AtoZ/Day 25 - Letter V

V is for Venus.  I wonder how many people understand the significance of the planets.  How many people can see what is right in front of them?  Our planets: weary travelers, falling in and out of retrograde and direct motion as seen from Earth, re-visiting the same star-stations, all the while, screaming for our attention.  As a brief example -because I only have brief examples- I present this blog-post: 
For several weeks now, I've been watching as Mars climbed its way out of the Lion's belly, like a red-hot stone too hostile for the beast to digest.  For two seasons, I have watched Jupiter slowly wander through the Fall/Winter zodiac.  I watched it: a blazing fire burning without fear in the midst of the oldest battle between the hunter and the hunted, and I could not figure out on whose side he was.  Eventually, I realized that I was the one choosing sides.  Jupiter was but a spectator...leading by example?
As Winter came to an end, Jupiter's bright and magnificent presence was dulled...by a girl.  Venus became visible in the western sky (northern hemisphere); changing, as she always does, from "morning star" to "evening star" and back again.  Her light was impossibly bright, even as she stood next to the almighty Jupiter, who -until her arrival- ruled the sky. 
Venus.  She speaks quickly.  As she leads or follows Earth's life source, she speaks fast. 
She is the Goddess of Love, yet her surface cannot be seen through the acidic clouds that surround her.  And behold!  We are reminded that in the very form and choreography of our planets, the eternal paradox (impossibly out of our understanding's reach) of existence can be seen. 
This Universal irony leads me to recall that Mercury is both messenger and trickster, leaving us to always wonder which of his tales to follow, to believe.  Then, I consider Venus' relationship with Mercury (also known, respectively, as Aphrodite and Hermes); creating -in unity- the Hermaphrodite. 

We have come to define the hermaphrodite as a uni-personal display of both male and female genitalia (further proof of humanity's tendency for base levels of thought procession).  But, what if we were to step outside the basic functions of humanity?  What if we could consider the part-of-the-whole symbolism that is the ancient message?  What if, for instance, we understand that since Aphrodite/Venus is the Goddess of Love, and Hermes/Mercury is the Messenger of the Gods, it is far more reasonable to define a Hermaphrodite as a "messenger of love?"
Of course then we would have to ponder the reasons why our most ancient societies would pick a raging acidic planet to represent love.  And further, why would their Messenger also be our Trickster?  It is at this point that I leave you to roll your eyes, or rise above lazy-looking.  This is also where I admit to knowing very little about anything, but I do know where to find our world's oldest story of existence, unrevised and without need of translation.