Venus in libra
When I imagine Venus in Virgo and Venus in Libra these are the images come into my mind’s eye: Venus in Virgo is a mover and shaker, she organizes the space, the piles of papers and mail, and makes sure to call the fix-it guy to check the roof and heater before winter begins. When Venus in Virgo wraps up her project, Venus in Libra comes home. Everything feels clean, well cared for and serviced, and while Libra may have organized her clothes by color instead of season, she is happy and gives Venus in Virgo all her gratitude. Venus in Libra can sprawl on the sheepskin rug and share a glass of wine with her besties and lover(s) while a new record sets the ambiance. This is a place of beauty and connection.
The song I chose to encompass Venus in Libra is Dawn by Dario Marianelli played by Jean-Yves Thibaudet. What first struck me was the way that Jean-Yves gently and intentionally strokes the keys, it is a light, soft touch. This builds into a timely, passionate crescendo and again softly resolves. This composition accentuates the playful of balance of the feelings of falling in love, where do I give fully and where do I withhold? It is the sensation of the sun breaking the horizon at dawn, the light returns and I am exposed in my fullness. It’s also pretty. P.S. So many amazing musicians have a Libra sun!
In thinking about Libra and therefore Venus’s connection to the kidneys and the flavor sweet, I thought about apples. It is fall and they are abundant! Apples are low in sodium, potassium, and phosphorus which means they are easy on the ol’ kidneys. They are also high in pectin which helps regulate blood sugar and pressure. I chose an Ayurvedic recipe from my friends over at Cultivate Balance for stewed apples. This is simple, delicious, and my only add would be a teaspoon of ghee.
My indulgent recipe is for Rose Cocoa. This is an easy and satisfying recipe that is infused with powdered rose petals. Rose is a plant that is associated with Venus and one that is deeply pleasurable to work with. If you have extra rose powder left over you’d like to use up, you can add a tablespoon of yogurt and two teaspoons of honey to the powder, mix, and lather on your face. You can keep it on from 10-20 minutes and rinse with warm water then apply your normal products. There is nothing more luscious than honoring Venus through your skincare routine.
As for art, I couldn’t resist the classic work of Botticelli, The Birth of Venus. I also had to honor Harmonia Rosalie’s, how Venusian is that name?, Birth of Oshun, which is a reimagination of Venus being a black woman in the Birth of Venus. I would advise getting lost in the rabbit hole of Harmonia’s other works as well. Lastly, this bust by sculptor Ramain Van Der Bogaert called Priestess of Ishtar called out to me. Firstly, it’s absolutely gorgeous and secondly Ishtar, also known as Inanna in Sumerian, was associated with Venus’s celestial body.
