The retrograde cycle of Venus is one of the most stunning cycles in both astronomy and astrology. Venus is the brightest object in the sky (after the Sun and Moon) and we’ve been tracking her cycle for millennia.
Venus has a very regular retrograde cycle, stationing retrograde very 18 months in one of five different points of the sky/zodiac. These points are called the Venus Star Point and there’s a system of astrological interpretation built around them, pioneered by Arielle Guttman.
Venus’ retrograde cycle forms a perfect five-pointed star, or pentagram, which is also called the rose of Venus. This is an ancient sacred symbol that has long been associated with various goddesses and the Divine Feminine: Inanna, Ishtar, Hygeia, Aphrodite, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We have just entered a new Venus retrograde cycle, which is in Aries and Pisces. Here are the key dates:
- March 1 – Venus stations Rx at 10 Aries
- March 22 – Venus cazimi at 2 Aries
- March 27 – Venus Rx ingresses Pisces
- April 12 – Venus stations direct at 24 Pisces
This retrograde cycle is likely to be more difficult than previous Venus retrogrades. Venus is in detriment as she’s opposite Libra, the sign she rules. However, Venus does retrograde back to Pisces where she’s exalted, so I’m hoping there will be a tone shift that’s more positive partway through the retrograde cycle. There’s also a ton of other major astrological events in March-April 2025, so things are just likely to be chaotic and tense in general – on an individual level, but especially at the level of geopolitics.
Venus retrogrades occur in the same area of the zodiac every 8 years, so it’s useful to look back at these time periods to see what happened then. It can help give you some insight into the types of topics and events you might experience in the upcoming Venus retrograde. Look back to the early part of 2017, 2009, 2001, 1993, 1985, etc. for periods that rhyme with this one.
How Venus retrogrades affect you will, of course, depend a lot on your personal natal chart. People who are more affected by Venus retrogrades are those with a strong emphasis on Venus in their chart. For example, those who have any of their Big Three (Ascendant, Sun and/or Moon) in Taurus or Libra, a stellium in Taurus or Libra, and/or Venus in a prominent part of your chart like your Ascendant or Midheaven.
Venus loves the good things in life: food, wine, sex, material comforts, art, culture, love, relationships. Venus likes things with poise, balance, stability, refinement. During Venus retrograde periods, these things can become more challenged. Accordingly, your remediation should focus around these areas of your life, while also taking into account the specific position of Venus in your chart.
For example, say you have Venus on the Midheaven. This might suggest that relationships at work will become more strained during this period, so you should focus on maintaining equilibrium with your coworkers – don’t engage in gossip or other activities that could cause further division or discord between people. (Which is generally good advice for any time.)
It could also translate to strained familial relationships too though, with Venus opposite your IC. You also want to consider where your natal Venus is and which houses she rules in your chart.
To use myself as an example, I have natal Venus in Cancer in the third house. Venus rules my Ascendant/first house and my sixth house (where my Moon is).
So, during Venus retrogrades I have to be extra vigilant about my health. I have a tendency to get really sick during Venus retrogrades, because Venus is such a health indicator for me. The Ascendant and Moon signify the physical body, and the sixth house is related to health/sickness, especially acute illness, as well as routines that impact your health.
The last Venus retrograde was in 2023 and I was very sick pretty much the whole shadow period leading up to the retrograde station. I wrote about it in this post. The entire ordeal concluded on the day that Venus stationed retrograde, when I broke out into a bright red, full body rash of unknown origin, that mysteriously disappeared within a day. It was a very literal manifestation of the transit (and not one I’d like to repeat!)
To help remediate this Venus retrograde in Aries, I’m going to do a Venusian fast. I struggle with overindulgence in various ways (another side effect of having a lot of natal Venus energy). I’ve decided to abstain from wine and focus on maintaining a healthy diet as well as a regular exercise routine.
What’s really interesting about the Venus retrograde this spring is that it overlaps very closely with both Ramadan and Lent. Ramadan began at sundown yesterday, on February 28, 2025. Lent is from March 5 to April 17, starting just a few days after this retrograde cycle. Even more interesting is that Venus retrogrades are about 40 days long, as is Lent.
Ramadan and Lent are sacred periods of time where the faithful undergo a trial and abstain from Venusian things like food, drink and sex. I’m not Muslim or Catholic, but it feels very appropriate to engage in a similar practice of temperance and atonement during this period.
Because everyone loves a list, here’s a quick summary of my suggested approach to remediating a Venus retrograde period.
- Temperance.
- Watch out for overindulgence of all kinds.
- Venus retrogrades can be an especially difficult, triggering period for people with addictions.
- Make a budget and be careful with spending.
- This is the financial form of temperance and is especially useful if this retrograde is hitting your second or eighth houses.
- This is the financial form of temperance and is especially useful if this retrograde is hitting your second or eighth houses.
- Don’t change your look.
- It can be tempting to get a new haircut or change your wardrobe, but it usually does not go well during this period.
- Remember this is a period where Venus things are challenged, and Venus rules clothing and fashion.
- Explore arts and culture.
- Venus rules arts and culture, so it’s a great time to explore music, dance, theatre, film, poetry.
- It’s an especially good time to rediscover these types of things that you may have enjoyed in the past, but have moved away from.
- Be careful entering relationships.
- The stereotypical manifestation of Venus retrograde is an ex showing up in your life again, and rarely does that ever work out well.Short term flings are also pretty common under these time periods; just try not to let hormones and emotions cloud your judgment.
- This particular retrograde is also super muddy and confusing due to all the other astrological events, so making any big relationship decisions carries the risk of really not working out how it appears at first glance.
- Strive for fidelity.
- This includes relationships of all kinds, romantic and otherwise.During Venus retrograde periods, you can experience challenges with various relationships: partners, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers.If you notice a relationship suddenly seems strained, look for the sources of this, reflect on your own reaction and involvement in it, and make some extra effort to resolve the tension.
- Alternatively, I’ve also seen reunions and reconciliations happen under Venus retrograde periods, which is always the best way for things to turn out.