Venus in Taurus
Abundant Grace

“Venus is very good for a healthy and prosperous life,
since she makes a man fruitful and happy.”
—Marsilio Ficino

The following Abundant Grace talismans will be available in the Sovereign collection:

• Malachite rings:
  • 13x18mm malachite cabochons
  • Gold-filled fancy band ring settings
• Malachite pendants:
  • Large, fancy malachite pendants:
    • 30mm malachite cabochons
    • Gold-plated sterling silver fancy pendant settings with gold-plated sterling silver chain
  • Medium malachite pendants:
    • 18x25mm malachite cabochons
    • Sterling silver wavy cameo settings with matching sterling silver chain
  • Small malachite pendants:
    • 13x18mm malachite cabochons
    • Sterling silver floral bezel settings with matching sterling silver chain

Abundant Grace

Venus, in addition to granting love, has a reputation for enjoyment, delight, adornment, and the appreciation of adornments, spices, fine clothing, rich foods, and the like. She is not simply a passive enjoyer or dilettante, however. No, Venus also signifies a capacity to create, resource, and deal in such luxuries as she delights in.

For in addition to being the governor of connection, Venus is also creator, nurturer, and above all provider. Venus brings abundance. In his De Rerum Natura, Lucretius penned an ode to Venus that begins by praising her as the one who “Makest to teem the many-voyaged main / and fruitful lands.” Similarly, Marsilio Ficino wrote that “Venus is very good for a healthy and prosperous life, since she makes a man fruitful and happy” (Three Books on Life, Book III, Ch. 6).

The Iranian polymath Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni, as well, noted that among other things, Venus signified “works of beauty and magnificence… commerce, goldsmiths work, tailoring, manufacturing perfumes, dealing in pearls, gold and silver ornaments… maker[s] of crowns and diadems” (Book of Instructions in the Elements of the Art of Astrology, tr. R. R. Wright, p. 43).

Venus Eustephanos, Richly Crowned, adorns the Sovereign with the symbol of their reign.

The Abundant Grace talismans were created using a Picatrix recipe for wealth and good fortune, specifically, for the bearers to “be fortunate and gain profit from merchandise” (Book II, Ch. 10). The petition focused on drawing in the favor and felicity to resource fortune, the social graces to delight others, and the appreciation of the pleasures that abundance provides.

Abundant Grace inspires a desire and drive to make money and an appreciation of excellence. These are not talismans that merely allow you to appreciate what you have and enjoy the luxuries already available to you (although they do certainly do that too), but seem to instill and resource an ability to enhance one’s situation and capacity for generating luxury.

In practice, these talismans also seem alluring. Multiple people saw the larger pendants and had reactions along the lines of who is she? The best salespeople have charisma and magnetism, and the Abundant Grace talismans may help to draw people into the relationships that ultimately serve to benefit our joy and causes.

In contrast to the Venus in Taurus Shelter talismans from the Solace collection, which we noted were not your standard Venus talisman, the Abundant Grace talismans share more in the classic Venus significations and experiences that you would expect, in terms of bringing pleasure, joy, charm, and connection.

Capturing the Taurean aspects of Venus, the Abundant Grace talismans spring forth with the verdant and burgeoning provisions that follow in the wake of the vernal equinox. Being able to take in abundance means seeing the world through the lens of abundance. These talismans can assist with seeing the world as full of beauty and potential: as a burgeoning harvest ready to be reaped and replanted. The world these talismans encourage us to reach for is a world sufficiently abundant that no belly rumbles with a pantry gone empty.

On the more psychological side of things, the Abundant Grace talismans also seem to provide a gentle nudge in the direction of appropriate self-valuation. Feedback so far has pointed to this talisman providing encouragement to not just make money, but to know your worth and not settle for debased self-estimations or exploitative relationships.

Created mere days after Idola Stellarum’s inaugural collection launch, these Venus in Taurus talismans are wreathed in the aura of successful magic that marked the outset of our enterprise.

Technical Details

The Venus in Taurus Abundant Grace talismans were ensouled on Sunday, March 26 between 3:02pm and 3:35pm EDT.

Essential Features of the Election

For planetary astromagical elections, we require that the relevant planet either rises on the Ascendant or culminates on the Midheaven during the relevant planetary hour. This election took place during Venus hour with Venus culminating on and within 5° of the Midheaven during the electional window. Venus was unafflicted and dignified by domicile/rulership and triplicity in Taurus. 

Planetary elections also require the Moon to be in sufficiently good condition. During this election, the first quarter Moon was increasing in light and peregrine in Gemini, and was applying by sextile and received by her ruler, Mercury in Aries. 

Since the 1st house signifies the bearer of the talisman, we also look at the condition of the Lord of the Ascendant in planetary elections. Sol, Lord of the Ascendent in this election, was not only unafflicted, but highly dignified as well by exaltation and triplicity in Aries.

Further Magical Factors in the Election

For a wealth talisman, we consider it a nice bonus when the Lord of the 2nd house is well-positioned in the election. Here, the 2nd house (whether by quadrant or whole sign houses) is Virgo. The Moon applies to Mercury, the ruler of Virgo, who is also bonified by their application to Jupiter, the ruler of the 5th house. These significations tie into the themes of resources and pleasure that sit at the heart of this talisman’s intentions.

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

The Moon’s speed was on the slower side in this election, moving at about 12 and a half degrees per day. Although this is above the 12 degree threshold that Picatrix warns about, a faster Moon speed is generally preferable. Also, although we rarely drill down into this much detail, the ruler of the Lord of the Ascendant, Mars, is afflicted by exile and application to Saturn.

Recommendations

We consider these talismans generally beginner friendly: talismans of the benefic planets (i.e., Venus and Jupiter) are often good places for people to start with talismans. That said, if your natal Venus is highly afflicted, we do recommend you perform a divination or seek consultation from a trusted magically literate astrologer for guidance about whether this is the right talisman for you.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

These talismans were crafted according to a recipe from Picatrix: “If, under the influence of Venus, you make an image of three people holding each other… whoever carries this image will be fortunate and gain profit from merchandise” (Book II, Ch. 10). This image, evocative of the Three Graces and the Three of Cups, evokes a sense of connectedness, superfluity, and abundance (Book T denotes the 3 of Cups as the Lord of Abundance).

Although the recipe from Picatrix prescribes crystal (i.e., quartz) for this image, divination for the operation went against this grain and selected malachite for these talismans. According to the Peterborough Lapidary (ed. Francis Young), malachite has protective qualities: “it keeps and saves children from harmful evils and mishaps; and whoever bears it… no wicked thing will grieve [them]” (p. 82).

The front of the malachite cabochons was carved with a stylized version of the image of three people holding each other, and the back of the talismans was etched with the symbol of Venus and the sigil of her Intelligence, Hagiel. The reverse side of the stones were affixed with periwinkle, a Venusian herb associated with prosperity.

Ritual Setup

A lush green altar was erected to Venus prior to the working, with many offerings of flowers, sweets, food, and spirits. Seven green candles embellished with the signs of Venus and her planetary angel, intelligence, and spirit and consecrated to Venus in her planetary hour provided illumination for the ritual. A large statue of Venus before an antique mirror, surrounded by golden candles and brown rock sugar, served as the centerpiece of the working.

Suffumigation

The suffumigation used to ensoul these talismans consisted of a specially made Venus in Pisces incense blended and consecrated to Venus during a previous Idola Stellarum Venus election, prepared according to a modified recipe from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy: “For Venus, take musk, ambergris, lignum aloes, red roses and red coral.” Since musk and ambergris are ingredients derived from endangered species, suitable substances similarly situated on the cosmic hierarchy were used as replacements: Spanish labdanum resin was used in lieu of ambergris, and sustainably harvested Canadian beaver castor (scent gland) was used in lieu of musk.

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