jupiter + venus are officially blessed and dignified so everything is super good now, right?

in which we dissect the true nature of benefic blessings, miracles and manna from heaven.

"life will break you. nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. you have to love. you have to feel. it is the reason you are here on earth. you have to risk your heart. you are here to be swallowed up. and when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could."

Louise Erdrich, cancer stellium + gemini sun: a women who KNEW

artist: Laura Makabresku

there are times when i really loathe discourse around the benefics and it’s usually when they are in their "allegedly" best conditions. to be clear: i do believe in planetary dignity, i am a lifelong user of the tropical zodiac, when my brethren declare jupiter exalted in cancer and venus, queen of her taurean realm, we are in agreement. the rebellion comes from two places:

1. i usually have some sort of trigger around the words most commonly associated with dignified benefics. the current crop: kind, nurturing, pleasing, generous, giving…a telling list.

2. the benefics, even in their best conditions, quite simply do not always feel benefic in their expressions, and i firmly believe this is for very good reason and too frequently glossed over by the benefic truthers among us.

venus and jupiter are planetary intelligences, responsible for and imbued in many earthly affairs that fall under their domain. but they are also principles living within your psyche and your soul, and they are the parts within that are stirred by the planetary movements without. when you hear theurgical astrologers say things like "you'll damage your venus if you harm the women in your life" (true) we are not saying that you will damage your relationship with the planet incurring only external wrath and misfortune, we are talking about the part of your soul that belongs to venus, your ability to relate to the feminine, to receive and appreciate beauty in its most vulnerable forms.

your jupiter and your venus are illustrated in the stories told through your natal chart, but even those are not static one dimensional myths. they are living and breathing, expanding, contracting and becoming at all times. transits do not happen in a vacuum, they happen in spirals and loops and braids. and in my opinion, the benefics are not necessarily here to make things "easy", at least not in the way we so commonly ascribe. they are here to help us fall in love with the complexity, to find sweetness in the midst of the struggle, to remember that pleasure and pain are often braided together in ways our minds cannot untangle.

if a pair of lovely benefic transits hit while you are in a season of grief, their gifts look very, very different than someone being tasked with settling into a phase of plenty. so if the benefics don't feel that benefic at the moment, welcome. you may not believe me yet, but the cavalry is here.

if you’re curious about your own benefics and their current movements within, let’s take a look

meet your benefics:

artist: Laura Makabresku

those who know, know that we work in alliance with the stars, in relationship with them. there is an obvious interplay between the movements of the heavens and the movements of our minds, bodies, psyches. this is the living myth and relationship between cosmos and psyche. the star system that lives above you also lives within you, and if you want to be really real about it, there's no distinction between the two.

within your inner cosmology, the benefics are two of the deepest regulators of psychic integration and emotional resilience. together, they offer a kind of psychic lubrication. they help the soul move through ordeals and difficulty by amplifying what makes life worth living: connection (venus) and meaning (jupiter).

venus rules attachment, aesthetic coherence, and our capacity to relate to…everything. in the psyche, she governs how we form bonds, how we attract and are attracted, and how we reconcile tension through beauty or affection. venus mediates between self and other, helping to soften projections and invite intimacy. too much venus, though, can tip into passivity, vanity, or relational enmeshment. the pursuit of pleasure overwhelms principle.

in taurus, venus becomes slow, stabilizing, magnetic. in the psyche, this is the impulse to gather what soothes and secures: touch, scent, voice, the erotic intelligence of embodiment. venus in taurus is the voice within that says "this is mine, this is enough, this is beautiful." she repairs relational rupture but also guards against betrayal of devotion.

jupiter rules expansion, belief systems, and the intuitive grasp of patterns that give life meaning. he governs the superego in its philosophical or spiritual aspect—not in terms of moral repression (that’s more saturn), but in terms of coherence, aspiration, and narrative. jupiter helps the psyche contextualize suffering, see the bigger picture, and cultivate faith. when inflated, he can become dogmatic, entitled, or inflated with false hope.

jupiter in cancer wants to expand your emotional field, teach you what genuine nourishment feels like. but if your nervous system associates emotional expansion with vulnerability to exploitation, jupiter's invitation to open might trigger contraction instead.

in The Astrology of Fate, Liz Greene writes that jupiter can symbolize “the part of the psyche which reaches for the divine,” while venus, (especially in myth) is “never merely soft or sweet,” but bound up with instinct, desire, and the erotic force of nature itself. they are powerful precisely because they move through the soul’s most vital openings: love, devotion, belief.

and this is where things get tangled. when we live thru these “auspicious” transits we expect support, ease, arrival. but sometimes what they bring is the very thing that interrupts the previous, unworkable status quo. and this too is a miracle.

“Jung felt that 'stuck' situations tended to breed synchronous phenomena, for the situation of an impasse in life constellates the compensatory nature of the uncon-scious, and archetypal dreams and images tend to arise as a kind of 'way through'. from the point of view of astrology, however, it is the other way around. it is the archetype which precipitates the sense of being stuck, for the appearance of an important transit or progression often heralds a profound change in the inner patterning of the individual.

something new thus tries to enter the life of the ego, something which has previously been locked in a fairytale sleep of unconscious potential. the collision between this new development and the static situation of the environment, which was previously perfectly satisfactory, results in the feeling of being stuck. I have heard so many people use this word at a time when the chart reflects impending changes of great magnitude that I have come to the conclusion that 'stuckness' is the preliminary stage of any important movement in the chart - and in the individual.”

-Liz Greene, The Astrology of Fate

in other words, if you feel like nothing is moving it may be precisely because something ancient, deep + calcified is finally moving after so many years. cosmos stirs psyche and something that had been locked in the unconscious begins to churn, its first move being to interrupt whatever false coherence you’ve been relying on. the fairy-tale sleep ends + the psyche prepares for rupture aka breakthru.

Greene suggests that “stuckness” is often the first sign of major archetypal/psychic repatterning, an exiled part of the soul returning to press towards expression, but one that hasn’t yet found form. a transit like jupiter in cancer might constellate ancestral yearning before it brings healing. venus in taurus might first amplify everything that has not been beautiful or secure, before it offers restoration.

simply put, the benefics don’t just deliver their blessings, wrapped + ready for your consumption. they also test (and repair when necessary) your capacity to receive + hold the goodness of your life, the delicate parts, the valuables. and never is that more true than with nocturnal (earth/water) benefics. this is about a vessel that is supple enough to receive and hold the beautiful things in life alongside the inevitable harshness of natural law. and if that capacity to receive benefic blessings has been shaped by loss, trauma, or chronic depletion—then what they bring can feel unbearable before it becomes transformative.

just how what’s good isn’t always what’s easy, what’s benefic isn’t always what’s soft. and the moment it feels like “nothing is happening” is quite often the moment you have found yourself at the beginning of everything.

future lore:

artist: Laura Makabresku

a bold claim but one i believe with every fiber of my being: every crashout you have ever had, every heartbreak, every dark night of the soul, every spiritual desert you have wandered thru was articulated somewhere in your chart. and so was the moment you metabolized it and stepped back into the flow of life, reborn. the fruit must be allowed to ripen. there is a certain psychic readiness required for these rebirths, a softening and a hope. these are heart openings that cannot and should not be forced but when beautiful stars + a bountiful spirit align (like now) miracles can, and likely will, happen.

so this batch of musings were conjured from the space of repair and they won’t apply to everyone. but for the brave and the few who have recently faced some Ordeals or maybe even some Horrors and are committed to the soul making and heart opening that was always meant to follow, these are for you.

with so much love,

emilie

***rising sign musings (for you)***

aries rising

venus in taurus activates your 2H of resources, worth, and embodied value. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 4H of roots, family systems, and emotional foundation. the healing invitation: learning to receive material and emotional nourishment without earning it through depletion. if scarcity feels safer than abundance, venus might trigger anxiety around having "too much." if emotional expansion feels dangerous, jupiter's ancestral healing could initially destabilize rather than comfort. the vessel needs strengthening around self-worth that isn't performance-based. what wants to be born: a new relationship to security that includes pleasure, rest, and the radical act of enough.

taurus rising

venus in taurus conjuncts your ascendant, amplifying your magnetic presence and relationship to embodied pleasure. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 3H of communication, learning, and daily environment. the healing invitation: allowing your natural sensuality and groundedness to inform how you think, speak, and move through the world. if pleasure feels selfish or beauty seems frivolous, venus could trigger shame around taking up space. if emotional expression feels messy, jupiter might overwhelm your preference for stability. the vessel needs strengthening around being seen in your full earthy glory. what wants to be born: a voice that speaks beauty into being and daily rhythms that honor both mind and body.

gemini rising

venus in taurus grounds your 12H of the unconscious, spirituality, and hidden realms. jupiter in cancer activates your 2H of resources, values, and self-worth. the healing invitation: finding spiritual nourishment through embodied practices and building material security through emotional intelligence. if spirituality feels abstract or your unconscious holds painful material, venus might surface old wounds before offering healing. if worth feels tied to productivity, jupiter could challenge your relationship to earning. the vessel needs strengthening around mystical embodiment and value that includes feeling. what wants to be born: a spiritual practice rooted in pleasure and resources that reflect your emotional wisdom.

cancer rising

jupiter conjuncts your ascendant, expanding your emotional field and amplifying everything you are becoming. venus in taurus grounds your 11H of community, friendship, and collective belonging. the healing invitation: allowing yourself to be seen in your full emotional range while receiving genuine support from chosen family. if you've learned to hide vulnerability or earn love through caretaking, jupiter's expansion might feel overwhelming. if receiving from community feels foreign, venus could trigger suspicion of others' motives. the vessel needs strengthening around being held without having to hold everyone else first. what wants to be born: an identity that includes your tenderness as strength, supported by relationships that nourish rather than drain.

leo rising

venus in taurus activates your 10H of career, reputation, and public role. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 12H of the unconscious, spirituality, and release. the healing invitation: integrating your natural magnetism with behind-the-scenes emotional work and ancestral healing. if success feels like performance or authority seems inauthentic, venus might challenge your professional persona. if spiritual work feels vulnerable, jupiter could surface family patterns that need attention. the vessel needs strengthening around leadership that includes emotional depth. what wants to be born: a career built on authentic presence and spiritual practices that support your public role.

virgo rising

venus in taurus grounds your 9H of higher learning, travel, and expanded worldview. jupiter in cancer activates your 11H of community, friendships, and collective vision. the healing invitation: finding wisdom through embodied experience and building community around emotional truth. if perfectionism blocks learning or travel feels impractical, venus might challenge your mental frameworks. if group belonging requires emotional labor, jupiter could highlight where you give more than you receive. the vessel needs strengthening around imperfect wisdom and authentic community connection. what wants to be born: a philosophy rooted in pleasure and friendships that celebrate your analytical gifts.

libra rising

venus in taurus illuminates your 8H of shared resources, intimacy, and psychological depth. jupiter in cancer activates your 10H of reputation, legacy, and public role. the healing invitation: integrating your capacity for deep intimacy with your professional identity. if love has felt like debt or control, venus in the 8H might surface old entanglements before offering transformation. if emotional authenticity feels unprofessional, jupiter could challenge your curated public persona. the vessel needs strengthening around vulnerability as leadership and intimacy as power. what wants to be born: a career and reputation built on emotional intelligence and the courage to be fully human in public.

scorpio rising

venus in taurus activates your 7H of partnership, marriage, and one-on-one relating. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 9H of higher learning, philosophy, and expanded horizons. the healing invitation: finding balance between intensity and gentleness in relationships while expanding your emotional wisdom. if partnership feels like merging or loss of self, venus might trigger fears around softening. if learning requires vulnerability, jupiter could challenge your need for control. the vessel needs strengthening around intimacy that doesn't consume and wisdom that includes feeling. what wants to be born: relationships that can hold your depth and a philosophy that honors both truth and tenderness.

sagittarius rising

venus in taurus grounds your 6H of daily routines, health, and service. jupiter in cancer activates your 8H of shared resources, intimacy, and transformation. the healing invitation: finding pleasure in sustainable rhythms while diving deep into emotional and financial intimacy. if routine feels restrictive or health seems mechanical, venus might challenge your relationship to embodied care. if sharing resources triggers control issues, jupiter could surface trust wounds. the vessel needs strengthening around service as self-care and intimacy as expansion. what wants to be born: daily practices that nourish your body and intimate connections that support your growth.

capricorn rising

venus in taurus activates your 5H of creativity, pleasure, and authentic self-expression. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 7H of partnership and one-on-one relating. the healing invitation: allowing joy and partnership to coexist without guilt or strategy. if play feels frivolous or creativity seems impractical, venus might trigger workaholic defenses. if emotional intimacy threatens your self-reliance, jupiter's partnership emphasis could feel suffocating. the vessel needs strengthening around pleasure as productivity and vulnerability as strength in relationship. what wants to be born: partnerships that celebrate your full creative expression and a relationship to joy that doesn't require justification.

aquarius rising

venus in taurus illuminates your 4H of home, family, and emotional foundation. jupiter in cancer activates your 6H of daily routines, health, and service. the healing invitation: building emotional security through embodied practices and serving others from a place of genuine nourishment. if family patterns feel heavy or emotions seem irrational, venus might surface ancestral material that needs tending. if service becomes martyrdom, jupiter could highlight where boundaries are needed. the vessel needs strengthening around emotions as intelligence and service as reciprocity. what wants to be born: a home base that truly nourishes and work that feeds your soul.

pisces rising

venus in taurus grounds your 3H of communication, learning, and daily environment. jupiter in cancer illuminates your 5H of creativity, pleasure, and authentic expression. the healing invitation: finding stability in how you think and speak while allowing full emotional creativity to flow. if communication feels overwhelming or learning seems too concrete, venus might challenge your fluid approach. if creative expression triggers vulnerability, jupiter could surface fears around being seen. the vessel needs strengthening around grounded mysticism and creativity as healing. what wants to be born: a voice that speaks beauty and art that serves the collective heart.