I am so excited. I met a man. But Abby! It was during Venus retrograde! Shouldn't you like, stop talking to him? Shut up. I like him. As Venus retrogrades in the zodiac sign of Leo, we have a lot of scary love feelings rear their ugly heads. I've seen posts like, "How scared should we be of Venus Retrograde?" to "Hey, should I stop moving in with my partner because Venus turned retrograde?"
Deep breaths.
NO!
So as we go forth into this season, I'd invite you to ask yourself a few questions:
- If you had no knowledge of astrology, would you still make the decision you're thinking about?
- Retrogrades represent extremes, re-learning lessons, and a time to reflect on your past and where you want to move forward. Sometimes we gotta go two steps back to get us on the right track.
- What season of life are you currently in? Is this retrograde pushing you into a new season?
Retrogrades are hard and scary and there's a lot of information thrown at you all at once about them. The western tradition says retrogrades are weaker, and therefore things can get a little chaotic as the planet loses it's influence. The Vedic tradition says that retrogrades are stronger, and exerts a greater influence over the natal chart if you have them in your birth chart. Both traditions allude to the planets not working the way it should - but one thing is clear - the themes of that planet are of greater importance during the time that it is in retrograde. So what if you have multiple planets retrograding at the same time during a transit? Those themes will collectively be brought to the surface. Now, that won't be the same for everyone, and different people will feel it's influence in varying ways. But in general, they will all work together.
For example, right now we have Venus in retrograde, and Mercury will join Venus later this month as it begins its backwards motion in Virgo. Themes could include having a healthy relationship with yourself, being more productive about your mind and mental health, reframing how you see yourself, or stepping into your power. There are endless possibilities. Some astrologers like Steven Forrest have a "co-creation" method, where you take advantage of the transits, progressions, and solar arcs, instead of yourself at the mercy of them. One thing that is emphasized is the importance of setting goals, or having a theme for yourself. We are always changing, shouldn't it be fair that the planets change too?
So as we dive into this upcoming season of Venus retrograde, let's look at our goals. Do we have any dating goals? Do we have any goals for ourselves? What about our goals for money? What about in relationship to ourself, and how we deserve to be treated?
I recently went to a workshop about this exact thing - where the seasons of love were broken down into the actual seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Spring is an exciting time, full of hope and possibility, but is also frantic. There's a boundless energy to it, but it can also feel like pure excitement and nervousness. It's erratic, and so full of hope and blooming.
Summer is a time of feeling ready, but thinking about how to approach relationships with integrity. It's a time of feeling steady and enjoying where we're at, and soaking up the sun.
Fall is a time of beauty and letting go. It's being thankful for what happened, mourning what we've lost, but enjoying what has been (and all the beautiful colors that fall brings). It's a time of bittersweet harvest in preparation for the winter.
Winter is dead. It's bitter. It feels endless. It's a time of trying to enjoy singleness and solidarity. It's a time of getting back in touch with yourself, trying new things through the grief, and trying to set goals for when spring eventually does come.
Let's not forget that with global warming and whatnot, seasons are often changeable. We have a series of transitions.
So it's okay if you're somewhere in between, caught in a time of transition, or don't quite know where you are/want to be yet. Lord knows I've been through Fool's Spring plenty of times, haha!
So how can we approach our seasons in a mindful manner? By honoring them. Accepting what phase we're in, or whatever in-between we reside. It's okay if you're in a winter. Winter is a time of glistening snow (or cold rain) and bundling up by the fire. It's a time of rest. So that when you're ready for Spring, you can actually be fully present, instead of trying to push your season(s) too early. It's all in Divine timing. I was consciously single for years before deciding I was ready, it was just a feeling. Spontaneous, like a flicker of a candle went on inside my soul. But before I did that, I had to learn to live with myself through the winter, and keep myself warm without that candle. All seasons carry lessons, and sometimes we don't get to choose what those are. Sometimes it's relearning some that we've forgotten. But whatever it is, sometimes it's just learning to sit with it, and accept what is. Sometimes you don't need to figure out what the lesson is in order to learn it.
And I think that's the hard part about Venus retrograde. Things get switched up, changed around, put on it's head until we don't know which way we're going anymore. But sometimes a little change is ok. Sometimes that change takes place inside ourselves. True to the sign of Leo, this retrograde can bring us to question how we give and receive love. It can cause us to questions ourselves, where we're headed (or want to be), and how we are exercising our free will. Leo is also the sign of royalty, so it may make you realize you deserve to be treated like it. ;) Coming into your own power may be a theme as well. But above all, try to honor the season that you're going into, as well as yourself during this time. You never know where you might end up.
Thanks for reading! Got any questions, comments, or love letters? Drop 'em in the comments down below. I'd love to hear what you want to see next. Until the next post, see you later and enjoy the season you're in! <3
Love,
Abby
