The dizzying ringing of a Tibetan singing bowl…the rush of blood in your ears and temples…a sizzle without a source…a blur of red circling around you…when it stops, the thick grey mist that had been obscuring your vision disperses, and there stands a boy on fire - cheeks red with wind, smile sharp with white teeth and smirking lips. Gorgeous. He makes you insane with lust, excitement. And then he’s running again. While he was still, he had his hand out…you were too overwhelmed by his beauty to do anything with that knowledge when you first saw him, but next time you’ll be prepared…next time, you puts your hand in his and that smile opens up to let through an innocent, deliciously alive laugh and then the two of you are running together, and everything is simultaneously a blur and clearer than ever, and you find creative and ridiculous ways to kiss and touch and make love while you move at the speed of light…this is Aries Venus. A heart engulfed in orange, yellow, red licking flames…bones heated and burned and tested so many times that they’re now as strong as steel…this heart cannot stop beating, cannot stop pushing life blood through its host, and when it falls in love, it can’t stop that, either. New to the world, he’s hungry for it all…Aries Venus wants to explode with rage, with hope, wants to laugh so hard that his heart skips a beat, and he does, he will, over and over and over again, finding a new way to experience it each time. He doesn’t need a companion, but he won’t refuse one. After all, Aries Venus will try anything once. This is the love that can never die, will never die, unless death suddenly offers something but eternal nothingness up. Then, I mean…hey…wanna come along, babe? There’s that smirk again…
In Taurus Venus’ heart grows a garden with plush jade grass, perfumed dusty mauve roses - thorns inexplicably removed…the sun is the color of a gold bar reflecting a tangerine sunset. The humming of bees becomes symphony to those who enter. The creak of the wrought iron gate is a siren song for passerby. In the center of the garden is a maiden formed from soil, vines, clouds, rain, and soft rabbit fur…animals flock around her, as do young children, as do gentle garden bugs. Her eyes are lit like fireflies, and you could almost swear that the soft curve of her smile is identical to the curve of a pale yellow, perfectly ripe, deliciously scented banana. She combs her long, chocolate locks with a marble comb, and sings at a frequency that shakes the ground, causing fresh fruit to fall from trees, rocking the creatures who share her space with her into a relaxed afternoon rest. All is well, you think.
Gemini Venus’ heart is a small silver bell, ringing constantly as Gemini shakes with nervous energy. Only, the sound it makes isn’t “ting ting” but rather…”hey stranger, how are you today? have you ever heard of click beetles? do you know how those lollipops with all the swirls are made? I have a hypothetical for you -.” Gemini Venus’ quickly comes to learn (because there is no other way for them to learn), however, that not everyone likes bells, and so he teaches the heart to melt into liquid mercury and reform into petrified wood or something like the sun or a big, wild entire world. The ting-a-ling that may have irritated before now knows how to roar and tremble and sweetly sing and, under the right circumstances, can even thrum like a jackhammer - just like a mockingbird’s voice. Or perhaps Gemini Venus just like to say that his heart acts this way because of others…perhaps that’s another possibility…perhaps this is who Gemini Venus was always meant to be. His heart was always supposed to be a clever shape-shifter, a ”form transcender,” he might say, if you think shape-shifter sounds untrustworthy. With each shout or shake or hoot or beep of the heart comes a new wave of enthusiasm, question, information and it is through this stream of noise that he best expresses his love to you, that he shows that he values you. He knows that Gemini is associated with The Lovers in tarot if you doubt this and will easily, charmingly convince you that him wanting to read aloud to you from the newspaper is way more meaningful than some expensive romantic dinner is. And he’s not lying. Or he is. He doesn’t know, and neither will you, and it won’t matter a damn bit because truth isn’t the point, truth is relative. Love is what counts, his talkative bell heart reminds you. Feel like we’re going in circles? Gemini Venus’ lives in them. If you can’t handle this, you can’t handle them.
Cancer Venus has a glass heart full of warm milk. During the day, the liquid sloshes as softly and calmly as a lullaby. Under the Moon, it turns and churns like the sea. The milk can never fully run out, nor can the glass ever fully shatter. Inside the heart grows a perfect white egg, cold and glowing. Cancer Venus smells like vanilla, is deep red like love, and cries music. With hands as soft as butter, she wipes away your tears and re-hydrates you with her compassionate own. Her eyes are as clear as what encases her nurturing heart, and you could drink her gaze for eternity…and then time travel with her all the way back to the beginning, to do it all over again, for her love is as infinite as the cycle of birth and death is.
Leo Venus’ heart is so big that you might not even see it - you’ll simply suddenly be in it, part of it. Pink like bubblegum, red like candy apples, gold like jewelry, aquamarine like glittery tears, crystalline like the elegant ice swan they’ll want at the wedding - your blue and green world turns kaleidoscope, carnival, and you think…this is so fun, it can’t possibly last…but at the core of that excitement lives the fact that this, love, is Leo’s entire purpose. Though the sunsets and moonlit beach walks and romantic dinners could all be considered set dressing, the stage Leo lives on does not suddenly become empty when the backgrounds are wheeled away by one of Leo Venus’ many admiring, adoring fans. The stage itself is a work of art, like the time dragon in Wicked…mahogany floors, rich velvet curtains, a grand piano played by pixies…even when free of dramatic decorations, it’s one of the most beautiful scenes you’ll ever see. As if Leo would ever willingly forsake the decorations, though, especially if they knew they had a beloved to impress…so out come elephants for you ride on, cotton candy to wrap up in. The sensations of being kissed, hug, pet never leave your skin…a rich, pleased purr ripples through the air at all times, and it sounds like if love got translated into white noise to your ears…your ears that are almost certainly graced with those expensive earrings you were eyeing when you last went shopping. The entry fee to the experience is a genuine compliment to the holder of the heart, and the purity of the affection you find yourself immersed in is so moving and perfect that you would never dare try to find a way out.
It’s raining…the rain is soft and clean. The potted plant on your balcony drinks it up happily, but not greedily…its fresh-smelling soil soaks the water in and turns chocolatey brown…its leaves stand up a bit straighter, and their jungle green leaves’ color darkens. Refreshed…invigorated…ready for another day of growing you perfect, sweet vegetables. They’re not impressively large and shiny…they typically grow to be a perfect serving size. Not too small to be used, not too large to be bold. Perfect in their practicality. Glamor is for theater, not real life, you think to yourself when your neighbor mocks them as he plucks a tomato the size of his head from his little apartment garden. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others, you realize. You head inside, to the bathroom sink, to rinse the dirt off your hands, out from underneath your fingernails. You glance in the mirror…who are you? Violet, softly yellow, olive, warm brick brown…why, you’re Virgo Venus. Not perfect…though you wish to be…but enough, you tell yourself. Though you define yourself through comparisons and contrasts, forever thinking in a complex manner, you actually have quite a lot of substance on your own. There’s a forest in your heart…a forest in the modern world, you chide yourself, after allowing your mind to imagine some untouched utopia filled only with life. No…sometimes those innocent trees get cut down and turned into paper. Sometimes the wise elder underbrush gets burned to make way for new, loud youth. These things benefit the greater good, though, so that’s okay, you think. This love grows and chops perfectly practical tomatoes, this love turns them into your favorite pasta sauce with spices that whispered to her Earth-fluent heart from their shelf on the grocery store…this love is warm, subtle, not noticed or appreciated enough. It’s not as strong as a backbone, but it’s a clean hand that props you up, even if you sometimes wish it would move around and excite you a little bit. But isn’t the way he knows how to sew buttons with dental floss exciting? Aren’t his quirks and his mundane genius exciting? Sometimes that olive heart grows passionate red pits…anyone worth its efforts will certainly see and get to taste them, I think (and it’s important that we all know this, for Virgo Venus sometimes does not).
Pop. Bubblegum snaps. There’s a flurry of wings, a flurry of glittering snow. The strum of a harp, the strum of a guitar at a casual bonfire. Was the pop bubblegum or a burst balloon? You glance over to your Libra lover to see if something is wrong…but the balloon you thought was over there, in risk of being injured, is hidden. Libra Venus smiles softly at you. “Don’t worry, dear.” A kiss on the cheeks, the lips, a laugh and a whispered story of her day. “And how was yours, honey love?” Attentive ears, intelligent eyes, a word of advice. Soft. Feather fingers and pink giggles. It’s not innocent, but it is pleasant. That’s preferable…you want someone with experience. You remember saying that to Libra Venus once. Perhaps that’s why she lets her wisdom shine through? You have to speak about her like this, for she doesn’t often speak about herself…it seems as if she lives on only through the perceptions and judgments of others at times. No, that’s not true…but her heart is a set of brass scales, you know. Hot in one scale, cold in the other. Light, dark. Up, down. Good, bad. There’s no truth, no answer, no self…two of everything, contradicting everything. You’re not sure you could summarize that, either. You know of her genius, though. The wit. The bravery when someone around her is being unfairly treated. Those parts of her are consistent. Her compassion is a bit cold, a bit distant, but you know that that’s just because she’s mastermind, not personal therapist. Libra Venus is delicate like the balance of environment that her happiness demands. Feathers (bricks). Pink laughter (cold blue rage). Up with the angels (anchored down at the bottom of the sea). Treat her with a light touch…know that her idealism can be shattered just as easily as a scale can tilt. She’ll smartly do the same with you.
You smell Scorpio Venus’ love before you see it…it’s the smell of a match being struck, of something bitter sparking and transforming into a woodsy flame. Then comes the small light…it bounces off of eyes that you were not aware of…a glassy pool of water that you were not aware of…a pink tongue darting out to wet red lips that you did not see. As your senses begin to focus, as your instincts sharpen, you pick up on sounds…something moving in the brush - soft paws…and something perhaps leaving the black lake to your left to come and investigate you. There are a lot of hands on you now. They’re not intrusive, nor rough…they’re soft, light, long-fingered and probing and curious…as they investigate your heart with gentle strokes, your cheeks with a warm cupped palm, your back with a hypnotizing rub, you can’t help but feel relaxed. You begin to open up, revealing your own inner fire and creatures…your secrets are on display, your own lake monster and mystery forest animal come out of hiding, and the two worlds - yours and Scorpio Venus’ - commune, familiarize, share and question. Eventually, you will learn all there is to know about each other. When this happens, a great blaze lights up Scorpio Venus’ eyes…it grows and grows into a fireball, too big for a body to contain…you both burn in spectacular fashion…sit as dust for a few millennia…and then slowly, over time, your dust turns to particles and then to cells and a new person arrives on earth…then you and Scorpio Venus find each other…dance again…investigate again…I know this happens as certainly as I know that death happens, Scorpio Venus’ says as she reads this.
Sagittarius Venus’ heart smells like patchouli, quivers hollowly like a flexible wooden stick does when you hold one end firm and flick the other, and feels hot to the touch in an odd, thick, heady way…it burns your nose like the smoke that rises from a blown-out candle does. Rough, warm palms and feet belong to this individual, but they make you feel safe in a way that the feather hands of dear Libra never could. On this heart is a smile over a third eye - a laughing mouth that doesn’t stop talking and philosophizing and green iris that sparkles as it takes in the landscape its host body is traveling through. This heart grabs yours and joins them together, like horse and man become one centaur, and together you traverse the golden plains that each plane of existence has to offer. In its thumps echo honesty, and the blood that it pushes through the body is resides in flows messages from God and Earth from here to there, from fingertip to fingertip, from thigh artery to neck artery. Sagittarius Venus tosses her thick hair over her shoulder and the strands tangle into a great cosmic puzzle to unravel.
Capricorn Venus has a bone heart leaking thick marrow. This heart drips and bleeds, but the liquid that leaves it only strengthens the rest of the body as it travels through capillaries and veins. The bone is streaked, imperfect like the wood of a tree. It shows that this lover is experienced, wise, with staying power. Saturn sits in those rings that line a trunk, and Saturn sits in this ivory marbled heart. Capricorn Venus whispers like the rustling of dark green rubbery leaves, and her hands hold a gentle burning warmth in them…evidence of Mars’ feverish exaltation in her sign.
Aquarius Venus’ heart is a ball of blue and purple electricity, swirled like a galaxy, blowing off ethereal clouds of silver glitter and stardust with each breath the individual takes. Like power traveling through underground wires, Aquarius Venus’ love zips and zaps through the collective, lighting up fellow hearts with inspiration, like the way our brain power lights up our neurons. This love shocks you into awareness and compassion, motivation and idealism. It’s alive, sprouting lime-colored plant chutes and chirping like an indigo bunting bird.
Pisces Venus’ heart is liquefied so that it fills up and rocks their whole physical being as well as their whole soul. This watery love can easily be tipped into others, used to fill them up. It’s not rare for our silver little Pisces fish to travel with it…using her adventurous Jupiter energy to swim around inside of your soul and heart when hers begins to ache for companionship, using her Neptune energy to conceal her presence so that you only feel the healing of her love and not the burden of her pain. Though we tend to think blue when water comes to mind, Pisces Venus’ passion shade is chameleon, mixing with your own aura like food dye swirls around in liquid…reflecting your own self back at you, making you feel at home, allowing you to see all of the beauty that your self-doubt hides from you.
