By Jamie

Venus in retrograde motion is supposed to mean that our love lives enter a fated period where we may relive past life experiences in order to sort out karmic issues. Old friends or lovers may reappear and there may be more difficulty in giving and receiving love and affection. As Venus also rules money, it’s traditionally thought that Venus retrograde is not an ideal time for investing or buying luxury items. To get a more accurate picture we must look in more detail to the aspects and fixed stars in relation to Venus, from when she enters the retrograde zone, to when she leaves. Venus retrograde is not as common as Mercury retrograde, and only last about six weeks every twenty months.

Venus Retrograde 2012 Dates

11 April – Venus enters retrograde zone at 7 Gemini.
15 May – Venus stationary retrograde at 23 Gemini.
27 June – Venus stationary direct at 7 Gemini.
31 July – Venus leaves retrograde zone at 23 Gemini.

Venus Enters Retrograde Zone

Venus is still travelling at her normal pace when she enters the retrograde zone on 11 April 2012. The aspects and fixed star will give us an indication of the overall vibe for the whole retrograde cycle. It does have a very karmic feel which fits nicely with the traditional concept of retrograde planets. This karmic feel comes from Venus conjunct the South Node of the Moon by a mere five minutes. Click on the thumbnail below to see the chart. This suggests that our love lives really will go through a period of reliving past love life experiences. The South Node also indicates that some of our more negative habits or attitudes about love and relationships will be brought to light, and that the more troubling aspects of our relationships will be highlighted.

For sure, it can also mean that we run into old friends and lovers again, from this life and past lives. Any new relationships formed during the next few months will likely be past life connections, we will get that feeling of having known them before. The aim of all this is to resolve painful karmic memories. This is because the other very tight aspect is Venus square Chiron, we are being forced to face our inner pain in relation to love, the pain of being dumped or humiliated by infidelity, or the karmic pain cause by doing this to others. Moon quincunx Venus tells of the emotional tension caused by the pain, within the family, and especially for the women affected, the wife, mothers, sisters and daughters.

Venus enters the retrograde zone, and will station direct on the fixed star Hyadum II in the Hyades of Taurus. This supports the theme of exposing broken hearts, as Robson says it gives “tears, sudden events, violence…and contradictions of fortune“. Ebertin found that the Hyades can cause people to “exploit other human beings in quest of power“. Venus square Chiron means we are forced, through events and through relationships, to face the pain of the past. By doing so, the difficult work of healing the pain can begin, this is the nature of Chiron, wounding to heal.

Venus travels over some major fixed stars on her journey, between 7 and 24 degrees Gemini is the busiest past of the sky for fixed stars. We will only look at the brightest of these. The brightest of all in the region is the fixed star Aldebaran, in the eye of the Bull. Venus is conjunct Aldebaran for the first of three times on April 15. Around this date is a good time for lovin’, as Venus with this star is favorable for marriage. Venus passes over another very fortunate star for love on April 25. Venus conjunct the fixed star Rigel gives a “good and influential marriage especially if female“.

Mercury sextile Venus on May 3 and 4 is a great opportunity to express our feelings of love. Communication should be open and compassionate. However, with Venus on the fixed starBellatrix in constellation Orion, being too friendly with others if already attached could lead to that Chiron pain. Venus with Bellatrix gives “Much suffering through love affairs owing to unrestrained feelings“. Mercury sextile Venus could lead to those unrestrained feeling of love. Financially though, this should be a good couple of days, as Bellatrix is associated with wealth and gives “Quick decision making, thoughts and plans being realized with energy, courage, fighting spirit, strategic talents, ability to organize, discrimination.” This star also reminds us to place more value of personal qualities when looking for a partner, Bellatrix is “Associated with marriage for money and honors followed by reverses“. These issues could be brought up now if they occurred in the past.

Venus Stationary Retrograde May 2012

Venus stations retrograde on 15 May 2012 at 23°59′ Gemini. Venus is conjunct the fixed starAlnilam, the star in the middle of Orion’s Belt. It will also leave the retrograde zone on this star. The theme of pain again comes up, as Venus with Alnilam gives “Trouble through love affairs, scandal, enemies among women“. But the Chiron theme means the outcome is healing. And we see this with the aspect in this chart, Venus trine Saturn. It’s not exciting or glamorous, but serious and sober. Saturn is our teacher, so we are learning about love and affection.

The trine to Saturn suggests progress in this next phase of the retrograde cycle, through to the direct station on June 27. More understanding, more commitment. Commitment to long term relationships seems very important here, that is the message from this aspect, and the fixed stars have been pointing to the pain resulting from infidelity. Saturn on the most fortunate of stars Spica, is “favorable for domestic matters“. The work on the pain and the hurt is not over, we can see this in the chart above with Mars opposite Chiron. Some difficult issues to deal with, confronting and involving some arguments or resentment. The path does lead to healing and transformation through open communication. This is shown by the grand trine with Mercury, Mars and Pluto

On May 27 Venus conjuncts Bellatrix for the second time, so we may revisit any of those painful issues again regarding affairs or love triangles from the past. It may also be that an old flame appears on the scene again. Venus conjunct Mercury on the 1st of June at 8 Gemini really puts the focus on communication in relationships. We will be able to fully express our affections with loving words. Interactions should be frank and open, and with a square from Mars approaching, there could be some heated moments.

On June 5 we do get Venus square Mars, feelings should be intense, with a mixture of love and hate, sexual passion and desire. There may be some conflict, but Venus on the fixed star Rigel is more supportive of love rather than hate, Venus on this star gives a “good and influential marriage especially if female“.

June 6 is a very special day with Sun conjunct Venus. Not just any old conjunction, this one is a raretransit of Venus, where Venus is seen as a black dot passing in front of the Sun. This is the last transit of Venus for over 100 years, Venus is retrograde, it comes just after the June 4 lunar eclipse, and is mentioned in the Cherokee Rattlesnake Prophecy. Sun conjunct Venus is the personification of love and beauty, love is definitely in the air today, more than at any other time. Meeting friends, spending time with lovers, and chatting up potential lovers are all favored.

Venus is conjunct Aldebaran for the second time on June 16, “favorable for marriage“. Venus is slowing right down now, about to station direct, sextile Uranus. So Venus sextile Uranus is within one degree orb from June 18 to July 8. This is very fortunate and suggests major breakthroughs in those relationship issues which have been causing problems. It also means that finding a new lover is more likely, and that they will be stimulating, exotic or unusual, or that the relationships will be unusual in some way or really fun but not so enduring, more of a fling. The first exact sextile is onJune 21.

Venus Stationary Direct June 2012

On June 27, Venus stations direct at 7°29′ Gemini on the fixed star Hyadum II, the same spot the journey started. Back then, Venus was conjunct the South Node and square Chiron. Now the only tight aspect is Venus quincunx Pluto. So we could say the pain at confronting the negative aspects of our relationships, and our own weaknesses in how we love has now peaked. This final phase is about adjusting to a new dynamic in relationships, the give and take, and then settling at a new power sharing arrangement. Venus is love, Pluto is transformation, the quincunx is an aspect of karmic readjustment. Our relationships and how we love each other and ourselves is evolving.

Venus turning direct comes very close to the first Uranus square Pluto aspect on June 24 as you can see in the thumbnail left. So this adjustment in relationships and how we love comes at a time of major and dramatic changes. It mean the big transformations are now so much more personal, and it very positive suggesting enlightenment, given that Venus ties into this via the sextile to Uranus. It helps us deal with great change in a compassionate and universally loving way.

Even though we are now on the home stretch in this Venus retrograde journey, phases three of three, we will continue to work on these issues well into next year. This is because Venus entered the shadow zone, and stationed direct at 7 degrees Gemini, and the lunar eclipse on 28 November 2012 is also at 7 degrees Gemini, and lunar eclipses do put a focus on our relationships.

From July 2 to 16, Mercury sextile Venus again opens up the communication channels in our relationships. We had this aspect back in early May before Venus had turned retrograde. Now, in the final direct phase, it gives a much longer than usual time for affectionate sharing of thoughts, and for the resolving of the tension which has been ongoing for some time now. This will likely climax around July 5 with Venus at 8 degrees Gemini sextile Uranus. Venus is at the midpoint of a trine from Mercury to Uranus. So Venus is the focal point of a minor grand trine, an aspect pattern which uncovers secrets, in this case through creative inspiration or flashes of insight. There is the possibility of unexpected news, new information which leads to higher awareness and breakthroughs.

From now on there are a few conjunctions of Venus to the fixed stars before the journey ends. July 9, Venus is conjunct Aldebaran, “favorable for marriage“. July 22 Venus conjunct Rigel ”good and influential marriage especially if female“. July 27 , Venus conjunct Bellatrix  ”Much suffering through love affairs owing to unrestrained feelings“

Venus Leaves the Retrograde Zone

The journey ends on July 31 2012 with Venus leaving the retrograde zone at 24 Gemini, the same position at the retrograde station. The same star Alnilam with Venus gives  ”Trouble through love affairs, scandal, enemies among women“. This has been the major theme running through all this story. It started with confronting the karmic pain, the deep wound in the soul memory of being abandoned, betrayed or rejected. Just like the retrograde station, Venus is trine Saturn meaning the end result is maturity and wisdom from having dealt seriously with the issues and any guilt or shame is lifted.

This time Saturn is on the other very fortunate star, Arcturus, “Popular, gifts and favors from friends, some false friends of own sex“. This false friends of own sex makes sense when the main theme has been the other woman or the other man, triangular relationships. This will be important again in the November 2012 Lunar Eclipse which is conjunct Lilith (triangular relationships and the other woman). It is also the focal point of a Yod aspect pattern to Venus and Pluto, intense power struggles in these complex relationships.

You can see in the chart left for Venus leaving the retrograde zone that Sun trine Uranus will bring higher self awareness and the confidence to express ourselves in a new and unique way, more open minded and experimental. The Sun is the focal point of a Yod aspect pattern. This means that the end to this Venus retrograde story entails a special mission, karmic in nature. It’s about our ego, it was hurt in love,  or it has been bruised once we became aware of the pain we caused lovers in the past. The quincunx aspects (karmic readjustment) in this Yod go to Chiron and Pluto. Evolutionary healing, intense healing zeroing in on our very identiry and sense of self.

So the journey is one of healing a broken heart. We all have this somehwere, either now in time, or in the past. Venus retrograde in 2012 is intense, a transit of Venus, an eclipse, Uranus square Pluto, and all those major fixed fixed stars with an emphasis on love relationships. This final chart shows the end result, a more mature approach to loving, and the healing and transformation of the wounded ego.