Venus departs luxurious Leo as she steps into the devotional sign of Virgo on September 4th. If Venus were auditioning for a role, in Leo she might try her luck at RuPaul’s Drag Race while in Virgo it would be the noble housekeeper who is working hard to send her children to school while supporting her sick parents. She reads Dostoevsky on the bus ride to work and back because she’s always trying to enrich her mental palate.
Venus speaks to our relating style and how we attract what we desire. In Virgo, Venus turns the flash dial all the way down, preferring to let thoughtful acts of kindness, salt-of-the-earth practicality, and her attention to detail speak for her instead. If Venus in Leo is a full-lace human hair wig, in Virgo she’s a well made cotton apron with functional pockets. Rely on her to create order from chaos and make just about anything better. She optimizes because that’s how she shows you that she cares.
Even though Venus is said to be in Fall in Virgo, she does have strength by triplicity during the day and rules the terms between 7° to 16°. I’ve always thought Venus in Virgo is underrated. Who doesn’t appreciate systematic functionality and discerning tastes?
Mary and Martha, but mostly Martha
Venus in Virgo reminds me of Martha of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Having grown up in the church, this is one of many Bible stories that made me scratch my head. The story goes that Jesus and his twelve disciples were in the town of Bethany so they decided to swing by the home of their friends: Mary, Martha and Lazurus. Martha immediately began preparing a lovely meal. She was probably cleaning up a bit too, making sure everything was presentable and up to her standards for the unexpected guests. As she whirred around cooking and cleaning, she noticed Mary sitting at Jesus’s feet, just listening. Not helping.
Now, as a first-born daughter, I totally get Martha at this moment. It’s so unfair! Why does she always get stuck doing the work while Mary (and don’t forget Lazurus!) get to have all the fun?!
So Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to give her hand… the food is for all of them after all. There’s plenty of time to sit and listen afterwards. But Jesus told Martha she got herself all worked up over nothing and tbh, Mary made the better choice in how to spend her time. Jesus won’t take that away from her.
Who am I to disagree with Jesus? I’d like to point out though that the twelve disciples, Jesus, Mary and Lazarus would not have enjoyed a pleasant meal if it wasn’t for the thoughtful, service-oriented relating style of Martha who discerned what needed to be done and then did it which is very Venus in Virgo. However, Martha probably does miss out from time to time because her dedication to propriety means that her Venusian needs get placed last.
The takeaway here if you have Venus in Virgo natally—and your Sun is not in Leo to balance it out a bit—sometimes, it’s ok to be a little more like Mary and less like Martha. Jesus would agree.
Important dates
Venus makes quite a few connections during her passage through the earth sign of Virgo during September. Let’s go through them:
- 16th Venus squares Mars in Gemini at 14°23′
- 19th Venus trines Uranus in Taurus at 18°38′
- 24th Venus opposes Neptune in Pisces at 23°49′
- 26th Venus trines Pluto in Capricorn at 26°09′
- 26th Venus conjuncts a retrograde Mercury also in Virgo at 26°47′
A story we all know matches the energetic theme of these contacts. It’s Cinderella!
- On the 16th, Venus squares Mars in Gemini
An invitation to the Ball! But Cinderella can only go if she performs an impossible amount of housework. Even then: there’s no dress. - On the 19th, Venus trines Uranus
Her animal friends help her with the chores and surprise her with a lovely dress! - On the 24th, Venus opposes Neptune
Dreams are dashed and sorrow sets in when Cinderella’s evil stepmother locks her in. But there’s a good side to Neptune as well, and that’s the fairy godmother casting a spell of transformative illusion. Cinderella is whisked to the Ball by a coach and footman wearing a mesmerizing dress and pair of glass slippers. - On the 26th, Venus trines Pluto in Capricorn
Can you say CHEMISTRY?! Wow, the Prince and Cinderella hit it off in a pretty intense soul connection! - Also on the 26th, Venus conjuncts a retrograde Mercury
The truth comes out as the glass slipper finds its rightful owner. Three days later, Venus slips into her own domicile of Libra where she gains a lot of dignity.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved the story of Cinderella. We get to know her as a humble girl serving her wicked stepmother and sisters. Yet, her sweetness remains intact whether she’s sweeping, riding in a pumpkin carriage or turning heads at a ball. It’s the same with Venus in Virgo: there can be a little bit of struggle to get the best of Venus from this placement, but it’s still Venus and sometimes, the struggle makes for a better story.
Illustrations: 1) Collage of Alysa Edwards (RuPaul’s DR) and Thony (The Cleaning Lady); 2) Jesus, Mary and Martha by Jorge Cocco; 3) Glass Slipper from flaticon.com