©Amy Herring, 2005 http://www.heavenlytruth.

com
Do not reproduce in full or part without written permission from the author.

Venus and the Pentagram

The planet Venus has long been associated with all that is beautiful and lovely, with the
feminine, the goddesses, and harmony. This is age old symbolism for this planet and
there have been many instances in various cultures of systems of worship that revolve
around Venus (and its orbit).

So how perfect is what I'm about to introduce to you? It's 98% perfect; suitable enough
for Venus' harmonious realm, but you'll definitely have to put your thinking cap on. It’s
rather technical, but it’s really cool, so it’s worth a few minor brain twitches.

Astronomy and Earth’s side of the story

Astrological observations about the planets, physically and symbolically, are made with
us, the observer from earth, in the center.* What is actually happening in the sky and
what appears to be happening as an observer from earth are often very different. Keeping
that in mind, let’s go over some important definitions to know:

• Sidereal orbital period (cycle): The number of earth days that a planet takes to
make one full orbit around the sun (as observed from the sun). For instance,
Venus orbits the sun about every 225 earth days.
• Synodic orbital period (cycle): The number of earth days that a planet takes to
reappear at the same point in the sky, as observed from earth. For instance, it
takes Venus almost 584 earth days to return to the same place in the sky.
• Conjunction: when any planet is in the same place in the sky as the sun, as
observed from earth.
o Inferior conjunction: when any planet aligns in the same place in the sky
as the sun and it is in front of the sun, as observed from earth.
o Superior conjunction: when any planet aligns in the same place in the sky
as the sun and it is behind the sun, as observed from earth.

Venus and the pentagram**

As I said in the example above, it takes Venus almost 584 days to reappear in the same
spot in the sky as observed from earth. So, let’s say that you are looking up at the night
sky in your backyard at 10 pm and Venus is an inch to the left of your big pine tree. In
about 584 days, go out in your backyard again and it’ll be in the same place at the same
time of night. This is called the synodic cycle (period) of Venus.

Venus conjuncts the sun twice during every synodic cycle: once as inferior (in front of
the sun), and once as superior (behind the sun). The inferior conjunction is typically
considered the beginning of Venus’ synodic cycle.

This 584 day cycle feeds into a larger 8 year cycle. At the beginning of each synodic
period of Venus, the earth, Venus, and the sun are aligned. It takes 8 years for Venus, the
earth, and the sun to align 5 times. If you were to trace a line behind earth and Venus as
they run around and meet across the sky 5 times, you would see this symbol:
 ©Amy Herring, 2005 http://www.heavenlytruth.com
Do not reproduce in full or part without written permission from the author.

A five pointed star, frequently referred to as a pentagram. Now, none of these numbers
are perfectly even. It’s not 584 days, but more like 583.92 days, for instance. So when
Venus comes back to repeat the approximately 8 year cycle, the beginning point has
drifted just a touch. But it’s nearly perfect.

What does it mean?

What does it mean that Venus traces a pentagram in the sky?
Whatever you want it to mean.

It is difficult to trace just how the symbol of the pentagram and the spiritual or
astrological meaning of Venus became connected, or if there is any historical evidence
that any peoples have connected them together at all, other than the observation of this
shape it traces in the sky. The pentagram is a 5 pointed star that has been seen and used in
dozens of various cultures and religions, from Paganism to Christianity, all throughout
history. It is and has been a significant symbol throughout the ages and has represented
ideas such as perfection, the symbol of the human being with arms & legs outstretched,
health, good fortune, protection, the five wounds of Christ, the four elements plus spirit,
and it contains the golden ratio.

Symbols mean what you want or need them to mean. In my studies, I have seen (as I'm
sure many of you have) the same symbols and stories repeated in various cultures through
time, each containing the core of the old and an emergence of a new story that speaks to
the present culture. They are common themes central to the human experience such as
stories of sacrifice, quests, and saviors or heroes.

In my opinion, any symbol or story that has lasted so long and morphed into so many
meanings has embedded itself in the unbroken thread of human mystery and deserves
reverence. The fact that the pentagram has had so many meanings seems to me to
heighten its significance instead of diluting it. Its beauty and inspiration is available to
anyone who wants to weave another story about it into the fabric of time and into the
story of their own life.
For further study:
http://www.lunarplanner.com/HCpages/Venus.html (great animated graphics of the pentagram as well as
lots of information and musing on harmonics such as the 8:5 ratio)

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/pentagram.html

Notes
*Most forms of astrology are geocentric, meaning they place earth in the middle as the observer. However,
a few forms of astrology do not, such as heliocentric astrology which puts the sun at the center.

**Sometimes a distinction is made, especially by neo-pagans, between a pentagram and a pentacle. A

pentagram is a 5 pointed star. A pentacle is a 5 pointed star enclosed in a circle.