Musings on Gardening and Astrology
I learned something really beautiful about Venus today, in practice rather than theory, and in my own life. I have gotten crazy into gardening this year. I was trying to think back to how it started and realized it was all since my birthday last August which prompted me to look into the condition of my Mercury in the Varshphal (I’ve been adhering to the practice of not looking at your own chart a bit more lately) it wasn’t really what I was expecting. I was thinking maybe it would be the chart ruler or placed in the ascendant or 4th house. It turned out that Venus was the chart ruler, in Leo in the 11th. Then I realized, while Mercury is plants and horticulture, Venus really rules over flowering plants and that’s what this year has been all about.
I kicked the year off with a Garden party in the back yard where I served rose and elderflower gimlets. Sometime later that month I bought some succulents for the house, which was the first time I had house plants in a long time. In the fall we dug out a garden bed and planted tulips which were absolutely beautiful in the spring! I ended up getting mums at thanksgiving and a poinsettia at Christmas too. Once you start getting results, more motivation seems to flow through you. Our red poppies and white peonies came into full bloom just in time for Canada day and there are flowers everywhere in the garden now.
It’s amazing to watch these simple associations come to life. It’s why you have to sit with it and meditate on a chart and its why prep is essential in giving a good reading. Other things I would have thought of immediately from looking at that one placement played out too, I felt much more creative and took up a few hobbies this year, I felt more ambitious and finally made the leap to offering readings professionally, I went back to work after 3 years of being a stay-at-home Mum. Those were all big deals too, but I was so amazed to see how I picked up something I have never really been into before based on the ascendant in my solar return!
Gardening has really increased my appreciation for the microcosm and the macrocosm. You can’t look at these tiny little plant jungles and ecosystems in your yard that so perfectly mirror the forest and not imagine we are something so small part of something much larger too. It’s been a wonderfully grounding experience. If you have the space to garden I highly recommend trying it out too, and if you don’t houseplants are incredibly cheerful and make your space feel so much more alive.
