Venus Enters Cancer: A Cold Plunge on a Hot Day

Venus is the planet of love, relationships, beauty, and pleasure. As a benefic planet and a representation of our Inner Goddess, Venus brings sweetness and harmony to whatever it touches. Where Venus lands in our chart can inform our creative gifts, the way we relate to others, how we operate in our friendships, and our overall aesthetic.

On Friday, August 7 until September 5, Venus says goodbye to airy, fast-paced Gemini and officially enters the cardinal water sign of Cancer. After an extended four-month stay, and retrograde, in Gemini, Venus’ change of scenery will feel like a much-needed baptism, cleansing us from all that came up in this past cycle. A considerable amount of information about our relationships surfaced for us during this Venus retrograde in Gemini back in May/June. It brought to light the painful parts of ourselves that still need work. This next month will be a great time to tend to these wounds, the way a loving Mother would soothe her child. It’s an especially potent time to integrate our newfound beliefs and ideas we have surrounding love and relationships. What we’re worth, what we want, and what we value is that much more apparent now. We might still long for what didn’t go the way we hoped, but there’s a deep and invaluable sense of clarity that has emerged through it all.

If you track the cycles and movements of Venus in the sky, you’ll notice that she makes a rose-shaped pattern around the sun. This is known as the five petals, or the pentagram, of Venus, which is where she gets her association with roses. Each tight inward loop marks a retrograde cycle, so right now she essentially begins tracing a new petal. We are being invited to tell a new story, one where we are aligned with a much higher sense of self-worth.

A Venus retrograde is like an underworld journey. We are called to excavate our shadows in ways we normally wouldn’t. Venus has just gone through hell and back, yet remains soft and open like a rose, whose thorns remind us of our need for boundaries. A rose says, “respect them or get sliced,” so embracing the power of discernment is a major Venus code. If we understood her underworld lessons correctly, our ability to use proper judgement in relationships is refined.

Remembering those sharp edges within us—that hurt or get hurt by others—comes from a place of safeguarding our most precious resource. If there’s one thing Cancer has on lock, it’s a solid protection strategy of the heart. Its hard outer shell is the sacred sanctuary to its soft interior, and it won’t hesitate to use its snippy claws to keep its integrity intact. If Venus in Cancer can teach us anything, it’s that the art of preservation, while keeping our heart open, is a tricky balancing act—one that we’re always in the process of witnessing.

Venus in Cancer Meaning & Effects

Venus’ shift into the moon-ruled sign of Cancer marks the beginning of a brand new way of looking at our partnerships, one that has us honoring the more feminine or receptive side of us. Regardless of your gender identity, the masculine/feminine polarity lives within us all, and when in balance, it knows how to give and receive equally. When out of balance, we are unable to receive love from others or we are far too giving with people and situations that don’t reciprocate. There is a sense of renewal this next month that really solidifies this new understanding down into the core of our being. We are taking all the information Venus gathered while in Gemini and embodying it in totally new ways during her stay in Cancer.

When Venus is in Cancer, our intuitive understanding of our needs and the needs of our partnerships becomes heightened. We have more of a desire for intimacy, because it creates the kind of security Cancer desires. We’ll be way more in touch with our emotions and initiate deeper bonds with those that we love. Our need for closeness and attachment becomes real—now is a good time to examine your attachment style and observe any anxious or avoidant tendencies.

Since Cancer is the sign of the home, any redecorating projects you’ve been considering would be a great use of this new energy. Whether you’re buying new plants or rearranging your layout to add a little more feng shui, you can channel Venus in Cancer by beautifying your space in some way. Familial relationships, both blood and chosen, will get a sweet energetic boost, so if you’ve been meaning to straighten something out—do it now! (Definitely before Mars goes retrograde on September 9!)

Creating art under this cosmic signature will take on a sweeter, softer feel, and any romantic connections will feel more sensitive and tender. Uninterested in flighty situations, Venus in Cancer wants to know if you are doing the long term relationship or not. Security is of utmost importance here. In order to really be let in, those sweet little crabs need to know if it’s safe to express the deep affections they are capable of.

Venus in Cancer–Astrological Aspects 

8/18 Venus Sextile Uranus in Taurus: A sweet surprise. We might have a sudden change of heart today, have a flash of insight about one of our relationships, or receive an unexpected gift. This transit is also a good time to switch up our personal style. Experiment with a new aesthetic.

8/25 Venus Opposite Jupiter Rx in Capricorn: The two benefic planets sit down for a joyful and lavish dinner conversation. Jupiter raises some questions regarding your partnership ideals. What does safety and security in partnership mean to you?

8/27 Venus Trine Neptune Rx in Pisces: A highly creative aspect, today is a great day to dive deep into your artistry. Neptune is said to be the higher octave of Venus, so when these two planets meet up like this, we have deeper access to the imaginal realms. Or we might just want to cuddle all day with bae while gushing about all the things we love about them.

8/30 Venus Opposite Pluto Rx in Capricorn: Not even going to sugar coat it…Venus/Pluto aspects are not usually fun to deal with. This can manifest as having a strong desire that is being unmet, power struggles in relationships, toxic patterns being revealed, or emotions running out of control. Do some journaling or take a salt bath if it becomes too much to deal with. Remember to breathe through whatever comes up!

9/1 Venus Opposite Saturn Rx in Capricorn: A more sobering aspect, Saturn wants us to balance our desire for pleasure with a strong work ethic. Have you been all play and no work this summer? Saturn will ask you to put in some alone time. This transit can bring all of our insecurities to light and have our pleasure receptors feeling blocked. Don’t worry, it won’t last long!

9/3 Venus Square Mars in Aries: Passions flare up as Venus and Mars make a tense aspect. This can manifest as frustration around our needs not being met. Be wary of any impulsive behavior as a result of any heated moments. Channel your emotions physically into a workout if you’re hung up on anything that’s not going your way.

9/4 Venus Sextile Mercury in Virgo: A moment of clarity. Making sense of the disappointments we might have encountered in the last few days while Venus made aspects to the planets in Cardinal signs.

Kristina Bakrevski is a visual artist, astrologer, and modern mystic living in Los Angeles.