Venus Retrograde Update: Getting to What’s Important

Original post here, update 1 on new relationships here, update 2 on old relationships here.

Lately I’ve been doing research on replacing my handheld digital recorder. I use one for some readings and for talks and sometimes podcast segments, and it’s time to replace the little work horse I’ve been using and abusing for upwards of six years.

I went to some stores and at one fell in love with a little digital jobby. But it doesn’t have a jack for an external mic, which can be important for how I would use it. This thing is slick, sleek, small, svelte, and my Venus in Libra almost cannot deal with the high level of aesthetic vroominess I feel when I behold it. And all other functionality it offers suits me well but for that one detail.

But that was just research. I returned home and was still aesthetically/emotionally salivating over the little machine and I saw Venus retroing in Gemini in opposition to my natal Mercury-Moon in Sagittarius. I saw that the smart thing to do is to go slow and be intentional (Venus is retro) even if that means making my Mercury-Moon wait a bit. But also transiting Venus is trine that natal Venus in Libra/12th, which can certainly get lost and not deal with important details at times when it comes to purchases.

Also, there’s a long VOC Moon today and so it’s not a good idea to buy something half-cocked after only a smidgeon of research.

But the digital jobby that captured my Venusian heart … It is gorgeous. It is exactly what my Venus wants me to be using. My huge Venusian heart sings at the thought. I find this device absurdly attractive and part of me is not sure how I will continue to function and enjoy recording things if I do not have it.

I’ve gone through the stage of negotiating with myself to try to work out if it’s okay to have two (at this stage, it is not). And then I started reading about other devices to discover more options. I ended up reading a bunch of wonderful reviews about a device that my girlfriend happens to own. But it’s bigger. And squarer. And clunkier-looking. And not convenient to tote in a pocket without the pants sagging noticeably. And it’s not attractive such that my aesthetic goose bumps are brought forth and all lit up at the same time.

But it would be much better re quality, which is in the end more important than aesthetics.

Or is it?

This is the Venus retrograde question: What is it that’s truly important? The process I just went through is par for the Venus retro course. I ended up conceding that the practical is more important than the aesthetic. But Venus now wants me to evaluate my thought process and also allow myself to permit pleasure, aesthetics, and enjoyment to coexist with functionality. Our brains might when pressed always give in to practicality, but is that the best thing always? Venus retro invites us to find out and this happens on the individual level.

For all of us now it’s necessary to make decisions in a variety of life arenas about what is most important. But open up to observe your thought process as you do it. Regardless of what you choose in some given situation you owe it to yourself to let pleasure and functionality each have a say in what’s going down in your world. If you normally opt for pleasure, now’s a great time to explore practicality and vice versa. But let yourself explore this vast space within you – don’t opt to get stuck or get in a rut about what is the right thing to do, what is the most important thing to do. Now’s for figuring some new things out to see how you’ve changed since the last time you checked in with your Venusian self.

I don’t know what I’m going to do but I know I won’t be making a decision today. My girlfriend agreed to teach me how to use her device so I can give it a test drive and see if it’s something I want to invest in. And that will be good and, probably, fun. She recorded some of the events of my channeling/speaking tour last July on it and I know it’s a quality device.

And my audio stuff would be much higher quality and that will make me happy. Who knows if I’ll revisit this other recorder – Venus is retro after all. After all the above waxing aesthetic and desperate it might just be a passing fancy.

Tom Jacobs is an Evolutionary Astrologer, Medium, and Channel helping you understand and do what your soul came here to do. Eleven books, two original natal reports, and numerous astrology and channeled MP3s are available through tdjacobs.com. Join Tom Jacobs when he channels Ascended Master Djehuty for a Full Moon Grounding & Release call for the Capricorn Full Moon to release beliefs you no longer need so you can be more fully present and in compassionate charge of your life.