Welcome to the 2025 Venus retrograde! As part of 2025’s emphasis on the cardinal signs, a Venus retrograde is about to occur in the cardinal fire sign of Aries. Depending on your time zone, Venus stations (stops) to retrograde on March 1st or 2nd at 10° 50’ Aries. This year, Venus moves backwards (retrograde) through the first 10 degrees of Aries and the last five degrees of Pisces for the next 40 days. It stations (stops) to go forward / direct again on April 13th at 24°37’ Pisces. For reference, the last time a Venus retrograde started in Aries and moved back into Pisces was in March 2017.
2025 VENUS RETROGRADE: ASTRONOMY, ASTROLOGY, AND MYTHOLOGy
Astronomy is always hand in glove with astrology in my book. The current eight-year Venus cycle began in June 2020 and will be complete in June 2028. Venus’s retrogrades happen approximately every 18 months; five retrogrades occur throughout the eight year cycle. All of the planets in our solar system appear in retrograde motion when they are closest to the Earth in their orbital path. Because Venus (and Mercury) orbit between the Earth and the Sun, we visually experience the Venus (and Mercury) retrograde differently than the retrogrades of the other planets.
Two months prior to a Venus retrograde, the planet travels through the night sky as the evening star setting after the Sun. The ancient Greeks named the evening star Hesperus (Hésperos) meaning western /evening star. Their name for the morning star is Phosphorus meaning light bringer. The Romans named the evening and morning stars Vesper and Lucifer. (Yes, the morning star is that Lucifer. The mythology of Venus as the morning star may be a future post!)
Historically, not every ancient culture understood that the evening star and the morning star are simply the planet Venus. The cultures that didn’t understand the movements of Venus also didn’t have the star symbol as part of their cultural symbols. The star symbol or pentagram comes directly from observing Venus’s retrograde movements and precise conjunction with the Sun over Venus’s eight year cycle. The other beautiful symbol of Venus’s total movement pattern over her cycle is the many petalled rose.
As the evening star, Venus reaches its maximum distance away from the Sun—approximate 48°. That’s called the greatest eastern elongation. As the morning star, when Venus reaches its maximum distance from the Sun, that’s called the greatest western elongation. And yes, during these planetary elongations, the evening star sets in the west and the morning star rises in the east. When Venus stations retrograde, it’s 30° ahead of the Sun’s position in the zodiac. Venus slowly starts moving backwards to conjoin (retreat into / or merge with) the Sun. During the Venus retrograde, the brightness of the Sun “blinds” us to seeing Venus in the sky. Venus become invisible, hidden, stolen away, or plunged into the underworld or otherworld.
THE OTHERWORLDLY GARDEN OF THE HESPERIDES
Mythically, the Garden of the Hesperides is where the goddess Hera established her orchard of golden apples, set up her immortal dragon Ladon to guard them, and gave the island to either three or seven demi-goddesses—the Hesperides—personifications of the light of Venus as the evening star. Hera, the very ancient and quite cosmic goddess of the early Mediterranean peoples is said to have created the Milky Way. Her island gift to Venus is one variation of the western island of Paradise or the Otherworld where the dead are welcomed to a beautiful, blissful land; a land where, as archaeologist Marija Gimbutas states, the “celebration of Life is the leading motif . . . . There was no simple death, but death and regeneration” continually[1].
[1] In All Her Names: Exploration of the Feminine in Divinity. Joseph Cambell & Charles Musès, eds., pg. 49.
Exactly mid-way through her retrograde (on March 23 this year), Venus is positioned between Earth and the Sun signaling the Venus and Sun exact conjunction. Astrologically, a planet exactly conjunct the Sun is in a cazimi state. Chris Brennan’s The Astrology Dictionary notes that cazimi is a Latin term arising from the Arabic kașmīmī meaning “as if in the heart” which could have come from the Greek egkardios (ἐγκάρδιος) meaning “in the heart”. Historically, the cazimi offers a strengthening and mitigating power to the planet that’s so precisely conjunct (within 1°) with the Sun. On March 23, Venus is so close to the Sun, she’s seen as being in the heart of the Sun. I see this representing a beautiful blaze of love, the spark of a heart newly filled with love and courage.
The Venus retrograde journey
The themes of love, life, death, and regeneration / rebirth occur regularly in world myths related to Venus’ retrograde journey. And that journey itself is mythic: the 40 days and 40 nights voyage, trial, quest, or journey There are so many myths, practices, rituals, and references to Venus’s 40 days and 40 nights journey. Here’s a few well known journeys: Noah and the Ark, Moses and the Israelites wandering, Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus resurrected and ministering for 40 days before ascending to heaven, the sacred ancient Egyptian embalming ritual to send body and soul to the afterlife, the Sufi khalwa—a 40 day solitary retreat for divine enlightment, etc. Note that in mythology, days are transmuted into hours, weeks, months, or years reflecting the same number 40. Additionally, a woman’s pregnancy is typically 40 weeks; the American work week is 40 hours, and of course, 5 x 8 = 40. The five-pointed star created in the 8 year cycle of Venus and its 40 day retrogrades.
I want to acknowledge that a few of you may disagree that the retrograde is 40 days because many astronomers and astrologers state the duration as 42 days. Yes, and as a mythologist, I can understand why the Venus retrograde has been observed as a 40 days and 40 nights journey. On the two days of station—station retrograde and station direct—Venus appears completely still, stopped, not moving, as a prelude to changing direction. Symbolically, these two days have been depicted as the descent into the otherworld and the ascent back into this one; gates into these worlds; death and then rebirth or resurrection; or the pause before a transformation and the pause after when life is seen afresh from a completely different outlook. What’s your view on this?
an invitation to come along
For this Venus retrograde in Aries and Pisces, I’m excited to do a 40 day practice focused on sinking into love and living more authentically from a heart-centered place. I’ve done this before and, personally, it’s been really powerful. Aries is the sign of spring and this Venus retrograde is literally offering us a renewal period, a spring for the soul you might say, to practice self-love, love for others, and love for the cosmic whole. As Venus backtracks through Aries you can reimagine ways to rekindle the flame of love within. Once it’s back in Pisces ( March 28), remember to treat yourself with lovingkindness, forgiveness, and gentleness. Another way to view this combination of Aries and Pisces in the Venus retrograde path is play and mystery.
I’m not proscribing any “shoulds” here—meaning there is nothing you “should” do during this Venus retrograde. In the US, many of us are living in Crazy Town right now, so if a practice of remembering to consciously take ten deep breaths twice a day seems more doable—excellent! That’s self-love and self-regulation of your nervous system—what a lovely practice to give yourself. Or simply live your life. You do you!
So, for those of you who want to try consciously engaging with a 40 day practice during this Venus retrograde, here’s some inspiring, informative, helpful ideas, tools, and thought prompts. AND please share your suggestions in the comments! Enjoy your journey.
BOOKS:
- The HeartMath Solution by Doc Childre & Howard Martin with Donna Beech.
- Heart Intelligence: Connecting with the Heart’s Intuitive Guidance for Effective Choices and Solutions by Doc Childre, Howard Martin, Deborah Rozman and Rollin McCraty
- The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder & Delight by Lorin Roche, PhD.
- The Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown.
- Your favorite novel or poetry book to reread and savor.
ART, WORDS, MUSIC:
- From the website: The Marginalian
- “How to Love Yourself and How to Love Another. . . a terrific look at a children’s book that shows us how we might do that.
- Thank-You Everything
- The Truelove—a poem by David Whyte
- Watch films that may lift you up. Just a few suggestions:
- American Utopia—the David Byrne music/art/performance film by Spike Lee. On MAX.
- Little Women by Greta Gerwig—the best version IMHO. On Apple TV+
- Amélie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I think this is on Hulu.
- Give yourself permission to make something fun, crafty, delicious, beautiful, etc. that’s just for you.
- Create a Venus retrograde playlist for yourself.
- If you are a Tarot, oracle, or other divination card fan, consider picking a card every 5 days and reflecting on what you’re shown.
JOURNAL PROMPTS : for art journals, contemplative journalling, morning or twilight writing practice, photo or sticker journaling, etc.
Deeper Venus prompts:
- How much play do I have in my life right now?
- What sparks my desire to have fun, delight myself, or be amused?
- If Love is the coin of my wealth, how I am receiving it, building it up, spending it, and giving it?
- Are there parts of me that I treasure /treasured that have faded away or gotten dusty? What are those?
- Where is invisibility to the outer world serving me and nourishing my heart right now?
- If my invisibility to the outer world is a default choice or imposed (hidden away, can’t let my light shine), how can I show up to myself in full shining glory first?
- What’s my wilderness? Where’s my wildness? Are these connected?
- Let me sing, write, draw a song, poem, letter, or picture of the love I have for myself.
Love glow-up prompts:
- Five parts of my body, personality, or traits that could use some forgiveness, big love, or both.
- What is my inner critic nattering on about now? Why?
- What is my inner cheerleader saying to me?
- What are three passions that I want to dive into more?
- How can I open my heart to myself today in gratitude and fierce loving-kindness?
