APOTHECARY & ALTAR SUGGESTIONS

In my book, I suggest building an altar to your journey of radical self-acceptance.

The most important part of creating an altar is that it resonates with you. Think about creating a space that reflects back to you your beauty, worth and spiritual abundance. Creating an altar is about creating a place where you dedicate yourself to your own healing work, a shrine to all that you have created and are creating, and an affirmation of all that you are dedicating yourself to. You can view it as a space for your psychological healing and personal restoration. 

Below, please find altar suggestions for each sign and its ruling planet. These are all based on the properties, colors, tastes, smells, herbs, foods, metals and minerals that the ruling planet governs mostly sourced mostly from William Lilly’s Christian Astrology and Al Bruni’s Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology. Making an altar to honor a planet and sign that is predominant in your chart can help you to understand and appreciate how it manifests in your life. 

Arrange any of the following items that are easy to access in a pleasing manner with a candle front and center. Make sure you start with a clear and clean space (a desk, countertop, shelf, or table will do).

Honoring ARIES and its ruling planet, MARS

Herbs: Nettle, cayenne, pepper, cumin, basil​, anything red and sharp

Foods: Anything spicy, garlic, ginger, pepper, tamarind, radish, seasonal Aries Season fruits in your area (end of March-end of April) ​

Flowers/Plants: Cacti, thistles, plants with pointy or sharp leaves, spring flowers in the Northern hemisphere, fall foliage in the Southern Hemisphere, red flowers​

Metals and minerals: Iron, ochre, bloodstone, jasper, vermillion, multi-colored amethyst​

Deities: Warriors and deities that embody courage, passion, confidence, purpose, and the will and ability to take action​

Properties: Figures of ram’s horns, shark-teeth, snakes, tiger, wolf, fox, or anything that symbolizes courage, strength, self-renewal. victory​, fire or a sapark (sparklers included)

Altar Cloth: Orange or red cloth

Day of the Week: Tuesday

Area of the Body: Aries rules the head, brain, and eyes

Honoring TAURUS and its ruling planet, VENUS

Herbs: coriander, vervain, mugwort, thyme 

Foods: strawberries, apples, figs, peaches, plums, raisins, honey, cakes, sweets, walnuts, almonds, millet ​ 

Plants and flowers: fresh cut roses (also  anything with roses in it, e.g., rose spray, rose oil, rose petals), any flowers that have round and luscious petals and are soft and supple ​

Metals and minerals: Copper, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, cornelian, chrysolite & marcasite. 

Objects: Mirrors, anything green or white, beeswax sculptures, anything queen-like, especially crowns and strings of lapis lazuli beads, pentagon or four-pointed star ​

Deities: Venus, Innana, or deity that symbolizes love, fertility, abundance or relationship​

Properties: anything that you associate with love, desire, passion, lust, creativity, fertility, pairings of any kind to symbolize the union ​

Altar Cloth: White

Day of the Week: Venus rules Friday

Area of the Body: Taurus rules the throat, thyroid, and neck

Honoring GEMINI and its ruling planet, MERCURY

Herbs: Aniseed, marjoram, vervain, lungwort 

Foods: Nuts such as hazelnuts and walnuts, any food with a diverse taste, mixtures of salty, sweet, spicy, sour 

Flowers and plants: Any multi-colored flower, especially purple-blue-greenish 

Metals and minerals: Agate, Amber, Fluorite, Marcasite, Mercury, Quicksilver, Topaz and any other crystal that helps with clear thinking

Deities: Figures associated with learning, writing, magic, speaking, knowledge, and travel 

Properties: Anything that symbolize the duality of Gemini, twins, two candles that symbolize a gateway when we allow for opposing polarities to be present: Lightness and Density, Left and Right, Upper Realms and Lower Realms, Ingenuity and Logic, The Spiritual and the Material, The Teacher and The Student, The Truth-Teller and The Trickster. Writing utensils, communication devices, books, tarot cards, divining tools, anything you want to bless in regard to teaching, learning, publishing, divination, and communicating

Altar Cloth: Multi-colored, or multi-textured cloth

Day of the Week: Mercury rules Wednesday

Area of the Body: Gemini rules the arms, hands, fingers, and lungs

Honoring CANCER, and its ruler the MOON

Herbs: Herbs that are round and grow in shady, cool places that help regulate fluids and elimination in the body. 

Foods: Round vegetables and fruits like melons, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, grapes and poppy (seeds and flowers), any food with a high water content like lettuce, cucumber, melon, mushroom

Flowers and plants: Iris, lilies, poppies, camphor, (white) sandalwood, myrrh, jasmine, bitter almond, anise, poppy (seeds), willow, lotus, moonwort, mugwort, and pumpkin 

Stones and Metals: silver, selenite, soft stones and crystals, pearls, mother of pearl, and any crystal that is white, luminous or looks like the moon 

Deities: Figures associated with the moon, caretaking/mothering, and cycles of life, death, and renewal

Properties: The moon governs all things round, watery/of the water, cold/cooling, soft, luminous, changeable, moveable, connected to conception and fertility. You can place anything on your altar that resembles care and parents/mothers/caregivers/babies/children 

Altar Cloth: White, silver, or luminescent cloth

Day of the Week: The Moon rules Monday

Area of the Body: Cancer rules the breast, chest, and stomach

Honoring LEO, and its ruler the SUN

Herbs: Saffron, rosemary, frankincense, cedar, cinnamon, St. John’s Wort, cinnamon, eyebright​

Foods: Ginger, oranges and lemons, citrus in general, fruits that are sour and sweet together​

Flowers and plants: Flowers that are bright, smell pleasant, yellow, orange, and/or red in color and round like the sun such as sunflowers, peonies, marigolds, citrus flowers and trees 

Metals and minerals:​ Yellow, orange and red stones, actual gold, amber, hyacinth, chrysolite, carbuncle, ruby, garnet, larimar, peridot, rhodochrosite, citrine​

Deities: figures associated with the sun, lions, cats, felines, energy, vital life force​; anything that represents royalty to you, things that are regal, shining, opulent, crowns, etc.

Properties: Place anything on your altar that helps you feel alive, brilliant, radiant, on purpose, creative and anything that helps you feel more yourself/anything that helps you to shine.​

Altar Cloth: Gold cloth

Day of the Week: The Sun rules Sunday

Area of the Body: Leo rules the heart and spine 

Honoring virgo, and its ruler mercury

Herbs: Marjoram, vervain, aniseed​

Foods: Hazelnut, walnut​

Flowers and plants: Wheatsheaf, rosemary, narcissus, lily

Metals and minerals: fluorite, agate, citrine, topaz, marcasite, quicksilver​

Deities: Teachers, magicians, herbalists

Properties: Anything that symbolizes the process of purification. Any symbol of knowledge, magic, or intuition​. Any communication devices that you want blessed​

Altar Cloth: Multi-colored cloth

Day of the Week: Wednesday

Area of the Body: Virgo rules the digestive system

Honoring LIBRA and its ruling planet, VENUS

Herbs: Coriander, vervain, mugwort, and thyme​

Foods: Strawberries, apples, figs, peaches, plums, raisins, cakes, sweets, walnuts, almonds, millet, honey ​

Flowers and plants: Lily, daffodil, fresh-cut roses, also anything with roses in it, (e.g., rose spray, rose oil, rose petals), any flowers that have round and luscious petals and are soft and supple, spring flowers in the Southern Hemisphere, fall foliage in the Northern Hemisphere, ​

Metals & Stones: Copper or brass, lapis lazuli, marcasite, rose quartz, chrysolite, selenite​

Deities: Venus, Innana, any femme deities or symbols of connection and balance

Properties: Place any jewelry that you want to be blessed on your altar​. Any pairings of things to represent partnership, love, balance, and beauty to you​

Altar Cloth: White or green cloth

Day of the Week: Friday

Area of the Body: Libra rules the kidneys and endocrine system 

Honoring SCORPIO and its ruling planet, MARS

Herbs: Nettle, thistles

Foods: Red chili peppers and anything spicy or that has spiky leaves​; foods with a strong, spicy taste because Mars is very physical 

Flowers and plants: Cactus, chrysanthemum, marigold, yellow-berry nightshade

Metal and minerals: Iron, black stones such as obsidian & tourmaline, ochre, bloodstone, jasper, or vermilion​

Deities: Any warrior deities, or deities or symbols of protection and warding off evil​

Properties: Snakes, scorpions, skulls, bones, eagle feathers, and anything that reminds you of regeneration and mystery. Pictures of ancestors you want to honor​

Altar Cloth: Black, red, or orange cloth

Day of the Week: Tuesday

Area of the Body: Scorpio rules the reproductive and excretory systems

Honoring SAGITTARIUS and its ruling planet, JUPITER

Herbs: Basil, mint, sage, oregano, marjoram

Foods: Cloves, mace, nutmeg, olives, pomegranates, peony, licorice, saffron, figs, pears (fruit or tree branches or leaves), raisins, gooseberries

Flowers and plants: Daisy, peony, oak branches or leaves, olive branches, any flower that calls you or feels abundant/is large in size 

Metal and minerals: Tin, emerald, hyacinth, topaz, amethyst, sapphire, marble, free-stone

Deities: Deities associated with wisdom, learning, faith, abundance, or object or image that reminds you of a teacher that is important to you​

Properties: Pictures, symbols or keepsakes from wisdom traditions that are meaningful to you, any religious or spiritual symbol you resonate with, anything that inspires your faith and generosity

Altar Cloth: Purple, aquamarine, or blue cloth 

Day of the Week: Thursday

Area of the Body: Sagittarius rules the thighs, liver, and pituitary gland

Honoring capricorn and its ruling planet, saturn

Herbs: Horsetail, hemlock, cumin, hemp 

Foods: Parsnip, spinach, lentils, hempseed, walnuts, almonds, foods that are sour, bitter, and sharp

Flowers and plants: any dark purple or black colored flower, poppies, willows 

Metal and minerals: Lead, lapis lazuli and any black stone like obsidian or tourmaline, hard and unpolished stones 

Deities: Deities or figures associated with discipline, mastery, or working through obstacles

Properties: Anything that is symbolic of your accomplishments and goals. Any talismans that you might  have that are animal bones or teeth or in the shape of them​​; any figures of elephants, crocodiles, wolves, toads, or serpents

Altar Cloth: Black or dark cloth

Day of the Week: Saturday

Area of the Body: Capricorn rules the bones and teeth

Honoring AQUARIUS and its ruling planet, saturn

Herbs: Horsetail, hemlock, cumin, hemp​

Foods: Parsnip, spinach, lentils, hempseed, walnuts, almonds, foods that are sour, bitter, and sharp

Flowers and plants: Blue or white flowers, resembling the colors of the sky, olive tree branches, willow tree branches, vervain​, poppy, sage, horsetail

Metals and minerals: Lapis lazuli, black tourmaline, obsidian, smoky quartz,  aquamarine, petrified wood​​, lead, hard and unpolished stones

Deities: Deities or figures associated with intellect, breaking the norms, innovation, self-mastery, discipline, and boundary setting 

Properties: Anything symbolic of your intellect; Any talismans that you might  have that are animal bones or teeth or in the shape of them​​; any figures of elephants, crocodiles, wolves, toads, or serpents

Altar Cloth: Black or dark cloth

Day of the Week: Saturday

Area of the Body: Aquarius rules the ankles, shins, calves, and circulatory system

Honoring PISCES and its ruling planet, jupiter

Herbs: Basil, mint, sage, oregano, marjoram

Foods: Cloves, mace, nutmeg, olives, pomegranates, peony, licorice, saffron, figs, pears (fruit or tree branches or leaves), raisins, gooseberries

Flowers and plants: Daisy, peony, oak branches or leaves, olive branches, any flower that calls you or feels abundant/is large in size 

Metal and minerals: Tin, emerald, topaz, amethyst, sapphire, shells, sand, driftwood, or anything that reminds you of the ocean​

Deities: Deities associated with the oceans and waterways, or images of oceans or water​; Any symbol or object that you can place on the altar that reminds you of a teacher that is important to you​

Properties: Pictures, symbols, or keepsakes from wisdom traditions that are meaningful to you; any religious or spiritual symbol you resonate with; anything that inspires your faith and generosity; dolphins, whales

Altar Cloth: Purple, aquamarine, or blue cloth 

Day of the Week: Thursday

Area of the Body: Pisces rules the feet and lymphatic system