Meet the Planets: Venus

Venus is the Archetype of The Beloved. Wherever we experience love or appreciation, we find Venus. Venus is the archetype who determines our values, and fully appreciating and aligning with our values is the first critical step to discovering our personal standards of integrity. Our values are what give meaning, purpose and direction to our Hero’s Journey. Venus is what motivates us to take the Hero’s Journey in the first place. We set out on our own, we face challenges, pass tests, and claim our greatness because doing so will bring us into closer relationship with The Beloved. Love, after all, is the most powerful and most important force in the Universe.

When considering Venus, it is important to understand the difference between what we Value and what we Desire. We do not value things or possessions; rather we value concepts and experiences. For example, we may value Love, Peace, Beauty, Harmony, Balance, Freedom, Joy, Wisdom, or Creativity, to name but a few. Our Desires, on the other hand, are more tangible, and we believe that when we attain the things that we desire, that we will have an experience of what we Value. Desire seeks to acquire, to conquer, and to possess, and therefore is an expression of Mars. Venus exerts no effort whatsoever to attract the things that she values and appreciates. She simply magnetizes them to her. On occasion, she may manipulate Mars into going out to bring things to her, but Venus never lifts a finger to get what she wants.

The glyph for Venus resembles a hand mirror. And while the Moon is the archetype of The Mirror, Venus, the archetype of The Beloved, is perhaps the reflection in the mirror. The true Beloved is within each of us. All things that we Value, all things that we Love are within ourselves. And we must learn to look within in order to find them.

When we are in Right Relationship with Venus, we are carried along by an infinite river of abundance, prosperity and love. We are the embodiment of the Law of Attraction. Everywhere we turn the Universe seems to shower us with love, appreciation, and opportunities for fun. We are in a constant and continual state of gratitude, and the more we open our hearts and give thanks, the more reasons there are for us to feel grateful. We experience a deep sense of personal satisfaction in our lives. The joy we experience from being in the flow has less to do with the material prosperity and more to do with the knowledge that we are absolutely in alignment with our true Self. Each and every relationship in our life is joyous, and loving. We are loved, appreciated, and respected, and in turn, we love, appreciate and respect every single person in our life.

When we are out of alignment with Venus, however, we are unable to experience any of the sweetness of life. We perceive little reason for joy, or for gratitude. Nothing comes easily, and everything is a struggle. We are immersed in a consciousness of lack. There isn’t enough money, there isn’t enough time, there isn’t enough pleasure, and there certainly isn’t enough respect. We feel unappreciated, unnoticed, unacknowledged, unloved, and unworthy. We are driven by the illusion of status, of power or of glamour. We believe that Love must be earned; that it is a limited resource that can be hoarded or purchased. We look for ways that we can change ourselves, our circumstances, our lives so that we will be more attractive to others, believing that this is the way to be loved. However, even when other people do express love and appreciation for us, we are unable to enjoy it. The person being loved is not our true self, it is the persona we created to please other people. And since we are not that persona, we still do not feel loved.

The key to moving into right relationship with Venus is the practice of Gratitude. By consciously choosing to develop our Gratitude muscles, we begin to align with the flow of Love and Appreciation. Taking even five or ten minutes a day to contemplate things that we Love and Appreciate can create powerful and lasting shifts. It’s enough to begin by just saying the words; as the intention begins to open the heart, the experience of Gratitude will begin to grow on its own.

Once you have begun to develop your Gratitude muscles, you can begin to uncover some of your core Values. Consider some of the things that you love and appreciate. What is it about these things that calls to you? What do you experience when you think of these things? Explore some of the things that you want and desire. What is the experience that you believe you would have when that desire has been fulfilled? As you become aware of your Values, you draw closer to The Beloved.

To begin to connect with Venus, meditate on some of these questions:

• What do you value?


• What do you appreciate?


• How do you express affection and gratitude?


• What do you want to attract?


• What about you is the most loveable?


• Where and how do you adopt other people’s values?


• What kind of status do you seek?


• How do you want to be noticed?


• Where do you compromise your values?


• Where do you lack gratitude?