Venus, the planet that rules affections, agreements, aesthetics, and all expressions of worth, stands still in the sky in preparation for its retrograde. It’s currently in the sign of Aries, and will backtrack into Pisces on March 27 which means we’ll have had Venus in one of those two signs for over five months. It finally leaves Aries for Taurus on June 6.
Typically, Venus only spends three to four weeks in a sign. When planets “turn retrograde” they don’t actually change direction. It’s an optical illusion due to where the planet is in its orbit. Symbolically, retrograde planets express themselves more erratically, and with less coordination. They also emphasize specific time frames; a planet will appear to traverse a portion of the sky, go backwards over that same patch, and then resume its forward motion for a third pass over the same section. Retrogrades are a time of deep study of a particular curriculum.
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Astrology Report for March 2025
Venus represents all that we find pleasing and all that we value. It represents the things, people, and situations that we want to get closer to and be in relationship with. Usually, when we desire connection with something or someone, we’ll try to find ways to be in harmony with them, or create situations that unite us, using pleasure as a type of glue. It’s the planet astrologers look at to decipher what a person finds attractive, their priorities in relationships, and what makes a person feel fertile and abundant. Although Venus is the Roman goddess of love, to describe Venus’s astrological purview as “just” about love, excludes its myriad allusions to how we get along socially, economically, and creatively.
When Venus begins its retrograde motion it can be experienced more as a descent than reversal. It will begin to question “why” it wants what it wants, why it’s in agreement with certain things, and if it likes certain people or circumstances that it used to. The last time Venus retrograded through this area of the sky was 2017. Some of the big stories or topics in your life from that time might get a reboot. Venus retrograde periods can point to a changing of alliances, tastes, and value systems. Social codes, financial practices, relationship mores, and topics specific to women are also up for review.
This retrograde period is especially poignant for numerous reasons: Venus traverses both the sign of its detriment (Aries) and the sign of its exaltation (Pisces), it crosses the critical degree of zero Aries (along with Mercury and Neptune within four days of each other) multiple times, and all this occurs during a game-changing eclipse season on both the Aries-Libra and Pisces-Virgo axes. It’s enough to make your head spin, so I’ll break this down a little more.
While Venus is in Aries (February 4 through March 27 and April 30 to June 6), it’s less agreeable, less patient, and less thoughtful. Instead of looking for balance and points of connection, it’s more contrary, impulsive, and kinetic. It wants to dive into projects and relationships headfirst. It doesn’t care if the outcome is pretty, as long as the process is thrilling. Expect tests of courage and candor during this time. In Aries, Venus wants what it wants on its own terms.
When it enters Pisces (March 27 through April 30) it gets to cool off and reflect on the things it stirred up. In Pisces, Venus is exceptionally resourced and comfortable. There’s no need to prove or define itself. This is an excellent time to offer and receive forgiveness and drop into any feelings that were glossed over during that more aggressive time in Aries. In Pisces, Venus just wants to heal, indulge, and love. The only problem is it might want peace so much that it’ll agree to anything. Expect some emotional and mental whiplash as planets move back and forth between these two signs.
Finally, the fact that all of this happens across zero degrees of Aries, the genesis point of the entire zodiac, speaks to climactic endings and beginnings—much like the eclipses that accompany this tumultuous time. The Aries Point, as zero degrees Aries is also called, is the threshold of individual emergence from the great Piscean sea of all-that-is. Both the Aries Point and eclipses can be experienced as uncontrollable out rushes of energy—like a cosmic birth contraction. This spring we’ll be wrestling with our thirst for unity and the antisocial aspects of our nature. We’ll get to practice letting go of comforting illusions and boldly confronting our desire for something new.
This article appears in March 2025.
