Have you noticed the celestial good vibes circulating – feelings of celebration, goodwill, affection and love?  Look up! As Venus and Jupiter visibly align in Leo this week (exact early Wednesday morning), we are under the influence of what the ancients called these two Greater Benefics (benefic=beneficial), and aspects like this one can cause us to feel soporific, in love with life, pleasantly lazy or indulgent.

Marsilio Ficino is my favorite ancient astrologer-physician-philosopher. He used the planets prescriptively, often suggesting enchanted talismans assembled at the right moment would incur the favor of the Gods for our project, desire or wish. He also prescribed remedial magic for difficult planetary influences and related maladies. For instance, he once said “Venus subdues Mars and Jupiter, Saturn.” I pull on this principle all the time; when my Mars is too hopped up on adrenaline, music and beauty always helps.

What might Marsilio Ficino suggest we do right now? What actions might we take to make the most of this lovely energy? Following the idea of magical sympathy and resonance, Ficino might suggest that we expose our self to those things and people that carry the Spirit of Venus and Jupiter. For instance, we could deeply contemplate a grand work of art, seek favor and support from higher ups (priests, philosophers and statesmen in his day, perhaps bosses and VIPS in ours) or create a talisman for love. Always taking into consideration the holism of the person in question, if our temperament is under the influence of Saturn (serious, scholarly, oppressed with worry) he might emphasise this as a time for upliftment from spiritual friends and texts, inspiration and connection; likewise, if we are naturally Jovial (expansive, inclined to indulge), moderation in all things sweet and wonderful. In his day, that might mean not visiting a brothel so as to avoid “Venus” diseases.

Or we might listen to music, which listened to at the right moment he considered a prayer that will attract its similar in kind, a sort of law- of-attraction technique. He said, “The music of Jupiter is earnest, sweet, deep and joyful with stability. To Venus, to the contrary, we ascribe songs voluptuous with wantonness and softness.” Ficino was also big on ritual dance- akin to purposeful, ecstatic dance. To try it out, he instructs: “While experiencing the motion of shining water, of clear air, of a fire that is not too close, and of the sky, you will receive the motion of the life, and the world; if you yourself also move lightly, and in almost the same way – executing as many gyrations as you can without dizziness, traversing the celestial bodies with your eyes, and revolving them in your mind.”

• create an enchanted talisman for your project using sympathetic magic (rose quartz for support, carnelian for courage, etc..)
• perform a love spell or publicly declare your love (for the spell, choose the evening before the full moon)
• intentionally expose your self to the spirit of Venus and Jupiter
• make a wish… and attract your wish to you through dance, song or music

Dance, sing, listen, create or simply appreciate, when the benefics alight, champagne tastes sweeter, roses smell more fragrant, friends and lovers are more charming than usual and the moonlight shines with more beauty. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.

image source: inquisitor.com

references: The Natural Magic of Ficino by Angela Voss