There are a total of three aspects to each because of the nature of the retrograde. 

First, Venus tracks over the retrograde degrees in direct motion, making the first of the three aspects to each - this is the pre-shadow, the initiation and introduction, in this case to each issue represented by each aspect.

Second, after Venus stations retrograde, it begins making the second pass over the retrograde degrees in reverse motion, thus bringing each issue represented by each aspect up for review and deeper consideration, and bringing us to "the heart of the matter."

Lastly, once Venus stations direct, there's one more pass left to be made over the retrograde territory, this time in direct motion, and this is the resolution, when Venus will make each of the aspects to each of the planets for a third and final time, bringing resolution in one way or another to each of the issues.  

As Venus stations direct, we are entering the third and final phase of the retrograde, on until October 7th. 

This is a time of gaining clarity around what you truly love & where you’ve been - up until now - just making do, settling, or fooling yourself. It is now time to take your power back & start living from a more authentic, heart-centered place, whatever that means for you.

• Venus rules attraction and the law of attraction - how we energetically align with our desires to attract and receive them into our lives. 
• As ruler of Taurus, Venus rules money and material resources, and the pleasures of living life through the five senses. 
• As ruler of Libra, Venus rules love, relationships, balance, harmony, cooperation, tact, and diplomacy. 
• Venus also rules beauty, art, creativity, fashion, style, and aesthetics.  Venus rules what you love. 
  
• But at the heart of it all is attraction, and the common denominator is values - specifically your value of yourself, because that determines your ability to align with and attract the things you love into your life.  It all starts with self-love.  

While you may have experienced attention-getting issues around love and money during this retrograde, the heart of this journey is about helping you reclaim your inherent sense of self-value and creative power, and realign your values so that you are living from a more authentic and heart-centered place.  With a sense of pride even - this retrograde occurred in Leo, after all.  

What to Watch Now....

So that's the journey we've been on since early June with Venus in Leo and Venus retrograde.

With Venus direct on September 3rd/4th, we are reaching an important turning point, and things are going to be unfolding all the way through October 7th when Venus clears the retrograde territory once and for all.

The main action here will be between September 23rd and October 7th, as Venus makes the third and final aspects to Uranus, Chiron, Neptune, and Lilith.

Here's the deal, and what you need to be paying attention to now as we move forward:

Venus leaves the post-shadow of this retrograde JUST 1 WEEK BEFORE THE LIBRA SOUTH NODE NEW MOON ECLIPSE on 10/14, and you better believe these things are tied together and a big deal.

The 10/14 Libra eclipse is our first eclipse with north node in Aries and south node in Libra, on from mid-July til January 2025, and as south node represents past, karma, and what we need to release, if there's any relationship junk that needs to be cleared, this eclipse is going to make you very aware of it.

If you want to get out ahead of this, think about what's been coming up here and there since mid-July around relationship dynamics and especially unhealthy ones that have you sacrificing or abandoning yourself for others all the time - codependent tendencies, enmeshment, attachment issues, enabling, not keeping healthy boundaries, passive-aggressiveness (not being able to be direct about your needs and desires and the resulting fall-out), misdirected anger, low self-value, insecurity, people-pleasing, etc.

The north node in Aries is pulling us towards a healthy sense of self and the self-assertiveness that goes with it - the south node in Libra means we are going to be required to let go of everything keeping us from that, and the 10/14 new moon eclipse is going to be bringing it up.

As the October 14th new moon eclipse in Libra is our opener to the new north node in Aries, south node in Libra cycle, it promises to be an eye-opener.

With the nodes on the Aries-Libra axis of self and other, respectively, this eclipse season will be bringing relationships to the forefront, and in a particular way.

The north node is the point of increase and appetite, destiny and future - it is what we are being pulled towards.  The south node, its opposite point, is in contrast, the point of decrease, release, past, and karma.  In short, the north node is what we are moving towards, and the south node is what we are moving away from, but the way this happens is that our pull towards expressing the north node sign traits requires us to release the south node sign shadow.

In this case, the north node in Aries has us collectively feeling pulled towards more individuality, autonomy, and personal authority. 

This is about self-assertion and charting our own course.  But to do that, the south node in Libra says we are probably going to have to face down our shadows having to do with Libra themes. 

Libra is the Venus-ruled sign of relationships, and it wants harmony, equality, balance, beauty, peace, justice, and cooperation.  But in its value of the relationship and efforts to "not rock the boat," sometimes Libra can lose itself.  This is when we end up in situations like codependency. Passive-aggressiveness and resentment can show up when we for whatever reason we don't feel we can state our needs or desires in a straightforward way, or we don't feel like there's room for us to even have needs or desires because "the relationship" is always taking priority and we are in "pleaser mode" to avoid any upset that might lead to loss of relationship or perceived rejection or abandonment.  

In order to move towards the strong sense of self represented by Aries, we have to let go of that Libra shadow.  Ultimately, the Aries-Libra axis is about healthy relationships, and those don't happen without both parties first having a healthy sense of self.  There's nothing "selfish" about it.  When we come together as two strong, healthy, "wholes," we get a relationship which is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.  And that's a truly beautiful thing.

So what's happening between now and then?

A lot!

As I write this on August 20th, we are still in the "deep end" of the Venus retrograde journey in Leo, a "rebirth to self-worth," with Mercury retrograde in Virgo on deck for 8/23 to 9/14.

Our new beginning in Leo is just getting underway - the Leo new moon was just a few days ago on August 16th - but we need to be prepping now for the upcoming Pisces full moon. 

That's because the August 30th Pisces full moon is conjunct Saturn retrograde, and while it very well may be bringing us a hint of a harvest in regards to what we began cultivating at the Pisces new moon six months ago in February, the sun opposite Saturn still retrograde also has the potential to be a reality check, or even an uncomfortable ego hit or pinch.

Don't worry - there IS a way to work in alignment with this energy over the two weeks of waxing moon to make sure we are on the right side of this and even harnessing the energy in our favor.

The Virgo new moon, September 14th, will be in supportive aspect to Uranus in Taurus, helping us fully step into the new.  I've been saying all summer since Venus landed in Leo in June that we would see tangible results from the inner work by late September/October.  That's because Venus retrograde featured several "three hit wonder" aspects - Venus conjunct Lilith, Venus square Uranus, and Venus trine Chiron.  When this happens, the first aspect is the initiation to the issue, the second is the review when we revisit the issue and gain new insight and perspective, and the third and final one, when the planet has returned to direct motion, is the resolution.  The resolution in this case is coming in late September into October, and there's more factors than just Venus direct at play!  This new moon is a time to be proactive about making positive changes in our lives.

On September 29th, the Aries full moon will be bringing to realization/fruition whatever began in late March/April when we had two Aries new moons in a row, one being an eclipse.  These were powerful new moons that bookended the sign, with the first one at 0° and the second at 29°, the anaretic, or karmic degree of the sign, and an eclipse.  This one will also feature the full moon ruler, Mars, (ruler of Aries) conjunct the south node of karma, past, and release in opposing sign Libra, and squaring Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, really setting the stage for that new moon eclipse in Libra on October 14th.  

This is a year of major transition for all of us.  A major undercurrent of 2023 is Pluto taking all year to shift out of Capricorn where it has been since 2008, and into Aquarius, where it will remain (after it reenters the sign escorted by the sun in late January) until 2044.  Pluto is doing this in T-square to the nodes of future and past, increase and decrease, and destiny and fate for most of this year.  Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth transformation.  When we see it in such a potent aspect to the nodes for such a long period of time, we can know that we are going to be asked to fully release the past in order to step into the future.  This is a "let go or be dragged" situation.  We need to fully shed the old skin or it might get very uncomfortable.  There might be some growing pains along the way.

But, if we are consciously working with these energies (and that's where astrology can help us), then it's more like we are being carried by the current from one point to the next.  Each step prepares us for the next.  It's a process of evolution and growth.

Join us on the journey.

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Starting in late August and going til mid-November, we have something that astrologers call a "kite" forming and dissipating in the heavens several times over several months.  

A kite is an astrological pattern comprised of 4 planets.  It looks like a kite, like two triangles put together, with the bottom one elongated, forming a "tail," or like a bow being drawn (see image below).  

The three planets forming the top of the kite or the bow and tip of the arrow are all in 60° angles to each other, known as sextiles.  Since astrological signs each span 30° this means you'll find these three planets at the same degree (relatively) of three signs, with one sign in between each - so every other sign. 

In this case, we're talking about the three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, being in the final 10° of Taurus, Pisces, and Capricorn, respectively.  (So Aries and Aquarius are the "in-between" signs.)

What happens is, as each of the personal planets, Mars, Mercury, and Venus, and the sun each transit Virgo this summer/fall, they will each move into opposition with Neptune in Pisces, activating this kite in the heavens.

Kites bring dynamic energy that we access by working the tail point planet of the kite - in this case we will go through a series of them as the planets pass through Virgo.  

Outer planets have to do with generational influences and collective consciousness.  We are in a major transition period that began this year and goes until May 2025.  This is because over that time period all three of the outer planets will change signs, ushering us into a new era by 2025.  

This little kite formation we'll be working through with different planets in Virgo is going to be helping us evolve collectively.

Don't let this overwhelm you.  The key to success with this is focusing on working the high side of Virgo energy in your life from late August through mid-November.

We get our first taste of this with the Leo new moon, as Mars trines Uranus August 15th through 18th before opposing Neptune the 21st through 24th, then making a game-changer of a power move with Pluto August 23rd through 26th. 
 
While each planet opposing Neptune activates this larger kite energy, we also want to be conscious of the fact that any time any planet is in opposition to Neptune things get foggy and unclear, and we need to be mindful of energetic boundaries, as well as getting the "wool pulled over our eyes." 

As we work the high side of Virgo, we'll also want to remember to work the high side of Neptune/Pisces on the other side of the axis.  Balancing this tension is what allows us to tap into the support of Uranus and Pluto in sextile and trine aspects, respectively and harness the power of the kite in our lives.

MarThe Virgo vibes started heating up as soon as Mars landed there in July, as Mars is the action planet, initiator, and instigator.  But the kite formation doesn't get going until Mars gets in range of the outer planets, August 21st to 24th.

Then this energetic dynamic kicks up again with the sun 9/15 to 9/20, with Mercury 8/14 to 9/2 (stations retrograde 8/24 and direct 9/16) and again 9/27 to 10/4, and finally with Venus in 10/25 to 11/8. 

The tension point of the kite - the arrow drawing back, will be formed as the planets transiting Virgo late August to mid-November one by one form the release point of this energetic dynamic.  Like I said before, to work the kite, we must work the Virgo-Pisces opposition.

The outer planets (Uranus and Pluto supporting Neptune) are forming the point of the arrow - the direction of the aim and of forward motion. 

This is about a spiritual awakening and the connectedness of all life.  It's about higher consciousness and the evolutionary leap humanity is collectively undergoing.  Pisces is a water sign and a very spiritual sign full of empathy and compassion, and along with modern ruler Neptune, not only rules water as in "we are all one like drops of water in the ocean," but also literal water, water as a resource, and oil too.  Think about this energetic dynamic at play in league with Uranus in Taurus - innovating how we feel secure and our relationship to resources and environment (like the earth itself) - and Pluto in Capricorn - collapsing what is rotten in big systems globally like government and banking - we start to get a better picture of the monumental change that is happening on a global level right now.

The Virgo planets as they move through, the sun, light of consciousness, and each personal planet, Mercury, Venus, and Mars (not in that order), form the tail of the kite, and one-by-one will be the role you play as an individual in this raising of collective consciousness and spiritual awakening.   

This is where we "do the work," and zoom in on embodying the higher qualities of Virgo by itself and as part of the Virgo-Pisces axis.  

The Virgo-Pisces axis balances the mundane and the spiritual - both signs are about healing.

"Working Virgo," in our personal lives to contribute to the evolution of humanity to higher consciousness might look like focusing in on the sacred in the mundane, acts of practical service, and themes like the body as a temple, cleanliness in relationship to godliness, and honoring the sacred in the mundane. 

Our spiritual healing contributes to our physical healing and vice-versa - not just as individuals, but as communities and societies.  There is a cumulative effect - as more individuals heal their own lives, it helps to evolve the collective consciousness.

2023 is a year of major transition as Pluto, the planet of death and rebirth transformation takes the bulk of the year to complete its shift into Aquarius, and at the same time challenges the astrological points of future and past, destiny and karma.  This requires us to fully release any grip on the past in order to freely move towards our destiny now - the increase is fueled by the release. 

Mars initiates the planetary march through this "hot seat" in the heavens as it opposes Neptune August 21st through 24th.

This is when we are going to shift our focus to consciously working the high side of Virgo energy and balancing the Virgo-Pisces axis of healing in our lives, each playing our own unique role contributing to the larger evolutionary leap of humanity. 

Virgo is a sign of organization, tending to details, acts of service, devotion, cleanliness, refining, caution, modesty, routine, health, and diligence.  Keep it simple and practical.  Less is more.  Hard work pays off, and setting up systems and routines around daily life and health that are preventative and streamline will be invaluable "practical magic" as we move through these months.

This is preparing us for something bigger.  We reach one milestone end of January when Pluto returns to Aquarius for good (until 2044), escorted by the sun, but the "new era" being brought on by all three outer planets shifting signs won't be landed until May 2025.

It was a June afternoon in my kitchen. I was alone in my house. I had just put away groceries and was leaning on the dining room table scrolling on social media.

I happened upon an article and read it. The article described a woman whose lover had just come to her and confessed cheating, overcome with guilt over it, and in the story the woman calmly responded, "I see you are in pain, how can I help."

And that's when it hit me. Hard. I felt like I was being pulled around by my hair in my marriage and I didn't like it. It felt like I was always off balance. Like everything was always so big. Like I was quite literally being emotionally "dragged around by my hair."

And I wanted what that woman had in the story.  Bad.

I wanted that calm, centered poise, that objectivity, that "okay-ness" in herself that allowed her to be present for others in her life no matter what was going on - that THRONE. That peace! I wanted it with my whole body, my whole being.

In that moment, I was so moved by all of this that I suddenly heard myself announce to an empty house, "I want to be like that," like the voice didn't even come from me.

Deeper Implications

I didn't realize it at the time - I was still living in so much denial - but that feeling I had about being "dragged around by my hair," and constantly off balance - well, that was because I was in an abusive marriage.

In fact, I was sustaining every kind of (covert) abuse expect direct physical violence - the mental, emotional, and even sexual abuse was there, just not overtly. It was more like a constant just-beneath-the-surface erosion of my value and power.

At that point, I couldn't admit that to myself. I know now it was because I couldn't come to terms with what that would mean about me, so it wasn't even an option I would allow in to consider.

That June day was the day that there was just enough of a crack of an opening in my resistance for my higher self to jump in and rescue me, set me on a different path.

That story, and that feeling I felt when I read it, and me speaking those 6 little words - that was the beginning of an entirely new me and an entirely new life, because, "to be like that," everything was going to have to change - there was a long distance between where I was then and "being like that."

And change it did - over the course of the next ten or so years, all right on time with Pluto transiting my 7th house of marriage and opposing my first house Venus. A once in a lifetime death and rebirth transit that not even everyone experiences in a lifetime, as Pluto takes 280 years to move all the way around the zodiac, or a natal chart.

The north node represents the direction of spiritual growth.  It's what we want to consciously move towards for our soul's evolution.  The north node represents increase, appetite, the future, and destiny.

The south node, exactly opposite the north node and always moving in sync with it, is what we want to consciously release for our soul's evolution.  It's what is familiar and what we have already mastered in past lifetimes, so it can be the "comfort zone hideout" that gets us in trouble when we are too complacent in life.  It's what we know, and there's no growth for us here.  The south node represents decrease and release, the past, and karma (or lessons).  

In your natal chart, the north node and south node placements are a big part of your life map - what you are moving towards and away from on a soul level in this lifetime. 

​The north node and south node in transit in the current moment is speaking to what we are being pulled toward and asked to release collectively right now, and this shifts zodiacal axes every eighteen months, moving backwards around the zodiac.

North node in Aries and the south node in Libra from mid-July 2023 until mid-January 2025 means we are going to have an appetite and desire to embody Aries energy and as we move towards that, we will simultaneously be called to release the Libran shadow as part of the process, learning the lessons of balancing the Aries-Libra axis along the way.

We'll want to self-assert and individualize.  We might feel more impatient and competitive, with the emphasis being more on "me" and "mine."  We may be more headstrong or even hot-headed too.  This could be a time when we want to strike out on our own - what area of life this is landing in for you depends on what area of life Aries rules in your chart.  For example, if you are Cancer rising, Aries would be your 10th house of career, so this might have to do with blazing a trail in your career and going into business for yourself, but if you're Sagittarius rising, Aries would rule your 5th house of children, the inner child, romance, and creative self-expression.

Remember that Chiron is still in Aries, helping us heal that wound to self that might have us doubting our right to exist.  Maybe, up until now, this has kept us playing small to stay safe.  And maybe, as we learn to take up space and be seen and heard, it's a little like learning to drive a stick shift and we're "all over the place," under-doing it, then over-doing it, trying to refine our ability to shift gears smoothly, and what I mean by that quite literally is refining our ability to balance the Aries-Libra axis of self and other so we don't lose ourselves in relationships or become door mats but also don't run over others and become completely and toxically selfish.  

A healthy sense of self is the foundation for a healthy relationship - one in which the total value equals more than the sum of its parts.  That's the lesson of the Aries-Libra axis.  North node in Aries means we are going to have a year and a half to get right with that relationship to self.

With the south node in Libra, we'll want to be consciously aware of the shadow of Libra energy - the codependency, the passive-aggressiveness, the feeling that we must sacrifice ourselves for the relationship, that there isn't room for our needs or feelings to be expressed and heard and important.  That is not the definition of harmony or cooperation.  Libra wants equality, fairness, and healthy relationships.  That begins with a healthy sense of self and individualism - everything the healthy expression of Aries energy wants.  It's not the either-or; it's the AND - there's room for both, for everyone's truth.  There must be.

As within, so without.  When we become more allowing with ourselves, we become more allowing, period, and that means we become more allowing with others.  There's more permission all the way around, because we also have developed our ability to allow, acknowledge, and communicate our own wants and needs more effectively and tactfully, and in the process developed better boundaries.  And better boundaries means we're safe to allow both ourselves and others to have our own stories and our own truths and beliefs, and suddenly there's more harmony, more cooperation, more...relationship.  That means more of the Aries courage, strength, leadership, and healthy individualism can emerge, and we'll feel the need to spend less time in the warrior sign's combativeness, protectiveness, and defensiveness.  That means more energy for inspiration and creativity.

The north node lands in Aries after eighteen months (since January 19th, 2022) in Taurus. 

The north node represents appetite, desire, increase - what we are being pulled toward, and the south node, respectively, represents what we must release in the process of that evolution we're being pulled along the path to. The two work together. 

For the past eighteen months, we've been moving through north node in Taurus, south node in Scorpio.  We've collectively had an appetite for all things Taurus - the Venus-ruled earth sign of indulging the five senses and earthly abundance.  Taurus wants security through material things, to enjoy life through the five senses, to be well-resourced and well-appointed.  And why wouldn't we all be craving that after a few years of pandemic?  But our appetite for the embodiment of the Taurean north node in our lives comes hand in hand with us collectively needing to face and release that Scorpio shadow - the counterpoint on the other end of the Taurus-Scorpio zodiacal axis.

If Taurus is security through material possessions and resources, Scorpio, the deep-diving water sign of the shadowlands, teaches us the lesson that true power and security will never be found through the tangible, it can only found within, and the more we release, the more we will actually receive.  And one of the things we need to release is the need for control.  Scorpio is about the natural cycle of destruction and creation, the cycle of elimination and regeneration, the transference of energy from one form to another.  In short, holding on to rotting food isn't going to get you the luxe abundance you were imagining - and I mean that as a metaphor for many, many things in life.  It's important to know when to let go, and how to let go.  Scorpio teaches about transitions and regeneration.

We're finishing that cycle up now.  How are you feeling with your progress in learning to balance the Taurus-Scorpio axis over the past year and a half?

With the north node now moving into Aries, and the south node into Libra, the soul growth focus is now shifting for us collectively to being about relationships - specifically the relationship of self and other.

The north node will be pulling us towards embodiment of Aries energy - we're going to want to assert ourselves and individualize and go out and conquer on our own and feel strong and capable.  But the south node will simultaneously be reminding us that we cannot forget about the other end of the axis - other.  

We need relationships.  We need others.  We need cooperation.  We want it too!

Healthy relationships only come from a healthy sense of self.  

When we learn to be the healthy embodiment of Aries energy - self-reliant, confident, interdependent (as opposed to independent or codependent), self-assertive (not aggressive),  and authentic - a funny thing happens - all of our relationships start to become more healthy too.  

This is about self-value, self-expression, the ability to have a healthy sense of self and to communicate healthy boundaries with others, and also the capacity to show up as leader (not a dictator).  

Remember the stick shift analogy - this is a learning process for us as a collective over the next year and a half.  There's likely to be some sputtering, accidental kills, and gear grinding along the way.  

Imagine everyone (on varying levels) suddenly having the urge to be more self-assertive but not necessarily being good at it, or conscious of this energetic dynamic at play for the collective (like you are now).  

Beyond what comes up in our personal lives, the north node transiting Aries is associated with an upsurge in things like military operations, and even higher global temperatures, fires, and seismic activity.  

Aries as the first sign of the zodiac is an initiator.  It's energy activates.  So it may seem that suddenly everyone is "hot to trot."  

Things are changing, clearly.  

Pluto is the planet of power, yes, and "Lord of the Underworld."  But Pluto is ultimately a planet of regeneration - of the process of energy changing from one form to another.  It's all energy, and energy doesn't go away, it only changes form.

It's not so much "release," as it is "transmute," and you're the alchemist of your life.  You're the one with the power.

Pluto rules the cycle of destruction and creation, death and rebirth.  

Think:  personal renaissance, the renewal or revival of the quintessential you, and even phoenix-style rebirth of your authentic essence.   Imagine irrigating and finally healing those old wounds and clearing out the tough scar tissue that has kept you from sharing yourself with the world joyfully and playfully just for the sake of being you and authentic.  Imagine cleaning all the old ideas and beliefs about yourself and experiences and other peoples' opinions and ideas about you that have gotten stuck on your aura, both on the outside and the inside, and cleaning off that filmy residue of the past that has been keeping you, up until now, from shining your unique radiant light and sharing your brilliance.

Did I mention that this is the longest Venus has been in Leo since 1812?  Venus entered Leo on June 5th and won't be leaving until early October.  Venus' last retrograde in Leo was actually in Leo and the early degrees of Virgo back from July to early September 2015, so this is quite likely to be a continuation of whatever the theme of that last Venus retrograde in Leo was in your life.

Venus rules the divine feminine - attraction and receiving - in our lives; quite literally the law of attraction - how we align energetically with our desires to attract and receive them in our lives.  Venus is about love and money, relationships and resources, as ruler of Libra and Taurus, but there's one common denominator - that's values, and especially our value of ourselves.  That's the key to Venus.  We attract and receive the love and money we desire by way of energetic alignment, and that means the quality and quantity of our relationships and resources is directly linked to how highly we value ourselves.

Venus retrograde is a review that helps us uplevel that self-value and energetic alignment with our desires, and Leo is all about authenticity, creative self-expression, and shining our unique light in the world.  

Thus Venus retrograde in Leo is all about a rebirth of self-worth, and this is reawakening and rebirth from the very core of our personal values and self-values I've been talking about so much this year, because I believe it's what we've all been waiting for as far as some feel-good supportive astrology that really helps us get in right relationship with ourselves and really love and appreciate ourselves and this is going to supercharge our efforts around everything we've been working to create in our lives over the past months and even years as we battled through some really tough energetic dynamics (like Saturn squaring everything nonstop).  

There are three phases to any planetary retrograde - the pre-shadow, the retrograde, and the post shadow.  The pre-shadow is the planet's first pass over the degrees of the retrograde in forward motion.  The retrograde is the when the planet appears to be backtracking over those degrees, and the post-shadow is the planet's third and final pass over the degrees of the retrograde after stationing direct.

Venus entered the pre-shadow of the retrograde on June 19th, stations retrograde on July 22nd, stations direct on September 3rd, and leaves the retrograde territory for good (leaves the post-shadow) on October 7th. 

This gives us three distinct phases of Venus retrograde in Leo - initiation, review, and resolution. 

Initiation - the pre-shadow - June 19th to July 22nd, as Venus makes it's first pass over the retrograde territory, is the initiation.  During this time, we tune into what's coming up in our lives, especially around the Venus themes of resources, relationships, and self-value, and the Leo themes of creative self-expression and shining our light authentically and boldly.  

Review - the retrograde - July 22nd to September 3rd is the actual retrograde when Venus appears to be backtracking over the degrees it just covered between June 19th and July 22nd.  This is the review.  When a planet is retrograde, it isn't just about going backward, or reviewing - it's energy also turns inward, prompting us to do the inner work around the areas of life that planet rules.  In the case of Venus, we may have issues coming up around love, money, and self-expression (during the pre-shadow or initiation phase) that are prompting us to review and do the inner work around self-value and values and also any fear or shame we are carrying around authentically expressing ourselves, during the actual retrograde.  

Resolution - the post shadow - September 3rd to October 7th is the post-shadow phase, when Venus, after stationing direct, makes its third and final pass over the degrees of the retrograde.  This is the resolution.  The pre-shadow brought up the issue(s), and during the retrograde we did the review and rework - we made the edits in the inner realm and maybe in our outer lives too.  Now we are reaching resolution and preparing to move forward into completely new territory.

Because Venus retrograde is about facing the shadow to be reborn to a new consciousness, after the post shadow phase is complete, the idea is to move forward in our lives with a new sense of self and recalibrated values, more aware of our shadows, and whole unto ourselves, in our full creative power.

The aspects Venus makes to other planets during this summer's retrograde through Leo further define the energy of this review in our lives.

While retrograde, Venus will be making four important transits - a set of three conjunctions to Black Moon Lilith also in Leo, a set of three trines, or flowing aspects, to Chiron in Aries, a set of three squares, or growth aspects, to Uranus in Taurus, and a set of three reality-checking quincunxes to Neptune in Pisces.  Venus will also meet up with both Mercury and sun as they move through for Leo season while retrograde there.

Below I'll take you through each of these transits and what they mean, and then I'll give you a list of the transits one by one in date order - in the order you'll be experiencing each one as Venus moves through all three phases of this retrograde dance making these aspects. 

Remember, at the heart of this, it's all about values and most of all our value of ourselves.  That's what this retrograde is going to be focused on - helping us identify any shadow work that needs our attention right now and doing it.  Because this is Venus we are talking about, the clues come through love and money in our lives, our resources and relationships, or lack thereof.  When those things come up over the coming months, those are the threads we want to follow within that lead us to the healing work wanting to be done now around self-esteem, self-value, and showing up more authentically in our every day lives.

Venus conjunct Black Moon Lilith in Leo - #1:  6/28, #2:  8/7-8/8, #3:  10/9
Black Moon Lilith isn't an actual heavenly body - it's the lunar apogee - a calculated point.  You might think of it as a lunar shadow.  While Venus is associated with love and money and the divine feminine, and all that is pleasing, Lilith is associated with the wild feminine - the part that isn't so nice and doesn't care about pleasing - the feminine that would not, could not be tamed.  This set of three conjunctions with Venus retrograde in Leo is of great importance to our retrograde journey, because this is where the part of the divine feminine we might consider it's conscious expression (Venus) meets up with it's unconscious counterpart, the shadow (Lilith).  It's important to remember that both have equal value and importance.  Black Moon Lilith represents where we have stuffed part of ourselves down because we were shamed - it wasn't acceptable at some point, in some experience, under some circumstances, and we ended up deciding that we were somehow shameful and wrong and unacceptable.  Anything that comes up that gives you a charge now around this sort of thing is your clue to what you have an opportunity to heal now and love up to the surface - pay close attention around June 28th about any discomfort that on closer examination has its root in shame.  It is begging for your loving attention now so it can be healed.  It's going to come up again for review around August 7th and 8th.  This could also show up as something you see someone else doing that really upsets you - something that you find irritating on the surface level, but if you go deeper, you find shameful, and if you go even deeper, is something you've been shamed out of doing in your life that you actually really want to do because it is part of your authentic creative self-expression.  Remember, if you disown or make unacceptable even one tiny cell in your body, you've disowned and made unacceptable all of you - the body doesn't differentiate - every part of you is you.  Now you get to heal and whole yourself.

Venus trine Chiron in Aries - #1:  6/29, #2:  8/16-8/17, #3:  9/23-9/24
Right as Venus' first conjunction to Lilith in Leo is happening 6/28, we have Venus also in trine to Chiron in Aries, exact 6/29.  That means that Lilith is in trine to Chiron along with Venus, but this is only the case for this first aspect - Venus will conjunct Lilith and trine Chiron separately for numbers 2 and 3 in August and September/October, respectively.  That means this initial hit in late June is going to quite the initiation!  Own your wounds.  As Brene Brown says, shame cannot survive in the light, and a flow aspect between two fire signs like Leo and Aries is pure, well, fire.  Be brave.  Take heart.  No more hiding.  This doesn't mean drama and theatrics - it means simply being seen just as you are, and standing up in that strong sense of self with pride.  This aspect is here to help you step into that beautiful authenticity, no matter what has happened to you in your experience of life.  The initiation of that first conjunction between Venus and Lilith happens just one day before Venus trines Chiron for the first time, so whatever shame comes up, that's the fuel for this fire.  That is your offering to the sacred flame of purification and transformation.  Remember, number one is just the initiation.  Venus will make this aspect to Chiron two more times before we're done.  The next time will be the review when we are really doing the inner work in mid-August, and then resolution will come around September 23rd and 24th.

Venus square Uranus in Taurus - #1:  7/2, #2:  8/9, #3:  9/29
After our initiations of Venus conjunct Lilith June 28th and then trine Chiron June 29th, we really have no time to catch our breath before Venus squares up to Uranus on July 2nd (right before the July 3rd full moon).  Squares are growth aspects - the growth is forced by the two planets interacting at a 90° angle that creates an energetic impasse.  We'll already be feeling the tension of the first of three Venus-Uranus squares building as we move through the initial Venus-Lilith and Venus-Chiron aspects just days before.  When Uranus is involved, we can expect disruption and unexpected upheaval, especially when it is in challenging aspect such as a square.  When it's squaring Venus, that disruption and unexpected upheaval is going to have to do with love and money, relationships and resources in our lives.  This can destabilize us.  This may come through as a freedom versus security dilemma, or blow up.  We won't want to feel restricted, and definitely not smothered.  We want excitement.  And we want to express our uniqueness and individuality.  The farther from your authentic truth you've been living, the more destabilizing this aspect will feel.  Over the course of these three aspects Venus will make to Uranus - July 2nd, August 9th, and September 29th - you're invited to come home to yourself and restructure your life and relationships on a more authentic foundation.

Venus quincunx Neptune in Pisces - #1:  7/16, #2:  7/30, #3:  10/3
Luckily, we'll get a breather between the Venus-Uranus square and our next initiatory aspect - Venus quincunx Neptune on July 16th - before Venus stations retrograde on July 22nd.  As I mentioned, the Capricorn full moon will be July 3rd, right on the heels of that big July 2nd Venus-Uranus square.  The new moon in Cancer will be July 17th, and it comes with the north node of destiny and future making a sign change for the first time in eighteen months on July 18th.   Venus' first quincunx in the set of three to Neptune lands at the dark moon the day before the new moon, July 16th, the deepest diving and most inward turning point of the lunar cycle and a time of releasing what no longer serves.  A quincunx is a 150° angle between two planets - it's just one sign shy of an opposition.  It's like the planets don't "see" each other, like they are in each other's blind spots.  Instead of a challenging relationship, like the energetic impasse of the 90° square or stand off of the 180° opposition, it's like they are cut off from each other while still interacting.  Neptune retrograde is always about a "reality check," about clearing any "fantasy fog" in our lives that's keeping us in delusional living, and Neptune retrograde quincunx the planet of relationships and resources, desires and attraction as it sets up for a retrograde may land us with a hard reality about where we've been fooling ourselves or being unrealistic where it hurts most - in matters of love and money.  As this occurs when the lunar energy is at its lowest, the day before the new moon in emotional Cancer is exact, it's going to pay to set yourself up for this one, because it might be a bit owie.  Dark moon rules apply here on this first aspect - the initiation is quite often the toughest one.  So, 7/15-7/18, score space for yourself, to slow down, get reflective, and turn inward, and use these days to cut out the noise and stressors and really nurture yourself and feed your soul.  Bonus points for engaging in spiritual and creative pursuits.  

Venus conjunct Mercury in Leo - 7/27 
Both Mercury (7/27) and then sun (8/13), passing by Venus are one-hit-wonders.  Leo vibes are amped for the month that the sun graces its own sign of Leo - "Leo season," and wherever the sun is, Mercury isn't far away.  Mercury, ruler of the mind, thinking, and communication passes by Venus retrograde on July 27th.  Remember, Leo is the sign of the heart, authenticity, and creative self-expression.  Leo wants to be seen, heard, and appreciated.  As a fire sign, it's enthusiastic and inspiration fuels its flames.  Authentic self-expression is a magical elixir now.

Venus conjunct sun (cazimi) in Leo - 8/13 (20°) (the heart of Venus RX)
Then, on August 13th, the sun, following in Mercury's footsteps, passes by Venus retrograde.  The sun conjunct Venus retrograde is known as the inferior conjunction, or "cazimi," the arabic term meaning "in the heart."  This is the heart of Venus' retrograde journey in Leo - the "aha moment."  Think "revelation."  This is the heart of your personal renaissance - the big turning point.  In just three days, we'll arrive at the last  aspect in our second set of "review aspects" - the ones Venus is making while in retrograde motion to Black Moon Lilith, Chiron, Uranus, and Neptune.  The only one left to make before she stations direct is the flowing trine aspect to Chiron, coming up on August 16th and 17th.  What this means is, at this point, when Venus is cazimi with the sun on August 13th, at this turning point, we've already done all of the heavy lifting of the retrograde.  We arrive at the "aha moment," the heart of the retrograde, on August 13th and then roll right into a supportive aspect from Chiron, the wounded healer, in the sign of the self, Aries.  Now we are ready to step up with a heart filled with courage and really let our light shine for all to see.  Maybe it's the old scars where the light actually shines through most brightly?

August 23rd to September 3rd: A Special Note
These are the days we have both Venus retrograde in Leo AND Mercury retrograde in Virgo.  Mercury will be retrograde in Virgo, Leo's neighbor, from August 23rd until September 15th for Virgo season, and this year's Virgo season.  Virgo season has it's own special mojo going on this year, as each planet that passes through Virgo this summer/fall will form the tail of what's known as a "kite" formation in astrology, with the other three planets involved being outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all sextile each other in Taurus, Pisces, and Capricorn, respectively. (If you want to know more about this astrology, read about point 4 in my blog post by clicking here.) The Virgo-Pisces opposition being lit up is the main point of focus here.  It's about the Virgo-Pisces of healing between the physical and spiritual - specifically finding the sacred in the mundane and honoring the physical in acts of practical service and caretaking, like cleanliness, organization, diet, and routine.  As Venus retrograde and Mercury retrograde overlap, people or situations may come in from the past, requiring us to review and make edits in our lives.  Mercury retrograde always wants to upgrade our thinking and communication, and requires us to slow down in order to do so.  Venus retrograde is also a review, but as we've been discussing, it has to do with an upgrade in love and money - at the heart of the matter, a reevaluation of values and an upgrade in how we value and esteem ourselves.  

After September 3rd ~ The Resolution
​After this, Venus stations direct on September 3rd, and from September 3rd til October 7th, Venus is in the post-shadow of the retrograde, making its third and final pass over the retrograde territory now in direct motion.  This is the resolution, with Venus making it's third and final aspects respectively as follows:  trining Chiron for the final time on September 23rd and 24th, squaring Uranus for the final time on September 29th, making the final quincunx to Neptune on October 3rd, and then making the 3rd and final conjunction to Black Moon Lilith at 0° Virgo, after clearing the post retrograde shadow, on October 9th.

6/19:  Venus enters the pre-shadow of the retrograde 12° Leo
6/28:  Venus conjunct Lilith in Leo #1 of 3
6/29:  Venus trine Chiron in Aries #1 of 3
7/2:  Venus square Uranus in Taurus #1 of 3
7/16:  Venus quincunx Neptune in Pisces #1 of 3
7/22:  Venus stations retrograde 28° Leo
7/27:  Venus conjunct Mercury in Leo
7/30:  Venus RX quincunx Neptune in Pisces #2 of 3
8/7-8/8:  Venus RX conjunct Lilith in Leo #2 of 3
8/9:  Venus RX square Uranus in Taurus #2 of 3
8/13:  Venus conjunct sun (cazimi) 20° Leo 
8/16-8/17:  Venus RX trine Chiron in Aires #2 of 3
​9/3:  Venus stations direct 12° Leo
9/23-9/24:  Venus trine Chiron in Aries #3 of 3
9/29:  Venus square Uranus in Taurus #3 of 3
10/3:  Venus quincunx Neptune in Pisces #3 of 3
10/7:  Venus leaves the post shadow of the retrograde 28° Leo
10/9:  Venus conjunct Lilith in Virgo #3 of 3

Neptune stations retrograde on Friday, June 30th, until December 6th.  Neptune goes retrograde once a year, and it's always about "breaking the spell," - if there is one that is keeping us in fantasy, delusion, or escapism.  

Neptune retrograde is an annual "reality check," and this is a good thing.  

Think of it this way...Neptune, strong in Pisces as the modern ruler of the sign, can weave illusions.  We can get lost in fantasy-land and quickly get swept out to sea.  But every year when Neptune is retrograde, it's magic weakens as the sun burns through the nebulous haze - that is, if there is any.

If we are working high Neptune/Pisces, we are tuned in to "in-spir-ation" - guidance from spirit, and channeling that through our bodies in a grounded way.  This is how as creative beings we create life, bringing ideas and dreams from imagination into 3D reality through real-world action steps.

If we are disconnected from ourselves and the mundane world, swept out into the Neptunian/Piscean abyss, then it doesn't matter what kind of inspiration we are receiving from source because the channel is not there for it to be realized.

That's why, even though Neptune is an outer planet and more of a generalized influence than the personal planetary retrogrades, it's important to take note and be aware of the energetic dynamics at play right now.

Saturn, the planet that makes things real and ruler of the 3D realm, is also in Pisces, having just landed there in mid-March, and just stationed retrograde on June 17th.  
​
Saturn will station direct on November 4th, and then Neptune will follow December 6th.

Note that they are both retrograde in Pisces. 

While Neptune retrograde is a reality check, a "lifting of the veil," Saturn's retrograde is more like a mentorship where we are getting some guidance, time to review and rework, or even lessons around what we are building in our lives and how to create a strong container - foundation and boundaries - to hold what we value and keep it safe. 

​In Pisces, this has to do with our ideals, our dreams, and even the collective dream - it has a very spiritual theme having to do with the connectedness of all life, that we are all one, all part of a greater whole, like drops of water in the ocean.

As Neptune stations retrograde this weekend (exact 27° Pisces at 15:06 CDT, Friday, June 30th), the astrology surrounding the beginning of this cosmic phase lasting til early December reminds us of the importance of keeping the faith and trusting - trusting ourselves, trusting our instincts, trusting in the possibility of the best outcome for all involved and for the entire planet no matter what the "what is" looks like right now.

There are many other factors at play now, and the bottom line is, it's all energy, and the energy that each one of us holds consistently in our day to day lives - that means our outlook, our faith, our beliefs, our thoughts, and our feelings - is creating our personal futures and our future as a collective, as a planet, in each moment, with each breath.  

As Neptune stations retrograde this weekend, we have sun and Mercury in Cancer, and the moon gliding through Scorpio all upping the water vibes - the water element is always about intuition and emotions.  E-motions are energy in motion, and energy is all there is in this universe - quite literally, energy is what this universe and every single thing in it is made of.  We live in a world of vibrational frequency.  We emit vibrational energy.  We create with vibrational frequency.  And the vibrational frequency we create with is our emotions.  Our emotions - our feelings - is also the conduit of messages in our body, our information source, our intuition and inner guidance.  

Right now as Neptune stations retrograde, we have Jupiter, planet of abundance, wealth, luck, opportunity, expansion, growth, optimism, truth, faith, and belief in Venus-ruled earth-sign Taurus in a positive link up to first sun (light of consciousness) and then Mercury (the mind, messenger, thinking, and communications).  The message here is this:  keeping the faith and staying positive right now is going to bring good things - this is where the growth and opportunity will be found!

So no matter what "reality check" we might get as Neptune stations this Friday the 30th, let's remember it's here to help us, and it's our job to keep the faith and turn to Saturn currently retrograde also in Pisces for assistance around what to do on the mundane, 3D plane to come back into alignment and step back into being the channel - our bodies being the channel and instrument - for "making the ideal real."

As within, so without.  Whatever is in your inner realm energetically determines your outer experience in life, and it also ripples out to affect the whole, because it's all connected - you are part of the collective consciousness.  

That means you are a powerful creator, and what you are healing or not healing, cultivating or not cultivating, in your inner realm, and what you are creating in your personal life, has a powerful effect on this entire world.

You matter.  You are important.  What you think, what you believe, what you feel - it all ripples out and affects the whole.  You're a big deal, and it's time to start acting like it.

Not to worry - Chiron in Aries is on the job already helping us heal those wounds to self that keep us playing small, and Venus is in Leo with both Lilith and Mars right now getting ready for a retrograde that is nothing short of a personal renaissance for each of us - an opportunity to clear out the shame and shadowy bits that have kept us from stepping up and claiming our thrones and owning our inherent value and worth.  We are all getting the opportunity to clear the inner blocks that have been keeping us from our most authentic level of self-expression.

So you can see how that over the coming weeks (Venus is retrograde in Leo from 7/22 to 9/3) will be very helpful support as we work on the larger themes around Saturn and Neptune retrograde in Pisces and "making the ideal real," both in our personal lives and as a collective.

But there's something even bigger at play here.  Neptune in Pisces is linking up (by 60° sextile - a positive, flowing aspect) to Pluto in Capricorn this year, and these two outer planets are coming back into this aspect pattern after a 30 year break, and the third outer planet, Uranus, will be joining in the mix too (also linking by 60° sextile to Neptune).  

This "outer planet link-up" by sextile (Uranus in Taurus to Neptune in Pisces to Pluto in Capricorn, all in the 3rd decan of their respective signs) is on strong from around August 21st to November 14th this year. 

Keep in mind that another major underlying energetic current of this year is one of deep release and letting go of the past to move forward as Pluto is in T-square to the nodes of future and past, destiny and fate, increase and release, early March to early December this year - no matter what else is going on, you are being asked to completely release the past and do the clearing work and cord-cutting - or else.

But this "outer planet link-up" is also an overarching energetic current we want to be aware of and consciously work with, because it's about humanity undergoing a major evolutionary leap.  It's about understanding that we are all connected, and on some level, are all one.  It's about us as individuals being part of the collective consciousness.  It's about the fact that it is really all energy and we are all energetically connected, and because of that, each one of us is a powerful creator contributing to the whole and the outcome.  

You are not powerless to contribute to positive changes in this world and on this planet.  Your true power lies in your daily energetic vibration, because this is where you - where we all - create from.  The energetic vibration, the emotions, the vibrational frequency that we put out day in and day out - that's the "prima materia," the raw material you create with as alchemist of your life.  It's all about the healing work you do in your own inner realm.  Because every bit of that is one more shift for the whole, for the collective, and there IS a tipping point of consciousness - when we get a certain number of individuals to a certain point of healing, we bring everyone with us. 

This is about your energy - the energy you are choosing to transmute and the energy you are choosing to cultivate. 

​It's about what you are now willing to fully release from your past and the limiting beliefs you are now ready to be done with so that you are released into a higher consciousness, so that we can all be released to a higher consciousness.  

Collectively (and personally) we are in the midst of major change.

Pluto began this transition of eras in March when it landed in Aquarius for the first time in over two centuries.  It has since gone retrograde and moved back into Capricorn for a "clean up round" of it's transit there since 2008, but come mid-January will return to the sign of the future and innovation, escorted by the sun no less, to stay for good - that is, until 2044.  

By May 2025, the other two outer planets (generational influences) will also have changed signs, with Neptune moving out of Pisces and into Aries, and Uranus moving out of Taurus and into Gemini.  

In contrast to Pluto's 16-20 year transit of each sign, Neptune spends 13 years in each sign, and Uranus spends seven - compare that to Saturn's two and a half year sign transit, Jupiter at one year, then Mars at two months, Venus at 18 months, and Mercury never being more than two signs away from the sun, which of course spends one month in each sign.

What this means is that from March 2023 until May 2025, we are in a major period of transition as a collective as we shift from one era to another, marked by the outer planets all changing signs over this transition period.

Things are going to look very different by May 2025.  

Pluto in Aquarius is a monumental shift.  The last time Pluto was in Aquarius, we had things like the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution.  Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, planet of the future, breaking the status quo, rebellion, revolution, and freedom.  It's also about technology, innovation, and anything humanitarian.  Pluto is about death and rebirth style transformation - exposing and stripping what is rotten so that it may be composted to support new life.  Pluto in Aquarius will be bringing innovative change, have no doubt, and selfish power and greed won't get good results. 

This kind of widespread deep-diving change can feel scary, but here's the deal:  it has the potential to bring solutions - positive solutions and new ways forward - that we have not yet even imagined possible.  

And it's up to us to hold that vision of the possibility of a future where technology provides us with better lives for every living being on the planet rather than more harm and destruction. 

It's up to us to align with that energetic vibe of faith, hope, belief, optimism, and trust and consistently hold it, because holding that energetic vibration is the only pathway from here to there, and each one of us has a part to play in doing that and bringing this one home, so to speak.

Here's the best part....

When you visualize your best future and hold the energetic vibration of that as you steadily take the action steps to move toward it - when you hold the belief that it is possible, and that you deserve it, and it will be your reality; when you stay positive; when you hold that high vibe and truly believe you are valuable and worthy and this is your future - you aren't just creating it for yourself - you are helping create that best future for all of us, for the entire planet.

So as Neptune stations retrograde, in the face of any "reality check" that might arise, this is my question to you:  can you stand in the "what is" of right now in your life and in the world, and hold the high vision for the best outcome for all, for a beautiful future for you and all life on this planet in complete belief and faith?   Can you raise your energetic vibration above the "what is" of right now and energetically align with a future full of solutions and positive change that supports the greater good of all life on this planet?

If you can imagine it, you can create it, but you are going to have to believe it before you see it, and we're all in this together.  So let's get started making magic!

The love, the abundance, the joy, the confidence, the ease that feels so elusive - it's waiting for you, you've just got to reclaim your throne, the throne of your heart.  

This is about personal sovereignty and coming right with yourself - connecting to yourself and healing your relationship with yourself, because your relationship to yourself determines every other relationship in your life, and your relationship to life itself. As within, so without.  It's energetic law.  ​