You're not doomed because you have a planet in your birth chart that is in detriment. Both Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe had their Venus in detriment. And to this day, they're known as some of the most beautiful women in the world. Marie Curie, the first person to develop a working theory of radioactivity, had both her Mercury and Venus in detriment. Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, had his Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all in detriment. Having a planet in detriment in your birth chart isn't a curse, nor will it ruin you. Let's talk about it.
The idea of rulership dates all the way back to the Thema Mundi. This supposed "birth chart of the world" places the planets by order of season. So Saturn is placed in Capricorn and Aquarius because December, January, and February are the coldest parts of the year in the northern hemisphere. The same goes for the Sun and Moon. They are placed in Leo and Cancer because June, July, and August are the warmest part of the year. This process goes on and on and on, until each planet is assigned a zodiac sign based on its position to the Sun and the Moon. (A fun fact: these align with the solstices, but not the equinoxes.) Now, the importance of the Thema Mundi for this blog post is because this mythical birth chart is where we derive everything from aspects to planetary dignity, and is made to be symmetrical.
So Mercury is placed in Virgo and Gemini because those are the two signs after the Sun and the Moon, Venus is placed after that, Mars, etc. Saturn is left with two signs, Capricorn and Aquarius. The idea of rulership, and particularly detriment, comes into play when we look at the opposite sign that planet inhabits based on this mythical chart. So Venus is in detriment in Aries because it's opposite Libra, the Moon is in detriment in Capricorn because it is opposite Cancer, etc. If you're interested in learning more about this topic in general, I suggest this article here.
Using the Thema Mundi from both an aspect perspective, for example, isn't super logical. I understand why Jupiter rules two squaring signs, but the reality of it is that it doesn't really add up when we consider rulership, the modes, and the actual reasons behind it all. Rulership appears to be a little subjective anyways - Steven Forrest writes in this article:
Some astrologers have said that Mercury has no sign of exaltation at all. Growing up, I learned from the old British astrologer, “Sepharial,” that Mercury was exalted in Aquarius. That actually makes more sense to me, but it does cut against the grain of tradition.
So to me, there is some wiggle room. And I think we can see the evidence of all this leeway from people's birth charts. Such as in this article, where I explore that many famous authors actually don't have Mercury in third house or Mercury ruled signs like Gemini or Virgo, and many actually have their Mercury in detriment or fall. Their Mercury actually describes, to some extent, their writing style.
So let's take the time to explore that wiggle room just a little bit more, so we can get an actual realistic picture of how a planet in detriment acts depending on the birth chart.
Birth charts of Marilyn Monroe (left) and Audrey Hepburn (right). Both have a rodden rating of AA.
Venus in detriment is wildly misunderstood as selfish, rebellious, possessive, or obsessive - often associated with traits of Mars since the zodiac signs of Venus's detriment are Aries and Scorpio. But I don't think it's a coincidence that some the women most renown for their beauty had Venus in detriment. Even Kim Kardashian, a modern day sex-symbol, has her Venus in fall in Virgo. (A fun fact: Albert Einstein also had his Venus in detriment!)
Now, is that to say that these women did not live tumultuous love lives? No. But does that mean that they went their whole lives without love? Certainly not! They were well loved, and able to get into (and stay in) relationships easily. Mercury plays a role in how we socialize, but Venus is no different. It shapes how we form those connections, and the love we give and receive to others. So while we may connect over the Mercury, Venus is the glue holding it together. And after that, it's a matter of chemistry and synastry.
Venus in Aries or Scorpio isn't to our detriment - as upheld by centuries of astrological tradition. Sometimes, it can be to our advantage. We so often look at things as a disadvantage, we cannot see how they can actually be a boon to us. But sometimes thinking about things a little differently can actively show us new perspectives.
Marie Curie's birth chart, left (rodden rating AA), and Srinivasa Ramanujan's birth chart, right (rodden rating B)
And these two individuals certainly knew a lot about thinking differently! Marie Curie is one of the greatest minds in modern medicine, and Srinivasa Ramanujan is regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians 0f all time. And yet, their Mercurys are both in detriment. Marie Curie went on to win more than one Nobel Peace Prize. Her work forever changed the way we look at science.
Similarly, Srinivasa Ramanujan was before his time. He solved previously unsolved problems, and when "he tried to interest the leading professional mathematicians in his work, but failed for the most part. What he had to show them was too novel, too unfamiliar, and additionally presented in unusual ways; they could not be bothered." (Wiki link) But now, he's known as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.
These two people made discoveries that forever changed the course of human history. Their Mercury in detriment did not hurt them, it helped them. It didn't slow them down, it helped them get ahead. Your planet in detriment is not to your disadvantage. It can help you in ways you never expected.
