Venus retrograde guide for Leo

The occurrence of Venus retrograde through the 6th house of work, rituals, purification, judgement through the duality issue – unequal relationships such as in hierarchical relationships at work. It also impacts the 3rd and 10th house, Libra and Taurus respectively.

There’s a lot in the 6th house, which is usually considered a more mundane house, as it deals with the routine aspects of life. The Pluto transit through the 6th house which is going to a close now (2023-24) has been forcing an inner or outer crisis. It’s been a time of healing and purification and managing the aspect that might be overly judgmental or obsessive with health.

If there’s been no focus on health, then the next few years will force this journey. Pluto here has been creating stress, nervousness and a sense of inadequacy. This could have been brought on through work colleagues or bosses being overly critical or disempowering. The work environment might have felt unsupportive for health, not being recognised, or limiting in some way.

Dealing with the core issues within that create this sense of disempowerment, as well as reevaluating life style and choices (discernment) is foundational in this Pluto transit, which Venus will just reemphasise. It’s important to grow the discerner, but not the inner critic, to be able to receive feedback, and in turn offer back reflection from a non defensive space. Equally new directions might need to be found is the outer work environment doesn’t reflect now where you are at.

This Venus retrograde time is a time forces a reevaluation of your soul’s very need to inner growth. You might come face to face with a deep sense of inadequacy and lack of self-love. There are certain attitudes towards the structure of your life, the routines – the way you take care of your body, the approach you have to organisation of your inner and outer environment, and the way you discern and make sense of information. This house is about polarities and boundaries. What you oriented around, what made up your very reality, is up for a big reevaluation. This highlighted Venus-Pluto in 6th will force a questioning, which will in turn might create overwhelm or chaos.

The polarity issue brings you into relationships that are unequal. Where you have felt oppressed, criticised, less than, even a victim to the power games of others. With these issues highlighted over the Venus retrograde period, it’s the perfect time to reflect and work on what is contained within you that forms this reality. What boundaries have felt invaded? What boundaries have your formed? Where do you feel vulnerable, defenceless? What beliefs and fears have you subscribed to?

This feeling of lack, and then subsequently wanting to fill ourselves up with whatever we can, all emanates from this fear of nothingness. Of being nothing, of there being nothing. But in this space, if we can bear it, is a lot of potential, wanting to be born. It can feel like our purpose, our service is obscured. Sit in the space and resist trying to fill it up. If we don’t know who we are anymore or what we are here for, it’s because there’s a reevaluation afoot.

So you might feel lost, aimless, at the moment, even pathless. In this space we can get entangled and pulled into things that distract us, reflect only are half us. Life isn’t about things being clear all the time. It’s about trusting the shadows and dim Moonlit light. The bright light of the Sun isn’t the path for now. It is trusting in the half light, where nothing is what it seems. You can enter this time with adventure and awe. And you can trust in this more feminine, lunar consciousness emerging.

It is as if your soul feels more vulnerable, more naked. It’s a time of doubt and confusion. Double vision even! You releasing what is not you now, and never was even. You are getting in touch with who you are beyond the beyond all opposites, as well as the vulnerable, human self. Both need to meet.

Bring your focus to the more subtle, humble, human level, as opposed big, grand plans. Focusing on the humble helps us not get overwhelmed by the nothingness. Stay in the present. Don’t imagine you need to achieve everything. Stay with the power of repetition, which is what Pluto in 6th teaches. Whenever we feel weak, vulnerable and powerless, we are at the gateway of strength. The delicacy and refinement asked of the 6th house, comes through subtlety – a very yin quality. It allows us to feel our spirit, which is when we are connected to the Divine within.

There’s a call for responsibility here, of using your power with wisdom, awareness and guidance. Of knowing who you are. Ironically we only discover who we are through feeling very human, and through knowing our boundaries. Knowing when to give guidance, and when to hold back, is perhaps the ultimate path of service. This way we are not in service to ourselves, but to the Divine element. The nothingness, while frustrating, can teach you to be still and connect to what really matters.

Listen here to the Venus Retrograde podcast