I’m diggin’ my way
I’m diggin’ my way to somethin’
I’m diggn’ my way to somethin’ better
I’m pushin’ to stay with somethin’
I’m pushin’ to stay with somethin’ better
Bleeding Me – Metallica

Rather than her usual 3 – 4 weeks in a sign, Venus will be in Capricorn from November 5, 2021- March 6, 2022.

This extended tour is due to her retrograde motion between December 19, 2021 – January 28, 2022.

Thus, the next few months invite you to take a deep dive into Venusian themes such as relationships, wants, desires and needs especially pertaining to your Capricorn house.

Venus retrogrades every 18 months for around 40 days each time. The last time Venus reversed through Capricorn was December 2013 / January 2014. You might notice recurring themes as Venus excavates the past, inviting you to re-examine issues you may have thought had been buried since then so you can end an eight-year cycle, as another begins.

In many respects, Venus retrograde cycles can show up as some of the most felt transits. When she heads in reverse, you might realise you don’t want the things you once did, or need the time and space to figure out what it is you want.

Venus is a transactional planet. Unlike the Moon / Mother archetype, Venus is the lover and the connector. All relationships, whether they be intimate or not, involve an exchange. That exchange includes money, time and effort or affection and attention.
Venus is warm and accommodating by nature, though when she gives, she does expect it to be reciprocated.

When Venus retrogrades, you’re invited to consider the ways in which you have traded your happiness for something, or someone else. How much have you given versus how much you got in return?

Venus in Capricorn

While Venus in Capricorn holds no special dignity, though she does get a boost between 14 – 21 degrees through the Egyptian terms. At her best she has an innate sense of her own value and contribution.

In Saturn’s sign, Venus in Capricorn seeks to relate through understanding the rules of engagement. She wants to know the T’s & C’s in order to be her best. She’s cautious, measured, while at the same time, happy to initiate the process in building something enduring and long – lasting.

Venus conjunct Pluto

One unique feature of this retrograde phase is Venus’ three conjunctions with Pluto – 11 / 25 December and the final fusion occurring March 4, 2022.

The Pluto component doubles down on the edgy and angsty vibe Venus retrograde already delivers. As Venus enters the underworld, she is greeted by the lord of it. This particular retrograde may dredge up fears, worries or issues that were so deeply buried in the recess of your psyche, you thought they were well and truly gone.

As the caverns of your Capricorn house open up, you get to traverse within it, where you can make some deep and profound discoveries.

• Is this what I still want?
• Have I given away my power? Did I abuse it?
• Am I manipulating others? Am I being manipulated?
• Are my habits and attitudes leading me to where I want to be?
• Do I need to shed parts of my old self in order to have the happiness or joy I desire?
• Am I safe?
• Is my ROI (return on investment) an exchange I’m happy with?
• Do I still want to preserve my commitments or do I need to deepen them?
• Am I sacrificing my own happiness because of my commitments at work / home / family etc?
• Do I need to commit to the relationship I have with myself?
• Am I honouring the promises I make to myself and others?

A Word on Retrogrades in General…

I just wanted to make a quick mention about the nature of retrogrades. When a planet retrogrades, it comes closer to Earth in its transit.

You may have noticed just how bright Venus has been in the last couple of months in the evening sky. As we adore her beauty at dusk, she also reminds us to pay attention to her. We gaze, we admire, we ponder.

Then she’s gone…

While she’s in the underworld, it can feel as though something is missing or lost. Instead of seeking beauty externally, we’re invited to find it within.

This can mean honouring rituals and routines, I’ll be talking about this soon at Nightlight Astrology. Venus retrograde might bring up the need to put yourself first and commit to something you keep promising to do but don’t.

Looking at your Capricorn house for clues will help…

For me, it’s my 8^th House. You might be aware that my mother died earlier this year, just as I exited an 8^th House profected year.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’d been thinking about what I inherited from her – a difficult Venus / Saturn aspect, and the multitude of ways that has played out in my life.

Do I have the strength
To know how I’ll go?
Can I find it inside
To deal with what I shouldn’t know
Worn out always being afraid
An endless stream of fear that I’ve made
Frantic – Metallica

Re- Writing the Terms and Conditions

As I mentioned on my Instagram stories today, Metallica is a band-aid for my soul. I was pacing in between heavy sets at the gym, as the “Unnamed Feeling” came back. As I was feeling the station, I also thought about how much I’ve grown and changed since Venus was last retrograde in Capricorn. I also thought about how I was ready for something new, the next chapter.

There are a couple of astrological features that can support or enhance the powerful transformation potential of this particular Venus retrograde.

1). Saturn in Capricorn

               One major influence that could help you find strength during this Venus retrograde cycle is Saturn in Capricorn in 2018 – 2020.

This may help you lean into a level of maturity that wasn’t available the last time Venus was retrograde in Capricorn. Perhaps you know your limitations and boundaries in a way that you didn’t back in late 2013 / early 2014. Saturn most likely dished out some hard knocks and hard-won wisdom that can help you recognise and clarify what you can re-commit to and what you can bring conscious closure to.

2.) Saturn square Uranus

               Just a few short days after Venus’ retrograde station, her ruler Saturn squares off with Uranus for the third time in 2021.
Structures and traditions based on past experiences can be re-awakened and re-imagined. Venus retrograde may be your invitation to take the road less travelled and fully get behind your desires.

As Uranus forms a whole sign trine to Venus throughout her time in Capricorn, you might feel ready to shake of the shackles that have held you back.

The deep dive that Pluto brings may help you unearth a buried treasure, reveal something that has been concealed within you due to the limitations imposed by the way things have been, instead of the way they could be.

Practical Advice + Tips

Doing something practical – hello Venus is in an earth sign after all, can help you get in touch with what this cycle can bring forth in your life to heal and regenerate.

Some common strategies adopted by astrologers and friends of mine who are practitioners of magic are to abstain from Venusian indulgences while she’s retrograde. This generally includes sugar, alcohol and sex.

Fasting holds no appeal to me and if you’re the same, you might like to consider the approach I’m taking.

In Capricorn, the essence of Venus is contained within Saturn’s walls. As Rumi said, “your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Whether it’s love, money, self-worth and your ability to attract all your desires, we all hold limiting beliefs. These are the stories from our past, our cultures and society that dictate the rules of what we can or cannot have. We buy into these stories, rarely questioning if they are in fact, the ultimate truth, even though deep inside our heart, we know they’re not.

The South Node is just about the exit Sagittarius after all, it’s time to rewrite new stories – especially those we tell ourselves.

Each day, I’ll reflect on a limiting belief I have. I’ll explore where it came from, why I have it and why I have chosen to hold on to it.

Then I let it go.

In the evening, I’ll write that limiting belief down on paper and burn it.

When Venus conjoins Pluto for the third and final time on March 4, both she, and my beliefs will rise from the ashes of the past, ready for a new eight – year story.

Which house does Venus retrograde in Capricorn activate for you? Tell me in the comments below.

More on Venus retrograde in Capricorn here on YouTube!