You don't need an excuse to feel extra confident and comfortable in your skin, but it sure is nice when the planets align to make it so. In this case, one planet in particular is known to encourage those warm-and-fuzzy, if not flat-out flirtatious, feelings: Venus, namely when it returns to where it was in the sky the day you were born.
Known as your Venus return, this astrological event occurs roughly once a year and can be charted and interpreted just like your solar or Saturn return, though it carries a very different meaning with it. According to astrologer Annie Heese's site Cafe Astrology, your Venus return chart can hint at future events in the areas of your life that this planet rules (love, affection, possessions, beauty, and aesthetics) and can alert you to opportunities for new relationships or social growth.
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But even more immediately, astrologer Kimberly Peta Dewhirst writes that your Venus return can put you in the mood to shop, pamper yourself, or playfully flirt with your casual crush. If nothing else, there's a chance you'll simply feel a little happier on the day of your Venus return. Dewhirst refers to it as your "beauty birthday" and writes that you might even feel its influence in the preceding and subsequent days. If you ask us, this is your yearly opportunity to wear your rose-tinted glasses and let your aesthetic tastes guide your choices more than you usually would — you don't have to go all out if you aren't feeling very Venusian, but the invitation is there.
You can keep track of Venus' general movements by looking at an ephemeris (a day-by-day table of all planetary activity), but for those of you who want to know precisely when your Venus return will occur, there are a few sites that help you calculate those dates. Once you know where your natal Venus placement is, Dewhirst recommends monitoring its approach on the site PlanetWatcher.
Don't expect your Venus return to rock your world like your Saturn return is likely to. And don't sweat it if you're too busy to feel playful and pretty when it rolls around. But, if you take the time to note your next Venus return, you can at the very least set a reminder to do one thing that day that purely makes you feel good. Not every astrological event has to be momentous or an omen of grave change. Sometimes, the heavens just want us to have fun.