Don’t Diss the Diva
It’s easy to dismiss Venus as a planetary lightweight, an inconsequential party girl eating bon-bons and wearing a fluffy boa. But if you doubt her power, consider how many of the decisions in our lives originate from her domain: desire – whether for love, for pleasure, for money, or for social acceptance. But when Venus squares Pluto this week (Oct. 19, 2026, 11:56 pm PDT, at 3º45 Scorpio and Aquarius), and no one can doubt her power.
Fittingly, the streets of our lovely neighborhood have torn apart by the water department to replace old pipes. It’s been noisy, dirty, and disruptive, but it’s necessary in order to get rid of that crummy, obsolete old infrastructure.
Venus in Scorpio doesn’t mind cracking a few eggs to make an omelet. She’s impatient with gridlock and refuses to play games. “What is it you want?” she demands, and when we venture a hesitant answer, she snaps, “Well then, go to it!” And when we complain that it’s impossible, she rolls her eyes. “It’s only impossible if you don’t try.”
These two made a square on September 15, and will make a final square in this series on Dec. 9. At all three squares, Venus is on Sabian symbol 4 Scorpio, A youth holding a lighted candle. Where are you shining light on a troubled area of your life? With Venus retrograde, some of these troubles might go way back, even to your youth. Isn’t it interesting how we can work with a particular problem for decades without really “growing up” around it?
This is a series of aspects that offers an opportunity to do some of that growth, by digging deep into it and allowing yourself to be very preoccupied by it.
Every Imperfection
We enter Scorpio season today, with the Sun entering this shadowy sign (Oct. 23, 2026, 2:38 am PDT, through Nov. 22). During Scorpio’s season in the Northern Hemisphere, the flat, autumn light is unforgiving, and if we look in the mirror, we see every imperfection. The nights are longer, and in the darkness it’s somehow easier to locate our faults and weaknesses, fear and grief. But it’s a little harder to share them, because that means admitting them to ourselves first.
I don’t think we change as we age. I think we just become more comfortable being who we’ve always been. We don’t feel the need to be false—more cheerful, more accommodating than we feel—in order to make others more comfortable around us. We become our Scorpionic selves, stripped of artifice and the comforting fictions of youth.
The Scorpio journey is about stripping off layers, year after year, and getting to know the essence of who we are. We may not be able to count on good genes or good luck, and some bad decisions can’t be undone. We may lose loved ones. We will probably lose some of our health. But we never lose the person we are underneath our clothes, underneath our skin.
Guitars and Take-Out
The Sun and Venus retrograde come together in a conjunction this week (Oct. 23, 2026, 8:44 pm PDT, at 00º45’ Scorpio). Venus’s retrograde period generally reminds us to treat ourselves well, because if we don’t value ourselves, no one else will. And when Venus comes together with the Sun, it marks an important chapter in a story of love, creativity, and self-regard.
A conjunction of Venus and the Sun is called a Venus Star Point, and it occurs near the same degree and sign every eight years, a new installment in a story about love and worth. Look to the position of 00º45’ Scorpio in your birth chart to see where this story is unfolding for you.
Venus in Scorpio always values looking within, locating our integrity, and looking to ourselves for approval. Its conjunction with the Sun is a powerful time to magnetize the situations and relationships that are truly in line with your heart and values. Today, you might gain insight into an important relationship in your life – whether or not it’s really good for you, and whether this person appreciates you exactly as you are.
Venus Rx in Scorpio reminds me of the delight my Taurus mother took in visiting old cemeteries when we were taking road trips. And how my best friend and I, when we were young, used to take our guitars to the local cemetery, along with takeout Chinese food, and have a lovely time playing music and eating delicious food amongst the gravestones.
These kinds of celebrations are a big part of celebrating the Day of the Dead in Mexican culture, too. It may seem morbid to celebrate these places of the dead. But when Venus is cazimi, it’s beautiful, too. It’s a reminder that not only is life a fleeting thing, it’s also a joyous, beautiful thing. During this cazimi period, find a way to celebrate it.
Derelict in your duty
Mercury turns retrograde this week (Oct. 24, 2026, 12:13 am PDT, until Nov. 13), and by now, we know the drill: Slow down, leave space in your schedule, let your mind drift a bit, review recent events. It’s easier said than done, especially with Mercury in Scorpio, which is ruled by Mars and highly focused.
But Mercury turns retrograde at 20º58′ Scorpio on the Sabian symbol 21 Scorpio: A soldier derelict in his duty. There are times when it makes sense to ignore some of your duties, and Mercury retrograde periods fit the bill. Obviously, some duties can’t be ignored – to your children, family members and friends in real trouble. But then there are those duties that fill your days and make you overly busy for no good reason.
As Mercury enters its retrograde period, do your best to let some of them slide in the weeks ahead. Dream a little more. Nap a lot more.
People from your Past
Here’s something that sometimes happens with Venus is retrograde: people from your past make an appearance. They might actually show up on the street or rise to the top of your social media queue. They might get in touch by email or text. And I’d say this has a better than average chance of taking place today, when Venus retrograde backs out of Scorpio and enters Libra (Oct. 25, 2026, 2:10 am PDT, 29º59’ Libra), the sign of relationships.
This can be a happy occurrence. Sometimes we fall out of touch with a friend over the years, without any real animosity – our lives just go in different directions. When a person like that shows up in the present, that can be a very nice thing. When it’s a person who caused pain in the past, their reappearance can be unsettling, at best.
But in either case, it’s time for a little reflection. Why did you fall out of touch with the old friend, if there was no animosity? Why does the person who caused pain still make your stomach sink and your heart wince? Have you healed, or is there more work left to do? And most of all, what have you learned, and how have you grown?
Venus was last at this degree around September 9, just before it entered Scorpio. This might be a time to revisit a falling out or a financial misstep you made around that time. By the time it revisits this degree around Dec. 3, the lesson should be completed.
Blessings and Perils
Each year while the Sun moves through Scorpio, the scene is set for facing fearsome realities and possibilities that we’d rather avoid. The days are short and the shadows long, the trees are losing their leaves, and melancholy easily gains a toe-hold. But at this season’s Full Moon in Taurus (Oct. 25, 2026, 9:12 pm PDT, at 2º45’ Taurus and Scorpio), life regains some of its flavor and color. We’re reminded of life’s blessings, not just its perils. We find ourselves opening a window to simple, happy pleasures, letting go of obsessive angst and allowing the world to simply be what it is.
Nurturing and caring for living things, an unshakable, unshockable stability in the face of life’s challenges, are Taurus’ birthright. The Taurus souls among us help us accept the world as it is and to commit to being part of it – to celebrate experiences and knowledge that can only be gained through being embodied. Transcendence is all well and good, Taurus might say, but you still have to get food on the table and make sure everyone has clean socks for the next day.
Times are difficult, and with the Full Moon square Pluto, we won’t forget our problems altogether. We may find it a little more difficult than usual to retain our sanguine Taurus attitudes.
But this Full Moon offers opportunities for inspiration and joyful release, as well. So set your harvest table for dear friends and family, share simple food and drink, and laugh together – because where there is laughter, fear is impossible. The Full Moon in Taurus invites us to get out of our heads and to commit to being and living in the moment; to enjoy everything we have, and maybe wash a load of laundry.
© Words and Illustrations by April Elliott Kent
