Each one of these bespoke Venus Talismans is hand carved in lapis lazuli as Venus is angular or during her planetary hour. They were completed and consecrated during an auspicious election on Feb 2nd 2023 with the Moon in Cancer. Each talisman is approximately 15mm in length and will be fitted with a sterling silver charm pendant loop.

This project combined two of my developing methodologies in the creation of talismans: namly electing moments to layer into the piece for further empowerments or for practices of cleansing.

You will see the layered elections and what they were used for below. After the initial consecration, the talisman is alive, and by engaging with them in such a way, it is possible to deepen and further distil the influence. This is already common when we choose to re-consecrate, or perhaps more precisely, further empower a talisman at a chosen time.

While in the nocturnal sign of Pisces, the telos and intention entwined within the talisman: to embody the power of the fair lady expressed within the sign of her exaltation. When a planet is in its exaltation, it performs very cleanly, free from extremes, and it is treated like an honoured guest, or as a magistrate who is in their own court, free to make their own rules. Pisces is a yin-sign ruled by the benefic Jupiter.

Venus exaltation expresses deeply the combined duality of goddess of fertility and goddess of heaven.

This association helps Venus to act in profoundly healing and sensuous ways granting the bearer to do the same, for themselves and others — to be in touch with deep desires, pleasures, and passions, those that move them in the direction of profoundly erotic and healing ways within the Venusian domain, including the healthy function of the kidneys, sexual and functional loins, and vascular tissues.

Equally, this talisman will grant you the ability to accentuate your best qualities both in charm and physicality so as to be “loved by everybody and you will be well-known and seem sweet-voiced not only to human beings but also to gods.”

There is a uniquely subtle and profound effect, a shimmering that grants us deep access to the intricate flows. In particular, access to the cosmic oceanic. This gives powerful access to sensuousness of one’s being in the world along with the ability to open this door for others.

The work cultimanted in offerings to the two rivers and the sea which holds the city I live in, a truly remarkable land drawing of the Pisces glyph. The River Dee and Don meeting the Sea. All under the auspices and to the honour of the Queen of Waters.

Aphrodite let down your hair!

This particular design is my version “Aphrodite unbinding (or binding) her hair”. It is inspired by lapis magical gems that were carried by the peoples of the Hellenistic Mediterranean around the 1st century. On the back, you will notice a name written in two lines in Greek, this is Aphrodite’s secret and magical name, ΑΡΩΡΙΦΡΑΣΙΣ, pronounced as “Arorifrasis”, which can be translated in modern Greek as “aroma”. This name, however, means much more. Some scholars have speculated that “the magical name of Aphrodite, ΑΡΩΡΙΦΡΑΣΙΣ, would express perfectly the goddess's duality by calling her goddess of fertility and goddess of heaven in one name, thus combining for the amulet wearer and magician all the powers of the celestial Aphrodite Ourania and the popular Aphrodite Pandemos.” In my opinion, this is a perfect way to understand the exaltation of Venus in Pisces and why this design chose to be used.

Everything comes from you:

you have yoked the world,

you control all three realms,

you give birth to all,

to everything in heaven,

to everything upon the fruitful earth,

to everything in the depths of the sea,

O venerable companion of Bacchos.

-Orphic Hymn to Aphrodite (Athanassakis & Wolkow, trans)