Gayatri Mantra for Venus
Om Aswadhwajaaya Vidmahe
Dhanur hastaaya dheemahi
Tanno Shukra prachodayaat
Translation: “Om, Let me meditate on him who has horse in his flag,
Oh, He who has a bow in his hand, give me higher intellect,
And let Shukra illuminate my mind.”
Some are wont to say that Venus is passions, the motivating influence in the heart that helps make decisions, and that which we love doing because it provides us with happiness. Venus is much more than passion, the pleasures of the bedroom, the harem and so forth. Venus is that Planet which helps us to maintain balance and seek divinity in the ordinary, everyday life of immersion in maya and materialism.
Astrologically, almost all over the world, Venus is given the symbol of a circle put on the top of a cross. The cross (+) stands for the four cardinal points of the Earth whirling it down in the realm of materialisation whereas the circle on the top of it represents our solar system. The position of the circle above the cross denotes the higher principles working for the evolution of the lower without being engulfed by the latter. That is precisely the function of Venus – as Lord Shukra, who teaches the demons without imbibing the demonic qualities himself.
Venus has an important role in materialising the spiritual essence of the human being as well as in spiritualising and giving eternal life to the spiritualised essence of matter. So the influence of Venus is great on both types of the human being; it is important for the men of the world still involved in matter for giving them the worldly pleasures and personal psychological satisfaction while for the men aspiring after spiritual immortality it imparts the secret of immortality. Venus shows us how to find the Divine while we are immersed in the world. Venus is also important in our decision making processes.
When people engage in a decision making process, there is the gathering of data, the logical analysis of that data, the application of values and feelings to the data and the consideration of the impact outreach of that decision on others. Venus uses values, what is called the “feeling function” in analysis and making of decisions. This is often overlooked in the evaluation of the role and function of Venus in the life of those who have a prominent Venus in their charts.
Venus, who is often said to be feminine in nature, is in fact male. The feminine auspice comes from the Greeks calling this planet Aphrodite connecting it with sexual impulses of mankind. The Babylonians called it Nana, Assyrians named it Isktar, Hebrews knew it by the name of Astoreth and the Phonecians called Venus Astarte. Venus is in fact Brahmin by caste. The Brahmin’s primary goal is moksha or spiritual liberation. They serve society through wisdom and contemplation. This illustrates the benefic side of Venus, who gives refinement and social grace. Most importantly, Venus gives the diplomacy necessary for dealing with others. The Brahmin nature of Venus is expressed in the urge to create, creative power, fine arts, comprehension and philosophy of life. This makes Venus somewhat intuitive in taking up the creative urge and in action, expressing a Buddhic nature, seeking meaning in life through the materialistic, creative urge. (Buddhic here means the intellect, the higher faculty of mind which is nearest to the soul.)
The philosophy of life is a philosophy that materialism can lead to the Divine. Everything man has is given by the Divine. Everything man has can take him to the Divine. It is up to man to look to the Divine in his daily life. Man may celebrate all that is in his earthly life – his sensual love, passion, all these things lead to the Divine. It is foolhardy to become attached to material possessions, our sensual experiences, for these things cannot go with us past the grave. Man is not the senses, not the body, and not what he owns. Man is eternal spirit in a human body having a spiritual experience immersed in maya, reality and all that goes with that. It is the task of Venus to show the human how to enjoy the materialistic side of life, the aesthetic, the higher refinement of the senses and pleasure, and not to mistake this for the goal of life itself. Just as Venus teaches the demons (the asuras) evolution without being engulfed by passion and pleasure, so too, Venus offers mankind the spiritual immersed in the everyday; divinity in ordinary, in any other term.
Material attainments are good and often necessary to the station in life. Venus does not give you a new car so you can outrun the police; Venus gives you a new car so that you can enjoy your life. It is perfectly normal for people to enjoy their lives; it is good for people to be smart, to be happy, to be eloquent, to be graceful, to be fair. And to share their lot and their plenty with others, particularly others in need. The four goals of life — right conduct, wealth, desire and liberation, are meant to keep you steady, and help progress toward that goal — Union with the Divine. We should not be attached to one form of wealth only (possessions, money, desires) for this can distract us from the goal itself. We can forget about the actual goal of life itself. So we can have wealth, but when we fall and slip while we are climbing the mountain toward that goal, we can get up again, we can brush ourselves off, wipe our hands clean, and keep moving toward that goal, Love itself. This is the task of Venus, the planet of Divine Love.
