Astrology gives us the gift of divine perspective
A glimpse into a higher design of trials, explorations, and lessons all woven together with the purpose of transformation and soul growth as individuals and as a collective.
Witchcraft gives us the gift of tangible divine practice
A way of life that allows us to connect the magick to the mundane, to harness and work with the soul purpose we discover through spiritual exploration.
Astrology + Witchcraft, when practiced together, therefore amplify one another and further expand their potential.
And one of the simplest ways to begin intertwining these together is working with the planetary rulers of the days of the week in your magickal routines and rituals.
Daily cosmic witchcraft can be as simple as inviting the ruler of whatever day it currently is to join in on whatever spiritual practice you're already doing, so don't overthink things! But I also know how fun and helpful it can be to get to know and work with a new spiritual entity on a deeper level, so I wanted to be give us all the opportunity to really explore each of the major planets to encourage your own natural practice to form on its own.
Friday, ruled by Venus
Planet of love, the arts, and all things related to beauty, attraction, sensuality, and physical fulfillment.
Astro Quick Facts:
Role: How we come to believe, attract, and connect with what we value the most
Element: Earth 🜃, Water 🜄
Rules/Domicile: Taurus ♉🐂, Libra ♎⚖️
Detriment/Opposite: Scorpio ♏🦂, Aries ♈🐏
Generation: Inner/personal placement
Day of the Week: Friday
Download as a pdf:
Gods I wish I could show you how far down the rabbit hole this planet coaxes me. Just in preparation for this lesson alone, the tabs in my internet browser exploded. From NASA's factsheet, The Astrology Podcast's episode on The Venus Star Point, EarthSky's diagrams of its orbital pattern, to Britannica's overview of Aphrodite, and Smithsonian's article on the 30,000 year old Venus of Willendorf statuette...and those really are only a few of my pitstops I made along the way. (And yes, I saved all of them and many more to go back and continue exploring later 😂)
Alllll too often in mainstream astrology we see Venus being watered down to "the relationship planet," and I think this is excruciatingly limited to our very shallow understanding of relationships, love, beauty, and connection. But when you start deep-diving past the surface layer of Venus, you'll soon find yourself humbled by its profoundly infinite wisdom.
You've likely heard Venus referred to as Earth's Sister, Earth's Twin, or even Earth's Evil Twin, and a simple Google search as to why will have you down the rabbit hole, through the door, and exploring Wonderland right along with me (if Wonderland in this case is a place of fascinatingly realistic theory). Venus is so similar in qualities to Earth that I think it has much more to teach us about our own planet than just a quirky nickname. And that's only one piece of the astronomical puzzle; it scratches the surface of the meaning and representation of this planet as an astrological character.
From its stunning orbital pattern, to being the only planet ancient astrologers named after a female god- Venus is special. And that's not to say it's "better" or that planets have a hierarchy, but it is noteworthy. Something to pay attention to as much more than a relationship planet.
On Fridays, ask yourself:
How can I be present in meaningful connection without completely letting go of the wheel?
Meaningful Connection. I think especially in our modern society, where we have instant access to almost everyone and everything around the world, the concept of connection has become diluted. As you'll learn with most Venusian themes, when we think of the word "relationships" our mind brings up a very limited picture of a handful of important people in our lives. But it is much more helpful to specify this into meaningful connection. A Venusian connection can span multiple lifetimes, but it can also take place in a singular moment. The key is the significance, it all comes down to the parts of you that get lit up from that connection. Whether it's a person you had an experience or relationship with, or a certain song or musician, or a story or movie that holds special meaning for you. (Quite honestly, the possibilities of what is being connected to are endless.) It can be anything, but it's the meaning, the deeper than deep feeling of alignment when you're experiencing it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I want you to take the time with this lesson to actually define what Beauty is. There are no other instructions. You get to decide what the signifiers and indicators are, you get to decide what the "rules" are. And I would be willing to bet you may struggle a bit to come up with the words or even reach a clear definition - this is the first lesson in the profundity of Venus. It's so easy to throw the terms beautiful and pretty around and see how quickly we find ourselves in a very shallow vibration. But when we expand on this concept, it becomes cavernous, and one of the most sacred in our existence. Most of us experience and conceptualize beauty on such an external level that it can truly feel impossible to integrate within. This is due to societal norms, generational patterns, and perceived & exemplified value, and all of these things have an impact on our perception of beauty. But we also have the visceral reaction that happens within us when we experience something we find beautiful. These factors all come together and create our unique understanding of beautiful. All of us develop our own handbag or closet full of insecurities that we carry and wear in different ways throughout our life. No one, and I mean no one (except maybe certain psychological disorders and conditions) looks in the literal or figurative mirror and loves 100% of what they see 100% of the time. This is part of the process, part of the concept itself, and part of our Venusian journey. Venus is there when we feel beautiful, just as much as Venus is there when we don't.
Law of Attraction or Skills of Attraction? Either, both, neither. Seduction and attraction is part of the Venus deal we enter into in Earth life. Yes, sometimes that's in the sexual way we immediately associate those terms with. But really, this is also just as multifaceted as the other Venusian concepts we've been exploring. Think about how it feels to witness something gorgeous, or recall a specific memory where you felt love- you want more of it. You want that feeling or that experience to be near you, around you, part of you, with you. When we are in our Venus energy we are calling more of that experience to us or we are behaving in a way that exports that feeling out and around us for others. So, Law of Attraction or simply being skilled in attraction, I think in many ways they are one in the same just from different perspectives. Even if you don't intentionally practice manifestation, your brain and nervous system are hardwired to gravitate toward what you find the most enjoyable, pleasurable, beautiful, fulfilling. This inner gravitational pull is represented by our Venus placement, and ohhh my dear is it nice to understand more about how that part of ourselves operates.
What is value? And therefore, what is valuable? Oof this is another big one. And another that's often very misunderstood and just-out-of-grasp for most humans. We have this collective sense of value, but it gets so easily...twisted. Currency, assets, belongings, gifts, payments, the arts, time, generosity- all are different representations and examples of values and valuables. Some are gestures or concepts, some are physical objects, but all of them are various ways we display and hold and exchange value. Value in and of itself therefore is a Venusian concept, and this is why we see this planet associated with everything from beauty and sex to business and finances. It arches over everything we enjoy and want to cultivate more of for ourselves.
Love. I mean, where do I even begin to put this into a couple of paragraphs? Love - the true pure essence of the energy of Love - is simultaneously lightyears beyond this world and yet so intrinsically human (psst I spy the parallel connection between Venus & Neptune btw). We know Love on the most natural level, and somehow also find ourselves frequently disconnected from, confused by, or even betrayed by it. When we talk about Venus as a muse we really are saying Love is a muse. Love (Venus) has inspired songs, poems, films, paintings, stories throughout all of human history. Some of the earliest humans during the paleolithic era left evidence they mourned their dead- evidence that love, including the grief that springs from it, has been a part of our existence for likely millions of years. This is also how we learn that Venus is not all sunshine and rainbows as we may easily be led to believe. The grief, the heartbreak, that pain we experience when we lose or walk away from or are hurt by someone or something that we love- that is part of Love. I'm not saying that the unhealthy behaviors that can come from these things are the energy of Love, I'm saying that the experience of pain and grief from heartbreak of any kind are, yes, part of the concept and journey of Love. And that just sucks, doesn't it? I even had a hard time writing it, ha. But it's true what they say, the pain is how you know it was real. It is the evidence of an experience of Love. And I have the most wonderfully not-so-secret secret: Love (Venus) holds the medicine. It is the love we are able to open ourselves to in spite of that pain that heals, nourishes, and grows our love centers. Which only opens us even further, and continues doing so, so long as we allow ourselves to give and receive it. It is here we learn the strength Love cultivates, the immense power of Venus.
Check your chart:
Beginner:
-Look at the sign your Venus is in.
-What planet rules that sign?
-Your Venus is in _________ and ruled by _________.
Intermediate:
--Look at which house your Venus placement is in.
--What sign rules that house in your chart? --What planet rules that sign?
--The area of life your values are most centered around is the _________ House, which is in the sign of _________ and ruled by the planet _________.
Advanced:
---Do you have any aspects to your Venus placement in your natal chart?
---Are there any current transits aspecting your natal Venus?
---Is current transiting Venus aspecting any parts of your natal chart?
*Tip: combine this information with the Venus Placement Journal Guide
^ ^ ^ What To Do With Any or All of the Above:
Ultimately, your intuition is going to be the best guide when nurturing your planetary relationships. I recommend keeping these Venusian concepts in mind, taking that knowledge into your Friday, and letting it permeate how you spend your time.
VEnus Magick Activities:
Earth - With such a kinship to our planet, you'll naturally find Venus' energy in any activity that taps into and honors earth magick. The real key is to lean into softness, and open up to a place of receiving. Working with crystals, listening to plants and flowers, collecting seashells, rocks, and other gifts from nature, are a few examples. Whatever soft means for you, however you experience a state of receiving - these do not have to be stereotypical activities unless they feel right for you. Leaning into softness could also look like wearing clothes that feel particularly comfortable or keeping the volume a bit lower throughout the day. Think about playing into your five senses.
Water - Venus is just as closely linked to water as it is earth energy, and this is because water and earth are both the receptive elements. When you work with water magick to commune with Venus, you're more specifically working with the qualities of water that make us feel connected and One with each other and our world. A divine sense of cohesion, like how water can fill in all the cracks until there is an entire pool. So any kind of bathing, sitting by, swimming in, or honoring of bodies of water (yes, including your own bath tub or water source) are all lovely ways to work with Venus energy. And of course even the simple and sacred act of hydrating yourself is a beautiful ode to Venus.
Connection vs Interaction - One of the most helpful ways you can bring awareness to, and therefore be more present in, your meaningful connections is to define how that feels in contrast to a basic interaction. We use the term "connect" even for so many situations where we don't even really sync up with that person/place/thing. So if you can clarify how you experience true, divine connection with someone or something, you can become more and more aware, and in turn more and more intentional with your most meaningful connections. Write down how you physically and emotionally feel when you truly feel connected to someone or something. What are your tell-tale signs? How does that compare to a more basic or mundane interaction? Once you've defined these experiences for yourself, you can make note in the future. How do different kinds of interactions on social media feel? How do text conversations differ among the various friendships or relationships in your life? How about exchanges with strangers out in public? The more aware you are to true meaningful connection, the more energy you'll put into the good shit, and the less you'll invest in the bullshit.
Pleasure & Sensuality - Venus the goddess is associated with love & beauty, but is also a patron deity of sexual connection as well. Historically, ancient goddesses like Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus were all associated with sex and seduction, and many of their followers were and are sex workers. Whether it's solo sex like masturbation, or partnered sex between full-bodied-fuck-yes people, dressing sexy or sensual, prioritizing your pleasure, taking some spicy photos for yourself or a consenting recipient, there is a broad spectrum of luxuriant exploration here.
Embodying Beauty - Remember up above when you started to define what Beauty means to you? Venus wants you to embrace and ultimately embody this for yourself. I know, I know. It's the embodying part that's so tricky. But remember, insecurity is part of the process. Hell, preference is part of the process. The way we understand beauty is in part due to what we find ugly or repulsive. Our bodies are supposed to physically look unattractive on the outside when we aren't taking care of our physical health. We get a hit of positive reinforcement when we enjoy what we look like on the outside, and part of this driver on a biological level is so we maintain that meaningful connection with our Selves. We also on a biological level experience attraction and repulsion to find partners and procreate- we are living animals on Earth after all. But if we examine that through a much broader lens, we can see that, again, the drive here is to further connection.
SO, all this to say: make yourself feel beautiful. Surround yourself with the gorgeous, the lovely, the stunning. You get to decide what that is, you make the beauty standards, YOU. Maybe that's makeup and clothes and style and words of affirmation. But maybe it's also just general hygiene and hydration and a nourishing meal and gestures of kindness. Maybe embodying the beauty is painting a picture or dancing to the song, or singing or writing or playing or laughing. Start by defining it. It might be hard, but it doesn't matter what it sounds like, this definition is for you and you alone. Even if that definition is a somatic feeling you can't describe with words- the more you can really anchor into what Beauty is, the easier it will be to embrace and embody it.
Stand by your values - Another one where I really suggest defining and really listing these out for yourself. What matters most to you in this life? See if you can write it out in descending order. What are some ways you can honor these things or people that you hold so close to your heart? Rooting in your values can look like: healing your financial wounds, working on your relationship (meaningful connection!) with money, respecting your time boundaries and those of others, acts of generosity or charity, and prioritizing the parts of your life you work your ass off for, to name a few big ones.
Love stuff - How can you engage in and promote more love in and around your life? How can you honor love? How can you practice love? Remember, sometimes the way there is through the pain, not around it.
To sum up:
Remember as always, there is no wrong way to work with Venus' magick! (I mean look at how broad the energy of this planet is, there is soooo much to explore here.) I hope this lesson will be an inspiring jumping off point that blossoms into your own natural connection to Venus that evolves and grows over time. Be open, stay curious! It's fun to work closely with a planet or a celestial body, and to see how your unique connection unfolds in your spiritual practice and in your life.
Comment below if this was helpful for you, and any other questions you have about working with Venus!
Commentaires