5 Things to Know About Venus Retrograde in Leo

The most basic human need is to feel seen, heard, and fully-expressed in who we are. Safety flows from feeling seen — and accepted — in who we are.

Like anything else, however, we cannot rely on others for this. In order to feel seen and heard by others, we first must be willing to see and hear ourselves — without the filters and masks that we ordinarily don to step into the world.

Many people go a lifetime without actually daring to look. Because to look at yourself unvarnished and unfiltered, to see how you show up, can be jarring.

On Saturday, July 22, Venus, the planet of love and relationships, art and beauty, image and appearance, will station retrograde in Leo, the sign where the sun shines bright and the spotlight is unavoidable.

Venus retrograde will cause us to question everything in the realm of image, appearance, social norms, and matters of taste.

Most potently, it will ask us to consider:

• When you hold up the mirror to yourself, do you like what you see?
• Do you like how you are showing up?
• Do you like the image you’re presenting?

And perhaps crucially, if you’ve been stopping yourself in your work:

What is keeping you from being visible?

Here’s What to Know About Venus Retrograde

(1) Timing and Duration of the Venus Retrograde Cycle

Venus retrogrades happen on a very predictable schedule:

• Venus stations retrograde approximately every 18 months.
• Venus retrogrades through only 5 signs: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn
• Venus retrogrades happen in the same sign every 8 years.
• Venus’ retrograde through each sign happen at the same time of year, and Venus stations retrograde approximately 2–3º earlier in the sign each time it revisits that sign.
• Each Venus retrograde lasts for approximately 40 days.
• The full Venus retrograde cycle takes 40 years.

In 2023, Venus will station retrograde on July 22, at 28º of Leo. It will retrograde back to 12º of Leo, where it will station direct on September 3, 2023.

(2) The Venus Retrograde Pattern

When the pattern of Venus’ retrogrades are plotted out on the map of the sky, it forms a 5-pointed star — a pentagram. This is the same star that is on the United States flag and flags from other countries.

The pattern of each individual Venus retrograde looks like a loop, like petals on a flower.

The image created by plotting Venus’ retrogrades is balanced and artistic — it creates beautiful artwork. This helps explain why Venus is known as the planet of beauty and art. Even in her cycles she is creating a work of beauty.

(3) What Happens to Venus During a Venus Retrograde

During a Venus retrograde, the planet doesn’t actually move backward; it only appears that way from our vantage point on Earth because Venus slows down.

During a Venus retrograde, Venus shifts from an evening star to a morning star, rising just before the Sun.

Approximately 2 weeks after stationing retrograde, Venus will appear to vanish from the sky for about 8 days. Approximately midway through the retrograde, Venus will come into the heart of the Sun, in what is known as a Cazimi.

Venus will then “rebirth” from the Cazimi as a morning star.

(4) What to Expect During a Venus Retrograde

Generally, all retrogrades are periods of review, reflection, and reckoning. The retrograde planet appears to moves backward over a part of the zodiac it has just moved through, like it’s retracing its steps.

This is our invitation during a retrograde.

Venus is most well known as the planet of love, relationships, and desire. In the bigger picture, it speaks to matters of taste and distaste: what we like and what we don’t like.

Astrologer Austin Coppock described Venus retrograde as having the confusion of a Mercury retrograde, but with respect to matters of the heart.

Expect a lot of confusion when it comes to matters of the heart, what you like, what you desire. For example: I thought I liked this thing but maybe I was wrong.

Venus is also the planet that speaks to the social contract — the unwritten rules that govern our small and large daily interactions.

What is in good taste to wear? How are we expected to behave? What fits into the norm and what is outside the norm?

A Venus retrograde can cause us to question everything we think we like or dislike, from our relationships with others to the foods we eat, to the clothes we wear, to our hairstyle.

Mirroring Venus’s transition from an evening star to a morning star, Venus retrogrades tend to bring up themes of reinvention. This might be a reinvention of your brand, of your looks, of your purpose in life, of your relationships with others and with yourself.

When old fashions come back into style, they are called “retro” — from retrograde. This is often a theme of Venus retrogrades.

As mentioned above, Venus retrogrades — especially in Leo — often bring up issues around image and visibility.

Expect a lot of questioning about your own desires.

All that said, it’s important not to make snap judgments or decisions. Keep in mind that these questions are part of the process. You might decide you want to end a relationship or cut off all your hair, but don’t do anything drastic during the retrograde. Let the process play out through the entire 40 days.

(5) A Pivot Point

For many people, Venus retrogrades can be crucial pivot points, marking the start of new chapters in their lives. Again, this mirrors the pivot of Venus from evening star to morning star. It’s also reflected in the pattern that Venus makes during its retrograde, which looks on paper like a pivot to a new direction.

Once you know the patterns of Venus’ retrograde cycle, you can match it up with your personal history to see if this is true for you, and which Venus retrograde cycle is most potent for you.

Look back to summer of 2015 and 2007 to see what you were doing then. That will be the first clue regarding what themes might arise for you.