Leo is the archetype of the self-love and the heart. Venus in Leo (June 6 – October 9) brings our focus to our relationship with ourselves, what gives us pleasure and makes us happy, and what we create with our energy. (The personal planets – Mercury, Venus, and Mars – are about what is relevant to us as a unique individual.) All the Venus transits conspire to help us get in touch with our heart – with what really matters to us.
Venus is 3rd brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and Moon The movement of Venus affects us to our core. When it changes direction (goes retrograde), we are impacted in profound ways.
July 23 – September 3 – Venus Retrograde
On July 23, Venus went retrograde at 28° Leo. Venus is retrograde for 40 days, until September 3rd, when she goes direct at 12° Leo. Venus retrograde in Leo is a special time to get in touch with what we’ve been called to be and do this lifetime.
In the sign of the heart, this Venus retrograde helps us answer a pivotal question: ‘Who am I, and what do I want?’ When we truly know ourselves (Leo), we can know what we want (Venus). And when we know what we want (Venus), we can know who we are, (Sun). We are what we love. The longing in our heart is the compass that guides us to our soul.
The 40 days that Venus is retrograde in Leo is an alchemical process of transformation. Forty days is associated with the fulfillment of promises, BUT ONLY after a trial period requiring deep honesty, being tested, and commitment. The purpose of the retrograde “trial” period is to guide us back to our heart, where we get in touch with our soul desires and what we value the most.
Venus retrograde takes us out of our comfort zone because we must face how we are sabotaging ourselves. We are challenged to transform from the inside out. If we do so, whatever we have to go through will be totally worth it. This Venus retrograde in Leo gives us the courage to go through the fire to the Light.
New 584-day Venus Cycle
Venus retrograde is the beginning of a new Venus cycle. Venus’ 584-day cycle has two distinct phases: Venus morning star, and Venus evening star.
For 9 months Venus rises before the Sun – her morning star phase. Venus’ metamorphosis from an evening star into a morning star occurs in the middle of the Venus retrograde cycle. This year a new Venus cycle begins on August 13. This is the reset of all Venusian themes, and a rebirth of the heart. August 13 is THE most important date in Venus’ 584-day cycle. but it is only part of our rebirth process.
Four Venus Retrograde Phases
There are four phases in the Venus retrograde period. Each features impactful interactions (transits) that Venus makes with other planets.
Challenging events in our lives reveal deeper layers of ourselves. They shake us up and show us what gets in our way so we can open to a new level of our being. When we are obliged to transform our life, we do so. Such is the nature of the 40 day Venus retrograde cycle.
PHASE I – July 23–30 – Venus Evening Star Dims
Venus is still visible in the evening sky, but her light begins to dim as she prepares for her journey to the underworld. This is the beginning of the process of letting go of attachments, stories, relationships, and patterns that no longer serve us. It is a time of reflection and an invitation to connect with our heart and our truth.
PHASE II – August 3–9 – Venus Becomes Invisible
In the middle of the Venus retrograde, Venus disappears from the sky for approximately 2 weeks and goes into the underworld. During this most intense time of the retrograde cycle, we purge and shed our old ways so we can be reborn to a higher expression of ourselves. The intense aspects with Lilith and Uranus guarantee that we cannot ignore our desire to set ourselves free so we can be more authentically ourselves.
August 3 – 6 Venus becomes invisible as she falls below the horizon and into the underworld.
August 8 – Venus conjunct Black Moon Lilith at 23° Leo
August 9– Venus (at 22° Leo) square Uranus (at 22° Taurus)
August 8–9 – Venus Conjunct Lilith and Square Uranus
August 8-9 Venus conjuncts Black Moon Lilith at 23° Leo and squares Uranus at 22° Taurus. This transit is the intensity peak of the Venus retrograde 40-day cycle.
Lilith is called Black Moon Lilith because she is literally black – she is neither a planet nor an asteroid, but a mathematical point calculated when the Moon is at apogee – or the farthest distance from Earth.
Although Lilith doesn’t actually exist in physical form, she represents our deepest repressed desires that are difficult to express in the material world. Lilith represents the hidden parts of ourselves that we can be afraid to acknowledge. When we examine them in the Light of Love, we find that they are only fabrications of our mind and distortions of our emotional body.
When Venus meets Lilith, we must embrace our shadow. I prefer to relate to ‘shadow’ as the undeveloped aspect of ourselves that serve as areas that we need to address to grow, evolve, and mature as compassionate human beings.
When Venus retrograde and Lilith square Uranus, suppressed emotions can erupt in unexpected ways. Our inner honesty cannot be repressed. Our desire to be free and break away from how we have been controlled and manipulated must be recognized. Social conventions and rules and our own fantasies can no longer define us.
Emotional explosions can be disruptive and disturbing. The internal volcano is meant to reveal something very important about who we are, and what feeds our soul.
PHASE III – August 13-22 – Venus Invisible and Morning Star
Venus is still in the underworld, but it’s now a morning star. This is a time to tune into ourselves, discover what it is that we truly want, and set intentions for the next Venus cycle. This is a very potent manifestation time, similar to a New Moon.
August 13 – Venus Joins the Sun to Start a New 584-day Cycle.
A new 584-day Venus cycle begins, as Venus transforms from an evening star into a morning star. When Venus is conjunct the Sun, she is the closest she gets to the Earth. This is when we feel compelled to align with our core values and what we hold most dear. The Venus retrograde-Sun conjunction is a rebirth of the heart. We leave the past and step into a new “ME”. This is our unique opportunity to connect with our heart and acknowledge what really matters to us. This is a time to recognize how we have changed and evolved. We are not the same person we were 2 years, 10 years, or 20 years ago. This is our chance to start afresh. Make sure you take time today to connect with yourself and listen to what your heart whispers to you.
August 13 – Venus conjunct Sun at 20° Leo..
August 15 – Venus conjunct Moon at 18° Leo
August 15 – Venus (15° Leo) square Jupiter (15° Taurus)
Jupiter is about expanding our perception and thus our understanding of reality so we can get in touch with our sense of purpose and awaken to new possibilities.
Squares challenge us to make a shift by forcing us to make important choices.
Jupiter’s square to Venus illuminates our fundamental values and assumptions about ourselves and relationship with the world.
Retrogrades (Venus, Saturn, Chiron, Neptune, and Pluto are all retrograde) impel us to re-assess, redefine, and release.
August 16th, 2023 – New Moon at 23° Leo
The Leo New Moon on August 16 is conjunct both Venus and Lilith. The New Moon square Uranus in Taurus demands that we break free from superficial norms so we can embody our soul. The major feminine astrological archetypes (Moon, Venus, Lilith) speak together from the heart. With intensity, power, and clarity, we gather courage from the core of our being to affirm “This is who I am. This is what I want”.
New Moons are times of seeding intentions. Added to the power of the ‘New Venus”, whatever we seed now it can manifest. “Be careful what you wish for”!
PHASE IV – August 23-29 –The Rebirth of Venus as a Visible Morning Star
As Venus rises as a morning star, we a ‘new me.’ emerges.
August 23 – Venus becomes visible again as a morning star.
August 29 – Venus (12° Leo) is opposite Moon (12° Aquarius)
The Leo/Aquarius Polarity
Leo and Aquarius must work together to realize the ideals of the Aquarian Age. The Leo/Aquarius polarity is about who we are as individuals in the collective world. It is about being authentically ourselves and expressing our creative freedom without compromising ourselves to fit in, to get attention and approval, or to try to make other people happy. This pair reminds us that we are not alone, and that we each matter. Fire/heart (Leo) and air/mind (Aquarius) are about creativity and innovation and individuality and diversity.
Leo symbolizes the quest to actualize our true identity through our unique gifts and creativity with an awakened heart. Aquarius is about collaboration, egalitarianism, collective consciousness, and an awakened mind. Reclaiming our personal sovereignty and power and realizing our interconnectedness work together to dispel the illusion of separation and aloneness. We change our reality, as we embody our essence. We change the world, as we come together to serve the common good.
Three Venus/Uranus Squares – July 2, August 9 and Sept. 29
Because of Venus’ retrograde passage in Leo (July 22 to September 3), Uranus and Venus form three squares this year: July 2, August 9 and September 29 at (22-23º Taurus-Leo), igniting our courage to be authentic, creative, open to alternatives, and willing to find love within our own hearts.
Squares mark important turning points. Squares require us to release ingrained patterns, expand our perspective, and shift our direction in order to find resolution and move forward. We must face our fears and heal old wounds to upgrade our frequency to love to find inner freedom, release our creative power, and experience joy.
We can be independent only when we transcend our childhood, social, and cultural conditioning. A major message is Be the architect of your future, not its victim.
Venus Reminds Us
Venus reminds us to open our hearts so we can shine our light in every aspect of our life.
Whatever we call IT, there is something universal that is omnipresent and is the essence of everything. The extent to which our heart and mind are open, we can perceive and enjoy this sublime reality. When we are open, accepting, and receptive, this light, peace, and love shine in full brilliance. When we are closed, judgmental, and our perceptive faculties dimmed down, we cannot notice what is always there. But the divine spark of unconditional love, always dwells within, even if temporarily hidden.
Venus reminds us to focus on who we are, what we love, and what makes us happy, when we are all by ourselves. To activate Divine Love, we must shift our focus from what we believe is the matter and indulge in what feels right. We must pay attention to love, not fear. When we pay attention to what is, we will cease to notice what is not, because lack is an illusion. We shift our experience of reality when we witness that there is an infinite supply of what is. Then is is easier to let go, relax, and be at peace with ourselves. It is natural to tune into and radiate love. It is possible to find and keep our inner flame burning.
Your Invisible Game of Spreading Love
As you move through your day, indulge in the pleasurable feelings in your heart. Keep the love flowing from your heart. This is a silent game that you can play with your own heart. Notice how your space of love influences others around you. Simply your self focus can spread love around, activate it in others, and secretly encourage them to activate their own heart light. Remember to smile. Your smile amplifies your love.
Venus Retrograde Heart Meditation
Focus your attention on what you feel at your heart while you practice any Kundalini Yoga exercise or kriya that activates the heart chakra. There are plenty to choose from in my book Transitions to a Heart-Centered World. A great kriya is Heart of Gold page 81.
Here is the meditation from that kriya. Place palms 4-6″ apart at the heart center, palms facing each other, right one above, left below. See a golden ball of light between the hands. Expand the light with each breath for 10-15 minutes.
Take the time to shift your awareness to sensations around your heart and in your spine at the level of your heart chakra. Cultivate your focus on the warmth at your heart. You will find love for sure, and you will fall in love with the feeling. You will love yourself and your life with all your heart.
New Guru Rattana Workshop!
Great news! My upcoming workshop happens near the end of the Venus Retrograde Reset and Rebirth! During our time together, you will be fully supported to move into the birth of ‘A New ME’
Open Your Heart with Self-Love – Sunday 08/20/2023 10:00
In my last workshop – Boundaries – A Self-Love Approach, we explored how barriers in our relationships can be created by the defensive nature of our survival instincts. In this workshop you will experience an important key to your inner contentment and happiness.
- Explore the delicate process controlling the opening and closing of our heart
- Understand the nature of the subconscious programing keeping our heart closed
- Build a sovereign inner space suportive of self-love
- Learn to avoid self-abandonment when we are ignored by others
- Discover how to hold a stable, unconditional space for ourselves in life
- Add playfulness and childlike wonder to our life challenges.
We each have our own criteria, which determines whether we are available for or resistant to receiving love. One of our biggest challenges is learning how to use our free will to open our hearts to unconditional self-love.
The workshop will be followed by a discussion during which I will answer your questions and provide further clarifications.
(Our time together during this phase is always very special!)
Unconditional self-love is the next step in our journey. Let’s all travel together!
SIGN UP NOW! – https://gururattana.ticketleap.com/open-your-heart-with-self-love/
Can’t attend live? — All of you who register will have unlimited access to the edited video about 1 week after the event.
(Please share this information with your students and friends)
