In the scheme of planets in the solar system, after Mercury which perceives and therefore gives reality to the universe, there comes Venus, who adds and enhances the perception of objects, people, places and situations.

Venus senses the symmetry, perfection of proportion, and the overall harmony of the universe; which in other terms simply is beauty.  Whereas Mercury sees, and therefore activates, all creation; it is Venus which perceives (and therefore experiences) the sublime perfection and delight of the universe.  This quality of delight is transcendent and stirs the heart, which is the center of our world.  Venus creates a sense of fulfillment and wholeness out of life.

Therefore Venus astrologically is associated with love, beauty and art; all of which stir the heart and trips the lever of happiness, which helps keep affairs in harmony, balance, and in perpetual felicity.

As Venus turns retrograde on July 25, we have an opportunity to see how our emotions, sentiments, and appreciation of life are conditioned.  Relationships and the finer sides of life will certainly come into play: art, music, and aesthetics.

Venus turning retrograde then indicates a seemingly strange or mysterious turn to our affairs, in how we regard them and how we choose to experience them.  When a planet turns retrograde in the sky, it is not a real event, but only apparently so as the differing rates of orbit around the Sun of the Earth and Venus will create this illusion.  But retrogrades have the effect of impeding the flow of said planet’s energy astrologically in our lives.

Progress or evolution in life can go “negative” or backwards; it can go off askew into totally irrelevant and frustratingly erroneous directions.  Since Venus has a great effect on our emotions, feelings in general and our close interactions may seem to go in unusual or faulty directions.

Traditionally retrograde planets also indicate a time of review or introspection, “going back” over previous territory, retracing steps in the hopes of finding the source of current troubles.
This Venus retrograde phase will be from July 25 to September 6, 2015.

Punctuating Venus above will be the planet Uranus turning stationary direct on July 26.  Since Uranus rules the sense of social cohesiveness, identity, and progress; the idea of sudden breaks from the status quo are brought out.  Change is preceded by waves of generational discontent and striving for the best for all.  Some surges of emotion may trigger significant events, which may have the effect of helping us to see the future cast of society.

Uranus also acts in a very untactfully sudden and disrupting way, which the status quo definitely needs from time to time.  July 25 and 26 definitely would seem to be an interesting and eventful pair of day.