Understanding your Venus sign: What it means in astrology

Step right up into the seafoam, folks; we’re talking Venus, our planet of love, intimacy, wealth, and worth.

Named for the Roman goddess of love and fertility, Venus is the fine, divine feminine counterpart to aggro jock strap warlord Mars. According to myth, Venus was born from sea foam and the severed schlong of Uranus, emerging fully formed and tits out in a scallop shell — with pleasure as her governing principle.

Etymologically, Venus derives from the Latin word for desire, and in kind, the planet informs both what we’re drawn to and who and what we attract, fabrics and f–k boys, who we dig, and how we dress.

Hear, hear.

Venus is the ruling planet of tactile Taurus and charm as weapon Libra, governing what feel-goods and looks-good. Venus also oversees all aspects of assets and attraction and informs not just our romantic relationships but also our relationship to the material realm: how we dress and doom spend, rake up dollars, decorate our homes, and the places, people, and luxury items that make us feel deified.

Venus changes signs every 20-45 days or about once every three weeks. As an inner planet, Venus transits have an evident, immediate impact on we earthlings. Venusian transits influence our collective approach to love, pleasure, aesthetics, and our relationship to earning and spending money.

How to find your Venus sign

Use a birth chart calculator like this one to find your Venus sign. Once you’ve added your details, your Venus sign will populate within the zodiac wheel. The symbol for Venus is a squat cross topped with a circle.

In terms of astrological compatibility, your Venus sign provides crucial insights into how you approach and behave in relationship to a beloved.

Read on to learn more about how Venus expresses herself through the zodiac signs.

VENUS IN ARIES

Venus in Aries natives crave passion and action in their love lives. Unafraid of consequences and allergic to patience, they fall in and out of love at an alarming speed. These individuals aren’t afraid to go for who or what they want and always put their own desires first.

They tend toward leadership roles in romantic relationships and favor the impulsive, aggressive, and bold. Excitable children at heart, Venus in Aries requires a partner who amps them up while holding them down.

VENUS IN TAURUS

Venus in Taurus is one of the most embodied and beautiful places for the planet of love to be. People with this placement are die-hard romantics who prioritize security, stability, and comfort in relationships.

Taking their cue from the beast of burden, they often take a very slow pace in getting to know someone, and as such, courtship can be especially important for them.

Affection, as well as giving and receiving gifts, is critical for Venus in Taurus. Spoiling others and being lavishly spoiled is a part of their deep roster of love languages. As Venus is the natural ruler of Taurus, this is one of the luckiest placements for someone to have.

VENUS IN GEMINI

Venus in Gemini places communication as a top priority in relationships. Their need for mental and intellectual connection equates to A LOT of conversations about thoughts, fleeting feelings, and future plans. Writing and speaking come especially to them — and Venus in Gemini folks can be lethally charming.

People who harbor this placement prefer variety and spontaneity in their romantic lives. They tend to be very curious about others and the world and may even be prone to pursuing many different romantic options at a time. The ideal partner for them is someone who nourishes their mind and adds adventure to their life.

VENUS IN CANCER

Venus in Cancer is all about security and commitment in their connections. They value emotional union on deeper levels — but don’t take romantic risks easily and often take a while to open up.

People with this placement don’t particularly enjoy casual dating—unless it’s with one person and they are building toward something more serious. Being vulnerable takes time, yet one of their greatest assets is their ability to truly nurture others. Loyalty is a top priority for them, and they enjoy intimacy, affection, and domesticity.

VENUS IN LEO

Venus in Leo brings a fiery spirit that wants to experience romance like a grand, theatrical event! People with this placement tend to be bold and vibrant. Hungry for love and passion, they are very interested in the courtship period of relationships.

With Venus in this Fire sign, one requires over-the-top gestures, as well as a great deal of admiration/hero worship from potential partners. Affection, adoration, and loyalty are often more important than sex — but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lusty side. People with this placement prefer to be shown off by their partners, as well as put their PDA on display!

VENUS IN VIRGO

Venus in Virgo gives someone a practical, stable, and analytical approach to dating and relationships. While that energy can lead someone to be especially nurturing, compassionate, and affectionate, it often takes them a good long while to truly open up, trust, and be vulnerable.

Venus in Virgo natives will often adopt a “fixer-upper” approach, attracting or seeking partners they can improve or “save.”

A union built on common sense with someone who takes direction and can follow their lead, is carnal catnip for this sign.

VENUS IN LIBRA

Venus in Libra is the placement of the true romantic! They thrive in relationships and crave balance, peace, and immersive beauty. They will strive to keep the peace and establish harmony wherever they go and with whomever they love.

However, to avoid friction, they can choose passivity, a go-with-the-flow approach, or all-out codependency. They have an easy time connecting with others, as they tend to be extremely flirtatious, charming, and social. This is a lucky placement for Venus, as she rules this zodiac sign and can spread her blessings very easily.

VENUS IN SCORPIO

Venus in Scorpio requires intensity, passion, and total intimacy in their relationships. Their desire for union transcends the physical, as they seek total psychic enmeshment. This need can make them especially possessive of others, craving “all or nothing.”

This placement can also make for an extremely magnetic and seductive individual. Venus in Scorpio folks are often drawn toward fatal attraction connections — relationships that are destructive and transformative. However, over time, they learn to temper these feelings and usually find partners who are practical, embodied, and generous and can hold space for their magnitude.

VENUS IN SAGITTARIUS

Venus in Sagittarius is hungry for adventure, strangeness, and spontaneity. More into getting free than settling down, they can err towards the casual over the committed. Open-minded and optimistic, they are interested in love that feels expansive and allergic to any dynamic that inhibits, limits, or controls.

Ever on the roam, literally or metaphorically, finding someone who also enjoys a sojourner lifestyle will allow this person to feel safe enough to truly reveal themselves.

VENUS IN CAPRICORN

Venus in Capricorn folk are focused on commitment, longevity, and the material value of relationships. They prize consistency and look for partners who can help them build the dream and be the bedrock: a suitor who can provide financially or otherwise elevate them towards their dream and up the social ladder is big game hunting.

When it comes to intimacy, Venus in Capricorn people are very sensual and earthy, looking to play the long game with someone who wants to build a home or family. Success, status, and power are clear “turn-ons” for these people, for whom stocks are sexy and compound interest erotic.

VENUS IN AQUARIUS

Venus in Aquarius is born to explore the highest levels of intellectual connection.

‘Here to have my mind blown’ may very well be the banner of this Venus sign that considers philosophical debate worthy foreplay.

They may seem detached or even elitist because they refuse to engage with anyone or anything that doesn’t offer a serious cerebral conduit.

More of the mind than the body, they are not immediately or overtly affectionate but can be very open-minded when it comes to sex, courtship, experimentation, and dating.

Non-traditional relationships may intrigue these people, as well as novel experiences, sex with aliens, and space travel.

VENUS IN PISCES

Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces, meaning she can fully express her powers and prowess. Venus in Pisces blesses someone with a deeply sensitive, creative, and romantic heart.

These people often see potential partners through rose-colored glasses and fun headfirst into fantasy.

These folks crave a partner who stirs their powerful emotions and grounds them in the here and now. As mutable water, this sign is highly suggestible and prone to tidal shifts; they can just as easily dive into a union or swim away if they feel trapped or controlled.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.

Kyle Thomas is a globally recognized pop culture astrologer who has been featured in “Access Hollywood,” E! Entertainment, NBC & ABC television, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Hulu, Bustle, Elite Daily, Marie Claire and more. He is known for his cosmic guidance for celebrities, business executives and prominent influencers. His work harnesses the power of the stars in regards to entertainment lifestyle and trends affecting people worldwide. For more information, visit KyleThomasAstrology.com.