Venus retrograde 2026: Scorpio and Libra
Venus is retrograde from to , 42 days, starting in Scorpio and ending in Libra. The shadow period runs from to . In Scorpio, astrologers link it with intimacy, jealousy, shared money and old attachments. In Libra, astrologers link it with partnership, fairness, agreements and beauty. Exact times and what it means for your sign.
Venus retrograde 2028: Gemini
Venus is retrograde from to , 43 days, all in Gemini. The shadow period runs from to . In Gemini, astrologers link it with flirting, messages, mixed feelings and social plans. Exact times and what it means for your sign.
Every Venus retrograde from 2018 to 2035
| Retrograde | Signs | Shadow period |
|---|---|---|
| to | Scorpio, Libra | to |
| to | Gemini | to |
| to | Capricorn | to |
| to | Leo | to |
| to | Aries, Pisces | to |
| to | Scorpio, Libra | to |
| to | Gemini | to |
| to | Capricorn | to |
| to | Leo | to |
| to | Aries, Pisces | to |
| to | Scorpio, Libra | to |
What Venus retrograde is
Venus orbits the Sun in about 225 days, inside Earth’s orbit. Roughly every 19 months it catches up with Earth and passes between us and the Sun. While it overtakes us on the inside track, it appears from Earth to slow down, stop, move backward against the stars for about six weeks, stop again and move forward. The two turning points are the stations. Venus is retrograde only about 7 percent of the time, less than any other planet.
The middle of the retrograde is the inferior conjunction, when Venus lines up with the Sun. Before it, Venus is the bright evening star after sunset; after it, Venus reappears before sunrise as the morning star. Because five of these cycles take almost exactly eight years, Venus retrogrades repeat in nearly the same signs and on nearly the same dates every eight years: 2018, 2026 and 2034 all fall in Scorpio and Libra.
The shadow periods
The pre-shadow starts when Venus first reaches the degree where the retrograde will end. The post-shadow ends when Venus comes back to the degree where it turned retrograde. Between those dates Venus covers the same stretch of the zodiac three times, so many astrologers treat the whole window, usually about three and a half months, as one cycle.
What it means in astrology
Venus rules love, attraction, pleasure, beauty, money and what you value. Astrologers read its retrograde as a time to review those areas rather than push them forward: old feelings and former partners can resurface, relationships get reassessed, and spending habits come under a quieter, more honest light. Tradition advises against big changes to your appearance, expensive luxury purchases and starting important partnerships while Venus is retrograde, and favors reflection, repair and returning to people and pleasures you had set aside.
Related
Is Mercury retrograde right now? · Venus sign calculator · Venus return calculator · Today’s transits
Questions
How often is Venus retrograde?
About every 19 months, for about six weeks each time (between 40 and 43 days). Venus is retrograde roughly 7 percent of the time, the least of any planet.
Is Venus retrograde in 2027?
No. Venus is retrograde from October 3 to November 13, 2026 (US Eastern time) and next from May 10 to June 22, 2028, so there is no Venus retrograde in 2027.
Is Venus retrograde a bad time to start a relationship?
Tradition says it is better to wait with new commitments, weddings and big relationship decisions until Venus is direct, because feelings during the retrograde can shift once it ends. Many astrologers see it as a good time to reflect on what you want, reconnect or repair, rather than a time when love goes wrong.
Which time zone are these dates in?
The pages are written in US Eastern time with UTC alongside. In your browser the dates and times switch to your own time zone automatically.
How accurate are the dates?
Venus’s position is calculated from its orbit with small corrections, and the station times agree with published ephemerides to within about 40 minutes; the station degrees agree to within one minute of arc.