The Orphic Hymn to Venus

in Renaissance Astrological Magic


Venus

Orpheus and Invoking Venus



Venus
Venus

Orpheus was a legendary poet, philosopher and musician of Thrace to whom the Orphic Mysteries were attributed. Many works and poems were attributed to Orpheus and of these the most famous are the 87 Hymns of Orpheus. Here is more information on Orpheus and the Orphic Hymns. Here are the Orphic Hymns to:
Saturn
Jupiter
Mars
the Sun
Venus
Mercury
the Moon

A key use of the Orphic Hymns is invoking the planetary spirits. The ancient astrological grimoire Picatrix says of Venus that,

"She signifies cleanliness, splendor, preciousness, word games, delight in music, joy, adornments, laughter, pictures, beauty, loveliness, playing music by the voice or stringed instruments; delighting in marriage, desiring spices and things that have good odors; sending dreams; provoking games of chess and dice; desiring to lie with women and to fall in love with them and receiving promises from them; desiring to appear beautiful, loving liberty, magnanimity of heart, and joy. She abhors anger, brawling, vengeance, and lawsuits; she desires to serve the desires and wills of friends concerning the world’s opinion; tends toward false promises; is inclined to cupidity; desires to drink much; incessantly desires much copulation, and of shameful kinds, and to do it in inappropriate places, as women are accustomed to do with one another; delighting in animals and children and in making them good; making things equal; delighting in merchants and living with them and being loved by their women; and that they may be delighted by men. When she is well received, she plays a part in the making of crowns, building stables and working in stone, having sweet speech, disdaining the world and having no fear of it; sustaining people so that neither anger, strife, or discord can be felt by them; it designates a weak heart and a weak will in lawsuits and combat, and signifies desire for all beautiful combinations of things which may be in conformity with the will; making colors and laboring diligently in skills involving them; selling merchandise, spices, and prayers; those who observe the religious law; and those who adhere to sciences and philosophies of forbidden kinds. "

Picatrix, Bk III, ch. 7.

One of the most important parts of creating astrological talismans or invoking planetary spirits is to ensure auspicious astrological conditions. Once the astrological conditions are right, Picatrix explains

"When you want to pray to Venus and ask her for something among those things that pertain to her...Then dress yourself and adorn yourself in one of two manners, of which the best is the garments and ornaments of the exalted men of Arabia. Dress yourself in white garments, and wear a white cloth on your head, which is their sign. The other manner is to adorn yourself entirely as a woman. Dress yourself in a long garment of silk and gold mixed together, precious and beautiful, and on your head wear a crown ornamented with pearls and precious stones, and on your hand a golden ring ornamented with a pearl, and golden bracelets on your wrists; and in your right hand hold a mirror, and in your left carry a comb. Place before you a jug of wine, and sprinkle your garments with powdered aromatic spices and sweet-smelling things and nutmeg, as women do."

Picatrix, Bk III, ch. 7. Here is more about planetary invocation using the Orphic Hymns.

Here is more information on Venus and our Currently Available Venus talismans and all Currently Available Talismans. You can learn the how to create the full range of traditional astrological talismans in the Astrological Magic Course. Here are all Renaissance Astrology Astrology & Magic Courses.

The Orphic Hymn to Venus


Chapter LIV.

The Orphic Hymn to Venus

The Fumigation from Frankincense


HEAV'NLY, illustrious, laughter-loving queen,
Sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien;
Crafty, from whom necessity first came,
Producing, nightly, all-connecting dame:
Tis thine the world with harmony to join,
For all things spring from thee, O pow'r divine.
The triple Fates are rul'd by thy decree,
And all productions yield alike to thee:
Whate'er the heav'ns, encircling all contain,
Earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main,
Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod,
Awful attendant of the brumal God:
Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight,
Mother of Loves, whom banquetings delight;
Source of persuasion, secret, fav'ring queen,
Illustrious born, apparent and unseen:
Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclin'd,
Prolific, most-desir'd, life-giving., kind:
Great sceptre-bearer of the Gods, 'tis thine,
Mortals in necessary bands to join;
And ev'ry tribe of savage monsters dire
In magic chains to bind, thro' mad desire.
Come, Cyprus-born, and to my pray'r incline,
Whether exalted in the heav'ns you shine,
Or pleas'd in Syria's temple to preside,
Or o'er th' Egyptian plains thy car to guide,
Fashion'd of gold; and near its sacred flood,
Fertile and fam'd to fix thy blest abode;
Or if rejoicing in the azure shores,
Near where the sea with foaming billows roars,
The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight,
Or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright,
Pleas'd by the dusty banks renown'd of old,
To drive thy rapid, two-yok'd car of gold;
Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair,
Where married females praise thee ev'ry year,
And beauteous virgins in the chorus join,
Adonis pure to sing and thee divine;
Come, all-attractive to my pray'r inclin'd,
For thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind.