Lover, Come Back

Do old lovers really come back during Venus retrogrades?

Well, yes. Not all of them, of course. And not necessarily the one you'd like, and often not for the reason you think. But while some Venus retrogrades don't involve an old flame coming back into our lives, it does happen that we hear from them a bit more frequently when Venus is retrograde.

Now that Venus is deep into her retrograde phase (Venus retrogrades from March 4th - April 15th, 2017), it's worth taking some time to explore this 'old saw' about Venus retrograde. 

First, it's not that past relationships are necessarily reignited. Quite frequently it's just a simple text or Facebook message along the lines of "Hi, how are you?" and it ends at that. Not impressive, perhaps, but if you haven't heard from someone in five years, it's a surprise, at the least.

Then there are the times when the flame is reignited. This can go a couple of ways. In either case, the assumption is that the relationship ended too soon, before one or both parties was really ready to let go. It may even be the case that there is a lot more of the relationship to be lived - this could indeed be the time when we find what we lost.

A more common occurrence is that the renewed relationship lasts but a short time. Often, the real work to be done is to get closure on the partnership, or, as I sometimes put it, we remember why our ex is an ex. The last lingering doubts about the end of the relationship are resolved.

The latter alternative may seem disappointing, but it can be very healing. We often end relationships in a state of emotional turmoil - many things are said, but many are unsaid. Rather than achieving a sense of closure, we continue to hold onto a small part of the relationship. With some distance in time, we can redo the end of the relationship with greater awareness (and maybe even maturity!).

Old memories can be food for new hope, and sometimes that hope lasts while at other times it is a brief flash. Either can be appreciated, if you have an open heart.

- Armand