Venus and Uranus Retrograde: Thunder Island

UPDATE:  Here is a re-post about Venus retrograde in Leo and Uranus retrograde in Aries. While the signs and aspects are different from the present astrological weather,  this content can still resonate in anticipation of tomorrow’s Venus ingress into Scorpio opposing Uranus retrograde in Taurus.  Venus will also be retrograding  on October 5th.  This will tide you over until I share a new take on the goddess of love , justice, and values. Stay tuned and love yourself and others until then. 🙂     PS, also happy New Virgo Moon!

Change IS in the air..

To quote my hero Anthony Bourdain, ” Welcome to my world!” Venus went retrograde this morning at 5:28 am EDT . Uranus is on her heels, retracing his steps 25 hours  later at 6:38 am EDT. On some level I feel afraid to leave my house. But hey, I feel that way a lot anyway !

Venus retrograde is a topic I have blogged about before because it’s an important cycle. I feel it very strongly, which is odd because my Venus is direct and remains that way even when progressed. It could be because so many of my ex partners come back to visit me either consciously or on other planes of existence. It could also be that Venus is the ruler of my  8th house of death and rebirth. In any case, when Venus appears to move backwards, memories and emotions about old flames come alive. With Uranus following a similar path, it appears that where love goes, lightening will strike.

Venus Uranus aspects or transits often produce the love at first sight effect. Just one glance and you never know what hit you. Have any of you been there? Great music, poetry, and films have been inspired by such a phenomenon. Often what may appear to be love is simply a powerful attraction of the electric variety. With Venus spending most of this cycle in Leo and Uranus respectively in Aries, we are talking fireworks! But do not do anything stupid unless you are willing to live with the fallout. These fireworks are quite exciting but very temporary and erratic. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

This is not the time to go out and meet someone new or spend lots of money on Venusian goods like jewelry and clothing. This can be an excellent time to unravel any leftover issues with former partners and whatever else that’s preventing you from moving on and making changes in your life. When a planet retrogrades, it is less about the external and all about the internal. In actuality, life typically operates this way anyway, but we often forget and look to whatever appears outside of us to validate our worth. If you still prefer externalization to build up your self-esteem, now is a wonderful time to modify your thoughts and behavior. Inner change is easier with Uranus retrograde so assess what needs to be upgraded. Don’t delete any files yet or install new software. Rather, review what may be corrupted or incompatible with the best version of you.

Look to where Leo and Aries are in your natal chart to get more insight into how these transits can be best used to your advantage. My 2nd and 7th houses are affected so I can expect some activity with abundance and partnerships. Since it seems like I have Venus retro natally, I do not expect to be that surprised. While the players may be different, the emotions that get triggered are all too familiar. I have noticed this quite often and this awareness has confirmed for me that I was correct in ending some friendships and romantic bonds.

When I think about love and loss in particular, I rarely miss a beat. Whatever I dread will happen once I love again typically does comes to fruition. Or at least that has been my pattern.  For example, after raising my cat Jasmine from a kitten to age 16, letting her go was excruciating. I never forgot the intensity of that loss. When I adopted Dexter, I said I would not love him like I loved Jasmine. It turns out this was true, but not the way I meant it. My love for Dexter was so much bigger, building on the love for Jasmine, but it did not eclipse that initial love. The loss of Dexter reminds me why I was so skeptical about getting another cat. I did not want to grieve again. It is a wicked catch 22 and the only way out is through.

My experience with my pets helped me see why I subconsciously decided to shut down my desire for romantic love. The pain and sadness were not worth the investment. Sometimes a break between involvements leaves me believing a new relationship would not cause the same suffering. But often my reasons for letting a relationship dissolve would re-emerge with someone new. Faulty soul contracts or inability to manifest better outcomes? I have no clue.

Matt Kahn repeatedly says that emotions even out when one begins to ascend. Perhaps this is why I am dealing better with Dexter’s passing than previous losses. The fact that I am pretty together after having lost what I loved most on the planet is astonishing. It is really a miracle that I am not curled up in the fetal position on the floor. Maybe I am evolving and/or the love of my community is holding a space for my healing. I do feel grateful that I am surviving this tragic sudden loss. While it does not seem fair, I realize that we do not get to control the lifespan of another.

While I am curious to see what shows up with these transits, I know that it is all about how I treat myself and raise my vibration. Sometimes the love we receive in relationship builds up in the soul and becomes a resource for future alliances. We shall see. I am grateful that I know myself better than ever and that I have become a more adaptable person. I really have no choice but to grow and adapt.

Thunder Island is an old song that once held special meaning for me. Frankly I forgot all about it until I heard it on the radio a few days ago. It is about a couple braving a summer storm on an island. It was popular during the time my family spent a month or so every August down the Jersey shore. One summer in particular a major hurricane was predicted to hit our beach during our vacation. While I recall our anguish over whether to ride out the storm or not, I do not remember if we went home and returned later, or took a risk and stayed.

What is important is the way I felt hearing the song again and reminiscing about my love interests down the shore. Thunder Island is a perfect metaphor in light of the Venus Uranus retrograde. It is often a place in my heart where unexpected openings wax and wane like the waves along any shore. During these tumultuous times it’s important to learn how to surf one’s inner emotional waves in order to arrive both safe and renewed on solid ground.

scorpio image courtesy of wikipedia.org, public domain