Planets in Style: The Clothes in Venus's Wardrobe

Venus's Style in Each of the Zodiac Signs

May 04, 2025

Planetary Permutations

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” goes the old proverb. The Chinese version translates as “Enter a village, follow the customs.” For the planets in astrology, the equivalent motto would be something like “When in Libra, act through Libran themes.”

The planets are always themselves and always do what they do, but they don’t always do it in the same style. As each planet transits through the Zodiac, it adapts its manner and focus to the ways of whatever sign it temporarily occupies. Whenever a planet changes signs, we might envision a figure reaching into its wardrobe and changing into a different outfit that’s appropriate to its new field of action.

While a planet occupies a sign, we may observe evidence of its influence in that field. There we may also encounter, or act personally as, agents of that planet. We always have a choice to channel or respond to the planet’s influence wisely or foolishly — that’s up to us.

In this series, we’ll look into each planet’s ‘wardrobe’ to see the style it adopts for each of its 12 regular Zodiacal visits.

What Venus Does

Venus is a mental influence of the type associated with the right brain. Venus rules both Libra (a masculine sign in which it actively promotes interpersonal harmony) and Taurus (a feminine sign in which its energy is ‘borrowed’ for the shaping of physical forms). The Taurus rulership would account for the common convention of personifying this energy as a female; yet as an active mental force, Venus energy is essentially a masculine power. But how we choose to visualize this harmonizing energy matters much less than what this energy does.

Venus is the planetary agent of attraction, who charms and sweetens our life with beauty, value, harmonious cooperation, and love. According to the style of the sign she occupies, she influences attitudes and approaches to all forms of relationship on the social level. In the arts, she influences tastes in design or genre, fashions and fads, and manner of presentation. Materially, she influences the formation and evaluation of products, assets, purchases, and gifts.

Whatever her style, Venus always intends to charm, attract, enrich, and promote harmony. Normally it’s just that simple. Sometimes she does that badly, with ulterior motives, or in ways that we don’t appreciate personally.

Each of us was born with Venus in a particular sign that belongs permanently to our personality. The current transits of Venus don’t change that in any way, but they can temporarily influence our moods or our interactions with others. Some Venus transits harmonize with our personal values, pleasing and delighting us, and drawing out our own Venusian traits. We may respond differently to Venus transits that happen to clash with our personal tastes.

See more about Venus at Pantheon of Colors: Green.

Venus in Transit (cycle is about 1 year = 1 month in each sign)

Venus accompanies the Sun in his annual transit through the Zodiac, but not so closely as to always be in the same sign. Sometimes Venus occupies the same sign as the Sun, but she can be as far as two signs away from him on either side.

Venus transits can affect us either from within ourselves or from somewhere in our environment. Though I personify Venus as female here, its essentially masculine energy can certainly affect both women and men.

Relatively brief and mild, the sweet effects of Venus transits are interesting to observe. Often they indicate no more than casual observations, but sometimes they coincide with a nice treat or a special event in relationship.

Material pleasures we enjoy, such as those found in art or nature, edible treats, music, and gifts or purchases, are often somehow associated with the current Venus sign. On a social level, we often come into contact with unusually friendly and pleasant people with the taste and social style of the current Venus sign.

I’ll suggest examples of some typical effects of Venus in the style of each of the 12 signs; you can imagine variations on those themes and observe the ones that come your way.

Venus in Aries: The Appeal of Assertiveness

“What’re you waiting for — an engraved invitation?” — Mrs. S, my high school P.E. teacher, arousing sluggish players

A competitive sports event would be a likely place to encounter Venus in Aries, and she may well be enjoying it alone. In this sign ruled by assertive Mars, Venus is authentic, energetic, independent, bold, and often impatient. In Aries, Venus doesn’t await invitations; she goes after whatever or whomever she likes directly. Where the response to her action is positive, an experiment to discover compatibility or lack thereof ensues. Involvement may continue or end at any point, and after an ending she doesn’t hesitate to move on to something or someone new. With this Venus we go a step at a time, with no assumptions and no time wasted on illusions of security. Instead there are revelations of truth, which can lead paradoxically to lasting trust and satisfaction.

Venus in Aries is more about spontaneous action than objects. She loves to try new things, and may purchase on impulse. To her, a sweet treat is whatever she happens to want, or whatever she wants to give, and she prefers not to waste time and effort with guessing games. “You don’t ask, you don’t get” is her motto, and she sees no reason why that shouldn’t apply to everyone. In a nice way, she lets us know what she wants. Then either she gets what she wants or she doesn’t, and she’s totally prepared to take “no” for an answer. With her love of speed and power, Venus in Aries might challenge us to some kind of race, or maybe suggest attending an action-packed competitive sports event, or some other exciting activity that’s new to both people.

Venus in Taurus: The Attraction of Opulence

In Taurus, Venus doesn’t pursue an object of desire; she IS an object of desire. Her beauty and worth are apparent, and she interacts with others who respond to it. What ensues depends on potentials for constructive development. She wants to be appreciated, not exploited, so she avoids sterile one-sided scenarios in favor of combinations that can produce worthy benefits for both parties. We might meet her among the beauties of nature or the rich sounds of music, or maybe at an upscale restaurant where fine food is served.

As Taurus is very Earthy and sensuous, Venus in this sign is a “material girl”. When Venus is in Taurus, the goodies we give and acquire are of fine quality and likely to be beautiful and/or literally sweet. Things like flowers, candy, pastries, or jewelry are typical examples; none of the possibilities would be shabby. As for activities in Taurus, Venus favors those that are leisurely and gratify the senses, such as shopping excursions, strolls through gardens, and the hearing or making of music.

Venus in Gemini: The Delights of Curiosity

Curiosity being a trait of Gemini, the friendly people we meet when Venus is in Gemini are likely to approach with a question — or maybe many questions — in some busy public place like a local street, a post office, or a library. People enjoy getting around now, talking with all kinds of people, sharing the news of the day and other information. Ordinary conversation is more of a pleasure than usual. We might contribute to someone’s knowledge and come away with some interesting fact we’d never heard before.

Venus in Gemini enjoys variety and shifts from one focus to another. She appreciates language and effective communication, whether intellectual or funny, and she’s especially fond of clever plays on words. The treats she likes to give are the kind that delight the mind, such as a witty note or greeting card, a magazine or book, or a silly novelty. We might write, give, or treat ourselves to something of that kind now, or to some enhancement of the walking, biking, driving, or communication experience. Or we might find ourselves sharing a pleasant tour through the neighborhood or the local countryside, just to see what’s there and what’s going on.

Venus in Cancer: The Charm of Family

When in Cancer, Venus’s notable niceness may well appear among actual family members or close connections with family. Contacts and events now are likely to bring us into closer harmony with our roots and our clan. People take extra pleasure in reminiscence about childhood and “the good old days”. There is less inclination to go out for pleasure, and more desire for the cozy familiarity and comforts of home. Friendly people we meet who aren’t of our family are likely to have concerns for family in mind, whether their own, one they’d like to have, or families in general. Everyone is more inclined than usual to express sympathy with the feelings of others.

Venus in Cancer likes the reassuring feel of familiar routine, and her tastes are conventional. Thinking like a nurturing mother, she appreciates things with sentimental value. She likes to give treats like family memorabilia, old photos, and sweet little trinkets for young children. To loved ones who aren’t family, she might give items intended to evoke nostalgia for whatever had formerly been shared together, and she’s usually happy to treat anyone to homemade food. We could receive or give some such treat now, or we might make or purchase something to comfort ourselves or our family. A treat from Venus in Cancer could be a simple visit to or from a parent, just to show love.

Venus in Leo: The Glamor of Entertainment

We might be socializing at an amusing party when Venus in Leo introduces herself with a playful theatrical flourish intended to make a memorable impression. She hopes to attract our admiration, and maybe to draw us into some sort of delightful game. We respond to her favorably, and both of us are happy. We indicate interest in the game, and we just might be in for a wonderful time. There’s extra pleasure in all kinds of entertainment now, and places where they happen are likely spots to meet friendly people. It’s about harmonious — and somewhat exaggerated — self-expression, all in the spirit of fun.

Venus in Leo is noble, sunny, confident, and often glamorous and dramatic, wanting to please while impressing others with her personality. To this Venus, a tangible treat is never drab or ordinary, always eye-catching and impressive. Whatever it may be, it’s sure to be something admirable and unforgettable. We may receive, give, or purchase some such item now. Another likely Leonine treat would be an invitation to share a fun activity, such as an outing to see or play a favorite game, or to a theater to enjoy a fabulous show.

Venus in Virgo: The Seemliness of Service

Venus in Virgo is conducive to connections with people through work, because that’s where we’re currently expressing our love nature. There’s beauty in service appropriately and carefully performed, and we may have occasions to appreciate that now. It’s more of a pleasure than usual to be serving and working with other people. Workers in all fields, and especially healthcare, are likely to treat both their coworkers and those they serve with extra cooperativeness, kindness, and consideration.

In Virgo, Venus is careful to be appropriate, clean, methodical, fastidious, accurate, and as perfect as possible. Her idea of beauty is purity, i.e., something that is exactly as it is intended to be. She loves useful things with practical purposes. The charm of any object treasured or given by her is in its suitability, the perfection of detail in its design, and the efficiency of its function. A tangible treat acquired when Venus is in Virgo could be anything that is precisely what is needed for a particular purpose. Of course, Venus would prefer that it be good looking as functional objects go, but to her the real value is in its function. People may feel inclined now to decorate their work environments, give or share useful gadgets, or volunteer to do helpful services for one another, just to be kind, because love wants to be helpful.

Venus in Libra: The Grace of Cooperation

Venus is especially sociable, refined, considerate, and adaptable when in Libra. As long as people around her are getting along with one another harmoniously, she adapts well to whatever is happening. (If there’s conflict or trouble, she won’t stay there.) We may encounter her in pleasant places where people are enjoying some of the arts. With Venus in Libra now, many of us are inclined to be friendly and cooperative with others, and to welcome companionship. Interaction between people is likely to be unusually peaceful and happy.

What kinds of treats might we give or acquire during this transit? Lovely, refined things, such as beautiful music, poetry, or objects of artistic design. Thoughtful things chosen especially to please the recipient. What kinds of activities might we share? Time in leisurely conversation or among the arts, perhaps at a museum or art gallery, a fashion show, a theater, a concert, or a dance.

Venus in Scorpio: The Mystique of Intensity

Scorpio isn’t a casual sign, so we’re unlikely to experience Venus’s sweetness in casual situations when she’s in Scorpio. We’ll more likely find it in situations that suggest some degree of emotional or financial risk (real or not), where there is some hint of fear, of danger lurking beneath the surface, of a need for trust. We might think along the lines of an eerie encounter with a member of the Addams family at a funeral, a lonely cemetery, or a Halloween masquerade. The intensity of an experience with death, inner mysteries, deep intimacy, or threats of loss can range from fascinatingly mysterious to seriously terrifying. Somehow when Venus is in Scorpio, it’s strangely sweet as well.

When in Scorpio, Venus has a taste for the sinister and spooky, at least in terms of appearance and feel. She may offer treats that reflect that taste, whether as fascinating objects or awe-inspiring experiences with the unseen. Of course, if it’s Halloween, there are the treats given to ward off tricks, which often come in scary-looking forms. In another example, we might give or receive a tarot reading, or acquire or gift a deck of tarot cards. Or with a companion we might view a horror movie, or visit some place like a creepy old shop or museum, or the haunted house attraction of an amusement park.

Venus in Sagittarius: The Allure of Laughter

The friendliest people are likely to be encountered now in connection with foreign cultures and places of education or religion. People who are expanding their understanding of life are developing positive philosophies, replacing former fears with confidence and laughter. We may meet some happy-go-lucky, outspoken person who says something encouraging and funny, leaving us laughing at life and happier than we were before. Or we might be that person for someone else.

In keeping with the Sagittarian enthusiasm for the Big Picture, Venus in Sagittarius loves BIG. She tends to be generous, so if she offers a tangible treat, probably it will either be oversized or there’ll be plenty of it. Likely gifts from her are educational aids, souvenirs of her extensive travels, and tokens of a religion or philosophy that gives her joy. Another type of treat from Venus in Sagittarius might be a talk by someone about their foreign travels, or a visit to a school, a place of worship, or an ethnic neighborhood.

Venus in Capricorn: The Beauty of Authority

Normally an “old and cold” sign, Capricorn warms up a bit when Venus is there to sweeten it. This is a time when authorities and elders find it easier than usual to relax and smile, and everyone else finds them unusually lovable. We can easily see true beauty in the long effort such a person has made to acquire the experience that evokes our respect. We might encounter Venus in Capricorn in a professional setting, or in some public place associated with achievement and prominence.

Venus in Capricorn is serious and reserved. Her style and taste is conservative and respectable, never elaborate or overdone. Her presence in this sign can bring expressions of love and kindness from some who are normally too preoccupied with important responsibilities to show feelings. Material gifts from Venus in Capricorn are unlikely, but they can come. Any gift we might give or receive now is probably either something old and venerated, a reward for merit, or simply money. Any purchase is probably purposeful, not frivolous. In Capricorn, time is precious, so any offer from Venus in Capricorn to spend time with someone is a very special treat. Most precious of all are the inspirational example and the sincere approval of someone we truly respect.

Venus in Aquarius: The Excitement of Novelty

The friendly approach of Venus in Aquarius during this time is likely to come as a surprise, and possibly as a shock. The Aquarian mind is creative and resistant to pressures from traditional-minded authority to conform to conventions. As the planetary power of beauty and harmony, Venus in this sign promotes original concepts of beauty and social behavior, as reflected in her own unusual appearance and her acceptance of anyone else’s, no matter how bizarre. She promotes harmony among all people, and cheerfully welcomes everyone who doesn’t put on superior airs or try to impose arbitrary controls. Because in her Aquarian style Venus favors the forward-looking spirit of social groups, we might encounter her in a gathering of aquaintances or some volunteer social organization.

In Aquarius, Venus chooses treats from among strange and unusual novelties. Included are extremely ancient, extremely futuristic, and electronic items, which aren’t associated with any other sign. Who can know what gift might come to or from us while Venus is in Aquarius? It could be a jaw-dropping science fiction movie or some crazy gadget we can’t even identify, but it’s really no use guessing. All we can know is that if it’s anything at all, it’ll be a complete surprise.

Venus in Pisces: The Enchantment of Imagination

Venus is usually sociable, but when in Pisces she’s often socializing in a dream world, physically out of view. Highly sensitive, she may be a psychic or an empath. We may encounter her in our own dreams, or when we are alone and away from the crowd, wondering if she’s real. Maybe she’s a fantasy, or maybe she’s someone over whom our imagination is projecting a numinous, mystical veil of sweetness and beauty. Venus in Pisces may bring special moments of kindness to those in isolated places such as hospitals or prisons. Her love is spiritual, romantic, compassionate, otherworldly. She invites us to dream sweet dreams with her.

In Pisces, Venus’s taste is for fantasy, and she might weave a sample of it through us — or for us — as a treat. It might be a spiritual vision, or the vision of an actor or dancer in costume and makeup, or a poet or storyteller, a musician, or some other type of artist. Whether or not she offers anything tangible or is even real herself, she may enchant us now with a beautiful dream.