Book Review: Venus Signs by Jessica Shepherd

Venus Signs: Discover Your Erotic Gifts and Secret Desires Through Astrology

Jessica Shepherd

$16.99, Llewellyn

ISBN 978-0-7387-4194-9

Venus is an incredibly important astrological planet, so when the opportunity came along to review Venus Signs, I jumped at the chance and I’m really glad I did. (For the record, I’m listening to Holst’s “Venus: The Bringer of Peace” portion of his suite, “The Planets”, as I write this review.)

Astrology books have to walk a fine line, because while many of us know something about our Sun signs, many of us are unaware of where Venus is in our astrological chart. (If you don’t know, this book will tell you, so no worries there; just take a look at Appendix 2.)

Before Shepherd gets started with the Venus signs, however, she gives a great overview of what your Venus sign describes. As a professional astrologer, I found it to be excellent. Overall, it’s about attraction and connection to other people.

Shepherd briefly mentions if your Venus is retrograde in your natal chart and what that could mean, which is important to at least be cognizant of. She also admits that Venus’ position by house and its aspects—connections—to other planets in the chart can affect how Venus behaves. Even though this is a beginner astrology book, I’m glad she mentioned it anyway.

The meat of this book is about your Venus sign and its attributes. It includes a look at the element your Venus sign is in as well as a mantra for each sign and various “love charms”, or the areas where each particular Venus sign excels.

The title of my chapter, “Venus in Scorpio”, has a great quote by Venus in Scorpio Jodie Foster: “Love people and stay beside them.” Ms. Foster was chosen as the “love goddess” for my chapter, and it’s perfectly appropriate. I thought the information Shepherd provided was very on point and described me well, even the “shadowy” parts. I think my favorite statement was, “If it is off-color or taboo, you delight in it.” Guilty as charged!

Warning: Venus is the planet of love, but Venus in each sign has a dark side. Venus in Scorpio’s may be bigger than most thanks to our two planetary rulers, Mars and Pluto. (And thank you, Ms. Shepherd, for also including Mars as a Scorpio co-ruler!) Be prepared for an ego hit or two as you read through your description. I know I winced once or twice; that part about “being obsessed with a partner or unforgiving” also was very accurate.

I liked at the very end where the author included a quick summary of the “good witch/bad witch” of each individual Venus sign. If you don’t have time to look through the entire book for some quick summary information, check out Appendix 1. This is perfect if you happen to know where someone’s Venus is and you’re walking out the door on a first date, for example.

In short, if you’re looking for a basic primer on the “lesser benefic” of the astrological planets, the great Lady Venus, this is an excellent one to select.