I have to acknowledge that my plan did not survive contact with reality - my Jupiter window passed before I could act. I’ll try to keep things labeled so you can come along with me in the passage of time.

Previously in this series

Capella 1: https://articles.planetarycrafts.com/p/first-contact-prep-researching-capella

Capella 2: https://articles.planetarycrafts.com/p/meeting-capella

The Tea: Sunday, August 9th

I blended my tea today. No special time, just when I finally got my shit together. 1 part milky oats, 2 parts chamomile, 2 parts lemon balm. Smell - bright, sweet, comforting, grassy. Boiled some water to give it the taste test, had a single spoonful of the brewed tea and went YESSS. Taste - delicious, delicious, delicious.

The Tea Blend:

Delicious, yes, but herbally what does it do, and how does it connect with Capella and how she wants to work with me?

Milky Oats: in herbalism, very good for the nervous system, especially when battling anxiety or stress. Metaphysically it is similar - good for soothing the mind and self care rituals. It’s watery, so it naturally relates to Venus and the Moon. I picked it because it’s something a goat would eat, and because it’s Lunar.

Chamomile: also calms the nervous system and inflammation, and helps with digestion. A solar herb, it’s about prosperity, protection from curses, and peace of mind. I picked it for solar clarity of vision.

Lemon Balm: a nervine relaxer, helpful for digestion. It’s a Jupiterian plant, good for joy, friendship and harmony at home. I picked it because of the Jupiterian connection, and because it’s one of my favorite plant spirits. 

I didn’t look at the herbal properties until I was done. Interesting, huh? Heavy hitters for anti-stress, pro-peace. 

It feels like this tea is for rituals where I need the eye of the storm, or need a moment to recuperate before heading back out into the field. This is respite, not life, and certainly not battle.

The tea hit so hard I immediately checked prospective ritual timing. Solar day, Lunar hour, within 10 minutes of Capella setting. Sounds good! I poured some tea in a mini cup, lit a candle, got her chosen jasper rock next to the candle, and immediately forgot everything else I was supposed to be doing - including how rituals worked.

An Unplanned Ritual

The joy of impromptu rituals, aka ‘I don’t know what to do with my hands’. What to invoke? What am I doing here? Do I have enough of an offering?

After a moment of panic, I settled on ‘Capella, I invoke thee’ because hey, sometimes you have to be straight and to the point.

Ritual Visualization

I closed my eyes, tried to get comfortable, and imagined Capella, the woman I had met before, alighting to earth. She sat down at a table with two cups of tea.

She looked similar to last time, although this time I noticed horns curled back on her head, and longish hair on her arms. She told me that as she sets she goes from divine to animalic. In the future, unless I want to listen to goat bleats, call a little sooner.

The tea is still excellent. She asks me again what I want from her; what do I want the work to accomplish? I waffle a bit, about my business, about wanting to step up into success and prosperity, and she seems to get a little impatient. It’s not what she does, and it’s not true enough.

And here’s where I followed my own advice about asking spirits to help and got to the vulnerable heart of things. At our core, our wishes for ourselves are selfish, and many of us are conditioned to hide that from others.

I’m one of those people who feel that shame, so I’m going to leave that part of the conversation private.

But she does approve. She asks me if I am ready for that, and makes sure I understand that while she can get me to my destination she cannot keep me there. I will need other allies, and whatever Titanomachy is coming will require help.

This echoed the previous tarot reading, where she gave The Emperor as her strength and the 5 of Pentacles as her weakness.

Titanomachy, aka the war with the Titans, who fought Zeus and his siblings as he fought for the throne. Loss led to punishment - Kronos (Saturn) spent time in the underworld, Atlas was ordered to hold up the earth, and so on. Atlas’ punishment was eternal, but Saturn was eventually released and given other work.

The Readings

Am I ready?

I pulled out the trusty tarot deck to ask - should this be a period of nourishment and preparation, or was I ready for the Big Ask?

Answer: 3 of Pentacles. Time to build a cathedral, but it’s a group project. Welp. There we go.

I’ve been a tarot reader for years, and a professional reader for five of them. I am still pleased when the cards answer me directly.

Who are my allies?

Second question, feeding off the first answer.

• Temperance

• 7 of Pentacles

• The Empress

This matches the mood of what I’m trying to accomplish, and the methods by which I want to retain it. Who are these people?

Finding the Suitors

Well then. My first assumption is that these would most likely reference ‘starry suitors’: a group of hundreds, if not thousands, of celestial spirits willing to help in magical work. Working with them requires a lot of filtering, and it sometimes ends up feeling like a season of The Bachelor when trying to figure out who is the right fit for you in the moment. Time to narrow down the options to figure out who Capella is pointing toward. I talked a bit about these techniques in my Finding Starry Patrons talk (note, this is a link to a talk listed in sched - it has a pdf of the slides, but an article on the talk itself is coming later this year). Here are some real examples of technique.

My first nature is always to think Zodiacally - I am both a tarot reader AND an astrologer, after all. Looking at the astrological connections for the cards, I get the 7 of Pentacles as Decan 3 of Taurus, because almost all minor arcana are connected to at least one part of a sign. All majors instead represent either a planet or a whole Zodiac sign. The Empress is Venus, and Temperance is Sagittarius - Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, though, so I’ll keep an eye out for both.

Let’s start with The Empress / Venus.

At the time Venus was in Libra, which she rules, giving her a modicum of power. However, she was double-afflicted by Mars and Saturn in that position - both are malefic planets, and both were making a negative aspect with her (you can read my Mars in Cancer article if you want some details on how badly they can behave). Therefore, I didn’t want to call on ‘Venus as she transits’. Additionally, she’s fallen in my chart, in Virgo, so I wanted to avoid her ‘Venus at my birth’ aspect as well. There is also the idea of ‘Venus in her purest form’, and I have worked with her successfully before, but with so much negative energy in the way it didn’t feel worth the effort.

On the other hand, the star I first met to do ritual work with is Alkaid, ecliptically conjunct my Venus; I call her Bear Mom as she’s part of Ursa Major. Alkaid and I have an open line of communication, especially during ritual work, so I don’t need tarot cards to reach her for confirmation. Once I realized that the cards were pointing to her, I asked her directly - and yes, of course she would help. She’d been waiting to teach me more ‘claw’ work, anyway.

So that’s The Empress.

Next is Temperance, as Sagittarius or Jupiter. I’m going to start with Sagittarius. I checked my birth chart, and Antares is conjunct my midheaven, which is a good sign (pun intended).

Inset: Antares is in Scorpius (the constellation), but due to precession he lives ‘ecliptically’ in the sign of Sagittarius now. Precession is an interesting topic, and worth researching if you’re curious about intermediate astrological topics.

And who is Antares, exactly? He is another one of the Behenian (major) stars, so we have a lot of resources available about him. He’s the Heart of the Scorpion and he protects against evil spirits, helps with intelligence, memory and wisdom. Beautiful. I’ll have to meet with him to be sure, but this seems like a good ‘new’ candidate for an ally.

I do feel a bit like I’m collecting animals so far. Goat, Bear, Scorpion.

And finally, let’s go back to the 7 of Pentacles and the decan.

Most of the fixed stars in Decan 3 of Taurus are part of Perseus, including Algol, who represents Medusa’s head in his constellation. Now, Algol is a star that we warn newer practitioners against, and I’m not ready to start a relationship with her at this time. However, I have a ‘sort of’ connection with Medusa, the mythological figure attached to Algol.

This does pull me out of the stellar realm; I am primarily an astro-witch, but as an animist (and a practical person) I work with other spirits as well. If the sky says work with a non-celestial being, I listen.

I haven’t worked with Medusa directly, but through her sisters, the Gorgons. She was mortal, her sisters are not, and mourning her was part of the ritual process I engaged in with them. I felt a little weird about going back to the Gorgons after so long apart, especially because I had met them through Hecate. Even worse, I had also not worked with Hecate in an even longer while. I was struggling to separate ‘human social anxiety’ from ‘official permission’, so I ended up chewing on this overnight.

If this sounds over-complicated, I agree. This is the first half of a lesson I hadn’t learned yet.

Hecate - August 10th

I discussed my conundrum with a friend, and she immediately said ‘Why isn’t it Hecate?’ I felt like this could be right, but it made me nervous. I do owe Hecate a debt. This could fit in with the reading, as I sometimes read the 7 of Pentacles as a need to rebalance the scales before starting new work - 6 of Pentacles + 1 of Pentacles, because the coins are split that way. I first worked with her through Miller’s Sorcery of Hecate series, and she does come with a host of allies.

Under Miller’s framework, she has a LOT of aspects - many tools, many faces, many spirits she can introduce to you. She’s a new moon goddess, and the next one was August 12th; sometime in the next few days would be a fine time to talk to her. I planned to go find my mala, boil some eggs, apologize and see what would work for her.

Those paying attention may note how this might connect with Justice - the card I felt most uncertain about in my first reading. Right now my opinion is Yes, and more than just this particular debt. But we’re in spoiler territory now.

My experience comes from three places, specifically: My Buddhist experiences with Segaki/Sejiki, my research on Greco-Roman rituals around the dead, and modern witchcraft books about working with the dead. I can’t promise the books in the bibliography are perfect, but they can at least give you enough information to know where to go from here.

That said, this article is to convince you to work with the dead this season. We’re approaching the spooky season, when many cultures already pay attention to their dead. You can, too!

Benefits:

• There’s a lot of dead spirits around and you’re related to many of them one way or another

• They have an inherent connection to you

• They are human shaped, and easier to comprehend

• They tend to live ‘closer’ to us humans than some spirits (sky spirits live in the sky, obviously)

• They’re also not inherently scary - and how to manage the scary ones is well documented

• Methods of interaction are also well documented, and there’s a wide variety of them

• These interactions can be as lightweight or intense as you desire, and can last a day, a month, or for as long as you desire

Basic Offering Advice

Let’s start with the lightest weight. If you ever do a general offering like I do, it’s easy to add a line. I sometimes offer a piece of my breakfast, optionally with a lit candle, to all of the spirits that I work with. You can offer a glass of water, or a stick of incense, or whatever works for you personally.

The whole prayer is:

‘I dedicate this offering to the spirits of this house and of this land; those who protect my family and help me with my work; those we have loved and lost, those who have come before. May you be pleased and at peace.’

The italics are doing the work - mostly focused on the ancestors, but lightly including the dead in general. If you have specific ancestors you want to include you can call their names as well.

Ancestral Altars

For a little more effort, you can make an ancestor altar or shrine. For the ancestors you want to honor, add objects they owned, photos or images that remind you of them, and their own dedicated offering / candle space. I sometimes dedicate a tarot or oracle deck to that altar to encourage communication.

Who are your ancestors? 
The first and most obvious answer is: those dead who are related to you, near or distant. The farther you go back, the more the pool grows. 
However, if you don’t know any family or don’t like them, consider other kinds of ancestral lines. If you have a career or area of study that you love, those who worked or contributed to the field before you are an ancestral line. Those who taught or wrote books on your spiritual practice are also an ancestral line. Beyond that, you can just call the dead who have something in common with you, although at this point we’re beginning to wander slightly from ancestors into the dead in general.

Reciting Ancestral Lineages

The next thing you can do is spend some time just speaking the names of your ancestors out loud. The size of the list isn’t important, it can be done in front of an altar or not, but this activity encourages a different kind of intimacy with your ancestors.

I don’t use my own family line - too many problematic recent dead - so I stick with my ‘other’ ancestral lines.

Here’s part of my astrological ancestral line - when I want to honor them, I set up ‘non-burning’ offerings in front of that part of my bookcase, or put the printed copy of the list on the altar - I would pull the books out to make an altar if I wanted to do something big, but the list is long, so generally they stay where they are. I recite the names while giving some kind of offering in their honor.

Here’s part of my astrological ancestral list.

The scribes of Enuma Anu Enlil, for the Babylonian celestial omen series, the oldest systematic body of celestial divination the art draws on.
Berossus, for the Babyloniaca, and for the ancient tradition that he brought Chaldean astrology to the Greek world.
Hipparchus of Nicaea, for discovering precession, compiling the first known systematic Greek star catalogue, and bringing Babylonian astronomical parameters into Greek astronomy.
Nechepso and Petosiris, for the lost foundational text cited as authority by Valens, Firmicus, Hephaistio, and others.
Teucer of Babylon, for the major surviving treatment of the decans and paranatellonta, transmitted through Rhetorius and Abu Ma'shar.
Thrasyllus of Mendes, for the Pinax, and as court astrologer to Tiberius.
Marcus Manilius, for the Astronomica, the earliest surviving extended astrological treatise, in five books of Latin verse, left incomplete.

If you want a little more activity, you can bow, offer a pinch of incense or a slight pour of liquid into the ground with each name on your list - it depends on how long your list is. My full list is broken up into sections, and at the start of each section I can offer something while reciting the names.

Caveat Time

Before we move into the more intense ‘workings’ of ancestors, I have to give you some warnings.

First, we can consider some of our ancestors to be ‘unhealed’ - not willing to let go of prejudices that they held in life. You can try to work it out with them through communication, but my theory is that life is short and I can’t fix everybody, so I work around them or ward against them, depending on how angry they are.

Second, ancestors often come with baggage (especially those of the Caucasian persuasion). They did things in life that may have had lasting, multi-generational consequences. If you think you’re getting interference because of ancestral karma, look at the appeasement ritual below for relief.

Appeasement Ritual

If you want to work on appeasement, or easing the familial karmic burden, the offering work will be slightly more complex. I would always recommend you bring multiple kinds of offerings (water, light, incense, food, burnable goods, etc) so that the table feels abundant, but if your space or budget is more limited, you may want to do a daily small offering over a week, or incorporate them into whatever ‘group offering’ you do (see the first activity, above). You can even, with intention, skip any ‘mystical’ offering and just go donate some money or time to a cause that would heal that wound.

Here’s my example: One side of my family is Mormon, and those ancestors were highly involved in missionary work around the world. If I want to do spell work with these folks, I start with an appeasement of victims. Here is how it goes:

After ritual setup, I call both my ancestors and their victims forward and do a special offering. I offer them a bowl of water for washing, food, drink and light, and I encourage my ancestors to join in on serving them. When this part is done, I invite the appeased to stay or go at their preference and continue to the main work.

Helpful Gods

If you WANT to work with the dead in ritual but you’re feeling nervous, there are several deities that can assist, giving you more distance from the dead and a more familiar starting point for the witchy types. I’ll be advising from the Greco-Roman pantheon, BUT most cultures have gods with similar roles.

If you want to visit with the dead, I recommend looking for a psychopomp like Hermes Chthonios. This is the epithet of Hermes when he travels through the underworld, and the aspect that escorts Persephone to and from her mother. He can escort spirits up for a conversation, or carry messages if you want even more distance.

You can also look for someone that leads the active dead, like Hecate. She has several epithets involving the dead that you can use, including ‘Anassa Eneroi’ (Queen of the Dead) and ‘Nerteron Prytanin’ (Mistress of the Dead). She is a goddess of many epithets, and you can check them out here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/matauryn/2017/07/19/many-epithets-hekate/.

I personally don’t recommend underworld specific deities like Hades if you want to work with the dead. They’re interested in maintaining their kingdom and our actions may feel disruptive to them. Stories of humans petitioning Hades don’t often go well.

Of course, if you already have a relationship with Hades (or Persephone), they may be more of a help - but I wouldn’t start a relationship with this kind of work.

Ritual Works

Whether you’re ready to work with the dead directly or via an intermediary, it’s time to consider exactly what kind of work our ancestors are good for. What work can they do in a ritual, for you? What exists beyond honoring or appeasement?

Ancestors are hugely invested in your success. Do you want advice? The elders may have advice. You want them to go ‘haunt’ someone as revenge? They’re often down for that. You can invoke them directly and petition them for whatever you need. I wouldn’t generally ask them to inhabit objects for you (my sigils are spirit houses, for example, so I don’t do sigil work with the dead), but like any good friend they’re happy to run errands for you.

Warding

A great example is doing warding work; Claude Lecouteux’s books mention multiple times how the dead would get ‘stuck’ at doorways, or even be buried purposefully below the outer threshold. The dead are deeply enmeshed with the idea of liminality, so putting them in charge of a liminal space like your front or back door can be very helpful (and very spooky for unwelcome guests).

Envoys and Messengers

If you need something more powerful than an ancestral spirit, you can ask them to persuade other spirits to help you, or at least stay out of your way. Invoke them first on the list, and then ask them to help invite the other spirits in and make them amenable to your cause. I have had ancestors offer to do work for bigger spirits on my behalf, to gain favor (don’t offer this to the bigger spirits, your ancestors are not your slaves).

From here we can move away from ancestors specifically and talk of the dead in general - you don’t have to be related to the dead to work with or for them.

Work in Service to the Dead

If you’re interested in spiritual ‘charity’ work, the hungry or restless dead have a lot of work available. These spirits are similar to our victims above, but more a victim of being forgotten and untended - so the ritual work will look similar to that appeasement, but the attitude will be different. This will be the main part of my practice this month, and I am treating it like volunteering at a food bank; my goal will be quantity, not quality, interactions.

Strangers for Petty Work

There is also a rich practice of asking for the unrelated dead to help - we dig up lead curse tablets from graves that ask for help from individuals they clearly don’t know (Johnston’s Restless Dead talks about these, and you can search up many articles that discuss ancient curse tablets). Apparently even the unrelated dead were willing to engage in messages or mischief on your behalf.

Graveyard Visits

A graveyard is attached to a church, while a cemetery is a general, public burial location. I’m using graveyard in the article as the ‘generic’ term, but accuracy is good, no?

Graveyard work also comes with a warning. Although modern sources discuss it, there are some arguments that this practice really originates with closed/initiatory practices and were lifted wholesale without acknowledgement. I don’t know if this is true, so take any advice here with a grain of salt, and consult divination before doing anything too wild.

These are the tales I have been told:

First, when entering a graveyard, a witch needs to appease the guardian spirits. Bring two coins and leave them at the gate - think of it also as helping a spirit pass on.

Second, you need to remember to respect the space you’re in. Try not to walk over graves directly, be polite rather than demanding, and don’t deface anything. You are in the dead people’s domain, not your own. Also, try not to disturb any mourners around; that’s an easy way to get kicked out or banned.

Third, come prepared with offerings. A flask filled with whiskey or coffee can be discreetly poured at a grave; incense is harder to hide. Bits of food can be crumbled and left in the grass, but make sure you’re not bringing anything that might harm the local wildlife.

Fourth, ask permission, and be willing to be told no. Although spirits are generally willing, not all of them will be - see the warnings around the ancestral dead.

Fifth, if you can, do research ahead of time so you can find the right kind of dead. You might find politicians, soldiers, mothers, etc - each will have their own specialty they can help you with.

Sixth, if you’re going to take dirt, don’t take much, and definitely leave an offering in the dirt as you take it. Bring a small container to bring it in and a spoon to grab it, and take as little as you can. Alternatives to dirt: clip a little grass at the grave, or take a small rubbing of the stone; both disturb the grave less and have a similar anchoring effect, if you’re seeking direct contact with this spirit later. Graveyard dirt can have other uses, so I understand if you need to grab it, but consider other options if possible.

Seventh, consider mundane appeasement. If you plan to be a ‘semi-regular’ visitor of a graveyard, see if the managers need volunteers to pick up trash and keep the area clean. If not, see if they have a program that can take donations, or if you can bring them baked goods occasionally. Also look up programs like Find a Grave and volunteer to record any missing entries for what is now ‘your’ graveyard.

Thinking of cultural appreciation vs. appropriation. Many cultures have rituals around their dead. Some cultures are very open and willing to share, some would prefer it to stay ‘within the family’, as it were. If it’s the kind of ritual any outsider can attend and participate in, then feel free to take and adapt. This is especially true when the work isn’t calling on any spirits connected to the culture. I pull from research heavy history books, my family’s history and other traditions I’ve taken part in in my life. If you see something outside of your own experience that calls to you, I recommend you find someone in real life who can invite you in and teach you not just what you do, but why - because that’s the part that often gets missed. Remember to give credit where credit was due.

Astrological Advice for Working with the Dead

Finally, if all of this sounds amazing but you don’t know where to start, we can always look at your astrological chart. You will need to have your birth time and location, but it can be very helpful for either shaping the work you might want to do or just confirming that you’re on the right track.

The 4th house and/or the location of your IC are the places where we look. These represent your roots, your parents, and your intergenerational trauma.

The sign of the 4th house is going to give the basic mood or themes of your ‘root work’, or work with your ancestors. The IC is the peak point in that, and if it’s not in the 4th house it will be bringing in the other house’s sign as an additional mood/theme for you.

Once you know the signs, the planetary rulers of those signs, and their placement in your chart, will give you more direction on ‘how’ you should be doing the work. These are your bosses or managers for the work, so their preferences should be followed (at least when you’re getting started).

Then, look to see if you have planets in the 1-2 houses/signs you’ve identified. If so, these are additional supports - not in charge, but supernatural peers that can help you if you lean toward what they’re good at.

Finally, you can look at aspects to that IC point. Any planet or axis on your chart is going to give you more information about what you should do, especially in regards to how that work feeds into or is interfering with other parts of your chart (ie, you).

Let me give you an example, with my chart.

My 4th house is Taurus, ruled by Venus, and my IC is in my 5th house, Gemini (ruled by Mercury). The moon is also present in Gemini, but the closest aspect for the IC is actually the north/south node axis. This sounds dense, so let’s break it down so you can see what value we can derive.

How I would read this:

4th house Taurus is practical and homey, so I’m reading this as doing this working at home, with comforting, physical items. Venus rules it, and is in Virgo: she’s going to want a lot of research and for me to come correct. Why? Venus in Virgo struggles with perfectionism and getting stuck ‘preparing’ while never acting. I want to honor that without getting stuck myself.

My IC line is in 5th house Gemini, and Gemini is giving a heavy conversational aspect - an emphasis on communication may be preferred for this work, and the 5th house is going to encourage me to be creative about it - engaging in writing may also fit (this article may, or may not count). Mercury rules Gemini and is also in Virgo, where he rules; he cares about discovering how all things connect together, problem solving and organizing information - but he’s also naturally a little bit of a trickster. Connecting different kinds of practices together into a coherent whole may work with this Mercurial nature (Greek and Buddhism are intertwined in my plans). As Mercury is connected to travel and he and Hermes (and therefore Hermes Chthonios) are connected, maybe going for a visit ‘down below’ myself or getting some divine help to do so is also in the cards.

The lunar support does encourage a mystery aspect - the Moon can bring in divination or dream work if I want it, and as the Moon is a shapeshifter (like Mercury), I’ll do best if I can hold my plans loosely in my hands and allow for change. I won’t expect my plans to remain the same all month.

Finally, that aspect with the nodes - squaring the north node and being squared by the south node, means that this stuff is interfering with and being impacted by my fate line. This is not going to feel like a comfortable ‘just hanging out’, but needs to be taken seriously as ‘growth practice’ - I may have skipped some work on the IC/MC line in the past (earlier in life or past life, depending on beliefs), and so doing work with the IC is going to involve a lot of ‘make up’ work. Doing appeasement work seems to fit right in with that.

So my plans are appeasement (IC/North and South Nodes), I’ll not travel to any graveyards for it (Taurus - and a decision I’m making because of the chart). I really don’t want to work on communication with the dead this year (Mercury/Gemini/Moon), and I also don’t know if I’ll be up for the Hermes work (Mercury/Moon), but I’ll keep it in mind. Just because a chart says you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you should. Maybe I’ll try to just have a conversation with Mr. Chthonios? We’ll see.

If you’re curious about how your astrological chart gives advice on spiritual practice, I do offer that service! We’ll spend 30 minutes looking at your chart or looking at tarot to help you either broadly (how to get started) or specifically (creating a ritual to fit your circumstances). https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=33470287&appointmentType=70059978

Conclusion

Hopefully I’ve convinced you both that working with the dead is worthwhile AND given you some inspiration to give it a try. Maybe you just do a few offerings this season, maybe you completely fold them into your spirit work, or maybe just something in between. I hope you find something you can do that feels worthwhile and honors the start of this dark season.

May you also be pleased, and be at peace.

Bibliography

If you enjoy reading accessible books about pre-Christian and early Christian beliefs across Europe, I cannot recommend Claude Lecouteux enough. My favorite book of his is The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices, which does cover ancestral worship but also a variety of other household spirits European ancestors worked with. I also found The Return of the Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors, and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind interesting, especially about the shift in practices over time and theories on why.

Sarah Iles Johnston is a fantastic source for Greek practices, and her book Restless Dead: Encounters between the Living and the Dead in Ancient Greece is just so good. So much of what I do is from this book.

If you want to get to know Hekate in all her forms, including her power over the dead, Jason Miller’s Sorcery of Hekate (https://strategicsorcery.net/sorcery-of-hekate/) has a lot of value (there is also a small amount of graveyard work present in the course, but it’s not the focus of the work).

If you just want to see her giant list of epithets, here’s Mat Auryn’s Hecate epithet list: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/matauryn/2017/07/19/many-epithets-hekate/.

If you want to see how a modern western Buddhist Segaki/Sejiki (feeding of the hungry dead) ceremony reads, Bright Way Zen has a public copy of their ceremony text online at https://brightwayzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Segaki-Festival-BWZ-Zoom-2020.pdf. This includes prayers and chants you could adapt if you like. If you want to better understand why western temples moved the ceremony to fit western ‘death’ holidays, this is a great article from Dharma Rain: https://dharma-rain.org/on-segaki/.

One of the most recommended ‘starter’ books for ancestor work is: Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration by Mallorie Vaudoise. It’s good for getting a perspective of the basics and some sample rituals to get you started.

If you have trouble creating your own prayers, The Big Book of Pagan Prayer and Ritual by Ceisiwr Serith covers basically everything you might ever need.

This transit is important to me personally because my birth chart has Mars in Cancer, so this is my Mars return. A Mars return happens about every 2 years, and Mars has a Bad Time in Cancer so this is just an anniversary of Bad Times, detailed below. Consider this my attempt to make lemonade out of lemons, because this transit is KICKING MY ASS. Might as well make it a learning experience.

Part One: Getting on the Same Page

When we talk about transits, we’re talking about how the planets are currently moving through the signs of the zodiac. We tend to focus on when that transit starts (‘Mars enters Cancer’), but this energy persists until Mars leaves Cancer. This gives us a general idea of the ‘astro-weather’ or the ‘astro-season’ for longer transits, but to be of the most use we need to compare it to our birth chart (a snapshot of the sky at the moment of your birth). Think of it as the difference between hearing ‘it’s going to rain’ and ‘it’s going to be heavy, intermittent rain over your house’.

Caption: 1660 celestial map of the Southern Sky. Andreas Cellarius, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

I’ll be using my chart as a personal example - I am a Hellenistic Astrologer, so I use whole sign houses instead of Placidus (most common ‘default’ chart style) and I mostly ignore the modern planets. And I’ll be talking about a return - this is when that transiting planet returns to its home sign. When a planet does that, it’s both an intensifier and a review period. You are firmly reminded of what this energy placement can mean for you, and the universe asks: “How are you handling it? Have you extracted any wisdom? Have you learned how to survive the ups and downs?” Saturn is the most famous return, as it is slow and can indicate lessons and/or ‘consequences’. The second most famous return is your solar return, which is basically your birthday, when you celebrate yourself! The solar return chart is a popular ‘predict the year ahead chart’.

Part Two: Mars in Cancer, with examples from my birth chart

This is good if you want some examples of how Mars operates in Cancer.

Part Two(a): Mars in Cancer, in general

Note first that Mars in Cancer is in fall - he is in his worst, least constructive position. His destructive, fiery nature drowns in Cancer, and so his efforts to survive, when successful, will be EXTRA BAD.

Every planet has a certain energetic quality based on its sign; domicile (in charge), exaltation (party mode), detriment (opposite of domicile), fall (opposite of exaltation), or peregrine (neutral). Don’t worry about this too much for now, if you’re not familiar. The Internet is rich in resources to help explain it to you. This is my favorite, for now: https://www.saturnandhoney.com/blog/domicile-exaltation-detriment-and-fall-in-astrology - although it is still modern, and softens the negative positions more than I would.

To figure out how this manifests, let’s take a moment with Mars and Cancer separately, and then put them together. Cancer is a water and cardinal sign - she is driven and wants to move forward (cardinal), and her main concerns are with emotions and interpersonal connections (water). If we wanted to give her a body of water, I would give her the river. She must flow in a direction, and strives to meet and mix with the great emotional body. We also get the fun analogy that ‘you can’t cross the same river twice’, in part because it’s never going to be the same river. The water shapes the environment, so the need for emotional growth and human connection will both give her direction in life and day to day shape the world around her.

Mars is a poor match for this energy. As a Hellenistic astrologer I see him without the positive spin you might see in modern astrology - he is fire, destruction and conflict in planet form. If you must give him a positive spin, I recommend you think of him like a wildfire that causes fresh growth - the destruction cannot be avoided, but something good can come after.

It should be immediately obvious that these two mix like oil and water; Cancer has no desire for destruction or conflict, and Mars has no need for understanding feelings or making friends. This is why Mars is in fall here - the zodiac sign wins, as the stars are the backdrop to planetary movement, and so Mars suffers. You might ask - isn’t this good? He’s disempowered? Instead, think of when you’re trying to open a door that is stuck. You’re pulling very hard and getting nowhere until - BOOM it is freed, slams open, possibly damaging the wall, itself and you. Or think of a time when you swallowed resentment to get along, letting it fester until it burst out uncontrolled and ruined a relationship.

Basically, with Mars in Cancer we can worry about being able to easily access emotions and have emotional growth, where rage and similar fiery, impulsive and destructive feelings are the most accessible. Cancer will flavor things toward the emotional, but is not a guarantee of it - Mars’ outbursts can also be influenced by the house of this combination.

An astrological chart has two ways it is divided by twelve - the twelve zodiac signs and the twelve houses. While the twelve signs circle the chart as they rise and set over the horizon, the houses are themselves the structure that the signs pass through. The horizon (or ascendant line) will also be in the 1st house, then it counts counterclockwise. This means as a sign rotates it counts down, not up - 1st house becomes 12th house, etc. The whole sign chart has each house be occupied by one sign only - ‘the whole sign’ is in one ‘whole house’. Each house involves one part of your life, which is how we can do real readings on a chart. I won’t go through them here, but you can look them up for yourself if you like.

Part Two(b): The Personal Example

My Mars is in Cancer in the 6th house. The 6th house is the house that owns toil, thankless work and, most importantly for this article, injuries. My one saving grace is that every planet has its joy, where it particularly meshes with the concepts covered by the house. For Mars, he finds his joy in the 6th house. This at least means that it’s POSSIBLE to channel the Martian outbursts into something productive. Of course, Mars is equally joyfully causing injuries, so it’s still a matter of caution.

If you’re feeling a little spicy and because Mars and the 6th house can both involve damage to the human body, we can take a peek at what Mars represents according to medical astrology. Judith Hill is my favorite resource (her book, Medical Astrology, is one of the best on the topic), and she says that Mars rules:

• Adrenaline and the adrenal glands

• Testosterone

• male reproductive organs

• the head and face, and the sense of smell

• the catabolic metabolism (burning of fuel)

• the release of toxins

• Blood

  • red blood cells

  • hemoglobin

  • bone marrow

• muscle tissue

  • the entire muscular system, inclusive of tendons and ligaments

  • voluntary muscles and the physical energy they draw on

• acute conditions generally - fevers, inflammation, wounds, and surgery

Consolidating all of that information, what I expect (and have broadly experienced) from this placement in my birth chart:

• my ‘tedious’ work (6th house) is going to fall apart spectacularly (Mars in Cancer), especially due to emotional issues

• Injury:

  • NOT prone to injury from fire (Cancer makes Mars too ‘wet’)

  • at risk for injury (6th house) due to issues expressing emotions or dealing with destructive tendencies (Mars in Cancer)

  • Injuries, when not emotional, may be more based on Mars-ruled body parts

• I may come off as generally irritable (Mars in Cancer) or moody, although that can be relieved when I’m doing energetic (Mars) but tedious (6th house) work - because Mars is in his Joy

With badly placed planets, sometimes the sign ruler or benefic (positive planets, Jupiter and Venus) can help. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for me. The Moon, ruler of Cancer and therefore ‘in charge’ of Mars, can’t provide direct help because it is in Gemini, so it doesn’t make an aspect with Mars (see below) - her help is indirect, and she will want to talk endlessly without hitting a resolution (Gemini), and she will encourage me to Make Art About It (5th house). For example, she may encourage me to write an article about my experiences (ahem).

What is an Aspect?

Aspect is the astrological term for two planets that can ‘see’ each other, and therefore influence each other. I use whole sign aspects, which means that they can ‘see’ each other so long as the signs can see each other, but you may see people use a more narrow band of degrees (and I agree that it’s most intense there). The beneficial aspects are called trines (when they share an element, and drawing those three together makes a triangle), or sextile (when they are two signs away, and drawing it out makes a hexagon). Less beneficial aspects are squares, with the worst ‘square’ position being an opposition. Conjunction is powerful, when the planets basically merge into one - the most intense, but ‘better’ and ‘worse’ depend on the planets themselves. Finally, something is in ‘aversion’ if the two planets cannot ‘see’ each other at all. This happens when they are in an adjacent sign or five signs away in either direction, e.g. a sign at house 1 cannot see the signs/planets in house 12, house 2, house 6 or house 8.

You can look at your own sign and house placement and think of what Mars is going to burn down or scream at you about, see how the other planets may help or hurt by aspect, and how the sign ruler is going to influence everything. If you’re not comfortable doing your own research, you can always get a reading from a trusted astrologer (like me!)

Part 3: How Past Mars Returns Impacts Me

Let’s start with this season (August 11 2026 to September 27 2026).

In a nutshell - my fridge broke and I lost a bunch of food. Then my mental health was so wrecked I had to miss a great opportunity to read and speak at a conference. And now my mouth has an awful infection, where I can’t eat and can barely tolerate drinking. All of this in a span of less than two weeks.

Before I dive into how all of this connects to this transit, let’s also look at an exacerbating factor: Saturn is squaring Mars from Aries. Saturn is a malefic planet and he is in fall. In fact, if it isn’t obvious - both Mars and Saturn are malefic (harmful) planets! I should expect sudden chaos and bad things for this entire transit, basically.

What does Saturn mean? Saturn is connected to things that move slowly, especially things that require endurance, and can cause delay. He can give rewards when these things finally come into fruition, however. He is also in charge of time and what I call ‘consequences’.

Going back to the medical astrology, he rules:

• Bones, joints, teeth and cartilage

• spleen and skin barrier

• Chronic issues, aging issues

Aries is a fire cardinal sign. So while he likes moving forward and is driven like Cancer, he is very quick to move, impulsive, and happy to destroy things if it helps him accomplish his goals - his half-formed, easily-changed goals.

You can see why Saturn would HATE THIS. It may also make sense that Mars rules this sign - their attitudes are very aligned.

My explanation for this combination: imagine being in a car going 70 miles per hour that occasionally and painfully brakes. If you ever had your car’s safety mechanism decide something BAD was happening and suddenly slow down/stop, possibly causing accidents and panic in everyone involved - this is the panic and potential for damage this combination can cause.

Now let’s talk about why This is a Problem.

First, Saturn is squaring Mars, which means Saturn is causing problems for Mars - causing sudden issues in things that were supposed to progress, delaying the resolution of things that are currently going wrong, and so forth.

Second: Mars is the planetary ruler for Aries, so Mars is reaching back and ‘helping’ Saturn. Not only is the car suddenly stopping, it’s catching on fire as it’s doing so. It’s making all of those delays feel SO MUCH WORSE, often emotionally (because he’s in Cancer), and making your or others’ anger or emotional state negatively contribute to the situation. If the car that’s stopped on the freeway isn’t on fire, then the passengers in your car are screaming at you about it. On top of that, the 6th house influence means the whole process is going to feel thankless (no reward), and also likely to hurt you physically in the process.

This analogy is partially because Aries is my 3rd house, which rules communication, education and relationships from early life, and local travel - so I naturally move toward car analogies. If you want a second analogy, imagine cutting through a jungle with a machete, but you never get to where you’re going. Just when it feels like you succeed, you get another setback (Saturn), or your plan backfires.

As a side note, this is a warning on choosing analogies that can actually happen to you. I got into my first car accident in 8 years right after Saturn entered Aries, so… maybe I should be more careful on the analogies I use.

Saturn squaring Mars also gives additional context to my disastrous Mars return.

The fridge suddenly stopping is Saturnian while food destruction via heat is Martian.

For the breakdown before the conference, it was prefaced by problems with my printer breaking down and ruining all of my handouts. Saturn for the delay, and stoppage via lack of communication (3rd house), Mars for destruction in general.

Current health issues: a feverish, painful inflammation of the mouth, especially the gums. Mars rules the face and inflammation, Saturn manages the teeth and skin barriers.

As a bonus, the infection started on Sunday, when the Moon was in detriment in Capricorn, and therefore was opposing Mars in Cancer. We already know that the Moon rules Cancer, and in opposition it’s going to provide extra tension as a ruler of health (things about you that change over time, so health can be part of it). It’s in detriment in Capricorn, so its influence is going to be direct, physical, and more likely unpleasant because it’s uncomfortable.

Sometimes in situations like this we say #astrologygood. It’s used when a bad thing happens that is strongly explained by astrology - it’s an ironic statement about the astrology being good, even though the circumstances suck.

Part 4: The Value of Looking at Previous Transits

This transit is a spectacular (if awful) example of how transits can work. However, it can be very helpful to look at previous, similar transits to better understand what kind of events or energies will come. To stay on theme, I’ll stick with previous Mars in Cancer returns.

Part 4(a): The Most Recent Set of Transits

The most recent three transits are connected - Mars passes through Cancer, retrogrades, then moves forward again. We would expect this to all be connected, so I’m going to treat it as one block here.

2024-09-05 → 2024-11-04

Saturn was in Pisces, so he trined Mars, and this is where he stayed for all of these prior transit entries. That’s a much more positive aspect, and he was neutral by sign instead of in fall, so he didn’t interfere like he is in the current Mars Return. In fact, I would give him some of the kudos for allowing things that had been problems for a long time to finally reach a conclusion, but that’s not that solid of a statement, so take it with a grain of salt.

Were there problems? Yes.

First, during a trip I realized that my dietary restrictions had stopped being a choice I was making and had crossed into orthorexia. I decided to remove these limitations until I could think about food clearly again. Having to destroy the old so that the new could prosper is very on-brand for Mars, and although it was terrifying short term, I am in a much better place now.

Second, this trip also destroyed my feet, which led to a realization of bigger muscle/abdominal-based health issues that I was able to resolve through the next few Mars periods. The trip started Sepembert 12, when the Moon in Capricorn opposed Mars in Cancer (causing trouble, just like it did in the current transit).

2025-01-06 → 2025-02-24 - retrograde in Cancer

This was the period when we realized there was more to my health issue than we thought. I got multiple screenings and tests to see what was going on. Retrogrades can be seen as ‘review’ or do-over periods, so this makes sense.

2025-02-24 → 2025-04-18

This is when the specialized PT started to finally fix an underlying issue that had been causing chronic pain issues for decades. I never would have gotten here if not for that trip.

Part 4(b): Previous Transits: A few more small bites

2023-03-25 → 2023-05-21

This is when I got surgery to fix a cervical disc herniation. First PT to try to help started the week of March 25th. Recovery care lasted until May 17th.

2021-04-23 → 2021-06-11

This was while I was finally getting diagnostic treatment after messing up my wrist when falling down some stairs (injury is 6th house, joints and ligaments is Mars). This was also during a Cancer profection year - an intermediate Hellenistic technique, just know that Mars in Cancer was the ‘theme of the year’. Career-wise, I was at the height of burnout and was feeling unappreciated by my bosses (discouraged from going for promotion for stupid reasons, boss then denied doing so). I haven’t focused much on my career for these, but I thought it worth noting as it matches so well with the thankless tedious work often inherent in 6th house activities.

As a note - these were all of my major injuries since 2020, which is pretty spectacular. It’s pretty obvious I’m capturing more events now, so now feels more intense, but it’s hard to say if that’s because I’m actively journaling now or if now truly is a worse time than usual. My theory is that Saturn in Aries is the key factor here, but because Saturn takes 30 years to make that full circle I would have to look back to the mid-90s - which predates electronic calendars and photo albums, so I just don’t know if it’s true or just my imagination.

Part 4(c): Final Thoughts on These Transits

Here’s thing I want to note in this transit section. I skipped over several major career events that happened in these periods, for two reasons; the first is that I had events OUTSIDE of these transits, so I can’t blame/praise Mars in Cancer for what has happened. Second, most of my career events in this period, especially the Saturn in Pisces period, have been more about releasing the tedious work and embracing what I consider my higher calling (astrology and tarot). Still relevant because the 10th house (career, vocation, legacy) is Scorpio, which is ruled by Mars. Some of these events may be triggering not just because Mars was interfering in the tedium of my old job, but also because he is in charge of my greater career and activated in general - and Pisces also trines Scorpio, so the Saturn in Pisces was touching Scorpio and the 10th house topics as well. There are other advanced techniques that also indicated this last era would be one of change, so again - interesting, but Mars in Cancer is a side story instead of the main attraction. I bring this up because one of the key things of astrology is that you will often not just see one marker of an event or theme, but several all reinforcing each other.

Part 5: Closing Thoughts

If you want to take anything away, find a way to journal your life - good calendar events, saved photos, or an actual journal of things if you have the time. This is really valuable if you want to interpret your own transits, and will also help more advanced techniques like lunar progression charts, solar returns, profection years, and especially zodiacal releasing. Understanding how past events intersect with astrology gives you vital information about the future.

For this transit, I know things are likely to crescendo when the transiting Mars matches by degree with my natal Mars on September 16th - I will be staying at home, wrapped in a blanket, and promise to post on Instagram etc. if something truly exciting happens.

The next Mars transit through Cancer will begin July 20th 2028 and end September 4th 2028. I expect that transit story to be much quieter - Saturn will have moved into Taurus, and be in sextile with Mars - beneficial, but more minor, and Mars will be conjunct with Venus for a good portion of the transit - Venus is a beneficial planet, even in neutral territory (she’s neutral in Cancer). I’m not sure if Mars’ negative will be overpowered by Venus, or if his issues will take on her themes of prosperity, love and beauty. We’ll see!

Finally, I know that my late 70s - when Saturn is back in Aries and Mars is back in Cancer - is going to be a Big Problem. In the meantime, whenever Mars enters Cancer I’ll make sure painkillers are in my purse and I’ll pay close attention to any unusual aches and pains, to manage them before they get too bad. I’ll also pay attention to my urges to push toward my vocation more and tedious work less - especially now that I’m more aligned, that energy may push me away now from those business basics that are actually important (like bookkeeping, ugh).

I hope these examples were helpful! Good luck with this transit, and I’ll try to cover another predictive technique or a less catastrophic transit in the future.

So; practicality time. Freshly showered (but in street clothes), one purple candle and one white candle, two small cups of water and one pint jar of water gathered. My workspace is a mess, so I made space on my desk, pulled out SkySafari to figure out where the two candles would go, tried and failed to find my copy of Dunn’s translations of the Orphic Hymns (took it as a sign that I didn’t need it right now). Lit the candles, entered meditative space.

Caption: Part of the original talk - a brilliant diagram of the ‘ideal’ altar when working with stars. However, remember - the best work is the work you actually do, don’t let perfect be the enemy of done.

I don’t work directly in vision, but with a sense of knowing. I saw this because I overthink and I’m not sure I ‘see’ things the way I’m supposed to. Instead, I consider myself a storyteller and I let the story unfold in my mind.

First, I address Jupiter, requesting to meet Capella, Almathea, his nursemaid when he was hidden away by his mother. He nods and gestures to a small empty table slightly outside of the throng of people always present in his court. I don’t take the time to try and grab details of what he looks like or who is present, because that’s not why I’m here.

Caption: Jupiter on his throne. Pompeian wall painting, house of the Dioskuroi, atrium - Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

The table is small and metal, chairs not comfortable. They are like iron garden furniture, and out of place for the space. A woman comes and sits next to me.

First impressions are that she is incredibly pale, with blue veins visible under translucent skin - more human than I expected. Dark hair, sweet face, maybe late 20s/early 30s in maturity, but not enough detail that I would recognize her later. Round cheeks, small smile. Wearing white with purple threads woven in, metal and stone clasps at her shoulders, a sort of goat hide belt around her waist.

In sync, the three of us raise a glass and take a sip (Jupiter from his throne in a distance) - then Jupiter goes back to his business and I focus more purely on Capella.

She asks what I want; I tell her I’m not sure, exactly, but I wander too far and I thought her presence might help get things under control. She tells me that that’s not what she does - she’s likely to make things worse. I ask instead, then, if she can help my wandering projects come to fruition, to be nourished and be complete (ie, if I have to work on 10 things at once, can I at least finish some to success and then start the next thing). That she found agreeable.

Next I asked about the reading, specifically the 7 of Swords. She told me that it was fine if I wanted to make a talisman, that that’s a project she could help be successful, but that I really shouldn’t put her in the 8th house; that would not be helpful, and would cause her to kill things rather than complete them. She advised either to go earlier - let the moon be before the midheaven, with her in the 9th house - would put Jupiter in his joy, the 11th house, and honor him for his patronage; or let her fall to setting, although then she wouldn’t be human but be touching the earth - less powerful, goat shaped, but very helpful.

There was also a moment of the image being two people - Gemini influenced, Lovers influenced - a musician and a dancer, perhaps. But it was vague, and we’ll see.

I said I would look at the charts, and we moved on. I tried to understand what metal she was wearing, what stones were in her brooches, and she sort of waved me off. Yes, sapphire, yes, gold and silver- but that is because I was meeting her at midheaven, in Jupiter’s court, where she was most exalted and honored. The material would differ depending on where she was - she did like blue stones, so lapis would be okay.

I offered clay, with lapis chips inset in the design. She liked the mix of mundane with the beautiful, but said that the color of the clay would depend on when I picked the talisman.

I opened my eyes and cast it around my workspace - kind of covered in stones and things. I was instantly drawn to a particular jasper stone, so this is the stone I will be using to connect with her in the future - as an altar marker, not for talismanic work.

Taking a few moments for contemplation, I got directed that I should make a tea blend for the next meeting; milky oats, lemon balm, and chamomile. Nothing matched her herbs, but she said that tea was for enjoyment, incense was for something else. The tea indicated her personality and our relationship.

I was feeling done, so I thanked them for their help and their presence, blew out candles, and came to the computer to record my thoughts.

Caption: Workspace meets reality - my altar is still being redone, so I use the space I have; detritus and all. Please enjoy my cute little cups I use for liquid offerings, as well as the jasper Capella picked as a reference stone.

First: interesting to ask Jupiter for connection; although now I can see that I will get a particular aspect if I choose to meet in court. For longer research, it might be worth meeting a star under each planet’s aegis, to see how things shift, see what aspects come out, what instructions or relationships are given - especially when people don’t agree what planets are associated with the star.

Perhaps because I was under Jupiter she was willing to bend her efforts toward ‘success’ instead of a more Saturnian ‘make some of this stop’. I always have more ideas for things to do than time or physical energy, and finishing things is the least exciting part. If I can just get more things done and in maintenance mode, that will give me more mental energy for the next thing, more things shared with the community, and hopefully more benefit to myself as well.

Websites used: https://www.almanac.com/astronomy/bright-stars/ for Capella timings (although originally it defaulted to the wrong date, which is why my original plan was off) and our good friend https://planetaryhours.net/app for the planetary hours.

Looking at the alternate timings, since I’m here. It’s good to remember that the chart is an abstraction - Capella at my location will rise at 12:33am on August 12th, culminate at 9:33am, and set at 6:33pm. So her sitting abstractly in the 7th house, approaching the descendent - that’s about Gemini, not about her presence in the sky.

I kind of like her in the 7th house, as well - that’s a Lovers position if I’ve ever seen one.

If I wanted Jupiter in the 11th house the Moon would be JUST before reaching true new moon with the Sun - and apparently there’s going to be a solar eclipse that day (although not very visible where I am). That eclipse ends at 3:57pm, so getting Capella into the 7th house will put us right past the eclipse. Astrologically, this is not even the midpoint of ‘eclipse season’, though - current season just started (July 27th) and will go until August 31st - this is when the Sun will get more than 18 degrees away from the South Node. I’ve never contemplated talisman work during eclipse season, but Capella didn’t say NO, so perhaps it’s best to consider this as a ‘channeling my natural chaos into something better’ as exemplified by eclipse energy.

Generally, though - eclipse energy is a problem, and I need to be even more careful than I thought.

This will probably require a second meeting. There is a second Leo solar eclipse in August 2027.

Eclipse is giving me a big pause - this is a large amount of energy, and it shifts my thoughts on what I would be working with both as materials and as intention.

New next steps: make the tea blend. Have tea with Capella. In a perfect world, I’d meet with her tomorrow, on Jupiter’s day. Her next rise is a Jupiter hour, but at 1:46am so still a Mercury day, and honestly I’m not going to make that. Her culmination and set are both Venus hours in Jupiter day properly; that’s auspicious enough. We’ll see where reality actually puts the meeting, though (foreshadowing: I did not make this particular timing date).

Caption: Auriga, plate 7 in Urania's Mirror, a set of celestial cards accompanied by A familiar treatise on astronomy ... by Jehoshaphat Aspin. London. Astronomical chart, 1 print on layered paper board : etching, hand-colored.

A quick bit of context, since this picks up in the middle of something. Earlier this year I taught a workshop called Finding Starry Patrons - about building working relationships with individual fixed stars rather than treating them as chart decoration. While putting the extra slides together I was fiddling around with the major fixed stars and noticed that Capella had an interesting, if imperfect, election coming up. One that also had a relationship with my natal Mercury worth considering.

In those extra slides I showed the election itself, with a quick rundown of what made it good and what made it problematic, and then spent about ten minutes online doing a first round of research on the star. I mentioned in the talk that at least a little reading is worth doing before First Contact with a star, and I wanted to show just how much can come out of only a couple of websites.

After the talk I decided that working through the whole process publicly - from this first research pass to a finished talismanic project culminating in mid-August - would be a good way to keep the conversation going and share how I actually work with stars, in case it’s useful to anyone else doing the same. So: this is where it starts.

If you’re new to this: An election is a deliberately chosen moment to do a piece of work, picked because the sky is favorable. A fixed star is one of the actual stars, as opposed to the “wandering stars”, aka planets. Capella is the brightest star in Auriga, the Charioteer - traditionally the goat he carries on his shoulder - and one of the fifteen Behenian stars, a medieval set singled out as especially useful for magical work, each with its own herb, stone, and engraved image.

The Election

This is the chart I walked through in the talk, along with my quick notes on what looked promising and what gave me pause. Moon in the midheaven, applying sextile to the star, just starting to wax, moving fast, sextile with Venus, Jupiter in the same sign, Saturn not in a harsh aspect, Mars in aversion, a Mercury day, Venus hour just after 1:44pm. That’s all good. And then - eighth house.

Caption: The election as I presented it - the chart, plus what looked promising and what gave me pause.

(Yes, there’s at least one other major problem with the election - I’ll talk about it in a later entry).

First Pass: Ten Minutes on the Internet

Using only the internet - Astrology King and Wikipedia - here’s the whole first round from about ten minutes of reading and taking notes.

• Capella is a Behenian star, so plenty of material is available.

• The left shoulder, or the goat, of the Charioteer: the goat that fed Zeus, the shoulder that bears the load.

• Other cultures: part of the collar bones in Inuit tradition, the canoe bailer in Hawaii.

• Agrippa and Hermes Trismegistus (Agrippa quotes Hermes here, I think), both talk about horehound and sapphire, with an image of a man making merry.

• Planetary connection is going to be a problem: Jupiter and Saturn from one source, Mars and Mercury from Ptolemy, Mercury and the Moon from Alvidas. Will need more research.

This is definitely enough for me to work with.

The Tarot Spread

The star seemed interesting enough, and the relationship with my chart seemed interesting enough, that a spread felt like the right next step. This is Amaya Rourke’s The Bridge, a nine-card layout built specifically for opening a relationship with a celestial body, and a great place to start. Divination is always an important tool in workings and a great helper in spirit contact.

Caption: The spread layout - The Bridge: Tarot Spread to Begin a Celestial Relationship, by Amaya Rourke.

Caption: The actual pull. Quick note: three Major Arcana, no Wands at all.

1. In one card, summarize a description of your character - Queen of Cups. Matches the nourishing, watery notes I found in my quick research.

2. What should I know about you - 9 of Pentacles. Someone proud of her accomplishments - another strong feminine note. Interesting later against the Knight: she could be someone who has already done what I need to do.

3. What do you consider your strengths - The Emperor. Exactly the Zeus story. She can help you reach those heights.

4. What are your limits - 5 of Pentacles. …but she can’t give you the resources to keep it. That’s a you problem. Note she lost the horn that became the cornucopia - she lacks the bounty herself.

5. What can you teach me - 9 of Cups. To me this is about finding and enjoying community, which is something I do want to work on. So that’s good.

6. How do you see me - Knight of Pentacles. Fun - shows me as someone still developing the material skills I need.

7. How can we best connect - Justice. I’m not sure about this one, and will need to spend time with it.

8. How can we best collaborate - 7 of Swords. A little odd. I read that card as sneaky, intellectually missing something by choice, or missing out. A partial success. Some ideas, but more consideration needed.

9. In one card, summarize our journey - The Lovers. That’s about as strong a positive statement as there is.

Interesting, isn’t it? Two of these want more time than one sitting will give them. Justice as the way to connect - I genuinely don’t have a read on immediately, and collaboration as the 7 of Swords is odd enough that I want to sit with it rather than force it into shape.

On The Lovers: I’d consider that an offer of partnership, not of mentorship. She’s not offering to feed me - she’s going to teach me to feed others. Be The Goat, as it were.

This is enough of a positive response that I’m willing to move forward with Capella, cautiously. I consider talisman work to be magician work, or “sword” work, so position eight being a sword tells me talismans may be okay - but the weirdness of that particular sword also says it’s not going to be as satisfying as I’d like, or something else is not right. A learning experience, at minimum. Alkaid has specifically told me no talismans, so here’s a star that’s at least nominally good with it.

Three Majors. There’s some big energy here. She’s a Behenian star, so I’m not surprised. I did spend a moment wondering why I didn’t give The Emperor to her directly, and I think it’s because the first two cards are so strongly feminine. If she wanted me to consider her male, the King of Cups would have tilted it the other way; Queen plus 9 of Pentacles is a strong enough feminine push that it leads me away.

No Wands. This is not a creative, business-empire kind of collaboration. The strong feminine relationship energy - Queen of Cups, 9 of Cups, The Lovers - says to expect a relationship-building experience more than anything else.

Justice and The Emperor. Together these speak to a connection with structure, or government. I’m not sure how that’s going to manifest, but I’ll keep an eye on it. What’s left to work through is Justice as a form of connection - I really, really don’t have time for volunteer work or the justice system, so I’m hoping for something more abstract. And because I have such a worried, anxious feeling about it, I need to let it sit a minute; it’s harder for me to get an honest read when I have Opinions or Preferences about an answer.

Anyway. Sufficiently positive that I’m excited to work with her, and willing to keep exploring the talisman. Time to crack the books.

Book Research

A quick note on method. For each of these sources, this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything it says. I pick out things that feel important, things that match concepts I’ve already read, or things that seem strikingly different. The first time you research a source you may be tempted to write down EVERYTHING. That’s fine - but I’d also recommend a quick read-through of at least one of your major sources, trusting that the important pieces will jump out at you.

Star Lore

Star Lore of All Ages, by William Tyler Olcott, has a chapter on Auriga. Here are the gems I found.

• Capella is the heart of the goat.

• Very old - from the Euphrates: almost identical to a statue found there, goat included.

• Identified with Erichthonius (although so is Boötes).

• Capella was associated with Icu of Babylon, and with Marduk.

• 1600s France - a kneeling Adam, goat climbing over his neck.

• Also Phaeton - Helios’ sun, driving the chariot.

• Capella as Driver (early in the sky at night, so she watches over the shepherds driving their flocks), or as Singer - riding ahead of the procession cheering on the camels, meaning the Pleiades. Hence Guardian of the Pleiades.

• Capella lost a horn to Zeus; it became the cornucopia. Interesting - she LACKS the bounty. See the 5 of Pentacles.

• India - Heart of Brahma.

• Peru - Colca, the shepherds; culminates in the season when the shepherd manages his flocks.

• Egypt, Denderah zodiac - a mummified cat in the hand of a male figure crowned in feathers. Cool imagery, not sure what to do with it. (Olcott is quoting Richard Hinckley Allen’s Star Names and Their Meanings here.)

• Temples of Ptah oriented to Capella.

• Considered stormy, and bad for sailors - especially her kids (goatlings, other stars in the asterism). There was a festival, Natalis Navigationis, once Capella season had passed, celebrating better weather.

• Similar in composition to the Sun, 34 light years away, so the light is “not that old.”

• Mentions a Tennyson poem.

Caption: Auriga with the goat on his shoulder and the kids in his hand - the shape all of this lore is describing, from Star Lore of All Ages (1911).

Olcott brought up a Tennyson poem in connection with Capella, so I tracked it down as a second source in its own right. In the Starry Patrons talk I mentioned using an Orphic Hymn during ritual work, or as an alternative, using a modern poem that addresses the constellation or star directly. This one might count. There are a few lines that reference the Charioteer, but I’m not sold on whether it’s actually suitable for ritual use yet, so I’m filing it for later examination rather than adopting it outright.

…And the shining daffodil dies, and the Charioteer
And starry Gemini hang like glorious crowns
Over Orion’s grave low down in the west…

Tennyson, Maud, Part III

A few names came up in the Olcott chapter attached to cultures I don’t have much background in - Hindu, Egyptian, Incan - and Capella or the Charioteer showed up in all three, so I flagged them for a quick follow-up look rather than letting them go by unexamined.

• Brahma - creator god, but with no sects that worship him.

• Ptah - creator god; god of craftsmen, synced to Hephaestus; a god who listens to prayers.

• Colca - qullqa, meaning a storehouse of grain for the Incans.

Honestly, after doing the actual looking, none of these turned out to be as rich as the “further research” label promised - these are just the quick notes from that follow-up pass. Ptah is the one exception that’s still nagging at me, mostly because the Charioteer is sometimes considered the son of Hephaestus, and Ptah is already the Egyptian sync point for Hephaestus. So there’s a small thread connecting all three that might be worth pulling on later.

Fixed Star Astrology

With the mythological digging done, it’s time to check my two best fixed star references for the detailed astrological view: Bernadette Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars and Diana K. Rosenberg’s Secrets of the Ancient Skies, Vol. 1.

Brady

• Orientation point for the temple at Eleusis, for Diana as moon god.

• The Celts have a strong link between chariots and the feminine nourishing, twins, and so on.

• Ebertin: inquisitiveness, curiosity, makes people “odd.”

• A nurturing but free-spirited flavor.

• In a natal chart, can indicate a need for freedom according to the related planet.

• With Mercury: independent thinker, unconventional, able to draw new conclusions from things.

Rosenberg. Similar to Brady, no new/different concepts in there.

Traditional Occult

And now the occulty people - meaning people who actually wrote about magic, historically, rather than modern astrological writers. This is my traditional occult layer: Agrippa, by way of the Three Books of Occult Philosophy, and HT (Hermes Trismegistus, the source underlying the Behenian star correspondences).

Agrippa

The Goat star is in the thirteenth degree of the said Gemini, of the nature of Jupiter, and Saturn… Under the Goat they made an image, the Figure of which was, as it were, a man willing to make himself merry with musical instruments; it maketh him who carrieth it acceptable, honored and exalted before Kings and Princes; and helpeth the pain of the teeth.

Hermes Trismegistus

• Alhayhoch - Capella

• 22 Gemini 11

• Stone: sapphire

• Main herb: horehound

“Horehound seed mixed with equal parts of mint, wormwood and mandrake, placed etc., exalts men to honors, and brings them the favor of kings and nobles, and heals toothache, and is very medicinal.”

Caption: The sigil, as usually reproduced.

Worth noting on that sigil: in early printings this is a rectangle, not a square, and there are no two “bonus feet” - just an x with dots at the ends. Where did the feet come from?

Herb Correspondences

The four herbs from the HT recipe, plus one bonus.

Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) - Mercury, Air, masculine. Powers in Cunningham’s system: protection and mental clarity. Older folk names like “Seed of Horus” tie it to Egyptian associations, and in medieval Europe it was hung around homes to repel witches’ spells. Its intense bitterness is read symbolically as cutting through illusion or negative influence - the same logic that made it a folk remedy for expelling phlegm gets carried over into expelling unwanted spiritual influence. Used in protection sachets, purification baths, and exorcism or banishing incense.

Mint (Mentha spp.) - Mercury, Air, masculine. Cunningham lists money, lust, healing, travel, protection, and exorcism. The mythic root is Greek: the nymph Minthe was trampled by Demeter out of jealousy over Hades, which is why mint carries an underworld, Hades-and-Persephone thread in some traditions alongside its brighter money and lust associations. Practically - carried in a wallet for prosperity, worn at the wrist for health, placed on the altar to invite helpful spirits, used in travel spells.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) - Mars, Fire, masculine. This one has real depth in the historical record. Culpeper’s 17th-century Complete Herbal placed it under Mars and noted it tends to grow near “martial” iron - foundries - tying its rulership to both the plant’s warming, bitter medicinal action and its energetic profile. Cunningham lists love, protection, psychic powers, and spirit communication, and specifically notes it can be burned with sandalwood in a graveyard to summon the spirits of the dead. It’s sacred to Artemis, its namesake, and folklore ties it to the serpent’s path out of Eden - hence its long use in protective work against bewitchment. Given the toxicity, this is smoke, incense, and amulet work. Not internal use.

Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) - Saturn, Earth, masculine. Some modern sources reassign it to Mercury or Fire, but the older attribution - consistent with its poisonous, chthonic nature, like most baneful herbs - is Saturn. Cunningham lists love, fertility, protection, money, and health, and associates it with Hecate and Hathor; other sources add Circe, Diana, and Aphrodite. It’s the classic root for poppet work because of its humanoid shape, and the harvesting folklore (screaming when uprooted, a dog used to pull it free) is medieval European in origin. The plant also has a genuine textual pedigree: it appears in Genesis in the Rachel and Leah fertility narrative, which is part of why fertility magic is so central to its correspondences rather than a later invention.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) - Venus, Earth, feminine. The bonus. Perdue’s Agrippa gives mugwort rather than wormwood, and I’m not sure where the translation issue crept in, so I’m including this as well. Cunningham lists it as sacred to Artemis and Diana; that’s also Culpepper’s placement, who puts mugwort under the dominion of Venus, which lines up with its long medicinal use for “all things female” - childbirth, menstrual complaints, menopause - a use endorsed back to Hippocrates and Dioscorides. Its genus name honors Artemis directly, which is why so many modern sources pull it toward the Moon instead of Venus; Paracelsus is credited with the line asking what Venus is, if not the Artemisia growing in your garden, which is about as clean a statement of the Venus attribution as you’ll find. Powers-wise it does double duty: divination, astral projection, and prophetic dreaming (stuff a pillow with it, or burn it as incense before scrying) alongside strength and protection - hang a bundle at the door to keep evil out. In Chinese medicine it’s the moxa of moxibustion, and the Ainu in Japan burned it in quantity to drive off the spirits of disease.

On the mugwort-versus-wormwood problem: Agrippa (in his latin) used a family-level name, artemisia, which both plants belong to. Possible solution - use both. The herb is called for several times across several stars, and I’d expect mugwort to be the more common intent, but hey. Using them together is fine. I have some of both. Just… don’t eat the wormwood.

The Sapphire Rabbit Hole

Crystal Vaults notes that blue sapphire ranges from pale to deep azure to indigo, the most desired color being the velvety cornflower blue also called Kashmir or bleu de roi. The name comes from Latin sapphirus, Greek sappheiros, and Sanskrit sanipryam, all meaning “blue stone.” And here is where the rabbit hole begins: recent research indicates that what we call lapis lazuli was also referred to as sapphire in the ancient world, and much of the sapphire described in the Bible and other texts would actually have been lapis lazuli.

Today sapphire is still a stone of wisdom - a royal stone of learning, mental acuity, and psychic activation, a seeker after spiritual truth. Its blue ray brings order and healing to the mind, lending strength and focus and an ability to see beneath surface appearances to underlying truths, and to use what it finds there. It stimulates the throat and third eye. Associated with Saturn, it embraces order, structure, and self-discipline, and is ideal for accomplishing goals and manifesting ideas into form.

Since there were two herbs being translated differently, and a source mentioning that sometimes sapphire is actually lapis, I went to archive.org to find a scan of the 1533 first full printing of Agrippa and see what words were actually set in type. Sapphire: there were two different words for the stone by that period, and sapphiru is the one used, rather than anything else. So - probably good? Not great for the budget, but I’m not starting at sapphire for this talisman, so that’s fine.

On the other hand, the real question is what Agrippa’s own source meant - sapphire “true,” or sapphire as lapis lazuli? Lapis is already in my collection, so it might make a good intermediate step before true sapphire. To what extent was Agrippa copying an ancient source versus going off of his own understanding? The books are a large compilation of occult knowledge. This would require more study, but since I’m not looking to do a ‘real talisman’ right now I can stop the rabbit hole digging for now.

Which Planet?

Five sources, five answers.

• Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos - Mars and Mercury, for the whole constellation.

• Alvidas - Mercury and the Moon.

• Liber Hermetis de Stellis Fixis - Jupiter and Saturn.

• Noonan - behaves like the Sun.

• Agrippa - no planet stated outright, but the herbs he attaches (mint, wormwood, mandrake, horehound) are solar and Mercurial.

A note on Alvidas: a 19th-century pen name, author otherwise unknown. The Liber Hermetis is another of the major works on the Behenian set, the fifteen “magical” stars. Noonan is a modern astrologer, whose book I don’t have, alas, so I’m relying on other people quoting his work instead of direct examination.

To try and untangle this, I want to figure out why each attribution might have been made, rather than picking one and moving on. Brady’s strong emphasis on Capella’s association with freedom is what pushes me toward Mercury - a trans-liminal Hermes, travel-associated, mutable, generally wiggly and fast-moving in character. It also helps that Capella has been sitting in Gemini for a long time now, so it’s been under Mercury’s domain regardless, which will flavor things a little on its own. As for the second planet - Moon, Mars, or something else - I’m not going to worry about pinning that down yet.

Mars is traditionally martial and can indicate plenty of negative things on its own, but I think whatever Mars influence shows up here is a more dignified version of that. Part of the martial signification comes from the fact that the constellation is a charioteer: a warrior shape, yes, but a dignified one. Charioteers have higher status than the average foot soldier, and aren’t an automatic symbol of violence the way a bare sword or a common warrior figure would be. So I’d expect any martial influence here to read as less concerning than a typical Mars attachment.

It’s also worth considering that Capella specifically is part of the goat asterism within the charioteer, and that asterism might bypass the martial attachment of the constellation almost entirely. Goats, on their own, are traditionally Saturnian. But this is specifically the goat who famously nursed and nurtured the infant Zeus, so I’d also consider giving her to the Moon - the Moon carries that feminine, nurturing quality, and feminine horns (like goat horns, or cow horns) are often lunar. Venus could plausibly claim that nurturing thread too, especially toward prosperity. So I’m honestly not certain yet where this lands. I’ll see where it settles as I keep working.

Of course, her relationship to Zeus could also mean she falls under Jupiter. I can see why this varies so much in the texts. I guess I’ll have to ask her myself.

Interlude: Back to the Tarot

Another look at Justice. This could refer to requiring a balance of some sort. Consider her as an equal partner? Do as much for the star as she does for me? Do as much work for others as I do for myself?

I think this is closer. I might do a secondary reading during a contact period - she culminates late morning for me right now. Will devise later.

Good to note: when looking at planet/sign associations, The Emperor is Aries, Justice is Libra, The Lovers is Gemini. The Lovers is also a conversation. This might be a recommendation as well to look at Mars and Venus as the star rulers - and Venus is currently in Libra for this election and trining the star by sign - or Saturn, as he’s in Aries, and opposes Venus by sign. That Venus-Saturn conversation may be part of the work, while the Venus-Mars tarot connection may be part of the general attitude of the star.

Since I’m still not settled on a clean planetary correspondence, I decided to try something a little sneaky: pull up which planet, sign, and decan each of the minor arcana cards I drew is traditionally assigned to, and see whether a pattern falls out that might hint at how to approach her - at least until I have a better sense of what aspect of Capella I’ll actually be working with, and what she personally wants assigned to her. I’m not going to walk through how card-to-decan assignments work here; that’s easily findable elsewhere, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this particular method to anyone else. Call it somewhere between an act of desperation and idle curiosity about further connections. (However, to make this comprehensible, please note that a decan is a third of a sign - ten degrees - each with its own planetary ruler.)

• Queen of Cups rules Gemini 3 - Cancer 2. Capella is in Gemini 3.

• 9 of Pentacles is Virgo 2.

• 5 of Pentacles is Taurus 2.

• 9 of Cups is Pisces 2.

• Knight of Pentacles is Aries 3 - Taurus 2.

So looking at sign and decanic rulership, we have in order: Mercury to Moon by sign; Mercury(sign) and Saturn/Venus(decan); Venus(sign) and Moon/Mercury(decan); Jupiter(sign) and Moon/Jupiter(decan); and Mars to Venus by sign. Taurus 2 is touched twice, and every cup touches a Decan 2 - the fixed, or pivot, point of the space.

Related to the planetary wibblings: lots of Mercury, medium Moon and Venus, a little Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. The only one who doesn’t show up at all is the Sun - and Noonan says astrologically Capella is like the Sun, so… basically, She Big.

Also, TWO NINES. That penultimate, can’t-get-you-all-the-way-there-but-you-can-see-the-top-from-here energy is interesting.

What’s Next

From the tarot interlude, I think I should also be aware of the general astrological weather for that moment and incorporate a little of it into my creation. Before I finalize the imagery I’ll want to spend a session going thoroughly through the aspects and strength of each planet - what each would signify in that moment, and how it will impact the goal of the talisman as it all comes together. I know I’ll probably be leaning heavier on Mercurial substances.

I’m tentatively planning my first contact with her on Wednesday July 29 (Mercury day), during the afternoon Mercury hour - although the star culminates just before, during a Venus hour, so … we’ll see. Approximate culmination around 2:16pm, Mercury hour starts at 2:55pm. Usually my rituals don’t go that long, so I’ll see how I feel at 2pm and go from there.

The task list from here:

1. Official Real Contact with Capella. Most important - that’ll give me better direction in general.

2. Astrological talismanic aspects, wishes, and the rest of the elective detail.

3. Building the talismanic image and planning the talismanic materials.

Part 2 will pick up with the contact itself. If you’d like it in your inbox, subscribe below.

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Sources & Citations

• Agrippa, Heinrich Cornelius. Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book I, Ch. XXXII (Behenian stars) and the Apuleius zodiacal-herb table in the same chapter. Via Peterson’s edition, esotericarchives.com. First full printing, 1533, consulted in scan at archive.org. My favorite translation is Perdue’s Agrippa.

• Brady, Bernadette. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars.

• Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Complete Herbal. 1653.

• Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Llewellyn, 1985/2000.

• Liber Hermetis de Stellis Fixis.

• Olcott, William Tyler. Star Lore of All Ages. Chapter on Auriga, including the quote from Richard Hinckley Allen, Star Names and Their Meanings.

• Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos.

• Rosenberg, Diana K. Secrets of the Ancient Skies, Vol. 1.

• Rourke, Amaya. The Bridge: Tarot Spread to Begin a Celestial Relationship. Originally at www.amayarourke.com, but as she’s semi-retired from astrological work it is no longer publically available. Reproduced with permission.

• Sapphire descriptions: crystalvaults.com.

• Tennyson, Alfred. Maud, Part III.

• First-pass online research:

  • Astrology King (www.astrologyking.com)

  • Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capella).