Venus retrograde in Capricorn is the second of this month’s Venus posts and if you read my earlier post about the Venus – Pluto conjunction that is such a major feature of this particular retrograde, then you’ll know that the Goddess of Love is in a challenging mood over the festive season. Venus turns retrograde every nineteen months or so and this time, Venus goes into reverse gear on December 19th 2021 and turns forward on 29th January 2022, so it really is the dominant astrological event that will be welcoming us into 2022 – if ‘welcome’ is the right word!
So, in this post, I’m going to take a closer look at what we can expect during the period of Venus retrograde in Capricorn – and what we may see when Venus returns to forward motion at the end of next month. The themes I’ll be looking at are Venusian and Plutonic in a Capricorn context – and when we come to Venus’s direct motion, we’ll be dealing with a few Uranus in Taurus themes too. It’s also worth noting that Venus turns retrograde only a few hours after December’s Full Moon in Gemini. It’s going to be a fun weekend…
Venus Retrograde: Capricorn 26˚ 29′
Capricorn is the sign associated with power and status, tradition, order and playing by the rules. In astrology, Venus is concerned with pleasure, love, relationships and money. When Venus is in Capricorn, there is a love of power and a desire for status. There is also a love of tradition and conservative (Capricorn) values (Venus) so what we have at this time is a ‘conservative’ Venus in the widest sense of the word.
What this implies is that we may have to be more conservative and restrained about how we express the Venus functions in our life. The festive season is about pleasure. Parties and meeting up with friends and family are the things we look forward to at this time of year. Venus retrograde in Capricorn suggests we are going to have to think about that and make some important decisions whether we go ahead or re-schedule. When planets turn retrograde, we often need to re-examine our plans – even if we don’t want to.
Venus Retrograde in Capricorn: The Party Pooper
We are already in the shadow period of Venus retrograde in Capricorn and as Venus turns retrograde, she does so conjunct Pluto. This suggests that many of us may be forced to reconsider our plans and rearrange our celebratory gatherings. With the upsurge in the latest Covid variant – Omicron – many of our festive parties and celebrations (Venus) may have to scaled down or they may even be cancelled altogether. The suggestion of social limitation or forced compliance with social rules epitomises the meanings carried by Venus Retrograde, Pluto and Capricorn.
Both the law (Capricorn)and the virus (Pluto) are beyond your control – and having to scale back your expectations when things are beyond your control is classic Pluto. Pluto forces your hand and does so in no uncertain terms. Pluto is the planet of secrets and things that are under the surface. When issues emerge they can be unsettling and demand a response that you may not be able to provide right now. Whatever the issue is, use this retrograde period to your advantage by holding back until you’re sure you are doing the right thing. For businesses, there may also be some financial impact from social restrictions – especially in the leisure (Venus) sector.
Venus Retrograde in Capricorn: Relationship Issues
This Venus Retrograde in Capricorn conjunction with Pluto suggests you may need to look closely at things of a deeply personal and intimate nature. This is often the time of year that can be tricky for our personal relationships. Divorce statistics (a Venus-Pluto thing) tend to increase after the festive season, yet it’s also a time of year when many people choose to commit to one another – after all, Christmas can be a romantic time too. However, you may feel as if someone has a hidden agenda (Pluto) and that’s the driving factor behind their plans to make that big change.
This Venus retrograde period is a time when you may need to think carefully about your relationships. If you are considering a commitment or marriage – and Venus in Capricorn is all about love and traditional forms of commitment – it may be wise to defer any public announcement or ceremony until after the retrograde period ends. Pluto in the mix here will often show you need to have an honest and deep exchange about the expectations you have of your partner. Whatever kind of relationship you have, that may be a good thing – and something that is perhaps long overdue.
Venus Retrograde in Capricorn: A Major Investment
We also need to talk about money (Venus) as that’s often a major concern at this time of year. Capricorn is an ambitious but responsible sign and Venus retrograde in Capricorn suggests that you may need to be prudent with your festive expenditure this year as you may not know what lies ahead of you in the New Year. Pluto is also associated with money – especially money owed – and Pluto can indicate crime too, so be careful with your personal bank accounts or your purse at this time.
Pluto can also suggest major expenditure and if you are considering a large financial investment (Pluto) this retrograde period will give you the opportunity to look again at the fine print. If you make a rash decision based on desire alone (and Venus loves to spend) you may regret it. However, Venus retrograde in Capricorn – especially when conjunct Pluto – is about making informed, responsible careful financial decisions. So, if something prevents you from spending as much as you would like to – you may end up being grateful rather than disappointed.
Venus Retrograde in Capricorn: The News Headlines
Finally, I want to look at the things that could be occurring in the big bad world out there. I’ve already hinted at how the pandemic may affect your festive plans, but I want to have a closer look at what Venus retrograde in Capricorn may mean at a societal level. In mundane astrology, Capricorn is the sign we associate with government, politicians and society’s rulebook. Venus is associated with the economy and money and Pluto with corruption. If any of those things headline during the retrograde period? Don’t be surprised. There may be change at the top.
In mundane astrology, Capricorn is also associated with heads of state – kings, queens and presidents fit the bill here. So what else may be grabbing our attention? Crimes and misdemeanours certainly – especially if someone has been trying to keep them hidden. There may be a focus on financial or organised crime. There may also be issues with foreign and diplomatic relations (Venus) and espionage and the intelligence services (Pluto). During a retrograde period there may be a lot of ‘sabre rattling’ but it would be advisable to go the patient (Capricorn) diplomatic route (Venus) rather than have relationships break down.
Venus Direct: Capricorn 11˚ 05′
Venus turns direct on January 29th 2022 and a quick look at the direct chart shows three aspects we need to be looking at; Venus sextile Jupiter, Venus trine Uranus and Venus square Chiron. In this section, I think It’s going to be easiest to look at each aspect in turn in the context of the Venus in Capricorn issues we’ve already identified. Except the three planets Venus is now in aspect to are not Pluto. Should we be grateful for that? let’s find out.
Venus Direct Sextile Jupiter
Venus in Capricorn sextile – an easy aspect – Jupiter newly arrived in Pisces. At face value, this seems like the benevolent and kindly aspect we need after the stress of Venus and Pluto. If you’ve had to hold back during the Venus retrograde period, the door may open to opportunities to move things forward again. There’s almost a sense of relief about this aspect and some optimism too. However, Jupiter can be overly up-beat. It may be easy to go ahead with things on the basis of incorrect information. Jupiter inflates so bring yourself down to earth (Capricorn) before making any judgements or decisions.
I would like to think that this could be a healing aspect, and it may be, but there is also the risk that this is part of a larger pattern that includes things like false dawns and false promises. Pisces is associated with uncertainty and illusion – and Jupiter here may increase those sentiments. The desire for certainty (Venus in Capricorn) may be based on expectations that are simply a lot of hot air (Jupiter in Pisces). I suspect there will be both good and bad with this aspect so enjoy the good moments when they occur and be philosophical about those that are less so. It will get you through.
Venus Direct Trine Uranus
One of the issues with the Venus contact with Jupiter is that it is part of an aspect pattern that involves Venus Trine Uranus. Uranus is the planet of risk, chaos, shocks and surprises and in connection with Venus there is the chance that anything to do with your Venus functions (relationships and money) may prove to be fraught with uncertainty. You may think things are okay, but you may be caught out by unexpected events – particularly financial ones. Making the most of things that come your way could be the message here you can’t be sure what will happen next – and you may even prefer things that way..
A trine is often considered an easy and benevolent aspect, but it can indicate events that you can’t do much about until it’s too late as, unlike a square, there is no tension to act as a driver to take preventative action. So, like the Venus-Jupiter trine above, there is the chance that things could go either way – and that’s not unusual with Uranus. So, enjoy the chance to do something new, exciting and spontaneous with your partner (or with your cash) but beware of unexpected ‘holes in the road’ that could trip you up! Fortunately this is an aspect in Earth signs and being grounded may be both welcome and necessary.
Venus Direct Square Chiron
The square aspect from Venus to Chiron can’t be overlooked. Chiron is the ‘wounded healer’ and the message I’m getting from this aspect is the necessity of learning from your mistakes. Of course that may be applicable in both a personal and societal context, but what it does infer, is that you may be aware of things that haven’t worked out for you, so you need to try a different approach. If you’ve felt at all hurt or disillusioned by recent events, you may need to work hard at leaving that disappointment behind you.
Healing the wounds of love or financial loss is also a major theme of this aspect. Looking at the aspects in the Venus direct chart as a whole, you may have the opportunity to do that at the end of the Venus retrograde period. It may even come to you ‘out of the blue’ and be totally unexpected. As long as you take care and stay in the moment things may work out fine. Enjoy life when you can and don’t burden yourself with expectation. The Venus retrograde in Capricorn conjunction with Pluto will have taught you that lesson. Remember it well as you will be reminded of that at the end of the final ‘shadow period’ in March.
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© Sara Shipman 2021
Picture Credit: Image by Charles Davis from Pixabay
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