Much has been written, spoken and speculated about the effects of that period when the planet Mercury appears to move in reverse orbit from its accustomed path in the sky. Known as a Mercury Retrograde, it is a time when communication seems garbled, thoughts are often confused and there are some machinery malfunctions. Because Mercury is the planet closest to our Sun, it orbits around it every 88 Earth days and its apparent retrogradation occurs three, sometimes four times per year.

The planet Venus, however, orbits around the Sun in 225 days, so it only has an apparent retrograde period only once per Earth year and therefore is less discussed and is underrated. But Venus is the planetary ruler of two signs, Taurus and Libra. Taurus governs issues such as material possessions, food, and cash on hand among other things. Libra is about relationships, specifically those of a long-term nature as well as legal matters, et cetera. Just as things seem to go topsy-turvy when Mercury goes into apparent retrograde motion, when Venus goes seemingly backwards, those issues regarding love and money become more tangled than they are normally.

On Saturday, October 3 at 3:16 am Eastern Time (12:16 am Pacific Time) Venus begins its retrograde motion in the sign of Scorpio at 8 degrees and will continue to move seemingly in reverse until November 13. Individuals born under the sign of Taurus and Libra will be most profoundly affected. This condition would also apply to those who are Taurus Ascendants, Libra Ascendants or have Moon signs in Taurus or Libra. For everyone else, look to which House in the natal chart the point of 8◦ Scorpio falls. This would be the aspect of your life in which there would be the most challenges during that period. For example, if that point happens to be in your 5^th House, there could be challenges regarding family matters or possibly those situations involving speculations or gaming.

Complicating the upcoming Venus Retrograde is that Mercury goes into its apparent retrograde motion on October 24 so Venus and Mercury will move backwards in tandem until, interestingly, they return to their respective orbits on the same day within hours on November 13. Just because a planet resumes its direct motion does not mean that one is out of the woods, so to speak. There is somewhat of a hangover of these retrogrades as Venus does not return to that point on December 16 (8◦ Scorpio) in which it began to move in reverse so those current issues could remain unresolved until that time.

This should be considered as a cautionary tale, much like a weather report to forewarn of an impending storm and to be prepared to dress appropriately and to have the proper protective equipment.