The Jovian Guide to Astrological Use
We asked Brooklyn-based astrologer and poet Jaime Wright to create detailed guides for the astrological functions of our core collection. Excerpts for each product can also be found in our store.
Below, our core collection scents are listed A-Z.
Use for channelling Fomalhaut (the wizard poet star).
Astrology is stargazing. It’s an ancient divinatory art form that has been practiced as long as humans knew to look up at the sky. Interpretation is key. The word planet means “wanderer” and comes from the Greek phrase aster planetes or “wandering star.” Astrology interprets the movement of these wandering stars across the sun’s apparent path. But what about the stars in all of the constellations? These are known as the fixed stars because they stay “fixed” in the same skyspace. One of these stars is Fomalhaut in the Piscis Australis constellation: a tiny fish swimming under Aquarius, drinking from the jug of water.
Fomalhaut is the star of wizard poets. An imaginative balm of an archetype. This is the star of the dreamer. The star of the rebel. Or the star of the intrepid fashion icon. But it’s also the star of the alchemist who wants to turn all those visions into reality. Music theory on acid. Horoscope as song. A cookbook as a poem. Fomalhaut sits at approximately 3º Pisces and blesses those with planets or angles near that degree with an undeniable artistic charisma.
Fomalhaut is one of the brightest stars in the sky. Because of its brightness, It ranks as one of the four Royal Stars of Persia, the keeper of the Southern sky. The Royal Stars bestow their children with the amazing gifts of success, notoriety and fame but always come with a warning. When the star’s power is misused, the glory is taken away. With Fomalhaut, the danger lies in fanaticism, idealism and losing one’s grounding. Becoming the forest and forgetting the trees. With Fomalhaut, we can party too hard. We can get carried away. We can say “I am SO creative! I am SO famous!” But never really do anything tangible. Fomalhaut comes with admiration and accolades. But the goal is to uplift and inspire, not to float away.
Colours can be used to chase our bliss while keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground. How much idealism is too much? Well: “You may say I’m a dreamer / but I’m not the only one.” Use it to channel the inner boy king. Use it when it’s time to summon the entourage. Fomalhaut encourages us to examine our legacy and connect the dots lyrically. Also to be generous. To let our friends sleep on the couch. We’re twisting the orange peel before dipping it into our Negroni. The vibes are clear and the citrus is expressed. Some kings are remembered for their victories at war, their rise to authority. Fomalhaut is remembered for his songs.
Use for achieving Virgo Harmony
Mercury is the planet of communication. The planet of collecting and scrutinizing details. Venus is the planet of connection. The planet of bringing things together when it’s time to fall apart. Mercury is exalted in Virgo. Venus is in fall in Virgo. The two extremes of astrological dignity.
Venus in Virgo shows her love through cleaning up a mess. She wants the ideal; holds impossible standards. Mercury in Virgo knows that perfection is impossible; goes for it anyway. When these two come together, what’s immaculate becomes attainable. Perfection gets the final word. But “shhhhhh! don’t let anyone see your work!”
Virgos are in a constant state of free fall toward the celestial equator. Trying to hold it together and avoid skinning their knees. The truth is: Virgo always land on their feet. The Virgo constellation contains a fixed star called Vindemiatrix. Vindemiatrix means grape gatherer or fruit-plucking herald. This star rises with the sun at the time of year when we (quite literally) harvest grapes. This is the person with the list. Both the project manager and the door girl. The collector of vibes. (Some astrologers throughout history have also described this star as “the widow maker” and though I’m not sure exactly why, I think what they’re getting at is: resilience.) Agendas of abundance live with this star. You won’t have any wine unless you get the grapes.
House helps us channel that character of the grape gatherer. The one who makes it happen. The one who works for the wine. This is for the Pisces or Sagittarius who needs help sculpting their boundless vision into a stream of pop masterpieces. Think: Finneas and Billie Eilish. House is for the Libra or Taurus who’s lost in the matrix of a beauty and needs to answer this question: “what is it that I actually like?” house isn’t for getting somewhere but for starting somewhere.
House captures the spirit of Virgo at its most powerful and also at its most vulnerable. A Virgo who loves you will hire a full team to move a mountain and get to you. But don’t applaud the effort. That’s embarrassing. For a Virgo, there is no greater relief than being nothing: living inside the list, flying above the neatness, floating beyond the precision. These are all givens. These are all nothing.
A Virgo smiles after moving a mountain: “Oh that? No worries. That was nothing.”
Use for embodying life on Mars.
When we think of Mars, we think of war. Aggression. Violence. But Mars is movement. Action. Choreography. How we build a fire and dance through the dark. The fiery planet attacks problems but he runs away from them too. The retreat after the battle. Isn’t leadership knowing when to stop?
Mars is the literal red planet. He rules the signs of Aries and Scorpio. Aries ––a cardinal fire sign, the awakening of spring, the exaltation of the Sun–– is always running up that hill. Won’t accept loss for an answer. Meanwhile Scorpio ––a fixed water sign, the most haunted days of autumn, a piercing blackhole of emotions where the Moon has its fall–– is a deep, glacial lake. Ancient. Still. Uninterrupted. Passionate. Desirous. Penetrating. Mars’ heat can be a running engine or it can be a sacred campfire. Ritualistic in action, it’s striking the stones together to create an eternal spark. Mars in Scorpio is an obsession. Or a secret weapon. Pool has the essence of Mars in Scorpio.
Pool helps us to experience life on Mars. It lets the questioning Libra or the flighty Gemini or the whimsical Pisces make a goddamn decision for once. Mars makes Taurus uncomfortable enough to stray from the greener pasture. Isn’t it admirable the way the Scorpio just chooses who and what they want and locks the door behind them? Pool is a chance to join this exclusive club. It’s a chance for Aries to get lost in the woods along the way and encouragement for those who already live with a glacial purpose (Scorpios) to keep following their passion. Go deeper into the experiment. The water’s warm but don’t get complacent. It’s OK to accept the bad in each other. To repurpose the ugly as action. This is about forging. We can wear moss as armor. It’s a place to simmer the potion and sculpt the vinegar down to a reduction. Forget hustling. Start alchemizing!
Use for wading in Neptune’s waters.
Neptune is the planet of dreams & visions, art & inspiration, images & reflections, the intangible and the invisible. Neptune is a sedative or an anesthetic or a hallucinogen. Neptune blisses us up and burns us out. Never one to worry about keeping up the pace, Neptune dissolves our boundaries, bringing us to a halt. Neptune is transcendent. To answer to Neptune is to answer the call of the siren. To meet the choppy, romantic waves of the ocean in the pitch black night, without any hesitance.
Neptune is named for the Roman sea god who with his trident could stir the waters and split the rocks. No one messes with that mermaid or his dreams. Neptune is enchantment. It’s glamorous. Neptune is where we project our fantasies. Neptune is “Hollywood.” It’s a place to be seen. It’s fan fiction. It’s the art and craft of filmmaking. Creating worlds, universes even. Neptune is where myth meets hypnosis and image meets illusion. Neptune is how we fall asleep. It’s a portal to our subconscious mind.
Quilt is the feeling of the receptive Moon meeting Neptune in the sky. We’re allowed to feel the fantasy, get swept under the sea and wade into our imagination. It’s all consuming but like any transit of the moon, it’s temporary. Over in a few hours, or by the time we wake up, and never more than a day or two. Use as a dose of liquid courage, to surrender to formless, infinite Neptune. Use responsibly but don’t overthink it.
Use for Venusian clarity.
Venus is the planet of love, beauty and money. Venus creates balance, restores order and delivers comfort. Venus allows us to see that state of things. The process of solving a problem can be lovely. (“It’s about the journey.”) Venus is mutual and receptive. Her gifts are not obligations (or poison!) but are actual treats.
To create order, we must address chaos. When she wants, Venus can be a planet of war. She recognizes injustice and seeks to correct it. She’s who we call when we need to strategize and choreograph the battle. Grab your pointe shoes!
Venus rules Taurus and Libra. While Venus in Taurus wraps us in blankets and slippers, sipping cocoa and stirring risotto, Venus in Libra finds comfort and ease through a discerning eye and refined taste. It’s not the sweetness of the cocktail but the quality of the candied garnishes. It’s the bite of the pickled beet. The strange comfort of unknotting a tangled, broken heart. Libras aren’t “sweet.” They don’t “like” things in the way that we expect Venus to always say, “Yes.” Ultimately, Libras want to learn what they like. To learn how to care. To learn how to attack gracefully. Smooth helps create a Venusian battle plan.
Use Smooth to soften the edges of a detail-oriented, Virgo style of problem solving. Use this to calm the storm of a rocky Scorpio heart. Use this to feel more like your Taurus or (especially) Libra self, or boost the efficiency of any planet in Venus’ domiciled or exalted signs (Taurus, Libra and Pisces). Smooth helps to find beauty, and seize it for your everyday life.
Use for Solar confidence.
The Sun is our life force. The centre of everything. Astrologically, the sun’s placement –– by sign, house and all forms of dignity –– indicates how we embark on our hero’s journey. It’s not who we are but who we are trying to become. The Sun is a hot, fiery ball, giant and ever-expanding. The Sun cannot be tamed. Sol represents leadership and authority, notable figures, high priestesses, royal portraits and definitive maps. When the Sun is strong, we think, “why wouldn’t my opinion matter?”
The Sun rules Leo, obviously, and is exalted in Aries. Leo is all about the impossibility of endless summer, the high drama of royalty and the raw pain that comes with feeling obscure. When the Sun is in Aries, confidence becomes a super power. There’s a brilliant naivety –– which sometimes reads as an egotistical bravado –– that comes with never being afraid to speak your piece or go first at karaoke. Aries are prolific poets and unabashed activists. Aries want to do right for the world by doing right for themselves. To invoke the Sun in Aries is to let any semblance of a filter burn.
The Sun is gold, buttercups, the colour lemon-yellow and the bitter yet shockingly alive taste of citrus. To accept the Sun is to wear a crown.
Sorbet enchants us with solar confidence. Sorbet reminds Libras that you don’t have to trick people into liking you. It lets a removed Aquarius feel the heat of the limelight. Sorbet is also a treat for the Aries or Leo soul who already knows that they’re fabulous but has no qualms with being reminded. Use Sorbet to set out on a mission, to give form to spirit while keeping our hearts in the material world. There’s more to say but ultimately, the Sun is simple, like our ego. Onward!
Use for Mercurial ideation.
Mercury is the messenger. The planet of communication, expression and agility. Mercury builds and then Mercury refines. Mercury makes writers, technicians, performers, graphic designers, accountants, sculptors, petty thieves, musicians, rave VJs, scholars, astrologers and teachers. Mercury destabilizes so it can put it all back together. Always tinkering.
Mercury is the only planet that is not associated with the binaries. Mercury is not masculine or feminine, of the day or of the night, eastern or western. Mercury becomes whatever he needs to be to match the environment where she’s existing. Mercury is listening.
Mercury also rules the signs Gemini and Virgo and is exalted (an honoured guest) in Virgo as well. Gemini is the curious child who wants to collect any and all information. Virgo is the agile helper who always knows the best way to do anything. Mercury in Gemini writes an effortless, exhilarating first draft. Mercury in Virgo is a skilled editor.
Tools can be used to dive into a Mercurial focus zone. To start with a clean slate and write it on the walls. Use Tools to put Mercury in Pisces on a mission or help Mercury in Sagittarius think longer before speaking up. It can affirm your already-detailed Virgo-ness or already-chatty Gemini-ness and put those skills to use. It can also help bring a Jupiter-type person right back down to earth. Helps us think through things, coordinate and communicate what needs to be communicated. It’s a walk to clear your head. There’s a madness to Mercury’s method and that madness is exact.