Venus Retrograde 2021: Committing to Love

On December 19th, Venus, the planet of love and beauty, begins her 40-day journey backward in our sky, traveling through the stars of Capricorn. Venus stations retrograde at 26° Capricorn and stations direct at 11° Capricorn on January 29th.

Retrogrades happen to all planets except Earth. They are simply an optical illusion that occurs because the rate of our orbit compared to other planet’s differs. Venus Retrograde takes place every 18 months for 40 days and 40 nights. Over an eight year span, Venus has five retrograde cycles creating a beautiful image as see dances around the Sun with the This image is known as the Seed of Life. This sacred geometric pattern illustrates the energy Venus brings us; love, beauty, and femininity. It shows the inherent order, symmetry, and beauty in the cosmos. 

The last time Venus stationed retrograde in Capricorn was near the end of December 2013 into January 2014. This retrograde may bring up issues from eight years ago to be completed and re-processed. Take a moment to reflect upon this time frame and acknowledge any energies that need attention or resolution. Also, reflect on how far you've journeyed since this period and the lessons of love that you have encountered. 

When a planet stations retrograde, it brings us a time to go inward and reflect on the energies that planet governs. Venus retrograde is a period that offers us a profound renewal around what we love and what we find beautiful in this world. It can be an intense time of self-reflection when we reassess how we love ourselves and how we love others. It also can help us understand how we receive love. Over these 40 days, tune your attention to the frequency of love. Open your heart to yourself and others. Be willing to understand something deeper about your relationship to love.

Love isn't all roses and warm-hearted experiences. It could be painful. It can be traumatizing. But it also can be healing. Venus is a stationing retrograde right next to Pluto, who is also in Capricorn. Pluto is the planet of transformation and often brings our trauma to the surface of our conscious mind so we can heal it. Pluto reminds us that our pain serves an evolutionary purpose and is part of the ongoing cycles of energy that play out in our many lifetimes. Pluto is the intense guy of the solar system, to say the least. 

With Venus stationing direct next to this intensity, expect some issues of the heart to surface. You may be revisited by thoughts, feelings, or even actual people who caused you pain in the past. Be aware if these appearances trigger you, whether in your mind or reality. Notice any shadows coming to the surface and what they are teaching you. Ask yourself if there is something that needs to be healed within you and order for you to open up to higher forms of love. Also, look if you are playing out painful memories in current relationships with yourself or with others.  Notice how you need to heal your heart so that you can raise the vibration of every relationship you enter.

This particular Venus retrograde takes on the energy of Capricorn. Capricorn inspires us to focus our energy on what matters most to our life's mission. It reminds us of our values and what we deem most important in this life. With Venus in Capricorn, she takes on a more serious edge than normal. This retrograde asks you to commit deeply to what you love and if that is not apparent, find out what you truly love in this world. It's also a time to review your relationships with other people. You may find yourself realizing you want to commit more deeply to someone, or you may find that a deeper level of commitment is not available. Venus in Capricorn is not a time for flings or non-committal partnerships. It's a time to decide if your values line up with someone else's and, if not, make a course correction.

Venus retrograde is it's also a time to return to divine femininity. We all hold this femininity within us no matter the gender assigned to us at birth. We all carry intuition, and we all have the ability to receive information from the universe. Over this retrograde, place emphasis on your intuition. When you don't listen to it, your energetic body interprets that act as one of betrayal. Honor your inner knowledge and follow it. Defend it even. Notice when the world tries to place logic over you, and instead of succumbing to it, stay committed to your intuition. 

The thing about intuition is, it is more efficient, more accurate, and comes at lightning speed compared to logic. It does not require a list of pros and cons. It simply requires a willingness to follow a flash of brilliance, a gut instinct, or an aha moment. Renew the trust you have for your intuition over this retrograde. Know that your intuition is what can take you out of any dark night of the soul caused by painful issues of the heart. It can help you wrestle with feelings of inferiority and see your strengths. It allows you to be your own heroine and save yourself through the lens of love and inner knowledge from the heart.

This retrograde will affect you in the area of your chart that holds 26° Capricorn to 11° Capricorn. This span may cover one or two houses for you. You can look up your charge at Astro- charts.com.  Houses represent areas of our lives. They are the Arenas that energy shows up in and can guide us when looking for places of our lives most affected by a planetary transit. Below is a brief explanation of how this retrograde will affect you, determined by your house.

First House Capricorn. Venus retrograde will attune your attention to your identity. This is a period to reflect upon what you love most about yourself and how you want to project that love into the world. You may decide you want to change something about your appearance at this time or something more profound, like how you allow other people to view you? How do you want to show up in the world, and how does this appearance represent your heart?

Second House Capricorn. Venus retrograde will direct your attention to your self-worth and your resources. This may be when you reset how you think about finances and abundance. You may determine what genuinely opens your heart and start to see these things as your greatest asset above any material possession. This is also a time to recognize what physical manifestations of energy that do bring you joy. It's time to honor what you find beautiful in your life, whether that be nature or a beautiful piece of jewelry that reminds you to open your heart. This is also a time to feel worthy of love and appreciation. Recognize that you do not have to do anything to receive these things. You simply need to be yourself. What makes you feel worthy and deserving of love in all forms?

Third House Capricorn. Venus retrograde will place your attention on your communications, especially around heart issues. This may be when you focus on writing yourself love letters or journaling about what love means to you. It may also be a time when you find yourself talking with the people you love about your relationship and how to refine or renew it. If you are in a relationship, this is an opportunity to have meaningful conversations about your connection to love and how you can help or support the other person to expand their heart. What does your heart want to say, and how can you share its message without fear? 

Fourth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde may bring up issues or memories of early childhood experiences of love. This is an opportunity to dive deep into your relationship with love and how it is formed. You may uncover some painful memories, but you could also find some really happy ones. Be open to understanding the many layers of love that you have encountered in your life and how they have formed the home you call your heart. What makes you feel safe enough to explore your heart at its deepest level?

Fifth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde will bring out your highest creative expressions. It's essential for you to schedule time to listen to your heart each day. It may be beneficial for you to practice breathing into your heart each morning and being open to its messages. From this place of openness, your creativity will spring forth. This could be a very joyous time for you if you give yourself space to feel and focus your energy on creative expansion. What helps you hear your heart's messages and translate them into hire expressions?

Sixth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde places your focus on what you need to release or detoxify from your energetic body. This may be a wonderful time for a cleanse both physically and energetically. Spend some time reviewing what relationships need to be cleared from your heart and what healing needs to take place to feel clarity in your emotions. It's also a time to look if you are showing up in either perfectionism or as martyrdom in any relationship. Know that you do not need to be perfect, and you do not need to sacrifice your own goals to be loved by another. Clear out these energies within you and instead feel your inherent worth. What energies no longer serve your heart, and how can you let them go with ease?

Seventh House Capricorn. Venus retrograde places your focus on your relationships and partnerships. This includes your relationship with yourself. This is a time to align your values with someone else’s, and if you don't see eye to eye, find a way to exit gracefully. This is also an opportunity to decide how you want to be treated in a relationship, along with your capacity to receive love. Look at your relationship with love itself and how this impacts your partnerships. Also, decide how to treat yourself, focusing on self-care and self-love. Create a blueprint for every other relationship to follow in your life over this transit. What do you value most in your partnerships, and how do your partners align with these values?

Eighth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde is a spicy one for you. It asks you to look at your relationship between sex and love. It's time for you to experiment in this realm and open your heart to a new level of merging with another. The eighth house also rules personal growth. Ask yourself how you would like to transform through the lens of love. Confront any shadows around love and travel to deeper layers of your psyche with the help of this retrograde. Notice your triggers around love and sex while accepting them and being open to learning about yourself. How can all acts of love transform you and help you evolve into the next version of yourself?

Ninth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde turns your attention to what you find beautiful in the world. This is a time to expand your knowledge and broaden your horizons by focusing on what you love most. It may be a time to travel to places that open your heart or experience new situations that allow you to perceive the vibrations of love in a different light. Feel the joy of connecting with other people in different places. Let this renew your love for yourself as an infinite being related to every energy in the world. How can you broaden your experience of love and take it to a new level?

Tenth House Capricorn. Turn your attention to what you love about your life's work. This may be a renewed love for your career or an admission of a needed course correction. If what you do each day does not open your heart, begin to think about things that will. Feel what you love about your life's mission, projects, and commitments. Decide how you can place your heart at the center of everything you do, even in business or formal partnerships. What restores your energy and focus when you feel drained or disheartened?

Eleventh House Capricorn. Venus retrograde turns your attention to your friends and acquaintances. These are people who support you and give you a sense of belonging. They may not be your intimate or inner circle of friends, but they are people who share your opinions and ideas. Feel how you can show up in a vibration of love to these groups. Open your heart and start to see your community as a mirror of yourself. Ask yourself what makes you feel accepted and loved for who you truly are. Also, reflect upon what you love about your uniqueness and your individuality. How can you show up to the world in a frequency of love that helps them do the same?

Twelfth House Capricorn. Venus retrograde brings up spiritual matters of the heart. This is a time for you to go within through meditation, self-inquiry, and journaling. Connect with your spiritual heart and feel the vastness of the universe reflected within you. Align with the highest frequency of all - love and let it guide everything you do. Know that the quest to remain in a vibration of love is a spiritual one. Create practices over this retrograde that allow you to feel your heart and remain there no matter what else happens in your world. How can you connect with your heart on a deeper level that embodies the infinite love of the universe?