Venus in Astrology: How You Love and What You Value
Venus describes how you love and what you value: what attracts you, how you show affection, what you find beautiful and how you relate to money and pleasure. It is never more than about 47 degrees from the Sun, so your Venus is in your Sun sign or within two signs of it.
| Type | Personal planet |
|---|---|
| Rules | Taurus and Libra |
| Exalted in | Pisces |
| Detriment in | Aries and Scorpio |
| Fall in | Virgo |
| Full cycle | About one year through all twelve signs |
| Time in each sign | About four to five weeks, up to four months when retrograde |
| Retrograde | Every 19 months or so, for about six weeks |
What Venus describes in a birth chart
Venus rules Taurus and Libra: Taurus for pleasure, the body and what you own, Libra for partnership, fairness and grace. In a birth chart Venus describes your love language, your taste, the way you make peace and the things you will spend money on without hesitating.
Venus is also how you attract rather than how you pursue (that is Mars). People often read their Venus sign to understand what they look for in a partner, but it equally describes what you offer: the kind of warmth, attention or loyalty you bring.
Venus in the twelve signs
Venus in fire signs loves openly and quickly and wants excitement. In earth signs it shows love through reliability, touch and practical care. In air signs it needs conversation and a partner who is also a friend. In water signs it loves deeply and needs emotional safety. Venus is traditionally at its strongest in Taurus, Libra and Pisces and has to work harder in Aries, Scorpio and Virgo.
Venus in the houses
Venus's house shows where life feels easiest and most pleasant. In the second house it attracts money and good possessions; in the fifth it brings romance and creative pleasure; in the seventh it puts relationships at the centre; in the tenth it can bring a career in beauty, art or diplomacy.
Venus's aspects
Venus aspects to Mars describe how desire and affection fit together. Saturn aspects make love serious and slow to trust, often stronger with age. Jupiter aspects add generosity. Uranus aspects want freedom inside love. Pluto aspects make attraction intense and all or nothing.
Venus in relationships
Venus is central to compatibility. One person's Venus on another's Sun, Moon or Mars is a classic attraction marker, and Venus in signs of the same element usually means two people enjoy the same things. Comparing Venus signs is one of the quickest ways to see whether two people show love the same way.
Venus in transit
Venus transits sweeten whatever they touch for a few days. Venus retrograde, roughly every 19 months for about six weeks, is read as a time to reconsider relationships and spending, when former partners often reappear and big purchases are better postponed.
Common questions
Is Venus the planet of love?
Of love as attraction, affection and pleasure. Commitment and long-term structure in relationships are read more through Saturn and the seventh house.
Can my Venus be in a different sign from my Sun?
Yes. Venus can be up to two signs away from the Sun, so many people have a Venus sign that differs from their Sun sign.
Find yours
Find your Venus sign and what it says about how you love, what you value and what attracts you. Venus sign calculator
See what today's Venus transit means for your chart
Your Venus sign is fixed at birth. A Precision Horoscope shows what transiting Venus is touching in your chart today, and the first one is free. Get my free personal reading