July 21st ~ 28th

Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come. ~ Matt Groening (Life in Hell)

How do you spell ‘love’? - Piglet
You don’t spell it…you feel it. - Pooh ~A.A. Milne

Love is. It’s what holds us together and brings deeper meaning to our lives. It can also toss us into a well of utter disenchantment. Love, in a word, is often ‘complicated.’ But it is certainly compelling. This week, Venus, the Goddess of love, desire and attraction is stationing for its retrograde phase which lasts from July 22nd thru September 3rd. This is when we reassess and reevaluate all of our relationships, our self-worth, what we need and what we want. With Venus in the sign of Leo, we are being asked to connect with our own heart center, where Pooh reminds us, is not necessarily where we spell love, but where we feel it. 

The Nodes of the Moon just changed signs, moving from a Venus-ruled North Node in Taurus to a Venus-ruled South Node in Libra. It can seem when the South Node is in Libra, as if the fates are conspiring to rearrange all the pieces on the playing board, bringing some individuals together, while separating others. Destiny seems to be playing its hand. All the more so with Pluto at the South Bending of the Nodes. Know that strong relationships can and will survive almost any sort of tension. But those that are floundering could easily succumb to the duress of this seismic pressure cooker. As one friend recently told me, “I’m really looking forward to just being alone.” 

This doesn’t mean that all relationships are doomed. In fact good relationships can be brought closer under duress. What the Venus retrograde phase is really good for is exploring the ways that we do relationships: why we do them the way we do, and why we are drawn to certain people as opposed to others. This is when we explore our needs and expectations. But it is also when we connect with what we want. And dare we say it? What will make us happy. 

Things to avoid during the Venus retrograde cycle:

• Making major decisions or commitments in relationships, since the likelihood of exaggerating or diminishing the qualities in the other person are heightened.
• Making investments or buying expensive items. Things may appear to be more valuable than they actually are. 
• Buying a new wardrobe: Once Venus is direct again, you’ll wonder what on earth you were thinking. Same with makeovers: go with caution before doing anything radical.
• Starting a new business. There are exceptions, but usually does not bode well. Venus retrograde will follow along like a bad penny. 

What the Venus retrograde cycle is good for:

• Reunions. People can emerge out of the woodwork at these times. This can be good or bad depending on the person. Sometimes it presents an opportunity to take care of any unfinished business. Can also allow you to reconnect with those people you really do care about, but with whom you had lost touch
• Exploring what your expectations are from others, and they from you. It is difficult to make compromises at these times, because everyone is focused on their own needs. But it is a very important time to get in tune with what is important to you, and what you want and/or need from relationships and partners. It is also important to know what your limits are, and how far you are or are not willing to go and/or compromise, just for the sake of peace. 
• Reassessing your priorities. It is time to look within and consider those things, people and circumstances that are truly important to you, and how you can make them more of a priority in your life.
• Getting in touch with your creative side. If you are so inclined, the retrograde period is a time in which we can be deeply and creatively inspired. If nothing else, immerse yourself in those things that bring you comfort, pleasure and joy: music, art, beauty, nature, and harmony. Your inner Muse is being asked to be awoken. 
• Gratitude. We have a tendency to focus on those things we do not have. But if we were to wake each morning with a sense of gratitude for those things we do have, it invests us with an inner sense of prosperity, which if cultivated has the capacity to sow outer prosperity as well. Make it a point each morning during the retrograde phase of Venus to write down one thing for which you are thankful. 

Chiron Retrograde

Chiron, that meandering centaur, wandering between the bounds of Uranus and Saturn, also stations for its retrograde phase on July 23rd. This wounded centaur, which doesn’t quite fit into the usual categories, was at first thought to be an asteroid. Later, it became evident that it also had very comet-like behavior. In truth, it is both, hence the designation of being a centaur, galloping its way into our Solar System in order to impart its wisdom from the vast reaches beyond. 

Chiron is something of a guide from beyond, a teacher of extraordinary wisdom, a healer who heals with compassion and understanding. During the retrograde phase of Chiron which lasts thru December 26th, we are asked to direct that compassion and understanding first to ourselves. For if we can accept ourselves for who we are, with all of our faults and wounds, and all in all, then we will be better able to understand and accept others. In this way, instead of being ashamed of who we are, or the wounds we carry, we come to recognize the human experience for what it is, which is at best, imperfect.

Chiron can unveil our pain and our wounds. It can also bring the remedy. For as Chiron digs deep it brings to the surface not only these buried wounds, the things laden with shame and denial, but also reveals skills and talents hidden beneath the surface and taken for granted. Things honed over time through experience, hard-earned knowledge, and accumulated wisdom. And often what we thought of as being one of our worst failings, can prove to be one of our greatest strengths and assets when seen from another perspective. 

Chironic attributes such as compassion, empathy, and understanding make our actions more potent, our words more effective and our lives more meaningful. Therefore may we all be led to meet our own inner Chiron, our personal guide, that informs as well as educates us along the path. 

“Our sorrows and wounds are only healed when we touch them with compassion.” ~Buddha

For Venus Retrograde for each sign, click below: 

HOROSCOPES

Image: “Venus” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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