Venus is commonly referred to as the planet of money and relationships. More importantly, it is the beauty that we can see within. One of the challenges with Venus is looking inward and seeing an unpleasant side of self that can hide beneath the beautiful exterior. Venus will be retrograde from July 25th to September 5th , beginning in Virgo and returning in Leo. This is a period to look inward; what you do, how you feel and express yourself.
Authenticity is the key word during this time. Establishing your outward appearance is all well and good, but when you look beneath the surface, the underlying layers must support what is being displayed. In simpler terms, this is like having a beautiful home with an unstable foundation. Saturn traversing through Scorpio offers healing and reveals hidden areas of our deeper self. It is only logical to conclude that Venus retrograde through Leo is to “demonstrate” some of these characteristics we are trying to heal.
Leo represents the external image of self and how we give ourselves to the world. Venus will be in Virgo for a week before moving retrograde into Leo, and allows the merging of the divine feminine that exists with the masculine expression of self. Look inward at how we are relating to others and that we are showing our “true” selves. The question one should ask is “How can I become more authentic?”
The importance of Venus going into 0° of Virgo only scratches the surface; what service can I perform for the world? In terms of the word service, this means how you are taking care of yourself and what are you doing to help the world as a greater whole. This is important before Venus starts its retrograde journey through Leo.
The positive aspects of Leo are a giving nature, benevolence, a healthy ego and being present. The challenges Leo faces are being bossy, controlling nature, arrogance and selfishness. The best role one can play is to be in balance with all aspects of the sign. Since we are talking about Venus, we are looking at relationships and what drives us to maintain them. Venus (the ruler of Taurus/Libra) expresses all that is sensual and relates to humility.
It is at this time that we need to ensure we are attaining the highest form of self through these acts. Ultimately, deeper- inward Astrology uses Venus as the ruler of Gemini, which expresses the balance of the masculine and feminine within. This helps us maintain the higher will to unify, synthesize, and produce coherence.
It is time to remember that we are one with many, and are united through the release of the harsh exterior ego, allowing us to bring in a better sense of self and the world around us.
Finally, the Karmic implications of Venus in Leo Retrograde simply calls into question, are we repeating the same patterns as we have done in other lives? Is the love and devotion we give supplying us with the required beauty, love and joy that we deserve? Are we just settling for the next best thing because of “show” or outward view? The importance of this time is to work inward and achieve a higher state, which allows the outward view to see that perhaps we are just following a karmic cycle that is set to keep repeating until it is acknowledged. These implications revolve around relationships with others, our relationship with self, and more importantly, our own values. Since Leo is the first step in becoming whole, after the integration of soul, matter and mind, it is imperative we view everything as a child taking their first step. As children, we learn lessons I order to grow; lessons that are not learned are repeated, as is with karma.
(C) Stephen Jarvis Astrology 2015