Venus turning Retrograde in Scorpio and other Messages from the Underworld
Well it’s not exactly busy in the obvious sense in the heavens right now, but don’t be fooled. There are significant turning points going on, which may work as separate incidents, but which may also be linked.
The Sun is shining quietly in Libra in the background, but the main mood is Scorpionic/Plutonic. We have two “stations” – ie two planets switching direction – which are Pluto and Venus.
Why are they Linked?
These two planets are linked at the moment because Venus is now travelling through Pluto’s sign of Scorpio. Pluto is therefore currently what’s called the “dispositor” of Venus.
In other words, for the whole time that Venus travels through Scorpio which is until the second week of January, Pluto is in charge of Venusian matters. He’s the stuff of fascinating depths but, be warned, he’s also associated with ruthlessness.
Pluto – main principle is endings/beginnings, often starting with loss but in the spirit of death of the old and birth of the new, starting from scratch, transformative processes, deep healing, determination, resourcefulness, empowerment, wealth and control.
Back to the link, this is like having half of a “mutual reception” which is the name given to the relationship between two planets when they occupy each other’s signs.
For example, if we see Venus in Aries (Mars’ sign) and Mars in Libra (Venus’ sign) they would be in mutual reception and would therefore be considered as a strong partnership. When the reception is only one way, it’s the dispositor, the one in charge, who has the power.
At the moment Pluto is on his very long journey (years: Jan 2008 to Jan 2024!) through Capricorn. This is not one of Venus’ own signs and therefore there is no equal partnership.
What could this mean?
The question of equality – or rather inequality – is also underlined by the fact that both of these planets are switching direction in the same week, but turning in opposite directions –
Monday 1 October
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Pluto turns direct at 18.45 Capricorn 03.02
Friday 5 October
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Venus turns retrograde at 10.50 Scorpio 20.06
So, Pluto is getting back on track and getting stronger, Venus is going to rewind and get weaker, especially as Scorpio is one of her signs of detriment. This is like Pluto emerging from the underworld but Venus heading back into it.
Pluto
Note where Pluto is stationing in your own horoscope for clues to this new cycle – what can be rescued and turned around?
Venus
Even more importantly for now, note where Venus is turning in your own horoscope.
For me, it’s the 12th house and in traditional astrology this is often called “the Vale of Tears” as it can relate to loss, and is also the house of ambushes!
I learned from Elisabeth Brooke earlier this year, (when she was here at The Greek Island Summer School to teach Astrology and Herbal Lore), that Venus in Scorpio signifies what can poison us.
A few days ago I saw snakes under my back balcony, which runs the entire length of the house and which became the dumping ground for all the unwanted items and rubbish when the builders renovated at the end of last year. As it’s not in my daily line of vision, and as it’s been so hot until recently, I’d forgotten about it in the classic “swept under the carpet” way. It’s like a little “underworld” and is the perfect environment for a family of snakes!
Along with the Scorpion, Phoenix or Eagle, the Snake is one of Scorpio’s symbols.
So, the answer to my question of should I employ my gardener to crawl under there and remove all the rubbish and therefore destroy the snake habitat was obvious! I personally am not frightened of them, they are more frightened of me, and all I’ve seen is rapidly disappearing tails.
They’re so fast that I can’t even see what type of snake they are, but we’re not talking boa constrictors here, whatever they are, they’re skinny! But my dogs go under there sometimes for shelter when it’s very hot or raining. And I have two friends who’ve lost their dogs to snake bite and, even though we’re heading for snake hibernation time, the astrological picture is convincing enough for me to know that this house is not big enough for all of us and they have to go!
The job is being done right now as I write (Sunday) and, in keeping with the underworld theme, we’ve found that in the deep dark recesses there are also plenty of mice nests!
So, some of the messages are already taking shape:
- Get rid of whatever is already or potentially toxic in your life.
- Address inequalities and power balances.
- Deal with the things you’ve been ignoring.
Venus in trouble in my 12th house will be about more than a few snakes, and I already have a good idea of some other issues that will need resolving, but most of them are unprintable.
12th house stuff is hidden and secretive lol. But I can also glean information from looking back at how a certain pattern has repeated itself every eight years, and here’s why.
Retrograde Venus
Venus turns retrograde once every 18-20 months and stays retrograde for a period of around 42 days, backtracking about 15 or 16 degrees. The sign in which she turns retrograde repeats every 8 years and here you can see the pattern:
2018
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Venus retrograde 11 Scorpio 5 October, turns direct 25 Libra 16 November
2010
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Venus retrograde 13 Scorpio 8 October, turned direct 27 Libra 18 November
2002
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Venus retrograde 15 Scorpio 10 October, turned direct 0 Scorpio 21 November
So finding out where Venus is turning in your own chart, and especially noting if she’s going to be transiting any of your natal planets in the process (especially by conjunction but also by the other major aspects of opposition, square or trine) could unearth some interesting insights.
Love and Money Stuff
As Venus is Aphrodite, goddess of love, all affairs of the heart are especially delicate, misleading or difficult to resolve when she is retrograde, and doubly so when she’s retrograde in her sign of detriment.
Relationships started under a retrograde Venus may not last or they may come with so many complications that they end up becoming incredibly painful, impossible to hold on to or not worth the price to be paid. Affairs are the obvious complications with the jealousy and anguish they can engender.
The other hallmarks to look out for are difficulty with expressing love or feelings of any kind, shyness, awkwardness around demonstrative behaviour, inability to commit or chronic fear of intimacy, or just plain nastiness.
Anyone who’s been through a difficult relationship break up or a divorce knows how ugly or even vicious things can become. Smaller rifts and splits can be mended when Venus goes direct again, but if you already know that you’re in the wrong relationship or if you’re already in a downward spiral of abusiveness or irreconcilable differences, the writing is on the wall. And if there’s anyone in your life who is poisonous, let them find a new habitat.
Money
Venus also rules money and material goods, including produce and luxuries. So apart from the obvious emotional concerns, a retrograde Venus can speak of day to day disappointments, such as lost valuables, damaged goods or flat champagne!
Venus is beauty too and I would recommend seriously thinking twice about having any kind of surgical procedure for cosmetic reasons.
On the subject of money though, just be careful not to throw good money after bad.
Venus retrograde in Scorpio
Is a bit like a black hole or bottomless pit.
So it’s actually a good time for frugality, stripping things back to basic needs and identifying any source of wastefulness.
This could include saving for something special or forgoing other luxuries to put money into something that is a major priority for you.
This all fits with Pluto’s all or nothing symbolism as mentioned at the beginning of this blog.
Mercury and the Final Word
The Plutonic theme is expressed yet again in the one other aspect this week and that is Mercury squaring up to Pluto, exact in the early hours of Wednesday so especially potent now and probably up until the end of the week too –
Wednesday 3 October
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Mercury 19 Libra square Pluto 19 Scorpio 01.03
This is the first aspect received by Pluto after turning direct and it’s Mercury’s last aspect before changing sign and moving into Scorpio himself next Wednesday.
Guard against being a “last word freak” or making any kind of decisions that are self sabotaging. On a more positive note however this aspect is good for closure, saying no and meaning it, or washing your hands of something for the last time.
Don’t force square pegs into round holes and recognize a dead end when you see one.
Mercury – Pluto aspects also signify deep soul searching and link to fear or any kind of black thoughts.
Whilst we all have to contend with the scary things of life the point is that getting overwhelmed by them is not helpful. Who wants to be a frozen rabbit in the headlights?
Thanks to Bronwen Rees for posting this link to Jason Silva on the subject of dealing with the new 21st Century “normal” of anxiety and depression, characterized by excessive rumination, by choosing to surrender instead – which he describes as death of the ego, hurling yourself into the abyss and finding that actually it’s a featherbed.
EGO DEATH AND ECSTATIC SURRENDER
Probably my favorite video I've ever done.
Posted by Jason Silva on Monday, 17 September 2018
Apropos of the Mercury – Pluto square this fits perfectly in terms of letting go, not trying to control everything and letting life unfold.
May your ears come down from around your shoulders!
Until next week
With love from Greece