There are several different fields and specialities within astrology. One that I've become fascinated by is known as electional astrology. This involves looking ahead and identifying an auspicious moment in time to initiate a project or hold an event. In other words, you are "electing" a birth chart. The easiest way I've found to describe it is to think of a positive, astrological election as having the opposite effect of a Mercury retrograde. It's become common knowledge that when the planet Mercury is retrograde, things in your life are likely to go wrong in one way or another, and cause frustration. With astrological elections however, it's about waiting for the stars to align in just the right way in order to best ensure that whatever it is that you want to do or get done, is likely to go really well. Although these moments in time are not as easy to identify as Mercury retrogrades are. You first have to know how to read the stars and understand what they mean, in order to practice electional astrology. It is therefore considered an advanced technique or field of astrology that I myself am still in the midst of mastering. However, I at least know enough about it to introduce you to the concept and share the idea that it is through elections that one can go about practicing astrological magic.

Centuries ago, people who were considered sages knew astrology and used that knowledge base in order to influence certain outcomes. In other words, they were practitioners of astrological magic which at its core is based around elections - moments in time where the planets are configured in just the right way to most likely ensure a desired outcome. It's worth noting though that these sages were sometimes called upon to bring negative outcomes to one's enemies. So elections do not necessarily have to be about only positive moments in time. Nowadays astrologers are much more likely to be consulted to identify auspicious dates for good intentions - such as an ideal wedding date - versus identifying a date and time to cause ill-will or harm.

Part of a sage's magic ritual would often involve the creation of a talisman - some sort of physical artifact that is initiated under an election. It's these physical objects that sages would charge with the energy of the planets at a specific moment in time, through that talisman's birth chart. The talisman would then often be given to whomever it was meant for, either to hold, or wear or keep in close proximity to - depending on what the object was. Simply having a talisman in one's life is believed to aid in bringing about positive outcomes, just like a good luck charm.

What I love about the idea of talismans is that you can really make just about anything under an auspicious election. Pieces of jewelry often serve as talismans, but you can also make talismanic materia that is perishable, like candles or bath salts - which are a few of several magically charged items that Sphere + Sundry is known to make. When I realized this concept, it dawned on me that I could make my artwork into talismans. It would require a lot of forethought and preplanning, but I figured, if I can get the stars on my side, then why not try? So that's what I did with 6 of the paintings in my "Venus in the 12th" series.

Practicing astrological magic in my art studio in February 2023.

I ended up using two different elections and therefore initiated more than one painting during these specific windows of time. My book, "Venus in the 12th," describes in better detail the planetary energy that was present at these moments, if you are interested in reading more about the talismanic qualities captured in these artworks.

On a final note, I want to share the fact that many of these magical practices have been passed down to us through an occult text, known as the Picatrix. Christopher Warnock is an astrologer who helped publish the latest translation of the Picatrix and is well versed himself in creating talismans under different types of elections. If you are interested in hearing more about the ideas that are contained within this occult book, and how one might go about creating a magical talisman, then I highly suggest you check out this episode of The Astrology Podcast: "The Picatrix: A Book of Astrological Magic."

I'd be intrigued to hear what you think about astrologically elected talismans: Have you ever used one? Do you believe it is even possible to charge an item with magical energy? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave your comments or any questions below.