Get to Know Your Venus Sign, The Planet That Rules How We Love

Viewed from the surface of Earth, Venus is one of the most brilliant objects visible to the human eyeball, particularly dazzling in its crescent phases. Up close, it is a dense planet with a toxic atmosphere and a minimum temperature of 860℉. Perhaps that combination of beauty and pain is only fitting for the astrological icon of love and pleasure. We all want love until we’re in it, dodging metaphorical droplets of sulfuric acid as we seek to satisfy our partners and ourselves.

Taken in consideration with the other placements in your astrological chart, your Venus sign — or which constellation the extremely hot planet was in at the time of your birth — offers insight into how you like to love and be loved. (If you don’t already know your Venus sign, take a minute to Google “free natal chart” and punch in your info. You’ll need it in a second.)

I like to think of Venus as something akin to a “romance” statistic on the character creation screen of the role playing video game that is life. Your Sun Sign is like your randomly assigned character class — wizard, warrior, rogue — and your Moon and Rising signs affect your inner experience of your personality and your social presentation, respectively. The fun lies in figuring out what to do — and sometimes who to do — with all the attributes you’ve been allocated.

So if you want reflect on how you, a partner, or a potential partner might navigate the tumult of sex, dating, and romance, gaze up toward Venus as you look inward. Astrology at its finest turns to the stars not for mere validation, but for inspiration as we contemplate our relationships with each other on this little floating rock. Got that information handy? Good, let’s continue.

Aries is decisive and direct. Make no mistake: if an Aries Venus ever appears indecisive about a connection, it means they are actually running directly away from it as fast as they possibly can. Aries is also a competitive sign and Venus Rams harness that energy while flirting, preferring teasing banter and gentle one-upmanship to earnest compliments and sweet nothings. This doesn’t mean they enjoy playing manipulative emotional games, however. Aries can come across as boundary pushers, but that’s because they like to know where the boundaries are and assure themselves of their sturdiness.

Be warned: Aries Venus is incredibly turned off by passive-aggressive behavior or worse, the silent treatment. Romance with an Aries Venus can be a contest of mutual appreciation, with Aries continually incited to “win” at loving their partner the hardest in response to every gesture of affection.

In the tropical zodiac, Taurus is ruled by Venus, so when Venus is located within the constellation itself, the sensual stereotypes of both sign and planet expand exponentially. A Taurus Venus is incredibly touchy-feely and desirous of physical connection. They’re also very feet-to-the-earth partners, craving stability and reliability. Never break a date with a bullheaded Venus, lest they be viscerally wounded by your flakiness and retract their trust.

When worshiped as attentively as they deserve, a Taurus Venus can provide a Sunday afternoon kind of love: the psychic equivalent of lazy laughter and soft skin beneath warm blankets, of snacks and movies and all the time in the world, of sun motes drifting undimmed overhead. If you find yourself in the exalted space of this relationship, don’t screw it up.

If Venus in Taurus is a body high, Venus in Gemini rockets upward to a high-flying heady buzz. Constantly in motion, searching and probing, a Gemini Venus processes love by intellectualizing their feelings in real-time. A Gemini Venus will talk about their relationships a lot —and that’s still only a fraction of the amount of the time they spend articulating their feelings and experiences and philosophies of love inside their own brains. And wow, can these people FLIRT. Conversation with a Gemini Venus can feel like being warped into a screwball romantic comedy, effortlessly trading observations and witty rejoinders even when arguing. 

Anyone whose Venus flies in the mutable air of Gemini requires constant stimulation and communication to remain satisfied and connected. However, they may be disinclined to delve into personal pain or problems. A patient partner will have to build trust by allowing Gemini Venus to open up whenever they are ready to deal with heavier issues.  

Meanwhile, there is nothing at all flighty about Venus in Cancer. People with cardinal water Venus signs don’t do small talk: when a Cancer Venus chooses to love, they immediately dive in deep. If you’re fortunate enough to be loved by a mer-Venus, return the favor by providing them with safe harbor. Their emotional sensitivity makes them intuitive and caring partners, but also leaves them vulnerable to feeling hurt, even — and perhaps especially — over an unintended slight. A Cancer Venus requires loyalty and affirmation in all relationships, romantic and platonic. If you are lucky enough to be platonically loved by a Cancer Venus, make certain you’re capable of providing support for the tsunami of emotion that may result from their loss of a romantic connection. 

The objects of romantic Cancer Venus attachment need to prepare themselves accordingly: Remember that scene in Yellowjackets in which Juliette Lewis absolutely loses her shit and trashes a motel room while screaming “DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE?!” All that intensity of feeling and yelling and TV smashing: that’s Cancer Venus in a breakup. Lewis is acting on the show, of course, literally destroying the scenery, but it’s notable that she herself is a Cancer Venus sign. So is Keanu Reeves. 

Venus in Leo is big, bold, and brash. Leo Venus signs love the concept of love and want the entire world to laud their love for their partner(s). This is a sign of grand gestures! You know those people who post multi-slide anniversary Instagram carousels with 800-word sappy appreciation captions about their partners in dead earnest without feeling even the slightest bit cringe? They’re Leo Venus signs in all likelihood. Leo Venus wants a partner to put them on a pedestal, and in turn they will lift their loved ones up even higher.

Although loyal and committed in love, Venus in Leo still appreciates admiration and perhaps even casual flirtation from outsiders. This external evidence of desirability fuels Leo Venus’s self-regard and emphasizes the preeminence of their chosen romantic connection in their own esteem. Therefore, confidence is a prerequisite for potential partners to this sign if you’re looking for a monogamous arrangement. Leo Venus requires adulation from all angles, but will generously reflect that light onto their agreed-upon lovers. Never ever ever EVER cheat on a Leo Venus sign: their fury at even the very notion of such a betrayal is terrible to behold.

People with Venus in Virgo will make themselves feel safe in matters of the heart, even if that means cutting off a deep romance. People who have their romantic roots planted in the mutable earth aren’t necessarily great flirts, per se: unless artifice is their particular hobby, they’re not very comfortable with performing an exaggerated caricature of themselves for the space of a brief interaction. They make absolutely superb romantic partners, however, with an attention to detail and a proclivity for overachieving that permeates every aspect of their relationships. Lucky consorts of Virgo Venus signs should demonstrate devotion to their partners by mirroring a similar sense of keen observation and appreciation. 

Virgo Venus’ need for attention is almost as strong as that of Leo Venus, but the former would be embarrassed by the showy displays the latter demands. Rather, Virgo Venus delights when you notice and thank them for the favors they’ve tried to sneak without you noticing, when you pay attention to their favorite brands and replace products that are running out. Attention to fine detail can keep a Virgo Venus happy and their partner living luxuriously.

Like Taurus, the constellation of Libra is ruled by Venus. Every individual saddled with the placement of Venus in Libra is an absolutely unhinged romantic. Leo Venus loves love and wants to display it to the world; Libra Venus loves love and will impulsively overturn their entire life to indulge it if the vibes feel right for even a second. Unfortunately the vibes may not always actually be right when they feel right; it’s just that Libra Venus feels love at a particularly scorching intensity. This sign makes for a passionate, accommodating partner, but may not exercise good judgment — or any judgment at all — when it comes to choosing who to fall for in the first place. Blessed be the frustrated friends of Libra Venus, cursed to watch their good advice go ignored in favor of a pheromone rush or a moment of intense eye contact. 

In an established relationship, Libra Venus is adoring and egalitarian, giving as good as they get. Would-be Libra Venus lovers should be wary that they may be reluctant to engage in more direct confrontation lest they overbalance the scales. Pay close attention to Libra Venus’s light-hearted attempts at communication before they slip into subtler forms of verbal sniping to drive the message home.

Venus in Scorpio is a real ”Love You to Death” type of situation. Scorpio is all about contemplating the void, and when a Scorpio Venus falls into the funnel of love, they will pour themselves endlessly into that well of attraction. No one can quite say how a Scorpio Venus chooses a partner for this type of fathomless obsessive devotion; even they experience it as an implacable, externally imposed phenomenon. Love with a Scorpio Venus is ride or die until you die, and probably beyond: if they pass away first, they’ll haunt you to heckle any potential future partners who don’t meet their impossible standards for your widowed self. This kind of love is a little morbid and a lot intense, an overwhelming force that’s a privilege to experience. 

People whose Venus falls in Scorpio are to be respected and cherished. The best gift you can give such a partner is to strive to live as your best and most fulfilled self, the object of their immense regard.

A Sagittarius Venus, whose love lies in the sign of the Archer, needs space not just to move about their day unhindered, but also to mentally and emotionally grow and expand in perpetuity. Some Venus placements crave commitment, but Sagittarius Venus? Is not that sign. Although they may well find a long-term romance to which they wish to devote themselves, Archer Venus is untroubled by singleness, enjoying temporary connection when they stumble upon it and prioritizing the call of the proverbial horizon above all else.

A compatible partner for the ever-expanding Venus in Sagittarius should be ready to tag along and destroy newly discovered barriers alongside their Archer beloved, even as they maintain their own emotional limits. In spite of their constant and seemingly unpredictable perpetual quest for growth, Sagittarius Venus can make for surprisingly solid pairings with more cautious love signs, if said partners are comfortable with their mutable fire-influenced paramour’s need to roam.  

Capricorn in Venus, meanwhile, is all about limits: they may want to — and indeed will — cross them from time to time, but they’ll probably schedule that encounter and wear a special outfit for the occasion. Capricorn is arguably the most practical of the signs, and a Venusian Goat takes no bad bets on love. Capricorn Venus can be somewhat alarming to encounter in a stereotypically more chaotic Sun Sign — picture an indecisive Gemini in the midst of career change who is somehow absolutely ruthless and unerring with their standards for romantic companionship. Every other aspect of Capricorn Venus’s life could be falling apart, but they’ll still keep their relationship thriving, a carefully watered house plant in an otherwise messy apartment. Conversely, if Venus in Capricorn’s love connection begins to short out, they’ll quickly determine a fix or scrap the whole endeavor and start afresh.

Stability is the name of the game here: Capricorn Venus won’t build an edifice on an unsteady foundation. If you want to seduce this sign, show off your absolute sexiest quality: dependability.

Aquarius is always the unimpeachably weirdest member of any group. The fixed air sign of the Waterbearer — read that again: does it sound like it makes any sense? — is ruled by Uranus (hehe) and, in the time-honored tradition of reality TV show contestants, didn’t come here to make friends. Now take that template and apply it to the entire concept of love and companionship. Yes! That’s Venus in Aquarius.

There are no rules for flirting with an Aquarius Venus other than those each individual waterbearer of love sets for themselves. Any outsider must steel themselves to declare their intentions and inquire as to the preferred angle of approach, risking swift rejection if they have already unknowingly take a wrong step. Whatever unfolds between an interested party and an Aquarius Venus sign will be unconventional, based on the Aquarian’s own dictates. Exactly how it will be unusual is unpredictable, as that will depend on the particular Aquarius Venus in question, but if any compatibility exists, you will probably have an excellent time. 

If interested in partnering with such an individual, move considerately and ask for consent prior to any act of presumed courtesy, such as buying them a gift.

Pisces on the whole has an odd reputation as the sign is commonly typecast as a watery emotional mess, which Pisces placements are on some level but, not necessarily to you. Pisces doesn’t go around just handing out access to their inner world to anybody, and that holds true even more so for any given Pisces Venus choosing whether or not to fully surrender to love. If someone with Venus in Pisces lets you in, they let you all the way in. 

Getting to that point might be a challenge, however. If Pisces Venus has ever been hurt before — which they have, they all have because they feel romantic hurt in a way the rest of us can only imagine — they will remain wary of vulnerability. Initiating a relationship with a Pisces Venus sign is sort of like scuba diving inside one of those shark-proof cages from nature documentaries in the ’90s, except the Pisces Venus is the menacing great white and they purposefully put you, the little diver in the chainmail wetsuit, behind the bars to prevent you from poking around unsupervised inside their ocean. If they eventually allow you the privilege of self-locomotion within the waters of their heart, this fishy lover will behave more like a clownfish twining through the strands of an anemone. 

Acknowledge the honor and tread gently through the sensitive currents of Pisces Venus’s love.

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