Moon in Cancer – Health, Youth, & Beauty

Technical Details

The Moon in Cancer Health, Youth, & Beauty talismans were ensouled during Moon hour on Friday, November 3, 2023 between 10:15pm and 10:52pm 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 Moon hour with the Moon rising at 27° Cancer, where she was dignified by domicile and face.

Planetary elections also require the Moon to be in sufficiently good condition. During this election, as mentioned, the Moon was dignified by domicile and face, and was otherwise unafflicted.

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. With Cancer rising, the same considerations above apply.

Further Magical Factors in the Election

In this election, the Moon was graced by a rare and auspicious condition called bonification by enclosure. This condition occurs when the last aspect the Moon made was to one of the benefic planets (Venus or Jupiter) and the next aspect the Moon will make is also to a benefic planet. When benefic enclosure happens, it is like the exact opposite of the phrase “between a rock and a hard place”: it is like the Moon having her best friends, allies, and benefactors surrounding and supporting her. In this instance, the Moon was separating from a sextile to Venus in Virgo, and her next aspect would be a square to Jupiter in Taurus. 

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

A couple of factors deserve note here. Firstly, the Moon is quite slow in this election, moving at only 12°10′ per day (Picatrix specifically cautions against a Moon speed lower than 12° per day). Also, although the Moon is bonified by enclosure, both benefic planets are themselves afflicted (Venus is in her fall in Virgo, and Jupiter is retrograde in Taurus). Although this weakens the fortification of the enclosure, it does not eliminate it.

We also note for completeness that some mages consider the Moon on the Ascendant to be an affliction. However, we emphasize that both Picatrix and De Quindecim Stellis list copious electional recipes that include the Moon rising on the Ascendant—including Moon talismans, as in Book II, Chapter 10 of Picatrix that lists numerous talismans with instructions such as “do this in the hour of the Moon with the Moon rising.” We therefore conclude that the tradition clearly licenses proceeding with astromagical elections that include this condition when divination supports doing so.

Recommendations

Among planetary talismans, Moon talismans have a reputation at Idola Stellarum as the most likely to come along with noticeable and turbulent adjustment periods, particularly for people prone to mood swings and emotional vulnerability and instability. Although our experience has been that such adjustment periods are temporary (everything Lunar is temporary, after all), they can be unnerving and disruptive.

As such, we do recommend that anyone considering adopting a Moon talisman take stock of your support network and prudently assess whether you currently have the bandwidth in your personal and professional life to absorb Lunar turbulence at the moment. Doubly so if you are someone who tends to be “in your head” or disconnected/dissociated from your body on a regular basis. Those with a natally afflicted Moon (e.g., combust or besieged Moon, Moon in Capricorn or Scorpio) would be particularly wise to exercise extra caution and divination in their discernment about whether to adopt one of these talismans.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

These talismans were carved with a Lunar image from the Picatrix: “the form of a man with the head of a bird holding a staff above him, and holding the image of a branch in bloom in his hand.” The original purpose of this image was that “whoever carries [it] on a journey will not be tired no matter where they go” (Picatrix, Book II, Chapter 10). The keywords HEALTH and BEAUTY were etched above the image.

The sterling silver pendant versions of the Health, Youth, & Beauty talismans were carved from natural 18x25mm lapis lazuli cabochons. Lapis is attested as “a stone very good for medicines” in the Peterborough Lapidary (p. 82, tr. Francis Young).

The gua sha stone version of the Health, Youth, & Beauty talismans were carved from natural quartz gua sha stones. Quartz is attested as a stone that “makes a [person] much honoured” but also as good for nursing mothers and infants, solidifying the lunar associations. Quartz also “helps against colic” according to the same lapidary (ibid, p. 23), giving a nod to the health and well-being aspects of this election.

Ritual Setup

An altar of silver and crystal featuring mirrors, plentiful candles, glass spires, fresh flowers, and willow branches was dedicated to the Moon prior to this working. Plentiful offerings of spirits, wine, and food—including a whole crab—were offered to Luna under the visage of a large bust of Diana. Among the many white candles providing illumination for the ritual, three candles ritually prepared and emblazoned with sigils and the kamea of the Moon were employed to define the space with Lunar structure.

Suffumigation

The incense for this election was prepared according to a modified version of Agrippa’s recipe in Three Books of Occult Philosophy: “For a fumigation for the Moon, we compile the dried head of a frog, the eye of a bull, white poppyseed, frankincense, and camphor. This mixture is incorporated with menstrual blood or the blood of a goose” (Book I, Ch. 44, p. 146, tr. Eric Purdue). For this election, we opted for the vegetal ingredients alone: white poppyseed, royal Hojari frankincense, and camphor granules. This mixture was consecrated during the same electional window before being used as a suffumigation for the talismans.