Venus reminds us that love is about two things— giving and receiving. Being an emblem of the Divine Feminine, Venus challenges us to become empowered receivers of love. Intimacy is natural, and we do not need to earn it or justify it in order to receive it. With the help of a Venus shrine, you can align with your femininity and clarify your intentions for love. This ritual is an ideal way to rejuvenate yourself after Valentine’s Day and other sentimental gatherings.
Venus is far more than the Goddess of love, she also represents aesthetics, beauty, sensuality, and pleasure. Venus reminds us that glamour is not superficial; beauty rituals build confidence and acknowledge our value. In tandem with seeing your worth, Venus will dare you to indulge in your desires and leave shame behind. After all, without sex, no one would be here, so there is nothing shameful about sexual pleasure.
If you’d like to feel empowered in your sensual nature or recharged in your ability to receive love, it’s time to get your shrine on.
The first step in this process is choosing an object that contains emotional value. This can be a picture of yourself if you’d like to set new intentions for self-love. It can also be a photo of a lover, family member, friend, or loved one who is no longer with you. If you do not have a photo, find an object that reminds you of the love you want to feel. This sacred object will be a conduit, representing what you intend to release from your life and what you desire to receive going forward.
Once your object is ready, it’s time to create your Venus Shrine. But Venus is a very particular Goddess. Like any magnetic femme, she has her preferences and expects to receive them. Decorate your altar in greens, whites, and sequences of six (Venus’s number). This can look like lighting six white candles over an emerald cloth or setting six pennies (Venus adores copper) over a satin fabric. Adding plants, sacred gemstones, and crystals is another elegant touch. Venus is especially partial to jade and rose quartz, as they symbolize luck and love, which she is abundant in. If you already own The Heart – Original or The Indian Jade – Original Chakrub, adding them to your shrine is a profound way to evoke Venus’ sensual nature.
The final touch to a Venus Shrine is the mirror. Venus challenges us to indulge in the reflection of our natural beauty. You were given one body and one face, so why not love them? Venus reminds us that accepting and loving our body helps us enjoy sexual pleasure and gives us the confidence to advocate for our needs. If you really want to make Venus smile, you can also add silks, expensive household knick knacks, and jewelry; just be sure that the colors white and green are prominent.
Have fun with this! Venus loves luxury and demands that we prioritize luxury in our lives (whatever your definition of luxury is). Accepting our beauty and surrounding ourselves with elegant belongings is a way to practice receiving.
Once your shrine is complete, it is time to create your offering. Offerings to Venus should include flowers, fresh fruit (I recommend citrus for anyone with kids or animals), and floral fragrances. These can come from scented candles, a diffuser, or incense. With your sacred object and your offering in hand, it’s time to release what no longer serves you so Venus can help you receive what you genuinely desire.
As you lay your object and offering on the shrine, describe what no longer serves you and explain to Venus what your object represents. This can be written in a journal, but at some point be sure to read your words out loud. Verbalization is a method of release. As you speak, notice what themes continue to come up and write down these keywords. For example, if you feel like your voice is not acknowledged enough you can write: “Communication” “Not listened to” “I’m afraid to speak up”. When you feel like you’ve captured what you are trying to release, close your eyes and verbally release these feelings from your body. “I release feeling like I am not listened to, I release feeling scared to communicate.” It’s most impactful to focus on one or two emotional themes only, don’t release everything all in one sitting.
When you are finished releasing, drink water. This is important. Various studies in psychology have shown that humans can experience mild dehydration when they release emotion. Honor your body by keeping it hydrated throughout the ritual.
Now that you’ve released, it’s time to receive, which can be the hardest part of experiencing love. Take a moment to center yourself. Name the objects on your shrine. Look at your beautiful face in the mirror. Take six deep breaths. While you look at the beauty you have curated, explain to Venus what you would like to receive this year. Like before, recognize the patterns in your language and write down the keywords that keep coming up. We will be using these themes to make an intention, but unlike mainstream manifestation exercises where you declare your desires in “I am” statements, we are going to start every phrase with the words “I feel.”
Venus, as a divinely feminine creature, respects us when we are empowered by our emotional intelligence. When we create “I feel” statements we are opening our hearts and trusting the source of universal power to provide. Receiving is a feminized method of manifestation. An “I am” statement, on the other hand, is a dominant declaration that uses masculine energy to manifest our wants or needs. “I am” statements are great when we want to attain an external advancement in our lives, like a new home or a promotion. Since we are empowering our capacity to love, an internal phenomenon, it’s beneficial to use feminine, receptive energy. “I feel” statements remind us that instinct is a superpower and Venus wants us to trust our gut.
Focus on one or two “I feel” statements, just like we did when we released what no longer serves us. If you’ve released the fear of speaking up, try framing your statements like so, “I feel brave” “I feel communicative”. Make them simple and direct, this will help you get to the heart of what you want to transform in your emotional life. If you lack conviction at first, you’re on the right track, this is why we’ve created the shrine. You are not alone, Venus is with you and she radiates confidence. Take six breathes and focus on the belief she has for you. As you speak your intention, channel Venus’ receptive energy. Everyone has feminine energy that balances their masculine tendencies, which means that you are designed to receive what you need, love, and desire.
When you are finished declaring what you would like to receive, leave the shrine as it is for 24 hours. This lets the power of Venus root in your home and linger for 6, 12, or 18 days after the ritual (these numbers are multiples of 6). Once 24 hours have passed, sage your shrine as you repeat “I release what no longer serves me. I feel
Channeling Venus before, during, or after sentimental events is an empowering practice that can lead to spiritual breakthroughs in your personal life. Venus Shrine rituals recharge our ability to love ourselves, believe in our dreams, and welcome love from all of our relationships. Venus knows something you don’t, that you already have everything you need to transform to the next level in your life. Trust her confidence in you and remember, Venus respects herself, and in doing so, she defends her desires. She wants nothing more than to pass on that confidence onto you.