The Last Petal of the Rose Cycle of Venus

Venus, a planet of love, beauty and symbolic rebirth and rejuvenation, creates this beautiful mandala in our sky with a five-petalled rose at its centre – every 8 years . It takes around 18 months for each of the petals to be drawn in the sky. A little knot at the junction when one petal ends and another begins is the time when Venus becomes retrograde.

Venus goes retrograde every year and half and disappears from our sky for a period of at least 40 days and 40 nights. During that time she disappears into the burning flames of the Sun, so that she can be purified and transformed. Venus, the planet representing our heart chakra, is during this time closer to Earth than ever and often makes us feel like we, too, experience a symbolic death and rebirth. Something shifts within us and is reborn.

During the time when Venus goes retrograde she also goes through a symbolic metamorphosis from Evening Star to Morning Star. As the Evening Star, Venus symbolically follows the Sun and is visible in our sky during sunset time only, usually occupying second or third house from the Sun. But when she emerges as the Morning Star, she begins to be visible during early morning hours, before sunrise, usually occupying 12 or 11 house from the Sun. As the Evening Star Venus is more turned inwards, towards integration of desire and inner calling with the larger context of life. As the Morning Star Venus calls us to realign with our true calling and with what feels true and important to us.

This symbolic transition from Evening Star to Morning Star, from Western horizon and setting motion, to Eastern horizon and rising motion, is the rebirth that Venus goes through each time that she goes through a period of her disappearance, when she crosses the Sun in her retrograde motion for a period of minimum 40 days. It’s worthy of noticing that Venus will always disappear roughly in 8th house from her last disappearance.

This is why for ages this period of minimum 40 days, also known as Mandala or “Full Circle”, was a symbol of transformation: letting the old die and allowing something new to be born. In some traditions this period is extended to 48 days. Today even modern science confirms that for any significant change to take roots in our consciousness or for any new habit to form, we need to be reminded of it for a period of at least 40 days — because this is a minimum period needed for the new neural pathways to be created in our brain.

The Last Petal Begins This Year

Later this year, on 3 October, Venus will go retrograde for the last time in this Rose Cycle and will begin symbolically drawing the fifth or the final petal in the sky – symbolising  a beginning of completion of this 8 year long cycle that started in 2020.

For many of us year 2020 brought major transformations in life, as well as initiated some challenges. With the beginning of the last petal of this Rose Cycle, we will all feel a sudden shift towards completion and resolution – a need to close some doors, find healing and forgiveness, and integrate fully what still remains unhealed within us.

3 June 2020
First disappearance of Venus in Rohini Nakshatra and beginning of current Rose Cycle

9 January 2022
Second petal begins: second disappearance of Venus in Purvashadha Nakshatra

13 August 2023
Third petal begins: third disappearance of Venus in Ashlesha Nakshatra

23 March 2025
Fourth petal begins: fourth disappearance of Venus in Uttara Bhadrapada Nakshatra

24 October 2026
The last petal begins: fifth disappearance of Venus in Citra Nakshatra

1 June 2028
The end of current Rose Cycle and beginning of a new rose (the cycle repeats in Rohini Nakshatra)

You can find all the important dates of this year’s retrograde transit of Venus in our Vedic Calendar.

Year of Completion & Integration

It is worthy of noticing that this year, for the first time since 2020, also Jupiter will experience a complete conjuction with Ketu, which indicates big shifts, resolution and profound realisations coming from within. We will see with far greater clarity what life was trying to teach us for the past 6 years and what part of this work still requires our attention.

Needless to say, this is a powerful year for introspection and inner work. This is a good time to ask:

What was universe trying to show me during last 6 years?

What did I struggle to transform the most?

How have I grown in this time?

What still asks for completion?

In order to honour this sacred cycle of Venus, reflected in our own psycho-biological cycles, you may choose to engage in that time in meditative Journey with Lakshmi, specifically designed to uplift Venus in your birth chart, and heal your heart chakra. It is a 53-days inner journey, during which you will be invited to actively engage with this process of inner change with the help of guided meditations, mantras, self-inquiry questions and small tasks, which have one purpose — to invite more open-heartedness, bliss and effortlessness into your life. It is a beautiful way to honour Venus in your birth chart and bring healing to those areas of yourself which will need it the most.