The glyph ♀ is the astronomical and astrological symbol for the planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Derived from the Latin Venus (plural venera), the symbol itself is thought to represent the goddess’s hand mirror or a stylised version of the female principle—a circle atop a cross, denoting spirit ruling over matter. In esoteric tradition, ♀ is the Queen of Heaven, the Lesser Countenance of the Shekinah, and the alchemical copper that mediates attraction and harmony.

Position on the Tree of Life

At scale step 16 (Path 16), ♀ corresponds to the Sephirah Hod (Glory) and the Path of the Heirophant (the fifth Hebrew letter, Heh). This path connects the sephiroth Hod and Netzach, bridging intellectual form (Hod) with emotional expansion (Netzach). The symbol here rules the Planetary column of Col. CXXXVII, acting as the vehicle for balanced reception and expression of love across the Tree. The associated Tarot trump is the Heirophant, reinforcing the role of Venus as the mediator of sacred union and natural law.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

In Western astrology, ♀ is one of the two “benefic” planets (alongside Jupiter), governing Libra (night house), Taurus (day house), and exalted in Pisces. Its orbit is the closest to Earth, and its phases (morning star as Lucifer, evening star as Vesper) symbolise the dual nature of love—both illuminating and shadowed. In the scale of 777, Venus corresponds to the number 7, the hexagram (the star of unity), and the metal copper. Its day is Friday (dies Veneris), its colour is emerald green, and its scent is rose. The glyph sits in the column “Planets ruling Col. CXXXVII,” meaning that at this step it governs the forces of attraction, desire, and aesthetic harmony across the entire row’s correspondences.

Historical Context

The symbol ♀ entered alchemical and astronomical manuscripts during the late medieval period. The earliest known use of the circle‑on‑cross for Venus appears in a 7th‑century Greek manuscript on astrological papyrus, but it was formalised in European Renaissance texts by 15th‑century astronomers such as Regionontanus. Alchemically, it signified copper (from Cuprum, “from Cyprus,” the island sacred to Aphrodite). In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, ♀ was assigned to the 16th Path of the Yetziratic text, connecting the Heirophant (Taurus) to the sphere of Venus (Netzach). This placement was codified in Crowley’s Liber 777 (1909), where the row for Col. CXXXVII (Planets ruling Col. CXXXVII, step 16) lists ♀ alone, without planetary glyph counterparts. The table thus establishes Venus as the sole planetary ruler at this juncture, emphasising the pure, unmediated energy of love and beauty flowing down the Tree.

In Liber 777, at scale step 16 (Path 16), ♀ appears as the single entry in the column “Planets ruling Col. CXXXVII.” It rules the entire row, linking the Heirophant (Taurus) to the planetary force of Venus, and serving as the conduit for the harmonious, magnetic, and creative currents of the universe. The glyph stands not as a mere symbol but as the living essence of attraction, binding the sephiroth and the spheres in the dance of cosmic love.