Venus Retrograde in Scorpio: What to Review Until November 13, 2026?

Venus retrograde is a bit like the friend who pulls out the old photos in the middle of the party: an ex who pops back up, a purchase you regret, a couple asking itself questions. About every eighteen months, the planet of love seems to back up, and it's happening now: in 2026, she does it from October 3 to November 13. She started out in Scorpio, slipped back into Libra on October 25, and her shadow runs until December 15. Scorpio, where it all began, has a front-row seat, along with Taurus and Libra, ruled by Venus. And since 2027 is around the corner, I'll also tell you what she has in store (spoiler: not much). Ready to turn six weeks of rereading into real choices? Let me guide you 🧭

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When Is Venus Retrograde in 2026? The Key Dates 🗓️

Write it in your planner (in pen, Venus hates crossed-out lines): she only goes retrograde about once every eighteen months, and in 2026, it's from October 3 to November 13. Venus retrograde in Scorpio first, then Venus retrograde in Libra from October 25: two moods in a single retrograde. And in 2027, there won't be any.

Venus Retrograde in Scorpio: Why This Phase Stirs Things Up So Much

On October 3, Venus stopped in Scorpio, then turned around. She is in exile there: the sign of Mars and Pluto can't stand anything lukewarm, and under its gaze the planet of love loses her lightness to gain depth. Trust, exclusivity, jealousy, shared money: what was kept quiet comes back up. The period's two hard aspects fell there: the square to Mars on October 10 and the square to Pluto on the 20th, and the Sun joined her on the 23rd, at the heart of the retrograde. Since October 25, she has been backing up through Libra, her home sign: no more digging; now we rebalance, with backup from Jupiter on November 4 and from Mars on the 10th. But this phase also has a real purpose: taking stock of what you give and what you receive, by asking yourself the right questions:

• What do I truly care about, and what do I hold on to out of habit?
• What don't I dare to say in my relationship?
• Does the way I spend still feel like me?
• Which old story deserves a real conversation, and which deserves to be closed?

Until November 13, it's time to reread rather than decide: reconnect, go over your accounts, finish what's dragging, and let the big decisions ripen. The shadow period began on August 31 and only closes on December 15, when Venus gets back to the point where she stopped in Scorpio; and until November 13, Mercury backs up with her, enough to scramble the messages a little more. My advice: write down what comes up, and save the big couple, contract or purchase decisions for after December 15.

→ See the calendar, retrograde by retrograde

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Venus Retrograde: What Is It Exactly? 🪐

The Astronomy: An Optical Illusion

Don't worry: Venus never moves backward 😉. No planet does. Retrograde motion is a perspective effect: seen from Earth, which is moving too, Venus seems to slow down, stop, then retrace her steps for a few weeks. It's exactly what happens when you pass a car on the highway: for a few seconds, it seems to roll backward against the landscape. Yet it's moving forward.

This time, Venus is the one overtaking us, on the inside lane. Closer to the Sun, she completes her lap in about 225 days. The phenomenon happens when she passes between the Earth and the Sun, at her closest to us: this time, on October 23, 2026. In astrology, this passage is read as a reset, a bit like a new moon, but for love and value.

And you can see it with the naked eye! Venus never shows up in the middle of the night: sometimes in the evening, sometimes in the morning. The ancients believed in two stars: the evening star and the morning light-bringer; we still call her “the evening star.” The switch from one to the other happens precisely during the retrograde: the 2026 one turns her from evening star into morning star. Here are the five stages of a retrograde, as we live them:

The Astrological Reading: Venus Doesn't Build, She Rereads

In astrology, Venus rules love, pleasure, beauty, taste, money and self-esteem. When she goes retrograde, relationships, desires, budget and appearance leave “move forward” mode and enter “check” mode. Hence her reputation, not undeserved but often misunderstood: no disasters happen, we simply see what we had chosen not to look at. In eight years, she goes retrograde five times, and her five stopping points draw an almost perfect pentagram in the sky, the rose of Venus. For the dates of the other planets, see my calendar of retrograde planets.

Rarer Than You Think: A Myth to Debunk

Venus is the planet that spends the least time retrograde: about once every eighteen months, for forty to forty-three days, while Mercury does it three to four times a year. Her retrograde is rare, and that's precisely why it leaves a mark. And let's be honest, no scientific study has ever proven that exes come back more often during these periods (they don't need an excuse). In astrology, it's a rereading, not a sentence. It even has its lovely sides: getting back in touch, going over your accounts, finishing what's been dragging.

Born Under Venus Retrograde

About 7% of people are born with Venus retrograde, and it shows. Unlike the transit, this placement colors the whole love life: an offbeat relationship with seduction, compliments that make you uneasy, and a little more time than others to figure out what you like. Neither a handicap nor a curse: it's a different tempo, and often a greater authenticity. A little payback along the way: Venus retrograde periods tend to suit them; the sky finally works their way 😉

The Dates, Retrograde by Retrograde

A retrograde can't be boiled down to its two end points: it has a before, a heart and an after. Here are the dates to remember, plus the sign changes as a bonus:

Purple dot: the start and end of the retrograde.

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The 2026 Backdrop: A Double Fall Retrograde

It's the signature of the year, and I find it very telling: Venus's only retrograde of 2026 overlaps with Mercury's. From October 24 to November 13, the two planets back up together, and both go direct on November 13. What we feel and what we say get revised at the same time: it's the year's most fertile window for emotional misunderstandings… and, used well, for the clarifications that never happened.

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A Busy Sky Around the Retrograde

Venus never backs up alone. The period's two hard aspects fall in its first phase, in Scorpio; the two harmonious ones, in the second, in Libra. In between, on October 23, the Sun joins her: the heart of the cycle, and paradoxically its clearest moment:

What It Says at the Collective Level

With a retrograde that moves from Scorpio to Libra, the fall puts the spotlight on what we truly owe each other: trust, sharing, fairness. The first two weeks could bring up questions of shared money and loyalty; the second half, bring back a taste for compromise. Nothing is set in stone: it's a climate, not a verdict. Everyone can read in it what concerns them.

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Venus Retrograde 2026 Sign by Sign

For each sign, I give you the house where Venus began backing up in your chart, the one of Scorpio, where she stopped on October 3; since October 25, she has been backing up through the previous house, the one of Libra, which takes over until November 13. A little tip while we're at it: also read the text for your rising sign, it's often even more telling than your Sun sign. Don't know it? Calculate your rising sign for free: it takes two minutes! The ⭐ marks the signs most concerned: Taurus and Libra, ruled by Venus, and Scorpio, where the retrograde began.

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What to Do (and Not Do) During Venus Retrograde?

The list of don'ts that goes around at every retrograde is largely exaggerated. The golden rule fits in one sentence: Venus retrograde reopens the files, she doesn't fix them for you. Here's what really holds up:

✅ My 6 Reflexes to Get Through the Retrograde

• Get back in touch: a friend you've lost track of, a loved one you fell out with without knowing why. Reunions under Venus retrograde are often the right ones.
• Go over your accounts, in the broad sense: budget, forgotten subscriptions, rates you never raised.
• Finish what's dragging: a conversation left hanging, a thank-you never said, a forgiveness you couldn't give.
• Revisit a decision made too quickly since the start of the shadow period: that's exactly what the shadow period is for.
• Reread before you hit send and sleep on it before replying, especially if Mercury is backing up at the same time.
• If an ex reappears, don't ask yourself “is it a sign?” but “has what wasn't working changed?”

❌ The 4 Traps to Avoid

Some moves really are better off waiting for the return to direct, or even the end of the shadow:

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What About 2027? No Venus Retrograde

Venus won't go retrograde a single time in 2027: her cycle brings her back about every eighteen months, so one year out of two has none. The next one will run from May 10 to June 22, 2028, in Gemini, the sign of words and curiosity. In other words, the retrograde you're going through right now is the only one of its kind for a long while: what gets settled now stays settled for a long time; what gets dodged will come back, but late.

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The Meaning of the Retrograde According to the Sign It Falls In

Venus never goes retrograde twice in a row in the same sign, and depending on the one she backs up through, the question raised is not the same at all. As a guide, for this retrograde as for the next ones:

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Frequently Asked Questions About Venus Retrograde 2026

As you can see, Venus retrograde isn't a cosmic punishment, it's a rereading. This fall, starting out in Scorpio, she stirs things up first, then begins to repair in Libra, until she moves forward again on November 13. Above all, remember December 15, the end of the shadow, the real window for big decisions. Until then, reread rather than decide: go over your accounts, reconnect, and let what needs to ripen ripen. Then nothing until May 10, 2028. For the other planets, everything is in my calendar of retrograde planets. And to find out where Venus sits in your chart, work out your birth chart. So, what do you truly care about? 💞

Share this article with the person who texted you “we need to talk” during the retrograde: you might both understand why it came up now.

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