What You Need to Know about Venus Retrograde in Leo

take away: For forty days, the planet of love, unions, justice and aesthetics will undergo an underworld journey. Venus’ idiosyncratic tour will examine our relationship to beauty and pleasure. It’s a time to dissect the compounds that enhance, rather than dull, our shine. Instead of looking outside for validation, make yourself your own muse.

What is a Venus retrograde?

When the planet of love, beauty and pleasure goes retrograde, it changes direction and begins to move backwards across the sky – or so it seems from our point of view on Earth. This retrograde motion is actually an illusion, caused by the different speeds at which the planets revolve around the sun, such as when a vehicle is overtaken by a speeding car. Yet this visual effect reflects our experience in these times.

Venus retrogrades occur every 18 months, and each time Venus “slows down” and stations retrograde, her energies saturate the atmosphere. Because of this, the desire for unity can become particularly powerful during these periods, even though retrogrades tend to turn our attention inward. The reflective tone of this journey helps us fall in love with unclaimed parts of ourselves and give our inner child a royal treatment.

Venus rules desire, so when the planet is retrograde our pleasure centers can go offline. We could be less enamored with that hobby that used to give us joy. Our relationships could be in trouble. Or we may feel particularly bored or stuck. This is all normal and temporary. After all, our tastes, pleasures, and distractions would never evolve without the occasional disillusionment that encourages us to change things up. In this way, Venus retrogrades are an opportunity to reconnect with our internal muse and reap the inspiration, fun, and creative energies that have always been within us.

How this Venus retrograde will help you unleash your glow

Venus retrograde in Leo July 22 Unpleasant September 3 will make us regain our self-confidence, creativity and inner sovereignty – and perhaps rummage through life’s proverbial costume trunks. Ruled by our solar system’s brightest light, the sun, Leo is a sign that can’t help but live in the key of “main character energy.” Or act like a spotlight and a wind machine following your every move. But with good lighting comes great responsibility. Part of this sign’s sense of duty stems from its ability to draw attention to the gifts and talents of friends, loved ones, and communities.

When Venus is in Leo, she acts as an unashamed romantic who wants to help us restore our unique view of the world. And when we go retrograde, it pushes us further: reviewing the scripts of our relationships, the sense of belonging, and the relationship we need to play. Venus in Leo’s flair for theatricality could cycle us through different masks and roles, or show aspects of love, beauty, and fun that we were eager to try out.

So play dress up. Turn old love letters into a cute collage. Spray your favorite pair of sneakers gold. The magic of Venus in Leo is to rediscover the frivolity that needs no justification. If you follow your imagination, you’ll clear space for the muses to set up shop.

Important dates for this Venus retrograde in Leo

• July 22, 2023: Venus stations retrograde at 6:33 p.m. PT
• August 9, 2023: Venus squares Uranus at 4:08 a.m. PT
• August 13, 2023: Venus cazimi at 4:16 a.m. PT
• August 22, 2023: Venus squares Jupiter at 5:16 a.m. PT
• Sept. 3, 2023: Venus stations direct at 6:20 p.m. PT

This retrograde won’t be without blooper rolls, though. On August 9, retrograde Venus will square Uranus, the planet of disruption and freedom drive. When the two planets face each other, the tension will continue the plot of our lives – and because Uranus is involved, something will have to give way. Use this time to rebel against anything that dulls your appearance and reclaim your relationship with what feels good. If there’s a hobby you fell in love with as a kid, try it again. Dust off those pleasures. And know that whether you’re in a committed relationship or dancing alone, it’s best to give the people you know plenty of space around this date — and ask for extra wiggle room for yourself, too.

On August 13, Venus will then make a conjunction with the sun and form an auspicious cazimi. This midway point in the retrograde cycle will help us plant new seeds in our love stories and relationships with creativity, confidence and showing ourselves. So wear all the golden lame of your inner four-year-old desires and let your favorite people take the spotlight. Doing so will bring a collaborative sparkle to the lonelier parts of this journey.

Finally, retrograde Venus will square Jupiter August 22. Since Jupiter is associated with all things expansive, this transit will usher in a great energy of pleasure seekers. So get out the party hats and kombucha and host your own game night or boudoir photo shoot. Even in the depths of contemplation, there is always room for a little mirth and mischief. In fact, such breaks are mandatory.

The 40 days and 40 nights of Venus retrograde will help us redefine the art (and/or drama) that is our life. Instead of reciting the lines set out for us, we will be asked to create a new plot that honors our birthright to love and play. To let go of the intimacy patterns that feel limiting. To reclaim the people, places and trails that remind us how generative life can be. And send our explorations with the flair and fabulousness that Leo is known for.

Our Venus retrograde survival guide

Doing…

• Reconnect with the playful and imaginative spirit of your inner child. Whether that means buying rose gold streamers for your bike, bombarding your evening bath with glitter, or turning your frustration into a furious collage – Venus retrograde can And should has his pockets full of fun.
• Under planning yourself and make time to process whatever comes to the surface in your bonds, obligations, creativity and connection to beauty or pleasure.
• To organize your art supplies, sweep your studio, digitize your stray notebook poems, and buy sunflowers for your desk. An artistic household will set the stage for the great comeback of your muses.
• Dream board the relationships, muses, friendships, creative projects and pleasures worthy of your innate star quality. Then watch them in real time.
• Are your own best friend, lover, inspiration and cheerleader. Set yourself an example of the gentleness, caring, adoration, and emotional regulation you deserve in your relationships.
• To accept creative blocks, boredom, disillusionment and falling back to the drawing board as proof that you are evolving as a creator and/or lover.
• To discover your underground fears, blocks and shadows that surround your dignity for love and friendship and bring your unique gifts and talents to the world.
• Reflect back about what happened for you eight years ago, between July 25 and September 6, 2015, when Venus last went retrograde in Leo. Scroll through old diaries, emails, calendars, and text strings from that era and take a moment to acknowledge all you’ve learned from those experiences. Then lean on those lessons one more time.
• Account your Venus placement in the CHANI app or through our online chart tooland read all about it. If you have any other placements in Leo, those planets will also factor into this story.
• Find Find out if Venus retrograde in Leo will affect your birth placement by checking your Transits in the CHANI app, as of July 22, 2023. These metrics are updated in real time, so it’s worth checking them every day to make sure you don’t miss out. You can also read your current celestial horoscope for Venus in Leo, which outlines the gold this transit will unearth in your life based on your rising sign.

Do not…

• To make all drastic relationship decisions — romantic or platonic — while Venus is retrograde. Instead, use this time to reaffirm your own relationship values. Write out your green and red flags in gold ink and laminate them for good measure.
• Fear Venus retrograde. It can be daunting when your most cherished connections and sense of fun come under scrutiny, but in the end you’ll emerge with a wellspring of self-love that will only deepen those bonds.
• Plan any dramatic haircuts, renovations, tattoos, artistic launches or pleasure trips during Venus retrograde if you can help it – unless you give them time for the Venus cazimi on August 13.
• Hast the process. This retrograde will help you compost the patterns, beliefs, habits, and stories that no longer serve for the next big act in your love story. That work takes time. And it will be more than worth it.

Looking for more information? Read your daily horoscope:

Ram | Taurus | Twin | Cancer | Lion | Virgin | Scale

Scorpion | Archer | Ibex | Aquarius | Fishing

Then download the CHANI app iOS or Android for additional horoscopes, meditations, affirmations, readings for the current moon phase and sign, and more.