My progressed Venus turned retrograde when I was 17 years old.

She is only just stationing direct this year. I am 57. Forty years of mastering the ways of the Underworld, of moving from traumatized maiden to wise queen. Sounds about right.

Maybe this explains my nearly lifelong fascination with descent to the Underworld stories, especially the goddess stories, Inanna, Persephone, Venus.

So much of the creative drive of my middle years was focussed on retelling this story; I’ve painted it, danced it, photographed it, written it, taught it.

And there is one moment of the story, one image, that I find especially compelling: the moment of Return. Looked at from the outside, this feels like a moment of triumph and celebration, but what about the lived experience?

I think of news clips I have seen. Political prisoners recently released from foreign jails, stepping out onto the bright tarmac, gaunt and blinking. 

I imagine Persephone, leveraging herself out of the earth, squinting against the bright light, on her haunches among the fragrant narcissus, heart pounding, dirt under her nails.

The lived experience – maybe we eventually feel triumphant. But first we feel

Disoriented

Hypervigilant

Spent;

Our overwhelmed senses adjusting.

We’re ready to drink some nourishing broth, have a bath and go to bed. Maybe take an Ambien, or at least some chamomile. Tomorrow, we’ll get used to the sunshine again, start to smile, clean the dirt out from under our nails.

Saturday morning in the wee hours (12:46 am Pacific Time, January 29th, to be exact) Venus stations direct at 11º of Capricorn, ending her Underworld sojourn for now. This is great news! All thing Venusian can begin to move forward again! Our time of sorting through memories and bank statements, engaging in tricky relationship conversations, and wrestling with our ghosts at night, has come to an end for this cycle. 

What did your 40 days in the underworld look like this time around? We get to do this with Venus once every year and a half, each cycle with a different theme. 

This time the theme is Capricornian, so your underworld time may have felt like a bone-deep ache. You may have been snow or ice bound, you may have been elbow-deep in family or tax documents, resting after structural surgery, recovering from an achey illness, having hard repetitive conversations about power and mortality, or reviewing the structure of your business or work life in the light of hard facts. Whatever it was, it wasn’t easy. 

It is easing up now, but please remember to give your inner Venus time. She needs a little time to rest, let her eyes adjust to the light, and recover from her restrictive diet of pomegranate seeds.

The chart for Venus’ return is an interesting one, and gives some clues as to how we can nurture ourselves best through this time of Return. 

It’s a vessel, a crucible holding a heavy weight of Capricorn planets, a black bowl with black stones in the bottom. 

Everyone is gathered around Venus as she makes her return. Just like in the myth, we see that wily retrograde Mercury has interceded for the goddess, and is in deep conversation with Pluto. The anaretic Sag Moon is holding on to a few precious drops of hope and wisdom, rushing to the scene. Sun and Saturn are having serious Aquarian conversations and making sure no one gets too excited; Mars is ignoring that directive as he races towards his hook up with still-exhausted Venus. Jupiter and Hygeia the Healer have secured the premises, assuring that all will turn out well, in the end, but it’s really quite the scene, playing out in the dark bowl of the midnight sky.

What does it mean for you? I suggest:

Pay attention to last-minute messages and revelations from the deep self or the deep past or from someone else’s deep secret. Don’t ignore the message when it comes, it’s just what you need in order to rise, although it may not feel like it at first.

Don’t worry if you feel a tad melancholy or tired. It’s to be expected. Balance rest with responsibility, and be ready for the gradually increasing flow of good, it is coming.

Lean in to both passion and prayer to get you through the next few weeks. Believe that healing is possible. 

This is a great time for journaling. There’s a lot going on, and a lot coming through. Just getting things out on the page, from worries and fears to big dreams and secret desires, will help with the processing and help to move you out of paralysis.

And of course, rest, rest! Nourish body and soul. Honour the goddess within with ritual, and honour the energy of return from imprisonment, as it shows up in you, and in the world around you.

If you want to go deeper in understanding the Venus archetype and her planetary cycle, you can access my Venus webinar here.