Venus Retrograde 2026
Venus, the planet of theatre, art, entertainment, beauty and a lot of other aspects of the universe associated with niceties and love is going retrograde on Oct 3/4 depending on where you are living in the world.
We are living in trying times as a result of socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-political polarisation that makes the world look like a challenging place but Venus is a reminder of all that is beautiful and lovely that fills our hearts with peace and love. The Sun is the planet of illumination, the all-seeing-eye that simply “shows” us what has been hiding in the darkness. The Sun lifts the darkness and brings everything to view.
Venus, also associated with radiance and luminosity is a different kind of light and to understand this, we need to dive into the Rgvedic symbolism that is parallel to Venus, called Vena.
Vena is a very less spoken about figure and it is mentioned in the Ṛgveda 10.123. In RV 10.123, Vena is described as being “born in light”. It appears where sunlight meets water, rises from the ocean, shines through the mist and ascends towards heaven. This is almost dreamlike: light, water, sky and radiance come together in the figure of Vena. Unlike the Sun, whose light reveals what is hidden in the darkness, Vena represents a more delicate kind of luminosity which appears through reflection, beauty and form.
The entirety of RV 10.123 surrounds Vena with images of attraction. The Gandharvas, celestial beings associated in later Indian tradition with music and the arts, and the Apsarases, celestial women associated with beauty and grace, belong to his world. There are lovers, friends, singers and beautiful garments. Those who see Vena look upon him with longing, and the sages, recognising his form, yearn to meet him. Towards the end of RV 10.123, Vena is described as light that “produceth forms that please us”. In other words, Vena’s light makes what we see beautiful and gives us a reason to be drawn towards it.
All of the Vena imagery from the RV can be associated with Venus. We should not simply say that Vena is the Vedic name for Venus but Vena gives us a wonderful poetic image for understanding what Venus represents. Vena is the radiance that makes things beautiful that attracts and that attracts creates desire, and the pleasure we experience when a particular form, sound, person or experience speaks to us. As Venus turns retrograde, we need to look again at those things that have attracted us. We need to see all that is beautiful to our eyes, all that we still desire and when we see, how does it help us participate and experience that beauty and what does it do to our inner self?
Libra is the sign of balance. It is also the sign where we begin to encounter the “other” more consciously. Until this point, much of our attention is directed towards the development of the individual, but Libra is about considering what happens when another person enters the picture. How do we share space, make compromises, listen to one another and create something that works for both people? Libra is where co-existence becomes normal, and Venus turning retrograde in Libra makes it more interesting and achievable.
With Venus turning retrograde in Libra, we might look back at relationships and remember the moments of affection, companionship and happiness that we shared with people we love. This does not have to be limited to romantic relationships. It can include friendships, family relationships and even relationships that have become distant or difficult. Sometimes remembering what was good between two people can create the possibility of renewal.
With Venus in Libra, we need to put the swords away for a while and meet the other person with an open mind. We can become so attached to our own position that we forget there is another human being standing opposite us, with their own experiences, needs and vulnerabilities. Venus in retrograde motion helps us consider the humanity in the other person. With Jupiter in Cancer forming a square to Venus in Libra, there is also a question of how we balance abundance with care. How do we care for ourselves and those close to us without allowing our own needs, or the needs of others, to consume the relationship? The challenge is not to abandon ourselves for another person, but to find a way in which both people can participate. In simple words, how do we aim for a win-win situation?
This becomes interesting because Venus is transiting Svātī nakṣatra associated with Vāyu, the god of wind. Svātī indicates independence and individuality. Wind cannot be held in our hands or forced to remain in one place. When it becomes too strong, we do not stop the wind; we close the doors and windows, protect what needs protection and the wind moves in another direction. If we apply this symbolism to relationships; individuality cannot simply be suppressed for the sake of harmony. When we try to control another person’s independence, the pressure eventually finds another way out. Venus in Svātī is an opportunity to discover how individuality and relationship can coexist.
Image associated with Svātī is the young plant that bends in the wind. It does not resist the wind by becoming rigid. It bends, survives the storm and eventually stands upright again. Perhaps this is also the lesson of Venus retrograde in Libra. We do not always preserve relationships by winning an argument or proving that we are right. Sometimes we preserve them by becoming flexible enough to listen, to reconsider and to make room for another person’s needs without abandoning our own. The aim is not for one person to win and the other to lose, but to discover whether there is a way for both people to move forward together. Within relationships, it is not about who wins, but that no one loses.
I like to think of a retrograde planet as an archer drawing a bow. When the arrow is pulled backwards, it appears to move away from its destination, but the backward movement is what creates the tension needed for the arrow to travel forward. The station is the moment of stillness in which the aim is perfected. Then the arrow is released. In the same way, a retrograde planet may appear to move backwards, but symbolically this can represent a period of gathering strength, reconsidering our direction and refining our aim before moving forward again.
Photo by Frank Cone from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stars-in-the-night-sky-18309523/
