This post is all about your Venus sign – the sign in which your personal Venus falls. A very pleasant re-entry into Pax Mercurius!

Venus rules things like beauty, art, joy and pleasure, clothing and jewellery, sex and chastity (yes, both!) and, less happily, corruption in all its forms. She is named for the Roman goddess of love, whose Greek equivalent was Aphrodite, and who is related throughout mythology to Isis (Egypt), Ishtar (Mesopotamia), and even The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalen, the goddess-like figures of Catholic/Christian fame.

In astrology, Venus shows us three things – for feminine people and women in general, Venus rules the primary direction their libido takes, and how it is best satisfied. She also shows what a person needs to feel loved and to experience joy and pleasure, and what direction their sensual interests are likely to lie. As Venus also rules corruption, it is a planet which also points out our weaknesses – where we are mostly likely to ‘Fall’, and where we need to cultivate self-awareness to avoid becoming corrupt.

Venus in Aries – this placement indicates a firey, strong femininity, impulsive and quick to act. Women with this placement are often ‘tomboys’, and men with this placement are attracted to them! You gain pleasure through action, exertion and activity. Venus in Aries people should take special care of their kidney and reproductive health and have regular checkups. Your downfall is potentially due to impulsive actions.

Venus in Taurus – Venus’s home sign! This placement indicates a love of the senses and everything they have to tell you. Women with this placement are often strongly sensual, very feminine, and very attractive. Men with this placement seek out ‘earthmother’ figures, and are more tactile and sensual than the average bloke might often be considered to be. This placement usually creates a very fertile individual, both for children and creative projects. Their downfall can come about from over-indulgence and materialism.

Venus in Gemini – This placement gives Venus an androgynous, vivacious quality: women tend to be charming, tomboyish and thought-orientated, while men with this placement can seem a little eccentric, in an intellectual sense. Venus in Gemini people gain pleasure through experiencing a variety of sensual things – new restaurants, multiple lovers, interesting foods, and especially interesting conversation, without which, they would be very unhappy. Their downfall can come from a lack of commitment to the things they begin.

Venus in Cancer – Like Taurus, this is a very earthy, emotionally and physically fertile placement. Venus in Cancer women are very feminine, often busty, and Venus in Cancer men are very attracted to the archetypal feminine in their partners. You gain pleasure from home and hearth most of all, familiar routines, and family (whether that family are literal, or a family of friends!). Your downfall can result from emotional neediness without reciprocation.

Venus in Leo – This is a very dramatic placement for this planet, and she thrives here. Venus in Leo women tend to be larger than life, dramatic and captivating. Venus in Leo men can be quite intense sensualists, charming ladies (and gentlemen, if that is their preference) and sweeping them off their feet. They find pleasure in receiving attention, but also through being generous to others. Their downfall can be through demanding too much of the former, and not offering enough of the latter!

Venus in Virgo – Venus is not at home in Virgo, and people with this placement can often undervalue themselves unless they have a lot of gentle encouragement. This is actually quite an earthy placement: women tend to be quiet, but very attentive, intelligent and sensual, while men can seem a little fussy and even ‘nerdy’, but tend to be highly analytical, with lovely hands. Venus in Virgo people carry their joy deep inside, and often find pleasure in their work and industry, and through study. Their downfall can come from not letting their inner self show to the world, condemning them to being overlooked.

Venus in Libra – Venus’s other home, she is a happy planet when in this sign. Both sexes with this placement tend to be lean and attractive, interested in many things, and find pleasure in socialising, being a part of groups and partnerships, and in all expressions of harmony: music, art, languages, and relationships. Their downfall can be due to failing to make hard, but necessary decisions about their relationships, and through superficiality.

Venus in Scorpio – This is Venus’s most intense placement, and people with her in this sign tend to be darkly attractive, emotionally intense, and even a little obsessive. Women tend to darker features and full bodies, while the men with Venus in Scorpio are often extremely attractive, even if not classically ‘handsome’. People with Venus in this sign gain pleasure through physical and emotional depth and intensity, and are either highly libidinous, or gain pleasure through controlling their libido and keeping it to themselves! Their downfall is through obsession and suspicion. Like Venus in Aries, people with this placement should take especial care with their reproductive health.

Venus in Sagittarius – This is a light-hearted, vivacious placement for Venus, and is actually one of her more chaste placements in the zodiac. Women with Venus in Sagittarius are often sporty, active, but often very traditional in how they want and expect their relationships to be. Men with this placement tend to be intellectually restless, and often idealise chastity – a lot of priests have Venus in this sign. You gain pleasure from varied experience, big-picture philosophies, and in foreign locales. Your downfall can be through a lack of self-awareness and through skipping over necessary details in pursuit of a dream.

Venus in Capricorn – Venus here is like an ember nestled in the heart of a cold fire: hidden, but always ready to ignite a new flame. Women with this placement tend to be very strong, often putting their goals ahead of their desires. Men with this placement are attracted to cool beauty, elegance, and taste in themselves and others. This is a surprisingly libidinous sign, and Venus in Capricorn people often gain much relief from their responsibilities through sex and (classy) entertainment. Their downfall comes when they repress their joy and ignore the joy which the rest of the world also holds.

Venus in Aquarius – Like Gemini, this sign gives Venus a very androgynous character, and (along with Gemini) is a placement common amongst gay and bisexual women. Women and men both tend towards physical androgny, often enjoying the reaction their playful attitude to their own gender causes. They have a hot-and-cold relationship to other people, often preferring the depth of good friendship to sappy romantic commitment. They gain pleasure through using their minds to solve problems and in socially orientated activities. Their undoing can be due to their eccentricity, or their unwillingness to engage with people.

Venus in Pisces – Venus here is vivid and sensitive, and almost always brings about intense creativity. Women are likely to be soft and feminine, even mystical, while men may be inclined to being quiet and soulful, often learning to ‘speak’ in ways without using language – computer programmers often come with this placement! The Venus in Pisces person desires total union with their partners, and their relationships are either transcendental, or tawdry and even base. They find their joy in oneness, peace and quiet, creativity, and deep union with other people. Their undoing can be due to weakness of character, and even addiction.

You can find your Venus sign and learn about the ways you love and the ways your desire for love can be fulfilled by going to a website like www.Astro.com for a simple interactive chart, or by having a complete astrology reading with a real astrologer.

Venus teaches that we should love ourselves, and if you use astrology, she is the path through which to get in touch with your inner beauty.