Venus in Virgo ♍ Vestal Virgins

Venus is a planet that has always fascinated me as an astrologer. I want to shout out to the author Michael Suter who wrote the book Venus in Virgo The Archetypes of Goddess Consciousness in Astrology of which this article is based. I will be doing a series of articles on the planet Venus covering its expression through the signs of the zodiac and connections to the ancient world. Venus is in fall in the sign of Virgo the archetype of the Virgin. To understand Virgo historically I have decided to have a brief look into the Vestal Virgins.

The Vestal Virgins were the sacred feminine in Roman society and were connected the Goddess Vesta. Vesta’s Greek name literally means hearth. The hearth-fire was symbolic of the life giving aspect of the Goddess. Vesta is the brightest asteroid and was considered the flame of Rome. It was the responsibility of the Vestal Virgins to keep the sacred flame alive. If the flame went out it was an ill omen for Rome and the punishment was severe for it would mean the fall of the empire. It was Prometheus who stole fire from the Gods but it was Vesta who kept the fire alive. The Vestal Virgins were created around the 6th and 7th century BC and were made an official cult of the Roman state.

To be chosen as a Vestal Virgin was considered an honour and the girls were chosen at the ages between six and ten years old. When chosen they became the property of the state for thirty years. The thirty year period indicative of the Saturn cycle. The cold harsh aspects of Saturn represents the celibacy these girls had committed to. The punishment for violating their celibacy was to be buried alive.

The Vestal Virgins were unusual in society they did not have the constraints of married women. They could own property and they could even vote as they did not belong to anyone. They had enormous political power which threatened Christianity at this time. They were keepers of important wills and public documents. They were seen as self sufficient and independent and to harm them was punishment by death. Christians eventually extinguished the Vestal fire and withdrew the Virgin’s political and religious beliefs, causing outrage among the educated Roman pagans who still believed in the old faith. The Virgins were highly sacred women, even though patriarchal Rome had forgotten their original character of orgiastic priestesses and Virgin mothers impregnated by the gods at their ceremonies prior to the sixth century BC. (On a side note through deep digging the history of this Goddess cult proclaimed the female as a divine representative of earth. They conspired to conceal the male’s role in the paternity of children from the male. They proclaimed that a child was not born from union of man and woman. The child was born from woman and the divine. The Gods impregnating woman. Men had nothing to do with it. This is whole other rabbit hole to go down.)

The archetype of the Virgin is deeply embedded in the consciousness of humanity. The Virgin gives birth to the Sun by precession of the equinoxes. However the planet Venus in Virgo is considered in fall. It does not sit comfortably in Virgo. That does not mean people with Venus in Virgo are doomed. There are great positives when planets do not sit well in signs. In my opinion if you are doing your inner homework this is part of ones souls growth. The planet Venus in astrology generally will show how one expresses affection, feels appreciated, gives and values of self. It can show how we express our sexuality. Venus in Virgo expresses affection modestly, helpfully and timidly. They can be quite methodical and cautious in their approach to relationships. Venus in Virgo will find pleasure in precise attention to details and analytical mental activity. Many with Venus in this placement can literally be a Virgin or have very low self esteem when it comes to their own sexuality. They can also go for long periods of time without a partner. There is a mysterious blend of the scared and profane sexuality when it comes to Venus. In the sign of Virgo she definitely is the sacred, but what kind of sacred are we talking about? The ancient Goddesses were anything but pure in the sexual sense. The ancient Virgin Goddesses were harlots. They gave their bodies freely but they could not be bought. The word Virgo means unmarried, possessed only by self and it is this kind of purity the sign of Virgo is concerned. The inner quality of integrity and psychic hygiene.

The sign Venus is in your chart will colour your anima image. The anima is the image of the feminine we carry within. Generally both men and women need to live out and be in touch with and live out their Venus sign in order to feel worthy, complete and attractive as an authentic being.