View from Wilcox Viewpoint, Jasper National Park. Photo by Fresh.waffles / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Venus Retrograde in tropical Gemini
May 12 -June 24
Venus Stationary Retrograde @ 21 degrees Gemini 50’-May 12/13
Venus Stationary Direct @ 05 degrees Gemini 20’-June 24/25
Ambiguity, endless curiosity, or a tendency toward a short-lived attention span are strong qualities infused in the sign of Gemini. And any event here is destined to pull us in several directions. So what might we anticipate with Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and rapport appearing to turn retrograde for her forty-day/night descent and rebirth in the sign of the twins?
The title of this article says a lot. Unusually, I thought of it before I started writing. What is the heart of your perceptions? It's an interesting question. Firstly, how are our perceptions made? That's also a complicated question. Let's start here. Much of our perceptions are culturally constructed and thus socially defined. Some of that definition may be permanent, but pieces can be deconstructed willingly or through shattering life experiences. Secondly, many of those perceptions are biological, and for a logical reason.
We might think that we're autonomous beings moving freely through space, and then after an intense, mind-altering experience, that belief is suddenly a comical passing thought. We are likely far more than our perceptions allow us to believe. Yet, perceptions are important, and they guide us through our waking life to make sense of the world and survive. Venus is ruled both by an air and earth sign, and yet it has a strong emotional dimension.
Part of Venus' function is the ability for heart perception, that which lies in the domain of Libra and Taurus. We can process information intellectually but also emotionally. What is happening when we fall in love or while we blissfully gaze over a field of wildflowers or into a waterfall? Those experiences are beyond rational and cognitive processing. Something deeper is going on. Maybe we're perceiving through the soul, and yes, we're also under the influence of biological programming.
Venusian experiences involve fate and a sense of being overpowered, not by something intrusive, but alluring and attractive. Sure, we can resist, but how we feel about it is not volitional. We can't choose nor control what captivates our heart, the things, people, or experiences that invoke beauty and infatuation. Can we fall in love with an idea, a worldview, or a voice? Can we find ourselves incessantly attracted to a mind that pulls us in and endlessly captivates our attention? Of course. Venus in Gemini is like that, and her retrograde here involves themes of a changing of heart concerning perceptual constructions.
And here are some Venus retrograde basics: When any planet appears to turn retrograde, it gets louder! During Venus retrograde, the heart volume gets turned up, and we can't avoid noticing it, but we can undoubtedly deny or repress it. Sometimes that's a helpful thing, especially when the object of desire or attraction might harm us in some way. There are many people, experiences, or substances we would be better off resisting. Only wisdom can guide us there.
Sometimes, the heart's message interferes with our programmed perceptions about how we have "beautifully" constructed our worldview (or the one constructed for us). The heart can get in the way of our plans, beliefs, and expectations. Sometimes, that too is a helpful thing to redirect our life path to be more aligned with the heart. When Venus is retrograde, the heart might emerge as a welcomed relief, an uncomfortable inconvenience, or something in between. In whatever form it shows up, it would be wise to pay attention and use the following several weeks (until roughly June 25) to let life change our way of perceiving and understanding.
Anticipate serendipitous soulful dialogue, the continuation of an unfinished conversation, or the emergence of an irresistible idea, thought, or perspective. Allow the fates to work their magic in the ensuing weeks to change your mind and potentially create a healthful flow between what you're feeling, saying, and thinking. Might the heart pit you between two equally desirous options or possibilities? How do you resolve that conflict? Do you pick one over the other, or find a middle way?
There is tension in this cycle, and the need to resolve dichotomies. Venus is square Neptune, another fate inducer, but extra transpersonal. The combination of Venus and Neptune is even more overpowering and also highly idealistic. The best Venus retrograde in Gemini advice? Slow down. Listen carefully, and don't act hastily. Allow your feelings and impressions to change you from the inside first. There is a tendency to sample a lot of options and to feel things out, but be careful.
There is some obfuscation potential with Neptune, the tendency to idealize and fantasize to the extreme. So, be wary of hastily pushing a relational narrative in either direction or emptying your bank account because of a sudden, glamorous vision. Some of these dreams and fantasies may be as fleeting as they are interesting. Yet, Neptune's positive path, it's "higher road," is an authentic, soulful dialogue, and real possibilities can emerge here. Reinvigorating our lives with dreams, imagination, and ideas is essential.
Yet, consider letting time mold and shape your impressions. Critical turning points and life changes often happen when her stations align with specific placements in the natal chart, but there is a descent with Venus that can take us on a journey to that mysterious heart center. What happens inwardly during Venus retrograde is just as significant as what happens outwardly. It begins in that inward place.
Some visions, dreams, and fantasies will not hold up. But consider how those surviving inspirations will infuse your perception with renewed hope and possibilities. The potential to fall more deeply in love with a perception exists, or a change of heart that can bring you closer to beauty, serenity, and transcendence. As the heart gets louder, we can feel overwhelmingly compelled by it, and that can have both positive and negative consequences.
However, I think that one of the greatest of skills is in learning to trust ourselves. When we perceive and understand from the heart, we often can't justify or articulate it with words. We just know. And that perception can be a blessing in a world filled with oppressive forces that seek to silence that ability to trust the inner self. Let the heart energy wash over you the next several weeks and flow with the changes that ensue. Consider how some of the most important things in your life began as a subtle change of heart and perception.