posted February 22, 2006 09:48 PM
Thanks for that Alice!I've been looking for information on Venus Retro lately. I know someone with Venus retro in Aries (chart ruler also). How weird.. could you imagine that? Aries is all about action and being selfcentered.. Looking after your own needs first..it's the sign of individuality.. And Venus Retro is all about putting other ppl first. Wouldn't it get confusing? This person definitely seems to have an ego.. specially in love, but maybe it's just the aries-ness of it coming through.
I found this on Venus retro. It's quite long..Some of it rang true for my friend -
Natal Retrograde Venus (1)
(Bil Tierney)
When a planet is retrograde, there is expressed a need for greater concentrated attention upon evoking the subjective facets of whatever that planet basically represents. Less focus is thus put upon the materialistic application of that planet. Venus normally gives us the urge to attract beauty, refinement, and comfort in the outer world. It prompts us to learn and value cultured interaction, and sensitizes us to the aesthetic potentials of life. When it is retrograde in the natal chart, the individual's aesthetic values are more personalized rather than socially conditioned. His social instincts at least operate along less extroverted channels. This mean the individual is apt to be more reflective and subjective in his evalutions of love, beauty, and partnerships in general. He is able to appreciate and value things which are either overlooked by or are less appealing to those with Venus direct. This can suggest that one with a retrograde Venus may possess a fuller awareness of inner or abstract beauty, and therefore may not be as attracted by only surface physical appearances. He may be more harmoniously attuned to the subtler elements. The love nature can be more profoundly experienced, since emotions here can have a deeper impact upon his nature. But they are simply harder to express in open, demonstrative terms. In this instance, the potentially shallow, superficial side of Venus is less evoked. The individual is not as prone to behave in a conventional social manner simply to obtain approval and acceptance from others. He may be somewhat reserved or inhibited in the display of affection, and may need more time to develop himself here. He is often a late bloomer in romance (in terms of inner fulfillment).
On a relationship level, retrograde Venus is not as inclined to be out-going and gregarious. As it is more emotionally self-contained, it is less driven to actively seek out others for friendly, intimate companionship. This person is likely to withdraw from close involvement in favor of establishing relationship between the various parts of himself. While he may doubt his capacity to enjoy personal contacts with others, he tends to turn within for emotional fulfillment (valuing his own company more in most cases... suggesting need for seclusion and solitude). Outwardly, he therefore may appear stand-offish and somewhat reclusive in temperament. Because of this, true satisfaction from love and other emotionally-based relationships may come later in life (if at all). The individual is obviously meant to review his personal values, tender feelings, and even dependency needs upon more introspective levels beore he can feel comfortable and secure with others, and able to share the many part of himself in a balanced and co-ordinated manner. He needs to examine the motivations that urge him to love or cherish another (since his attachments are seldom easy for him and others who view him to understand). Since unconscious factors are at work here, the individual's attraction can appear incomprehensible, irrational, or impractical. Upon a positive level, the refinement principle of Venus can be more penetrating within the psyche, allowing the individual to slowly develop a more mature, spiritualized expression of love. But this is normally only after ample self-evaluation. Venus here is able to love from a more abstract, universatl viewpoint in certain cases.
Venus retrograde tends to have less interest in accumulating physical goods and possessions for strictly worldly value, and therefore the individual is less materialistic in the most pragmatic sense of that term. He becomes more concerned with the inner value of what he owns. Yet, in some instances, this condition could reflect one who has difficulty in dealing with building financial security in his life due to conflicting values (his own vs. society's). He may block himself from satisfying emotional needs through physical resources. If very much under stress aspects in the chart, retrograde Venus could denote intense emotional frustrations due to limited affectional or artistic outlets. His ability for self-acceptance can also be blocked, which might warp and distort his expression of personal love and sociability. This condition could indicate one who does not feel worthy of receiving love, since he may have a muddled concept of self-value. Or, in some instances, the love principle turning its energies upon the self in a very subjective, instinctual manner could suggest a tendency towards some degree of unconscious narcissism (i.e. morbid self-attraction). All submerged or indirect feelings will eventually have to openly surface upon a waking level of consciousness before this individual can develop a healthy objectivity and perspective concerning them.
(Martin Schulman)
Venus, the ruler of love, beauty and harmony, is symbolized by the circle of spirit over the cross of matter. Here the spirit in man pours down into expression in form, thus creating life. When form is created out of spirit it becomes something beautiful, as all that man creates springs forth from his etheric nature. Through Venus, the beauty, harmony, and love in man's spirit can find their way into matter.
When Venus is Retrograde, this progression, as with Mercury, becomes inverted, and man depends upon form to activate his spirit. Thus, if the material side of his life is inconsistent with his experiences with form in past incarnations, he tends to allow the spirit to negate all that exists in reality. With all Retrogrades, the form or material part of his life dominates as the individual keeps trying to understand all of the Karma he has crystallized into matter in past incarnations.
The individual with Venus Retrograde is less of an actor in life than he is a reactor to it. It is important to understand that the crescent of soul is missing from the Venus symbol and it is for this reason that Venus is ascribed to that very personal part of man's harmonizing nature, while Neptune, containing the crescent of soul, allows man to experience all beauty from its cosmic source. Wherever soul is present as a conscious force, the personal part of man is always subservient. Thus, we see so much giving manifested through Neptune. But, wherever soul is absent as a conscious force, the personal part of man's nature always takes precedence. This is why we see so much asking for personal fulfillment through Venus. The Retrograde nature enhanves this to the point that the individual develops very strong reaction patterns to all that happens to him in life, judging each event, circumstance, and relationship in terms of how much he is being loved, or how much he is being denied love experiences.
Thus, the general effect of Retrograde Venus is felt mostly in that very personal side of life which is not fed through Soul, but rather an attempt at making form the mother of spirit. As a result, the material or physical side of life takes command.
The personality of the Venus Retrograde individual is markedly different from that of the person with Venus in direct motion. There is a tendency to internalize hurts, working out within himself what the direction motion Venus would try to work out externally. Often, the Retrograde Venus not only creates these hurts, but also tends to exaggerate their effect. There is an overemphasis on the imperfections of the love (or loves) in his life. For this person, the path of love does not flow smoothly.
Overly self-conscious, he usually wonders if others are paying as much attention to him as he is to himself. Not always positive about his likes and dislikes, he tends to experience a gap between living his life and experiencing the consciousness of it. He can be deeply in love and not know it until years after ending the relationship. He goes through many similar behavior patterns all designed to deny himself in reality what he thinks he truly needs.
There is always difficulty with the opposite sex as he tends to unconsciously pre-program his future relationships so that they fit into the patterns of his past.
A great deal of insecurity accompanies this position as the individual is constantly trying to align himself in ways which he feels will mesh with others. But, as he does this, he semi-consciously keeps pushing others away from him so that no-one truly knows him deeply enough to threaten whatever little amount of security he has based his identity upon. This position tends to make the life more lonely inwardly as the individual blocks himself from happiness by trying too hard to achieve it.
When Venus is Retrograde, the individual is carrying with him a great misunderstanding about love in a past life. Usually there was such intense hurt that he now cuts himself off from fully experiencing the richness of love because he fears being hurt that much again. Whether male or female, there is much present life difficulty in relationships with the opposite sex.
While trying to live in the present, he endlessly creates a past memory of love in a former incarnation which still keeps eluding him. He reacts to the present as if he were actually living in his past. In this sense he is fixated at a point in time, and no matter what he does there hardly seems to be the forward progress that he says he wants.
In the charts of males, this sometimes indicates Karma related to homosexuality. But even homosexuality has its degrees, ranging from the outspoken male who tries politically to sell homosexuality to the world down to the male who would not even hear the word in his presence, is married, but seeks every possible opportunity to avoid females while proving his masculinity. This latter type of male is the kind of individual whose life revolves around his male friends, using the guise of associations, clubs, hobbies, and so on as an excuse for his avoidance of women. He can function respectably in society, but he is still a latent homosexual. Less often, we find similar reactions in the female with Retrograde Venus.
The most noticeable Karmic pattern is that the individual, whether male or female, has a powerful tendency to mistrust most offers of love, feeling that the individuals making these offers usually have ulterior motives.
(Mohan Koparkar)
Emotional hesitancy or indecisions are noticed in the native in this case. For some reason, he has difficulties expressing his true emotions consistently. Thus, he would show happiness much before or later than the actualization of the situation. This delayed response or inappropriate expression appears quite different to others. As a result, their opinions about this individual will vary substantially. To some, he would be appearing insensitive, stuffed, egocentric, self-passioned or snobbish. The unusual mannerism or treating surrounding people the way he does may not be done intentionally. His own insecurities force him to take the cover of something he is not. On the other hand, when he is confident of himself, he over-compensates his response and thrusts upon others his emotions and feelings. The native can be very hard to please under normal situations. In certain cases, he may be so easy to please that others are doubtful of his games and motives. The distortions in the emotional fluctuations bring the femininity out. In a man's case, this represents inner doubts of his own sexuality; and at times his competitions with a feminine woman turn into mild chaos. As a result, he needs a strong woman or power behind her to keep him interested in her. The imbalance of this introvert, easy-going masculinity forces him to undertake easy projects, goals, and creative achievements. Personal needs and expressions become very soft, adaptable and fanciful here. Fondness of art, creativity, music, comforts, foods and excesive indulges can be seen here. General appreciative moods and peace-loving character visible here. Rather than going-after goals, he waits for the right opportunities. Financial success, marital happiness and partnership bliss can be there for him. However, periodically he withdraws with feelings of self-inadequacies; and this causes frustrations in his life and subsequently in the partnership. He avoids trouble at all costs, as he prefers peace and harmony around him. In financial areas, he does not have to struggle hard for simple necessities; but to prove him worthy of his character, he goes out and asks for struggle in life. In a woman's case, her femininity can be very strong but she has doubts of her own from within. They come from her interactions with others and not being able to be pleased by men easily. Her finicky attitude, self-love, self-indulgence and high satisfaction quotient makes it very hard to live with her but tough to get away from her. She is willing to give up her true love and romantic idealism for the sake of material comforts, sensuous pleasure and physical satisfactions. Very jealous attitude towards her spousee might be seen as she demands a lot of attention from him. In early life, she wants to be treated like a princess no matter where her life origin may be.
Venus's disappearance from the sky, subsequent entry into the underworld and marriage to the Sun were surrounded by mystery and omens in both Greek and Mesoamerican cultures.
The retrograde cycle portrays an intimacy between Earth and Venus, with the Sun as an illuminating backdrop: symbolically, Venus mates with the Earth and Sun simultaneously, embodying the polar aspects of Urania and Panemos in one figure. Though the image could be of the Sun devouring Venus, it is equally one of Venus mating with the Earth. Psychologically, Venus retrograde people often have a sense of being autonomous and independent form the worldly design of senses, values and relationships. The Mesoamerican Venus's transsexuality in the inferior conjunction is very much the mysterium coniunctio of the alchemical wedding, where the King and Queen mate in the saline bath and merge to become the Hermaphrodite.
The peculiar androgynous feature - psychological or physical - is also notable among those who have Venus close to the inferior conjunction with the Sun. That is not to say that such people are physiologically hermaphroditic or sexually ambivalent; but men with venus retrograde are closer to their feminine instincts, and women more connected with their masculine animus. Because the Sun and Venus are 'in a marriage' during the retrograde phase, Venus retrograde people have difficulty in separating their own needs from what is expected of them, so they frequently retreat - either into ascetic denial of bodily needs and visceral demands, or into the sensual aspects of life. Either way, they are at Aphrodite's mercy. The possible manifestations are numerous, but range from multiple relationships to virtual monkism.
Individuals with Venus retrograde natally are acutely aware of how the values they witness in their environment differ greatly from their own feelings of what is right and wrong. Venus retrograde's relationship to the Sun depicts a view of reality which does not conform to the consensus of values. The individual's inner will (the Sun) is inextricably connected with his or her innate sense of justice and sensory intuition (Venus). The closed circuit that is formed with Venus, Earth and the Sun more readily allows one's perceptions and valuations to come directly from the Self. This union of Sun and Venus createsa more interior and subjective alembic for the development of personal values; and the pure statement, less eaily tainted by externally imposed values, remains intact - although it undergoes variations with experience and maturity. Naturally this causes difficulties as the child leaves its secure environment of home and enters the world where it will experience the values and senses of peers, superiors and society as the collective voice of authority. A child with Venus retrograde needs to be encouraged to listen to the inner voice, and to respond to its instinctual nature, because that is the only reliable source of personal integrity with this position.
Ego development of those with Venus retrograde does seem to be slower; and they linger on the threshold of social sophistication longer than those with direct Venus. The process of social evaluation is less easily influenced by externals - the Venus retrograde person is more likely to retain a measure of guilelessness, which cannot cope with superficial social activity but must do things that have deeper meaning. Their primal survival instinct - knowing instinctually what is life-giving or death-dealing - is an important factor in their apparent shyness of shallow social contact. What is really functioning is a deep realization that they might be 'killed' by insensitive, or merely trivial, haphazard actions perpetrated by others. On the level of personal values they find a kind of soul death in things that many may find quite pleasurable and harmless. Young Venus retrograde people are frequently exposed to situations that cause them to recoil and internalize their instinctive responses, which in turn involves serious contemplation of their true inner worth. Even if the parental situation is basically supportive, there will still be a wall between such children and the world until they find the inner security to protect them from the harshness of reality.
Wherever I have encountered women with Venus retrograde who have also been sexually violated in their developmental years - if not by their fathers, then by uncles, brothers or other close male members of the family - there is an ominous parallel with the Maya god Venus's transformation. Mating with the Sun-father may sound rich and exciting in myth, but it is definitely not in real life. When a young woman's rite of passage into her sexuality is not an instinctive response but a forced coercion by a solar figure, it is indeed hell on earth. Her feminine essence is bound by the male assailant, disappears and is buried underground. What surfaces later is a war cry; the cold, rejecting hostility of the woman is actually the arrested psychic development of the sexually abused girl-child. In some cases this event, the violation or involuntary marriage to the Sun, actually does eventually emerge as a transsexual manifestation, where the animus takes charge, overriding the feminine psychic counterpart, and the woman becomes a man-woman - strong, courageous, valiant, political, militant, aggressive, strident and terrified.
I do not know of any link between Venus retrograde women and incest, nor will I draw any, but the erotic charge in the family home is often tense, displaced and instinctively carried by the person in the family system with Venus retrograde. They are intuitively more aware of discord or ambivalent feelings on the part of their parents, either towards each other or to other family members. The sensitivity to the sexual undertone of the family is also extremely high.
Venus retrograde in men frequently coincides with a much more powerful psychological and physical bond with the mother than with the father. Female abuse of male children seems not as prevalent as with fathers and their children, but it may be that it is more subtle and also more difficult for men to acknowledge because of social pressures and stigma.
Venus retrogrades in men often find ways to undergo a transformation of gender. They have a powerful identification with the feminine side of themselves and often find that it is easier to relate to womsen, rather than men, as friends. With a distinct lack of masculine competitiveness, their social tastes often run from one extreme to another - from reclusiveness and enjoyment of their own company to the cultivation of frivolous, superficial and fluttery companions. The alternative reaction is the he-man image, where the male ego is terrified by the feminine anima and the man as a result spends his time in search of the ideal woman, ultimately trying in the only way he instinctively knows to return to the womb - as often as possible.
Lacking the early will to assert themselves, Venus retrograde people are often victims of introjection - that is, they passively accept the values handed to them wholesale by family and society, all the while viscerally screaming rejection of them. This creates a special conflict, a wound to body and soul that turns them inward to contemplate a universe whose laws are in accord with their own feelings. They often have a strong charisma, an undercurrent of emotional intensity which exudes from them as a subtle vibration, rahter than manifesting in overt social activity or extraversion. Hence, they are often magnetic and compelling in a quiet way, generating sensual power and attractiveness.
Based on a strong sense of inner justice, their values are often either crude and primitive or exalted and religious. The religious factor always seems to arise; it is as if a spiritual adviser lives within. Orthodox or heterodox, the religious needs are strong; and systems to support that need are sought after. When wounded, defeated or profoundly rejected in love, Venus retrograde people often seek the solace of Aphrodite Urania, the purifying goddess of ideal love; spiritual union with a mythological character soothes and heals the sadness and hopelessness of the profane experience.
Venus retrograde individuals often find it easier to relate to superficial social values and consequently have what they assume are problems in relationships. It is not relationships per se that are a problem, but how they were experienced in their formative years. The lens through which relationships are viewed is predisposed to an ideal, which is not what happens in real life. Therefore the wounds of Venus retrograde people are usually exacerbated by what is actually experienced in their environment.
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Lindaland
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posted February 22, 2006 07:13 AM
posted February 22, 2006 10:43 AM
Well, I do in a friendly way... I'm as smooth as a pile of rocks. 
I've been told that my friendly nature and willing to listen, etc. has been taken as come-ons. 
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