Venus Retrograde: Reevaluating Deep Desires + Honest Connection
October belongs to Venus.
From October 3rd through November 13th, Venus will move retrograde through Scorpio and Libra, taking us on a 40-day journey through old storylines involving attachment, values, preferences, and relationship patterns. Her journey from evening star to morning star turns our attention inward, renewing our awareness of partnerships, reciprocity, and agreements.
This retrograde carries extra weight because Venus will make her final cazimi in Scorpio on October 23rd, wrapping up a storyline around entanglement, gender, evaluation, and intimacy that has echoed every eight years since 1930. The most recent cycles occurred in 2018 and 2010.
Venus retrogrades every 18 months, spending roughly 40 days and 40 nights on an inward journey. Across cultures and religious traditions, 40 has long been associated with periods of purification, testing, and transformation. It is the number of days and nights associated with Noah’s flood, a traditional period of mourning in Islam, and a period of spiritual practice and transformation in Hindu traditions. When Venus disappears from the evening sky, it invites you to look within and contemplate what you love, desire, value, and what you are willing to endure to keep it.
The beginning of this journey may feel rough. Around October 3rd, a T-square forms in the fixed signs. With Mars and Pluto in the mix, something you thought was secure may suddenly feel less settled. Old resentments can resurface, and power struggles become harder to ignore. That elephant in the room gains another 100 pounds and sits down at your kitchen table.
This retrograde turns the lights on in the darkened room. You may notice who holds the cards and where loyalty has become confused with unhealthy patterns. These themes may also play out collectively through stories involving sexual violence, oppression, coercion, betrayal, and public conflict. As I write this, several stories about sexual violence on college campuses dominate the headlines. On a personal level, you may recognize patterns around gender roles, intimacy, and relationships that suddenly become impossible to unsee.
Then the cazimi arrives on October 23rd, bringing clarity.
Venus reaches the heart of the Sun at 0º of Scorpio, marking a point of resolution within the retrograde journey. Think of this as the moment you finally turn on the light in the basement. You may not like everything you see, but you can finally see it clearly.
Zero degrees is the first breath of a sign. At this threshold, you can recognize where love has become entangled with fear, where attachment has slipped into dependency, and where reciprocity needs to be restored. Use October 23rd as a pivot point. Notice what becomes clear and let the insight settle before rushing to act on it. Just as a heads-up, the day after the Venus cazimi, Mercury will turn retrograde. This lets you fully integrate the messages from Venus’s journey.
The lunations this month also belong to Venus. She rules both the New Moon in Libra and the Full Moon in Taurus, creating a progression from going into the depths to applying what you uncover. The New Moon is ruled by Venus retrograde in Scorpio, while the Full Moon is ruled by Venus retrograde in Libra. You need to first sense where things are out of alignment before deciding where your time, energy, and resources are needed most. What surfaces in the depths can now reshape the way you relate, connect, and create greater balance.
On November 13th, both Venus and Mercury station direct. After 40 days of reviewing attachments, reconsidering values, and rewriting old scripts, the path forward opens with a clearer understanding of what you value and what you are willing to carry with you.
Monthly Dates of Note:
October 2: Mercury in Scorpio squares Mars in Leo + Mercury in Scorpio squares Pluto in Aquarius + Mars in Leo trines Neptune in Aries. Old fights can resurface today, and what’s been simmering under the surface may finally demand your attention. Mercury in Scorpio desires the truth, while Pluto and Mars add heat and power dynamics to the conversation. When actions feel difficult to pin down, ask the uncomfortable questions to uncover the motivations. Mercury acts as the hinge for the day, forcing a decision or a conversation that can pivot your strategy. Pay attention to who has the influence, where the leverage lies, and decide how you want to use the information.
October 3: Venus stations retrograde in Scorpio + Mars in Leo opposes Pluto in Aquarius. Love gets complicated, and there are some underpinnings of trouble in paradise. Venus, the planet of attraction, pleasure, values, and relationships, stations retrograde today. Over the next 40 days, revisit your likes and dislikes, your relationships, and get intimate with what you value most. This is a difficult station that feels particularly loud. It might feel like a recoil from partnerships with Mars opposing Pluto. It isn’t an easy day for reaffirming alliances or making promises that lock you into a particular arrangement. Instead, take stock of what isn’t working in the system and take stock of your inner motivations. Use the time to figure out where you belong and what you are willing to give or receive in exchange for belonging. Venus retrograde in Scorpio wants the honest answer, not the socially acceptable one.
October 4: Sun in Libra opposes Saturn in Aries + Mercury enters shadow in Scorpio. Not every decision needs to be made today. Responsibilities feel like they are piling up today when there is pressure to take on leadership. Give yourself permission to gather more information before committing, or step into your own authority and tell someone else to pause the progress. Neither the Sun nor Saturn is functioning particularly well in its respective sign, which can make situations feel uncomfortable. Mercury is also entering his shadow, which adds another reason to slow down. Instead, take notes, ask questions, and put a pin in things. Give yourself breathing room and get back to them later.
October 6: Mercury conjoins Venus in Scorpio. Reach out to a trusted old friend and tell them what is really going on. Mercury and Venus meet in Scorpio, making it easier for you to talk about the things you usually keep private. Sometimes sharing the darker details creates stronger social connections because intimacy requires a little vulnerability. Take the risk and share something more intimate to build trust today. With the Moon conjunct Jupiter, enthusiasm can quickly turn to oversharing because it feels good. Start small and let trust build before opening the floodgates.
October 7: Mars in Leo sextiles Uranus in Gemini. Risk-taking pays off today. By daring yourself to shine brighter, you open possibilities you didn’t know existed. Mars in Leo wants to play, perform, and live in the moment, while Uranus in Gemini brings the unexpected idea, joke, or tidbit of information. With the Moon in Virgo, the daily details of life and human behavior rise to the top. Find the funny insights of observational humor and play around.
October 10: New Moon in Libra + Mars in Leo squares Venus in Scorpio. Your relationships reveal outdated scripts. This New Moon offers you an opportunity to uncover old relationship patterns with deep honesty. Ruled by Venus retrograde in Scorpio, this lunation pierces the illusion of harmony and digs deeper. There can be a tendency for you to measure your self-worth through other people, whether that is how you compare yourself to others or use them as mirrors for your own development. Old scripts keep repeating when you refuse to learn from them. Often, this involves gender roles or how we attract things subconsciously. Look beneath the surface, name the pattern, and get honest about what you need and what you want. Once you figure out old dynamics, you can move beyond surface harmony to authentic equilibrium in your partnerships.
October 15: Sun in Libra sextiles Jupiter in Leo + Pluto stations direct in Aquarius. Your self-confidence has a gravitational pull that almost feels magnetic today. Lean into the places where your natural gifts and talents allow you to shine. This is the day to schedule the group meetings where solutions rise to the top. Pluto stationing direct adds weight to questions of personal influence and collective power. With both the Sun and Pluto in air signs, this energy lets you bring others into your social circle of influence. Put yourself in rooms where your ideas can be heard by the right people.
October 16: Mars in Leo trines Saturn in Aries. Today makes discipline feel like play. Mars in Leo and Saturn in Aries work together beautifully to create flow states. This is a good day for you to begin something meaningful and build upon the momentum. The Capricorn Moon provides emotional buy-in because you understand the discipline required to complete the task at hand.
October 20: Venus in Scorpio squares Pluto in Aquarius. Watch the power dynamics today. Venus square Pluto can bring simmering relationship tensions to the surface. Old power plays may become easier for you to recognize today, especially the ones you participate in without fully realizing it. Sometimes you attract the lessons you need to learn. But once you understand the lesson, you don’t need to repeat it. By getting in touch with your fears and insecurities, you can reveal a new storyline. Move beyond instinct and figure out how relationships can fill a subconscious need for security.
October 23: Sun moves into Scorpio + Venus cazimi in Scorpio. This is the turning point. Venus reaches the heart of the Sun, marking the halfway point of her retrograde cycle. From here, Venus begins her journey to becoming a morning star. This is also the very last day Venus will be cazimi in Scorpio for another 150 years, giving this particular moment an unusual sense of rarity. Devotion takes on a life of its own with this cazimi. This aspect marks a turning point in your understanding of self-worth and relationships. This is the point where you distinguish attachment from value. At the same time, the Sun moves into the sign of Scorpio. Use the next 30 days to make strategic choices, employ emotional depth, and focus on what matters most.
October 24: Mercury stations retrograde in Scorpio. Read it again and double-check your understanding.The planet of communication and problem-solving begins his three-week retrograde. It’s a time of revision and reconsideration. Today may prove challenging with issues surrounding technology, disclosed secrets, or information leaks as he changes direction. But the larger story unfolds through mid-November. Use the energy to restrategize schedules, revisit unfinished projects, and question assumptions that need another look. Mercury retrograde in water gives you the opportunity to improve the emotional quality of your life and assign meaning to your feelings. Sometimes the most powerful stories you tell yourself are found in the rewrites.
October 25: Full Moon in Taurus + Venus retrogrades back into Libra. Come back to what you value. The Taurus Full Moon asks for something solid while Venus refines boundaries and commitments. Venus is still retrograde, but she returns to her home sign of Libra today. She gives you another opportunity to evaluate preferences, relationships, and aesthetics. You may decide that your tastes have changed. This is part of growing. Use this full moon to experiment with resources you already own. A perfect Venus retrograde moment is to experiment with old styles in the back of your closet. Pull out a signature classic piece and give it a modern twist. A refreshed image does not have to mean the expense of a whole new wardrobe.
October 26: Sun in Scorpio squares Pluto in Aquarius. Influence differs greatly from leadership. Sun square Pluto brings questions of power and political capital into sharper focus. It may be time to look at where your influence actually lives and decide on how you want to use it. Call in a favor or use an existing connection to move your agenda forward. With the midterms days away in the US, monitor the news outlets for strategic moves.
October 30: Mercury in Scorpio squares Mars in Leo. Watch your mouth and retreat if it gets to be too much. Mercury in Scorpio gets to the heart of the matter, while Mars in Leo can let his pride get in the way. Messages are fast and furious today, and words can hit harder than intended. Before sending the text, posting the comment, or saying the thing that you cannot take back, read it one more time. The Moon is in Cancer today, so protect your emotional safely. Step away from conversations that become too heated and give yourself time to respond rather than react.
October 31/Halloween: Moon in Cancer squares Venus in Libra. Nostalgia reigns supreme this bewitched night. Snuggle up with your loved one at home while watching vintage scary movies, or dig out an old costume to immerse yourself in the enchanted atmosphere. This is the night to embrace traditions that create memories.