How the Planets Rest
on the 12th house and delineating your rest style
My Styling with the Stars Consults are Live ✨
Clothing has always been magical to me✨
It’s the equalizer, what spoke for me when nothing else could.
But more than that, fashion is also a source of fun, beauty and creativity; an exalting of the self, knowing the self, changing the self with a simple action we already do every day.
But I also know how much struggle can go into getting dressed.
I know we live in a world where fashion is seen as frivolous while we are also expected to constantly turn over our wardrobe in alignment with each and every micro trend that takes over our feed.
Over the past two years, I developed a new language of style using the planets.
I first channeled these into three astro-fashion guidebooks, each rich in their own way but together form a coherent, innovative style curriculum that helps you connect with yourself and the universe at the same time.
Now, I use this accumulated knowledge and experience to now give you a custom, personalized astrology consult.
This reading uses astrology to uncover your unique, iconic style, as told by the stars.
We will examine your:
- Ascendant
- Venus
- Midheaven
Additionally, we will also bring in these points as needed:
- 5th house
- Lot of Eros
- 2nd House
You get the benefit of my eyes on your chart to give you my expert advice on aligning your truest sense of self with your aesthetic.
This consult is your sartorial playground. Let’s style with the stars together <3
**Book by 7/18 to get the discounted price**
How the Planets Rest
I spent the morning at a local park. I walked. I sat in the grass. I read. I gave a bit of my coffee to the maple tree I always find whenever I visit. Or, more accurately, she finds me.
I will spend the afternoon at a local spa to sweat and relax but, more importantly, to be in a place devoid of distraction. When you’re sweating and trying to walk the knife-edge of ease and pain, knowing that the discomfort will bring relief, there isn’t much room for worrying about far-off “what-if’s”.
Lately I have been called to slow down. In some ways I’m often called to slow down but right now especially, is a time for incubation, taking my time, not letting my thoughts run past my body.
The astrology supports it: not only is the Sun currently transiting my 12th house of solitude and self-undoing but Mars is on top of my Moon, planet of the body and home, making rest more and more of a priority.
A lot of things go wrong when we don’t prioritize rest, whatever that means to us. It can be so easy for me to become acclimated to the impacts of daily yoga and meditation, watching something without being on my phone. Like how wearing a raincoat can make us forget the annoyance of getting caught in the rain, it can be easy to forget the benefit of resting when I’m simply benefitting from it.
I get more irritable and become tripped up by anxiety when I decide I don’t need to rest. My mind tries to outrun my body and I end up snapping back defeated and frustrated.
When I rest I remember that I’m not in control all the time.
When I rest I can move at the speed of trust; I can notice the world around me beyond my skull and and move with it instead of trying to push my way past it.
It’s also cool to notice how the astrological weather will present you slices of time not useful for anything *but* rest. All rest is not created equal, however. Sometimes, rest means taking the afternoon off to see or a movie or have a long lunch. Other times, it means holing yourself up in your room and having a good cry. It can also just mean sleeping and dreaming. Astrology helps us understand the nuances of rest.
Each planet has a relationship to rest in some way. While the Moon’s version of relaxation— slowing down, eating, feeling— may be more legible to us, Mars’s burnout and Venus’s receiving are also experiences of relaxation worth exploring. For some of us, we have no choice but to envision non-normative forms of rest because of our chart.
This newsletter is designed to help you see that parts of the chart that indicate rest— and thus, when they’re touched by transit or make powerful, require more rest.
This newsletter will focus on:
The 12th House as a place of rest
What the Ruler of our 12th house tells us about our style of rest
Enjoy, and take your time.
The 12th House
According to traditional western astrology, the 12th is mostly a place of struggle. Manilius in the 1st century calls this place “a temple of ill omen” and its original Greek name, Kakos Daimon, translates to “bad spirit”. There can be many difficulties populating this realm, including “sorrows, afflictions, losses, confinement, and enemies” (George). Planets here are seen as sluggish, hard to reach, and often halfway submerged in the unconscious. As a cadent house, the 12th house exists between worlds. It sits atop the 1st house, place of life, and has a relationship to the in-between space of pregnancy and childbirth. The 12th house is related to the self, but is also confined, somehow, stuck in a holding space without being able to act.
Places like prisons, hospitals, rehabs, mental institutions, ashrams and monasteries are all connected to the 12th house because they are all built to bring one away from the societal fold. As evidenced by the spectrum of places, this confinement can be a punishment, but it can also be a place of necessary rest or transcendence of the self. Either way, you move through these spaces not by doing but by enduring, abiding, for as long as your sentence requires.
In talking on the 12th house, Manilius presents a paradox. While, on the one hand, he describes it as “a portal of toil in which you are doomed to climb,” he also claims the 12th place is “hostile to future activity and all too fruitful of bane”. In many ways, despite the pains this house gives us, its essential nature makes it nearly impossible to act. The self-undoing associated with this house is not just about destruction and inner peril but the unselfing process that often precedes real change. This change often comes from letting go.
Constantly cultivating our sense of self can be exhausting. It can be a prison. We turn to the 12th house to confront what hems us in, how are ego, useful fiction that it is, can keep us in a cage. Oftentimes, we can only face these inner walls with presence and rest.
My primary experience of the 12th house came from my years living at a Buddhist monastery. I saw firsthand how many of so-called problems were not solved by making up the right story or *doing* something about it but simply sitting with them. By meditating, staying in the current moment, the emotions and thoughts that bubble up soon pass away, until a deeper, more impersonal source springs from within. Things change behind the scenes, in the unconscious, if we let ourselves let go. That is what the 12th house promises.
In the 12th house, in other words, we are forced to rest. Do the side quest. In many reading, people with big 12th house transits are often moving around, trying to find a new place to live but unsure where to land, or else craving weeks alone in the woods just to be with themselves.
I like how in Vedic astrology the 12th is also connected to slumber: “Activities such as sleeping, dreaming, and even making love (bed pleasures) are depicted here" writes Dennis Harness. How many times have you been a ball or anxiety, unsure what to do, only to feel better after a good night’s rest or some intimate time with your spouse? Rest is radical in this way because it is action through surrender, through letting go of your personal plans and control in order to let something else happen.
Rest, in that way, truly slowing down and giving the universe space to meet us and do its unconscious magic, gives us weekly, daily moments charged with not just rejuvenation but the ability to change.
Rest is how we metabolize the impact of being alive. Rest is how we move at a pace where the world can reach us, transform us.
So, if you are having planets transit your 12th house, or have this house prominent for you, then know that rest, solitude and taking the seemingly inactive path is often the best, or required, solution.
We can also examine the 12th house and its ruler in your chart to determine how you like to rest. Though some planets, like the Moon and Saturn, rest more in a way that is legible to us as such, I want to get into Martial and Solar rest, how Venus relaxes versus Jupiter.
Read the description for the planet ruling your 12th house and for any planets found in this house.
How to Rest, According to Your Rising Sign
The Moon (Leo Risings)
The Moon is already the planet of receptivity, nurture and privacy. She is the protection our house affords us to take off our work clothes, make a mess and laze about without fear of intrusion. As she rules the body, her version of rest also means attending to our own: sleeping, eating, going slowly. Gentle, restorative exercise like yoga, meditation or qi-gong can be rejuvenating. Anything involving water is also appropriate, from taking a bath or visiting a spa to swimming or spending time near a river or the ocean. The Moon reveals her information to us not through words, necessarily, but through the emotions, so I find that letting your mind turn off can be helpful. Anything that allows you to sit back and receive, like listening to healing music or simply lying very still can allow the universe come to you— the Moon’s favorite. Luna also likes wandering so a meandering walk or bus ride can also give her the relaxing absorption she enjoys. Don’t shy away from physical nourishment or domesticity as well! The Moon loves to unwind by cooking, taking care of the house, or eating something comforting.
Mercury (Libra and Cancer Risings)
Though too much can definitely drive us crazy, some amount of thinking can be quite supportive to a Mercury-ruled 12th house. As the changeable planet of knowledge and communication, Mercury’s stasis is found in exchange and cogitation, so anything that can engage the mind without forgetting the body can be helpful. Think low-effort computer games, having a show on in the background or reading something that isn’t too challenging. Journaling about your feelings, learning a new skill, even using a fidget spinner can be supportive. Any sort of writing can be a centering activity for Mercury-ruled 12th houses as well. As Mercury also rules short trips, taking a long walk or car ride to a deserted part of town you’ve never visited can hit that balance between rest and stimulation. You may need to keep your mind occupied without requiring too much effort for you to let yourself relax. Even staring into space and daydreaming can be a restful place for Mercurials to land. Getting lost in study or making new connections can be helpful too. Try visiting a new library or coffee shop and simply people watch. Notice any omens that pass you by.
Venus (Gemini and Scorpio Risings)
Venus, when in or ruling the 12th house, likes her rest sumptuous and erotic. One way she can manifest in this manner is through remote socializing, like watching trashy reality tv or scrolling through social media, especially if what she’s watching is beautiful or tasty. While she may not enjoy the cooking process as much as the Moon, she does enjoy sensual delights: being made good food, enjoying a fun cocktail, getting a manicure or facial can all be Venusian ways of relaxing. Let your moments of rest feel a big luxe if Venus is involved with your 12th house. Socializing can also be restful if done well. Venus may find the anonymous throng of a club or a big concert conducive to losing herself. Music in and of itself can be a potent form of relaxation for this planet, so don’t underestimate the power of putting on your favorite alvum. Having quality time with a loved one, especially if it involves physical intimacy, like a massage or cuddling, can also support Venus ruling the 12th. As the plant of artistry, working on something beautiful but not too strenuous can also help you chill out. One Venus-ruled 12th friend says she loves working on embroidery in her spare time but any form of knitting or sewing, dancing, singing, flower arranging, painting, etc can also soothe the soul.
The Sun (Virgo Risings)
The Sun is a planet of solitude. He knows himself because of his alone time, away from the influence of others. It makes sense that Mercury-ruled Virgo risings need their alone time to come back to themselves. While Mercury likes the input of others, the Sun needs to stand on his own. Truly shutting off from others and their influence can be supremely helpful to those with Solar 12th houses. Whatever makes you feel royal and magnetic, even without being seen, can help the Sun relax behind the scenes. I think of my Virgo rising friend who would spend her solo time recording herself dancing and post it online with no thought of anyone seeing it: much to her chagrin, people started paying attention! Practicing skills that makes you feel like yourself can be a great form of rest, but doing it for yourself is the key: think going to karaoke by yourself, holing up to write your opus, or pondering your true desires in silence. The Sun can be crafty, just like Mercury, and also enjoys epic quests, so any film or book that centers on some noble individual can also help you return to yourself.
Mars (Taurus and Sagittarius Risings)
Mars and rest may seem like an oxymoron. As the planet of raw power and effort, Mars is about the strenuous push more than about the gentle flow. In that vein, the paradox of Martial resting is that is must often be precipitated by great energy. Only through exhausting oneself completely can Mars allow one to rest. Get some stuff done or engage in a strenuous task prior to resting to get the full benefit.Active, centering tasks like martial arts, energy work, even vigorous exercise, can help you get into martial flow. Similarly, you may have more luck resting if you see it as a time to gather energy into something intentional, giving it some sort of purpose. Anything involving heat or sharp edges can be helpful too: think saunas, cupping, acupuncture, or hot yoga. Nothing gets us into the body like sweating profusely. You can also see rest strategically: sometimes, the current situation makes personal action impossible. Seeing rest as biding your time or giving you space to act effectively is a useful reframe. What plot needs marinating? You can spend this time sharpening your blades, practicing your skills, or simply getting a hot stone deep tissue massage.
Jupiter (Aries and Capricorn Risings)
There’s a natural temperance to Jupiter that helps him innately understand the balance between rest and activity. Though Jupiter is an active, diurnal planet, he also knows how to enjoy the fruits of his labors. In that way, rest becomes a natural part of Jupiter’s cycle, the necessary outcome of a hard day’s work. Remember this sense of balance between work and play if Jupiter is in involved with your 12th house. The Greater Benefic doesn’t mind extravagance or luxury during rest: splurge on the nice blanket or fancy meal if you can. Put on your nicest robe and break out the special tea you’ve been saving. But Jupiter is also a planet of generosity. You may want to spend your solitude with a trusted loved or going out and feeling part of it all without actually getting too close to others: think movie theaters, visiting the animals and plants at nature preserves, scouring museum or a library. Having a long talk or hang with a close friend or loved one also counts as jovial rest. Jupiter also enjoys culture and wisdom, so any activity that can teach or elevate you can also help a Jupiter-ruled 12th house person unwind. As a spiritually-minded planet, Jupiter may also find solace in upholding their rituals or spending time with the sacred: think performing a spell, reciting a prayer, visiting a church or a forest to commune with the spirits there. Remember you are part of it all.
Saturn (Aquarius and Pisces Risings)
Saturn’s rest is not always restful but necessary: as the planet of obstructions and limits, she has a special affinity with the painful, confined space of the 12th house, her place of joy. One might have to hit a wall or a period of despair to relax with a Saturn-ruled 12th house. Saturn is the planet that rules our failed efforts, our ignorance. But Saturn also wants us to toil. There should be a mix between prolonged silence and productive tasks when the Great Malefic impacts your 12th. Meditation, or letting all thoughts drop from your mind, can be especially helpful for Saturnian rest, especially when solitude is involved. Though having actual space away from others can be especially productive, being awake at night, when most people are asleep, so you can think deep thoughts in peace, may be helpful too. Saturn likes sitting with a long thought without interruption, letting it marinate over time. Saturn can also enjoy useful, low-effort activities. It reminds me of the phrase “carrying stones,” which I picked up from John Tarrant: when we can’t control the big things in our lives, there are always tasks to maintain: cleaning, laundry, errands, gardening, taking care. There can be something extremely rejuvenating for Saturn in getting something done. Working with the land, with the dead, or with stone or metal can also be Saturnine forms of rest. Consider visiting a graveyard or making an offering to the ancestors for help with resting.
Though we can have 12th house transits at any time that encourages rest, I find there’s something important about observing when the Sun transits your 12th house each year. For one month, we each have to necessarily focus on surrender and confinement. I am currently in my 12th house month season and after the flurry of launching my Styling with the Stars consults, the universe keeps telling me to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n.
Not only do I need to rest to take care of my body, but the best ideas come from passive time: not forcing things to happen but letting inspiration come to me.
I wish you the opportunity to slow down during 12th house times, or whenever you need <3
Until next time,
Love,
Chloe
Sources:
Demetra George, “Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques, Volume II: Delineating Planetary Meaning”
Manilius, Astronomica,
Dennis Harness, “The Twelfth House: Misery or Moksha”