Venus in Astrology

Think of what makes you stop and say "Oh, that's lovely". A face, a song, a colour, a phrase, a well-made thing, a kind gesture. Think of what you are drawn to without knowing why, and what you will spend money and time on gladly. That is Venus in your chart: the part of you that loves, enjoys, values and is attracted.

Venus is often read as the planet of romance, and it is, but it is wider than that. It is your sense of beauty, your taste, your capacity for pleasure, and the values that shape what you choose.

What Venus stands for

Venus represents:

• Love and attraction: how you love, what draws you to people.
• Beauty and taste: your aesthetic, the art, style and places you love.
• Pleasure: what you enjoy, how you relax and take delight.
• Value: what you think is worth having, and how you relate to money and possessions.
• Harmony: your wish for peace, fairness and connection.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and, seen from Earth, never strays more than about 47 degrees from it. So your Venus is always in your Sun sign or within two signs of it.

The eight-year rose

Here is one of the loveliest facts in astronomy. Every eight years, Venus returns to almost the same place in the sky on almost the same date. Over those eight years it meets the Sun five times, and if you mark those five meetings on the zodiac and join them up, they draw a nearly perfect five-pointed star. Ancient sky-watchers noticed this rhythm, and it is one reason Venus has been linked with beauty and harmony for thousands of years.

For you, it means something practical. Around your 8th, 16th, 24th, 32nd and 40th birthdays, Venus returns close to where it was when you were born. Many people notice those years as times when love, values or creativity come back into focus.

Venus is also both the morning star and the evening star, the brightest point in the sky after the Moon, shining before sunrise or after sunset. Ancient cultures sometimes thought they were two different stars.

Where is this planet in your chart?

Its sign says how it works, its house says where. See both, with the aspects that shape it.

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