Venusian Goddesses in Your Chart

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By Tara McKinney

The Venusian Goddess of Love, though She has been somewhat trivialized in modern times, is the most ancient and primal of all Goddesses, for the simple reason that Love is our Source. In the modern Western world, she is known most commonly by the Roman name Venus, however, She has had many names throughout recorded history and beyond; the most ancient of these having been based on the root syllable “tar” which likely derives from a universal Neolithic language encoded in our DNA.

Examples of cultural variations on the root syllable “tar” are “ter,” “art,” “sher,” “ther,” “her” and “thor,” which can be found embedded in the names of the following Love Goddesses: Ishtar (Babylonian); Tara (Indian, Tibetan); Artemis, Hera, Cythera (Greek); Astarte (Phoenician); Amaterasu (Japanese); Ostara (German); Ashera (Hebrew); and Hathor (Egyptian). Examples of Love Goddess names that have lost this root syllable, in translation from the original, universal language, are: Juno, Diana, Venus (Roman); Aphrodite (Greek); Isis (Egyptian); Quan-Yin (China); Kannon (Japan); Kali (Indian); and Inanna (Sumeria).

The meaning of the root syllable “tar” seems to have been best preserved in Sanskrit, where it is defined as: “star” and “crossing over.” This definition, along with clues deciphered from the imagery and mythology associated with the various Love Goddesses, strongly suggest a common, symbolic connection to the planet Venus, as Morning Star/Evening Star, as well as to the process of death and rebirth, or “crossing over,” that this brilliant “star” underdoes on a cyclical basis.

From the vantage point of the Earth, Venus appears to die and be reborn every 584 days as it does its dance with the Sun. The ancient Mayans, in particular, are revered for having tracked and recorded the intricate comings and goings of Venus. In fact, their entire calendrical system is centered around Venusian cycles. For the first 263 days of each 584 day cycle, in her manifestation as the Evening Star, Venus descends incrementally, a little lower in the sky each night, until finally dropping out of view entirely for a period of 8 days, after which She suddenly rises in the early morning sky just before sunrise, as if resurrecting and heralding the dawn. Over the next 263 days, Venus, in her manifestation as the Morning Star, gradually ascends into the Heavens, a little higher and brighter each night; then, for the final 50 days of the cycle, She again disappears from view, after which the entire cycle begins anew. (Note: Venus will next rise up as the Morning Star in early June, 2012, just after the Venus Transit of the Sun on June 5 & 6, in fulfillment of Mayan prophecy regarding the return of the savior archetype.)

When I first learned that Venus undergoes this death and rebirth process, I had a hard time reconciling this information with Her identity as the Goddess of Love. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that true Love is only possible when one is willing and able to undergo a profound process of surrender, or descent into the Underworld, in which everything that isn’t real is stripped away, before the inevitable renewal that follows.

So, Venus, in all of her cultural variations, is essentially the most powerful expression of the Divine Feminine. Her Love is so great that it literally turns red, when necessary, like the boiling hot planet Venus, or a woman in hard labor, pushing through any and all obstacles and hindrances, anything that would prevent us, as a species, from truly Loving ourselves, each other, all other beings, our world and beyond, to the farthest reaches of space. This explains why all the Venusian Goddesses have both peaceful and fierce aspects, or in some cases, only fierce aspects, as is the case with Mother Kali. Perhaps She is the most Loving of all the Love Goddesses, despite outward appearances to the contrary. She’s willing to hang out in charnel grounds, to face the reality of death full on and help us do the same; whatever it takes to help Her children be fully born into this world and fully alive.

Most Venusian Goddesses have asteroids named after them that can be located in your birth chart, some of them in very prominent locations and with significant astrological associations. For example, Isis may be conjunct your Ascendant in Libra. Tara may be at the midpoint between your Sun and Moon. Aphrodite may be on your Midheaven at the apex of a grand trine with Venus and Neptune. You never know until you look.

Each of these Goddesses has her own unique cultural variation on the theme of Love. Knowing which Love Goddesses are prominent and active in your astrological chart and daily life, in the form of asteroids, can be a very empowering experience. These archetypes, when fully owned and embraced, can facilitate your own capacity for Love in all its dimensions, especially now as we enter into the Venusian Zeitgeist, the time of greatest access to the Source of unconditional Love.

(For more information, Tara McKinney can be reached at: startree2012@gmail.com)