Venus Retrograde in Scorpio.

In Greek mythology, the gods occasionally descend from Mount Olympus into the Underworld.

Normally, Venus (Aphrodite) governs connection, harmony, aesthetics, and ease, weaving relationships and beauty together. In astrology, a transit describes where a planet is moving through the sky right now.

Think of it like cosmic weather: just as a sunny or rainy day influences how we dress and plan, a planet's current movement sets an emotional or creative backdrop for a period of time. During a retrograde, Venus halts, turns inward, and walks into the shadows — asking us to review, reclaim, and restructure what we love.

Retrogrades are checkpoints. They demand that we pause building to inspect our foundation.

This year, Venus descends into Scorpio, a water sign — one of four elements astrology uses to group the twelve signs — carrying intensity, emotional truth, and transformation. Water signs like Scorpio, Cancer, and Pisces mirror the fluid nature of our emotions.

Just as touching a quiet pond creates a ripple that touches every edge, these signs feel every movement deeply, using sensitivity as a mirror for inner awareness. This transit asks us to turn inward and look at what's really happening beneath the surface, and notice where habit replaces truth.

We often maintain relationships, financial structures, or creative practices simply out of familiarity. Venus' cycle in Scorpio requires us to unearth what we buried for safety, asking us to take honest stock of what we share with others — our resources, our trust, the debts both literal and emotional we've let go unspoken.

Confronting what we avoid creates tension, but facing that tension yields agency. It is an invitation to do the deep work and stop carrying what the ripple already revealed.

Astrology is not a passive event, but a living practice. In astrology, the houses are the stage the planets perform on — twelve areas of life, from career to home to relationships, each one lit up differently depending on where a planet lands.

I have Scorpio in my 5th house — the house of creative projects — so I'm using this cycle on something concrete: finally launching austinmcnairastrology.com. Perfectionism has kept it unfinished, but this transit is a good reason for me to stop polishing and put the work out.

The sky is offering a window for restructuring. What are you ready to bring into the light?