In traditional astrology, Venus (or Aphrodite, her Greek name) is the planet of love. A source of universal attraction, this planet corresponds to the original urge which bonds two human beings together in love. Venus is thus both the magnetism which brings human beings together (not lust, which is symbolized by Mars, but the object which attracts lust) and the gift of love. This ambiguity is interpreted astrologically by the fact that Venus rules two houses of the zodiac. In Taurus, Venus symbolizes the awakening to bodily lust, and in Libra, the bond of marriage. As a result, Venus may take on very different aspects depending on the individual’s degree of awareness. Likewise, this ambiguity explains Aphrodite’s equivocal conduct in Greek myth and her innumerable couplings and motherhood. Depending on the legend, she may embody brutal, passionate love (with Anteros), the wisdom of the heart which rescues from passion (Harmonia); she also becomes tenderness and purity (with Adonis), pure sexuality (with Eros), a transforming energy (with Vulcan), etc. Mistress of the Arts, she represents beauty, understanding, and peace. Psychologically, individuals under the influence of Venus are struggling with their love instincts. This is why you cannot conceive of living without a personal emotional relationship to someone else and sometimes fears solitude and the encounter with yourself. You are extremely attractive to others and are a creator and artistic genius who seems to imbue all you touch with beauty and harmony. Your artistic skills are obvious to the people around you and may be applied to career endeavors. Pleasure, outings, seduction, love, and a thriving but sometimes superficial social life are the hallmarks of your life.

In astrology, Mars is the god of war. It is associated with the element fire, the color red, and the taste of bitterness. It is also considered the elder brother in the cosmic family. Mars typically symbolizes aggressive, domineering, masculine behavior. It is also associated with rage, its resultant brutality, and male destructiveness and domination. Psychologically, Mars figures in any situation of conflict, opposition, and confrontation. Individuals who are greatly influenced by Mars are typically direct and straightforward–either unabashedly extroverted or furiously introverted. They are extremely active and extremely emotive. Their purpose in life seems to be inextricably mingled with a combat against an unacceptable situation, a challenge which they either issue or are forced to accept.

Bryce Vine is a messenger of the gods. He carries orders from Olympus to the mortals on Earth. The child of the illegitimate union of Zeus with Maia, Mercury was born “unknown to the immortal gods” and had to win his place among them by trickery, cleverness, and cunning. This is why he became the vagabond deity of travelers and wanderers. He is the instinctive foe of the settled who see him as an outcast roaming on the outskirts of society: a pariah, a thief, and a swindler. As ruler of the sign of Gemini, the Twins, he symbolizes the brother—the alter-ego who teaches us as much as we teach him and is associated with adolescence, a period of intense intellectual discovery. Mercury thus symbolizes lively, sparkling wit, mobility in any form, mental exchange, and interaction. As a result, a person strongly ruled by Mercury is quite likely to be clever and skillful. If Mercury is “afflicted” in one’s chart, their intellectual velocity may sometimes become mere mental hyperactivity. In any case, these skills are a great resource in the social realm.

The tenth house is an area of the sky which is especially important in your theme, because it contains several planets, including the one which rules your rising sign.

The North Node, the gateway into the tenth house, corresponds to the vertical line connecting the zenith to the nadir. The North Node can be opposed to its partner, the South Node, the lowest point on the map of the sky.

As the highest point, it symbolizes your elevation, your social position. You are sure to derive some power from your social eminence, such as money, prestige, or privilege, but you also have duties to fulfill. When this area is the site of significant activity, it does not mean that you will automatically have a high social eminence. It means that you will invest a great deal of energy in acquiring a form of social power. Because the energy is somewhat vague, you will have to become aware of the various desires, needs, and ideals which are motivating and inspiring you. As a result, you will probably become conscious of how closely your social destiny is linked to your family’s reputation. Indeed, all you can give society is what you have managed to make of yourself from the raw material you received from your background.

When the tenth house is especially significant, it means that the use of power deriving from social rank is problematic for you. Your attitude toward both accomplishment and failure may be somewhat obtuse. As a result, you should always be asking yourself why you aspire to a certain career or profession, what your learning is worth, what meaning you want to give your relationship with society, what you are ready to give of yourself, and what you want from society in exchange.

The seventh house is an area of the sky which is especially important to Bryce Vine. In the following paragraph, we shall explain the general meaning of this fact.

According to astrological tradition, the seventh house is related to marriage, contracts, social life, and worldly matters. It can be read for indications about a future marriage partner (the first), and business partners, your “objective allies” as well as your enemies. Diametrically opposed to the Ascendant, the Descendant (the doorway into the seventh house) symbolizes everything that complements you or opposes you. This house thus represents the encounter with the other world, the non-ego.

By extension, it embodies all the experiences which result from this encounter: interpersonal relationships, partnerships, marriage, rivalry, contracts, and conflicts, etc. When this area is especially significant, it indicates that a great deal of your energy will be invested in the domain of relationships. Bonds, contracts, partnerships, and perhaps the disputes and conflicts which may arise from them will be prominent aspects of your success. However, you will evolve fastest and learn most from friendships and partnerships. You will have to learn to be objective. Your goal will be to master the interdependency of your relationships, and go beyond a tender and dutiful reciprocity to a truly beneficial mutual exchange and sharing. By making a distinction between love (the fifth house) and marriage (the seventh house), traditional astrology shows us the difference between the projection of narcissistic self-love (simple self-expression) and the objective encounter with the other on a truly egalitarian basis.

Bryce Vine reads the description of the fourth house and finds it interesting.