Golden Luck

Throwing a coin into a well, praying to a star, blowing on a dandelion…

Wherever you come from, whatever culture you grew up in, it’s very likely that you’ve made a wish before — something you desire so much in your heart that you ask for the help of something higher than yourself. A wish is an act of trust and intimacy. We hide our dearest wishes or whisper them because they are incredibly serious. Countless traditions around the world enjoin us to not say what we wished for after we blow our birthday candles for fear of attracting jealousy. Wish-making is the expression of what is most human, precious & intimate within us: it is a manifestation of our tenderness.

On January 18, 2024, one of my greatest wishes came to life under a beautiful exalted Moon in Taurus. “Golden Luck II”, my 13th talismanic collection was created under the auspices of Al Thurayya, also known as the 3rd mansion of the Moon — the second edition of an extremely successful (and now sold out!) collection. One of the most beneficent, lucky and all-around auspicious lunar mansions, Al Thurayya is the ideal mansion to call for help for those who seek the realisation of their greatest wishes.

What are the mansions of the Moon, you may ask?

First, an astronomical definition: think of the Moon’s rapid travel through our skies (27 days 1/2) as a lunar zodiac. You’re probably familiar with the solar zodiac, with the Sun passing through all 12 zodiac signs in the span of a year — each of these signs bring a distinct, unique flavour to the Sun and to the corresponding time period (and individuals born within it!). Using the average speed of the Moon (a motion of 12°, 51 minutes and 26 seconds of the tropical zodiac in one day), we divide the full 360° of the zodiac. The result is 28, a subdvision that is used to delimit the Moon’s “own zodiac”, a separate system with its unique properties. Used as a simplified, independent zodiac, the lunar zodiac-mansion system also has distinct bounds: for example, the 1st mansion extends from 0° Aries to 12°51’ Aries. The second lunar mansions goes from 12°51’ Aries to 21°42’ Aries, and so on and so forth.

People from different traditions (the Babylonians, Egyptians, and notably Islamic people from the medieval period) used the Moon’s passage through these 28 subdivisions as indicators to undertake or abstain from certain activities. These subdivisions came to be known as “mansions”, just like palaces: a luxurious abode where the Moon is bestowed special qualities, auspicious or nefarious — for example, when the Moon is in her 16th mansion, buying and selling things (commercial activities) is favourable, but reconciliation isn’t. You may have heard of these mansions in Vedic astrology as the nakshatras, which is another lunar zodiac system which uses 27 subdivisions!

Using the lunar mansions is interesting for several reasons: as the mediatrix, the closest celestial body to us, the Moon is the intermediary body that transmits the influence of all other bodies (planets, fixed stars, etc.) onto us — her influence is therefore likely to be felt in more immediate ways. The Moon’s motion is also faster and easier to track, which is also probably why the lunar zodiac (& mansions) were more widely use by people from ancient eras: casting a full-blown chart may not be necessary, too tedious or costly for simple needs such as having a conversation, asking for a favour, deciding when to sell… On the other hand, the position of the Moon alone (and which mansions she’s in) is easier to find and use!

Aside from their practical use, the mansions of the Moon have a wide range of applications in astrological magic. From the start, the magical properties of the mansions have been listed alongside their day-to-day ones, making them an exciting and fertile terrain for astro magic exploration. This is the context in which the ‘Golden Luck’ collection was born!

The 3rd mansion of the Moon extends from 25°42’ Aries to 8°34’ Taurus. In Arabic, her name is Al-Thurayya (also found in other sources as “Azoraye”), which can be translated as “the many abundant ones”, “the many little ones” or “the cluster”. The indicator star of this mansion is Alcyone, the brightest of the 7 stars that of the Pleiades cluster — which is likely wherethe mansion’s name comes from.

This mansion is extremely lucky, and where the Moon finds the degree of her exaltation (3° Taurus). Sources differ when it comes to the different properties of each mansion — however, Al-Thurayya is pretty much universally regarded as the most auspicious, favourable and benevolent. It is known as great “for the acquisition of all good things” (Picatrix), and “it is good for the fashioning of images and works that belong to women and for the compounding of medicine, […] for trips and to speak with kings and for petitioning them and for marriages; for all deeds done in this mansion there will be a good end and he that is born in it will be fortunate in his ventures.” (The Zodiologion of Kankaf the Hindu).

The spirit set upon this mansion, Annuncia, is exceptionally helpful and benevolent. The 3rd mansion is a luck bringer, and a lovely presence that is always keen to help make wishes come true. I remember a conversation with the wonderful Shuly who expressed how Al-Thurayya was her favourite mansion to work with, an extremely kind and lovely spirit! In the past, I have personally worked with the 3rd mansion to obtain jobs and ace interviews, to obtain positive replies from sought-after programmes, to find a dream home, to meet and welcome the right people into my life… The most recent occurrence was a petition I made to Al-Thurayya for someone close to me to obtain a job — a couple days after, this person was invited for an interview at a company for their dream position in the city they wanted!

The election I chose to create the third mansions collection is special in more than one way: not only was the Moon waxing (increasing in light), in the 3rd Mansion and exalted in Taurus — she was also applying to conjoin Jupiter in Taurus (a sign Jupiter transits only once every 12 years) as both planets culminated on the Midheaven, extremely visible in the night sky. The pair was ruled by a lovely Venus in Sagittarius (sharing generosity with Jupiter), only increasing their benevolent nature.

Supercharged by these exceptional conditions, ‘Golden Luck II’ is a rare, purified concentrate of everything that is lucky, auspicious and abundant. The image prescribed for magical invocations of this mansion is “a woman with her right hand above her hand” — I used the statue of a “fée des Eaux” (water fairy) I had, which felt perfect for the occasion. The colours that came to me for the collection were predominantly gold (a symbol of riches and success, which felt fitting given the close proximity of Jupiter), iridescent whites, green and silver for the Moon — which you can see were all used. During the consecration, nine (the number of the Moon) white roses where offered to Annuncia, the spirit of the 3rd mansion, as well as glasses of milk (the lunar liquid par excellence), fennel seeds (associated with the Pleiades). Musk and camphor were used for the suffumigation as per the Picatrix instructions, and nine white, gold and silver candles were burned.

The overall ritual was placed under the auspices of luck, which you can see reflected in the offerings of the collection: the 14 talismans are made of mother of pearl and moonstone respectively, and engraved with the number “3” for the mansion # and with the Moon glyph. The oil, body butter and herbal amulets are infused/filled with the herbal mix of the collection, made with herbs known for their lucky, wealth-bringing and wish-granting properties (grains of paradise, golden seal, fenugreek seeds)… Each oil comes with a pearl (symbolising its lunar nature), silver & gold leaf (for the luck-Moon mix) and a real, dried four-leaf clover!

During the creation and consecration process, the spirit of Annuncia which was invoked to ensoul the offerings felt extremely benevolent, helpful and kind. I slept really well the night after, and immediately felt like my wishes came true — I had more time to myself, felt more calm and focused, and was invited to events with friends the following weekend that felt deeply refreshing. I also had an uptick in sales in the following days!

When using this collection, you are encouraged to make your wishes and wildest dreams come to life — a true supporter and champion of your work, the gentle and generous spirit of Al-Thurayya (supported by the presence of Jupiter) helps further your goals: acing an interview, finding the resources, people and support you’re looking for, inviting love and harmony into your life… There’s a million ways that the lucky spirit of the third mansion can assist! The Picatrix invocation of the third mansion describes her as being for “all good things”: whatever you may wish for, ask Annuncia!

Any time is good to use the talismanic offerings from the ‘Golden Luck’ collection as they’re potent at all times. You will find that this is especially true when the Moon transits the 3rd mansion again every month — when she’s between 25°42’ Aries and 8°34’ Taurus. This is a good time to reconsecrate your 3rd mansion talisman (as indicated on the consecration guide provided to the wearer), use your talismanic products to make any special petition/prayer to the spirit of the 3rd mansion, and to appreciate this beautiful, lucky transit!

I hope you enjoy this beautiful collection, and that her spirit blesses you with luck, good fortune and success! 🍀✨