General Meaning of Venus in Leo From a Psychological Perspective
The astronomical and astrological phenomena of the summer will be the retrograde motion of Venus, the planet which symbolizes our need to relate to an other and the need to enhance and beautify life experience on earth.
In myth and astronomy, Venus has an intimate link to the Sun, the source of life itself.
In psychological astrology, she serves the development of our identity as represented by the symbol of the astrological Sun and therefore is an expression of the Sun.
Many issues of self-worth have identity problems at their core.
Since being in touch with the archetypal qualities of the astrological Venus allows us to express our unique set of values, they cannot be expressed if we do not know who we fundamentally are.
The simple act of adorning ourselves or choosing certain partners or not, while very mundane at the surface, represent acts of self-affirmation.
Venus in Leo, of all the astrological placements, requires a sense of "I".
It may transpire that during the Venus retrograde motion (which will last from July 22 until September 3), we will rediscover that sense of "I" through being asked to express our need for relatedness and beauty in our lives.
The Phases of Venus Retrograde
Phase 1 : June 19 - July 22
This is the preparatory phase of the Venus retrograde cycle, the period that sets the stage for the inner exploration of the relationship between who you are and how you express your identity though your choices.
The circumstances and issues presenting themselves during this period in your life surrounding the issues of artistic expression and beauty, love and romance will undergo reevaluation in the second phase.
The Sun journeys through the signs of Gemini and Cancer during this period and issues surrounding networking, education, relocation, childhood and home life may be the source that sets the stage for the actual Venus retrograde cycle to come in the second phase.
Phase 2 : July 22 - September 3
This is the phase where inner meets outer more directly.
The phase where we will be confronted positively or negatively with the consequences of our choices on the expression of our core selves and, in Jungian terms, our individuation process.
The Sun will be journeying the signs of Cancer and Leo, therefore we can surmise that issues related to the protection of our intimacy and home-life as well as those surrounding the development of our personal ambitions will be highlighted by the process of value reassessment.
Phase 3 : September 3 - October 7
It is during this phase of the Venus retrograde cycle where we will get confirmation of the alignment of our values to our true selves by keeping or breaking certain commitments or investments made during the previous phases.
During this phase, the Sun travels the analytical sign of Virgo and the harmony-seeking sign of Libra. The source of our final choices will depend potentially on health issues, daily routines and commitment to others.
Key date : August 13
On August 13, as Venus embraces the Sun, she enters the morning sky and a new cycle in her relationship to the Sun begins until June 4. 2024.
This will be the moment that clarity in matters related to personal beauty and adornment, finances and investments as well as personal relationships should manifest.
The Development of Venus During Her Retrograde Journey
The retrograde cycle of Venus begins with a difficult alignment with Pluto on June 5 and will end with another face off with Pluto on October 6, indicating that a cleansing process our our collective and personal values will occur during this cycle. This can only happen if we face consciously our collective and personal shadows around money and partnerships.
In between those two key moments, she will make key alignments several times with Jupiter, Chiron and Uranus.
These alignments imply the potential through financial, material and relationship issues throughout the summer and early Fall, for healing past wounds, breakthroughs in the limited ways we have been making certains choices and expansion of our potentials in true service to who we truly are.
Illustrating The Relationship of Venus to the Sun and the Sign of Leo
In Free Thyself, Edward Bach relates the story of a young child who sets out to paint the picture of a house for her mother's birthday.
The act of painting, the manifestation of beauty, falls under the dominion of the astrological Venus. The representation of the house as the child has translated it into form is her own and therefore can be linked to the expression of her self, the astrological Sun.
Bach writes that this act is : " health, this is success and happiness and true service. Serving though love in perfect freedom in our own way."
Serving through love in perfect freedom in our own way is the expression of what we mean astrologically by the Leo process.
Bach continues the story and writes : " the child is busily and happily painting when someone comes along and says, " Why not put a window here, and a door there; and of course the garden path should go this way." "
As a result, according to Bach, the child may entirely lose interest in the work. She may even be " cross, irritated, unhappy, afraid to refuse these suggestions." In the end, she may even "hate the picture and perhaps tear it up", according to her personality.
Astrologically, the importation of others' ideas into our creative expression - or not - corresponds the Leo-Aquarius axis. The axis of self validation.
If we import solely the ideas of others, " the final picture may be a recognizable house, but it will be an imperfect one and a failure because it is the interpreation of another's thoughts, not the child's."
Bach's story illustrates the dynamics involved in this Venus in Leo retrograde cycle and serves as a cautionary tale as well as a psychological and moral compass to navigate through the experiences related to the collective and personal choices we will have to make during the summer and early Fall.
Who will be concerned?
Because Venus will cover in her apparent astronomical backwards the area between the 12th degree to the 28th degree of the sign of Leo (in the Tropical Zodiac), many individuals will feel the impact of her cycle, although certain individuals more than others :
Taurus : April 30 to May 20
Leo : August 2 - August 22
Libra : October 3 - October 22
Scorpio : November 2 - November 21
Aquarius : January 30 - February 18
Pisces : March 1 - March 20
The area of our personal astrological charts emphasized by Venus will be the main focus where we will be asked to reevaluate and reaffirm the relationship between the expression of our values through our choices and how they relate to our true selves. The manner with which we handle this area of focus will impact the houses of our personal charts where we find the two Venus-ruled signs, Taurus and Libra.
For example, if Leo covers the topic of artistic expression and romance, the choices you make in this area will affect two other areas of your life; namely, in this case and using the natural Zodiac, we would expect the topics of finances and relationships to be affected by our romantic choices or artistic expressions.
I am available to guide you in helping you identify and clarify your values in service to your true selves during this period.