Venus in Cancer: Support, Empathy, and Affinity

Most planetary talismans get created while the planet is in a sign of their domicile or the sign of their exaltation. These placements make for singular, intense effects and tend to produce the most powerful talismans.

Several areas of life, however, do not call for raw intensity. When spending leisure time with family and friends, when enjoying a slow day at home, or when comforting a sad or grieving person (or being such a person receiving comfort), for example, cranking the volume up to eleven usually promises to be the wrong call. So, while triplicity may not be the most traditionally sought after dignity for astrological magic, perhaps the world needs more magic right now that brings supporting cast rather than main character energy to the scene. 

While Venus charms can be compelling and even commanding (see, for example, the line from the Hygromanteia prayer to Venus, “in order to torture the people I want and make them fall under my feet”), these Venus in Cancer talismans are much more inviting, aiming for mutual benefit and “reception,” one of Abu Ma’shar’s keywords for Venus (The Great Introduction, tr. Benjamin Dykes). In the especially fragmented, contentious, and frankly paranoid political culture of the moment, we might all appreciate more mutual benefit and less compulsion.

Crafted with the Moon in Cancer applying to conjoin Venus in Cancer, with these talismans we aimed to gather in some of the encompassing, nurturing, maternal character of the Cancerian mood and found the fitting acronym SEA, for Support, Empathy, & Affinity. The intention of this operation was to capture some of the more auxiliary qualities of Venus. For in addition to the more headlining Venusian traits of passion, love, and pleasure, the laughter-loving queen also signifies “tranquility towards everyone, tolerance, generosity, [and] kindliness” according to Abu Ma’shar.

Idola Stellarum’s mage Pallas K. Augustine has their natal Venus in Cancer and can attest to the ways that triplicity dignity can provide buoyancy and lift to our fortune, helping us get by with a little help from our friends. This more relational, ecological approach to our problems allows for a kind of resilience that is not so much about stoic fortitude or resilience, but the interwoven hardiness that comes from interconnection and mutual support.

Although in some ways thematically similar to the fixed star Sirius Peace & Reconciliation talisman from our Sympatheia collection in the emphasis on more calming and compassionate energies of the spheres, the Support, Empathy, & Affinity talisman has a much greater dose of Venusian sociality. Whereas Sirius aims to solve conflicts or establish peace, the SEA talismans aim more obliquely to create a lifeworld in which abundant reciprocity and care reduce the prospects of damaging conflict and privation.

As with all talismanic gifts, the SEA talismans may require some adjustment. Although the aim of these talismans was to bring in supportive friendship and affinity, glamor tends not to be perfectly selective. Thus, folks with more porous boundaries may need some additional help with discernment and assertiveness around who to let in: just because someone knocks on the door does not guarantee that they come offering empathic support! 

In addition to bringing in friendship and kindness from without, these talismans are also intended to foster supportiveness, empathy, and social beneficence in their bearer as well. In fact, after some time spent with their Support, Empathy, & Affinity talisman, Rain dubbed it the Mr. Rogers talisman. Fred Rogers, paragon of kindness, tirelessly expounded the virtues of listening, compassion, and acceptance, and stood for the transformative and cosmic power of love and human connection. Two quotations:

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”

“At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service.”

While these Support, Empathy, & Affinity talismans may not endow you with a Fred Rogers-like sainthood, they are intended to impart some measure of warm relationality. They aim to help further teach us that leaning on and cultivating our relational networks and ensuring that we have a rich ecology of human, non-human, and more-than-human beings that regard us favorably can often make for an easier and more pleasant time than toughing it out, powering through, or working to dominate and come out on top. 

Technical Details

The Venus in Cancer Support, Empathy, & Affinity talismans were ensouled during Venus hour on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 between 8:13am and 8:45am 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 rising on and within 5° of the Ascendant during the electional window. Venus was unafflicted and dignified by triplicity in Cancer.

Planetary elections also require the Moon to be in sufficiently good condition. During this election, the first quarter Moon was slow but increasing in light and dignified by rulership in her home sign of Cancer. Luna was separating from a trine to Saturn and applying within minutes to the significator of the election, Venus in Cancer. 

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. In this election, the Moon ruled the Ascendant sign of Cancer, and so the above considerations for the Moon apply here as well. 

Further Magical Factors in the Election

Although triplicity dignity is considered one of the weaker essential dignities from a magical perspective, several factors auspiciously boost the potency of this election.

First, the Moon’s substantial essential dignity, as well as her close application to and rulership over Venus, offer a significant boost to this election. This boost was mutual, as having a benefic planet on the Ascendant also serves to mitigate afflictions of the Moon:

“[L]ook for Jupiter or Venus either in the ascendant or in the tenth place, for so they compensate for the debilities of the Moon.”

—Marsilio Ficino, Three Books on Life, Book III, Ch. VI, p. 271 (tr. Kaske & Clark)

During part of the election, Jupiter was also in the 10th quadrant house, adding another benefic advantage to this election.

What’s more, two of the angles hosted Behenian fixed stars with associations to Venus. Alkaid, of the nature of Venus and the Moon, rooted the chart at the IC, and Vega, of the nature of Venus and Mercury, was setting on the DC during this election. Picatrix tells us that the participation of a relevant fixed star serves as a great benefit to an election:

“If you do a planetary working with the aid of some fixed star of the same nature, it will be more complete and more perfect because it will have the vigor of the planet and the endurance of the fixed star.”

—Picatrix, Book IV, Chapter 4 (tr. Greer & Warnock)

Reflection on Weaknesses of the Election

Although it was an intentional feature of this election, for the sake of transparency we do want to emphasize that astrological magicians generally go for more potent forms of essential dignity, primarily rulership/domicile and exaltation, since they tend to make for more potent talismans. The triplicity dignity of these talismans makes for a more quiet and easygoing talisman, and thus also one that is less likely to produce tectonic shifts in one’s life.

Also, the Moon is on the slow side, moving at only 12°08′ per day at the time of this election. Picatrix cautions against the use of a Moon moving at less than 12° per day, and although this election’s Moon is above that threshold, this may also lead to a calmer and less fast-acting talismanic experience.

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. Because of the lower octane nature of triplicity dignity, these talismans may be especially suitable for people with anxieties about introducing talismans into their lives, or for folks who do not want to risk potentially disruptive adjustment periods (although we cannot guarantee that any given talisman will not lead to any shake-ups for any particular person!). Those who struggle with more dignified Venus talismans due to natal Taurus/Libra/Pisces afflictions may be particularly suited to this talisman.

Ceremonial Details

Gemstone & Talismanic Image

Because of the co-presence of the Moon on the Ascendant in strong essential dignity, it was imperative to choose stones corresponding to Venus but not shared by the Moon, so as to avoid the possibility of a chimeric talisman. For the pendants, Bahamian conch shell was chosen; shells are listed by Al-Biruni as under the rulership of Venus and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, shells are not listed among any of the traditional sources we consulted as stones of the Moon. For the rings, sapphire was chosen; sapphire is listed by Agrippa and William Lilly as a stone of Venus, and, again, not listed in any of the traditional sources we consulted as a stone of the Moon.

The talismanic image used for this election was “the image of a woman whose body is human with the head of a bird and the feet of an eagle, in her right hand an apple and in her left hand a wooden comb,” with some other specific magical characters written on the stone as described in Picatrix. According to the Picatrix, the bearer of this image will “receive good and be liked by everyone,” a signification virtually perfect for the intentions of this election and the nature of triplicity dignity.

A Note on Materials

Please note that the conch shell pendants will only be shipped within the continental United States. Permits are required to export and import conch-related products as conch are listed as a threatened species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) international treaty. In some areas of the world such as Florida, conch populations are under threat, and their fishing and trade are restricted. In the Bahamas, where our conch shell cabochons originated, trade of conch is regulated by the Department of Agriculture of the Bahamas as they are a common food commodity in the archipelago. While the populations are considered more stable and abundant than in other areas, overfishing for their meat is still a threat. 

Akin to how much commercially available leather is a byproduct of the global meat industry, conch shells are frequently an afterthought for local fishing industries and according to a post on the AP Images Blog in 2023, “It’s common [in the Bahamas] to see discarded [conch] shells piled 8 feet high on the shoreline, and some communities have special shell dumping sites where mountains of empty shells reach to the sky. Some of the shoreline shell piles are solid enough that they’re used as jetties or boat docks.” As part of these talismans, the precarious and beautiful story of conch-human relationships is fitting for a Venus in Cancer triplicity talisman, and Idola Stellarum encourages potential bearers to consider their position within the network and how they might honour these creatures as one should any item crafted from an animal “byproduct.”

Just to confirm, we have verified with our supplier that they possess CITES documentation for their exports. Thus, the shells used in these talismans come from legal, licensed, and regulated Bahamian conch shell trade.

Ritual Setup

An altar lush with blue, green, pink, and white was erected to Venus prior to the working, with many offerings of flowers, sweets, fresh fruits and fiddlehead ferns, food, wine, pomegranate juice, 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, and a plate of copper engraved with the kamea (magic square) of Venus was offered as well.

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.