This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit altarofstars.substack.com Hello Loves. Well, Venus has officially descended and I’m certain you’re tired of hearing about it. The truth is, I am too. All of this noise takes us out of actually experiencing what is moving through, which seems to evident in what has surfaced in the collective body this past week. If you’re navigating triggers, memories, or challenging feelings in the face of all that’s emerging, kindness to you. I’m with you, holding a prayer that this all moves in the name of healing, for real. This week is punctuated by a Libra New Moon, which is of course answering to our beloved Lady of Heaven, ruling from the Below. The vision that came when I did some divination around this Lunation was Inanna reaching the first gate upon her entrance to the Underworld, exposing herself by taking off a layer of her armour. Perhaps we are being invited to do so ourselves, all at once. My recommendation is to ritualize this moment, especially on Friday evening with the Dark Moon, to give way to the process underfoot. I have found that Astrological moments like these are best spent in ritual tending, as a way to give ourselves to the transformation rather than resist it. Give it a container. I’ll be sharing another Ritual Care package this week to do so with the Dark Moon on Friday. But however you feel supported in moments of release and transformation, lean on those practices. Lastly — I have found myself naturally gravitating towards making art as a means of processing all that’s emerging. Creativity opens doors, and we are in need of keys right now as we feel our way through the dark. It’s also a lovely way to honor Venus, by letting our own artistic expression facilitate catharsis. Whether it’s movement, poetry, collage, painting, clay-shaping, watching movies, listening to music that makes you feel something, mixing perfumes and dressing up, or simply being present with the beauty of the Land ~ these are Venusian lifeways that I have found the Goddess really appreciates. Perhaps it’ll make the journey just a touch smoother. The Libra New Moon peaks at 11:50am ET on October 10th. It’ll reach conjunction at 17* Libra, in the 2nd Decan ruled by Saturn, on Saturn’s Day. Saturn exalts in Libra, and I have found there’s something here about the depth of our grief mirroring the depth of our love. They grow around one another in our hearts like gnarled branches, inviting us to hold the beauty and terror of this business of living all at once. The truth of Love is a sobering thing, something that makes us more real, more honest. I’ll leave you with some words that came to me in meditation with Venus… Have you heard the news? The Queen of Heaven has plummeted herself into the Great Below, and she’s bringing all of us with Her. You cannot look away now, you must turn with willing eyes to face what lives inside of these human shadows. Come, come — bring your exiled pieces, scattered throughout time like the body of a fallen god. We welcome you home now. Come, bring your brave gaze. You know how to hold truth between your teeth; bite down. This will only hurt for a moment… How else did we think we would make it through this? Have you ever seen a woman giving birth? Change is grotesque, like a snake’s eyes rolling back into its skull, milky white. There is no time for disassociating now, come — bite down. Do what you need to do to stay wakeful, lucid inside the dream. Perhaps let your animal body scream. If you haven’t noticed, Venus is already doing her work, asking that we swallow poison and find ways to turn it into medicine. Here she goes, giving voice to what festers in the shadows. Did you think we could move forward without this? No, no — this is how it must go. Now is as good a time as ever to let yourself howl, let out those moans. There are ungodly things that live inside our bodies, given to us without asking. Have you ever felt the sting of alcohol in a wound? Come, bite down. It will be over before you know it. Have courage, my friends — we will get through this and be better for it. There is nothing to fear, unless you’re afraid of truth. Remember that at some point you prayed for this. Perhaps it is our liberation. ✧ In Other News… ✧ On Imbolc this year, I planted a seed in the soil that has taken its sweet time to germinate. Right on schedule with the Equinox, I have begun to see those sprouts shooting up from the great below, revealing their form. I am constellating a container for folx that might be interested in deepening their magickal praxis, within the very rooted backing of Folk Magick and Traditional Witchcraft. This is meant to be the antidote to Witchtok and the sudden surge of superficial and unrooted practices that are colonizing the internet these days. If folx are gonna practice, let their work be rooted in the actual history of Witchcraft and Ancestral Folk practices. That’s how I see it. So if this interests you, I’m simply putting out the call at this time. This likely won’t start until Wintertide, as I continue to listen to what’s needed here and weave in fellow practitioners to offer their wisdom to this cauldron. This is communal work, with an animist, land-honoring focus. Every practitioner is entirely different, and my own background is largely in Astrological Magick, Spirit Work, Herbalism, Land Ritual and Tending with the Beloved Dead. The Ancestral Lineages I work within magickally are predominantly Celtic & Scandinavian, with some Sicilian and SWANA folk practices from my family. This container will focus on building a strong & steady Ritual foundation, so that you can build and scaffold your own specializations accordingly. Allyship with spirits, local witchcraft, and practical tools are my bit. Right Relationship + Ethics are the entire premise of HOW we put this all into practice. Hoping to have a solid crew of no more than 15 folx in this circle, so please do apply;
