Venus

Symbol:

Astronomy

After Mercury Venus is the second planet whose orbit lies inside the Earth's orbit, and this means that it can never be more than 47 degrees away from the Sun from the Earth's perspective (Elongation). It has a diameter of 12104 km which makes it almost the same size as the Earth. Its average distance from the Sun is 108.21 million km and takes just over 224 days to make one complete orbit around the Sun (sidereal orbit) and 10 to 12 months to go through the whole zodiac. Its average diurnal movement is 1 degree, 15 minutes of arc. From the Earth's perspective, Venus is the brightest heavenly body after the Sun and the Moon.

Like Mercury Venus appears either as the evening star or the morning star, although the term almost always refers to Venus. In the case of the former (evening star), Venus appears on the Eastern horizon before the rising Sun and is behind the Sun in the zodiac; in the case of the latter, Venus is still visible on the Western horizon after the Sun has set and is in front of the Sun in the zodiac. When Venus is within 10 degrees of the Sun it is not visible to the naked eye.

Mythology

Aphrodite (Latin Venus) was one of the twelve Olympian gods. She was the goddess of love, fertility and beauty. Her sobriquet "foam-arisen" alludes to her birth. The titan Kronos (Saturn) had castrated and overthrown his father Uranus at the behest of his mother Gaia and thrown his genitals into the sea. The sea started to foam at the place where he threw them in and from it arose Aphrodite in all her beauty. The world was immediately struck by her charm and as she emerged from the water flowers blossomed under her feet.

Aphrodite was married to Hephaistos, the divine blacksmith and god of fire. It was an unhappy marriage. Hephaistos was ugly and had a limp but was the greatest craftsman. Aphrodite was not satisfied with this combination. She embodied the ideal of sensuality and passion and sought lovers such as Ares, the god of war. Her passionate nature led her to become embroiled in most of the battles and intrigues among the gods. She was in no way the naive, shallow beauty as the present day image of Venus suggests. Her admirers could rely on her support. However, she severely punished her opponents and those who rejected her love. She was a goddess who both cherished and judged.

Physical body

Venus is associated with the organs of equilibrium, together with the kidneys which have an important influence on the regulation of the circulatory system and hematopoiesis as well as the balance between acidity and alkalinity in the body. The balancing quality of Venus is also expressed in the body's venal system: The arteries pump blood enriched with oxygen around the body to and the veines then transport the blood back to the heart. Venus is also associated with the skin in its capacity as a sensual organ. In its other function, as the body's boundary, the skin is associated with Saturn.

Interpretation

Venus in the natal chart symbolises that energy which seeks harmony - whether through relationships or the love of another person or love of beauty as expressed in the arts. However, Venus also stands for self-worth and confronts us with the question: How do I treat myself, what do I expect of myself?

Venus' position by house and sign describes how individuals interact with others, what they like, or how they satisfy their need for harmony. It shows how one loves and wants to be loved, how one expresses and wishes to receive affection. It indicates the kind of things that bring someone pleasure and what is likely to appeal to an individual's aesthetic nature.

In a woman's chart, Venus and the Moon represent important aspects of her feminine identity. Venus is associated with the erotic and sexuality, and taken together with Mars reveals an individual's attitude to these aspects of life. In a man's chart, Venus and the Moon reveal his image of the feminine; in this case, Venus is the erotic temptress and represents what a man finds attractive.

A planet or axis aspected by Venus will be coloured by some of the more typical Venusian qualities such as charm and beauty.

Transiting Venus generally stimulates sensual perception for a short period of a few days.

Venus is the ruler of two signs: Taurus and Libra. As the evening star it is said to exhibit typical Libran qualities, and as the morning star Taurean ones. Being the ruler of two signs, Venus is in detriment in the two signs of Scorpio and Aries. It is exalted in Pisces and in fall in Virgo.