Venus as the muse - Venus in Leo

Venus of Urbino by Titian

I'm continuing my Venus as the Muse investigation with the 2nd Fire sign, Leo. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the introductory post.

What do Madonna, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and Amy Winehouse have in common? They're all on my music shelf, they're all unconventional (to say the least) and they all have Venus in Leo.

Being a Fire sign, Venus in Leo shares some things with the Venus in Aries we've seen before; namely, the enthusiasm, a certain naivety of feelings because inside lives a child, the mythical view of Love and the disregard for material limitations. So again we find lyrics about how love is a fairy tale:

If the land of make believe is inside your heart, it will never leave/ There's a golden gate where the fairies all wait and dancing moons, for you (Madonna in Dear Jessie)

In the mist there she rides and castles are burning in my heart (Tori Amos in Girl)

And again we see that there is a deep idealization of what Love should be. First comes the ideal, then the rest, as Fiona Apple puts it - I'll idealize, then realize...or Amy Winehouse I drift off, I fantasize...

For Venus in Leo, Love must be Grand, Unique, Once in a Lifetime, Never done before, hence why Madonna sings:

Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way, I bet. - in Cherish, co-written with Patrick Leonard.

We scream in cathedrals, Why can't it be beautiful? Why does it gotta be a sacrifice? asks Tori Amos in Iiieee. I know, Tori, it should be all red and fantastic all the time.

Leo is often regarded as an extravagant, flamboyant, the-sun-shines-on-me sign. In fact, it is associated with the Sun and the Sun symbolizes the Ego. Leo is accused of being self-centered, of being obsessed with themselves and that may be true - but is that necessarily bad? The truth is they're very self-conscious and they need to gain a clear understanding of who they are so they can be as confident as we expect them to be.

This quest for their true identity is done by expressing themselves, by creating something, so there is an extension of them to be admired and recognized by others. They need some ego-boosting from their loved-ones (I just need to be reassured, sings Fiona Apple), even if they already appear confident enough, don't forget.

As Madonna puts it in her all-Leo hit "Express Yourself" - What you need is a big strong hand, To lift you to your higher ground, Make you feel like a queen on a throne - Venus in Leo should be the King/Queen of the relationship. They are naturally so giving and generous that they only expect to be thanked and appreciated in return. As Amy Winehouse puts it - All I need is for my man to live up to his role.

Venus in Leo doesn't like the conventional, the ordinary...(Madonna says - I want more than just romance). They like feathers, candles, silk, magnificent scenarios; in their minds they do wear a crown on the top of their head. And a King/Queen is always proud because deep down they're very sensitive to what others think of them. Fiona Apple explains - I have never been so insulted in all my life, I could swallow the seas to wash down all this pride. (in Sleep to Dream)

Or the Amy Winehouse confession - Although my pride is not easily disturbed... (in You Sent Me Flying).

KT Tunstall (also Venus in Leo, but Sun in Cancer) also says: I don't want to be second best, Don't want to stand in line, Don't want to fall behind.

Venus in Leo is very temperamental and dramatic in love and not what we would call easy-going. In fact, they're often regarded as troublemakers...Tori Amos starts the first song in her first solo album saying Every finger in the room is pointing at me, I wanna spit in their faces. Coincidentally, Fiona Apple's first song in her first album also says: This mind, this body and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways, So don't forget what I told you, don't come around, I got my own hell to raise.

To be fair, they enjoy being "bad" and they don't try to disguise this aspect of their character. Even the titles of the songs are clear enough: "Criminal", "Sullen Girl" (Fiona Apple); "You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse); "Bad Girl" (Madonna).

Fiona Apple is a master in expressing her devilish side:

- 'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't wanna clean up;

- You feed the beast within me

- I may be soft in your palm but I'll soon grow hungry for a fight, and I will not let you win

Amy Winehouse isn't ignorant about hers neither:

- My destructive side has grown a mile

- Animal aggression is my downfall

We must give them credit for their constancy, nevertheless. Being a fixed sign makes them more prone to being faithful and committed to one relationship, as long as their partners are loyal and appreciative in return. On the other hand, they can be massively stubborn as well. Ah, and competition...beware! They can be ferocious towards competitors and sometimes the competitor is the other partner - Venus in Leo likes to dominate but in a healthy, honest way (if there's such a thing).

I wonder if the four women I mentioned would be in this list if it wasn't for the strong Virgo influence in their charts. What I mean is that often the Fire signs provide a lot of energy and enthusiasm but this isn't always directed into a coherent target. There is an enormous potential, particularly in the creative sense, but not always the necessary persistence to carry it through to an end - that's the Earth signs area. So the Virgo energy in these woman may have made the difference, as unfulfilled potential is offensive to any Virgo. They feel a duty to make the most of their capacities. Madonna and Tori Amos have both a Leo Sun, but Madonna has Moon, Ascendant, Mercury and Pluto in Virgo and Tori has also Mercury and the Midheaven in Virgo, as well and Uranus and Pluto.

Fiona Apple (Sun + Moon in Virgo) and Amy Winehouse (Sun + Mercury in Virgo) may attribute their "bad girl" label to this impetuous Venus in Leo, as they largely differ from other Virgoean singers (for instance, sweet Katie Melua, with Venus in Libra).

Where is your Venus?