- 09/02: Venus enters the pre-retrograde zone
- 10/05: Venus stations retrograde at 10°50' Scorpio
- 10/30: Venus retrogrades into Scorpio
- 11/16: Venus stations direct at 25°15 Libra
- 12/31: Venus exits the post-retrograde shadow
Approximately every 18 months, the planet Venus is retrograde for roughly 40 days. Like all retrograde transits, its energy is turned inward, which means it's best used introspectively.
How so? Well, since Venus is the planetary ruler of values, relationships and possessions, it's an excellent time to evaluate the true worth of the relationships and possessions in your life so you can discard the ones that waste your time and energy.
Although this cycle is excellent for making such decisions, the time to act on them is after Venus goes direct.
Venus also rules beauty, and it's a well-established astrological rule that one should avoid making changes to one's appearance courtesy of new hairstyles, haircolor, cosmetic surgery and other procedures such as botox, lasers, fillers and cosmetic dentistry.
As the planetary ruler of the second house, Venus is the Queen of Cash and during this time it's best to avoid financial investments, luxury purchases or big ticket items of any kind. You see, when Venus is backpedaling her sense of value tends to be off, and as result you may not be that happy with your purchases and/or will feel that you overpaid.
Bottom line: If it's expensive (it doesn't have to be a luxury; it can be something practical) and not an absolute necessity at the time, put it off. I learned this lesson the hard way, and it's one I share in this week's Venus retrograde podcast.
On another note, this is a good time to go through your closet and get rid of the clothes that you haven't worn in years or the ones that (let's be honest) will never fit again.
Of course, there's much more to Venus retrograde than what's written here. To better understand its influence on your money, values and relationships and learn how to make the best use of its energy, be sure to listen to Thursday's (10/4) special 1-hour Venus retrograde episode of Shortcut to the Soul.
During this show, I go into much more detail about its collective influence, and I also offer specific guidance for every sign/rising sign according to the house receiving this transit.
Finally, a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who's given the podcast a 5-star rating, and to those of you who took the time to write a review, you have my deepest appreciation and gratitude.