Venus going retrograde on July 23, 2023

These coming days leading up to the station of Venus as she turns retrograde on the 23 of July are charged with the reckoning and harnessing of power.

Analysing this particular chart we can see four major constellations;

  1. the grand cross, Sun; Pluto, North and South Lunar node.
  2. the mystical rectangle; Sun, Pluto, Moon and Neptune.
  3. the grand trine; Moon, Pluto and Uranus.
  4. and the Yod (or the finger of God); Venus, Pluto and Neptune.

This is a dynamic chart.  The Ascendant or body of the horoscope is right in between the Moon and Neptune, heightening the sensitivity of it all and Venus, the main character, is on the midpoint between sun and moon. There is definitely something big going on. A shift that will set the tone for the coming 9 months. This might feel like: are you ready? That your vehicle is going into a reverse mode. You’re going down, down, down to experience the past, meeting the now and reevaluating what’s worth keeping, and what’s good to discard and get rid of in our own private universe. The awareness is in the beginning quite subtle, but there’s no getting out of it.

On July 20th, Saturn, the symbol of discipline, patience, ambition, time, karma and harvest, is opposing Mars, the God of war, masculine force, self-assertion, passion, raw power, self-will. Together these two energies can either feel like being between a rock and a hard place, or we can harness their power into building and creating really powerful structures. The Martian force cand be disciplined by Saturn but Saturn can be stressed by an impulsive Mars. It’s like having to slow down but also stand firm with what we want to create.

On July 22 Eris, the sister of Mars, the goddess of discord and strife, stations retrograde in Aries. She does not accept any injustice against the feminine from the patriarchy.

That same day the Sun makes its opposition to Pluto, the lord of the underworld, power, death, wealth/riches, and transformation. This can lead to polarization and power struggles, or the wielding of the sword in such a way that we clear ourselves of the unnecessary burdens, traumas, grudges, envies of the past. Hence, this is a great opportunity to transcend into a higher state of being.

On July 23rd, in sync with Venus’ station, Pluto squares the lunar Nodes. The Nodes show us the path of the soul, or the current collective spiritual direction. As we now are heading towards Aries from Libra, we need to assert our true purpose/direction and move away from doubt, vacillation and negative dependency.

Pluto and the Nodes create a grand cardinal cross with the sun on the very last degree of Cancer, the sign of the mother, Goddess, home, family, roots. Such a constellation is even more driving for change and evolution. Cancer is ruled by the Moon in Virgo and is in an exact opposition to Neptune. This Neptune – Moon opposition is very sensitive and highlights the individual’s need to serve or suffer. It also enables the people (Moon) to see what’s behind the veil of illusion (Neptune) that the world of glamour has created.

When looking at the particular chart of Venus’ station set for Greenwich on the zero meridian, there is another tight aspect with Mercury, the messenger/intellect, and the black Moon, deepest trench in the ocean/shadow, straddling the 4th house cusp, the base of the chart. These two are squaring Uranus in Taurus, the planet of awakening, revolution, intuition, and they are opposing the asteroid Hygeia, a symbol of health, healing and serendipity. This picture tells us that health and well being is paramount for Gaia. Uranus is awaking where our true values lie, whether it be money, resources, farming or AI. Mercury, the messenger is sharing all this information as he won’t accept any limiting circumstances while the Black Moon is blurting out the ugly truth.

Add to this Chiron’s stationing retrograde on the same day. The wounded healer in Aries exposes the inner wounded child, the outcast, of not being accepted by the group, and brings awareness of how to heal these issues and help others to heal for a better day (Avicii).

The finger of God, the Yod in the chart, clearly points at Venus with its base in the sextile forming between Neptune (vision/illusion) and Pluto (death, transformation, rebirth). What does that mean? Well, all our values, relationships, money, what we attract, are going through a 43-day journey that will take us down into the underworld, as Venus disappears from her evening-star position, merges with the sun on August 13, resurfaces as a morning-star 5 – 6 days later, and finally turns direct on September 4, in sync with Jupiter stationing retrograde.

Oh boy, are we in for a ride, to surf on the waves or clash against them. Fill your life with positive and loving thoughts and actions. After all, Venus is about love, and she’s casting the quincunx to Neptune in Pisces, the sign of her exaltation and unconditional love. So let us do our part and feed that love; one humanity, one planet, the blue planet, still looking for peace. May the force be with you!