This year Venus goes retrograde in Scorpio and Libra at the same time that Mercury also goes retrograde in Scorpio – should be fun! The entire Venus retrograde cycle runs from August 2026 to August 2027 and Venus stations retrograde on 3rd October. But the cycle officially begins at the Sun Venus inferior conjunction on 24th October. Here are the dates for your diary:

• 31st August 2026: enters retrograde shadow at 22° Libra
• 3rd October: stations retrograde at 8° Scorpio
• 24th October: inferior conjunction with the Sun at 0° Scorpio
• 14th November: stations direct at 22° Libra
• 15th December: leaves retrograde shadow at 8° Scorpio
• 12th August 2027: superior conjunction with the Sun at 19° Leo

When Venus goes retrograde her energy turns inward as she descends into the underworld in search of renewal. This provides an opportunity to explore your feelings about your values and whether they align with your deeper instincts and needs. You can use these periods to re-evaluate your relationships, business partnerships, finances, creative projects, and feelings of self-worth and realign them with your soul’s deepest needs.

The last time Venus went retrograde in Scorpio/Libra was 8 years ago in October 2018. You may want to revisit what happened in your life back then to get a feel for the themes that may come up for you this year. Remember that life rarely repeats in exactly the same way but you may get some clues for what you need to focus your attention on this time around.

In this cycle, Venus will cover the degrees between 22° Libra and 8° Scorpio so this is the area of your chart that will be affected. This is where you’ll need to evaluate your feelings and let go of anything that no longer reflects the person you’ve become during the last 8 years.

Thanks to the retrograde Venus will spend longer than usual in these signs and it breaks down almost equally between them in total: 11 weeks in Libra and 11.5 weeks in Scorpio.

Venus entered Libra on 6th August and stays until 10th September when she enters Scorpio, and then returns to Libra on 25th October until 4th December. Venus in Libra is happy in her own sign with a desire for beauty and harmony in relationships and with finances. You may feel more romantic, sociable and idealistic during this time.

When Venus is retrograde in Libra you could become indecisive or unsure what you really want in relationships, or struggle with co-dependency or a tendency to be too nice or cooperative. Use this time to explore your values and what you find beautiful or attractive, and renew your sense of self-worth by finding balance in the Libra part of your chart.

Venus enters Scorpio on 10th September and stays until 25th October when she returns to Libra. She returns to Scorpio on 4th December until 7th January 2027 when she enters Sagittarius. Venus in Scorpio values passionate relationships and intense experiences which is quite different to the refined energy of Libra.

When Venus goes retrograde in Scorpio your feelings may deepen and become more compulsive or controlling and shadow material could bubble up and cause issues in your relationships. There could be power struggles or difficulties with your finances. Use this time to go deeper into how you really feel and transform yourself through intimacy with others.

The chart for the Venus retrograde station is intense and volatile. Venus goes retrograde while conjunct Mercury in Scorpio and trine the Moon in Cancer which is supportive. But she’s also locked into a nasty T-square with Mars opposite Pluto which goes exact the same day, while Mercury forms a Grand Cross with his opposition to Chiron.

The T-square with Mars and Pluto may force a confrontation with compulsive emotions and issues you’ve been avoiding. There could be relationship breakups or financial difficulties that trigger fears about survival. Mars Pluto energy is highly volatile and can push aggression to extremes, triggering fights, power struggles and explosive outbursts driven by a desire to manipulate or control others.

But this passionate energy can be channelled in positive ways into creative work and transforming your relationships. You may feel under great pressure to make changes early in the retrograde but it might be better to wait and see how things play out. Look for what needs to change and let go of anything that isn’t working so you can realign with your true values which may shift when Venus goes direct.

The Mars Pluto opposition fades in from 20th September and goes exact the same day as the Venus retrograde station. The Mars Pluto T-square with Venus lasts about 3 weeks using an 8-degree orb, fading in from 28th September. The Venus Mars square dissolves by 19th October, although by then Venus is still square Pluto and in another T-square opposite Chiron.

The Venus Pluto square is gone by 3rd November so the end of the retrograde period should feel better than the start. Things may calm down and feel less intense once Venus re-enters Libra and you can start to get back into balance and sort out any messes that have blown up around or within you during the earlier part of the cycle.

Venus stations direct while opposite Chiron and sextile the Mars Jupiter conjunction in Leo with the south node in the mix too. Mercury is still plugged into the Pluto Chiron square but this chart is a definite improvement on the station retrograde. Notice too that the Saturn Neptune conjunction has returned into orb, although it’s not close:

During this cycle Mercury teams up with Venus and goes retrograde in Scorpio around the same time which could increase any potential disruption and hiccups halfway through the Venus cycle. The Mercury retrograde covers the degrees between 5° and 22° Scorpio and he conjuncts Venus for about 2 weeks from 30th September to 13th October. Here’s how the cycles overlap:

• Mercury enters retrograde shadow while conjunct Venus at 5° Scorpio on 4th October, the day after Venus stations retrograde at 8° Scorpio
• The Mercury Venus conjunction goes exact at 8° Scorpio on 7th October just after Venus has gone retrograde
• Mercury stations retrograde at 20° Scorpio on 24th October, the same day as the Sun Venus inferior conjunction at 0° Scorpio, and the day before Venus re-enters Libra
• Mercury stations direct at 5° Scorpio on 13th November, the day before Venus stations direct at 22° Libra

Mercury conjunct Venus in Scorpio deepens your mind and communication, allowing you to see the emotional undercurrents and hidden agendas in relationships. You can ferret out secrets – or keep secrets – and transform the way you think and connect with others. If you approach this carefully it could be a highly creative and healing time.

Venus makes other aspects during her retrograde cycle, as well as the Mercury conjunction, the square to Pluto and opposition to Chiron. Venus sextiles Jupiter in Leo, providing positive support and optimism, and squares Mars and then sextiles Mars in Leo, boosting energy and possible conflicts but also the option to balance the masculine and feminine sides of your being.

You can find out more about the Venus retrograde cycle and how to make the most of this time by using the Venus Retrograde Workbook available here!

This is a comprehensive guide to working with Venus retrograde transits that includes worksheets to track your experience and explore your relationships. Click the image to find out more!

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