Society is still figuring out that women can be both The Lover and The Mother.
Today Venus moves into Cancer.
Venus is desire, pleasure, love, beauty. She knows exactly what she wants.
Cancer is the mother. Loving in a different way. Nurturing and protective.
When Venus moves through Cancer, desire becomes emotional. Safety matters.
And this is where tension can arise.
In psychology this tension has a name. The Madonna-Whore complex.
“Where such men love they have no desire, and where they desire they cannot love.” – Sigmund Freud
The idea that women are split into two: the sensual one who you desire, and the nurturing one you respect.
Lily Allen explored this honestly in her recent work. The way marriage, motherhood, and desire can pull against each other.
“You’ve made me your Madonna, I wanna be your whore”. Sleepwalking, 2025
In her birth chart Venus is in opposition to the Moon (Aries–Libra), reflecting that push-pull between self and relationship.
But Venus in Cancer isn’t about choosing one side.
It is asking a different question…
What if your desire IS to nurture?
And does that care for others suppress your other desires?
The lover and the mother are both expressions of feminine power – but they don’t always feel easy to hold at the same time.
An interesting question to ask ourselves might be…
Which one do you find easier to embody… and which one is feeling left out?
Images: Botticelli, The Birth of Venus | Raphael, Madonna of the Meadow
Clare Bennett is a Psychological Astrologer and founder of Temple Divine, Glasgow – a place where psychology meets soul. She offers astrology consultations, group training and events. If any of this resonated, you can work with her or find out more at www.clarebennett.scot
