Venus goes stationary retrograde at 2:36 am PDT on December 19. What can we expect?

Let’s begin looking at this Venus retrograde by examining some things about Venus. Venus symbolizes what we like, what we value, what we appreciate, and our overall aesthetic inclinations. So when Venus goes retrograde, it definitely affects everyone’s values, pleasures, love life and other close relationships.

When Venus is retrograde, we can find different ways to relate to others, or different ways to image what we like and how we like it. It can bring back old relationships, old memories of relationships, or old relationship patterns updated for the present. Given Venus rules values, it can bring back old value systems for new evaluation, or the return of old memories of things we valued and appreciated in the past.

During a Venus retrograde period, we have a chance to review, revalue, reevaluate, and rework our appreciations and our ways of relating to others. Because Venus is associated with Narcissus, we can get different looks at direct and indirect forms of narcissistic behaviors, or how people in our past exhibited these, as well as our subconscious vanities and superficialities which enable us to be seduced by the passing fancies of our world.

Venus Retrograde in Capricorn – Is It Harmonious or Frictional to Its Nature?

This one begins at 27 Capricorn, and then retrogrades back to the second decan of Capricorn, going stationary direct at 12 Capricorn. Capricorn is a bit hard for Venus, even though the second decan of that sign is the Taurus decan where Venus is at home. However, the second decan is also ruled by Mars, which sets up the tension between that zone being ruled by Venus on the one hand and Mars on the other.

When in Capricorn, it is in its 9th sign relative to its natural rulership of Taurus, and in its 4th sign relative to its rulership of Libra. So in Capricorn, Venus realized the truth of Taurus, and the grounding energy for Libra. So while the last Venus retrograde in Gemini was very comfortable with the associative qualities of Air, this one will be very comfortable with the “enlightened self-interest” of the Earth of Capricorn.

In Capricorn, Venus retrograde indicates that we will be in a reflective group oriented mode, where past ideas and people can be understood in a new pragmatic light. It may be we’ll remember someone who precipitated the organization of our values, or someone who helped boost us into a valuable group work. This is a “backward looking” period in our Venus ruled areas of life where we can re-evaluate or appreciate someone or something in a new way before the natural balanced forward motion of Venus can proceed.

Take a look at old relationships, and see which helped you to re-evaluate what you thought you were responsible for and why. This period will give you a look at relationships past and present which have ended, are ending, or going through a radical transformation of some sort. At the end of the process we’ll all have a different understanding of what to value in our purification process, even if it means saying goodbye to someone, or even a memory in our Venusian areas of life.

Recurring Venus Retrogrades

Also, I should note here that Venus has a recurring cyclic dance it does with the Sun. When Venus was retrograde in Dec 2013 and Jan 2014, it closely tracked its retrograde span from late December 2005 through early February 2006. During that earlier period Venus went retrograde at 2 Aquarius, and retrograded back to 17 Capricorn. The 2013-2014 period began at 29 Capricorn and retrograded back to 14 Capricorn, so it did substantially overlap. As this retrograde begins at 27 Capricorn and goes back to 12 Capricorn, it’s clear that we may be re-visiting some things from the same late December through late January period of 8 years ago.

The 2015 Venus retrograde that began at 1 Virgo and retrograded back to 15 Leo substantially overlapped its retrograde span of its late July through early September 2007 retrograde period, which went from 3 Virgo back to 17 Leo. The 2017 retrograde in Aries and Pisces tracked the Venus retrograde period in March-April 2009. The 2017 one began at 16 Aries and went back to 30 Pisces, while the 2009 retrograde began at 14 Aries and went back to 27 Pisces.

The late 2018 Venus retrograde that began at 11 Scorpio and retrograded back to 26 Libra had a similar retrograde path to the Oct-Nov 2010 Venus retrograde period, which went from 14 Scorpio back to 28 Libra. The last one in the Summer of 2020, spanning 22 back to 6 Gemini, closely tracks the Venus retrograde period of May-June 2012, which accompanied a once in 120 year Venus occultation event. That one began at 24 Gemini and retrograded back to 8 Gemini, so as you can see, the spans closely parallel each other. Links to the important 2012 event are at the bottom of this article.

What Is Venus Retrograde and How Can We Use the Energy Wisely?

When Venus goes retrograde, it’s a great time to begin reflecting on values and relationships. This would include our relationship to money, wealth, and things in general, as well as why we value what we do in our relationships, and whether we're working off of old tapes, old hurts, old attachments, and old aversions in relationships that bear no resemblance to what we're living with today.

While in Capricorn, it will make its usual conjunctions with Mercury and the Sun, but this retrograde will be extremely dynamic as it begins in the middle of Venus’ month long conjunction with Pluto! After its retrograde station, it makes a septile to Mars and a tredecile to Uranus, so overall the front end of the retrograde period is very favorable.

January continues the run of favorable aspects, with Venus novile Jupiter and sextile Neptune at the beginning of the month, leading up to the Inferior Conjunction of Venus with the Sun on January 8 at 19 Capricorn and Venus semisquare Jupiter. The second half of the month shows Venus septile Jupiter, then trine Uranus, indicating this Venus retrograde period is pretty much nothing but good aspects!

Venus retrograde can help us update our likes and dislikes to current values and conditions freed from old subconscious tapes that are not useful in our present day to day relationships to people and things. It may bring memories of old hurts and misunderstandings, but in re-experiencing old wounds we are given opportunities to free ourselves of subconscious patterns that seduce us into suffering. We can break free of the old patterns by superimposing our mature self's values and short circuiting the echoes of memories of perceptions based in prior ignorance or victimization.

That some people hurt others is a reality in this impermanent world. Still, we do not have to suffer needlessly based in old emotional habits that do not serve our need for love, wisdom, veneration, compassion, and self-respect.

I have found that even when these are absent, and hurtfulness is all around, by maintaining these higher values within me, I can transcend the outer conditions, and no longer struggle with those who want to suffer, or dish it out to others. A very wise man once said words to the effect that life is painful, but we do not have to suffer.

It does take courage, strength, and good will to transcend the tendency to suffer, but in releasing the habit of suffering, we take control of our magnificent eternal consciousness and are able to find a tremendous compassion and power. Using these, we are able to enter into the pain and suffering wherever we find it, and break the link between the two.

Venus retrograde in Capricorn can help us take a new look at how authentic we are in our relationship motives and actions, and see where our part may need to be recalibrated. We can get new insights from relationships which ended long ago, and find a new way to externalize our feelings, or find new ways to communicate with others. Perhaps old hurts can be seen for their value in liberating us from frustrating interactions and possessions we no longer valued. A Venus retrograde is good for reconnecting with those we once loved, or having a new appreciation for people in our past who allowed us to express ourselves and not feel shamed or devalued.

So as you move through these times, whether they are cheerful or painful for you and those you are with, try to remember that regardless of what's going on around you, we have the choice to BE however we need to be in that moment to bring forth the highest self we are able. It is that which is beyond the fluctuations of personality, and the means by which we can be the light in the darkness of this impermanent existence.

The Stationary Retrograde Sabian Symbol

This degree represents a “threshold state,” showing us the limit of our future as we now review the past. Venus is stationary retrograde at 27 Capricorn, and the Sabian Symbol symbol for the 27th degree of Capricorn is "A mountain pilgrimage.” In the original notes from the Marc Jones class on the symbols published in The Astrology of Personality, Rudhyar says this is a degree of “necessary linkage of above and below in the seeker’s personal experience,” and “balanced dualism of subjective-objective life.”

In the Astrological Mandala he goes on to say this is a degree of "the ascent of the individualized consciousness to the highest realizations reached by the spiritual leaders of its culture,” where we find that our “peak experiences” often “depend to a very great extent upon following a path which many have trod before, under the inspiration of the great Teachers and Sages of our race.”

These “shrines” are “built by the unceasing dedication” of generations, where each “finds on their own mountaintop what … seems a unique and transcendent revelation.” He goes on that here “we witness the rise of the human consciousness,” where it is our “supreme task to rise like fire, impelled by a vision (we) share with our companions.” He says the keyword is upreaching, and that this degree falls in the Span of Dependence, and is the counterpoint degree in the individual, mental, and spiritual level of the Scene of Group Performance in the Act of Capitalization.

Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this is a degree of "a pyramiding reality” in terms of “inner or spiritual realization in a complete harmony of all the ideals and values ever developed” by humanity. He states “here is an indomitable integrity of human comprehension, and an intensification of every vision to which intelligence might aspire,” where we are “encouraged to hold unswervingly to the ultimate course” we choose to follow.

He offers us the keyword PERSEVERENCE. He says when positive, this degree is "a total reconciliation of mind and heart in an unquestioned devotion to some worthwhile task at hand.”

So this is a Venus retrograde where we can review how much we are in harmony with the values and ideals of the realizations we aspire to experience. This is a time to review and reclaim our “indomitable integrity” and the spiritual course we have chosen that exemplifies an ideal we hold dear. You share this path with many; who are your Brothers and Sisters? Link “the above and the below” in your life, and you will begin to see your life take shape in the spiritual ideal you hold as your own in your heart.

With Venus triggering this hot spot where Pluto went SRX in 2020, this is a time when through the Venus retrograde function we should honor the core principles we share with others across space and time. For the next few weeks, one of three things is happening; a) we’re looking back at the distant past when we linked with the World Soul and found other truth seekers there in a collective “peak experience”; b) we’re looking with new eyes at recent events requiring us to see our connection with Life on all levels, and especially our own “shrine of higher awareness”; or c) we can see how the “spiritual mountain” we’ve climbed is leading us to a greater connection with Self, with others, with the Earth, and with Truth.

This span involving Capricorn can show us how we became more true to our spiritual values when we did group work together with others, or had to leave that group because someone wouldn’t take proper responsibility. We can understand emotionally stuck people we use to know by taking a look at how they had internal calculations which may not have had anything to do with us. This will show us dances past and present, and why some relationships had to end, clearing the way for more significant relationships.

Every Venus retrograde gives us the chance to examine and heal hurts and misunderstandings we internalized in the past. This Venus retrograde can show us how we chose to leave unhealthy relationships behind, or those which proved to be bad investments of time, energy, and/or money. With this retrograde, we can re-evaluate internalized blocks and suspicions, as well as resentments, and resistances so we may show our Highest Self to the world.

Don’t be surprised if these themes show up in your social life, or in a reconsideration of values from previous times in life. There may be interesting returns that open a deeper understanding of past relationship dynamics, or show you opportunities to adjust your efforts to find a different perspective of others and what they are or aren’t doing to fulfill their part of the contract. This will help us get to internalized antagonisms, and open perspectives and insights into how our values synch with others or don’t.

See how you’ve made it to a new level of group awareness and examine any resistance or resentment you may have about those who share your group work and values. Take a new look at old relationships or misunderstandings, since you may find you took things harder than you needed to. By removing blockages you’ll find a more balanced way of sharing power.

On a final note....

For a final reflection, let’s take a brief look back at the extremely important Venus retrograde period in Gemini in 2012, since that was a rare event. That Venus retrograde period in Gemini featured an “occultation,” or a Venusian eclipse of the Sun. It conjuncted the 2011 Solar Eclipse points, and was followed by Jupiter transiting the zone of that Venus retrograde just after that, which boosted the overall Eclipse effects.

While relatively rare, a Venus occultation of the Sun (a type of retrograde phenomenon) usually occurs every 120 years, mas o menos, though it has been known to occur more often. That particular “event” tied together past and future in a huge way, in that it will be in play for the 10 Jupiter cycles that began then.

As I pointed out at the time, that Venus RX period and the subsequent Jupiter transit triggered some long wave energies directly related to themes set into motion around 1889-1895 when Neptune conjuncted Pluto in Gemini, beginning a 500 year period. Everything that’s happened in the past 120 years is directly related to the seeds set into motion by that conjunction. As I told you then,

Neptune and Pluto danced around the conjunction, going stationary at 2, 5, 7, and 8 Gemini before actually conjuncting at 8 and 9 Gemini in 1891-92. After that they danced on their stations near each other at various points between 8 and 16 Gemini before moving out of range. Themes related to this “primum mobile” will be explored and expanded to whatever degree thanks to this Venus retrograde coupled with Jupiter’s transit of this span in Gemini over the next year.

So say goodbye to an old 120 year cycle, and hello to a new one! This is a "change of season" in the 500 year Neptune-Pluto cycle, and marks the beginning of a new quarter cycle, or "season" in that long wave influence.

As I promised, here are the articles on the 2012 Venus “occultation event.”

Venus Transit of the Sun – What Is It, How Does It Happen, and Other Historical Transits of Venus

Venus Retrograde Conjunct the Sun June 5, 2012 – What Does That Rare Event Mean?

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

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