First Venus Gate of Descent in Leo

The journey Venus travels through our sky mirrors the myth of the Descent of Inanna. At this time, we are beginning her descent by meeting each of the seven gates of initiation that lead to the underworld.
At each gate Inanna must remove one of her mes, which are detailed in Sumerian mythology as divine orders that are essential in understanding a human-god relationship. The mes can be considered sacred powers that make civilisation possible, and each corresponds to a Venus Gate (a visible Venus-Moon conjunction).

• On 13th August Venus joined the Sun at 20°28’ Leo. Beginning a new 19 month synodic cycle at her pentagram point. Venus Pentagram Point in Leo — Venus Pentagram Point
• On August 17th Venus became visible above the horizon in the morning sky, still retrograde at 18°07’ Leo still retrograde.
• On September 4th Venus stations direct at 12°12’.
• On 11th September, Venus meets the waning Moon at 13°19’ Leo to form the first Venus Gate of descent.


From her throne in heaven Inanna hears the cries of her sister, Erishkegal, weeping for her husband who has died. Inanna is moved with compassion. As Queen of the Heavens and Earth, Inanna is beautiful, strong and wise, adored by her people. Journeying to the great below is a risk, she has everything to lose. Few who have traveled there have ever returned; she is well aware of the price she may have to pay, but chooses to go anyway.

To enter the great below she must pass through seven gates, it is a long journey. As she approaches the first gate, the gate of authority, the gatekeeper informs Erishkegal of her arrival.

Erishkegal is the Queen of the Great Below, a goddess of death, decay and dust. Following the death of her husband, the great bull of heaven, she is now alone. She weeps in the ashes of her life. She is a queen, like her sister Inanna, but her life has been bitter and cold. So when she hears Inanna is coming to be with her, in her grief, she does not feel comforted. All of her feelings of jealousy, shame, grief and anger are laid bare. She tells the gate keeper that at each of the seven gates Inanna passes through he must remove one of her sacred mes. “She must enter the great bellow naked, crawling on her hands and knees.”

As Inanna reaches the first gate, in all of her ceremonial regalia, the gatekeeper takes her shugurra, her crown, it represents her connection to her divinity, her throne and heaven. This is where we join her, at the gate of authority.

The call is to lay down your crown, to relinquish your authority and superiority. You are embarking on this journey inwards; the heroines journey. The journey through the layers behind which you hide. You must be willing to be stripped bare and fall to your knees. You must face your shadow without a shred of superiority and allow her to consume you so that you may be reborn. It is probably not the first time that you have walked this path.

This is a sacred journey guided by Venus over the next 19 months. The first 9 months you will pass through each gate, surrendering layer by layer, each time facing your resistance and learning to trust. Then as Venus sinks below the horizon, and meets the Sun to form another Venus Pentagram Point, Inanna meets her death and re-birth. This begins the journey of reclamation and integration over the next 9 months to the next Venus retrograde.

A Venus Gate is a conjunction between the Moon and Venus when she is far enough from the Sun that she is visible in the sky. On 11th September they should be visible side by side in the eastern sky, early in the morning. The waning crescent moon and Venus, the brightest, most dazzling star in the sky. The two divine feminine archetypes in traditional astrology.

At the Venus Pentagram Point in Leo, Venus also aligned with Black Moon Lilith, our wounded feminine archetype. They will dance together throughout this cycle, she will trine Lilith at the next Venus Pentagram Point, when she reaches the great below in Gemini. As we enter this first gate, both goddesses still sit in Leo just a few degrees apart. The light and dark goddesses, united in will. Calling you into the darkness. Calling you into a deeper, more authentic love.

Lilith is not the only goddess joining Venus at this gate, she also stands with Juno, devoted wife of Jupiter. Juno speaks of relationship, but the heroines journey is not an external one like the heroes journey. The feminine looks within. She knows that what you see outside of yourself is only a mirror of a deeper story.

The devoted union that we seek is a union of self, a union of will, an absolute acceptance of all of the parts of yourself with the deepest of compassion. That is the magick of the descent of Inanna, of shadow work, and of the alchemical marriage.

This council of goddesses invites you to understand inner union. And to deepen this union we must understand the polarities within us, and find ways to elevate both To understand that when we devote ourselves to love all of our parts, we can only become more whole.

The Leo goddess is one who values authenticity. When she lays down her crown, when she leaves her queendom, she does it in pursuit of authenticity. If the crown is meant to return to her it will. She does not question her worth.

As you surrender your authority at this gate you are not losing a part of yourself. You are simply surrendering a garment, a tool; the things that you hide behind to avoid vulnerability. As you remove your crown you embrace authenticity and genuine connection.

Prompts for Journaling or a Tarot Spread:

Who do I think of as amazing yet intimidating?
What is it about them that intimidates me?
Do I understand that the traits I admire in them are actually a reflection of my potential?
Why am I afraid to see them as my equal?
Who do I think of as being inferior to me?
What makes me superior?
Do I understand that this too is a reflection of my potential?
Is there a way that I can embrace these traits within me, with compassion?