You Have a Venus Return Every Year—Here’s How to Make the Most of Your Annual Romantic Spring Cleaning

Okay, if you clicked asking, “What is a Venus return and is it going to wreck my life like a Saturn return would?”, chill. While Saturn is all sternness, responsibilities, and challenges, Venus is the most glamorous planet in the zodiac wheel, emblematic of the goddess born from the froth of sea foam. Venus rules over love, beauty, pleasure, and money. It can be bountiful…and only occasionally vengeful. Your Venus return, therefore, is a largely feel-good occasion where you get the opportunity to throw out romantic baggage (cue the collective sigh of relief).

But first, the need-to-know info: a planetary return refers to a planet returning to the same location it was when you were born. When it comes to a Venus return, which spends about two to three weeks in a sign, every sign has one at least once a year—unless yours falls on a retrograde period, in which it could happen up to three times. Symbolically, think of your Venus return as your romantic homecoming.

Learn all about your Venus return, including what to expect, and how to make the most of this annual opportunity for relationship maintenance.

What does your Venus sign rule?

As mentioned above, Venus, as an astrological influence, rules all things romantic, lavish, and pleasure. As it shows up in your natal chart, ultimately discerns your unique taste. It sounds vague, but specifically, think of your Venus sign as your preferences in terms of relationships, money, and personal style. “Venus represents someone’s likes and dislikes to the types of people they enjoy being around and what style of clothes they wear and music they listen to,” explains astrologer Erin River Sunday.

If your Venus sign is stationed in Capricorn, for example, you might have a traditional style, approach relationships practically, and take managing money seriously. On the other hand, if you have a Leo Venus, you might be loose-lipped about your sexual encounters, prefer to stand out via your wardrobe, and engage in frivolous spending (almost dangerously so).

What is a Venus return?

Canonically, your Venus return refers to the moment “When Venus returns to the same exact location as it sits in your personal birth chart, each year it interacts with its neighboring planets differently,” astrologer Leona Moon says. Venus spends about two to three weeks in each sign, meaning it visits each sign at least once a year (somewhat similarly to your solar return, aka your birthday). In other words, everyone has a Venus return once a year, “with the exception of the years where Venus is retrograde and spends longer in certain signs,” says Sunday.

An astrologer can help you out, or you can DIY it and use a tool like Astro-Seek’s Return Calculator to find out yours.

What to expect from your Venus return

As for its formal significance, your Venus return tends to reveal relationship themes for the coming year. According to astrologer Moon, astrologers can use that chart as a predictive technique to get insight into your love and financial forecast. “This will change your Venusian focus each year,” says Moon.

That’s where your Venus return could be a bit of a wildcard. Unlike your Jupiter return, which is exclusively about good fortune, your Venus return could bring different romantic revelations in not-always-fun packages. Depending on which area of your birth chart it shows up and the planetary influences at play in transit, it could imply that this is a year you might get married—or even divorced.

“If we see Venus having conversations with a more serious planet, like Saturn for example, this could be a year where you take more financial responsibility,” says Moon. “Or perhaps in love matters, you’re a little more withdrawn. Astrologers can establish themes, opportunities, and potential challenges by analyzing your venus return chart.”

So don’t panic, but basically the specifics may vary from year to year, resulting in different relationship lessons. On the upswing, whatever the lesson is, your Venus return is probably doing it in your best interest. And because Venus doesn’t hold the same might as Saturn or Jupiter, it doesn’t always overturn our lives.

According to Moon, a good way to look at your Venus return is as a second cosmic birthday; new year, new you! And like any birthday, there will be years where you throw a Gatsby-level rager and years where you FaceTime your friends rosé drunk from your parents’ house. Your Venus return will not always be a tremendous occasion, but there’s definitely a way to celebrate and seize its powers for good.

What happens when an ex comes back during your Venus return?

While retrogrades are what you typically think of when it comes to someone in your past making a cameo (BTW, you may have a planet in retrograde in your birth chart), a return is more of a polished life lesson than it is celestial drama. Venus returns often bring things back full circle, so don’t be surprised if ex-lovers or friendships of the past show up during this cycle.

If that’s the case for you, “they could be a fated connection in your life. They are teaching you something very specific about your natal Venus and might reflect the qualities that you really appreciate in partnership,” says Sunday. On the flip side to showing you what you appreciate, you should expect that these fated relationship reruns could also be testing your relationship cycles, helping you grow from the connections you’ve made and how you approach partnerships and love in general.

How to make the most of your Venus return

Firstly, take advantage of that fresh start energy! Don’t pass up an opportunity to celebrate the fortune that Venus bears, regardless if it brings you hard lessons in love or finances—remember, these things are happening for a reason. A good way to align your self-worth during your Venus return? Sunday suggests revisiting your values. “Notice if the things you’re prioritizing in your life are attracting the people, places, and things that you desire,” Sunday says.

Because Venus is all about art, beauty, and aesthetics, your Venus return is the perfect opportunity to take a visual approach to assessing your values. Because this is the time you’re thinking more clearly about your heart’s desires right now, jotting down (or making a vision board) what you cherish can help you visualize what you want—and deserve!

When it comes to love especially, look at your Venus return as a great opportunity to do romantic spring cleaning. “If you’re single, this could be a fabulous time to toss some toxic behaviors or patterns out the window and start fresh,” says Moon. “If you’re coupled, you can use this time to purge what is no longer working in your relationships, and refocus on your needs and values as they relate to your most intimate partnerships.”

And if romantic love is the last thing on your mind, it’s an excellent opportunity to focus on self-love, and embracing your inner Lizzo. Astrologer Bess Matassa says a Venus return is a great time to play up the things you’re passionate about.

“The honeypot of attraction and adoration, our Venus sign shows us what we find most gorgeous, and how we can draw it into our lair,” says Matassa. “So think of your Venus return as a trip to your personal honeymoon suite.” How do you do that? Matassa suggests exploring your pleasure center, refining your values, “and practice the fine art of receiving, opening wide to magnetize more of what just feels damn good.”

We’re talking making yourself a cocktail, drawing a bubble bath, and just de-stressing as much as possible (right now)—and embracing your indulgences and fine-tuning your vibrational frequency to receive more. Venus return is simply a time to zero in on the love you really deserve…regardless of who it’s from.