ICONIC WOMEN AS THE EXPRESSION OF VENUS
“Menelaus, if you are really going to kill her, then my blessing go with you, but you must do it now, before her looks so twist the strings of your heart that they turn your mind; for her eyes are like armies, and where her glances fall, there cities burn, until the dust of their ashes is blown by her sighs. I know her, Menelaus, and so do you. And all those who know her suffer.”
— Neil Curry, Euripides: Helen, the Trojan Women, the Bacchae
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VENUS IN THE 1ST HOUSE: HELEN OF TROY
— LOVE IS MAGNETIC. one look at her and you wonder how far would you go for her (the answer: far. as in, starting a war for her kind of far). if you’re lucky enough, she’ll look back at you, too. you feel like you’ve known her all your life – five minutes and she makes you feel like her best friend, ten and you’re too far gone already. you contemplate running away with her, to keep her for yourself; but she wasn’t made to be kept hidden away, she’s made for all the adoration the world has to offer. her smile is her strength, the way it’s so wide and oozes charm. everyone gets sucked right in into her soft and flirty nature. she portrays herself with such elegance and confidence, you wouldn’t believe it if you saw the scared, insecure girl hiding underneath, all her fears and terrors, the validation she never received as a child. but she’s too strong to let others see it.
VENUS IN THE 2ND HOUSE: APHRODITE
— LOVE IS CONNIVING. she’s so used to being underestimated. you look at her and you see the face of innocence, of love, beauty and naïvety; before you know it, she has her claws deep in you, seducing you into doing whatever she wants with the same eyes that elicit so much innocence. you give her everything that she wants because she just looks so goddamn happy when she gets it – she looks so good when she’s being spoiled, being given everything that she deserves. her voice is her strength, as dangerous yet vulnerable as a siren, her eyes sparkly and mischievous. she longs for admiration and devotion, loyalty and to claim you as hers… but beware, because she’ll never let you clip her wings and her freedom. you are an addition to her life, not a necessity; all she needs is herself.
VENUS IN THE 3RD HOUSE: ELIZABETH BENNET (from pride and prejudice)
— LOVE IS STIMULATING. she’s cunning; too cunning, perhaps; with the way her eyes light up before saying something particularly teasing, and you have to wonder if she finds pleasure in your torture, because most times, she leaves you there, speechless and fumbling for words – something, anything that won’t make you sound like such an idiot. but she just laughs, aware of the effect she has on you. her sharp tongue is her strength, and so are her hands, her touch gentle and healing, a contrast between the storm of her personality. she gets everything just by saying the right thing; and that’s where her danger lies, in the mind games she’s able to play without you even noticing. her mind is something otherwordly, her curiosity and imagination, her talent for creating art with her words, her fascination with all that mentally stimulates her. her joyful nature and ability to analyze everything that was left unsaid, making you feel seen in parts of you not even you had noticed about yourself.
VENUS IN THE 4TH HOUSE: AMY WINEHOUSE
— LOVE IS HOME. through her complex inner world and deep emotions, you’re not sure you’ve ever met someone who can feel like chaos and peace at the same time. she makes you feel nurtured with just the way her eyes crinkle up into a smile, and you’re fascinated with the way she views the world so differently from everyone else. she’s a walking paradox, with as many sharp edges as softness. she inspires love and trust within all those around her, giving them the hope of a better tomorrow even if she sometimes feels unsure as to if that tomorrow truly exists. but she doesn’t know the meaning of the word giving up, however; her inner courage to face the world is her strength and she’s not easily defeated by troubled waters. nostalgia can take over her at times, and so can her overprotectiveness and insecurities… but she’ll rise up stronger than ever when she realizes her worth, and you can only hope you get to make her feel as safe as she does to you.
VENUS IN THE 5TH HOUSE: MEGAN FOX
— LOVE IS PLAYFUL. the more you chase her, the more she seems to run away from you; you’re terrified of all others who also fight for her affection, for you know she could slip from your fingers at any moment now. still you chase her, like a goddam fool (but we’re all fools in love), and she’s like a siren as she lures you into her games, trying to see what you’re made of, if you could be the one to finally gain a hold of her attention. she makes the most mundane, dull activities feel like a joy, and you’re torn between constant pleasure and pain as you let her unfold you in every possible way. she’s so much, with her talent for getting all eyes on her and her dramatism, but you can be sure that, if she deems you worthy enough to commit to, her loyalty and devotion are unending, her love lifelong. her love for romance has you going on dates that you’ve only ever dreamed of before, and you just know that her charm is her strength.
VENUS IN THE 6TH HOUSE: MERYL STREEP (yes the milf)
— LOVE IS MATURE. under her sarcastic and uncaring demeanor is someone who shows their affection through the most unconventional ways that only a few are capable of understanding – the small gestures she makes, her consistency, the way she’ll go above and beyond to make someone feel safe but will threaten to kill them if they do so much as acknowledge it out loud. she can be so supportive of others, and the way she earns the trust and respect of all those around her is her strength, the way everyone knows everything will be okay as soon as she enters the room. she’s observant of details that others wouldn’t even think of noticing, and she has a way of understanding your deepest needs and cravings. she can make you feel known and touched and loved in a way you never even thought possible, making you addicted to the kind of attention no one but her is capable of providing.
VENUS IN THE 7TH HOUSE: MALÈNA (monica bellucci)
— LOVE IS OVERWHELMING. she’s so used to have everyone falling at her feet, but do they love her or the image they have of her? how could they know her, when sometimes she isn’t even sure that she knows herself? the way she so easily commands respect and admiration is her strength, and you wonder if she ever feels exhausted from being so desired. because truthfully, all she longs for is for someone to be interested not in her looks but in her soul, her capability of loving so hard and profoundly, the way she brings harmony and peace to where once was chaos, her need to explore and to spread positivity and her talents… the way she can be so romantic and with a soul so deep, yearning to unveil all the mysteries to the universe. sometimes, you’re sure that just loving her is the key to all those mysteries.
VENUS IN THE 8TH HOUSE: MEDUSA
— LOVE IS DEADLY. eyes that can both kill and give life; either way, this is a love that you’ll not escape whole from. when she’s done with you, you’ll feel as if she took a part of your soul with her, and you can’t tell where she ends and where you start. a love that merges two souls together. her eyes are her strength, deep and penetrating. she’s attracted to your darkness, to unveiling the mystery that you are and to solve you like a puzzle as she finds all the secrets you vowed not to tell another living soul. she wants to know every little thing about you. she craves intimacy, and only when you get past her secretive and intimidating front will you get access to her unending kindness and caring for those she loves. she’s so loyal and devoted, but if you ever try to take advantage of that you’ll burn. trust is everything for her.
VENUS IN THE 9TH HOUSE: MARILYN MONROE
— LOVE IS AN ADVENTURE. her nature is just so honest and unapologetic, so vibrant and alive, you can’t help throwing yourself headfirst into whatever adventure she has her mind on next; and she’s worse than you on that – her impulsivity has her wearing her heart on her sleeve, living life so intensely as if she’s afraid that it’ll slip right from her hands. her hips and tighs are her strength, and the way she brings fun into every corner of your life. because what is life about if not learning, traveling, exploring new things and expanding our horizons? you’d be a fool to think she has any limits; she’s made of freedom and independence, of her many interests and spontaneity. she loves life and you love her, as you dream of exploring the world by her side, of knowing not only her physical but her mind and soul.
VENUS IN THE 10TH HOUSE: CLEOPATRA
— LOVE IS POWER. she will find out your biggest fantasy and be what you want; until she has taken everything from you that she so desires, leaving you wondering if you’ve ever truly met her or just one of the facets she shows to the world. she feels otherworldly, portrays herself with such cold air, and you long to be the one to finally feel her warmth, to finally swim past the surface and drown in her depths. but her standards are so high, are you up for the challenge? love with her is filled with power-play, she longs for someone powerful while commanding power herself, someone who can be on her level (few are capable of that). her charm is her strength, the way everyone falls so easily for her words and the image she presents, so confident and provocative; little do they know the overwhelming emotions that hide underneath the coldness. the way she can love so deeply, but will she ever allow herself to?
VENUS IN THE 11TH HOUSE: DAENERYS STORMBORN OF HOUSE TARGARYEN
— LOVE IS FIERY. you fall in love with the way she speaks of saving the world (and you don’t doubt that she will), the light in her eyes even as she holds the weight of the world in her shoulders. you can’t tame her, she’s a bird in the wild whose wings fly too high, so independent and unapologetic. her dreams are her strength, and the way she won’t stop until she makes them a reality – it’s like all the passion in the world has gathered in her heart. she embodies freedom. she has this thing where she can make anyone in the world feel like her best friend, as she unites everyone under the same cause that she believes so deeply in, and you’re so entranced with the love she inspires. you can’t help wanting to fight for her, wanting to help achieve all her dreams as you fall in love with her mind, her interest and her beliefs, too deep in the volcano that she is.
VENUS IN THE 12TH HOUSE: JULIET (from romeo and juliet)
— LOVE IS FORBIDDEN. from the first moment you met her, it feels like your life suddenly became a movie; like nothing was worth living through or mentioning before your eyes first laid on hers. her love feels star-crossed, as if you’ve waited lifetimes to meet her, with all her complexities and rich inner world that so few get to be a part of. she oozes mystery and secrecy; you long to be the first to discover all her secrets, the chaos that is her life. and she loves hard – so hard, in a way you never even thought possible, and her ability to drown in the depths of her emotions is both her strength and her undoing, for the world is so good in her eyes that she often gets taken advantage of. she’s gotten so hurt in the past, barely healed from all the scars. but you’d be a fool to play with her love, the way she isn’t afraid to give her all. and that takes so much courage.