How To Take Advantage of Venus Retrograde To Center Your Desires as It Wraps up Today
As the planet of pleasure moves direct in Libra, you can finally stop second-guessing your relationships, desires and self-worth—and start acting on what you really want
Key Takeaways
- Venus, the planet of pleasure, has been retrograde since October 3. On November 13, it’ll move
- On December 4, Venus moves forward in Scorpio, offering a chance to nurture your intimate bonds
- Lessons you learned over the course of the retrograde can inform plays to feel more centered.
Since October 3, Venus, the planet of pleasure and romance, has been retrograde in Scorpio and Libra, requiring that we collectively slow down in order to refine, revise and reflect on our relationships, experience of beauty, values and desires. In turn, it’s possible that it’s been harder to connect with your own needs and with a partner, but it’s also been a chance to get clear on where you might have been selling yourself short in this area of life—and how you plan to feel even more fulfilled going forward. Read on for intel on how Venus retrograde works and how you can navigate the end of this transit.
What happens when Venus goes retrograde?
In astrology, Venus colors how you relate to others, your values, your beauty ideals, your personal aesthetic, your creativity and your romantic life. It’s the planet that affects how you date or bond with a significant other, how you tend to your friendships, what you find pleasurable and how you experience pleasure. It also tells a story about how you deal with harmony and conflict with others.
When Venus is moving forward, otherwise known as direct, you can tackle all of these aspects of life with more energy and focus, pursuing related goals ahead without too many bumps in the road.
But every 18 months, for about 40 days, the planet of love moves at a slower pace than usual before appearing to move backward from our vantage point on Earth. When this happens, Venusian aspects of life slow down, incur delays and take on a more introspective tone. You’ll be compelled to go back to the drawing board on Venusian matters. For instance, you may want to reassess a friendship based on a lack of reciprocity or opt to review your household budget. And like Mercury retrograde, which makes the past a focus of your present, you may need to tie up loose ends on a creative project that was previously put on the back burner, an emotional issue with a loved one or to do serious self-work tied to self-love and self-image.
This Venus retrograde has coincided with Mercury’s final retrograde of 2026, so since October 24, you’ve likely experienced double the fuel to look backward.
How to make the most of Venus retrograde ending
Here’s what to bear in mind as Venus retrograde comes to an end on Friday, November 13 and begins to move forward once more in Libra before re-entering Scorpio on December 4.
You could start to gain clarity around a relationship issue
Over the course of this Venus retrograde, it’s been easier for wires to get crossed with a significant other or potential partner, especially in terms of clearly communicating around intimacy, values and how to best set the stage for harmony and balance. Or if you’re single, a new romance might not be exactly what it seems.
As the transit comes to an end, you could find that a belief or an assumption you’ve been making isn’t exactly true, or you could come across details that offer useful insight. This might be especially the case once Venus re-enters and moves forward through Scorpio, a sign that’s laser-focused on uncovering the truth, from December 4 to January 7. Note that clarity might not be immediate, so give yourself plenty of grace to navigate any rockiness that persists.
Lean into feeling more assertive
Because Venus retrograde can whip up self-doubt, insecurities and cause you to feel more reserved than usual, it may have been tougher to feel as confident over the last few weeks. This is often an opportunity to zero in on emotional wounds that require addressing. And as the planet of pleasure moves forward, you could apply any lessons you’ve learned toward feeling increasingly centered in your sense of self.
You can once again make big decisions around relationships, pleasure and beauty
Maybe you’ve heeded the warnings not to go all in on a major beauty treatment. Or it simply felt impossible to make a bold move in your relationship. Either way, as Venus goes direct, you can finally begin to build momentum in this part of your life.
You can trust yourself and others more readily
Venus retrograde tends to cloud our ability to trust our instincts and to know what we truly value. You could have felt hung up on a particular fantasy or proposed game plan within your closest relationship, only to find that as Venus goes direct, you’re not nearly as enamored by that path forward. Give yourself plenty of space and time to contemplate how life and love has played out for you since October 3. Conversations with your significant other or someone special could be particularly illuminating until December 4, thanks to Venus’s forward movement in its home sign of Libra. And you could find you’re more connected to your inner voice once Venus is back in intuitive Scorpio from December 4 to January 7.
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