Have you been feeling the need to reevaluate your relationships?  Are you having second thoughts about your decisions around money investments or other commitments? Feeling like you need to reconnect to something you have forgotten, or something more authentically true to who you are?

It’s make-it or break-it time for Venus as she begins her descent into the fiery underworld of her Retrograde Cycle.  Take some time to observe these dates as Venus moves through this rare cycle, which runs from now until Sept 6th 2015.

In Vedic Astrology, Venus gets extra charged when retrograde, amping up our emotional sensitivity and aesthetic sense and making us less tolerant of things that we do not enjoy.  You may be questioning patterns with your friends and social life, or you might feel ready to try new things, investing in clothing, and/or vehicles, or other possessions.

Overall, the themes of love and attachment will take the spotlight; money and how it is enjoyed may also be up for reassessment. Old flames and friends of the past can reenter your life to open unfinished business.  Closure and healing of old wounds will be more possible than ever.  This could also be a time to renew your vows and deepen your current commitments.
Either that, or it will be a time to cut the ties and hit the refresh button on your heart.

Every 19 months, Venus, as the auspicious Evening Star, turns around and drops everything – for better or for worse.  She then appears to dip backwards across the sun to be reborn as the much more passionate and unruly Morning Star.

These 5 dates mark some important turning points for Venus as she passes through her upcoming transformation.
 
August 3rd – 
Things may get extra wonky when Venus crosses with Jupiter on August 3rd in a tight conjunction called Graha Yuddha.  Watch out for confusion and heightened sensitivity in your interactions.    Avoid conflict around issues of the heart.  Financial misunderstandings could come up with family members or institutions.

August 9th –
Venus does her final disappearance from the evening sky on (about) August 9th.   Take heed on these days for extra turbulence in your relationships. As Venus the Evening Star “dies” it may feel like someone just jolted you awake to your true feelings.  Try not to take any drastic action on these days, if you can help it.  If possible, retreat and reflect in meditation.

August 15th –
Synchronicity and karmic occurrences are likely during Venus’s week long meeting with the sun, which will be exact on August 15th.   In Ancient Sumeria, Venus’s 40 day retrograde cycle is told in the story of Goddess Inanna’s descent into the underworld.  Inanna descends and is stripped of all her clothing and loses her life into the fiery combustion with the sun.  She is said to be in the deepest atonement of the dark feminine on these days.  

August 21st –
She finally emerges (naked and new) around August 21st right before dawn.  On this day Venus is reborn as the Mornings Star – also known as the angel that challenged the sun; Lucifer, the “Light bringer.”  The 2 weeks following this day are said to be the most dangerously seductive, sweeping us up off our feet with unfettered desire, wild and passionate adventures, and frivolous expenditures.

The reappearance of Venus at dawn is called the “Heliacal Rise” and due to the phenomenally symmetrical pattern of Venus’s movements it returns to rise at nearly the same degree point in the sky every 8 years.   Take a look back to August of 2007 and consider what was going on in your life, especially in the Venus ruled subjects of love and money.  What has been discarded and what has been transformed? A cycle that began then is coming to its completion now.

August 31st – 
Venus will be in a tight embrace with Mars all day on the 31st.  This Graha Yuddha is something akin to the battle of the sexes – and although Venus will win this battle, her pride will definitely be hurt.  The magnetic combination is happening in the slithering snake stars of Hydra, the nakshatra of Ashlesha.  This area of the sky is known to support powerful Kundalini energy, deep insight, but unpredictable mood swings. Be extra mindful of how you interact with the opposite gender on this day.

Venus Retrograde is officially over on September 6th.  She will take her throne as Morning Star where she will remain until Spring of 2016.

**To really understand how Venus affects you in these days, it is important to consider how it is transiting your individual birth chart.  I am currently offering a special Venus-Retrograde Reading.   This reading is especially useful for those of you in a Venus Cycle (Dasha or bhukti of Venus).