Sunrise in the West Defying Convention to Embrace Creativity Day 1 40 Days of Venus Retrograde for Writers Welcome to this series on how the energies of Venus Retrograde can affect and inform our creative journey.
We'll use this convenient and spiritually relevant 40-day cycle to explore how the intersection of science,
Archetypal symbolism,
Astronomy,
And astrology illuminate a path of exploration into our writer's soul.
This first week,
The science of Venus will guide our expedition.
Are you ready?
Have your journal?
Let's go!
Unlike most planets,
Venus rotates in the opposite direction of its orbit around the Sun.
If you were able to stand on the surface of Venus,
The Sun would rise in the west and set in the east.
So,
Not only does Venus in retrograde appear to move backwards from our earthly perspective – only in appearance,
A discussion for a later lesson – its actual rotation goes against the movement convention of other planets.
Venus moves to the rhythm and flow of her own calling.
She defies the usual flow.
As writers,
We buck convention,
Expectation,
And societal constructs to follow the need to translate our observations and experiences into words and images.
Our writer-self moves to the rhythm and flow of our own creativity.
Attunement to the unique movements of our writer-self is critical to our ability to live a fully creative life.
This isn't to be confused with external success as a creative.
That's an overlay of capitalistic expectation on creative wealth.
Part of being in touch with our creative essence requires occasional revisitation,
Reflection,
And refinement to see what resonates with our creative truth.
Through this introspection,
We can deeply nourish and honor our growth as a writer.
So,
As Venus slips into retrograde – the appearance of moving backward against her own usual rhythm,
Yet ultimately returning in 40 days to forward motion – we too can use retrograde energy to reflect on our writer journey,
Notice where we've been,
Question where we want to go,
And develop our own plan on how to move forward when it's time.
Journal Prompts to Reconnect with Our Creative Rhythm I invite you to deepen the connection between your creative flow and your conscious awareness through these prompts.
1.
Where in my writing life am I following the expected path instead of my own creative instincts?
2.
What stories,
Genres,
Or writing habits have I been afraid to explore because they don't fit conventional standards?
3.
Have I ever felt pressured to write a certain way for external validation?
What would change if I wrote purely for myself?
4.
Venus rotates in reverse yet still moves forward.
How can I reframe my setbacks,
Revisions,
Or detours?
As growth on my own unique creative path.
5.
What's a past writing project,
Idea,
Or experiment that I abandoned because it felt wrong or too different?
Could it hold new meaning for me now?
6.
If I could rewrite my relationship with creativity,
What old narratives or beliefs would I let go of?
7.
What does success as a writer truly mean to me beyond industry expectations,
Norms,
Or societal pressures?
8.
Like Venus retreating and realigning,
Our creative journeys rarely follow a straight path.
When we use awareness to question norms and embrace the unconventional,
A writing process becomes a place of personal empowerment.
Give yourself permission to explore,
Refine,
And rediscover what you've forgotten about your writing rhythm and trust that your unique experience is the perfect one for you.
