Venus

Culture: Ancient Roman   Domain: Love, beauty, desire, and, notably, ancestral legitimacy

Venus parallels Aphrodite but carried unusual political weight in Rome: Julius Caesar's family claimed descent from her through her son Aeneas, legendary founder of the Roman line, making her a goddess of dynastic legitimacy as well as of love and beauty.

Associations

Love, beauty, desire, ancestral lineage, generative and creative power.

Ways people honor her (modern)

• Practice self-love and confidence as devotional acts
• Reflect on your own lineage and ancestry with appreciation
• Keep roses or a mirror on the altar
• Read the opening of Virgil's Aeneid, which invokes her as an ancestral goddess

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.