VENUS in SCORPIO, FOREVER SMOULDERING

Image: Mark Arbeit

People we need to talk about the hotness that is Venus lingering in Scorpio from Sept 10th-Jan 7th! To put this into perspective, Venus generally spends only one month at a time in each sign as she travels around the zodiac, so to spend 4 whole months in one sign means she means business! And what a sexy part of the zodiac it is to drill down on our love, romance, beauty, style, creative and moneymaking potential for the rest of the year:

Because Venus, the queen of heaven and one of our most powerful archetypes of female potency LOVES being in Scorpio-it's her annual chance to get down and dirty and pursue her own pleasures on her own terms, and could give a fuq if anyone else approves of her intense sexuality, fierce lust for life and unique creative voice (even when it's oh so controversial) or not. She is genuinely mysterious, impossibly enigmatic, deeply opinionated about the things that matter, ridiculously romantically passionate when in love, as wildly promiscuous or strictly untouchable as she goddamn feels like it when single, hawt on her own terms and really doesn't care who knows it... so to the extent we resonate with any of these qualities, so are we right now. How fabulous!

And ok it's not always easy. A friend of mine quipped that there should be an actual support group for people with this placement natally, it can be tricky (and as a card-carrying Venus in Scorp I can relate). Venus is traditionally said to be in her 'detriment' in Scorpio; presumably because the sheer, obsessive intensity/wilfulness/hungry appetites and how to control them of the Scorpio desire nature can be a bit much to deal with. And the temptation to sabotage our relationships with contrary moods just to prove a point, inability to compromise and jealous attitude can be a problem here for sure. And a great chance to address and work with any of these tendencies within ourselves coming up- because once we've nailed the self mastery of this energy we have such personal integrity, spunky confidence and sexy devotion in our connections-it's so worth taking the high road right now.

Also because the raw authenticity, primal allure, fuq off respect-my-privacy empowerment and mystique of Scorpio Venus challenges any conditioning to see the feminine principle in simplistic, pleasing terms. She refuses to choose between being 'nice' and palatable vs transgressive, difficult bitch-her power lies in being all of it all at once in full authenticity, as much as she possibly can.

LOVE & ROMANCE

Look, Venus aint so much interested in nice, simple, straightforward relating just for the sake of romantic harmony here. Scorpio sees every love situation as some kind of tango, and expects to feel it with as much smouldering intensity as possible-anything less is frankly too boring to contemplate.

Scorpio craves the deepest passion, scary vulnerable intimacy, sexual fireworks, hypnotic seduction, utter devotion, transcendent soulmating bliss-the works! And there are lots of potential highs and lows here, obviously.

There can be a tendency to come on too strong and ask too much of our lovers-not least with terrifying, territorial possessiveness/jealousy that we don't realise can be suffocating; I mean we would take it as a compliment if they responded the same way right? Or an icy aloofness that says "come on, prove you're worth it before I even think about responding". Which scares off all but the most hot-blooded contenders-yes great for quality control but still, can kybosh certain delicate, promising connections with unnecessary headfuq/fear of rejection etc before they've even started? And just a general predilection for drama that can frankly be a bit exhausting. Especially a tendency to choose barely functional scenarios just because romantic thrills -self sabotage much? So yeah, there's some pitfalls to watch out for...

But the rewards of Scorpio loving can be equally brilliant: Mainly that we really, truly mean it! Whether it's true love, solid commitment, sheer lust just for kicks or making eyes at someone to suss out the chemistry-we're in it 100% and giving it our full attention. Even the most fleeting moments/crushes/affairs etc are imbued with meaning, or at least a memorable experience to inspire our sense of magical romantic possibility-and keep our hungry hearts open to the next big thing.

Because in so many ways the power here is for the deeply enduring relationships that stand the test of time. Scorp Venus is so committed and honestly willing to do the work; deal with our lover's shadow issues (because by god we understand them), persevere through the tough times and relish the good times to bond with the most gutsy authenticity, fierce loyalty and emotional backbone. This could be the season to earn a beautiful, lasting love with someone special, don't you know? Maybe we are renewing the unbreakable bond in our current relationship, or maybe destiny is calling in someone worthy of our future devotion in the next 4 months?

Especially with Venus in aspect to her lover, Mars, on and off for pretty much the whole time she is in Scorpio. Yep, the rest of 2018 is mating season big time! (And if love aint your thing, fear not; Scorpio also loves the fierce independence of strutting her sexy self around the world, without having to be answerable to anyone in particular-so liberating).

BEAUTY & STYLE

Image: Vanessa Paradis

In Scorpio our look is dramatic but not flashy- we want to make an impression with as much mysterious allure as possible. The dark and brooding vibe here can be a bit gothy, gangster chic or an amazing vintage piece from a bygone era to express our mood, or a classic palette of black/charcoal tones-perhaps the little black dress that says it all?

And to be honest the Scorpio style often comes down to basic sex appeal-we're kind of dressing to seduce right now! Perhaps something just body-con enough to make us wriggle when we walk. Perhaps something kinda modest, but with just a tiny hint of flesh to keep em guessing about what lies beneath -which is obviously quality, well designed lingerie -or maybe nothing?

And a smouldering smoky eye is always a winner-scorpio loves a tonne of eyeliner, or perhaps a darker, more dramatic lip colour. Or a uniquely beautiful, talismanic piece of jewellery with which you personally resonate and makes you feel magically empowered.

And a pheromone enhancing, hypnotically rich floral scent which wafts behind you- leaving people looking around in a perplexed state of arousal, evoking dreamy gardenia, jasmine & nocturnal blossoms of desire.

it's all about a spunky, intriguing attitude that knocks em dead-but leaves a little something to the imagination...

VENUS IN SCORPIO LOOKBOOK

Image: Paolo Roversi

Image: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

Image: the wonderful Hannah Lemholt

Image: Hemut Newton

Image: unable to find original source for this picture

CAREER, CREATIVITY & MONEY

Image: Alexandra Tomlinson by Jacques Olivar for Marie Claire Italia

Well let's face it, Scorpio loves a bit of coin-and has a natural affinity with making it and spending it wisely. So whatever our career goals are right now they're bound to be lucrative little money spinners right?

Our biz savvy is so on point. Whether we are negotiating a more advantageous scenario with our employer or calling in more clients/customers/optimising the profitability of our latest scheme-we're so onto it. Especially with lucky Jupiter also in Scorp we're thinking big and truly believe in our full, abundant earning potential and ready to thrive big time...

Great for those of us already doing well and looking to capitalise on our success -we're nothing if not next-level ambitious right now! But also beautifully timely for those of us hustling to get ahead and need to pull it off on minimal funds - Scorpio can pinch a penny sideways and come out on top through sheer self belief and fiercely disciplined financial management. Budget much? Yes we can, and we've got the rest of the year to finesse the plan and prepare to rake in the rewards of all this hard work.

Also, we really get any power dynamics going on in our professional lives right now and see straight through them. We handle any control freaky manipulation coming at us wth smooth alacrity- we either avoid it entirely or, if we're gonna play work politics we have the cool head and strategic nous to be damn good at it! Which sure beats the hell out of any temptation to engage in skanky, underhand behaviour that will only come back to haunt us later -know what I mean? Lol-and with Scorpio involved we might want to watch out for those simmering office crushes/workplace attractions -they can get out of hand fast!

Image: Lena Hoschek by Lupispuma

Meanwhile, we are also driven by a passion for what we do-and to it at the highest level of professional integrity. As much as we can make a good living doing something that offers genuine job satisfaction and emotional meaning-we are so happy to soldier on. And those of us immersed in our creative process are turned on by speaking our truth- no matter how controversial-to make genuinely challenging art in the world, which is bound to be rewarding for the sheer joy of authentic self-expression, right?

Happy Venus in Scorpio, folks. It's sexy, disciplined, fierce, luscious and sticking around for ages-let's embrace it x

Image: Beto Hektor