Venus goes retrograde for 40 days and 40 nights, creating separation and conflict. The loss of harmony that happens is necessary to force a re-examination of community and values. Questioning not only the self during the time apart, but challenging loved ones on the return is the basis of a story that’s been told for thousands of years. Each individual plays out the story of Venus Retrograde with different details, yet the heart of the story remains the same.
Here are 3 out of many versions of this Venus Rx story, each has slightly different takes on what kind of power is reclaimed. The first written version of this story features Inanna who travels to the underworld where she must remove all her queenly symbols of power and confront her value without them. Inanna escapes, returning to her realm where she must fight the lover who betrayed her before regaining her earthly power with a deeper understanding of herself and her people. When Moses is the hero of the story, he spends his 40 days away from his people on Mount Sinai . After speaking with God, Moses returns with the 10 commandments which he destroys when he confronts his people’s betrayal in his absence. Those who worshipped the golden calf are punished and Moses resumes his spiritual authority. Most recently, Barbie leaves her matriarchal Barbie World to travel to our world where she must confront the loss of power and opportunity before escaping back to her own land. Ken returns to Barbie World with patriarchal ideas and usurps Barbie’s home and community. Barbie, with the support of her friends, overturns Ken’s rule and reclaims her social power.
Each Venus Rx replays the theme of separation & self-examination followed by a return that uncovers new conflict in old relationships. The vibe around that theme varies with the astrological signs that Venus travels through during her retrograde. The Barbie movie was released on July 21, 2023 at the start of Venus retrograde in Leo, bringing flash, charm and main character focus to the challenges faced. In early 2025, Venus traveled backwards over Aries then Pisces blending the impatience for new beginnings with the belief in belonging. In 2026, Venus starts in Scorpio with paranoia and reverses into Libra exploring the ideal balance in relationships. Almost exactly 8 years ago, Venus did the same thing so we can look back to 2018 to review the vibes that surrounded this theme last time we experienced it.
Every 8 years, Venus goes retrograde in the same signs. This cycle allows us to learn from our experiences as they return in slightly different forms. Answer the following questions through the lens of your experience in October and November of 2018 to discover what you’ll be facing this fall. If you want to take it farther, consider what was happening during those months in 2010.
- What made you suspicious?
- What hidden agendas did you discover?
- How did that distrust impact your relationships?
- How did that skepticism affect you?
- Were there actually secrets being kept from you?
- Were you able to distinguish between your intuition and fears?
- What disturbed your equilibrium?
- What injustice grabbed your attention?
- How did you create a new balance in your relationships?
- How did your ideas about fairness change?
- Were you ready for changes in your community?
- When was your objectivity re-established?
The stories of Innana, Moses or Barbie are summaries of a journey we all experience in some core way. As soon as Venus enters the sign or signs affected by the retrograde, the prologue of the drama begins. Next, Venus spends 33 days building tension and fumbling her usual harmonious dance as she slows down before going retrograde.The biggest drama comes when she spends 40 days away from her traditional place. In the exact middle of those 40 days comes the big reveal. As Venus meets up with the Sun, she accepts her true lesson and begins the struggle to return. After she returns, Venus slowly regains her normal speed over 33 days while she re-builds her community. Finally, Venus finishes out her time in that sign at full speed offering an epilogue to the story. The stories vibe is created by the astrological sign Venus is in. Sometimes a retrograde covers 2 signs which brings some major vibe shifts during the journey. Below are listed the dates for this years stages of the story.
- Aug 6 ~ Venus in Libra ~ the Prologue Begins
- Aug 31 ~ Pre-Shadow ~ Tensions Increase
- Sep 10 ~ Venus enters Scorpio ~ Vibe shift
- Oct 3 ~ Venus turns Rx ~ Big Drama Begins
- Oct 23 ~ Venus Rx Cazimi ~ Big Reveal
- Oct 25 ~ Venus Rx returns to Libra ~ Vibe shift
- Nov 13 ~ Venus turns Direct ~ Big Drama Ends and Re-building Begins
- Dec 4 ~ Venus returns to Scorpio ~ Vibe shifts
- Dec 15 ~ Post-Shadow ends ~ the Epilogue Begins
- Jan 7 ~ Venus leaves Scorpio ~ the Epilogue Ends
The story of one planet, even one as lovely as Venus, isn’t all that’s happening in the sky that affects us here on Earth. Mercury joins Venus in going retrograde in Scorpio in October, increasing the confusion and suspicion. Surrounding the Venus Rx Cazimi will be the chaos of Mercury turning retrograde a few hours later. Insights will still arise, but you may have to wait to put them into words. Mercury meets the Sun at the half-way point of its retrograde on November 4th offering the best communication day of the season. On Friday, November 13th both Mercury and Venus will end their retrograde with an extra burst of chaos and conflict. Soon after both planets will pick up speed and begin re-building the areas they overturned.
