit.
This retrograde period ends with Venus taking her time over 29 degrees of Pisces (4/12 - 4/24), turning direct on April 17th at 29’12 (Sabian Symbol: A prism). Order will eventually come out of the chaos, although the retrograde re-entry into Pisces promises a bit more chaos than many would choose to deal with. All the progress we’ve contemplated making for our Self over the retrograde period may suddenly turn back toward making excuses in order to please others. Being what others want or expect of you will be too easy to slip back into, but it will be a temporary back-step. Once Venus crosses over 15 degrees of Aries again on May 20 - 21 it will be more difficult to play pretend and deny your own needs.
I find it interesting that the Sabian Symbol at the beginning of the retrograde is about finding the right balance to create something (someone) of worth and the symbol as Venus turns direct is a prism…if we are able to find the necessary balance through the lessons Venus is helping to teach us we will be able to see the many nuances of being, within ourselves and within others…how we are all separate but important manifestations of the One. As the Mayans, who based their own Spiritual lives on the cycles of Venus, greeted one another, “I am another like yourself.”
