Venusian Rituals
It is twilight of the first Venus hour at the beginning of Venus’s day and I begin my ritual of admiring the morning star. A milky bath with roses, a comb with her name inscribed, ‘Venus’, and at the tip of my tongue as I recite my hymns. I will perfume my skin and find my pleasure again and again and again in the day.
For Venus day, I will venerate her, invoking her names…
Hathor, Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus… by all of her names, she is the heavenly eternal star of morning and night, of beauty, music, sex, and naturally… war – love is war, no? For me to honor her is as innate as knowing how to breathe because, after all, she is my chart ruler. But for those who don’t know her and wish to? Here are a few ways to be introduced…
To Venerate Venus
Leave her offerings…
1. Pleasure.
The simplest of all offerings you can give to the Goddess is your own pleasure, however you find it. Through song, through dance, or something more intimate and sensual. She likes pleasure, above all.
2. Offerings of myrtle, seashells, and roses.
Honestly, any beautiful thing will do, though these are her associations.
3. Music, art & dance.
She holds depth, and it is a lesser thing considered about her – she has inspired artist through the ages. Create something for her.
4. Wear her symbols.
A seashell or a motif of a dove. Wear her on your skin, either through jewelry or even tattoos. There are options: patches, buttons, designs…
Just be sure to answer proudly and give her your thanks when you are complimented while wearing them.
Recite her hymns…
The following hymn to Aphrodite can be used in petitioning her favor.
Heavenly, smiling Aphrodite,
praised in many hymns,
sea-born revered goddess of generation,
you like the night-long revel,
you couple lovers at night,
O scheming mother of Necessity.
Everything comes from you:
you have yoked the world,
you control all three realms,
you give birth to all,
to everything in heaven,
to everything upon the fruitful earth,
to everything in the depths of the sea,
O venerable companion of Bacchos.
You delight in festivities,
O bride-like mother of the Erotes,
O Persuasion, whose joy is in the bed of love,
secretive giver of grace,
visible and invisible,
lovely-tressed daughter of a noble father,
bridal feast companion of the gods,
sceptered, she-wolf,
beloved and man-loving,
giver of birth and life.
Your maddening love-charms
yoke mortals,
they yoke the many races of beasts
to unbridled passion
Come, O goddess born in Kypros:
you may be on Olympos,
O queen, exulting
in the beauty of your face,
you may be in Syria,
country of fine frankincense,
you may be driving
your golden chariot in the plain,
you may lord it over
Egypt’s fertile river bed.
Come, whether you ride your swan-drawn chariot
over the sea’s billows,
joining the creatures of the deep
as they dance in circles,
or on land in the company
of the dark-faced nymphs
as light-footed they frisk
over the sandy beaches.
Come lady, even if you are
in Kypros that cherishes you,
where fair maidens and chaste brides
throughout the year sing of you,
O blessed one,
as they sing of immortal, pure Adonis.
Come, O beautiful,
O comely goddess,
I summon you with holy words,
I summon you with a pious soul.
A final note… be sure to not misunderstand her above all, as she is often mischaracterized as vapid and vain - history and men have never been known to write a woman kindly. So take the stories as only stories, and be fair minded when venerating the Goddess Venus and all her names.
