My journey with venus
Venus statue
Meeting Venus
It has been a rough few years for many people, myself included. We have lived through a global pandemic, we witnessed many losses, wars have been brewing and politics have been creating chaos in many parts of the world. In a world full of chaos and ugliness, I decided I have had enough! This year I wanted to explore my spirituality and to embrace love, beauty, joy, pleasure and my own inner power.
I had been looking for something different to add to my life for quite a while. Something else, something more, something unconventional maybe ? I grew up Roman Catholic, but I knew I didn’t want to participate in any type of dogma or strict practices to connect to God or the Universe. I also knew I didn’t want to follow anything that had scriptures and rules that people praised but never really followed. We are flawed people, but hypocrisy doesn’t settle well in my stomach.
So for a while I was just listening, observing and researching . While I was scrolling the woo and witchy social media one day, I came upon creators and normal everyday people talking about Aphrodite and how Aphrodite was helping them tap into self love and how things have been changing for them since they started working with this energy. At first I was curious, but then after many years of interest I began to learn about the witchy and the woo. I began to learn about and experiment with manifestation. Mind you, I avoided this for a very long time because there was fear and mystery tied to it. People would talk about being careful what you wished for, things coming back to you 3x or things backfiring in a terrible way, so naturally after a life of trauma- I kept away. “Who needs the extra trouble?”
But because I was witnessing such chaos and such helplessness time and time again, I was dissatisfied. As a coach and mental health worker, I have many tools to help with wellness and wellbeing,( some of them are amazing!) but I began searching for something more to aid in my self love and empowerment journey. So I began the practice of manifestation and I have begun to explore the Venus archetype.
As a feminist, naturally I was drawn to this. A powerful being who is beautiful and bad ass? Wow. I could learn about this…
Venus energy and the Venus archetype can be associated with many goddesses from many traditions throughout history and cultures. Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite and Venus are some. These are the goddesses that are associated with love , fertility, war, death, rebirth and all have the common thread of beauty, love, sexuality and divine power. Tapping into Venus energy means embodying and embracing self love, love in general, beauty, harmony, sensuality, and magnetism/attraction.
And doesn’t that seem amazing considering the world is on fire? No, but seriously- we have this present life to live. Why not make it the focus to embrace, embody and invoke these intentions in life? I want more out of life and am a firm believer that life is meant to have beautiful experiences. This is why I have been choosing to focus on this Venusian journey.
Getting to Know Venus
These last few months I have been focusing on the intention of self love and Venus energy. My experience has been sweet, supportive, pleasant, empowering and expansive. This is how I am getting to know Venus presently. I will tell you a little bit about what has been nice and helpful for me as I have been on this journey. This is my experience and others may have totally different ways of connecting with Venus- and that’s ok. We should all do what makes sense to us.
First, I bought a few books to learn about and connect to what Venus energy is. The first book I purchased was The Art of Venus by Rosa Reyes. She is a spiritual teacher, who wrote an amazing book all about the Venus Archetype. She talks about Venus through out history, mythology, what Venus energy is, how to work with Venus energy, Venus in astrology, rituals and spells, self love practices, shadow work, abundance work, ways to improve your relationships, and how to tap into your divine femininity and goddess like energy. So far the book has been a delight to read and it is not complicated or academic at all! It has been a wonderful read and she allows you to make this work personal and your own.
The 2nd book I purchased was Venus: A sacred path, a feminine frequency, a Sensual Love Affair with Life by Lisa Lister. I have not finished this book yet, but I am looking forward to diving in a little more and enhancing what I am learning so far. I believe it will be an excellent book to complement The Art of Venus.
I also like to see what others are doing on social media with their personal journeys and how they find ways to connect to Venus. I am a visual learner so watching others talk about their work, their rituals or acts of devotion really inspires me and motivates my lil ADD self.
Some people I like to follow on social media are Ricky @ricky.odriosola on TikTok, Anastasia Bonnet @moonlightnsage on TikTok and Rosa Reyes @divine.fem.witchery on TikTok.
Based on what I have been reading and observing, I have been incorporating some self love and beauty practices. Which I will share with you now…
Self Love and Devotional Acts
Some examples of my work and acts of devotion in the last few weeks:
1. Engaging in simple self love rituals on Venus Day (Fridays)-
Self love rituals or acts are examples of my devotion to Venus energy and myself. I have done things such as make a self love or peace and harmony candle, bought a new piece of clothing or new item of makeup to make me feel good about myself, go out and have a delicious meal or do something relaxing and luxurious. Just a few weeks ago, I got a new haircut that I normally never would have NEVER gotten. I was inspired by Stevie Nick’s 70s shag and was strongly drawn to getting it cut and styled that way and so far it has been at hit with my friends, work and husband.I feel amazing and cool !
2. Using affirmations through out the day while I get ready or look in the mirror.
In the mornings as I get ready for work or when I am getting ready to go out, I play beautiful music that inspires beauty and femininity in me. I’ve been listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Lana Del Rey and Ariana Grande and let me tell you- the energy has been uplifting and sexy. When they say that music can be magical- they really mean it ! I am usually energized by the music and I state my affirmations such as “ I attract and create beautiful experiences. I am smart and gorgeous. I am luck and beautiful experiences always come my way.” As I finish getting ready I spray a beautiful perfume while I set an intention for it such as “ I am beautiful and powerful”.
3. Use my spelled oils to draw in certain energies to me for the day or I use spell oils in rituals.
I use my MoonLight and Sage spelled oils in various different ways. On the daily I anoint myself in the mornings or just before I leave the house and use oils such as the Love Oil, I am a Goddess Oil, Lucky Girl Oil to bring and draw things to me that are important. I also use spelled oils to protect me from negative energies such as when I put on my Protection or my Rose of Jericho Oils. I state my intentions while I put on my oils as well as while I am doing my hair or makeup.
I also add the oils to my beauty products such as my lotion or add the oils to my candles when I dress them or do a ritual.
These spoiled oils help me feel more powerful, confident, beautiful, fun, playful, protected, etc. Anastasia’s magic inspires the magic in me. And doing this reminds me that I am doing something good and loving for myself. Now that’s Venus energy!
4. Engaging in pleasant, joyful or sensual activities more often than not.
I make it a point to be mindful and more open to participating in lovely experiences. I allow time to rest when I want to rest. When I exercise I remind myself that I am doing it to take care of and love my body or just for the joy of moving it and feeling strong. I allow some indulgent meals or wine here and there and I savor the flavor or the intent behind why it was made. I read romantic, colorful or fun books that inspire me, such as my new find on Leonardo DaVinci ( the ultimate Renaissance man who is all about beauty) and I am learning a new language, Italian, and I have devoted some time to read, speak and work with my Italian tutor. My next move is to engage in a creative hobby such a photography, candle, body scrub or soap making. I figure it will be fun and sensual! I just made a Lavender Spray to help reduce stress and enhance peace and calm. So far it is really nice.
5. Enhancing my relationships, family relationships and friendships.
Venus is about creating and being in lovely experiences and beauty. So why not create amazing relationships or fill them with more love? I want to bring more love and kindness to my relationships and I am working about being more intentional to enjoy the people in my life ( I am usually very solitary and I do enjoy being alone- it’s not a bad thing!) and give a little extra love, compliments and support to them in order to create a loving environment. I hope this gets better with time. And I know that I will look back on this time with fondess.
More to come!
As I am writing this, I am fully aware that the work I have been doing for myself and with my clients for the last few years fully connects with this new mission of mine. All the pieces are coming together in a different way as I see it. In the end, I was always about improving my relationship with myself and inspiring others to do the same, but now I will have a few more tools up my sleeve. I am very excited to see where this journey takes me and I am excited to see how this may reflect in my future work.
So… Are you inspired to love yourself a little better yet?
Peace and Love,