A Trauma Informed Look at Working With Venus Retrograde
Venus Retrograde begins on October 3rd 2026 (8:15AM BST) at 8’29 Scorpio. Venus will be in retrograde until 14 November when it stations direct at 22’51 Libra.
Venus goes Retrograde approximately every 18 months for around 40 days. This time will be 43 days.
Let’s take a deeper look into what Venus Retrograde means and how to work with it through a trauma-informed lens.
Venus Retrograde: delving into love and value, wounds and strengths
In our very consumeristic patriarchal society often any inner planet retrogrades are seen as something to ‘fear’ or ‘not look forward to’ Mercury Retrograde is a classic example. But in truth there really is no good or bad, just different modes of operation and different opportunities and challenges. With inner planet retrogrades especially, there’s an element of slowing down, which in a world of progress and faster is better can lead to impatience. But perhaps what people fear more so about Venus Retrograde, is Venus’s relation and representation of love, relationships, money, self worth and self value. This is possibly one of the most vulnerable and tender aspects of being human, and where so much of our wounding and self limiting beliefs lie. So many of us have built ‘armour’ of coping mechanisms to protect us. I think it’s still fair to say, that people avoid delving into truths about relationships, self worth and their relationship to how love currently is expressed in their reality versus their hopes and dreams. As an astrologer people always ask about love and money - and Venus rules both.
Some of us may walk around with a shield that we use to push down our hurts around love, and during Venus retrograde when truths no longer hide we may feel vulnerable.
In the trauma-informed world we learn that the coping mechanisms we used when we were young to receive attention, feel loved or feel worthy, are often the very patterns that can cause issues in our adult hood. Think attachment styles, people pleasing, under earning, not speaking up for ourselves and yes, maybe even seeing where there’s work to do in relationships or where a relationship might have even run it’s course.
Venus Retrograde is not 40 days of talking about our coping mechanisms, but a chance to fully deep dive into what we value, in terms of money, self love and relationships. It’s a time to let go of things that are holding us back and feel rock solid in our own foundations.
What is Venus Retrograde? The Invisible Phase of Venus: The Underworld Journey
In Astrology a retrograde period is when a planet ‘appears’ to be moving backwards from Earths’ perspective. In regards to Venus, when Venus is retrograde, ‘she’ transitions between her roles as the Evening Star (visible after sunset) and the Morning Star (visible before sunrise). During this transition, Venus moves too close to the Sun from our perspective on Earth and becomes invisible. This invisible phase usually lasts for about 8 days, but the entire retrograde period spans about 40 to 43 days.
In ancient astrology, this period of invisibility was seen as Venus's descent into the underworld, a time when her light is hidden and she undergoes a symbolic death and rebirth. This aligns beautifully with the myths of Inanna and Persephone, who both descend into the underworld and return transformed.
Symbolic Meaning of Venus's Invisibility
Inward Reflection: When a planet is retrograde, it’s our chance to work more inwardly with thie archetype. So with Venus as mentioned it can be around love, self-worth, money, relationships.
Letting Go: It’s a powerful time for releasing old patterns and attachments, shedding what no longer serves us before Venus re-emerges as the Morning Star with renewed clarity and vitality.
Transformation: Know that whatever comes up it’s an opporutnty for you to work through things that will allow you to be a stronger, clearer version of yourself and your values. This is the rise of the Persephone myth. Hold the in mind in that helps you.
When Venus emerges as the Morning Star after the retrograde, it symbolizes a rebirth, bringing a newfound clarity and the courage to pursue what we truly value.
The Archetype of Venus: A Multivalent Goddess
Venus embodies more than just love and beauty. She represents harmony, self-worth, creativity, and the sacred connection between the senses and the soul. In astrology, Venus governs how we attract, what we value, and how we experience pleasure. Her influence teaches us to cultivate relationships that feel authentic, nourishing, and in alignment with our true selves.
The Shadow Side of Venus: The Wounded Lover and People-Pleaser, LOVE ADDICTION
From a trauma-informed perspective, the shadow side of Venus can reveal wounds around self-worth, codependency, and the fear of rejection. This can show up as people-pleasing, compromising personal needs to avoid conflict, or seeking worth through appearance and external validation.
This can more than often relate back to childhood experiences and how we perceived ourself receiving love then. A popular way of looking at this is noticing anxious or avoidant attachment styles, or noticing love-bombing in the early stages of narcissistic relationships because our inner child craves love so badly we miss the red flags.
Another common example is Love Addiction and going from one relationship to the next chasing the newness, and excitement of being showered with love and finding it incredibly difficult to be alone.
The Healthier Expression of Venus: Embodied Love and Sovereignty
Venus’s healthier expression teaches us about boundaries, authentic self-worth, and embodied love. Sovereignty in love means knowing your worth and making choices that reflect it. Authentic expression involves sharing beauty, creativity, and affection freely, without fear of judgment or rejection. Balanced pleasure allows us to enjoy life’s sensual experiences without attachment.
Often people change and relationships change, and something I see so many people struggle with is finding the courage to leave a relationship when they know it’s not working because of fear. However, often when people have done their inner work, and make decisions from a healthy place they tend to find healthier relationships.
The 8-Year Venus Retrograde Pattern: The Pentagram of Venus
Venus creates a beautiful 8-year pattern in the sky, a pentagram or five-petaled rose. This pattern is not only visually stunning but also symbolically significant, representing harmony, balance, and the divine feminine.
It’s also true that every Venus Retrograde harks back to a period 8 years earlier, when Venus would have been in the same sign/s. So for this one in 2026, think back to 2018, 2010, 2002 etc
Venus Retrograde is an ideal time for inner child healing and releasing beliefs about love formed in early relationships. It supports revisiting creative projects, reassessing financial priorities, and exploring shadow work around love and self-worth.
In my Spiritual Nutrition® sessions, I blend trauma-informed approaches with astrology to help clients uncover and transform these patterns. This period is a time to soften into self-compassion and remember that real beauty and love start from within.
The “jewel” of each Venus Retrograde - The Venus Cazimi
At the middle point of the retrograde, Venus will make an exact conjunction with the Sun - a day for clarity - I have a full blog with Venus Cazimi dates HERE.
Checking Other Transits for a Holistic View
To get a full picture of how this Venus Retrograde will impact you personally, it’s important to consider where Scorpio and Libra are in your chart, but also other personal transits that you’re going through at the same time that will also add layers of meaning to this particular Venus Retrograde experience (and also explain and show how even if there’s a rhyme with 2018, 2010 etc that each time there was very different supporting astrology).
I hope you enjoyed reading this, below are some free resources to come deeper into the world of Spiritual Nutrition Astrolgoy.
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