In honour of Venus’ transit through Pisces, I’m republishing one of my favourite posts.
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Original Title: Venus-Neptune contacts and the divinity of love
Original Post Date: June 30, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
teresa de avila
Many astrologers like to emphasize the illusory nature that characterizes Venus-Neptune aspects. Apparently Venus-Neptune people don’t like the mundane, daily gestures that mark a long term relationship, they say. These people need fantasy, romance, escape. They’d rather pine than have the real deal. While that can be true, I’d add that those aspects present the possibility of having a direct romantic relationship (Venus) with the divine (Neptune). This is hardly a fantasy relationship, even if it doesn’t involve a blood and flesh human. Moreover, maintaining this relationship requires incredible discipline exacted upon a quotidian level.
A perfect example of this can be found in celebrated female Christian mystics. I looked at the natal charts of four famous women in the Middle Ages who had notable numinous experiences, and discovered three had Venus-Neptune contacts and to my surprize, all had at least one or more aspects that would indicate a strong libido or a more intense sexuality (e.g. Venus-Pluto, Mars-Venus, Mars-Pluto). While three examples hardly make a rule and the data may be debatable given how old these women are, it’s fair to say that finding birth data for such women is rare, and three for four isn’t bad.
1) The most famous example, the young Joan of Arc, claimed to have received visions from god. While I don’t recall any documents specifying any perceived romantic relationship with Christ, this warrior Capricorn sun had an unshakable faith in her communication with god. Her chart features a Venus-Neptune opposition in Capricorn-Cancer. Other interesting aspects include (in order of widening orb) a Venus-Mars trine, a Mars-Neptune sextile and a Mars-Pluto square.
2) Julian of Norwich was one of the most famous anchoresses of her time. She had an out of sign Venus-Neptune trine in Libra-Capricorn respectively. Other Key aspects in her natal include a Mars-Neptune square and a Venus-Pluto opposition. Her mystical writings, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love are available on wikipedia and detail a very intimate relationship with god. Interestingly, she attributed both female and masculine traits to god, sometimes refering to god the mother.
I saw that God rejoiceth that He is our Father, and God rejoiceth that He is our Mother, and God rejoiceth that He is our Very Spouse and our soul is His loved Wife.
3) Catherine of Sienna was an Italian prioress. She had a Venus-Neptune square in Taurus-Aquarius. Other aspects: Venus-Mars sextile (with Pluto at the mid-point) and a Venus-Saturn sextile. You can read some of her writings at Drawn by Love. A very insightful excerpt:
I long to see you so totally ablaze with loving fire that you become one with gentle First truth. Truly the soul’s being united with and transformed into him is like fire consuming the dampness in logs. Once the logs are heated through and through, the fire burns and changes them into itself, giving them its own color and warmth and power.
4) Our final case lacks a Neptune-Venus contact. Teresa of Ávila was a Spanish mystic with a fierce Aries sun (trine Pluto) which was conjunct a very active Venus. Notable aspects include a Venus-Mars sextile, Venus-Saturn trine, Venus-Pluto square and Venus-Jupiter sextile. How intense and passionate was her relationship with Christ?
I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron’s point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.
Personally I find that much hotter than what the best contemporary sex writers out there can come up with. But that’s just my opinion and I admit I do have Venus-Neptune conj in Sag. (And a Venus-Pluto sexile plus a strongly placed Mars squaring Pluto and trining Jupiter among other things…) While I doubt I’ll ever join the ranks of Christian saints and mystics, I do think romantic love in a relationship (Venus) is like a divine (Neptune) fire (Sag) that you must tend to. You submit to this task, this daily devotion of tending the fire with discipline, with compassion, with integrity, and all such things because it is a gift from the gods and one of the most powerful offerings you can return to the divine. For this Venus-Neptune native, there is no true love unless you are already in love with god.
For someone else’s take on Venus-Neptune, you can read
– Donna Cunningham’s analysis of various Venus-Neptune folks
– Bill Streett offers more Venus-Neptune case studies
– Elsa Panizzon’s post about the various ways a Venus-Neptune contact can manifest, which includes a handy list for those with the conjunction in Capricorn.
Oculus divinorum v.4 