Last week I heard a show on NPR that highlighted a woman who had always been unattractive because of her big nose until she had an accident and the doctor suggested that while she was having surgery that she have her nose fixed. After the surgery, according to her own account she was “a babe.” As a result, she had a unique perspective on what it’s like to be pretty vs. “ugly.”
The second house is most commonly associated with money and wealth, but it also houses our personal resources, our self-esteem, what we value and how well we value ourselves. I’ve written earlier on the relationship between self-esteem and wealth, and 
there is a strong connection between them. In the second house we develop a relationship with our environment and learn what belongs to us and where we fit into the world. The strength of this sense of belonging to the world and having a secure place is what helps to determine our financial success and our ability to accumulate wealth and prosperity.
Studies have shown, cruelly, that beauty is tied to success. But these studies do not prove that it’s perfection that is tied to success – merely a perception of attraction. If cosmetic surgery enhances one’s confidence in one’s value, then it can have benefits to that individual. But if surgery becomes the tool in the pursuit of perfection, the point is missed and the inner lack of self-worth remains.
Life can also be difficult for the beautiful as they age. We have seen this with movie stars who g
o into seclusion because their identity is so wrapped up with their beauty and they can’t bear to be seen in public. In these cases the second house has not been developed and the physical beauty, the only resource, is now disappearing. The beauty of youth fades early, but Venus remains present throughout our lives. How are we to express her, and gain the benefits of the second house?
Venus rules the second house, and in her guise as Goddess of Beauty she also places a high value on attractiveness. Venusian beauty is not a perfect geometrical facial shape or perfectly sized breasts; it is rather the power to attract. I used to know an aerobics instructor who had a face which most people would classify as homely. Yet she had the most beautiful smile, and with it the ability to draw people to her like a magnet. This is the real power of Venus.
photos from corbis.
posted June 12, 2008 at 8:03 am
I used to be married to a man who was 6’7″. He got every job he ever applied for and was well aware his height gave advantage
posted June 12, 2008 at 11:59 am
I think this is a very interesting article. I am a woman with Libra in the second house as my sun sign. I have been told I am very beautiful (sorry if this seems incredibly vain) but I have spent my life time trying to get people to look past my physicality – often to no avail. I have garnered a lot of unwanted attention when I am often trying to prove my worth and intellect. I think this has hurt me in the boyfriend department because guys often rush in, and then as they get to know me they realize am I not who they would like me to be.
This article is fascinating to me because I spend so much time cultivating a life outside of appearance but somehow, I always end up at square vis-a-vis other people
posted June 12, 2008 at 12:02 pm
square one that is
posted June 12, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Great article Lynn. I particularly like the correlation between Venus and attraction rather than beauty. It is often the ability of the Venus ruled to project warmth and genuine caring that draws rather than fitting into a particular culture’s standards of beauty. The nice thing is age often increases our ability to be kind and understanding even as time and gravity take their toll
posted June 12, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Interesting piece. Having my teeth cleaned a few years ago, the technician was bemoaning how she couldn’t keep a boyfriend and others were telling her it was because of her beauty. I could only shake my head. Beauty is handy. It opens doors but it doesn’t keep them open.
This week I also read a piece that said beauty is not actually in the eye of the beholder like we would like to say. It actually does exist and even newborn babies are more apt to look at beautiful faces for longer. So I believe it exists but I don’t believe it explains loss of boyfriends or not having friends.
You can look at the movie stars and see equally beautiful women where one has a ton of friends and boyfriends whenever she wants them and the other feels she can’t get a guy because she’s too beautiful. It really is about something besides beauty if that is so
posted June 12, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Rain, that is a good point. I hope I didn’t sound as I was saying “woe to me.” I think your point dovetails nicely with the article – beauty is fleeting cannot guarantee certain things for you in your life
posted June 12, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Rain, I think that is a good point and it dovetails nicely with the central theme of the article. I hope I didn’t convey the sentiment, “woe to me.”
posted June 12, 2008 at 2:49 pm
With apologies for the double post
posted June 12, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Thanks for these great comments! I too was a pretty girl but I found the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. I shared the experience of men having a fantasy about me and then repeatedly being disappointed to learn I was a real person. I have come to appreciate the freedom of age and find this a fascinating process
posted June 12, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Forgive me if this is completely irrelevant, but what does it mean if your 2nd house is empty?
Also, a question for the pretty girls (lol): Do you see yourself as beautiful? When I look in the mirror, all I see is a plain Jane…but I’ve been told otherwise. I just can’t see it. I wish I could
posted June 12, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Daily Kos has a copy of Barack Obama’s birth certificate giving a 7:24 pm birth time.
The only change from the 7:11 time is mars goes into the 7th instead of the 8th
posted June 12, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I’ve just posted the new Obama chart, thanks!
Marianne, an empty house just means that the issues of that house are not a major issue for you unless they become tenanted by planets going through it by transit or by progression.
And regarding feeling pretty or beautiful – that is exactly the point of this article. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous you are – you still live inside yourself. Sometimes I feel pretty, other times not. It’s how we feel about ourselves that falls into the second house
posted June 13, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Am I the only male reading this? My my, ladies, you all sound rather lovely, I would have you all! Particularly the clever ones who feel their beauty lets them down somehow, you shouldn’t worry. There’s plenty of guys who appreciate a woman who has both looks AND personality. Unfortunately there are other more prosaic factors that interfere in life, so maybe the ability to not take things too seriously is quite important. All the best to you all
posted June 13, 2008 at 6:32 pm
yes, where are all the men???
posted June 13, 2008 at 11:02 pm
“Not take things too seriously…” Yes, another of life’s lessons!
Interesting comments, all