Why Exes, Twin Flames, and Soulmates Are Returning During Venus and Mercury Retrograde

As we venture into “the vortex of the past”—which I addressed in a recent article and in my weekly horoscopes—we are sure to see the universe bringing us a slower and more reflective atmosphere.

Have you been thinking about “the one who got away”? Are people or situations from days gone by popping up in your dreams? Do you have an urge to reach out to someone or stalk their social media to find out what’s been going on in their life? When you head out and about, do you keep crossing paths with friends, romantic partners, or even enemies that you used to be close with? “The vortex of the past” is now open and could bring many of these kinds of situations to you!

What Planetary Retrogrades Are We Experiencing in “the Vortex of the Past”?

For those of you who are newer to astrology, the planets in our solar system— Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto —do not actually move backward in their orbits around the sun. However, from our perspective here on Earth and due to our own planet’s orbit, the other planets appear to do so. This is ultimately an optical illusion, but with the heavens above mirroring life here on Earth and for humanity, whatever a planet rules appears to be “thrown off” and become weakened during a retrograde not only in our lives but for the human collective. Also, our personal planets—Mercury, Venus, and Mars—affect our daily lives in a much more significant way, which is why when they retrograde—or move backward from our point of view—we notice the effects more potently. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto retrograde for longer periods in time, but because they are outer planets and farther from Earth, they often cause greater effects upon the world and global population and less so in our individual daily affairs.

While in a previous article I stated that our “vortex of the past” technically began to creep in as early as August 31, 2026, and will linger until June 7, 2027, due to Venus retrograde and Mercury retrograde in the autumn of this year, and Mars retrograde in the first quarter of 2027, we may find that the fall season is particularly memorable.

Venus began to slow down on August 31, 2026, but officially retrogrades from October 3, 2026, until November 13, 2026. Our goddess of love, relationships, and beauty will be spinning backward through the deep seas of Scorpio as well as the high skies of Libra. This grants a major focus on how we have approached intimacy, sexuality, trust, vulnerability, and partnerships of all kinds. Venus will leave post-shadow—or be back to peak speed—as of December 15, 2026.

Mercury began to slow down on October 4, 2026, but will retrograde in Scorpio from October 24, 2026, until November 13, 2026. This once again causes us to review our inner shadows, our secrets, and how we communicate our needs and desires. Our emotions and logic will be hard to balance. We may find that we are taking things more personally and are hypersensitive. People may be more concerned with the give and take in their unions. Mercury leaves post-shadow on November 30, 2026.

Because these two retrogrades are happening simultaneously, not only will life likely feel as if it is going extremely slowly, but we will be sucked back into situations, discussions, and connections from the past. Whether we are facing them internally or they are literally popping up in a physical form before us, many people worldwide will experience this autumn quite intensely.

Why Do Twin Flames, Exes, and Soulmates Return During Retrograde Phases?

First and foremost, personal planet retrograde energy always brings about confusion and nostalgia and forces us to face situations that must be reviewed once again. “Retrograde” is a time when we must review, revise, reunite, rekindle, or restart. In fact, the universe is literally opening a door to you to step into the past and decide how you would like to look at what came before and see if something there still holds value.

So often in our lives, people are always racing forward to get to the next project, the next plan, the next relationship, or the next horizon. However, there is wisdom in slowing down and truly reviewing the journeys and relationships we have experienced because not only must we learn from where we have been—but sometimes, things still hold value in our lives in the present and future. An example I sometimes give is to imagine that you’re running down a beach as fast as you can but then reach into your pocket and realize you’d dropped your wallet somewhere. You decide to backtrack the way you had previously come, and you find your wallet that you had dropped quite a while back on the edge of the ocean. Had you not gone back to search for it, you wouldn’t still have it now. This, in essence, is why we must sometimes go back on that path to find something we had lost that still holds value.

Retrogrades—especially those of the personal planets, but in particular Venus and Mars since they are so closely tied to human relationships—tend to bring forth karmic situations and relationships for us to evaluate. Twin flames, exes, and soulmates may literally pop up, as if we were destined to meet them, learn from them, or bring them back into our lives. One of the greatest pieces of advice that I can give you, though, is that the only way you should ever get back together with someone to rekindle something is if you both have grown in the time you spent apart and have a new perspective on the relationship. You may now have a greater respect for one another and could even be better partners, associates, or friends than you were the first time around. However, opening the door to toxic love or relationships is never ideal because it means that neither of you has learned from your time apart and that you are simply getting back together because you’re lonely or stuck in patterns that will not ultimately fulfill you days, weeks, months, or years down the line. Also, even if you are to reconnect, you should not “become official” once again during the retrograde. Instead, use the time to reignite your spark and then later on—like later in November or in December—you can make it official since the dust has settled.

Twin flames, which are particularly rare, tend to be soul relationships that are often passionate, tumultuous, and extremely intense—but rarely do I see two people who are “twin flames” actually end up together because they are meant to teach us crucial life lessons. More often than not, twin flame connections tend to be romantic or take the form of an enemy and rarely last. A lot of people idealize twin flame relationships, but they are neither the healthiest nor as fun as people say. In fact, they tend to brutally hurt. I also do not believe a twin flame “completes” you or that you are two halves of the same soul. The human soul cannot be split in half. Each soul is entirely perfect and whole on its own, even if a twin flame relationship feels like it completes a missing piece of your puzzle.

Soulmates, however, are bonds that can at times be from past lives but are often less dramatic and more peaceful. In a sense, soulmate connections feel like “coming home,” and while they may not always be entirely easy and perfect unions, they are rarely as rocky or “up and down” as a twin flame connection. Soulmates can come in many forms: friends, family, lovers, business associates, and even pets. While soulmate connections also may not last forever, the mark they leave on us tends to be one that is a blessing rather than a painful curse. There are some people who say that we only have one soulmate, but this is wrong. We can have many soulmates in each and every lifetime!

Karmic connections, in general, are any relationships that are “destined or meant for you.” In this regard, twin flames and soulmates tend to be karmic connections. Some karmic connections can be from shared past lives or may enter your life in this one and echo into future lives still to come.

How Can We Use Venus and Mercury Retrograde to Reunite or Find Closure With Someone?

As I’ve previously mentioned, retrogrades are like stepping through a door—or a portal—where the past comes back to life. They are the perfect time to reach out to rekindle a rapport. While many people find themselves thinking “someone will come back,” more often than not it isn’t the person they were initially daydreaming about! This is why, if you do hold a candle for someone still, I encourage you to take the lead and reach out with the olive branch. By doing so, you are working with the cosmic flow but also using free will and taking charge of your own destiny. People who sit back and wait do not get what they want. Those individuals who seize the day and carve out their own paths usually do achieve their goals, personally and professionally.

However, my final note is that if for some reason you do reconnect and the situation still doesn’t seem aligned or you have not each grown—or the other person does not want to reunite—you can use this retrograde period to heal, let go, and move on. Finding closure can, at times, be a conversation that you have with someone to bring you to a sense of peace. Yet, this can also cause further confusion and mixed emotions, and it can reignite the pain and resentment, instead. The only person who can truly give you closure is you—not someone else. So if you are still aching about a situation, relationship, or decision, it may be best to reflect, meet with a therapist, and realize that it’s time to bury the past once and for all, forgive yourself and what happened, and move on. Those who hold onto the past miss the opportunities ahead of them—so do not hold onto love that is not also waiting for you. You deserve to be happy, vibrant, and filled with light. So set yourself free and fly forward once again, being grateful for the wisdom and life experience that you gained.