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The energy of the Planets influences our everyday lives. That said, it’s what we do with this energy that truly matters. Each of the Planets exerts its most powerful energy over the Sign it rules. This is also referred to as the Sign of its dignity. There is a second Sign with which each Planet interacts well, known as the Sign of its exaltation.

Directly opposite each Planet’s Sign of dignity is the Sign of detriment; this Planet’s energy is generally unfavorable. Opposite the Sign of exaltation is the Sign of fall; these Planets exhibit a weakened energy. A Planet in its natural House (such as Mars in Aries) is accidentally dignified and strengthened as a result. Perhaps the most important Planet of all is the one that rules the Ascendant. For example, those with Virgo on the Ascendant will find that Mercury, as the ruler of Virgo, exerts a considerable influence over their chart.
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The movement of the Planets is categorized as stationary, direct or retrograde. A stationary Planet (which will soon be direct or retrograde) brings with it highly-focused and significant energy. Direct Planets also exert considerable influence. It is the retrograde Planets which serve to mix things up. By appearing to move backward, these Planets generate a diffused and unfocused energy. The message of retrograde Planets will be garbled and less effective as a result.

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Venus: Planet of Love and Money

Venus is all about pleasure, especially pleasure shared with someone else. This Planet concerns itself with love, romance and harmony in our emotional attachments, marriages, friendships and other unions (like business partnerships). Venus is content to spread happiness and tenderness, all the while
teaching us how to love and appreciate others and the things that we possess.
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We appear attractive — and we attract others — thanks to Venus’s energy. Socializing with and relating to others are important to this Planet.
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Beauty is also strongly associated with Venus. The arts (music, dance, drama and literature, to name a few) and a sense of the aesthetic fall within the ream of Venus. Venus beseeches us to indulge our senses and revel in the beauty of our world. This Planet is inextricably linked to refinement, culture, charm and grace.
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Venus also deals with the pleasure we derive from our possessions. Luxuries (jewelry, paintings, expensive cars), good food and drink, a beautiful home and a sense of refinement all please Venus’s interests. This Planet asks us to appreciate the exquisite nature of things. It’s a sensual — though not
necessarily sexual — world as far as Venus is concerned.
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Venus takes 225 days to complete its orbit of the zodiac; it is never more than 47 degrees from the Sun. It is a feminine energy and rules both Taurus and Libra and the Second and Seventh Houses.
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