Venus
personal · cycle 224.7 days · retrograde every 584 days
Dignities
Hellenistic tradition
Venus rules Taurus (nocturnal) and Libra (diurnal). Exalted in Pisces, fall in Virgo.
Modern Western reading
Modern Western astrology reads Venus as relating, valuing, and aesthetic resonance.
Questions
- How long does Venus take to go through the zodiac?
- About 224.7 days for one full circuit as seen from Earth. That is the synodic figure this site computes ephemeris positions against, not a sidereal orbital period, and it is what determines how long Venus stays in one sign: roughly one twelfth of the cycle, stretched or compressed by retrograde motion and by the eccentricity of the orbit.
- Which signs does Venus rule?
- Venus rules Taurus and Libra. It is exalted in Pisces. It is in fall in Virgo. It is in detriment in Scorpio and Aries. Rulership is a fixed correspondence, so it holds in every chart; what changes chart to chart is whether Venus actually occupies one of those signs.
- Is Venus a personal planet?
- Venus is classified here as a personal. Personal planets move fast enough to differ between people born the same month, which is what makes them readable at the individual level.
- How often is Venus retrograde?
- Venus turns retrograde roughly every 584 days. Retrograde motion is apparent, not real: the planet keeps moving forward, but seen from a moving Earth its longitude decreases for a stretch. Because the effect depends on the geometry between two orbits, the interval and the duration both vary between cycles, so a stated average will not match any single retrograde exactly. Live station dates are computed rather than tabulated on this site.
Reference, not advice
This is cultural and astronomical reference, not personal prediction or advice.
Cycle periods are mean orbital values. Traditional interpretations paraphrased from primary classical and modern sources. See sources.
Last reviewed .