One of my favorite Buddhist parables involves a man giving his friend a jewel. A pearl, more specifically, which is a lunar gem, apt for the beginning of Cancer season. Both men are drunk and so when one sews the precious pearl into the other’s clothing, the receiver does not notice. So this unknown-to-him lucky man toils far and wide looking for enough work to afford a home and sustenance until his friend asks, why would do such a thing when he has a priceless jewel already with him at all times? The very thing he sought, longed for, for so long was more intimate than he could know.
As an eternal striver, I’ve been thinking more and more about ease; what comes without effort or arises naturally in the moment. I’ve been taking pauses throughout the day to notice where flow naturally comes into my life: when I’m sitting outside and watching the flowers move, writing my little thoughts down to turn into something later; choosing the perfect mix of seasoning for a bowl of popcorn. For too long I’ve only counted things as real or valuable when I have had to put effort into them, thinking I can only become new by grit and pushing.
But the Jupiter-Venus square in Taurus and Leo respectively, which will be active for four months, asks that we challenge our pre-existing beliefs around pleasure and, quite frankly, what we feel we deserve. These are the two “benefic” planets, i.e. bringers of positive, usually enjoyable, things in our lives: strong relationships, expansive opportunities, the startling taste of your first in-season strawberry of the year (and doesn’t it feel new each time?). While the malefics remind us that the best things often involve effort and working through obstacles, the benefics reminds us that sometimes it can be easy.
The word “ease” derives from the Lating adiacens "lying at," present participle of adiacere "lie at, border upon, lie near”.1 I find this lexical origin fascinating because it implies a spatial quality to ease; what is natural or flows well is what is nearby, accessible to us even when things are difficult or we feel we don’t have enough. Ease means not looking Out There for what you need but sinking more deeply, having more faith, in what is already right there.
This summer, trust what flows.
The Summer of Graces
Venus will spend all summer in the sign of the Sun, a terrain much hotter and drier than the benefic may be used to. This may translate as having difficulty harmonizing the needs of others with your own becoming Luckily, Marsilio Ficino sees a remedy to the mismatched qualities of Venus and the Sun— Jupiter. He calls these planets the Three Graces because “astrologers hope for and diligently seek out favors” from them particularly but they often need to act in tandem to achieve the proper balance of connection and shine. Ficino points out, however, that Jupiter can act as a mediator between the other two planets: “For he is very temperate in quality, giving whatever is hoped for from Venus or the Sun in a way of his own, more magnificently and honorably than Venus, more temperately too than the Sun”.2 Jupiter’s nature is that of tempering, or balancing excess into a harmonious whole. If you want to read more about Jupiter, check out my latest newsletter on the subject.
As I’ve discussed above, Venus and Jupiter will be squaring each other the whole summer, with Venus in the Sun’s sign, making this a summer of Graces if I do say so myself. Taking place in fixed signs too means we are all figuring out how to bring ease and pleasure more permanently into our lives— or at least, that’s how I’ll be spending my summer. Which houses Leo and Taurus occupy will tell us more about where these qualities are being introduced.
I.e:
If you’re a Cancer Rising, expect themes about how you square your own inner generation abundance with the needs of the community and the hopes you need to spend your resources on becoming a reality.
If you’re an Aquarius rising, you may be squaring off between what feels good in partnership versus what you need to build a stable foundation and inner life.
Take your time, though. Venus will retrograde in about a month, which may delay your progress or have you back at the drawing board; let the journey follow its own flow rather than what you think it or you *should* be doing; don’t forget that ease is always accessible so long as we accept exactly where we are.
If you want help cultivating ease and stepping into your pleasure this summer, my astrology books are open ✨
Consider the Rose
One of my favorite ways of drawing down the planets is through herbs. It can be easy to keep astrology all up in your mind without remembering that learning is a whole-body sport. Ideas dance inside our dark skulls but only become real/integrated into our life when they sink into our body, which takes time.
So rather than give you more facts about Venus, Jupiter and the Sun to think about, I instead offer you a gentle suggestion to spend time with Roses.
Venus is perhaps its most obvious planetary correspondence; they’re beautiful, sweet-smelling and a signifier of romance— all Venusian things. Beyond being conducive to love, it is also an ally for with grief and heartbreak. My doctor/herbalist once described rose as bringing about “productive crying,” that which helps emotions flow through and bring an end to grief.
But rose also belongs to Jupiter. The flower, along with frankincense are what comprise the classic Catholic church incense. They are also plentiful and abundance is a Jupiterian trait.
For years, I overlooked roses because they were so common and *everyone* seemed to like them. But once I got over myself and spent some time with them, I realized why they were so popular: rose does seem to love everyone back. It’s also an herb that is safe for virtually everyone to consume (though there hasn’t been studies on rose and pregnancy, so please be cautious if you are pregnant) with a scent that I have yet to get sick of.
Some ways of interacting with rose:
steeping it with your tea or on its own- rose iced tea sounds heavenly
using rosewater in desserts or spraying it on your face as a toner
take rose tincture with your coffee or water (I do this daily)
place a bouquet of them in a prominent place in your house
wear rose perfume
smell them each time you see one
If you want help preparing for the journey of this summer or want to create your own magical-in-the-mundane rituals (because even smelling a flower can be a ritual), my books are open! I offer consults for exploring *any* facet of your natal chart, tuning in with your current period of time, exploring your creative practice and fixed star parans.
For now, I leave you this Prince quote:
Until next week,
Love,
Chloe
https://www.etymonline.com/word/ease
Marsilio Ficino, “Three Books on Life,” p. 263