Love & Relationships
Venus, the planet of love, goes retrograde this summer for the first time since early 2022, and your love life may be going through a dramatic transformation over the next month. Venus is unlike Mercury in that it only goes retrograde every 18 months, whereas Mercury is retrograde a few times a year. The last time Venus was in retrograde motion was December 19, 2021, until January 29, 2022, when it was retrograde in Capricorn.
This year, Venus will go retrograde from July 22, 2023, until September 3, 2023, in the sign of Leo. Venus retrograde in Leo will enhance a clash of egos and higher expectations and will also be setting the stage for relationships to grow stronger, happiness to be fulfilled, and love to dance.
What Does Venus Represent and Venus Retrograde in Leo Mean?
Before understanding what Venus in retrograde entails, it’s best to identify what Venus herself represents. Venus is the planet of love, but she also signifies money, pleasure, sex, relationships, values, and art. With Venus in retrograde, these are the areas of life that will be the most affected. Venus, currently in Leo, will especially be bringing the dramatics over the next month or so.
Venus in Leo is a fun, playful, and passionate lover, and in retrograde motion, it can feel like love is going at a slower pace than wanted or that self-love is difficult to make sense of.
This Venus retrograde is asking you, how willing are you to grow in love, and what does that mean for the relationship you have with yourself? Venus in Leo isn’t concerned with the past, or what happened then, Venus in Leo asks us to be brave now, to show up for love today, and to be generous with how we show our love. Not only to others but to ourselves as well.
Over the next month, you will be redefining where your passions are, where love grows for you, what relationships fulfill you in life, and how to tap into more of your inner happiness.
Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio, and Libra will feel this Venus retrograde more than most.
Venus Retrograde in Leo Horoscopes for Every Zodiac Sign
Keep reading in the slideshow down below to see how this Venus retrograde will be for you. View for your sun sign and/or Venus sign.
ARIES
This Venus retrograde transit for you is about finding what your true passions are and what makes you happy in life, Aries. However, this isn’t about quick fixes and disposable love. This Venus retrograde is asking you to dive deeper and seek that which is not only exciting but sustainable for you in the long term as well. Venus will be retrograde in an area of your chart having to do with romance and sex, and you may not be feeling as playful as usual. Give yourself time for your heart to figure out what it wants, and try to do the things that put you in harmony rather than take you out of it. You are figuring things out right now, don’t be too hard on yourself.
▲TAURUS
Over the next month, your main focus is your home, your family, your loved ones, and your emotional well-being, Taurus. You could be spending more time at home and in your safe spaces, and this is a good time to move things around and spruce up the home, and support those who have been supporting you. If you are looking to renovate, do some DIYs, or move some furniture around, this Venus retrograde for you is a good time to do it. By clearing some energy in the home, you can reexamine where you are internally and create more stability in your life. This time is about quality over quantity, and you are defining your values and sense of security right now from within to without.
▲GEMINI
Venus retrograde can bring up some confusion for you over the next month, Gemini. Venus will be in your 3rd house of communication, and the feeling of being misunderstood in certain relationships or like you are on the outside looking in can be coming up for you now. This time for you is about learning the importance of speaking on the things you love and to who you love and being confident enough to do so. Your everyday environment and the people in it could be changing right now or overall stirring up different emotions in you than before. This transit for you is all about getting clear with yourself and, in turn with others, and about creating a space of open communication and receptivity in your relationships.
▲CANCER
Over the next month, you will be examining your return on your investments, Cancer. Where you have been spending your time, energy, and finances are matters that are being brought to your attention now, and you are overall creating new plans for yourself and the future of your relationships. Patience is key for you with this Venus retrograde transit, however, and you could have to put some of these plans on the back burner for the time being. Any imbalances that are present in your life will be revealed to you over the next month, and by balancing the scales (and the books) and putting more value on yourself and your energy, you can come out on the other side of this Venus retrograde in a better position than when you began it.
▲LEO
Venus is retrograde in your sign this year, Leo, and this is going to be more of an action-packed time for you. Venus retrograde in the 1st house has to do with a lot of reflecting on yourself and re-discovering who you are. You are moving through a time of reinventing yourself and opening up more deeply to self-love. Be careful with over-criticism, however, as you may be looking in the mirror with more critical eyes during this time. Overall, you are really examining what you want out of love and the path you are on right now to be there, and you and your love life are moving through a growth spurt right now. Once Venus goes direct on September 3rd, you will have a clearer sense of yourself, and your desires will be closer in reach.
▲VIRGO
This summer is a summer of healing for you, Virgo. With Venus retrograde at the very bottom of your chart, you need some more time away for yourself and your heart right now. Past relationships may be coming up for you more during this time. Remember that if it still doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. This is a time of accepting closure and endings and releasing yourself from the past. For love to grow and move forward, you need to address some things that have been buried down so that you can create the space needed for the love that wants to come in for you. Creatively, this is an excellent time for you, Virgo, to turn your past pain into art.
▲LIBRA
This Venus retrograde transit for you is more about your friendships and community than about your romantic relationships, Libra. Old friends or associates could be making an appearance during this time, and you are thinking a lot about who and what you align with and what you don’t. You may be seeing areas of your life in which you could be giving more and where you have been putting love, your aspirations, and your dreams on hold. Your friendships, and social circle, where you feel the safest to be yourself and where you want to grow more, will become clearer to you after this transit.
▲SCORPIO
Over the next month, you will be redefining your goals, your image, and those who you want to share your successes with, Scorpio. Your love life and emotions may be feeling more public or out in the open right now with Venus retrograde in your 10th house of reputation, but overall this transit is about defining who you are before allowing anyone else to do so for you. You could be feeling a tug-of-war between the image others have of you and the image you see of yourself right now, however, this is not the time to shy away. You are redefining what you want out of life right now and being bold in doing so. Show up, and watch others show up for you, Scorpio.
▲SAGITTARIUS
Venus going retrograde in Leo for you may mean putting some travel plans on hold or making some unexpected detours in your relationships, Sagittarius. Overall, perspective is everything right now, and it’s best to look at the full picture before getting caught up in the details that are out of your control. You may have some high expectations that you feel aren’t being met during this time, but if you can focus on the long-term and where you are headed, you won’t get too caught up in the mud of confusion. Love right now is about having fun, going with the flow, and accepting a difference in perspectives. More clarity will come when you need it. Save your energy for what matters right now.
▲CAPRICORN
Commitment is the focus for you and your love life during this time, Capricorn. This Venus retrograde transit for you is creating some type of emotional transformation in your life, and your love life may look a little different at the end of this transit. Overall, you are finding your power in love right now and are creating more space to allow others in. Being vulnerable is powerful, and you are learning how to share more of this of yourself in your relationships to allow growth where necessary. Love is a dance of giving and receiving, and you are finding your steps right now. You deserve everything you want in love and commitment, and it’s time you have it, Capricorn.
▲AQUARIUS
Venus will be retrograde in your 7th house of love and partnerships, so this Venus retrograde is hitting home for you, Aquarius. Relationships will be coming into greater balance, but it may take some moments of discomfort for this to happen. Emotionally, you may be feeling all over the place as you honor what your needs are in love and reassess some relationships. This is a good time to ask yourself where you can grow within your one-on-one relationships, what it takes to be a partner, and what type of love you are willing and/or not willing to allow into your life. It’s about getting real with yourself and what you want in love, and about allowing all perspectives to be heard, including your own.
▲PISCES
Matters of health are being brought to your attention now, Pisces. Over the next month, you will be reworking your daily routine, creating new plans for yourself, seeing a change in your working atmosphere, and figuring out what is healthy for your love life and what isn’t. This time is about taking care of yourself effectively, addressing what personal habits benefit or hinder, and what lifestyle changes need to take place for you to live your best life. You could be making these changes on your own or be getting a nudge from the universe unexpectedly to do so right now. Overall, you are ready to clear what doesn’t serve and focus on what does in love.
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