Letters from Venus: Summer Retrograde Vacation

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Hello everyone...it's Venus here! So thrilled to be with you today. And yes, you can call me Aphrodite if you prefer.

John is likely re-trying his hand with Fallout: New Vegas so he can complete it before the new one comes out this fall. I love to see people doing things they enjoy, even if it is in a dystopian, post-nuclear region populated with mutated insects. He enjoys it, so what is there for me to say? Except perhaps "EW!"

As John appears to be relishing killing giant mutated ants and scorpions, as well as any evil human unlucky enough to cross his path, it seems like a good time for us to have a little chat about my upcoming "vacation" that begins on July 25. You folks would likely call it a "retrograde", though. It starts next weekend, on July 25, and you may experience some difficulty. (Note: Mars usually uses a word with "F" to describe the negative experiences that go with some retrogrades, but I really try not to use that kind of language because it puts people off.)

I know I don't go on vacation very often, and it can be very unsettling when I do; I'm a big part of your world because I deal with love matters and money matters. Both of these things involve "attraction", of course.

A lot of people don't seem to understand how I'm involved with money. Well, when you apply for a job, they have to like you...sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. And you must like them, too, to have a mutually beneficial relationship. If you have your own business, you need to attract customers, make them "fall in love" with you, if you will, at least long enough for them to spend some money on you. But ideally you want them to stay in love with you over the long haul, and by doing so convince others to love your business too so you stay in the black.

Before you ask, people with problems with Venus in their natal chart can have difficulty in both love AND money, which if you ask me can be incredibly frustrating. But your natal chart is, as John would say, the hand you're dealt; how you play that hand day to day is up to you.

For the record, I'm in Scorpio in John's chart, in detriment, so I have a very hard time working with him some days. But he has a smart, beautiful spouse and a pretty good business, so obviously he's playing his hand well. (Speaking of hands, Mars told me once that sex is like bridge: You've got to have a great partner or a great hand. Wow, that's awful! See...my inner Mars is coming out already and we've still got a few days left. Fudge! I digress.) 

And with me in Scorpio things are always emotionally intense for our favorite blogger. Thankfully John got married young...dating was an emotional nightmare for him! There was this one time...wait...please forget I said that last sentence! He'd likely be embarrassed.

But speaking of my influence, did I mention he's celebrating 20 years of marriage next month? I am SO EXCITED! 

Oh, fiddlesticks...John said no tangents and I've already had a few. So it's back to work...

Small yet colorful tangents aside, John's asked me to present the list of potential problem areas to watch out for while I'm on vacation, and they include:

Love and social affairs--Overall, relationships tend to slow down. This is not a good time to:

• Get married 
• Go on first dates 
• Join or re-join online dating sites 
• Have big parties 
• Change your hairstyle 
• Wear flamboyant clothing 
• Buy a new wardrobe 
• Re-decorate your home or business 

Business--You may experience:

• Legal issues 
• Problems with diplomacy or negotiations 

Also, this is NOT a good time to begin new business partnerships. So if you can avoid doing this until I'm back, all the better.

One very important note: Relationships that are already having difficulty may feel additional pressure. My retrograde often forces us to face feelings that we have ignored in the past, and re-evaluate those friendships and romantic partnerships as these emotions re-surface. So I'm sorry to report that if you're relationship is already on the rocks, this may, well...help smash it to pieces, as Mars would say.

Mars does have his good points, but I prefer a more gentle approach. I'd probably go more with, "You may discover that the relationships that you have are truly not serving you, giving you the opportunity to pursue more fruitful ones." That sounds so much more positive. This is a time to acknowledge these feelings, but it's not a time to act on them. Wait until I come back from vacation to decide whether or not these feelings were temporary or indicative of a more serious problem.

Warning: I tend to me more Mars-like during my retrograde periods, so you can expect less kindness and understanding overall while I'm gone. I'll apologize for it because it's sort of my fault. Sorry.

Since I'll barely reach Virgo and then immediately retrograde into Leo, I'll spend nearly the entire time in the sign of the lion. Consequently, watch out for these types of incidents:

• Hissy fits 
• "Flounces"--dramatic departures from places for emotionally-based reasons that may involve either friends or romantic partners; "I'm going to take my ball and go home" is a standard flounce, for example 
• Pride problems--easily bruised egos are unfortunately a Leo staple 
• Oversensitivity--sometimes people take things personally when it's not personal 

I'll go over halfway back through Leo and I will go direct again at 14 Leo on Sunday, September 6th. But it's been about 18 months and I just need the break. I'm sure you understand. I'll be back before you know it!

I'll apologize now for any inconvenience my retrograde may cause, and sincerely wish you the very best in all that you do. Hopefully John will let me do this again soon!

Love,

Venus