The Venus Cards in the Tarot

The journey through our solar system continues from the Mercury cards to the Venus cards in the Tarot.

Here, you'll discover which tarot cards are linked to Venus and how this planet's energy can influence and enhance the meaning of each card.

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

No wonder it has been linked primarily to the Empress, who encompasses the typical Venus characteristics of love, nurture, affection, passion, indulgence and beauty.

The astrological glyph for Venus is depicted on the heart-shaped shield, and her flowery symbol is the rose (red, pink and white).

Learn more about Venus in her role of Roman goddess, and you'll gain a deeper understanding of the Empress.

Venus in astrology is ruler of Taurus and Libra, so we can see a connection to the Hierophant (Taurus) and Justice (Libra).

Some Venus aspects of the Hierophant are those of security, stability and aeasthetics.

Venus loves to be part of a family, a collective, surrounded by people who adore her, which is reflected in the pope-like figure of the Hierophant. 

There is little room for change as symbolised by the stone pillars and dominant figure preaching to his acolytes.

There is also a sense of vanity and arrogance surrounding the Hierophant - elaborate robes and rituals together with grandeur interiors (e.g. cathedrals) can be signs of guru-syndrome.

However, the Hierophant's positive connection to Venus lies in his association with community, and the love, care, and support it provides to its members.

As a ruler of Libra, Venus's energy is also reflected in Justice. Her diplomatic abilities are mainly based on female charm, such as seduction and allure, which are meant to temper her masculine counterpart Mars, God of War (The Tower).

So, Libra reflects Venus's drive to create harmony and balance, especially in relationships and at home.

Interpreting Justice with Venus in mind, consider making decisions based on feminine strengths and characteristics, especially when trying to alleviate disarray or damage caused by masculine traits.

How is Venus reflected in the pip cards? Here are some suggestions:

Four of Wands (Venus in Aries)

The RWS-based image depicts a couple celebrating under a flower canopy. There is celebration, joy, love and a sense of achievement.

Venus heralds good fortunes, which are reflected in this card. So far things have run smoothly, and all is set to continue this way.

More examples: turning a house into a home, a winning partnership, creative / artistic achievement

Two of Cups (Venus in Cancer)

Attraction, desire, confidence, harmony, cooperation, partnership, trust, emotional balance

Seven of Cups (Venus in Scorpio)

Desire of many things, especially those that give pleasure; creative imagination; flights of fancy; pursuit of beauty; artistic ambitions

In Roman mythology Venus also embodied victory and prosperity, traits which are embedded in the Five of Swords and Nine of Pentacles.

Even though the victory of the Five of Swords (Venus in Aquarius) seems hollow or indicates a lose-lose situation, the Venus energy offers a sense of benevolence and goodwill. Something good can emerge from this scenario despite despair or pessimism.

This card also shows how badly love can go wrong: love turned sour; a nasty break-up; control issues within a relationship; abuse; lack of empathy; the upper hand.

Nine of Pentacles (Venus in Virgo)

Luxury, beautiful surroundings, enjoying the riches of life, security, self-reliance, self-care, nurturing and bonding with animals / pets.

Exercise:

Take all the cards linked to Venus from your deck and explore the connections and similarities.

You can use the journaling sheets I have created by downloading them from my Ko-fi page.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

The Mercury Cards in the Tarot

Building on our exploration of the sun cards, we're now delving into Mercury in the Tarot and examining how this planet influences the cards it is associated with.

As God's Messenger, Mercury is linked to communication, reason and self-awareness.

Other areas of influence are languages, travel, transport, logic and intellect.

In the Tarot, Mercury is linked directly to the Magician, and it may seem obvious why.

It is the Magician, who symbolises the power of communication, presenting ideas, arguing a cause, making a winning sales pitch and so on.

The Magician creates Magick with words, including spells, mantras and affirmations. He is influential but can also be manipulating.

Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo; therefore there is some indirect influence on The Lovers and The Hermit.

The pip cards Mercury is linked to are:

• Eight of Wands (Mercury in Sagittarius)
• Three of Cups (Mercury in Cancer)
• Five of Pentacles (Mercury in Taurus)
• Ten of Pentacles (Mercury in Virgo)
• Six of Swords (Mercury in Aquarius)

How is Mercury's energy reflected in these cards?

Here are some suggestions:

Eight of Wands - movement, travel, quick thinking, living life in the fast lane, seizing an unexpected opportunity, taking a calculated risk, gaming, travel by air

Three of Cups - communication (social), travelling in a group, building friendships, bonding (also at work), witty conversations, social networking, internet dating

Five of Pentacles - Asking for help, trying to make sense of a negative situation, bad news, mental overwhelm / meltdown, travel delays, being stranded, lost for words, looking for inspiration, learning difficulties

Ten of Pentacles - good organisational skills, nurturing a network of friends/ family / support, being established as an influencer / speaker / advisor, clever with money and long-term investments

Six of Swords - Travel, a new direction will bring clarity, a decision to leave something behind is based on reason and knowledge, fickleness, travel by sea

If you are reading reversed cards, consider thinking Mercury retrograde, when these cards show up upside down.

And if a Mercury retrograde is actually taking place while these cards come up in a reading, you can also take that into account.

Here's an interesting exercise you can do: 

Pick out all the Mercury cards from your deck. Which of the pip cards would you assign to which Major Arcana card?

You can look out for visual clues but also take similar meanings into account.

For example, I see the Six of Swords linked to The Hermit and the Three of Cups with The Lovers.

But it is perfectly fine, if you have different ideas. How do you see the Mercury cards connected with each other?

For this exercise I have created journal sheets, which you can download from my Ko-fi page.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

The Sun Cards in the Tarot

The planets are linked to Major and Minor Arcana cards in the Tarot.

A while ago, I looked at the moon cards in the Tarot and noticed some interesting visual connections

Here are some of my observations of the sun cards in the Tarot.

The best deck to use for this exercise is the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) Tarot.

On a visual level, we can see a connection between Strength and the Six of Cups. There is interaction between the two main figures.

I also see a link between Strength and the Four of Pentacles. The woman and man are holding on to something.

And yes, The Sun and Strength both depict people with animals.

I leave you to explore more visual similarities and what they could mean.

What additional interpretations does the sun as a planet add to each card it corresponds with?

Here are some suggestions:

The Sun - primary link with the sun, which in astrology represents the ego, life force and creativity. Additional interpretations therefore could be confidence, extroversion, selfishness, survival instinct, hedonism.

Strength - linked to the zodiac sign Leo, which is ruled by the sun. Strong physical energy, vitality, health and resilience.

Ten of Swords - Here, the sun represents a new beginning, new life, new opportunity, birth, resilience, survivor spirit, looking at the bright side, blessing.

Three of Wands - optimism, focus, alert, enthusiastic, adventure spirit, creative drive, ambition.

Six of Cups - contentment, benevolence, joy, nurture.

Eight of Pentacles - job satisfaction, vocation, workaholic, creative energy

Four of Pentacles - selfishness, self-protection, possessiveness

If you would like to learn step-by-step more about astrology and how to apply it in your Tarot work, then check out my Tarot Astrology self-study course, where you can download the complete planet exercise together with some funky journaling sheets.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started. Dive into the cards and see what else you can discover that relates to the sun—additional interpretations or visual connections.

Remember, the sun adds the element Fire to each card.

If you're eager to learn more about astrology and how to apply it in your Tarot work, check out my Starlight Tarot Astrology self-study course. 

You can download a FREE funky planet exercise on my Ko-fi page.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane 🦄