A Deeper Look at the Planets: Venus

A Deeper Look at the Planets: Venus


By Carmen Turner-Schott, MSW

I often tell clients that the planet Venus was named after the Roman goddess Venus and is the second planet closest to the sun. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty is also associated with Venus. Venus was known to the ancient Babylonians around 1600 BC, and to the Mayan civilization and must have been known long before in prehistoric times, given that it is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. The Mayans developed a religious calendar based on Venus's motion. Its symbol is a stylized representation of the goddess Venus's hand mirror: a circle with a small cross underneath. In the Ryder Waite tarot deck, the Empress card is ruled by Venus. Located in the bottom left of this card you can see a heart with the symbol of Venus sitting within it. Venus represents love, beauty, harmony, relationships and emotions.

In our astrology natal chart, Venus represents the way we seek to give and receive affection and love; and how we create and appreciate beauty and balance; and how we form close relations and act in those relationships . The position of Venus in the natal chart, shows the energy of how someone expresses love. According to astrologer Bob Mulligan, “Venus shows the way you express your love nature and what you aspire for in life as good or beautiful. Venus has much to do with how you form your values. The sign placement of Venus shows the type of love energy you have and th house placement shows the natural area of expression of the love energy.”

Venus rules the signs Taurus and Libra. Taurus is an earth sign and Libra is an air sign. What do these two signs have in common? Both are creative, artistic, peace loving and comfort loving individuals. Taurus sun sign individuals express their creative energy in a more practical, grounded way whereas Libras express it in a more intellectual way. The venus influence blesses Taureans and Librans with acting ability, musical ability, and artistic ability. Both Taurus and Libra can excel in areas related to teaching and interior decorating. Both Taurus and Librai vary significantly as far as overall personality traits, but the Venus influence is present in both signs.

The house that Venus is placed in our chart will show where we will express our affections. Venus placed in the 12 th house will incline an individual to keep their loving feelings hidden or secret from others. This placement also signifies secret or clandestine love affairs. If Venus is placed in the 8 th house, the individual will tend to have relationships with individuals who work behind the scenes in some way as detectives, police officers or coroners. This placement can also bring financial blessings to the individual through the partner. The sign placement is an important indicator on how the love nature is expressed. For instance, a person with Venus in Aries will be very straightforward, blunt, selfish and passionate with their emotions. The important thing about Venus is that wherever it is located, it increases our need to express love and to make our surroundings harmonious.