Venus, women and femininity

Beauty is a characteristic of Venus – creating beauty, engaging with beauty and relishing beauty through any of the senses. Venus is like a glass which reflects and translates transcendental beauty into this world and allows us to experience it. However with the growth of modern feminist movements, Venusian qualities are being demonised and we are being fed this idea that to be free as women we must embody the more solar and martian qualities which are associated with masculine energy. In the Brihat Jatakam section on grahas (planets), we read that Venus and Moon are considered female planets whereas Mars and Sun are male planets. So by having some understanding of the planets and their qualities, we can see how the connection of women with beauty, pleasure, emotional intelligence and nurturing, which are venusian & lunar qualities, is not a social construct but is deeply rooted in subtle and spiritual science. This manifests in the physical world in the way women decorate their bodies to make themselves more attractive; and this is no necessarily to attract men but is a natural part of their constitutions as embodiment of feminine energy (Venus). Many people in our modern society see these intrinsic feminine qualities as “sinful” (consciously or unconsciously) and some even believe that beauty should not be celebrated but shamed, or envied. In the Vedas we find many descriptions of women decorating themselves with ornaments, makeup and luxurious garments. There the female is celebrated – not shamed – for her beauty and it is part of her dharma to beautify the world with her presence. She is the inspiration for the man, the one who makes him move, dance, and reach great heights. Such is the power of femininity. Sakti, the supreme Goddess, is the reason that Visnu wakes up and is able to create and maintain His creation. So the woman is made in her image and therefore carries a similar role in this realm.

It is not Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, who create, maintain and destroy, but their Shaktis, Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Rudrani. Their husbands are but as dead bodies.

Kubjikā Tantra

Beauty itself is feminine, whether it manifests through art, nature, music, women or even men; and beauty is necessary to maintain balance in the world. Just as a world which neglects masculine energy would be out of balance, a world which neglects and demonises feminine energy is completely out of balance. (I won't get much into this now but even in the Vedas we see how the Supreme male cannot be separated from His feminine shakti. This isn't just seen with Krsna and Radha but also with Visnu and Laxmi, Shiva and Parvati, Brahma and Saraswati etc). To separate femininity from feminism is incongruous. Because women are embodiments of venusian energy, there is nothing immoral about their exploring and exposing their own beauty. Modern feminist movements are erasing these innate venusian qualities of the woman by turning her into a more martian being, trying to imitate men and neglecting her feminine power and the qualities she embodies. There is this prevailing idea that only by becoming more masculine will a woman gain more power, and if she decides to embrace her femininity she is seen as inferior. Another example which is connected to the lunar aspect of femininity is the fact that if a woman wants to prioritise motherhood (Moon) instead of her career, she will be criticised by society, and especially by other women. The Moon's subtlety doesn't give her less importance than the Sun, as both are necessary for the smooth running of universal affairs. In the Shalya Parva section of the Mahabharata, it is clearly indicated that without Soma (the Moon), herbs and creepers fail to grow which leads to the decay of the living creatures who depend on them. (“In consequence of [the Moon god's] wasting, O Lord of the celestials, all creatures also are wasting! Creepers and herbs of diverse kinds are also wasting! In their waste we ourselves [demigods] also are suffering emaciation! Without us, what will this universe be? Knowing this, O master of the universe, it behoveth thee to be gratified (with Soma)!”). So just as the universe needs both the sun and the mood for its proper functioning, we also need both feminine and masculine energies to work together and create balance and harmony in the world.

The Birth of Venus - William-Adolphe Bouguereau