Venus Retrograde In Scorpio: Diving Deep to Create Balance

Details: Venus entered the pre-shadow phase September 3rd 2018 at 25º Libra***Venus stations retrograde October 5th, 2018 12:05pm (PST) at 10º Scorpio***Venus enters Libra October 31st, 2018 12:42pm (PST)***Venus stations direct November 16th, 2018 2:51am (PST) at 25º Libra***Venus leaves the post-shadow period December 17th 2018 7:28pm (PST) at 10º Scorpio 

Meet Venus…she’s bold, she’s beautiful, she knows what she likes and what she wants, and sister planet is intense when she pairs up with Scorpio. Venus is more than just romance and beauty, she influences all of our relationships, our finances, our creativity and appreciation for art. She teaches us something about how we feel about our partnerships, desires, and needs. She wants us to learn how to be compassionate with ourselves, and the importance of learning how to receive without guilt. We only experience Venus retrograde every 12-14 months, so let’s dooooo this!

With Venus retrograde starting in Scorpio, it’s time to dig deep into all of these areas of life, and as she moves through Libra she helps us find ways to bring balance to them. Scorpio is one of the most intense signs for any retrograde because during a time we are already reviewing and reassessing, Scorpio brings that phoenix energy that has us digging way deep down to transform. What does this mean for those of us living with chronic pain, illness, for those of us spending most of our days in our abodes? I find retrograde periods to be particularly heavy when I’m stuck mostly at home, and am spending the bulk of my energy managing pain and making it to doctor appointments. I think when we spend so much time in our caves, whatever is keeping us there, so much of our focus is internal already. With 8 planets retrograde over the summer, I don’t think I was the only spoonie hit particularly hard by that energy. October 8th, just 3 days after Venus stations retrograde, we are moving out of the shadow of Mars retrograde, which I’m hoping will give us a boost—if not physically, mentally. I dunno about you, but I have been mentally exhausted for months.

From a chronic illness standpoint, I felt much of the intense reassessment and review energy of the summer retrogrades had me hyper-focused on my health and treatments (for astrology beginners, here is a nice breakdown about retrogrades and the shadow periods ). My hope is that this October it will be easier to get out of that mode. With Venus retrograde moving through Scorpio and Libra, we are shifting our focus onto thinking about how we feel in our relationships, how we go about seeking things that bring us pleasure, how we talk to and think about ourselves (especially when we’re down). Libra energy asks us to look at how we can bring more balance to these areas of our lives.

Let’s get real here, the beginning of Venus retrograde in Scorpio (venus will be in Scorpio till October 30) will be intense for many of us. I think the hardest part of this first part for those of us who rely on partners, family, and friends to help us will be the reviewing of these relationships. It’s not easy to have to rely on others for physical help, and with many of these chronic conditions it’s not easy on our loved ones either. I know I personally struggle with feeling like a burden, and heavy guilt knowing I can’t contribute in the tangible ways I want to right now (helping pay for things, helping my parents and friends more, giving back more). But Venus wants us to learn to be kind to ourselves, especially when we are at our lowest points. She wants us to turn our compassion inward. The energy of this period could provide us with a wonderful opportunity to think about the ways we’ve been talking to ourselves, and the ways we get down on ourselves. The Scorpio energy supports us in digging deep down, and gives us the push to change what we need to.

Speaking of our relationships with others, where are there imbalances? Are we asking for help when we need it? Are there times we are relying too much on others for things we can do on our own? It’s time for an honest assessment of how we are feeling and behaving in all of our partnerships. I think we can do this without falling into a spiral of feeling like shit about ourselves if we keep compassion for ourselves at the forefront of it all. Be forgiving with yourself if you find that you’ve not “been your best self” in your partnerships—chronic pain can make us grumpy asshats, sometimes uncontrollably so. Keeping the focus on where we can change things will help, and this could be a good opportunity to think about how we communicate to our loved ones about our pain. Do they know that you’re on edge because of physical discomfort? Do they know the effects  long term pain can have on mood and personality? Think about where you can personally bring more balance to your relationships, and remember that Venus is one of the friendliest planets—the lesson here is never going to be “dump on yourself,” so be nice to you! If you feel yourself starting to spiral, remind yourself that you are dealing with tough baseline conditions, forgive yourself (over and over if you have to), and hear Venus whispering, “love you, love you, love you.”

The earthy stuff…I’m not going to write about the career and financial aspects of Venus retrograde; there is plenty of good stuff out there on that subject, but there are some earthy issues I’d like to touch on. Living with pain means it’s especially important to think about ways we can bring ourselves enjoyment physically and emotionally. This is the perfect time to revisit what we’re doing (or not doing) about self-care and pleasure. If we review and find we’ve been so focused on managing symptoms that we’ve completely forgotten to have any fun, now is a good time to brainstorm ways we can work that in. Since Venus is a material girl, and since we get stuck home a lot, our physical surroundings have a powerful impact on our state of mind. This subject can get dodgy when you have limited energy for beautifying/organizing/cleaning your space, but the retrograde period is a great time to start thinking about it and planning some changes. What about your space is a dark cloud hanging over you? Are there ways you can tackle it with the help of others? Now is the planning period. If your home desperately needs cleaning, now is a good time to come up with a plan of action that is actually doable (plan to do things in small sections, break it down so you don’t burn out, and if you have some helpful people in your life for the bigger things, reach out to them). Everything I’ve read about Venus retrograde mentions it being a great time for planning, but that it’s best to wait till we’re out of the shadow period to start any beautification projects or big material changes. So now is a great time to look around at your space, and if there’s anything ugly or depressing to look at glaring at you, think about how you might change it. If you’re stuck at home most of the day, it’s worth putting some thought into ways you can make it a more pleasant place to be.

The magic of it…this is a beautiful time to dive into things we are passionate about. Even if we can’t still do all of the things we once found so much pleasure in, reminiscing about what brought you joy in the past might spark ideas for what might be fun and interesting now. I can’t draw or walk for hours the way I loved to, but in the buildup to this retrograde I have been thinking hard about other things I can throw myself into, like writing this blog. Living in discomfort so much of the time, it’s critical for us to find outlets and inputs that just feel good. Venus wants us to break down any walls we’ve been putting up, wants us to experience all kinds of love. Where are our walls up, and where are we wearing our hearts on our sleeves? As Venus moves through Libra, she asks us to find balance there—where can we open our hearts more, and where can we better protect them? If you’ve been suffering in silence a lot of the time, think about who you can reach out to, who you can take a trust leap with and talk about what you’re really going through. Venus is all for receiving, so this energy supports us reviewing how we feel about that. How does it feel when someone gives you a gift, or helps you with something? If it makes you uncomfortable, think about why. She wants us to get cozy with being able to receive.

As with all retrogrades, while the initial review period can be intense, they can be great catalysts for change when we’ve been in a slump. We are gifted a new moon in Libra on October 8, giving us an extra boost to any big changes we’re ready to make (especially in our relationships). The Scorpio energy at the beginning of all of this can have us going into some murky places, so remember to keep self-compassion up front and center, and try to do at least one fun, pleasurable, just-for-you thing every day. I know sometimes we don’t feel we have the spoons for fun, but even if it’s just listening to a podcast you haven’t caught up on, experiment with doing one thing just for personal fun every day over the next 40 days. It’s a good experiment to do anytime when you’re living with chronic conditions, and it’ll help combat some of the rougher patches of this retrograde.

Remember always: you’re a beautiful badass!

♥ Leah Ruthe

PS) Feedback is welcome, and I would love to hear about your experiences with this Venus retrograde season. Send me any questions or topics you’d be interested in reading about, and stay tuned for October 24th’s full moon musings!