The Venus glyph sits at the centre and the branches of her symbolism are arranged around it. Gods are shown in gold, archetypes in blue, traditions in green and narratives in red. Tap a branch and its explanation opens below the map.
Aphrodite and ErosThe Greek goddess
Aphrodite has two birth stories. Hesiod tells in the Theogony that she was born from the foam around Uranus' severed member after it fell into the sea, while Homer makes her the daughter of Zeus and Dione. She is married to Hephaestus but loves Ares, and she is the mother of Eros, Deimos and Phobos. Beauty, adornment, erotic love, vanity and self-love all belong to her. Aphrodite in the Greek family tree →
Inanna, Ishtar, HathorMesopotamian and Egyptian goddesses
Sumer's Inanna and Akkad's Ishtar carry love and war in one body, and the planet Venus is her star. In Egypt, Hathor is the goddess of music, drunkenness and love, but when she is angered she turns into Sekhmet. In these goddesses lust and battle have not yet been separated. Inanna in the Mesopotamian family tree →
FreyjaThe Norse goddess
Freyja is a goddess of the Vanir. Love, beauty and seidr magic are her domain, and half of those slain in battle go to her. She sleeps with four dwarves to win the necklace Brísingamen. She weeps tears of gold for her lost husband Od. Friday is the day of Frigg or Freyja, which makes it the day of Venus. Freyja in the Norse family tree →
ShukraThe Hindu tradition
In Vedic astrology Venus is male and his name is Shukra. Shukra is the wise teacher of the asuras, the demons, and he keeps the mantra that raises the dead. He is the graha of pleasure, art, marriage and wealth. Friday, Shukravara, is his day.
PsycheThe tale told by Apuleius
Apuleius tells in the Metamorphoses how the beauty of the mortal Psyche makes Venus jealous. Eros falls in love with her, loves her only in the dark and flees when she looks at him by lamplight. Psyche then carries out the four impossible tasks Venus sets her and becomes immortal. The story is about the soul (psyche) taking a body, and about jealousy and the trials of love. Psyche in the family tree →
CirceThe sorceress of the Odyssey
Circe is a sorceress and the daughter of Helios. Homer tells in the Odyssey how she turns Odysseus' men into swine and keeps Odysseus with her for a year. The story shows sexual enchantment, seduction and the power of desire to make beasts of us. For that reason Circe is read as the dark face of Venus. Circe in the family tree →
The appleThe apples of Paris, Eve and Idun
The golden apple that Eris inscribed 'to the fairest' sets off the judgement of Paris and the Trojan War. Eve's apple brings knowledge and exile. Idun's apples keep the gods young. In all three stories the apple stands for a choice and for the consequence that follows it. In astrology the apple therefore belongs to Venus, whose business is judging value.
The rose and the talesBriar Rose and Beauty and the Beast
In Grimm's Briar Rose the girl sleeps for a hundred years behind a wall of thorns. In Beauty and the Beast a plucked rose leads the way into the monster's palace. The rose is Venus' flower, and both tales say that beauty comes with thorns and love with a price. Beneath the tales lie the bond between mother and daughter and the girl's awakening.
Troubadours and courtly loveFin'amor and courtly love
The Provençal troubadours of the twelfth century invented a love devoted to an unattainable lady, which they called fin'amor. In this tradition the beloved becomes a mirror that reflects the lover's soul, the anima. Love moves from desire towards idealisation. In astrology this attitude belongs to the Libra face of Venus.
The pleasure principleThe field of individual relationship
Venus tells us what we find beautiful, what we enjoy and whom we are drawn to. What Freud called the pleasure principle falls within Venus' realm in astrology. Pleasure, taste, comfort and the wish to be with someone are all part of it.
Choice and valuesThe Lovers card (Tarot VI)
In the tarot the Lovers card is about choice rather than union. In the old designs a young man stands between two women while Eros aims his arrow at him. Venus chooses what we value. For that reason the tradition reads every relationship as a choice as well as a bond.
Hetaira and temple womanThe courtesan and the hierodule
The temple women of Ishtar in Babylon, the educated hetairai of Greece and the courtesans of the Renaissance all represent the woman who makes love and beauty her profession. This figure is the face of Venus that stands at the edge of society. Both the trade and the art of desire are in her hands.
Mirrors and animaSoul and treasure
Venus' glyph is a hand mirror. The mirror stands for seeing oneself and for finding oneself in another person. Jung's anima is the feminine image within a man, the soul he sees reflected in the beloved. The image of treasure belongs here too, because what is valuable has to be won.
NetzachThe seventh sephira of the Kabbalah
On the Tree of Life, Netzach, which means Victory, is the sphere of feeling, art and nature. It corresponds to Venus, and Mercury's sphere Hod stands opposite it. Beauty, order and design are born from this sphere.
Copper and CyprusThe names cuprum and Kypris
The Latin name for copper, cuprum, comes from Cyprium, meaning Cyprus. Aphrodite is called Kypris because she came ashore on Cyprus. Copper is Venus' metal and her mirror is made of polished copper. In the body the kidneys, throat and reproductive organs belong to Venus.
Morning and evening starThe names Phosphorus and Hesperus
The Greeks called the morning star Phosphorus and the evening star Hesperus. The Babylonians already knew that both were Ishtar. In classical astrology a Venus that rises before the Sun is a morning star and is held to be more combative. A Venus that sets after the Sun is an evening star and is considered gentler.