Venus Retrograde, 2026 (Part 2): The Cost of Keeping the Peace

Hey, beautiful people!

Let's dive into Part II of this series on Venus Retrograde. (You'll find Part1, with the Key Dates, here.)

Venus is usually focused on connecting us with others. She is the energy that creates harmony in our relationships, and She thrives on our strong bonds and connections.

Sometimes, in the name of that harmony, we overlook stuff that irritates us in our relationships, like how our partner stacks the dishwasher "the wrong way"; or how noisy our partner is when they come to bed . . . two hours after we've fallen asleep. Every. Single. Night. Or how they always seem to interrupt us just as we start reading our novel, or just as we start playing guitar. Or how they always forget to empty their pockets before doing a load of washing, coating the entire load in hundreds of tiny, stubborn bits of white paper.

And sometimes, it's bigger stuff that we hide.

Much bigger.

Sometimes, the price of entry into relationships can be very steep. We may feel compelled to hide significant things about ourselves, out of a fear that if anyone knew the truth of who we really are or what we really believe, it could jeopardise our sense of belonging in our family, our friendships, our business connections, and our romantic relationships. We may sacrifice our authenticity in order to sustain these connections.

We initially learned this behaviour when we were little. As a small child, connection (2) takes precedence over authenticity (1). Why? Because, as babies and children, we rely on others (2) for our very survival (1). So, if there was anything about us that threatened our attachment to our care-givers, then we learned to suppress it.

We learned not to rock the boat. We learned to hide those elements of ourselves that others disliked or disapproved of. We learned to mask our own frustrations and disappointments with a fake smile in order to keep the peace and maintain harmony.

But as we get older and more self-sufficient, we begin to realise that authenticity (1) needs to trump connection (2).

Venus retrograde can help us with that.

A Note on the Numbers

Throughout this series on Venus Retrograde, you will notice that I am including the Numbers 1 and 2 in brackets next to certain words or phrases. These are numerological notations.

In numerology, Number 1 represents our survival, our individuality, our sense of self, our authenticity, our agency, our desires, and our capacity to stand as ourselves.

Number 2 represents connection, relationship, our willingness to cooperate and compromise, and our capacity to meet and relate to others. In its shadow form, Number 2 can signify the people-pleaser or the doormat, someone who can be clingy or co-dependent, or someone with an overdeveloped desire to remain in relationship at any cost. At the other end of the continuum, Number 2's shadow form can signify those who don't know how to show up in relationship at all; someone who is anti-dependent and unwilling to make room for others in our life.

Authenticity Trumps Connection

If I'm presenting a carefully edited, sanitised version of myself to preserve your affection, approval, or acceptance, then you're not really in relationship with me. You're in relationship with the personality or mask that I've constructed for you.

And I'm not truly experiencing your love or acceptance, because some part of me knows that you haven't actually met the whole me.

Authenticity (1) establishes the conditions necessary for genuine connection (2) to exist. Ultimately, Venus seeks to create greater intimacy and stronger connections in our relationships, but this can't happen if we're hiding the truth of who we are from those we are connected to. Nor can it happen if we're harbouring hidden grudges or deep resentments.

So, during Venus retrograde, we may feel less inclined to conceal certain things about ourselves. And we are less prepared to hide what we truly want in relationship — both personally and professionally. So, we likely feel more willing to speak up about our frustrations with the behaviour, traits, or habits of our partner, work colleagues, or family members.

For these few short months, Venus is willing to risk separating from others, because we realise that no relationship is worth denying ourselves for. We find the courage to reveal our authentic selves and to stipulate what we need in relationship, even if this potentially means rejection or signals the end of our relationships.

As one example, one of my clients recently shared with me that they can no longer tolerate the incompetency and inefficiency of their work colleague. They have metaphorically 'sucked it up' and 'bitten their tongue' for so long, not wanting to cause a scene . . . but they just can't bear it any more. As well as seeking a 1:1 consultation with their upline manager to express their frustrations and concerns, they have actively started seeking another role, both within their company and within other companies, as well. They are more than prepared to 'separate' (i.e. quit) if necessary.

In Venus' 2021 Retrograde Season, another client, who was preparing to come out as a trans woman, told me (and I share this with their permission):

"I'm just so stressed with this hanging over my head. I have fought so hard for my relationship with my father, and I'm so scared I'm going to be throwing it all away by telling him the truth. But the irony is that to honour my father and be fair to him, to honour our relationship, I need to tell him something about myself that will be hard for him to hear. If he's taught me anything, it's integrity. I have to tell him, and it has to be before I tell my workmates. I owe him that respect."

When Venus turns retrograde, we recognise the necessity of speaking up and sharing who we truly are. Not just for ourselves, but for the integrity of our relationships — to honour those we share our life with and to be in right relationship with them.

True relationship (2) is built on people feeling safe (2) enough to show up as themselves (1). We're encouraged to anchor our relationships in the deep truth and vulnerability of who we both are.

Those who truly love us, will accept us, and will honour our relational needs. Even if that takes some time.

And those who cannot accept the truth of who we are and what we need in relationship? Well, we may feel inclined to relinquish those relationships during this period. Our authenticity may become too high a price to pay to maintain that connection.

Stunning Revelations

Over the coming months, we may learn things about others that we hadn’t seen coming. Who knew the tissues in our jeans pocket annoyed them so much??

But far more significantly, maybe they’ll share something that we feel uncomfortable with. We could be taken aback, or even jarred in our beliefs and values.

For example, one of your friends might share that they’re socially transitioning as a trans man.

Or they support the Russian war in Ukraine.

Or maybe you find out that your sister-in-law is studying to become a professional numerologist and, as a devout Christian, you have major qualms with that.

Such revelations or discoveries may abound during this period. This is a time when people choose to 'come out' to those around them . . . or such revelations are 'accidentally' made on their behalf.

And then you may need to rethink your relationships. Can you accept your friend, business colleague, employee, lover, or family member etc as they truly are? Or not? Do you feel honoured that they respected you and your relationship enough to be honest with you? Or do you just feel rattled, stunned?

"I thought I liked Jane, but then I found out all this stuff about her. I’m seeing things I hadn’t seen before. I need to rethink my conception of her, and re-evaluate whether I want her in my life. I don't know whether our relationship can continue, knowing this."

Before you make a hasty decision, consider this: we cannot expect people to make space for our authenticity while remaining unwilling to encounter theirs.

There's something else that's important to understand about Venus' retrograde process . . .

The Three Phases of Venus Retrograde:

Forward, Backward, then Forward

Venus retrograde is a back-and-forth process, made of three phases:

Pre-Shadow (forward), then Retrograde (backward), and then Post-Shadow (forward) again. Think of a pendulum swinging forward, and then back, and then forward again.

Each of these distinct phases can bring their own revelations and realisations.

We would be wise to work with the indeterminant nature of this process, and to wait and see where all of the emotionally-relevant facts land by the end of Venus' entire journey, before we make any big decisions about our relationships.

Otherwise, we may find ourselves regretting life-altering decisions that we made based on just the first piece of new information that came in, or on our first flush of frustration with certain aspects of our relationships.

"Oh, I shouldn’t have ended my relationship with Jane, even though I found out that thing about her. I really don’t like it, but there’s all this other great stuff that I do like. Hmmmmm."

And, if you're the one revealing yourself within your relationships, make sure that you allow ample space and time for others to process and come around to what you've just dropped on them. Without abandoning yourself, give them time to come to terms with what you've shared. Please don't be hasty in cutting them out of your life, based solely on their initial response to your revelations. Let them come back to you with questions.

If we can accept this indeterminant nature of Venus’ retrograde cycle, then we can consciously move with Her entire process. There is an internal wisdom to it, if we can just be patient.

In Conclusion

Over the next couple of months, I encourage you to be present. Be honest. Listen. And don't rush any decisions about your relationships — both personally and professionally. (I've already heard some horror stories from my business clients about business partnerships abruptly ending, throwing their projects into complete disarray.)

I hope this has email been helpful? In Part III, we'll look at other aspects of Venus' retrograde cycle. Specifically, we'll consider the return of former partners/lovers, friends, and women (in general) in our lives. Then in Part IV, we'll consider other elements of Venus' significations and how they are impacted during Venus retrograde periods.

Thank you for journeying with me. I'm so grateful for your company. As always, I'd love to receive your comments, insights, and stories. How are you seeing Venus retrograde playing out in your life? Please feel free to email me at juliette@soulweaving.com.au! I personally read every email I receive.

And feel free to share this article with anyone you feel may benefit from it.

Remember: We all benefit when we all shine!

Peace

Juliette xo