Venus Retrograde 2025

Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!

It's time to start thinking about planets going retrograde this year and Venus will be getting us going, even though the year started with Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, and Mars all at some stage of their last retrograde.

Anyway, back to Venus going retrograde, which usually happens every 18 months for about 6 weeks. This particular retrograde will last from 1st March until 12th April with Venus moving from the sign of Aries backwards into Pisces.

If you don't know what a planet going retrograde means, it's the term used to describe the optical illusion where whichever planet looks like it is moving backwards in its orbit. In actuality, this doesn't happen but it appears to from the view of Earth.

Most of us will have heard of the dreaded Mercury retrograde but no retrograde is truly that scary. It just takes a bit of knowledge to navigate it and make the most of the opportunities we are presented with. Because that's what they are: opportunities for us to look within and reflect on how we react to situations and people, and then change it if how we did things haven't worked out in our favour previously.

Venus is associated with love and this is usually connected to romantic love but it can be any type of love. There is also a connection with pleasure and the finer things in life, as well as spending money. It's like how we can feel pressured to take any job that pays regardless of whether we are actually interested in that work. I personally have a mug that says: "Do what makes you feel happy" and I bought it when I wasn't enjoying what I did but I've kept it as a reminder to always enjoy what I do.

To most people in a romantic relationship, love and pleasure go hand in hand in the form of physical intimacy but those of us who are single for whatever reason, we can find pleasure in living our lives however we want to and enjoying or loving how that makes us feel. This is how we can view life when Venus is moving forwards but when she is retrograde, we can reflect on how our lives and/or relationships aren't providing us pleasure.

While Venus is retrograde and with the connection to the finer things in life and spending money, there's an element of needing to review them, needing to look at whether we've been overspending, or not spending enough to enjoy life. We can still treat ourselves when living on a budget so that we can enjoy and find pleasure in life, but if we don't do that, it's like we are denying ourselves sunlight, seeing pretty flowers, watching tv shows and films that we enjoy.

Venus wants us to enjoy life, to love the opportunities we have and the people we can share them with. But our childhoods and upbringing, as well as experiences we have as adults, can stand in our way and teach us that we shouldn't enjoy anything because we need to have a job, any job, and pay bills. That having hobbies and/or non-work interests are taking away time we could spend on earning money. Or that we need to save every penny possible so spending money is a Bad Thing when it's not.

With Venus starting this retrograde in Aries and then moving backwards into Pisces, there are more energies involved in this time. Aries is the start of the zodiac or astrological year so there's a lot of "new beginning" energy but there's also an element of going after what we want regardless of what might be in our way, that we can overcome any obstacle we face. Pisces brings an emotional connection and a need to go with the flow, so we can be emotionally fulfilled in life and not be so discomfited when we have to take a diversion.

So this Venus retrograde is an opportunity for us to consider what it means for us to enjoy life and what we love. It allows us to think about whether we can go after what we want and have a new beginning to make the most of enjoying everything and everyone. Whatever our goal is may not happen quite how we want it to but going with the flow without controlling anything can allow us to think about whether life is more enjoyable when micro-managing events and people or if it's better without that level of control.

Having looked at these energies, let's have a look at how we as a collective can navigate this time. For this reading that I put together myself, I have used the Wild Unknown Tarot deck by Kim Krans.

What area of our lives needs more pleasure?

Four of Swords

With this card, the message is that every area of our lives needs pleasure but before we can add that pleasure, we need to open our minds up to the fact that this is entirely possible and completely necessary if we are to make the most of the opportunities we will be presented with during this retrograde.

It's interesting that during this six week period, the Spring Equinox is going to occur and this is all about new beginnings, new life and a new start. And this is exactly what this Venus Retrograde feels like (to me, anyway).

Perhaps the area of our lives that needs more pleasure is our minds because we spend so much time worrying about bills, rents/mortgages, any kind of gift, whether our loved ones are okay, to the point that we forget about looking after our own selves.

How can we stop getting in the way of enjoying life's pleasures?

Ten of Wands

With this card, there is confirmation of mentally being our own biggest obstacle because we are not yet believing that we deserve to enjoy life's pleasures. Or we don't think we have enough time to fit them in.

Almost every pleasure starts with us believing that we deserve it, that we need it, and that we make time and space for it in our lives.

If we don't believe we deserve or need pleasure, then life is boring and we are more likely to experience burn-out and breakdowns. If we don't make time and space for pleasure, then we are already seeing ourselves as unworthy and undeserving of it.

We need to change how we view pleasure - transforming it from a treat or optional expense to a necessity of life.

How can we ensure that what we are doing makes us happy?

Five of Swords

With this card, the message is that we need to manitain the fine balance between doing too much of what makes us happy or too much pleasure and too much of what we don't like doing, like chores, grocery shopping, laundry etc.

There is also an inkling of finding out the little things that we can enjoy that surround what we don't enjoy doing. An example: I personally don't like doing housework or the washing up so I'll listen to music, an audiobook or a film when I have to do it.

There is also an element of following our own dreams rather than being pulled in two directions, torn (or cut in this card) between what we want to do and what others expect or want us to do for them instead. We cannot always put others ahead of ourselves because that is not balanced and we should be happy too.

How can we surround ourselves with people who make life more enjoyable?

The Hermit

This card might look and feel like it is telling us to not surround ourselves with friends and allies because it is so deeply associated with solitude and working on ourselves on our own.

However, sometimes we need to spend time with other people to learn from them how life can be more enjoyable. If we don't know how to enjoy life, we need to look to others to help us discover that pleasure through our hobbies, our interests and the things that bring a smile to our faces and seem to make time fly by.

Listening to other people light up about what makes their lives enjoyable can inspire us to discover what it is that makes our own lives enjoyable.

We all have to work towards finding joy in life but it is a more internal journey that can include external teachers and allies.

It might seem as if this Venus Retrograde is a bit counter-intuitive but learning from others, especially friends, family and colleagues, is the best way to learn how to find enjoyment in life. The main lesson is to avoid who and/or what bores us or makes us sad, or to add some joy and pleasure to those activities, and nurture a balanced relationship if those we love find pleasure in those things.

I hope this gives you some food-for-thought about this Venus Retrograde and how to navigate this time. If you'd like a more personal look at this time, my diary and inbox are open.

Peace and love to all!!!!