To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the best little witch shop in Massachusetts, I figured it would be fun to take a peek at the HausWitch birth chart. My name is Courtney; I am a kind of traditional, kind of modern astrologer, and an aura photographer at HausWitch, so getting to take a deep dive into the HausWitch nativity has been a treat, and a fun way to join in on the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the shop.
The first thing I noticed when looking at the HausWitch chart is how Mercurial it is. The chart has a Virgo rising, making Mercury the chart ruler, but it also has a Gemini Sun, Midheavean, and Mars. Since this is a day chart, the in-sect luminary (the Sun) is being ruled by Mercury. This Mercury is also the only planet in domicile, making it the main dispositior of the chart. In short, Mercury is playing the leading role in this story.
I think this is quite fitting, because Mercury, in my humble opinion, is the queerest, and most magical planet. Mercury is the only planet that does not have an assigned sect, or gender in astrology. It switches freely between both depending on the rest of the chart and where it is. In mythology, it is the only one who can travel freely between all the worlds (heavens, mortal, and underworld), reflected astrologically by the number of retrogrades it does every year. And Mercury is the only planet who is its own exaltation ruler. All that to say, Mercury is the original gender bender magician, meandering swiftly to the beat of its own trickster drum. The perfect ruler for a gay, anti-fascist witch shop, no?
What I love most about this Mercury though, is the story it is telling within the chart itself. Having the ruling planet not only conjunct the Sun, but also the Midheaven indicates an enjoyment of, and reputation for, being seen by many. I think this speaks perfectly to how beloved HausWitch is to not only the local community, but to witches across the world.
With this Mercury being retrograde, it gives the flavor that it likes to march to the beat of its own drum, which I think HausWitch really does.
For those of you who have yet to get to the shop, it feels very different than your average witch shop. The shop is open, airy, filled with light and rainbows from the prisms and the art. To the untrained eye, you might not even realize you’re in a witch shop. It is far from the dark, taboo tropes that we witches know and love.
This differentiation is also reflected in Mercury’s direct opposition with Saturn, the planet of tradition, establishment, and status quo. This opposition is such a great representation of HausWitch’s political values, which are so inherent in the shop. The HausWitch brand has always been inherently political and opposed to establishment, whether the establishment at hand is fascism, patriarchy, racism, etc. HausWitch has never been afraid to be seen in its opposition to the establishment, which is so much a part of what the store stands for.
This is also reflected in the Sun’s conjunction to Mars, since the Sun has so much to do with how we are seen, and Mars is the warrior. Also in the grand fire trine between the Moon, Jupiter, and Uranus, which speaks to the inner need (the Moon) to stand up against inhumane norms (Uranus), to be a beacon of hope and inspiration (Jupiter) for a better world.
And to top it all off, we have this beautiful Venus in the 11th whole sign house in Cancer. The eleventh house is all about friends, community, and large groups. Cancer is a very nurturing, welcoming, and encouraging sign, and I think this Venus is so strongly felt the moment you walk through the door into the amazing smells, and all the smiling faces that are so ready to yap it up.
There’s much more I could say, but I’ll leave it at that and say Happy Birthday, HausWitch! I am so grateful to be a part of this legacy. Here’s to the next 10 years.
