Garden of Earthly Delights; Venus in Taurus
“Queen of Earthly Desires; Lady of the Bathhouse: basking in goat’s milk and honeyed waters, adorned in garlands of musk-flower, bathing in the shade of Poplars. Perfumes of Licorice, Valerian, and Rosewater grace your skin; Damiana springs from your footsteps, and Myrrh smoke fills the air as you laugh. Upon Ox’ skin you lay with your many lovers, worshipping the crook of a neck, the fold of a thigh, the valley of their breast. From your passions arise the flowers of Spring, the many Orchids, Tulips, and Daffodils. Your hands are burnt by the juice of Iris; yet, they are soft as melting snow, stained by the blood of Autumn’s thawing fruit. You are clad in silks and Beryls, fanciful, copper-filled Agates — jewels of the Earth, whose dust falls between the palms of your hands. We pray to thee, Garden of Earthly Delights, to whom we dedicate the sensual pleasures of our skin, the waters of our mouths, the quiver of our lips.”
This collection is inspired by all the aspects of Venus as she is in Taurus. It speaks of the sumptuous delight of carnal desire, hedonism for the sake of reclaiming one's agency, entitlement to all good things the world has to offer; the warmth of a lover's mouth, the pull of skin beneath hungry hands, the confrontation of art, the caress of silks upon a thigh, the weight of jewels about the neck, feasts of every kind. Pleasure in all its forms. This collection seeks to evoke the Garden of Earthly Delights, serving to call upon the virtues of the Lady of the Bathhouse to conjure pleasure, romance, passion, material abundance, fertility, and carnal inspiration. Drawing upon the power of aphrodisiacs and lustful worts, the materia featured in this collection carries the thick aroma of pleasure and intoxication; summer berries cloaked in spiced vanilla dance upon a bed of musk and sweat as the first leaves of Spring lilt upon the winds.
The Venus in Taurus collection is centered around the themes of sex, love, and material desire. It is to be used to conjure new love, romantic prospects, and sexual encounters, but also to cast glamours upon oneself, to obtain beauty, and to increase charisma. It may also be used for the obtention of beautiful and expensive things, especially if they are indulgent and judged unnecessary by those of a practical nature; Venus in Taurus encourages us to feel entitled to those things we deprive ourselves of, whether it be love, sex, beauty, or that one designer piece we've been eyeing for years. Finally, the Venus in Taurus collection may be relied on to increase material abundance, whether it be income or business, either by charming the right people or by tilting the scale of the effort-reward ratio so that we may reap greater benefits with more ease, without stretching ourselves thin.
Within the frame of ceremonial practice, this collection may be used within all rituals to call upon Venus and her spirits, whether it be the use of Solomonic Pentacles, the evocation of Venusians spirits, devotions to Venus herself, the consecration of elected talismans, or the fixing of candles, tools, and charms aligned with Venusian virtues. As opposed to its sister collection, Venus in Libra, Garden of Earthly Delights calls upon the evening-star aspects of Venus, making it appropriate for all work with the darker aspects of Venus, whether that be through the practice of grimoiric work such as that of the Tuba Veneris, or calling upon the Mother Mary in her aspects of Queen of Hell.
For those engaging with a practice of planetary remediation, this collection, especially its tincture and fixed honey, may be used to balance out a restrictive disposition, especially when the natal Venus is afflicted by Saturn. Venus in Taurus may be beneficial to those whose natal Venus is overly cautious or suppressed, leading to difficulties in allowing oneself to love and be loved, or to engage with their sexuality, as well as those who deprive themselves of their true desires, goals, and aspirations. As a native of Venus in Capricorn, I have found this collection to be incredibly liberating and supportive in allowing myself to feel and express my true desires proudly by banishing feelings of shame, insecurity, and doubt often placed on us as queer people.
This collection was prepared and ensouled as unafflicted Venus met the Midheaven with an applying trine to a Waxing Moon in the Mansion of Al-Awwa, fit for conjuring love, inspiration, and trade. During this process, the Archangel of Venus, Anaël, and that of Taurus, Asmodel, were conjured to lay their hands upon each item in this collection so that they may be filled with the virtues of Venus and Taurus at their most auspicious.
The Garden of Earthly Delights is composed of six offerings, including our standard line of Oil, Tincture, Powder, and Talisman, also featuring a Fixed Honey and Incense, each fulfilling a separate purpose. A talisman of Asmodel, Angel of Taurus, is offered as part of the Garden of Earthly Delights Collection Bundle:
Oil of the Garden of Delights: An aromatic oil serving to evoke and engender the virtues of Venus in Taurus in all of her glory.
Venus in Taurus Attuning Tincture: A bitter aphrodisiac serving to give rise to the powers of Venus in Taurus within oneself.
Garden of Delights Dressing Powder: A blend of worts and dirts serving to affix the virtues of Venus in Taurus to candles, charms, and various objects.
Talisman of Venus in Taurus: A point of intercession between the practitioner and the spirits of Venus in Taurus, through which they may manifest and intercede in their lives to fulfill the practitioner's desires.
Lady of the Bathhouse Fixed Honey: An infused, fixed honey serving as an additive to honey-jars or poppet work to engender love and sweetness between two individuals, or to bolster the Venusian qualities of oneself when consumed; yet again to feed one's personal spirits when working Venusian magics.
Ox-Clad Queen's Earth Smoke Incense: A dark, acrid-yet-sensual smoke serving to summon the spirits of Venus themselves, to feed talismans and charms, to perfume oneself, or to appease unruly spirits.
Garden of Earthly Delights Bundle: Containing 20ml portions of the Oil of the Garden of Delights, Venus in Taurus Attuning Tincture, Garden of Delights Dressing Powder, Lady of the Bathhouse Fixed Honey, and Ox-Clad Queen's Earth Smoke Incense, supplemented by a talisman of the Angel of Taurus, Asmodel, for conjuring love.
Plant allies: Rose, Poplar, Valerian, Damiana, Lemon Balm, Wild Cherry, Yarrow, Passion Flower, Lady’s Mantle, Frankincense, Myrrh.
