40 days/nights of Venus Retrograde… What can we expect? Here are my tips!

In recent years, with the growth of astrology, many people have heard about Mercury Retrograde’s reputation – But what about the other planets? Each planet has its own area of wisdom and life lessons that we can dive into and when we have any planet in retrograde, we have this opportunity to re-think, re-evaluate, re-member, re-do and re-lease in a certain area of our life. It is less about what happens externally and takes the focus within, deeper into our soul. So that we may have that time and space to really shift what is going on within and then bring those lessons forward when the planet return direct.

Astrology is a beautifully complex way of exploring our own natal chart and can be much more personal to you – As this requires looking at an individual’s chart, I am going to keep these tips general and I recommend looking this up using your own ascendant/rising sign – plus the Sun and Moon. Consult an astrologer or follow some of the many insightful astrologers on youtube that will explain each ascendant/rising sign area in much more detail.

First, look at what sign this Venus is going retrograde in… As I type, we are in Venus Retrograde in Capricorn – As an example, the energy of this sign will be very much focused on career, our status in society, what we have achieved, our structures at home and in daily life, the father and teacher figures in our life, authorities/governments / social systems in place… These are just some of the areas that we may have to take a step back in and re-evaluate in our life – What we feel about it and what can we change in the areas of Venus. Each sign will have its own qualities to observe during this time – and of course, there will be many other astrological factors at play that may influence each Venus Retrograde differently. Whatever sign it is in, use that energy to inspire you as you go through these tips…

Venus is about love and partnerships…

It all starts with Self-love… We hear this all the time. And yet, even when we think we have mastered Self-love, other people and partnerships can trigger us into doubting it all over again. Every connection is a reflection of something within us and at the same time, there is a balance where we need to remember that other people’s actions are not our responsibility. Tricky one, right? This can show up in any number of ways and in all types of connections.

Famously, Venus retrograde is a time when old lovers come back and it is NOT recommended to start new relationships, partnerships of any kind or get married. In short, don’t start anything new – Instead, use this time to return back to old issues (especially when they show up in triggers and others). Focus on Self-care and Self-love first.

Taking a step back… This is probably one of the tips I recommend for any planet in retrograde mode. This is a time when we might be triggered the most but there is a great opportunity to dive into our Self and observe. Be present with all the emotions that are coming up – Remind your Self that “It’s OK to feel this” and sit with them. Journal your way through it, ask your Self open-ended questions and see what comes up. Maybe the answers won’t come up straight away but you are getting the ball rolling in releasing and bringing awareness to all the inner movements. Allow your Self full permission to be where you are.

🦋 REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• What is triggering me in matters of love and partnerships?
• Are there any old cycles and patterns that I keep going through, even with different connections?
• Are my connection a two-way flow, where I feel loved and valued for who I am?
• Where can I add more Self-care routines in my daily life?
• What are my needs and values in a romantic partner?

How are you attracting and manifesting your goals?

Think of the qualities of the Divine Feminine energy – We all have both the Masculine and Feminine energy within us, regardless of our physical body/gender/sex and how we identify our Self. The female energy is receptive and attractive… think of how the law of attraction works when there is flow. It is creative and has the power to bring things to life, quite literally! It gives us pleasure and joy in doing what we love and FEEL.

Notice and allow flow. Little things can show us that we are in the right place/time… For example: We think of someone and they call soon afterwards, We step outside of our home and the bus/trains always show up instantly… Flow is subtle but powerful, much like intuition. We just need to pay attention to it. And, most importantly, be open to observing and receiving it.

Manifesting takes action too – Don’t get me wrong, thinking our way into manifesting our dreams is not enough. We may need to work through a lot of our inner blocks and take action. But during Venus Retrograde, we also can visualise and do the inner work with more ease. We are supported to shift and evolve – So that when it is time, we know what to do.

What material goods and money systems support you in your life?

Money is a form of energy exchange so what does it feel and reflect in our life? We all need to eat, pay bills/tax and have money to survive in this world. This is one of the more practical sides of Venus’s energy that I love because it dives in deeper in how we internally feel about money – our money issues, what brings us material joy and comfort, what we feel we need to thrive in this real world.

Where can you create and/or streamline your ways of creating abundance and wealth? This is a great time to brainstorm and go through the daily ways in which we invest our time and energy – and what we get back from it. And with the material and money abundance, this is important too.

Take a good look at what you own. Do you love every item? Are they useful to you in your journey how? What emotional attachments do you have to them? The material things we own may have been useful before but may just be baggage now! This may not be a good time to clear out (action) but we can start to observe how we use our things in our daily life. This is mentally and emotionally giving us space to release and allow for the new when we do de-clutter after Venus Retrograde.

What makes you feel truly beautiful and worthy?

This is not a good time to try a new look, change your hair or buy new clothing. People have often said that they make drastic decisions to change their appearance and regret it when Venus goes direct! Again, it is a more internal reflection time – Get back to what makes you feel beautiful inside.

A good look in the mirror – Maybe that means taking the mirror out every morning when you wake up and saying gratitude statements to your reflection about your body and what it does for you. It might make us feel uncomfortable for the first few times, but we have a 40-day opportunity to try this! Observe how it evolves and journal your experiences. It is often said that it takes 40 days to change a habit and create flow, so this is a beautiful time to re-discover what YOU feel about your Self.

You don’t need to prove your worth to anyone. No matter how you feel, even when things get tough, you are still worthy and beautiful. In a world that thrives on making us feel insecure in order to sell us products to “fix us”, to rely on external evaluation and beauty standards, to bombard us with messaging about what is and isn’t worthy… there is a need for a re-programming within to bring awareness to what has affected us personally. To go through the process and the belief systems that we might have grown up with or were told from an early age. The truth is, you have the right to feel worthy just as you are right now. Venus retrograde can highlight areas in which we need to go through Shadow work and release what has been holding us back from feeling our worth.

🦋 REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• How do YOU define FEELING Be-YOU-To-Full?
• How has your body supported you through your life? (Examples: Breathing, Movement etc)
• What is your favourite Self-care ritual to make you FEEL good about your Self and your body? (Examples: Taking a long salt bath, walking in the park etc)
• What belief systems about your worth do you need to release?

So many ways to work with Venus in her deeply internal state… Dive deep, explore, be open, connect to your heart and see what comes up!