From December 19 - January 29, 2022, Venus will be moving retrograde through the Cardinal Earth sign Capricorn, prompting a compulsive need to deepen connections and, in the process, purge whatever pesky habit patterns, unconscious drives or materialistic expectations that may be sabotaging them. 

Purge, in this context, isn’t to mean “cut off”—quite the contrary, Venus’ retrograde through practical Capricorn makes us look at our relationships by magnifying the material expectations we (might not realize) we have of them.

With both the flaws and opportunities for relationship magnified, particularly at the beginning of the cycle with the Full Moon in Gemini only hours before on December 18, it may be a confusing Full Moon (and a confusing week) leading up to Venus’ retrograde on December 19.

Emotions will be heightened in December, no doubt about it, as we realize what’s to come (thanks to an illuminating Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius) yet are simultaneously confronted with the need to look back and separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to our relationships—and how those relationships impact our relationship to money.

In the context of the Eclipse Season this Winter of 2021, we feel on the one hand commitment-phobic yet paradoxically determined to reach Relationship Milestones—and as the emotional Full Moon in Gemini may spark some snap decisions, it’s best to wait until Venus completes its Retrograde in late January to make any final decisions.

Venus Retrograde: Re-Evaluating Love & Money

Venus represents what and who we value, our power to attract what (and who) we desire and, if we get it, how we go about the task of compromise when discord arises and restore harmony in our environment. 

Retrograde periods are meant to inspire Introspection (as opposed to Action). When Venus is retrograde, we lose sight of what and who we value. Thus, Venus retrograde is a time to question what and who we’re attracted to, (un)consciously desire, or see as useful to us in one way or another—to  examine how our values draw us into (or compel us to stay in) situations that don’t align with them. 

Venus retrograde affects our daily lives via experiences that test our desires and connections, and how these “tests” symbolize our larger relationship to Love and Money. From December 19 – January 29, Venus retrograde in Decision-Maker Capricorn reveals the hiccups in our plans for our Love Lives and with Finances. 

Either way, we’ll be pushed to press pause and evaluate “where we’re at” in these areas—and how what and who we value inevitably impacts our future, determining where we want to go when it comes to our Relationships and Finances. 

For instance: Is our current financial system working for us, or do we constantly find ourselves sacrificing basic creature comforts just to get by? Are we starting to notice that we’ve become myopic in our focus on the practical v. the human side of life? Do our relationships empower us, or make us feel drained at the end of the day? Are we too selfish in the way we conceptualize our relationship expectations; or is it a partner who expects too much of us? 

No relationship or financial opportunity is flawless, and there’s no doubt we’ll be confronted with these flaws—or at least forced to examine what and who we value in a fresh, perhaps unanticipated light—as we move through the beginning of the pre-retrograde shadow period (November 17th) until the end of its post-retrograde shadow phase (March 1st). 

Venus Retrograde: Relationship Snags

When it comes to love, Venus retrograde is the Snaggle-Toothed Hag of Relationship Snags. Affection is difficult to express in a natural or spontaneous manner, and we might find others to be insincere or manipulative in their expressions of love, socially awkward or neglectful of social niceties—or, so consumed with “taking the temperature” of a relationship that it becomes exhausting. 

Intimacy, too, is challenging when Venus is retrograde, as closeness to others is elusive when we’re swept up in the surface-level stuff. But whether you’re single or in a partnership, you may find yourself caught up in reflecting on perceived failures in past relationships—thinking about what was, what could’ve been, and how to ensure we don’t repeat them. 

With the past on our minds, don’t be surprised if (when) old friends and past lovers re-appear when Venus is retrograde, whether in person or in our imaginations. And while the re-emergence of pleasant and painful memories from relationships past could complicate current involvements, it may be helpful to indulge them to some extent.

Venus retrograde brings us face-to-face with relationship hang-ups and hesitations, so relationships that feel like they’re bleeding us of our emotional or financial resources may come to an end during this cycle. Yet refusing to examine past relationship patterns or discuss them openly with someone means there’s a fear of looking back that could be undermining your ability to move forward and do things differently this time. 

By paying attention to longings, fantasies and regrets stemming from our romantic (or financial) past, we find opportunities to relinquish them—and to remind ourselves how far we’ve come. For example, one of the shadow sides of Venus (and of Capricorn) is the tendency to judge the value of people and things by their appearance, failing to look beneath the surface of what’s right in front of us. 

Because our perspective is limited while Venus is retrograde, it’s easy to see only what we want to see as a result. People we meet during Venus retrograde could appear spectacular, only to disappoint us when we see the “real them.”

Alternatively, we may suddenly see someone we never considered a romantic prospect in a whole new light. We might feel like giving a long-lost friendship another shot. No matter what the case, we could end up thinking “How could I have missed this?”, provoking us to rethink recent romantic and financial choices and, if necessary, to change course.

Are you with a partner who truly fulfills you? Are you bottling up your true feelings for fear of being dismissed or belittled? Have you been trying to get close to someone in vain, only to realize we don’t care for their true self? If so, it may be a good time to reconsider a certain relationship (or relationship goal) before moving forward. For best results, don’t make big romantic or financial commitments until after Venus turns direct on January 29. 

Venus Retrograde in Capricorn

Venus in Capricorn values material success, reputation and self-image, which in many cases may lead to a period of re-thinking our image and whether our current values align with our long-term goals. For example, the Venus retrograde period of 2021 - 2022 could involve a decision to give up a source of income (Venus) because it doesn’t align with your long-term Career goals (Capricorn); deciding to take a break from Work (Capricorn) to make more time for a Relationship (Venus)—or vice versa.

Since Venus represents what and who we see as “valuable” to us, its retrograde through Capricorn highlights the importance of rules of social interaction, particularly our sense of boundaries in intimate matters involving Love and Money. With Venus retrograde in Capricorn, we might feel annoyed or turned off by those we see as pushing or manipulating us to agree with them (or to something) that we don’t want to (or aren’t ready for). 

In the natal chart, Venus in Capricorn struggles with self-esteem and is often painfully shy as a result. Those born with Venus in Capricorn generally don’t have an easy adolescence in particular, so old wounds stemming from past social or romantic failures are easily reopened. And if such wounds run deep enough (or go unconfronted), it may feel like a Herculean effort when tasked with activities that force us to place our trust in others. 

Consequently, control issues are more than likely to flare up during this Venus retrograde period, as Capricorn typically needs to be the Boss in all their dealings. So, if relationships have become unbalanced—if one person seems to be the “parental” one in the partnership (or if it becomes apparent that only one partner is putting in the work needed to make the relationship a reality)—then now is the time to recognize and (ideally) to ask yourself how and why this dynamic came to be.

Venus-Pluto in Capricorn: Commitment-Thirst

Due to its retrograde, Venus spends an unusually long period in Capricorn this year and into 2022, and lines up with Pluto on December 11th, December 25th and for the final time on March 3rd. Venus-Pluto wants to bond emotionally with another person on a soul level and float in a deep sea of intimacy; but Venus retrograde in Capricorn is shy and slow-going, preferring to stay on dry land, feet firmly planted in the sand. 

Astrologer Stephen Arroyo aptly highlights the fact that Pluto alignments tap into the “attraction-revulsion” principle in our psyches, emphasizing (perhaps uncomfortably) that what and who we’re attracted to on some level may repulse us. This makes sense, as it’s uncomfortable, even painful at times, to accept the fact that the job we used to enjoy no longer serves our long-term financial goals—or to acknowledge when the qualities that made us fall for someone special, say, have become more annoying than adorable to us of late.  

Thus the question: as Commitment-thirsty as Venus-Pluto in Capricorn is, how can anyone commit themselves to anything or anyone in any concrete way when there remains a distinctive yearning for something that transcends the purely practical? How can we be Commitment-phobic (Venus retrograde) and Commitment-obsessed (Venus-Pluto) at the same time? This is the thesis question of this Venus retrograde in Capricorn, so pay close attention to what happens in your life around these dates. 

With Venus aligned so closely to Pluto in Capricorn, we may be obsessive about our Reputation, the Image of our Relationship, or how we can use our powers of persuasion to get ahead (read: what we want) in our Career or Love Life. For instance, we may find ourselves (or others) acting out in ways that feel greedy or manipulative, as if they’ll do whatever necessary to elicit an affectionate response from us. 

Conversely, we may find ourselves acting this way if we become too wrapped up in ourselves and forget that love and relationships are a two-way street. Whatever the case, Venus-Pluto compels us to put in the hard work to manifest long-term relationships and/or financial goals. 

Obligation is a big thing for Capricorn, as is Guilt. So, if you find yourself pandering to a partner solely because you feel some vague sense of guilt toward them, saying “yes” to someone or something only out of obligation, ask yourself if this is a pattern for you. Figuring out what and who triggers you to act in ways that feel manipulative or inauthentic and why—this is the ultimate lesson of Venus’ retrograde through Capricorn.