Venus's retrograde cycle is unusual because it is visible to the naked eye. Unlike Mercury retrograde (which happens three times a year and lasts roughly three weeks), Venus retrograde is rare, lasting about 40 days, and occurs roughly every 18 months. When Venus appears to move backward through the zodiac, it is actually Earth overtaking Venus in orbit -- creating an optical illusion from our perspective.

On 3 March 2025, Venus will station retrograde (pause and reverse direction) at 16° Aries. Over the next 40 days, it will slowly backtrack to 2° Aries, where it will station direct on 13 April. This retrograde window falls entirely in Aries, meaning the entire cycle happens in one sign -- which intensifies the themes.

Astrologically, there are three phases: the pre-retrograde shadow (about two weeks before station), the retrograde itself (3 March -- 13 April), and the post-retrograde shadow (about two weeks after station direct). Issues that surface now may have roots in mid-January, when Venus first entered this shadow zone. And echoes may linger until early May, as Venus returns to the degree where retrograde began.

Venus is considered in detriment in Aries -- challenged, operating against its nature. This is not a bad thing; it is a call to evolve. Detriment creates friction, and friction creates change.

This is not a time to white-knuckle your way through. Retrograde is an invitation to pause, not a punishment.

**Do: Reassess your relationship patterns.** If an ex resurfaces (and statistically, someone will), it is not a sign to rekindle. It is a mirror. What did that relationship teach you about what you actually need versus what you thought you wanted? Journal on it. Feel it. Then decide, consciously, whether it belongs in your future. This retrograde is offering clarity, not nostalgia.

**Do: Review your finances carefully.** Retrograde is the ideal time to audit subscriptions, renegotiate contracts, or reconsider that purchase you made impulsively in January. You may realise something you bought no longer fits who you are becoming. That is the retrograde working.

**Do: Practice genuine self-love, not self-indulgence.** Aries is impulsive; retrograde asks you to slow down. What would it look like to value yourself not because you are proving something, but because it is true? That is the work.

**Avoid: Starting new relationships.** Clarity is low right now; projection is high. Any relationship begun now risks being built on fantasy rather than reality. Wait until mid-May to commit.

**Avoid: Major financial decisions or new debt.** You are mid-reassessment. New commitments lock you into thinking you are still undoing.

**Avoid: Cosmetic procedures or aesthetic overhauls.** Your sense of what is beautiful and desirable is shifting. Wait until retrograde is over before tattooing something new onto your body or making permanent aesthetic changes.

**Avoid: Ignoring red flags because the familiar feels warm.** When exes reappear or old patterns tempt you, retrograde is explicitly asking you to see clearly. The temptation will be strong; the clarity is stronger.

Venus retrograde in Aries is not gentle, but it is necessary. As Neptune enters Aries later this year and Saturn completes its passage through Pisces, 2025 is already a year of spiritual reckoning. Venus retrograde in spring is asking you to get honest now -- about relationships, money, desire, and what you actually value -- so that the rest of the year can be built on truth rather than illusion.

This retrograde is an ending dressed as a beginning. Let it do that work. The patterns you release, the illusions you clear, the values you reclaim -- these create the space for something real to emerge. By May, you will understand yourself differently. And that difference is the whole point.

Venus's retrograde cycle is unusual because it is visible to the naked eye. Unlike Mercury retrograde (which happens three times a year and lasts roughly three weeks), Venus retrograde is rare, lasting about 40 days, and occurs roughly every 18 months. When Venus appears to move backward through the zodiac, it is actually Earth overtaking Venus in orbit -- creating an optical illusion from our perspective.

On 3 March 2025, Venus will station retrograde (pause and reverse direction) at 16° Aries. Over the next 40 days, it will slowly backtrack to 2° Aries, where it will station direct on 13 April. This retrograde window falls entirely in Aries, meaning the entire cycle happens in one sign -- which intensifies the themes.

Astrologically, there are three phases: the pre-retrograde shadow (about two weeks before station), the retrograde itself (3 March -- 13 April), and the post-retrograde shadow (about two weeks after station direct). Issues that surface now may have roots in mid-January, when Venus first entered this shadow zone. And echoes may linger until early May, as Venus returns to the degree where retrograde began.

Venus is considered in detriment in Aries -- challenged, operating against its nature. This is not a bad thing; it is a call to evolve. Detriment creates friction, and friction creates change.

This is not a time to white-knuckle your way through. Retrograde is an invitation to pause, not a punishment.

**Do: Reassess your relationship patterns.** If an ex resurfaces (and statistically, someone will), it is not a sign to rekindle. It is a mirror. What did that relationship teach you about what you actually need versus what you thought you wanted? Journal on it. Feel it. Then decide, consciously, whether it belongs in your future. This retrograde is offering clarity, not nostalgia.

**Do: Review your finances carefully.** Retrograde is the ideal time to audit subscriptions, renegotiate contracts, or reconsider that purchase you made impulsively in January. You may realise something you bought no longer fits who you are becoming. That is the retrograde working.

**Do: Practice genuine self-love, not self-indulgence.** Aries is impulsive; retrograde asks you to slow down. What would it look like to value yourself not because you are proving something, but because it is true? That is the work.

**Avoid: Starting new relationships.** Clarity is low right now; projection is high. Any relationship begun now risks being built on fantasy rather than reality. Wait until mid-May to commit.

**Avoid: Major financial decisions or new debt.** You are mid-reassessment. New commitments lock you into thinking you are still undoing.

**Avoid: Cosmetic procedures or aesthetic overhauls.** Your sense of what is beautiful and desirable is shifting. Wait until retrograde is over before tattooing something new onto your body or making permanent aesthetic changes.

**Avoid: Ignoring red flags because the familiar feels warm.** When exes reappear or old patterns tempt you, retrograde is explicitly asking you to see clearly. The temptation will be strong; the clarity is stronger.

Venus retrograde in Aries is not gentle, but it is necessary. As Neptune enters Aries later this year and Saturn completes its passage through Pisces, 2025 is already a year of spiritual reckoning. Venus retrograde in spring is asking you to get honest now -- about relationships, money, desire, and what you actually value -- so that the rest of the year can be built on truth rather than illusion.

This retrograde is an ending dressed as a beginning. Let it do that work. The patterns you release, the illusions you clear, the values you reclaim -- these create the space for something real to emerge. By May, you will understand yourself differently. And that difference is the whole point.