Is Venus Retrograde in Your Birth Chart? 5 Traits That Say Yes

The double retrograde is finally coming to an end! Since October 3, Venus, the planet of romance, pleasure, values, and earning, has been retrograde, moving back from Scorpio into Libra. Typically, one inner planet’s backspin slowing down and throwing wrenches in a specific area of your life would be enough, but on October 24, Mercury joined the party, retrograding back through Scorpio, too. As of today, November 13, both planets will be direct: news worthy of a sigh of relief. But for some of us, the effects of Venus retrograde never end, because they’re baked into our birth charts.

Seven to eight percent of the population was born during a Venus retrograde, and, therefore, was born with certain challenges and strengths. (You can tell if this applies to you by casting your full natal chart, looking for the Venus symbol, and then checking to see if the degrees and minutes are in red or a small “Rx” is written next to it.) Read on for five key traits of having been born with Venus retrograde in the natal chart.

You Feel More Deeply

When any planet is retrograde, it goes from expressing itself externally to introspectively. If you were born when Venus was moving backward through any of the 12 zodiac signs (yes, even the more stoic among them!), you’re prone to feeling more intensely and to taking your emotions and your bonds quite seriously within all of your relationships, from friendships to one-on-one partnerships. The internalized expression of Venus can also lead to dreaming about and idealizing all kinds of relationships and craving fairy-tale-esque experiences in love.

It’s also possible you’ve felt awkward in social situations that called for a breezier interaction, because you innately put a lot of weight on connecting with others and desire authenticity over superficiality. And you might require more time than others to bounce back after a breakup.

You Might’ve Been Reserved Early in Life (and Now)

People born with Venus retrograde natal tend to be shy or slow to warm up, especially as kids. Given that retrogrades slow the energy of the planet they’re impacting, you likely took your time getting to know, trust, and connect with anyone from a potential friend on the playground to a prospective first love. While this vibe tends to be more apparent earlier in life, it may very well be a characteristic that carries into adulthood. With time, you might’ve become more outgoing and self-assured in relationships, but you might still take your time opening up or being vulnerable.

You Might Take Your Time Settling Down or Finding “the One”

While plenty of people with Venus retrograde natal meet and commit to the loves of their lives when they’re younger, having this placement may lead to a slower or delayed romantic timeline. And that might be attributed to needing the extra time to work through some of those innate insecurities that can come with being born during a Venus retrograde. Having been born with Venus retrograde myself, I feel like my love life is an example of this: Not feeling truly worthy of a certain level of love fueled my decision to marry the wrong person in my late 20s. I’m proud of the fact that I did realize I deserved more, and by my late 30s, following a good deal of self-work and healing, I had met and married the love of my life.

You Can Struggle With Certain Insecurities More Than Others

Let’s not forget that Venus also oversees beauty and self-value, which goes hand in hand with Venus natal placements facing uphill battles when it comes to feeling attractive enough or worthy of love and being seen and celebrated. In turn, you might be more prone than others to seeking external validation and fulfillment from sources outside of yourself.

The heartening side of this challenge is that it actually invites you to dive into fulfilling self-work. If you were born during a Venus retrograde, you were born to harness self-reflective practices, such as therapy, to work through and heal this wound, learn how to love yourself, and call in deserving connections.

You Might Feel More in Tune With the World When Venus Is Retrograde

Venus retrograde periods, like the one we just wrapped, aren’t necessarily a walk in the park for you. But because Venusian energy moves inward, the world is nudged to speak your language and get on the same page as you in some ways during these backspins that occur roughly every 18 months. You could teach others how to work with this energy and prioritize introspection in an effort to bolster self-love.