Venus Cycle & Venus Calculator Guide
The Cycle of Venus is the most elegant, reliable, visible cycle of the planets, but it doesn’t fit neatly into our current calendars or clocks.
From Venus’ movements as Morning Star to Evening Star, to her times of invisibility during Venus Retrograde, Venus-Sun conjunctions, Venus Cazimi periods, Venus has the most magical and mysterious cycle in astrology.
Venus can be tricky to attune to unless you know when and where to pay attention and how to find the meaning. You'll attune pretty quick once you know, but it's good to have a guide.
Hi. Welcome. I’m Pallas.
Working with Venus’ cycles is one of my favourite ways to work with Venus in astrology.
I’m here to help guide you into sync with Venus’ cycle.
First, we’ll go over Venus’ cycles, and then I’ll show you how to use Astro Seek’s brilliant Venus Cycle Calendar Calculator.
To skip right to the Astro Seek Venus Cycle Calendar Calculator Overview, click here.
Tracking planetary cycles is one of the deepest ways to build intimacy with the planets. It can be a trip to delve into them at first. It can be overwhelming and difficult.
Cycles can seem like new terrain, until you get used to thinking with them. Their overlapping nature, the way they shift and spiral, how they challenge notions of linear time.
All of these ways of the planets track with how we actually experience being alive. Especially those of us who live with trauma, chronic illness, disability, adverse intergenerational impact. Especially those of us who resist imperial structures of mind and body.
Each iteration of the sky is different than any moment before, and that's part of the overwhelm of astrology, for beginners and pros alike. By attuning to the cycles of the planets and their cycles with each other, you begin to see how you’ve already been in all these places before, just not as who you are now.
Then, cycles work becomes comforting, connecting, grounding.
—
A note on Venus’ pronouns:
As a they/them myself, I generally reference Venus as she/her. This isn't to align with or condone any cultural assumptions that have been made about her nature and more just, like, she's really hot and that's what she likes me to call her. Please use whatever pronouns you feel called to for Venus, or none at all!
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Venus Synodic Cycle
I began working with Venus' cycle consciously in early 2015. Prior to that, while I was aware of her conjunctions and retrogrades, I didn't see it as an entire cycle, let alone one which stretched years, and centuries, forward and backward. In retrospect, so much of my life revolved around Venus' cycle.
The Venus-Sun conjunctions are how we mark the Venus synodic cycle. This is really the cycle between Venus, the Sun, and the Earth, as illustrated below heliocentrically.
As we are thinking geocentrically in most astrology, what we witness in an astrological chart is the relationship between Venus and the Sun in the visible sky.
Venus 8-year Cycle
In any given eight year period, we will have five retrograde periods during which Venus and the Sun will conjoin.
In between each retrograde period, Venus and the Sun also conjoin while Venus is in direct motion.
In Venus’ 8-year cycle, we will have 10 total Venus-Sun Conjunctions, five while she is retrograde (Inferior Conjunction), and five while she is direct (Superior Conjunction) .
The Venus-Sun conjunction while she is Retrograde, between the Sun and the Earth, is called the Inferior (or Interior) Conjunction (fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Inferior Conjunction, Heliocentric View
Venus on the near side of the Sun, in Retrograde motion
The Venus-Sun conjunction while she is Direct, on the far side of the Sun from our perspective on Earth, is called the Superior (or Exterior) Conjunction (fig. 2).
Fig. 2 Superior Conjunction, Heliocentric View
Venus on the far side of the Sun, in Direct motion
When we're looking at an astrological chart, or looking at the sky from Earth, the two conjunctions of Venus and the Sun look very similar to each other (fig. 3 & 4). The difference is that in the Inferior Conjunction, Venus is retrograde.
Fig. 3 Inferior Conjunction,
Geocentric View
Venus on the near side of the Sun, in Retrograde motion
Fig. 4 Superior Conjunction,
Geocentric View
Venus on the far side of the Sun, in Direct motion
The Perfect Five-Petal Flower of Venus
Mapped onto the ecliptic (the wheel of the zodiac) Venus is never more than 48° on either side of the Sun.
Astrologically, this means Venus can only ever be two signs maximum away from the sign of the Sun. E.g. if the Sun is in Capricorn, Venus can only be in Scorpio, Sag, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces.
Conjunctions and retrogrades take place in the same five areas of the sky, repeat in a pattern, and shift backwards through the zodiac, a couple degrees at a time.
Because magic.
Inferior and Superior Conjunctions repeat and overlap in the same area every four years, currently:
Capricorn , Gemini
, Leo
, the cusp of Scorpio/Libra , and Pisces/Aries. Over any 8 year period, Venus makes one Inferior and one Superior conjunction at each of these points.
Yes, they make a nearly perfect five-pointed star.
The 584-day Venus Cycle
Venus’ synodic cycle from one Superior conjunction to another, or from one Inferior conjunction to another, is 584 days.
If we begin the 584-Day cycle with the Superior Conjunction, the middle of the cycle centers around an Inferior Conjunction, and ends with another Superior conjunction (which begins a new cycle), moving back and forth across the Sun's path.
If we begin the 584-Day cycle with the Inferior Conjunction, the middle of the cycle centers around a Superior Conjunction, and ends with another Inferior Conjunction (which begins a new cycle), moving back and forth across the Sun’s path.
Tracking the 584-day cycle from the Superior conjunction, Venus follows this cycle:
Makes Superior Conjunction with the Sun while direct
Becomes visible as Evening Star
Rises in the post-sunset night sky to Greatest Elongation from the Sun
Begins descent and stations retrograde
Becomes invisible and makes Inferior conjunction with the Sun while retrograde
Becomes visible as Morning Star and stations direct
Rises in the pre-dawn sky to Greatest Elongation from the Sun
Begins descent, becomes invisible, and makes Superior Conjunction.
Tracking the 584-day cycle from the Inferior conjunction, Venus follows this cycle:
Makes Inferior Conjunction with the Sun while retrograde
Becomes visible as Morning Star and stations direct
Rises in the pre-dawn sky to Greatest Elongation from the Sun
Begins descent and becomes invisible
Makes Superior Conjunction with the Sun while direct
Becomes visible as Evening Star
Rises in the post-sunset night sky to Greatest Elongation from the Sun
Begins descent and stations retrograde
Becomes invisible and makes Inferior conjunction
Understanding both ways of living with the cycle and beginning to see them in unison is the goal.
But what does the Venus cycle mean?
At a foundational level, Venus is our values. Whether a culture values beauty and money, or war and conquest, Venus is who will take on those attributes.
Venus in our own natal chart can show what and who we value, where we feel valued, and how our values line up (or don’t) with those of the cultures we live within.
In general, I think of the 5 conjunction points as places of alignment, for lack of a better English word. Like that weird eerie silence and gravity that comes with eclipses, but empowering and excavating. Dejá vu feels. Echoes. Memory and feeling. Impact, progression, and regression. Articulation and evaluation of our values.
Every astrological transit is a collective event, and if one of the conjunctions activates a specific point in a natal chart, I believe it reveals something about how that expression of our natal chart connects us to the world.
The five hot zones of Venus' transformation (as a student of mine called them) are places where our collective lives shift into alignment with Venus.
There's lots of ways to think about this alignment, magically, archetypally, practically. Thinking there is a "point" is nice, ie. a divine plan, but we don't have to. The co-creative model is probably the most helpful for most folks who work with astrology, especially for those who are also magically operant.
By understanding the five points and Venus' cycle, I believe we are more able to act and respond and create and live with the backing of Venus. In the real rhythm of things. Aligned with our own values, and with a deeper sense of our place in the world, and of the world itself.
Astro-Seek Venus Cycles Calculators
In this technological gift, Petr from Astro Seek has made Venus cycle tracking possible without complicated ephemerides or fancy software! I was blessed enough to be consulted on this project, and am very pleased to offer this guide to help those looking to get the most out of the Venus Cycle Calculators.
On the table calendar (top of the page), you’ll find dates and degrees for:
Superior and Inferior Conjunctions
Rising and Setting as Morning Star Rise and Evening Star
Stations Retrograde and Direct
Sign ingresses (when Venus moves from, say, Pisces to Aries)
Greatest Elongation (when Venus comes closest to 48° away from the Sun)
Also included, but more advanced than covered in this guide:
Maximum Brightness
Conjunctions of Venus’ Ascending and Descending Nodes
Minor aspects between Venus and the Sun such as the semi-sextile and semi-square
In the dropdown menu for the table calendar, you can choose:
Annual Calendar (Jan 1 - Dec 31)
Showing all of the above dates and degrees for one calendar year, no matter where in the 584-day cycle the year beings
Good for transit tracking in your annual planner like your Honeycomb planner
Good for annual, quarterly, and monthly forecasting and for horoscope writing
1 Venus Cycle (584 days; From: Inferior Conjunction) & 1 Venus Cycle (From: Superior Conjunction)
These options show you the 584-Day Venus cycle I’ve detailed above, giving you the option to see dates tracking from Interior/Superior/Inferior or Superior/Inferior/Superior.
Good for tracking one cycle’s worth of dates, especially for more complex/advanced/detailed practices
Shows conjunctions, ingresses, retrogrades, elongations, nodal conjunctions, Morning/Evening Star cycles of rising and setting, brightness, max/min distance from earth, and minor aspects
5 Venus Cycles (8-years; 5 Rose petals of Venus; From: Inferior Conjunction) & 5 Venus Cycles (From: Superior Conjunction)
These options show you the 8-year Venus cycle including 5 Inferior and 5 Superior conjunctions
Good for the majority of folks to track conjunctions, rising and settings, and retrogrades
Shows conjunctions, stations, Morning/Evening Star cycles of rising and setting, max. elongation, and brightness
In the dropdown, it is also possible to create calendars for individual parts of the cycle.
Options most useful for astrology enthusiasts:
Sun-Venus Conjunctions > Full & New Venus - Lists only the dates and degrees of the Superior and Inferior conjunctions for ~20 years
Rise and Setting (First and Last Visibility) > Rise and Setting - If you are doing visual astrology or skywatching, this calendar will give you the dates you are last and first able to see Venus as Morning and Evening Star. Also known as “heliacal rise” and “heliacal set”. Do note that this depends in part on where you are in the world. If you’re in a mountain valley, Venus will rise a bit later than if you are on top of a mountain.
Zodiac Events > Venus Ingresses - Especially useful if Venus is your Profected Ruler (See Petr’s Profections calendar to check that too)
Stationary & Rx > Retrograde Cycles - Shows all dates relevant to the retrograde periods of any 8-year Venus cycle
Last but certainly not least: the Graphic Venus Cycle Calendar!
Petr has also made a gorgeous graphic calendar for us, showing the counterclockwise progression of the Conjunctions through the 5-point star or petal pattern around the Earth.
This is a beautiful way to just be in AWE at Venus but also see how the conjunctions move around in your own chart. This image shows a cycle beginning at the next Superior Conjunction October 22nd 2022 in Libra.
(The Capricorn point is where the conjunctions happen in the Capricorn area of your own chart)
You can choose what year you would like to begin. Default shows 2022, and shows the 8-year cycle from 2022-2030.
You can toggle on and off how the dates, signs, and direct/retrograde are displayed.
The dropdown menu gives you the option to begin with a Superior (Full) or Inferior (New) Conjunction, which will always be the top point of the star on either the inner or outer ring.
Starting at the Superior Conjunction, you can follow the order from F1 (at the top)-N2-F3-N4-F5-N6-F7-N8-F9-N10.
In this display of the calendar, that’s from Superior in Libra, to Inferior in Leo, Superior in Gemini, Inferior in Aries, et cetera.
Starting at the Inferior Conjunction, you can follow the order from N1 (at the top)-F2-N3-F4-N5-F6-N7-F8-N9-F10.
Petr has given us SUCH a gift with these calendars. Give him a follow and shoutout on Twitter to thank him!
Venus Cycle Resources (Paid)
Update July 2023: I’ve just put out a whole new workbook for Venus retrograde in Leo 2023. Available here. Purchase before August 12th 2023 and you can participate in a cazimi week Q&A for all your cycles-related questions.
My most recommended book on Venus is Adam Gainsburg's The Light of Venus.
The coolest recent presentation I've seen on Venus is Tony Howard's Venus Out-of-Bounds
Sphere and Sundry goods by Kaitlin Coppock's Venus workings are incredible for attunement. They just released Venus’ Aerial Delight, an offering of Venus in Libra.
Venus Cycle Resources (Free)
For a mindblowing highly technical deep-dive into the long term cycles of Venus, see Nick Dagan Best's Synodic Dance (Cycle) of Venus in Astrology presentation, whose historical work on Venus cycles is some of the most impressive astrological work I’ve ever seen
The Astrology Podcast with Chris Brennan and Arielle Guttman (whose work on the “Venus Star Point” is groundbreaking)
The Strology Show on Venus with Kirah Tabourn, Charm Torres, and Diana Rose Harper (all astrologers I trust on Venus)
Addendum: There is some disagreement (surprise surprise) between astrologers whether the Superior or Inferior marks the beginning /ending of a new cycle. Most of my thinking on this comes from conversations with friends, colleagues, and client work.
While I definitely consider both to “work,” I am in the Superior-as-beginning-ending camp as it aligns all the planets similarly despite their differences (ie. only Mercury and Venus have inferior conjunctions; the other planets have oppositions with the Sun as their midpoint).
My reasoning for using the Superior Conjunction as the "beginning" when I’m teaching comes down to my belief that any linear thinking (including beginning/ending of cycles) is a reductive imposition on a cosmos that is always in-process. Just as we're always in process and yet apply linearity onto our experiences.
I believe for narrative work, which is what I do in consultations and teaching with people, it's more helpful to think of ourselves in-the-middle of a thing. Because retrograde periods can be so emotionally activating for folks, I offer the retrograde as the middle of the cycle giving us some agency in a turning-point.
The Inferior Conjunction generally has a deeper turmoil/stillness quality (hence folks relating it to the New Moon).
The superior conjunction has a lot more spaciousness that allows people to see the patterns more clearly (hence Full Moon).
Cycles are beginning and ending constantly and we're always in the middle of them.
Part of what folks appreciate about this cycles approach is the inclusion of narrative theory/recovery work/our lived experiences. In terms of tracking distinct narrative lines in cycles, I don't know of much writing to reference here even though the practice is common among consulting astrologers. (You can see my talk from NORWAC 2022 for some depth with this question.)
Unless we're dealing with narrative specifically, beginnings and endings and middles don't matter so much, and seeing the cycle in its full ebb and flow and in the context of centuries is more appropriate.
I encourage you to do your research, explore, and play around with the dates and see what tracks for you.