Love in a World of Darkness: Venus Retrograde in Scorpio & Libra
Introduction: What Is Venus Retrograde?
On the 3rd of October, 2026, Venus will station Retrograde at 8'29° Scorpio, traditionally known as the sign of its detriment. The planet of love & beauty will re-enter Libra, where it is domicile, on October 25th and continue its journey backwards until the 13th or 14th (depending on where you are in the world) of November, when it will, then, finally, station forward at 22'51° of its home sign.
A retrograde planet is one that appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Astrologically, this means that the energies of this planet are directed backwards or inward.
Retrograde periods are said to be riddled with delays and disruption, but they don't necessarily have to be. These times are generally better for reflection than action. Things from the past will often return to us during these times, including people, memories and even situations. While Mercury Retrograde is the most talked about, all planets go retrograde at some point, save for the Sun and Moon. Venus Retrograde periods are actually the least frequent. The planet of love and beauty stations retrograde about once every 18 months for periods lasting about 40 days. While Mercury Retrograde periods are said to affect areas of technology, transportation and communication, Venus Retrograde affects areas of love, sexuality, relationships and aesthetics.
Relationships are said to go "haywire" at these times. While of course, the level of effect a transit has on a person will always depend upon their individual natal chart, in general, many people begin to rethink their relationships (or potential relationships!) at this time, or else, they may simply reflect on any patterns present in their current relationship and/or relationships past. It's generally a good time to get in touch with yourself and reflect on what it is you really want/need from a partner, regardless of whether you're partnered or single. It is also common, at this time, to find ourselves thinking about, maybe even fantasizing about, our exes or even old friends. This can be a good time to reflect back on all your past relationships and to heal any negative patterns, or it can be a good time to receive closure from past partners. On another note, it's possible your sense of beauty or aesthetics might change, in some way, or you could undergo a transformation of values. Perhaps, materialistic beauty may become less important to you or this transit could offer you an opportunity to heal from any insecurities or wounds relating to these areas of your life.
Venus Retrograde in Scorpio: 2026
Traditionally, Scorpio is already believed to be the sign of Venus's detriment and when retrograde, this will probably become more apparent. When transiting backward in the sign of the scorpion, a fixed water sign ruled by Mars, it's as if the goddess of love herself has dived deep down into the waters of the underworld.
The dark traits associated with Venus in Scorpio may be brought out in our relationship dynamics. I'm talking about things like obsessive behavior, even to the point of stalking, possessive & jealousy, or paranoia, manipulation & secrecy. Temptations of all kinds can put our relationships to the tests. It can also bring out more challenging emotions such as loneliness, heartbreak and grief. In any case, the point is that we're confronted with our most toxic feelings, behaviors, and/or issues related to love, beauty & relationships, so that we can deal with it and transcend them: like a phoenix rising from the ashes, another symbol associated with the sign of Scorpio.
Essentially, with Venus Retrograde in Scorpio, the truth is likely to resurface. This could be a truth related to the past, maybe our past relationships. This could be something hidden, a secret about our partner that changes everything when revealed or maybe it's our own secret that we've been hiding from them. It could also be something that we've suppressed, memories at the back of our subconscious finally being remembered conscious. Maybe we are forced to acknowledge something that we didn't want to face.
As Scorpio is a sign associated with death and rebirth, with Venus Retrograde here, many of us may be forced to say goodbye to something, whether that be a person, a relationship, an idea, or a version of ourselves that we no longer align with. The sign of the scorpion is also heavily associated with power and power dynamics, a theme that, along with all of the above, remains relevant when Venus re-enters Libra, a constellation that the Ancient Greeks once knew as the scorpion's claws.
Venus Retrograde in Libra: 2026
Venus is naturally at home in the sign of Libra, a cardinal air sign associated with balance, beauty and relational harmony. When retrograde, however, we may get a taste of it's more ugly or messy traits. This may not necessarily be bad thing, however: after all, true justice isn't always so pretty as it sounds on paper. While a re-balancing may be necessary, it's likely that the scales will be dramatically tipped in the process.
It is likely that any imbalances in our relationship dynamics will be exposed at this time. If one partner has been treating the other unfairly, this will need to be addressed. Some relationships may even experience a reversal of the typical power dynamics in their relationships, like the scales have turned. If prior to this transit, we were trying to keep the peace with our partner(s) at all costs, even at the expense of our own wellbeing, expect for things to reach the point of no return now. With Venus now Retrograde in Libra, we will be forced to have to take responsibility for the problems in our relationships that we have been glossing over: we can no longer ignore it, pretending everything is beautiful, romantic and fine.
Venus Retrograde in Libra & Scorpio: Aspects 2026
There are two main reasons as to why a lot of astrologers are talking a lot about this Venus Retrograde transit through Libra & Scorpio in particular, compared to say, the last time Venus was Retrograde in these signs back in 2018:
For one thing, as you can see in the chart above, Venus Retrograde in Scorpio is square Pluto (also retrograde) at 3'06°Aquarius (exact on October 20th, 2026). Since Pluto, named after the Roman god of the underworld (the equivalent to the Greek Hades, basically & also retrograde), is Scorpio's "modern ruler" (or co-ruler) this would intensify the traits of a Venus Retrograde transit through Scorpio, making them stronger and more dynamic... or in other words, even harder and more painful. We can (& should) become stronger as a result of this transit, of course, and so can (& should!) our relationships but a part of us needs to "die" or leave something behind in order do that. Pluto brings destruction, and those relationships that are built on weak, shallow or destructive foundations may indeed be destroyed for good, but this destruction gives birth to new beginnings.
The other reason, and probably the main reason, has more to do with the larger cyclical pattern made by Venus in Retrograde. Basically, this is the last time within our current lifetimes that Venus Retrograde will make it's "inferior conjunction" to the Sun while in Scorpio (at 0°on the 23rd of October) closing off a cycle that began in 1930. Rather than waste time & energy explaining the mechanics of what this all means, I'll link you to some other astrologers who can explain much better than I can.
Back to looking at chart for Venus's station Retrograde, we can see that Venus in Scorpio also makes a square to Mars, Scorpio's traditional (and primary) ruler, at 3'01° Leo. Similar to the Pluto square, this strengthens and intensifies the themes of Venus Retrograde in Scorpio, particularly the passion associated with this placement, but this is the kind of passion that can make or break things in a relationship, a certain kind of tension that can either spice up a relationship or lead to its downfall. Since Venus is conjunct Mercury in Scorpio, Mercury at 3'40° is square Mars in Leo, as well, and this is actually close, which could indicate communication problems in relationships, mainly arguments and heated discussions.
The conjunction between Venus Retrograde & Mercury in Scorpio of course makes communication & analytical thought a major theme of this transit. However, what's even more interesting is that Mercury's own Retrograde period will coincide with Venus's. More specifically, Mercury will be Retrograde between the 24th of October and 13th of November, which interestingly is the same day that Venus goes direct, as well, stationing backwards at 20°59′ Scorpio returning all the way to 5°02′ of the fixed water sign, where it will go direct. This definitely shakes things up, especially with the way we communicate in relationships but also, maybe, could we be overanalyzing our hearts desires? There could be lots of strange coincidences too, of course, particularly relating to past relationships, and many people are likely to hear from their exes at this time. There could be lots of reconciliations with people from the past, but only those couples who are really meant to come back together will likely survive, whereas for others, its more about closure and letting go.
However, when Venus goes Retrograde in Libra, it will trine the North Node at 27'35° Aquarius. This is a further sign that anything about this period that may be difficult is meant to steer us on the right path, and shows a growth in our perspectives & behavior regarding love, beauty & relationships. It's also a sign that any changes that take place to our relationships at this time are likely to be fated and there are likely to be fated meetings that happen for a good reason too. Once again, this is about re-balancing or in other words, this could be, like, clearing any karmic debts regarding love, beauty and/or relationships.
Conclusion
Essentially, Venus's Retrograde period through the signs of Scorpio & Libra is a good time to reflect on our relationships, and the way we love. Do our relationships truly reflect our deepest values? Is this dynamic balanced & fair? Themes related to power, truth/trust, balance, and justice are highlighted in our relationships at this time. It's possible for our relationships to be tested or for us to be tested by temptations from the past.
When Venus finally goes direct at 22'51° Libra on November 13th, 2026 we should have more clarity on our situation and knowledge of how to move forward. Venus Direct in Libra will be better for experiencing true harmony instead of the confusion we've been facing. When it re-enters Scorpio on December 4th, 2026, this connection may deepen and this transit could bring us a more genuine relational experience, that while challenging, we might be more ready to face head-on, allowing us to experience true beauty & the true power of love. However, it's possible that issues from the retrograde period might linger on until Venus exits her post-shadow phase on December 15th, or maybe even not until leaving Scorpio altogether, when it enters the sign of Sagittarius on January 7th, 2027.
It is important to remember, however, that this is a very general article. How this affects you, personally, and/or to what extent, will depend on your individual natal chart. To learn more about this, you can book a reading with me here. That said, those with significant placements between 0° and 10° of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) or 21° and 29° of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) are the most likely to be affected by this transit.
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