Summer of Scheherazade’s Tales - Venus Retrograde in Leo

Venus is now preparing for her magical "40 days and 40 nights" backward journey through our sky. The number forty has had great symbolic meaning in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and other Middle Eastern traditions. Forty is often used to designate important time periods. In Hebrew Bible, rain fell for "forty days and forty nights" during the flood. The Hebrew people lived in the lands outside of the promised land for "forty years". Moses stays on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights receiving the law. Jesus fasted "forty days and forty nights" in the Judean desert being tempted by Devil. Forty days was the period from the resurrection to the ascension of Jesus. These are just a few examples of the cultural and religious significance of the number 40. What symbolism of 40 in all these stories points to, is the period of preparation, trial and testing that precedes a triumph, a new beginning.

Some scholars believe the number 40 was originally sacred to the Jews and Muslims due to the fact that the planet Venus forms a pentagram in the night sky every eight years and returns to its original point every 40 years with a 40 day regression.

40 days and 40 nights sounds like a magical formula from Arabic One Thousand and One Nights tales. I invite you to follow Scheherazade this summer, the storyteller of these tales as her life story is a nourishing mythic inspiration for this Venus in Leo retrograde. In the story of One Thousand and One Nights, sultan Shahryar marries a new virgin every day and has her beheaded the next morning before she could dishonor him. This is a result of the past betrayal of his first wife. There comes a time when there are no more virgins of noble blood. Scheherazade, against her father's wishes, volunteered to marry the sultan. On their wedding night Scheherazade, as a last wish, asked for her sister's company. Dunyazad joined them and requested one last tale from her sister. The sultan lay awake and listened with awe as Scheherazade told her first story. She stopped her story as dawn was breaking. The king was so mesmerized by her storytelling that he spared her life for one more night so that she could finish the story. But every night clever Scheherazade finished one story and started another one, always ending the nights storytelling on a captivating turn. Scheherazade continued this night after night. At the end of 1,001 Nights, and 1,000 Stories, she finally told the sultan that she had no more tales to tell him and asked to be able to say goodbye to the three sons she had given him during those years. In the end, the sultan spared Scheherazades life as he fell in love with her, her beauty, charm, intelligence and incredible stories. This process also made him realize what injustices he'd done and he made Scheherazade his queen.

The name Scheherazade is derived from the Middle Persian name Čehrāzād - čehr ('lineage') and āzād ('noble, exalted). Her story is beautifully tied to the symbolism of Venus in Leo, a woman who is telling her stories to a noble, sultan Shahryar. She is the central character of One Thousand and One Nights tales. As a true Leo character, she is leaving a lasting legacy, legacy of a courageous woman that sacrifices herself to stop the violence against women.

She is the queen of the night, focused on developing a relationship with her husband through the feminine, lunar activity of storytelling. She is using her feminine gifts to keep him engaged and curious. There is a distinct rhythm to those 1,001 nights, a nightly ritual that is strengthening their intimate connection and at the same time it allows for the cleansing of sultan's past and making space for the next chapter of their life together. Scheherazade brings a real Venusian beneficence to the women of her country - the bloodlust is stopped, the peace is restored. And once all the stories are told, she is giving herself to her husband in a true feminine fashion and the sultan makes her his queen.

As Venus herself Scheherazade is going through her dark evening phase and once united with the king she is coming to light and becoming a bright morning queen.

​On July 23, Venus stations retrograde in the sign of Leo, shortly after the nodes shifted into Aries and Libra. Relationships will come to the forefront in a major way. With the south node now in the house of Libra in our charts, we might feel a need to release the existing relational dynamics of our lives.

Venus is not just a planet of love and relationships, she also signifies piety and cleanliness of sacred places. This summer, we are embarking on a deep internal journey that is all about cleansing and purifying our hearts. It is a process of sanctification when are reaching deep into our hearts and perceiving what's holy for us, what we're not willing to sacrifice this time around.

Imagine Venus retrograde as a long summer ritual that offers us a chance to free ourselves from our past sins when we trampled on our dignity, when we dishonored ourselves, when we violated our values and beliefs in our relationships.

What can we learn from Scheherazade's story?
The story of Scheherazade and her sultan teaches us about the medicine of the time, forgiveness and patience, about the long process it takes to become mature about our desires.

This hot summer we might be tempted to push harder, to "finish the tale the same night", we might be reluctant to hold that tension. Be patient, just like the sultan, don't jump to conclusions too quickly, let yourself be drawn by the mystery of the unknown...

Let Scheherazade's story be your inspiration for this Venus retrograde. Lay down on colorful pillows, close your eyes and listen with awe. You have 40 days and 40 nights:

"My dear sister, if you are not asleep, tell me I pray you, before the sun rises, one of your charming stories. It is the last time that I shall have the pleasure of hearing you. " Scheherazade did not answer her sister, but turned to the sultan. "Will your highness permit me to do as my sister asks? " said she. "Willingly, " he answered. So Scheherazade began...

​Keep hope alive, keep dreaming.
Petra