With the Venus retrograde starting on October 5 – which means speed bumps ahead in your love life – we’re dedicating this month’s astro column to romance.
Learn more about your love style, your best partnerships and which signs to give serious side-eye to, as well as a quick primer on the Venus retrograde, thanks to our spiritual writer One Grounded Angel.
[READ: WHAT IS THE VENUS RETROGRADE ANYWAY?]
LIBRA
You in love
Librans just *love* love, and easily get carried away (sometimes, into the wrong bed!) with their romantic ideas. You’re very appearance driven, both in terms of your own bod and your potential partner’s – to you, love at first sight is TOTALLY a thing. Librans make totally devoted partners… that is, when your indecisive heart FINALLY chooses a mate (the struggle is real). You’re likely to meet your dream partner at a concert, art gallery, nightclub or party – because let’s face it, Librans are never far from a social gathering.
Romantic challenges
Lose yourself in the music? You’re more likely to lose yourself in love. It’s no secret Libras are massive people-pleasers, and when it comes to romance you can get so immersed in making bae happy you can sometimes forget about your own passions and interests. Don’t forget yo’self, yo! Plus, you can sometimes be a bit doormat-y as you are super bad at standing up for yourself, preferring to sweep issues under the carpet rather than deal with them.
Best bae
Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, Aquarius
Rollercoaster ride
Cancer, Capricorn
Avoid at all costs
Virgo, Scorpio
SCORPIO
You in love
Scorpio is known for being the sign of sex, but here’s the thing: Scorpios are about QUALITY not quantity. You’re not averse to a one-night stand once in a while (especially for escapism) but it isn’t really your standard MO – deep soul connections are your biggest turn-on, usually with the most mysterious or intriguing person you can find (think: Russell Brand types). If someone breaks your heart, you can carry the pain for a looooong time (read: trust issues), but once you do commit, it’s for the long term.
Romantic challenges
No offence, Scorpio, but you can be a little intense – a LOT intense, TBH. Also, kinda jelly. You’re not likely to date someone who’s still chummy with their ex and you’ll probably demand they delete Tinder almost immediately after your third date, if not before. If you let those control-freak tendencies get out of hand, you could sabotage your romance.
Best bae
Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer, Pisces
Rollercoaster ride
Leo, Aquarius
Avoid at all costs
Libra, Sagittarius
SAGITTARIUS
You in love
For Sagittarians, life is an adventure, and whether you’re exploring the world on your own or with bae, you’re sweet either way. You’re too busy living your life to let singledom get you down, and if you do want a little company, you’re totally up for a casual hook-up (#noregrets). With that said, you do love being part of a long-time couple and you seldom say no to opportunities for romance. You’re good at helping bae through challenges and you won’t walk away from a relationship, no matter how rough things get, without a fight.
Romantic challenges
Your natural optimism can see you gravitate towards ‘do-up projects’, believing that if you just shower a partner with enough love, they’ll totally turn their life around (spoiler alert: this often ends badly). Sagittarians aren’t great with routine (booooring!) – ideally, you need a partner as thirsty for adventure as you are, so make sure your budget allows for regular jaunts overseas, and definitely keep up your own side hustles, projects or workshops to keep your active mind engaged.
Best bae
Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo
Rollercoaster ride
Virgo, Pisces
Avoid at all costs
Scorpio, Capricorn
CAPRICORN
You in love
To a Cappy, being single is like a Big Mac without fries – it just doesn’t feel right. You crave certainty, so flying solo makes you feel a little lost. Being pragmatic at heart, you tend to show affection through actions, such as cooking for bae or sweet gestures, rather than uttering Hallmark-worthy words. Because you’re focused on long-term plans, in the game of love, you’re playing for keeps… in fact you probably start dropping major engagement hints after maybe two months of dating.
Romantic challenges
Given how much you love your career, you might not get out of the office often enough to meet anyone. Oh, and just on that, your slavish devotion to work can leave your lover feeling neglected. Given your focus on status, you gravitate to partners who push up your social currency – read: they’re rich and hot – but you might overlook baggage or issues. Because you like the security of having a co-pilot, you are likely to stay in bad romances long after the spark has gone out.
Best bae
Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo
Rollercoaster ride
Aries, Libra
Avoid at all costs
Sagittarius, Aquarius
AQUARIUS
You in love
If you’re single, you probably get told ‘I don’t understand why you are single’ about a thousand times a day. That’s because Aquarians are PEOPLE people, and are magnetic AF. But in romantic relationships you can be a little difficult to read – TBH Katy Perry probably wrote the song ‘Hot and Cold’ about you. Type? You have no type. You’re not a creature of habit by any means, and tend to pick totally random partners. If someone burns you, you cut and run – no apologies accepted, no second chances, no do-overs.
Romantic challenges
Although you love getting to know someone romantically, you also really love your independence… quite the quandary, no? The spouse/2.4 kids/white-picket fence formula can make you feel a little panicky – you probably suit a bae who isn’t stuck on a traditional relationship model, and who doesn’t mind unpredictability. Living a nomadic life, having a long-distance relationship or even polyamory can actually work pretty well for you.
Best bae
Sagittarius, Aries, Gemini, Libra
Rollercoaster ride
Scorpio, Taurus
Avoid at all costs
Capricorn, Pisces
PISCES
You in love
Pisces, you’re the dream lover that Hollywood rom-coms are made of. You really do fall HARD in love, worshipping the ground that bae walks on. Predictable date settings don’t spin your wheels, you prefer a more creative approach: bungy-jumping? Blind dining? Car-jacking? (kidding). You’re sensitive, easily picking up on bae’s needs, and often knowing just the right thing to say. You share your feelings easily and have endless patience.
Romantic challenges
Repeat after me: you do not have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm (#wisdom). Pisceans are shockers for self-sacrifice, often ending up resentful when the devotion is not exactly reciprocated. Typical Pisces scenario: moving countries or taking a backwards step career-wise so bae can pursue shiny work opportunities, only to get dumped years later when bae gets bored with you (ouch). Unfortunately, you can attract narcissists and energy vampires. You also tend to gravitate towards partners with problems that you’re determined to help them solve, which may not end well.
Best bae
Capricorn, Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio
Rollercoaster ride
Gemini, Sagittarius
Avoid at all costs
Aquarius, Aries
ARIES
You in love
Since you’re always right about everything, your ideal partner would be yourself (jokes!). Seriously though, Aries expect to be the centre of attention in relationships – that doesn’t make you selfish, though, since it’s a two-way street… you give lashings of love and affection to bae in return. If you see someone you fancy, you’re in like Flynn – no waiting around for them to make the first move. With you, there are no hot-and-cold shenanigans – you know what you want, and you’re determined to get it.
Romantic challenges
Sometimes you struggle to find a balance between devotion and suffocation. A feisty Aries has gotta have some ‘me time’, so make sure you allow plenty of that in your schedule – if you don’t, you might pick fights or create dramas with bae. BTW you can also be a little controlling and jealous, which your partner might not be super happy about, so maybe try to rein that in.
Best bae
Gemini, Aquarius, Leo, Sagittarius
Rollercoaster ride
Cancer, Capricorn
Avoid at all costs
Pisces, Taurus
TAURUS
You in love
If you wanna be my lover, you’d better come with the funds. Taureans love the finer things in life, so if someone takes you to KFC, they’re so not getting a second date (lol). You’ve got standards, right? While you love the stability of a long-term relationship, it has to be right – you’d rather be single than tied down with someone vanilla. Sensual by nature, you love sex – but, again, it has to be with someone special. For you, it’s all or nothing!
Romantic challenges
Your love of luxury might make you a little too fixated on job titles, salary and status when looking for a mate, meaning you overlook perfectly suited people who maybe aren’t so impressive on paper (or Instagram). You’re a super supportive partner but sometimes you get so dependent on being bae’s BFF that you forget about what’s right for you. Plus, you can easily get up in bae’s grill, not giving them enough space.
Best bae
Pisces, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn
Rollercoaster ride
Aquarius, Leo
Avoid at all costs
Aries, Gemini
GEMINI
You in love
It’s not that you don’t WANT to settle down, it’s just that you only want to settle down some of the time… ah Gemini, so inconsistent. You love both mystery and stability in equal measure, which means you can fall in and out of love faster than Australia changes prime ministers. You need a lot of free rein in relationships – anyone who tries to control you will be discarded like last season’s handbag. Since you love a good flirt sesh, you could meet your dream partner on a plane, in a waiting room or a pub– anywhere that allows chatter.
Romantic challenges
Overanalysing much? Yep, your brain can be your own worst enemy when it comes to dating – Carrie Bradshaw was probably a Gemini, TBH. You love the thrill of the chase – and when you meet someone who loves to play the game too… boom! Your aversion to predictability means that if your relationship becomes dull you’d rather bail than work at spicing things up.
Best bae
Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius
Rollercoaster ride
Pisces, Virgo
Avoid at all costs
Taurus, Cancer
CANCER
You in love
Already named you and your crush’s future children? Congratulations – you’re a classic Cancer, with home and family your major focus. Being single makes you feel OFF, kinda like when you accidentally put your undies on inside out. Boozy nights out on the pull? No thanks – you much prefer cuddling up to someone front of Netflix. Initially you struggle to open up to a partner, but as soon as you feel safe to share your feelings, you pretty much don’t shut up about them (lol).
Romantic challenges
You might come on a little strong – try to hold off on the mortgage and maternity-leave talk in the early stages, OK? You can also struggle to let go, so if someone gone done you wrong, you carry that pain for a long time – which can affect the way you show up for relationships. Plus, sometimes Cancers can be TOO close to their families (especially their mums), which can be off-putting for a partner.
Best bae
Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces
Rollercoaster ride
Aries, Libra
Avoid at all costs
Gemini, Leo
LEO
You in love
Remember when Tom Cruise was so besotted with Katie Holmes he jumped up and down on Oprah’s couch? Classic Leo move. (He’s actually not a Leo, but let’s go with it.) When you’re in love, you want the whole freakin’ world to know it, thanks to your flair for drama. As the most romantic and generous sign of the zodiac, you’re happy to drop some serious coin to show your devotion. You make sure bae always knows how you feel about them (nawww!).
Romantic challenges
Your love of the spotlight means if you’re not getting enough attention from your partner, you’ll be tempted to bail. You’re definitely not the type to make career or home sacrifices if your partner has to move out of town, for example. And that love of drama? Yep, it can cause you to chase the wrong type. Oh, and a red-hot sex life is a big priority, so if it’s not happening at home, you may be tempted to stray…
Best bae
Gemini, Libra, Aries, Sagittarius
Rollercoaster ride
Taurus, Scorpio
Avoid at all costs
Cancer, Virgo
VIRGO
You in love
It sounds like a total contradiction but Virgos are both practical and romantic (for reals!). You love to be swept off your feet, but your knight in shining armour has to tick all the boxes, too. If a total hottie has even one black mark against their name, they’re dead to you. You love long-term relationships but you’re not the type to settle for Mr/Ms Average – mediocre relationships are a total snore-fest. Your inner sex kitten comes to life only when you’re in a relationship where you feel truly safe, and have clear rules and boundaries.
Romantic challenges
Finding a partner can be a long process, with your penchant for detail and tendency for perfectionism making your standards a little too high. You have a weakness for lost causes – someone who has been badly hurt is hugely attractive to you, as you’re convinced you can be the one to save them… and, yeah, that often doesn’t go well.
Best bae
Cancer, Scorpio, Taurus, Capricorn
Rollercoaster ride
Gemini, Sagittarius
Avoid at all costs
Leo, Libra
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