Venus-Rahu Conjunction

By Michael Laughrin & Alison Berker

Venus, as we all know, is the second-most-powerful benefic. (Jupiter is the strongest benefic.) In Vedic mythology, Venus is the teacher of the asuras--the worldly-minded spirits. Venus rules beauty in all forms: sex, love, marriage, painting, dancing, music, writing, sculpture, flowers, etc. Venus is called Shukra in Sanskrit. Shukra is also the name for sugar, e.g., that which is sweet. Venus owns Taurus and Libra, and is exalted in Pisces. Venus has Dig-bala (directional strength) in the 4th house. Venus is a Brahmin.

Rahu, on the other hand, is out of the caste system altogether. Rahu--and, to some degree, its other half, Ketu--stands for foreigners, weirdos, drop-outs, hippies and people who are extremely materialistic. I sometimes jokingly say that Rahu rules fast cars, fast women, flashy clothes, and lots of cash that comes easily, whether by legal means or not. Rahu is a rule breaker. Rahu rules the rough, the tough, the low class.
It rules poisons like alcohol and drugs--both legal and illegal. It also rules junk foods, swearing and street language - SLANG. Rahu also is a multiplier - it vastly increases the strength of any planet with which it is conjunct.

On the more positive side, Rahu represents the future just as Jupiter represents tradition. Rahu, in a sense, represents freedom of thought. It represents creativity that knows no boundaries. It is the new, the Now. It is what's happening. We can say that computers, the Internet and electronics are all ruled by Rahu. Some astrologers have even said that the U.S.A. is ruled by Rahu.

So, what do we get when we combine Venus and Rahu in the same sign and same house?

• As far as sex and romance are concerned, they may indicate homosexuality or bisexuality. They also rule pornography and illicit or multiple sexual liaisons. In any case, usually one with a strong Venus conjunct Rahu will break the rules of normal middle class morality or go beyond the rules.
• Concerning the arts, Rahu and Venus conjoined will give us an artist who embraces the new at the expense of the established.
• In music, this combination indicates jazz, rap music, rock and blues. Also, electronic music may be indicated. Venus-Jupiter combinations, though, indicate Classical music, traditional music, and harmonious music. Venus-Rahu may also indicate dissonance.
• In painting, Venus-Rahu indicates non-representational art.
• In dance, they indicate modern dance, jazz dance, rock and roll dance - pretty much everything except ballet and ballroom dancing.
• In poetry, Venus-Rahu may be excessively sensual, but poetry with a strong Rahu influence will generally not rhyme nor will it have a fixed meter.

In summation, Venus and Rahu (and, to some extent, Venus with Ketu), rule the underworld, the "shadow" self, the forbidden and the hidden. They may rule the ugly, the weird, the outcasts (following the idea that "ugly is the new pretty"). Venus-Rahu individuals will never be dull, they will always break new ground in their activities, and they will break the rules in love and marriage.

However, it seems to me that they are often extremely self-absorbed and, in matters of love and creativity, are often petty tyrants who only look after their own interests.

Here are some examples.

	Tennessee Williams      America's most famous playwright Tennessee Williams was also an avowed homosexual who struggled with addiction especially in the latter part of his life. As a child he had severe diphtheria which left him crippled and delicate, causing his father to refer to him as Miss Nancy because of his weakened condition. He wrote from very early on and had great success. His sister was mentally ill and was given a full lobotomy that rendered her utterly incompetent. Tennessee feared his entire life that he would also go insane and said that his mental instability drove his feverish need to write. He died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 72. He has Venus conjunct Rahu in the fourth house.
	Douglas Adams     Best known as the author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Adams was a prolific and unusual creative writer, a staunch atheist, an environmental activist and a great lover of technology. He has Venus conjunct Rahu and the Sun in the ninth house. Venus is the fifth lord of creativity, Sun is the third lord of skill and Moon, another creative planet aspects from the third house.
	Elvis Presley      Presley is a superlative embodiment of the Venus-Rahu combination. Considered one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, there was nothing like Elvis in his day. In addition to his unprecedented personal and artistic style, he was renowned for his incredible sexual charisma and liberal engagement with sexual behavior across multiple partners.
	Georges Braque       Braque, along with Picasso, is considered the inventor of Cubism. The two spent many years collaborating together. The interesting thing, astrologically, is that Picasso has several debilitated planets and so does George Braque. Furthermore, George has such a huge conjunction - 5 planets - in the 7th house of public recognition that he pretty much had to be famous. He is as famous as Picasso. Also, Rahu, the planet of "new-ness" and "breaking new ground" thinking, sits prominently - exalted! - in his 1st house of the self. Also, Mercury conjunct Venus often indicates a very skilled and creative individual. Saturn in the 6th house aspects the 3rd house of the hands and gives a highly disciplined person who works with his hands.   Jupiter with Ketu gives a person who takes the old rules (Jupiter) and utterly breaks them or transcends them.