Venus: Mythology
Venus is the planet of love and luxury across most systems of astrology. While Western astrology picturises Venus as a woman, in India Venus is Shukracharya, who is a guru. However, he is the guru of the demons or Asuras as opposed to Brihaspati, the guru of the Devas or the gods.
Venus is described as a Brahman, Shukracharya, who is learned. Shukracharya is the son of Rishi Bhrigu and his wife Puloma. Rishi Bhrigu, in turn, was born directly from the seed of Brahma. He is of medium stature with a broad chest, prominent chest and dark and short curly hair. Shukracharya has many wives as well as daughters and sons. Lord Shiva blessed him with the knowledge of Sanjivini Vidya by which he can raise the dead. Shiva also blessed Venus as the best of the planets and that Venus rising in the sky would be an auspicious beginning to rituals. This is a reason for wedding timings being fixed when Venus rises in the sky.
Venus: Astronomy
Venus is the brightest ‘star’ and is visible to the naked eye. It is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon. It is the second planet from the Sun and when seen from the Earth, it is always in the vicinity of the Sun. Venus is always within 48 degrees from the Sun when viewed from the Earth.
Significations Of Venus
Venus is the significator of most of the enjoyable things in life, especially the material ones. It signifies love, romance, beauty, marriage, sex, semen, youth, fine arts, theatre, music, perfume, luxuries, luxurious vehicles and beautiful clothes. Venus is the ruler of Taurus (Rishaba) and Libra (Tula) which are the 2nd and 7th houses of the Kalapurusha Kundali. The Moolatrikona of Venus is in Libra. So we can see how the significations of Venus are closely linked with creativity, wealth and relationships.
Venus governs the ways in which we interact in relationships as well as the way we express ourselves. Venus is the prime significator of desire. This is our inborn desire with regards to what we want in a partner, how we behave as partners and what attracts us. It does not really describe our partner but instead describes our wants and our behaviours in romantic partnerships. It influences how you fall in love and how you behave when you do. Venus governs the bedroom and sexual activities.
When we match the significations of Venus to professions we can see that Venus rules the fashion industry, music, cinema, dance, theatre, the film industry, the sex industry, cosmetics etc. The element of Venus is water.
Exalted Venus
Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces which is ruled by his rival Jupiter. While Venus is the guru of the Asuras and Jupiter, the guru of the Devas, one might wonder why Venus would be exalted in that particular house. This is because the best facets of Venus are when Venus expresses divine love. In Pisces, all the devotion and passion of Venus gets channelled to unconditional and spiritual love. It becomes a love that is beyond the material.
The water element of the sign of Pisces is the ideal environment for Venus. Here Venus is highly aware of relationships and partnerships. Exaltation of a planet brings greater awareness of the significations of the planet. Some might blindly interpret this placement as a person who will not be interested in love but will be more attracted to spirituality. However, it takes more than one placement to create such a personality.
An exalted Venus for the majority of the population indicates a person who greatly values love and partnership. They are full of deep emotions and can feel very distressed by the loss of love. An exalted Venus person connects to the partner in more than materialistic ways. This love is a soul level spiritual connection. These people have the most idealistic expectations of love. They long for a deeply spiritual and sensual connection. Exalted Venus in Pisces makes the most hopeless romantics.
Debilitated Venus
Venus is debilitated in Virgo. If you have the placement it is not the end of the world. It does not mean that you will have a terrible love life or a bad spouse. When a planet is debilitated it indicates that there is a low level of awareness of the significations of the planet. Ideally, a partner would be unconditionally loving. In Virgo, Venus becomes rather attentive to the details. This might make one be a nit-picker in relationships. At worst, it results in constant fault-finding which is not attractive. This is sure to be a huge deal-breaker in relationships as practicality and romance do not always mix well.
One must also study the chart to see if there is any Neech Bhang (reversal) of the debilitation. The placement of Mercury influences Venus. A good and strong Mercury can make a difference while a weak Mercury can compound the troubles. The bad influence of Mercury can also cause fickleness and multiplicity. A badly placed Venus with an ill-placed Mercury can make a person very cunning or deceptive in matters of love and relationships. The practical nature of this Venus can also make the person more withdrawn and less willing to open themselves unconditionally to love. However, the detail-oriented attention to all things Venusian would make them very particular about their own appearance.
The inability of the person to actually be fully aware of Venus related issues might come across as a person who is either ungrateful or insensitive. If the supporting planets are not well placed and there are other weaknesses in the horoscope the relationship and wealth-related problems might be worse.
Combust Venus
Combustion occurs when a planet is too close to the Sun. Venus is astronomically very close to the Sun. Combustion occurs when the distance between them reduces to within 10 degrees. Astronomically speaking, at this time the Sun’s brightness obscures Venus from being visible. Venus is lost in the brightness of the Sun. The Sun represents the ego and when Venus is combust it indicates that the person’s ego comes in the way of enjoying relationships. It makes it hard for the native to reach a compromise with the partner. As they have the Sun in the way, even compliments and appreciation do not make the person feel appreciated and loved.
Strengthening Venus
Most remedies for Venus recommend the worship of Goddess Shakti or Durga. Since Friday is the day ruled by Venus, remedies are better performed on the day. Fasting on Friday is a good remedy. Some people also recommend the donation of items that Venus signifies to women on Fridays.
Positions Of Venus
The descriptions of the positions of Venus in houses is very generic. The Lagna of the horoscope will tell us more about which houses Venus rules and add more details to the general descriptions. One should also study what other influences Venus receives through aspects and conjunctions. Further, the condition of the lord of the house in which Venus is placed can enhance or deplete the described characteristics. If Venus is the lord of unfavourable houses such as 6,8 or 12, the benefits will be less.
Venus in the 1st House
Venus in the first house gives the person the qualities of being attractive and charming. The person also has a great appreciation for Venus ruled things. The person is well-liked by women.
Venus in the 2nd House
Venus in a money house can make one very materialistic. Another caution is that the person may spend more than they should on Venus related things. The person is blessed in matters of wealth. The person will have a family and have a very sweet and eloquent manner of speaking.
Venus in the 3rd House
This position indicates that the person would be rather miserly. The relationship status would greatly depend on the house ownership of Venus.
Venus in the 4th House
A good Venus in this house will indicate a good relationship with the native’s mother and wife. It also indicates luxuries of houses and vehicles. However, if the lord of the fourth house is not strong it could bring troubles with the mother and illicit relationships.
Venus in the 5th House
Venus in the house of children would increase the chances of having more daughters than sons. If Venus is placed well and the lord of the house is strong, the person is very wise. The contrary would make the person rather dull. A good Venus in the 5th house would bless the native with a good wife and many offspring.
Venus in the 6th House
This Venus has more of an impact on the finances and enemies of the person. There will be a lot of wasteful expenditure. A strong Venus here is not so desirable as it makes more enemies. A weak Venus in the sixth house indicates fewer enemies. The relationship significations will depend on which houses Venus is the lord of.
Venus in the 7th House
Venus in the 7th house may bring too much to the significations of the house of partnership. It can create marriage or relationship with strong mental and physical links. The person is very wealthy and interested in relationships and partnerships. Sometimes, if there are other supporting factors, this results in being over-sexed and having more than one marriage. The person could be wealthy and attractive.
Venus in the 8th House
Venus in the eighth house natives will find that there is difficulty in the houses that Venus rules. However, they will have a devoted spouse and be wealthy.
Venus in the 9th House
This is one of the most auspicious houses for a benefic Venus. It will make the person very learned and interested in religion and scriptures. The person will have a good spouse and children.
Venus in the 10th House
Venus in the tenth is also very good. It will bring the person all the significations of Venus in the workplace.
Venus in the 11th House
Venus in the house of gain is very good as it promises the gain and enjoyment of all Venus things. However, any malefic influence could reduce the benefits.
Venus in the 12th House
Venus in the 12th house will make the person wealthy and fond of sexual pleasures.
