Astrology

Venus met the Sun in Scorpio on October 23, hours before Mercury turned retrograde

Venus and the Sun met in the zodiac sign of Scorpio on Friday, October 23, 2026, with the exact conjunction occurring at approximately 11:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, just hours before Mercury began its retrograde, Farmers' Almanac reports.

Astrologers call this kind of meeting cazimi, an old term for a planet sitting at the center of the Sun's light as seen from Earth, Farmers' Almanac explains, adding that Venus is passing between Earth and the Sun in what astronomers call an inferior conjunction.

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Venus had been retrograde since early October#

Venus had been moving retrograde since October 3, and the October 23 meeting with the Sun marked a reversal point in that backward path across the sky, Farmers' Almanac reports. The outlet notes the conjunction itself is an observable astronomical event, while any influence on relationships or decisions is an astrological reading rather than an established scientific one.

The October 23 event also fell on the first day of Scorpio season, which began when the Sun entered Scorpio at approximately 5:38 a.m. EDT that day, Farmers' Almanac reports. Venus itself had entered Scorpio on September 10, 2026, at 4:09 a.m. EDT, according to Hindustan Times, which tied the planet's long stay in the sign to the retrograde that began October 3.

Hindustan Times reports the retrograde ran from October 3 to November 13, while the Free Press Journal reported Venus would move into its home sign, Libra, on October 31, with Mercury separately retrograde in Scorpio from October 24 to October 31. Star Walk notes that planetary conjunctions continue beyond this one, with Mercury passing near Neptune on April 11 and Venus making a close approach to Neptune on April 24, 2027.

What astrologers associate with Scorpio and Venus#

Farmers' Almanac describes Scorpio as linked to trust, intimacy, secrets, emotional depth and transformation, and says combining that symbolism with Venus, the planet associated with love, attraction, relationships, money and personal values, is why astrologers view the conjunction as significant for relationships.

US-based astrologer Tetiana Tsvil of Nebula told Hindustan Times that Venus in Scorpio may intensify desires for emotional connection and security, while the same influence may also stir possessive feelings when self-assurance declines. According to Hindustan Times, Tsvil suggested that deliberation should guide financial decisions with lasting implications rather than hasty choices.

Astrologer Laurie Farrington described the October period, when Venus retrograde in Scorpio preceded Scorpio season, as a symbolic descent that can push a person to examine values, relationships and desires, in a Substack post cited by Hindustan Times.

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