Venus, The Decorator of Sacred Space
Preface
The content in this post is taken from The PCOS Grimoire that I am currently writing. If this blog post piques your interest, you will be able to read more in The PCOS Grimoire, where I will go further in depth into these topics and more. While I am striving to create a book that anyone can read, the main focus is for those that suffer from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).
This blog post is edited by Natalie Dudley, who has made so many beautiful additions that I decided to quote her. In this case, I recognize this post as more of a collaboration. I am so grateful for the help she has given me, considering she was weeks away from giving birth to her first child while editing. I feel blessed to have this blog post molded by a wise Astrologer that I revere and look up to. Please view her website here.
I am not a professional licensed medical practitioner, or anything of that nature. Always collaborate with a doctor or licensed practitioner, especially in regards to mental and physical health. Please do not base any life decisions on Astrology, as it is meant for entertainment. For more information, please visit my Terms & Conditions page.
Although creating the following practice was born from a chapter of complete and total loss in my life, the content in this post is from the perspective of privilege. As you read this piece, keep in mind that it’s not effective or productive to tell Black people, POC, and/or minorities to “be mindful, and take a few breaths in front of their altar” when they are faced with racism, oppression, and/or violence. Personally, I do not believe we can “magic” this type of hatred and ignorance away. With that said, do not turn your back in the face of racism, sexism, transphobia, or homophobia to safeguard your own well being. Venus (in all her faces and iterations), while being the Healer, The Hierophant, and the Lover, is also traditionally known as being a Goddess of War. This remains true in most cultures and religions.
Devoted to Peace and Happiness
As I have spoken about ad nauseam, I have lived a very turbulent life. I am currently in a position to finally invite a little peace in it. However, I’ve found myself having difficulty settling, being content, and generally being comfortable with serenity. In order to maintain balance, I began seeking out and creating daily rituals. It started off as meditating by a single altar every day. Suddenly, I found myself creating altars across my entire home. Every corner now has a dedicated area for reverence to myself. I call it Sacred Spaces, and the purpose of these Sacred Spaces is generally to act as visual aids to help paint a picture of what is going on emotionally and spiritually on a deeper level. Although I have one altar that I do spell work on, these Sacred Spaces throughout the house are solely there to remind me of the importance of my peace and happiness. As of today, I regard peace and happiness as two of the most important things in my life, and I make a conscious effort to protect them. These daily practices became the anchor into tranquility. The attitude that materialized became strict and protective over my well being, which birthed my new motto: I have become devoted to my peace and happiness.
What exactly does that mean: becoming devoted to your own peace and happiness?
Personally, as a magically operant person, it means I view happiness and peace as its own lesser-deity, with whom I have to maintain balance- within reason, of course! Let me be clear here: happiness and peace are not something you have to earn. You deserve it. Right now. Yet, I think for a lot of people who grew up with childhood trauma, and entered adulthood where those patterns continued in other areas of their lives, happiness does sort of seem elusive, doesn’t it? One minute I let my guard down, allow happiness in, and the next moment, intrusive thoughts materialize to scare me into thinking that I don’t deserve that happiness. This is why I choose to honor harmony and joy, and hold them in high regard.
The necessity for Sacred Space is a concept I’ve been meditating on for a while now. In my opinion, there is a need for Sacred Space in all aspects of life. It is not an easy concept to put into words accurately so I figured I would employ the assistance and lessons of Astrology to help give these ideas a more concrete and familiar form.
Although Venus has many significations, she also embodies healing. With her healing qualities in mind, I will invoke the help of Venus for this blog post.
The Archetypes of Venus
In my opinion, The most powerful thing about Astrology is that you can begin to understand how energies manifest in your life, or how and when archetypes reveal themselves. This can help us get a sense of the spiritual world, and we can work to reflect that in the physical. On top of that, we can start to learn how it reflects itself in our physical world on its own.
Though Venus’ preferred domain is the earthy Taurus, Venus also rules airy Libra. The way Venus manifests within each sign of its domicile tells us something different about Venus. Taurus teaches the importance of aligning ourselves with our values, taking care of our Earth, learning about our bodies [what feels right, and what doesn’t], our possessions, our sensuality, putting value in ourselves and our talents, and understanding that we are all deserving of abundance, fertility, and ease. Libra teaches us the importance of aligning ourselves with honesty, grace, and harmony. It teaches us about peace, unity, negotiations, and strategy. It also teaches us about understanding the pure truth in living in balance of all things, setting our ego aside to do so. Both signs teach us about art, beauty, and adornments. These are all mainstream keywords of Taurus, Libra, and Venus. However, there is a lesser known treasure in the lesson of Venus: spirituality.
Venus exalts in the sign of Pisces, which teaches us the necessity of being connected to something, as we all say, “bigger” than ourselves. It teaches us how the dissolution of the physical plane’s boundaries is a magical and spectacular thing. Venus in Pisces teaches us to slow down to observe synchronicity, and allow the fertility of creation to flow through us. It teaches us that the rituals in which we engage with are the most healing and potent practices ever.
“Venus is desire and love. It indicates the mother and nurture. It makes priesthoods, school superintendencies, high offices with the right to wear a gold ring or a crown, cheerfulness, friendship, companionship, the acquisition of property, the purchase of ornaments, agreements on favorable terms, marriages, pure trades, fine voices, a taste for music, sweet singing, beauty, painting, mixing of colors both in embroidery, dyeing, and unguent making. Venus makes the inventors and masters of these crafts, as well as craftsmanship or trade, and work in emeralds, precious stones, and ivory.
Within its terms and degrees in the zodiac, Venus causes men to be gold-spinners, gold workers, barbers, and people fond of cleanliness and toys. It bestows the office of supervisor of weights and measures, the standards of weights and measures, markets, factories, the giving and receiving <of gifts>, laughter, good cheer, ornamentation, and hunting in moist places. Venus gives benefits from royal women or from one’s own, and it brings very high rank when it operates in such affairs.
Of the parts of the body, it rules the neck, the face, the lips, the sense of smell, the front parts from the feet to the head, the parts of intercourse; of the inner parts it rules the lungs. It is a recipient of support from others and of pleasure. Of materials it rules precious stones and fancy jewelry. Of fruits it rules the olive. It is of the night sect, white in color, very greasy in taste.”
-Vettius Valens, Anthologies, Book I
There is so much material here to sink our teeth into, but let’s focus on the keywords “priesthoods”, “sweet singing”, and “ornamentation”.
Of the Major Arcana in the tarot, Taurus is associated with The Hierophant. In the dictionary, the definition of hierophant is: “a person, especially a priest, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.” How interesting it is that in mainstream Sun Sign Astrology, Taurus is associated with being “basic, slow, lazy” and having “no definitive qualities,” and yet, with all of the Astro-weather falling in the sign of Taurus currently, we are feeling a massive, very-much-not-boring, and inarguably greater spiritual shift collectively.
As a Taurus rising, I am being challenged by the universe to set material things aside, and find value in…well, my own values. There is an insatiable desire to feel connected to something else, something that cannot be found in the physical realm, to obtain a sense of peace. When this astrology started, I found myself creating altars for each planet around my home, and constantly moving them around according to the Astro Weather. The very act of cleaning these spaces, placing items, objects, jewelry, and other magical materia on each altar in a way that feels geometrically aligned with what was going on internally, became a ritual in itself. This entire practice bled into every other aspect of my life: cooking, cleaning, waking up in the morning, and even creating a sleep ritual. Every moment of my life is now approached like a sacred practice, with all the attendant gratitude, awareness, and overall spiritual hygiene and well-being. The result is that every part of my home feels like an expression of something inside of me given physical form, reminding me of the importance of my own peace, happiness, and power. I have created a sense of ultimate repose in my home, something that was never achievable in any of the places I lived as a child. The one altar I originally created became many altars, which transformed the home into a Sacred Space in itself. Now, my home is literally the emotional and spiritual workings of the dark temples inside of me.
This is where ritual connects the divine to the mundane: for example, having a chronic illness basically forces you to create and maintain daily routines in order to exist as painlessly as possible, with less resistance from whichever chronic condition you have. This is what spawned the motto “becoming devoted to my peace”, and therefore became an essential concept and practice for me. Stress, succumbing to power dynamics in communities and families, giving energy to people and things that weaponize your energy against you, and those who curse you with their jealousy (known as the malocchio in my ancestral culture); all of these can actually make your chronic illness worse. However, I don’t think I need to explain how incredibly exhausting it is to give your precious energy to others who drain it from you, even without an illness. Basically, what I’m saying is: what you give energy to, gets energy from you, like a parasitic symbiotic. We can all stand to be a bit more cognizant of how much energy we give to the people and the things that create chaos in our lives. As you can see, even without living with a chronic condition, I feel it is important that anyone should engage in a practice of setting boundaries, holding space for their own power, and creating a literal space in homage to themselves. One of the most important aspects of this work is that, if my sacred space is an expression of my inner temple made manifest in physical form, then that means I have to practice building boundaries on an internal level too. The more I practice this on a daily basis, the happier I find I am. I guess, really, the altars are just visual representations of my current events; how I am feeling towards them, and how I feel I should approach them in real life.
It takes a lot of work and time to master this kind of inner peace and boundary setting, but I wouldn’t call myself a master of inner peace. It’s not a simple task, and it is a lot of work to continuously devote time and energy to re-align yourself. One of the main plot lines in life, or so I have found, is balance and learning. Creating and maintaining balance takes time, so my advice is this: start constructing a daily practice that aligns with your beliefs and matches your energy wherever you can. Our goal is to invite ease into our lives, so allow it to be loose and forgiving because life isn’t the same every single day. It fluctuates, and so do mental and energetic states. Natalie so poetically sums up this entire blog post with one sentence:
“It is not fair, reasonable, peaceful or accurate to assume that we will be capable of the same effort, attention and focus every time we approach this work. It is not human, and if we are truly pursuing peace and happiness in the Venusian fashion, frankly we deserve better.”
-Natalie Dudley
On the surface, absolutely none of what I’m saying really seems Venusian though, does it? Daily ritual; prayer; the setting aside of space and holding it sacred. Then, why has such a heavily spiritual, even overtly religious tarot card - The Hierophant - been assigned to the sign of Taurus; the sign in which Venus prefers to reside?
Let’s recap:
Taurus teaches us to align with our values, talents, and beliefs
Libra teaches us beauty in grace and peace, which are arguably spiritual concepts
Venus is exalted in Pisces, which is one of the most spiritual signs of the zodiac
The Hierophant is the tarot card associated with Taurus, the preferred domicile of Venus
Perhaps we need to examine these associations in a little more depth to gain clarity.
Decan One of Taurus
Venus, the Decorator and Organizer of Daily Ritual
One of the key principles of the zodiac is a system of rulership called the “decans”. Each zodiac sign is split up into three decans, also known as “faces”. And as there are 30 degrees in each zodiac sign, each decan is made up of 10 degrees each; 0º-9º59, 10º-19º59, and 20º-29º59, respectively. The decan I want to focus on for the purpose of this piece and this work is Decan 1 of Taurus. I was initially led to learn more about this decan because it is where my ascendant degree sits, and I stumbled upon Mo and Pao’s Fixed Astrology Podcast; two experienced and talented Astrologers who go through each decan of each sign per episode. You can hear the entire episode and learn more about the decans of Taurus by clicking here. I highly recommend listening to this series if you want to learn more about decans.
In this episode, Mo explains the definition of the Hierophant:
“[The hierophant] has access to divine wisdom, and encourages people who are following a practice to live their lives in a way where they’re honoring their commitments to whatever they believe in, or whatever they find valuable.”
In this quote, we can find the resonance of the concept of “aligning ourselves with a practice that we find value in .” Pao then brings some additional illumination to this decan by explaining that it is associated with Venus and Mercury, by triplicity and Chaldean order, respectively. “Mercury,” Pao says, “likes tricks and magic.”
Mo then adds,
“Venus rules the aesthetic planning and decorating of religious rituals.”
Think for a moment about sacred rituals, celebrations, holidays, and traditional services. There are usually themes, colors, decorations, symbols, and idolatry figures and archetypes associated with them. Pick almost any sacred celebration from almost any culture, and think upon the spiritual symbolism of it. How does that culture demonstrate its beliefs in the form of adornments and decorations? This is what this decan is describing: “Venus, the Adorner of the Ritual,” as Mo lyrically puts it. Venus is interested in the sacred arrangement and organization of rituals, and it is my belief that we can look to Venus to aid us in living a peaceful and happy life by aligning ourselves inwardly and outwardly with our highest beliefs. You can choose to engage with a daily practice in any way that comes to mind after reading this, but I chose to construct and establish a daily ritual within a space that feels comfortable to me. Both the ritual and the decoration thereof are Venusian.
If you are saying, “Okay- but this is describing a Divine Figure who creates the embellishments for celebrations and sacred rites. Don’t I have to wait for a holiday or important celebration to do this?” Nope. In fact, my aim is to encourage the exact opposite. My point is, you are the celebration in human form, and in reverence to yourself, you can and, I feel should, create a small ritual to, by, and for yourself that brings mental, emotional, and physical stability to your well-being. As my favorite protagonist of any television series once said,
“Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen.”
-Agent Cooper, Twin Peaks
Creating Sacred Space
If you were to ask me, “How do you create Sacred Space?” I would most likely answer like this: pick out an area in your home that feels safe and vibrationally good to you. If you have an empty or clear shelf, coffee table, sturdy box, etc- set it aside. What we want to do is create an altar. You can most likely pick up any books about starting a spiritual practice and it will teach you how to set up an altar. If you are looking for a book just like that, I passionately recommend Emma Kathryn’s Witch Life . Emma is one of my very few favorite witches to learn from, and this book is full of practical information and guides to get started.
Creating an altar to pray at, create spell bottles, or do any type of manifestation work is such a necessary part of my daily ritual, and a prominent part of my home. It always has been, although as a kid, I didn’t really know what I was creating, or what I was doing, but I always made sure to have a “special area” close by in my home.
So how do we create a Sacred Space Altar?
The Basics For Your Altar
A box, shelf, tabletop, desk, etc
This is where you are going to do most of your meditation, spell work, etc. I would make sure that it is sturdy. It doesn’t have to be the most ornate thing you can find. You just want to make sure it will hold items and lit candles, etc.
A bowl to place your offerings
Lots of witches, magicians, and spiritual practitioners offer up money to their ancestors (I like to give them some coffee), food, herbs, flowers, etc. They place them in a special offering bowl that is on their altar. If this is not something you want to participate in yet (or ever), you can skip this! Do things that only feel comfortable for you.
The Elements
I have a little bit of a different approach to elemental representations on altars. I like to use the tarot card associations, as well as some of the astrological associations (with my own twist!):
Earth:
For Earth, I like to remember that in the tarot, Earth is represented by pentacles. Pentacles represent our wealth and health. The most basic thing you can use is soil or dirt, however I will sometimes use money, plants, food, and crystals- anything that comes from the Earth! Because all of the altars in my house are Astrologically-coded, I like to incorporate the zodiac on my altar as well. The three Earthly zodiac signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. A friend found out I was a Taurus rising, and gave me a crystal with a buffalo engraved on it, so sometimes I will use that!
If you don’t live in a safe environment where you feel you can be open about your beliefs, putting a vase of flowers on your altar is perfect.
Air:
In the tarot, air is represented by swords, which represents our intellect and communication. Typically, magicians use incense to represent air, but I’ve used books (fantasy, poetry, philosophy, and research), letters, my spell book, or a diary. You can use research papers or spreadsheets of data. Because I am a writer, I like to write letters or poems to the universe, God, ancestors, or whichever is your belief. The three zodiac signs of air are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. My moon is in Aquarius, so I like to get really weird and fun with the air element. Once, I used a desk fan which was a really wild experience. I closed my eyes, and all I heard was the spinning of the fan’s blades. It made for a really interesting meditation session in which I was suddenly walking through a snowstorm. I highly recommend it!
Fire:
Wands represent the element of fire in the tarot, and wands symbolize our passion and action. Candles are the most popular choice. I know lots of magicians who use battery-operated candles for safety, as well. Fireplaces are also another good representation of fire that are safe for household altars. Lots of my friends send me pictures of their mantles dressed and adorned with beautiful trinkets, fruits, crystals, and figurines of their preferred deity. If the altar is outside, fire pits are pretty magical, but make sure you take precautions, or ask for help if you don’t know how to start, maintain, or put out fires. I try to be really safe with fire, so sometimes I will actually add peppercorns, turmeric, cayenne pepper, or cinnamon instead of candles. The three fire signs of the zodiac are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Because all three of those signs are passionate, I like to use pieces of costumes I’ve worn for the shows I was in as an offering! You can even place your trophies, certificates, or accolades here! Pride and winning are the two concepts all three of the fire signs can agree with.
Water:
This one is easy! A cup of water will suffice! Because Water is represented by Cups in the tarot, and Cups represent our emotions and memory, I like to use pictures or paintings that make me feel something. Don’t want your altar to look like an altar by leaving out bowls or goblets of water or wine? Use items that make you feel nostalgic. I once put my whole Super Nintendo on my altar. Pokémon cards, comics, figures of superheroes I’ve collected as a child (anyone remember Crazy Bones?), anything that makes me remember good moments of my childhood gets put on my altar. Music is perfect here, too. I have our record player on one of my altars, and since vintage items are synonymous with feelings of nostalgia, it definitely evokes memories from a distant past. The three water signs of the zodiac are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. I hard-associate the Moon and Neptune with mirror magic. I like to go to the thrift store and find vintage hand mirrors to put on my altar. I have used a big mirror as an altar once during a watery New Moon.
Now that I’ve discussed how to create an altar, there are two ways we can go about this. The first is creating a sacred altar to pray at, practice rituals, and do spell work. The other is creating a small space that is sacred to you and only you- no higher beings, prayer, or offerings required. It’s just a place to remind you of your power, happiness, and overall well being. I say this because there are a lot of people within the community who have dealt with Religious Scarring. Alternatively, there are people who are religious, but aren’t comfortable with the concept of altars and offerings to a polytheistic practice. That is why I keep reiterating that this practice is for you, exclusively. However, if praying and doing spell work by this altar feels right to you, then I suggest doing so. You can’t really get magic “wrong”, as it is a form of art. The main thing you want to focus on is you. How does each item you’re putting on the altar make you feel? You want to make sure your altar is the expression of your inner temple manifesting in physical form.
Putting it all together
With the help of Venus’ lessons, we can start living a truly magical and happy life that is totally unique to our own struggles and experiences. We can do this by becoming like the “Adorner of the Ritual”. Get in the habit of organizing a Sacred Space altar as a visual aid to help guide you through life. Engage with it everyday as a ritual. It doesn’t have to be a scheduled traditional ritual, per se. You can sit in front of it, burn some incense, and journal. You can light a candle and stretch. You can come away from your desk and daily duties to sit in front of it, close your eyes for 10 minutes, and do nothing else. In this way, you train yourself that you are the most important tool of magic. You are the vessel, and you are in collaboration with, and in control of, your happiness and peace, even if it seems like a distant or elusive concept. Once you begin to master a daily practice of general well being, this thought process and belief will start pouring out into your partnerships, friendships, family dynamics, business relationships, and communities. I remind myself that my Sacred Spaces are extensions of my inner sanctuary, and I will have to be vigilant about taking care of my body, mind, and soul. As long as I remember that a Sacred Space is only open to people who nourish, support, and want the best for me, I continue to purge and reassess my social life. I continuously ask myself: who is allowed to get energy from me, use up my emotional energy, or take up space in my life? Invoking and becoming like Venus, the “Adorner of the Ritual” & the Organizer of Sacred Peace and Happiness, is how I maintain equilibrium with my mental state, contentment, and stillness.
I hope this has helped you, or even emboldened you to start approaching everyday from the mindset of sacred ritual and healing. Remember that you are the most powerful magician’s tool, and every day you should look in the mirror and revere your own wisdom and power. My hope is that you believe in yourself, so much so, that you generate and attract peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. In doing so, you begin to forge a ritual in which your inner Venusian Hierophant feels supported enough to guide you through anything that comes your way.
Now, get to decorating!
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