Our lovely Venus began her retrograde phase last week at 21 degrees of Gemini. Issues concerning love, marriage, money, social life and luxury demanded our attention and will continue to do so for about six weeks. Gemini is all about information exchange, which reveals to us that the best path forward involves communication, keeping an open mind and waiting to commit to a particular path. Observing the present and exploring new avenues. This time will be especially significant for those with planets in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces.

Retrogrades are a time when planets appear to be moving backward across the sky and retracing a portion of their recent path. The aspect of retracement is important – representing a “going back in time” and reviewing or revisiting the past. Since love and friendship is Venus’s domain, we are more likely to hear from old high school friends or receive a text out of nowhere from an ex. Thoughts are directed toward the past and possibly late night wonderings of “what might have been.” This is for the purpose of processing and maybe even finding some closure. Re-igniting an old love relationship may feel exciting at the time, as you romanticize the past, but you are also more likely to conveniently forget how your ex flirted with your friends and was nowhere to be found when you needed support. If someone from the past suddenly pops in, take some time to see if you have unresolved emotions then move on – or at least be patient until the end of the retrograde to commit to a future. Neptune is involved here, making a very tight square to Venus right now. Things may not be what they seem. All of this applies to current relationships as well. Ask questions, get the facts, don’t assume. Talk , talk, talk. …and more importantly, LISTEN.

The deceptions that can occur right now applies to our social lives and money as well. Double-check your mortgage refinance and read the fine print. Know your obligations. Keep checking the status of your unemployment application. Take care with luxury purchases. Be prepared for things to take a little longer than they should. Also, when a planet changes directions, this is a turning of the tides. In the past week, when Venus changed direction (along with Jupiter and Saturn), many have come out of hiding and enjoyed socializing again. Remember, she changed direction, while station to Neptune. There are facts and information that are not known to us yet or are misunderstood. Know that there will be another turning of the tides when she stations direct and moves forward again in June. We may not go into another lockdown (although it’s not out of the question for some areas), but there will likely be more adjustments to how we socialize and interact. Remember the long-term transits and the new world we’re headed toward. There is no going back to the way things were. There’s no return to what was normal. Our new world will be more digital and technological than ever before. We need to develop new habits and embrace more technology now, to ease our transition with the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius in December 2020. We could see another development or turn when Saturn goes direct at the end of summer and this will be discussed in the Mars retrograde blog. This one may be more significant, possibly coinciding with a second wave of Covid-19.
The best advice when under the influence of Neptune is this: wait it out. If you can afford to have some patience and take a step back, then do so. Let’s have all of the info so we can make the right decisions for ourselves concerning our relationships and our finances.

Looking ahead: Helpful message or completing paperwork around May 22, just after the Taurus New Moon. Look for a confrontation the first few days of June. Have the courage to say what you need to say to a loved one. Inquire about their ideas and be willing to hear them out. Contact a professional about your financial situation, if need be. Be open and what you need to know will be brought to light. Venus stations direct and begins moving forward June 25 – this is when we can feel more confident to move forward as well.

Astrology Readings by phone – One-hour readings are always available by phone any time of year. These consultations provide a much more in depth look at your chart and current developments and are thoroughly researched beforehand. Natal Charts, Transits, Progressions, Solar Returns, Relationship Analysis, Children. $75 per session.