Venus blossomed during October and November, was at its most
brilliant on the night of December 9 at 27 degrees of Capricorn. On Sunday evening December 4 the Moon passed by Venus, both out of bounds in declination, and with at a spectacular brightness in the evening sky at -4.6. That is as high as Venus will get this year, and is a full month past its greatest elongation from the Sun which took place in early November.

The planet of love and beauty stations on the morning of Christmas Eve in the first degree of Aquarius, promising sentiments of peace and brotherly love for that weekend. It then begins its swing between our planet and the Sun, and the inferior conjunction of Venus and the Sun takes place at 23 degrees of Capricorn the night of January 13- 14, and will be in opposition to the Full Moon in Cancer.

Early risers will be treated to the rising Sun-Venus in the East with the Full Moon at 23 degrees of Cancer setting the West, but of course Venus will be lost in the rays of the rising Sun. The Full Moon will be at 28 degrees north declination, but Venus will have climbed by then to 16 degrees south declination and thus will be parallel Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto, and contra parallel Mars and Saturn. On the morning of New Year's day the crescent Venus will be visible to the naked eye in the first degree of Aquarius with the Moon passing just south of Venus, still out of bounds. The feelings of peace and brotherly love experienced the weekend of Christmas should hopefully extend into New Years day.

The retrograde period of Venus lasts for about six weeks, and it will station before dawn on February 3 at 16 degrees of Capricorn, rising a full sign ahead of the Sun that day as a morning star. Venus is less apt to be retrograde than any other planet since this phenomenon occurs only once every 18 months. The last time Venus was retrograde was in June of 2004 at which time it made its spectacular transit over the face of the Sun.

Many artists, poets, musicians, writers and public figures have Venus retrograde in their natal charts and it is apparent that these people have a highly subjective and personalized view of love and aesthetics. They are not apt to compromise with their romantic or aesthetic ideals, and if Venus is well aspected they may be fortunate in finding both personal love and success in the arts and politics. If afflicted by Saturn, Uranus,Pluto or Neptune, however, there is continued disappointment in relationships as the object of their affections fails to measure up to the inner vision they have. The result is that a person with Venus retrograde may be continually withdrawing love from one object and projecting it somewhere else, only to be disappointed again. Some will decide to devote their lives to the arts or a social ideal and not seek fulfillment in relationships.

A notable example of Venus retrograde as an evening star is Winston Churchill born with Venus in Sagittarius trine both his Moon in Leo and Neptune conjunct the North Node in Aries. A romanticist in the extreme, Churchill idealized both his mother and his wife Clementine. He was the author of the famous message delivered by the Duke of Windsor when he renounced his throne for the love of "the woman I love," Wallis Simpson. Churchill once wrote of his mother: "My mother always seemed to me a fairy princess. A radiant being, possessed of limitless riches and power, she shone for me like the evening star. I loved her dearly, but at a distance."

He was also a talented artist who found contentment in his painting. In his essay "Painting as a Pastime,"he wrote: "Happy are the painters for they shall not be lonely. Light and color, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end." He was also called an artist with his pen.

The mystic writer-pilot Antoine de Saint Exupery who wrote The Little Prince had an unaspected Venus retrograde. He wrote: "Love is above all a communion in silence and to love is to contemplate. Love must not be confounded with a bondage of the heart." He demonstrates the fact that persons with Venus retrograde often prefer contemplating their own ideal of love rather than being involved with another person in reality. Saint Exupery had Venus retrograde in Cancer parallel Mars and Mercury and contra parallel Jupiter.

The mystic priest Teilhard de Chardin had an exalted view of love. Born with Venus retrograde in Taurus conjunct Neptune and closely conjunct the Sun, he fused Catholic doctrine and the theory of evolution into his own vision of human kind evolving toward universal perfection, unity and love. "Love alone is capable of uniting living things," he said. "It alone takes and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born with Venus retrograde closely trine both retrograde Neptune and Uranus, and was fortunate to find her romantic ideal in the poet Robert Browning. Their love letters and her sonnets reveal the depth and exaltation of their love. She wrote:"How do I love thee? I love with the breath, smiles, tears of all my life."

Other artists with Venus retrograde include Raphael, Benvenuto Cellini, Amadeo Modigliani, Jean Corot, Norman Rockwell and the architect LeCorbusier. Michelangelo was born with Venus stationary in Aries turning retrograde the day he was born, and the focal point of a Yod with Neptune and Pluto.

Another expression of Venus is music, and Johannes Brahms was born with Venus retrograde trine retrograde Neptune. Brahms is well known for his lullabies, symphonies and concerts. He fell in love only once, never married, and formed a close friendship with Clara Schumann, wife of the composer. Other famous musicians with Venus retrograde include Andrew Segovia, Puccini, Louis Armstrong, Ringo Starr and Carole King.

Many actors also have Venus retrograde and include Warren Beatty, Henry Fonda, Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Hedy Lamarr, Peter Ustinov, Patricia Neal and Audrey Hepburn.

Romantic disappointment is likely for individuals born with Venus retrograde in harsh aspect to Saturn or Neptune. An example is the aforementioned Patricia Neal. Her retrograde Venus in Aquarius was opposite Neptune and square Saturn. Her early romance with Gary Cooper ended suddenly without explanation on his part. Her young daughter died of encephalitis and her son was injured in an automobile accident. She suffered a near fatal stroke and fought her way back to health with the support of her husband. Later her husband asked for a divorce to marry a younger woman. Her emotional life has been one of pain and disillusionment.

Empress Soraya of Iran was also disillusioned when she was divorced by the Shah of Iran because she failed to bear him a child in seven years of marriage.

Venus retrograde can also indicate self love and too much concern for the self. Mohammed Ali, born with Venus retrograde square Saturn and Uranus, is an example of overcompensated self esteem, to the point of narcissism. He said "I am the greatest." And Werner Erhard, founder of EST, was born with Venus retrograde and has stressed the expression of the ego needs and emotions.

Psychiatrist Alfred Adler has written about the importance of self-esteem and noted that a neurotic person is characterized by an underdeveloped social sense and by feelings of inferiority.

Not surprising that Venus is retrograde in the charts of many public figures including John Adams, Charles de Gaulle, Fiorello LaGuardia, Harold MacMillan and George Wallace. Notables include Charles Lindbergh, Pearl Buck, The John Steinbeck, Brigham Young and Daniel Berrigan.

The most notorious example of Venus retrograde is Adolf Hitler, born with Venus retrograde in Taurus, exactly conjunct Mars and square Saturn in Leo on the midheaven. Hitler did have artistic talent and a deep interest in the occult, but was frustrated both in his artistic ambition and in his sexual relationships. Another notorious example of twisted narcissism and cruelty is Saddam Hussein, born with Venus retrograde. He also had a retrograde Mars conjunct his Moon and quincunx his Sun. Both Hitler and Saddam Hussein were born with the planet Pluto very strong in their charts, and the retrograde Venus turned inward expressed itself in narcissism.

The mystic psychic Jane Roberts, born during a solar eclipse with Venus retrograde as a morning star, wrote that "Love as it is often experienced allows an individual to take his sense of self worth from another, and momentarily lets another person's belief in his goodness supercede his own sense of self worth. I make a distinction between this and a greater love in which two individuals, knowing their own worth, are able to both give and receive." Children born with Venus retrograde should be encouraged to express themselves through art, music, acting, writing or dancing, as well as to talk freely about their deepest feelings. Harsh discipline and punishment can be extremely destructive to these children. They need an environment of harmony and peace, to feel safe in the immediate environment.

© 2007 Frances C. McEvoy
All Rights Reserved