This current Venus retrograde has me reflecting on the past Venus retrogrades and the significant lessons that took place for me. Venus is currently retrograde in the sign of Leo. This retrograde started on July 22, 2023 and will last until September 4, 2023. Retrogrades on their own are a time of reflection. They are a time to pull back and reassess different areas of our lives. The sign that Venus is in as well as where that sign falls in your chart are both important things to consider.
Venus on her own tends to represent our values, relationships, sensuality and femininity. During times of retrograde we are offered the opportunity to pull back and assess these areas of our lives. Do you feel fulfilled in your relationships? Are you living in line with your values? And what needs to be done if your answers are no to either of those questions?
Here are some of the previous Venus retrogrades for you to chew on:
-December 2021 and Jan 2022 in the sign of Capricorn
- May and June 2020 in Gemini
- October and November 2018 in Scorpio and Libra
-March and April 2017 in Aries and Pisces
- July, August and September 2015 in Virgo and Leo
When I look back at some of these chunks of time I reflect on some highly transformational experiences within my relationships. Namely, looking back at the last Venus Retrograde in Leo in 2015 I remember significant lessons being learned through relationships.
Leo falls in my 10th house of career so when planets retrograde through that house it tends to reflect in my career goals during that time. In the late summer of 2015 I was entering my last semester of college and heavily contemplating what my next steps were. What was I going to do for the rest of my life? Would I find a job? And most importantly, did my boyfriend at the time fit into all of this? (spoiler alert: he didn't.)
I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to have everything 'figured out.' I had goals and ambitions but I also had the reality of finishing my last semester of school. I had to make time for classes, tests, homework, my full time job and my relationship. My partner at the time didn't like all of the other commitments I had, he felt that he should be my number one priority. He was known to emotionally manipulate and in general have toddler-like temper tantrums at his big age of 25. That said, I was fairly certain that he didn't fit into this equation, but it took me a loooong time to get him to let go.
In looking at the retrograde stages and how they correlate with this time of my life it all makes sense. We have the time in which Venus enters the retrograde degrees (also known as the shadow) for the first time, that would have been June and July of 2015, then the actual retrograde period and then Venus' third time through those set of degrees when she stations direct again in September. Over this several month period things became more and more clear to me. I knew I needed to enter my career a single woman, that my current relationship didn't align with my values nor did his behavior reflect that which I deserved. By October/November we had broken up and I could officially breathe again.
Venus retrogrades have consistently been a time for me to reflect on my relationships, intimate or not, and set boundaries appropriately by the end of the retrograde. I am so anxious and eager to see how this retrograde pans out for me, though it's usually not obvious for me until much later!
When you're doing your own digging remember to look to the house that these signs fall in to get an idea of what area of your life was activated by the retrograde. And, think back to the summer of 2015, can you remember anything in particular? It's likely that some of those themes will come back around again during this retrograde period!
Happy reflecting,
Lauren
Love it! Can't wait to read more blogs Lauren! ♥️