It’s Venus retrograde, kids. Time to go spelunking into the inner caverns of your emotional baggage. Time to dive deep into your relationship to pleasure, joy and intimacy. Time to review your relationships and connections and consider whether they are sustainable for the long term. This particular Venus retrograde has a long run-in with Pluto, making it even more intense and cathartic than usual. Let’s dive into it!

What is a Venus retrograde and what does it mean?

Venus retrogrades about once every 18 months, making it one of the most infrequent planets to retrograde in the zodiac. Because they are longer and more infrequent, Venus retrograde is more intense and dramatic than a Mercury retrograde. Our last Venus retrograde happened in May-June 2020, which coincided with eruptions of protests against anti-black racism and police brutality. This year, Venus will retrograde from 26° - 11° Capricorn, December 19, 2021, to January 29, 2022.

Venus retrogrades invite us to review, reassess, revise and revitalize our connections, our relationships and our pleasure. Venus rules sweetness and pleasantness. Its job is to make unlike things similar, to find commonality, to smooth out the wrinkles. Venus retrogrades are a time to reflect on how we pursue and prioritize pleasure, and how/whether we are fully nourished and supported. Venus entered its pre-retrograde shadow on November 18 — what Venus-related themes began around then? Pay attention to any activations of the House topics associated with Capricorn in your birth chart.

Venus' journey through Capricorn gives us a chance to review and assess our relationship to Venus themes (our impulses towards love and intimacy, friendship and connection, art and culture, recreation and pleasure). Venus retrogrades can often reveal weaknesses or issues of lack in our lives so that we can restore them and bring even more pleasure and joy to that part of our life. Venus retrogrades can reveal what is missing from our lives and make us examine how happy we are regarding specific themes.

8-year cycles of love and boundaries

Venus retrogrades happen every 18 months or so, and they operate in 8-year cycles. Every 8 years, we have a Venus retrograde in the same part of the zodiac. The last Venus retrograde in this part of the sky was from December 21, 2013, to January 31, 2014. Think back to what Venus-y themes were coming up for you back then, especially in you have important planets in Capricorn. Similar topics will be coming forward, only this time, you are eight years older and eight years wiser. What choices did you make last time, and what might you do differently this time around?

Venus retrograde in Capricorn

Due to the retrograde cycle, Venus will spend a long time in Capricorn. It entered Cap in early November and will be there until March 6, 2022. This is a 5-month journey through the part of your birth chart that contains Capricorn. Venus brings pleasure, beauty and blessings to wherever it travels in the zodiac, but given how long it's in Capricorn, there is a lot for you to explore and discover about the house topics Capricorn is connected to in your chart. Retrogrades are often a process of review and retrieval. What parts of yourself have you lost over the years, and how can you reclaim them? How might you relate differently to love, pleasure and beauty? How might you re-balance work and pleasure? Do you feel inherently worthy of love and pleasure?

Are you truly satisfied?

While in Capricorn, a Saturn-ruled sign, Venus is very interested in creating relationships that last and finding joy that is sustainable for the long-term. Both Venus and Saturn care about longevity and legacy. They want to create sustainable, nourishing foundations that we can rely on. The Venus retrograde in Capricorn gives you a chance to review what partnerships and pleasures you want to bring forward into the next eight years. Are you truly satisfied with the Capricorn part of your life? And if not, what changes do you need to make in order to have grounding and supportive pleasures in your life? Where do you need to shore up your boundaries to create more space for joy and pleasure? Or where might the boundaries be softened, so you can bring in more ease and gentleness?

The power of love and the love of power

Venus will station retrograde just a few days after conjoining Pluto. In fact, Venus spends most of December (Dec 8-30th) within 1° of Pluto, making it one of the major energetic signatures of Capricorn season.

Pluto's presence in the retrograde cycle means that you will likely be processing and working through long-buried, hidden or repressed feelings or memories during this time. Pluto is a volcanic force — energy from deep within us bubbles up to the surface to be witnessed and purged. Pluto transits can often make us confront secrets or facts that we would rather ignore, but by facing them and witnessing them, we can ultimately be cleansed and renewed.

During Venus-Pluto conjunctions, themes around power and pleasure abound. In his book, The Archetypal Universe, Renn Butler describes Venus-Pluto energies as "deep and intense passions, renewing and regenerating forces in relationships, the power of love and drive to unite." But he also describes the shadow side as "a tendency toward obsessive attractions, feelings of jealousy and possessiveness, passive aggression or manipulation, a love of power." Where are you dealing with the power of love vs the love of power in your own life? Pluto adds a purging and cathartic quality to Capricorn season — what is coming up right now that needs to be confronted, processed and then purged from your life?

Creative power and potency

When Venus and Pluto come together, there's a lot of creative and erotic potency. This isn't just about romantic or sexual relationships — you might feel this energy in your work, in your friendship or in your home. Venus-Pluto can give you bursts of creative energy, where you want to create something intense and beautiful, something bigger than yourself. But it can also highlight the power dynamics in your relationships and connections. Secrets might be revealed or hidden emotions become tangible as you explore what brings you pleasure and joy in your life. If you are someone who struggles with accessing pleasure and joy, this transit invites you to dig deep into why that is, and how you can bring more creative energy into your life.

Dates to watch

This energy will be most intense on December 25, when Venus makes its second exact conjunction to Pluto. Pay attention to what (if any) secrets are revealed, what emotions stir up from within you, and what themes appear regarding your relationship to pleasure and creativity. You'll have another activation of this energy when Mercury joins the conjunction party on December 30th, 2021 (and then again during Mercury's retrograde in Aquarius season). Venus will make the third and final conjunction to Pluto on March 3rd, so expect a resurfacing of these themes around then.

Another date to mark in your calendar is January 8, 2022. This is the moment where Venus and the Sun come together in the sky, and Venus moves through the heart of the sun (an aspect known as Venus cazimi). This marks the halfway point of the retrograde cycle and is a moment where Venus goes through a purification process, a metaphorical rebirth. This is a time when you might learn new information or get a new insight — or even a sudden change or reversal — regarding some of the Venus retrograde themes for you.

This transit will be extra important for you if...

• You are a Taurus or Libra Rising

• You have visible planets (especially the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars) or one of your angles (MC, IC, As, Ds) between 11° and 26° of Cardinal signs (Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, Libra)

• Venus is activated via a timing technique, like annual profections.

Not sure what any of that means? Book a birth chart consultation and you’ll get a personal tour of your birth chart and insight into how this retrograde will affect you.