Catch up here and here with my recent Venus blog posts: 

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I thought this list was interesting from one of my Tracy Marks books:

Venus Retrograde in the natal: 

develops own unique social and aesthetic values

undemonstrative, difficulty communicating affection

narcissistic

fearful of intimacy and love

seeking the perfect love, unrealistic ideals 

That’s just a partial list from Marks’ wonderful book The Art of Chart Interpretation.

Do you have Venus RX in your natal?
Know anyone who does? Do you see yourself in this list? Be honest….. 🙂

(I can think of one natal Venus rx gal from my past who fits some of these for sure. Never without a mirror. Growing older now and obsessed (and I do mean obsessed) with beauty and aging and serums to keep youth. No interest in sex (Mars) or sensuality (Venus) or even romance (Venus) but her face her face her face. Is this true for ALL Venus retrograde? No it is not. I figure I better say that before I get emails about it.)

Venus and especially Venus RX is on all our minds these days because Venus spends MONTHS in the sign of Leo this summer/early fall due to Venus going retrograde right as she enters Virgo!

See, she goes through THE ENTIRE sign of LEO. 
AND THEN enters Virgo.
And then says noooooo not yet. I need to be SEEN a bit more. I need to SHINE a bit more.
I need to be the STAR much  much much more before I enter super smart Virgo the healer/mess cleaner/critic.

Do I think a retrograde by transit borrows some of the “feel” of the natal placement? I do, yes.
You may find yourself feeling all those things from the Marks list.

One scenario: you may NOT want to relate. Another scenario: you may want to relate but find yourself unable to. Isolating. Other scenarios of course include past loves returning. Or you being the past love seeking out old valentines. But like an inverted Tarot card, Venus retrograde can become MORE of Venus or LESS of Venus. I think it brings out extremes. You may find yourself hyper-aware of your beauty and appearance, fixated on improvements. You may find yourself hyper aware of your desire. You may find yourself not interested in people at all OR totally obsessed over-the-top. I believe it can swing either way.  I’m also thinking for some folks this Venus retrograde could make them really MARSY. Angry. You want Venus? UP YOURS!

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Some Leo keywords for your pleasure:
dramatic idealistic proud ambitious creative dignified romantic generous (March & McEvers)

commanding self-sacrificing optimistic fixed in opinion opposed to secrecy bold domineering (Manly P Hall)

Some Venus keywords for your pleasure:
harmony, art, partners, charm, sugar, music, marriage, luxury, sensuality, what you really enjoy, cooperation. (M & M)

Some Queen of Wands keywords for your pleasure:
dedicated, popular, vigorous, healthy, confident, cheerful, warm smile, faith in herself, enthusiasm (Joan Bunning)

From Stephen Arroyo on Venus in Leo: exchange of deeper feelings with another may be encumbered by one’s need to be the center of attention OR to dominate the other’s emotional life.
That’s the lower vibration (obviously).

Honor Venus by making things beautiful says Caroline Casey. I suggest you start thinking about this. There will be much time to reflect. That’s ANOTHER retrograde keyword and notion: reflect, reflection (very Venus!).

How do you want to look? How do you NOT want to look? What is beautiful to you? Do you care what others think? Venus (as we think of her) usually does. It’s Mars who doesn’t give a F. Above all, Venus wants to CONNECT. Connection is thus trickier for folks with natal Venus in hard aspect OR retrograde in the natal. How connected do you feel to others?

Leo is King. Leo is ruler. THE WILL TO RULE (writes Manly P. Hall). So you can see what happens when delicate fair and feminine Venus enters the lion!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a STRONG placement. Leo’s planet is THE SUN. Illumination. Life-giving. Warmth. Heat. Steadiness. Ability to BURN.

I’d hate to see you Venus in Leos waste your strength… on pitiful partners or pitiful frames of mind. Do not waste it on the WEAK.

Gosh there is a quote I want to quote and I can’t remember where it’s from OH YES now I remember. Grey’s Anatomy.

Last episode of Season Five I think. And Dr. Bailey is very upset because she’s been offered the peds fellowship but as she tells Dr. Weber, her husband will divorce her if she takes it (i.e. she will have to spend too much time away from home, him and their son).

So she has a choice to make. Actually, as she explains to Weber, she has made it. She WILL divorce her husband because what kind of husband/marriage is that? Ultimatums.

And if I recall correctly, Dr. Weber tries to console her, saying that her husband is SCARED. And Miranda (in absolutely gorgeous acting) says to him: WE’RE ALL SCARED. And she brings up O’Malley who has just joined the army to be a trauma surgeon in Iraq, and she brings up Izzie who just came out of another surgery for brain cancer.

And she says, about her husband: he’s not scared. He’s WEAK.

Venus in Leo is NOT for the weak. Venus in Leo lovers are NOT for the weak. In fact… at this moment I can’t think of a more amazing placement for Venus: strong, warm, radiating love. Loyal. Dignified.

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I’ll end this blog post with a quote from Howard Sasportas. More food for thought for Venus in Leo and the retrograde:

Love is something we all deserve just be virtue of existing. I see it as a basic birthright. So what can you start doing now in your life if you suffer from a lack of self-esteem or feel that you don’t love yourself enough? You can begin by looking at Venus in your chart and doing what you can to develop that area.

There. That’s your homework. And to quote Kate Bush (Leo!): be proud of who you are.
Align with *that* vibration this summer and you’ll be just fine.