Embodying the Feminine with Temple of Venus

A new resolution

 

I have felt a kinship to the energies of Venus for some time now, and every morning in my meditation I will acknowledge this presence in my life. Venus reaches us in many forms from her Greek identity as Aphrodite, to the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. In essence when you honor the energy of Venus, you are evoking the feminine, the fertile, the creative forces, beauty, compassion, and love.

I was so elated to discover the lovely Elyssa Jakim who has a site called The Temple of Venus.  I have asked her to write a series of articles to get us better acquainted with Venus energy. I feel right now more than ever we need to cherish these aspects in our fragile world.

 

 

 

New Resolution: Embodying your divinity with the help of Venus

As we approach mid-January, it seems an apt time to reflect upon our New Years resolutions. For many of us, the word “resolution,” said aloud annually since we were children, is fixed with this time of year—it is a word that belongs to January. And since many things from childhood request reframing, it may be valuable to reexamine this concept. “Resolution” means “strong will.” It can be a “decision.” We “resolve” to do something and do not waver—until the resolution is broken. This genre of resolution feels like a rule or a list of rules to follow in order to be successful. But to have “resolution” also means to have a quality of “boldness,” “courage,” “heart” “spirit” and “intention.” A resolution, then, isn’t an item for a list. It is an attitude of zest.

The goddess Venus helps us to create this different kind of resolution. Venus is the ancient Roman goddess of love, sex, fertility, abundance, harvest, and their related realms. She is a representation of the divine feminine within all of us, who conjures up images of golden divinity birthed from the sea, swathed in pearl and pink, glowing with incandescence. She generates imaginings of unadulterated sensuality, beauty, openness, and sweetness. She is the essence of a rose itself. We can look to Venus, effortlessly connected to her “boldness,” “courage,” “heart” “spirit” and “intention,” to strengthen these qualities within ourselves and live them each moment.

Many of us are overstrung and overcommitted. We are balancing the needs of others: family, friends, children, and coworkers. The women of the world in particular are traditionally givers and nurturers, although receiving is intrinsically tied to the feminine. A Venus-approved self-love practice for the New Year counterbalances this outward energy. Go inward and you will feel more present, full, alive, and ready to help with grace rather than grunting with overextension. Celebrate what is within you and the fabric of life itself, Venus nudges, and you will live like a goddess.

One way to begin this practice is to identify what it is to be content. Is there a rich experience that you’ve been yearning to give yourself that you haven’t for one reason or another? Close your eyes and sense what that longing is. Ask your heart what would make her glow. Let it be something that does not require another to fulfill this desire (an experience rather than a lover, for example). The answer can be something big or small: a Reiki treatment and a massage, a bath in rose petals and lilac, fifteen minutes a day just to be with you. Fulfill this desire as soon as possible. Do it now. The key is to offer yourself something you would not normally for fear there is not enough time, space, or abundance for you. There always is. Give yourself permission to shed light on what courage with gusto and joy mean to you. Taking action will only bring more passion and bounty into your life.

Another way to embody your divinity is to luxuriate. Goddess Venus champions luxuriating, perhaps because the roots of this word mean “grown in abundance,” and Venus is a symbol of abundance par excellence. Luxuriating involves highlighting our sensuality—our senses. To get more in touch with how to be a master of your senses, you can catalogue what makes you feel luxurious through your five basic senses—hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch. For hearing, ask yourself: what sounds can I luxuriate in? What music or songs of nature make me feel sensual and full? For scent, think about what aromas relax your whole body, enlivening you from head to toe. Resolve to nurture your senses as often as possible. As you associate your senses with uplifting delights big and small, you will witness your awareness expand.

In truth, there are so many ways to expand your self. What you might notice from many of these suggestions is that they are invitations to be slow: to give and gift yourself moments in a way that you normally would not. To make appointments with yourself and, what is more, to keep them. “Luxuriate” knows no clocks. Even if this feels impossible for you, you can discover ten minutes a day or one hour a week that is sacredly yours. With repetition, your sense of your inner Venus will grow and shine outward. And unexpectedly, taking the time to nourish yourself will actually transform your sense of time, allowing you to live in the moment. As you fill yourself up with love, you will have more love to share. That is the essence of the more profound, Venus-approved definition of “resolution.” Then you may live with “boldness,” “courage,” “heart” “spirit” and, well, “resolution.” Happy New Year.

Tags:Aphrodite, beauty, compassion, creative, divinity, energy, feminine, fertile, greek, Hindu, Lakshmi, love, resolution, Venus, woman