On October 6 2018, Venus began its retrograde motion. During this month, it continues to be retrograde until November 16th. When a planet is retrograde, its energy turns inward. It causes us to become more reflective about what the planet represents. Venus is the planet of love, affection, creativity, the senses, and pleasure. Its retrograde phase is a good time to work on improving our expression of these things. A retrograde planet is like a cup that is overflowing, so sometimes we can feel an excessive or exaggerated influence of the planets energy. During this period, it can be helpful to watch excesses in all of the domains related to Venus.
On November 17th, the day after Venus goes direct, Mercury will begin its three week retrograde phase, and finally go direct on December 6th. Mercury rules over all things verbal and mental, so this is a good time for revising or editing things that are written, and for working on improving communication. Generally it is advisable to avoid important, new beginnings or to sign important contracts, during the period of Mercury retrograde.
James Kelleher
Author