Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and her Planet [Paperback]

Ronnie Gale Dreyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

The Goddess Venus has long been an inspiration to artists, writers and composers, while the word 'Venus' itself conjures up images of the perfect woman - an ideal of feminine beauty. This image works not only to dictate a certain aesthetic ideal, but also distorts the original goddesses of love and fertility from whom Venus and Aphrodite are descended. In Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and Her Planet we see that the original symbolism of the planet can be traced to the legends of the early love and fertility goddesses: the Sumerian Inanna, the Babylonian ishtar and the Sematic Astarte. By tracing the representation, artefacts and legends of the goddesses who preceded Aphrodite, Ronne Gale Dreyer regains the lost attributes of the planet Venus. In this way she not only redefines the interpretation of the planet Venus in the horoscope, but, further, provides a more complete and accurate picture of this model for women.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Enriching our understanding of both the goddess and astrology, this intriguing exploration looks beyond Venus' beauty to trace her abundant power and influence throughout the zodiac.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Aquarian Pr (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855380064
• ISBN-13: 978-1855380066
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,352,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important contribution to astrological studies, April 20, 2003

By 

Julian Rose (Akron, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and her Planet (Paperback)

This book provides a pretty good overview of the Goddesses from Near Eastern and Mediterranean cultures linked to the planet we know as Venus. The information on these Goddesses is only an overview - for in-depth studies I would recommend sources more specific to each particular Deity - but the author is thorough and scholarly, and does an excellent job of staying on point by returning again and again to the relationship of the Goddess to Her planet. This is very significant, given the strong connections of astrology and religion in the ancient world.

The originality and importance of the book lies in the author's interest in exploring these Goddesses together with astrological information regarding the planet Venus. She discusses in detail the two signs governed by the planet - Taurus and Libra - and compares the ditinctions between them with the distinctions which Plato made between Aphrodite Pandemos and Aphrodite Ourania. She then describes the influence of Venus through the signs, houses, and in aspect.

A very good book with an admirable amount of originality.

The Goddess Aphrodite/Venus has too often been overlooked as a subject for spiritual and scholarly study.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Goddess as Inanna, Ishtar, Venus, Aphrodite is alive and well!, September 20, 2009

By 

the muze (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and her Planet (Paperback)

This book addresses so many important topics such as the history of Goddess worship in ancient Mesopotamia and Babylon, astrology then and now and the evolving Goddess as Inanna (Sumerian), Ishtar (Babylonian), Aphrodite (Greek) and Venus (Roman). I was impressed with the accuracy of the placements of Venus in the signs and houses of one's natal chart. I have Venus in Scorpio (pg. 159) and the description is dead on! If you're into astrology, Goddess worship and how the Matriarch once flourished before the rise of Christianity, this is the book for you! Very well researched and a valuable asset to any serious library of occult, philosophy and religious studies.