Venus Retrograde in Gemini ♀ 2020

Artist: Lydia OrtizV

Venus Retrograde begins: May 12

Venus Retrograde ends: June 24

Venus enters Cancer: Aug 7

Planets in retrograde are not actually spinning backwards – it is an optical illusion as seen from Earth. Backwards motion appears to happen when Earth passes slower moving planets in the outer solar system. In astrology, this illusion manifests as a “backwards” functioning of the planetary roles. Click here to learn more about retrograde.

Venus turns retrograde once every 18 months for six weeks. We last experienced Venus Retrograde from Oct 5 – Nov, 16 2018. During this time, it is very likely that we move to a new place and/or experience a change in a significant relationship. Unstable relationships will be seriously tested. Haircuts, tattoos, piercings, or any major changes to personal appearance are not advised. Everything should feel totally back to normal in our social life by no later than July 28!

Venus Retrograde is a mighty judge of whether our relationships are truly harmonious. It is critically important to remain clear and open in communication. Though confrontation can be awkward and stressful, internalizing is even more uncomfortable. Venus hates when we rush and makes us pay for it dearly, so be slow, be honest, but not submissive or insecure.

Gemini is the sign of twins and social connectivity. The twins are busy, bubbly, curious, flirtatious. Gemini’s influence is fleeting yet powerful, like a smile from an attractive stranger. Gemini is centered firmly in the brain and throat chakra. When Venus retrogrades in Gemini, intellectual and creative energies are up for examination. This is a great time to hone your writing skills. Games, puzzles, or trivia are all encouraged. It is time to share and co-create more. Expect lots of conversation, buzz, and excitement in the air. 

With Venus Retrograde in Gemini, life moves quickly. The heart is like a dandelion puff, drifting on the breeze. Gemini energy is just as elusive as it is gregarious. The twins stay shrouded, heart protected. Gemini demands both connection and detachment. The karmic purpose behind incarnation as a Gemini is to find peace within. Those born with Venus in Gemini can be very tricky. One moment they are incredibly charming and affable, and the next they are enigmatic to the point of being impenetrable, withdrawn, completely vacant. Gemini’s greatest liability is to himself. I say this because, as undoubtedly frustrating such behavior is to witness, it incurs the most damage to the individual, tossed about by his own unpredictable winds day after day. How to please both twins at once – the introvert and extrovert, the artist and the warrior, the recluse and the clown – that is the question.

Gemini is the sign of duality, not equilibrium. Geminis often seek relationships in which they feel either totally superior or totally inferior to the other person. The friend or partner is idolized, revered, elevated to superhuman status, and the Gemini individual (briefly) centers their entire life around this person. Or, they take someone under their wing and become that person’s “teacher,” proselytizing their own deep life philosophies, and thus making themselves someone else’s central figure or idol. Gemini can be extreme in this way. His social and romantic life fluctuate between dominating and being dominated. Gemini must learn to overcome whatever perpetuates this cycle of abandoning his soul to another, then feverishly reclaiming it, again and again.

Venus Retrograde is the perfect opportunity to set boundaries where there were none. The feeling here is “all things fated.” We no longer have a choice; life unfolds as it must, regardless of attachment or not feeling ready. The most quintessential theme of Venus Retrograde is social malfunction. Conversation may be awkward or uncomfortable. Unexpected delays or cancellations are also common.

Something peculiar will start happening. You will be contacted by people you haven’t seen or talked to in years. Maybe it will be a message or a phone call. They will be lovers or old friends, someone with whom you shared an intimate connection, the kind of connection that, even when left for many years, quietly, like a letter in a yellowing envelope, suddenly comes back to life with real force and emotion.

On May 20 and again on July 27, Venus squares Neptune at home in Pisces, ruler of dreams and sleep. When Venus, planet of interpersonal relations, forms a hard angle to Neptune, we are not exactly social. This is a sleepy, lazy influence. A good time to lay low and do as little a possible.

In meditation, focus on the throat chakra. Process the insanity with writing, long conversations, and Gemini Yoga. If you were born with Venus in Gemini, you’re in for one crazy Venus Return! To find your personal Venus sign, click here.

Affirmation:  I stay close to the rock of my being