Calendar
Venus retrograde dates
♀Venus is direct right now. The next retrograde begins 3 October 2026 — in 14 days.
Dates
| Retrograde from | Direct again | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2 March 202500:33 UTC | 13 April 202501:03 UTC | 42 days |
| 3 October 202607:10 UTC | 14 November 202600:21 UTC | 42 days |
| 10 May 202823:02 UTC | 22 June 202822:13 UTC | 43 days |
| 16 December 202923:49 UTC | 26 January 203021:33 UTC | 41 days |
Calculated from ephemeris at page build, not copied from a list. Times are UTC — a station near midnight falls on the previous or next day in your own time zone, which is why published calendars sometimes disagree by a day. Past periods are greyed.
What is actually happening
Venus appears to move backwards for around forty days roughly every nineteen months, which makes it far rarer than Mercury and much easier to plan around. As with Mercury the reversal is apparent rather than real: it is what an inner, faster planet looks like from Earth as it passes between us and the Sun.
What tradition makes of it
Venus is the traditional significator of love, agreement and what something is worth. The retrograde period is held to be for reconsidering those things rather than settling them, which is why it is the oldest and firmest objection this tradition raises to a wedding date.
In this system it is weighted accordingly: Venus retrograde carries the heaviest penalty applied to a wedding, level with Mercury retrograde for signing a contract. Because it comes round only every year and a half and lasts six weeks, knowing the dates before you book a venue is worth more here than for any other factor.
What it bears on
- The best day for choosing a wedding date
The firmest rule in this tradition, and worth knowing before a venue is booked.
- The best day for proposing
The classic warning against proposing — a period for reconsidering what you value, not committing to it.
- The best day for asking for a raise
Venus governs worth, so renegotiating what you are paid falls under the same objection.
Knowing the retrograde weeks tells you when not to act. Working out which day actually suits you needs your own chart — and checking any single day is free.