The Modern Witch's Guide to Gifting the Zodiac✨ (Bonus!)
Happy Sag Season, witches!
The last week of November can feel really overwhelming as our inboxes flood with aggressive promotional emails and pushy all-caps subject lines. But even without the anticipated influx of corporate marketing, gifting can feel like one more thing we have to get done this holiday season — throw in the added pressures of financial stress, cold weather blues or looming deadlines and it’s easy to feel anxious and uninspired. But it’s important to remember that like anything, gifting can be a spell — a “good” gift serves a practical function for the recipient, but a meaningful one makes a wish, sets an intention and moves energy in the desired direction for the receiver. Magickal gifting communicates a message to the recipient while the item becomes a symbolic blessing, a magickal catalyst and a talismanic representation of the deeper intentions we hold for our loved ones. A bold red lip color, for example, could be the very empowerment tool to help your bestie conjure the courage to ask for the raise she’s been wanting, or to reclaim her sensuality following a difficult break-up; a gift certificate to a romantic getaway could carry the message that you accept your brother’s new partner. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but like any spell, magickal gifting requires thought, intention, presence and awareness. Enter astrology!
When coupled with intuition, knowledge of an individual’s birth chart can absolutely enchant our browsing (or if it’s a DIY holiday, our crafting) with magick and inspiration; whether you’re shopping for the coworker whose name you pulled for Secret Santa or curating something special for a beloved coven member, astrology very effectively explains our unique differences and clarifies our individual needs, drives and desires. Below you’ll find my recommendations for gifting through each zodiac sign* respectively — ideally, the sun, moon and rising signs should be considered (while the lunar placement is most significant if you’d like the gift to resonate emotionally.) The Venus placement of the recipient is probably the most important data point, as it sets the tone for their style and personal aesthetic and hints at what they most value, desire and find beautiful. If you can’t casually obtain the birth time of that obscure relative, acquaintance, or coworker, no worries — just roll with the sun sign!
*These are not affiliate links, and I don’t make money off your clicks. If I link to a specific item or vendor, it’s because I think it’s cool and effectively represents or captures the essence of that sign. This is intended to be fun, playful and inspiring but of course, don’t forget to shop local this Solstice!
Aries
Gifting is the primary love language of most Aries people (particularly if it’s their Venus sign) so the stakes can be high to match their innately generous spirit. Thankfully, subtlety isn’t the Arian prerogative so these people are usually fairly easy to gift for; self-aware if not slightly self-absorbed, they’re always talking about their latest project, passion or pursuit. Find out what’s exciting them at the moment and gift them something to hype them up (the affirmation that you listen is the real gift — more than anything else, Aries people want to feel supported and related to.) Hot tip: these people can have fleeting interests which they burn out on quickly, so avoid anything which requires too much ongoing commitment (i.e. a class, subscription, an instrument) unless you know they’ll stick with it. Aspirational and self-motivated, these people are always in a rush (especially Aries rising folks) so anything which helps them cross their proverbial finish line more quickly, empowers them through that process or increases their daily efficiency is a definitive yes: a (leakproof!) bottle for their pre-workout protein shake, leggings to pursue their goals in style and comfort or this pair of doc martens to stomp over adversity with (anything red reinvigorates their vibe.)
Taurus
These Venus-ruled folks value beauty and quality as well as deliberate, ethical sourcing — spring for sensory pleasures and creature comforts which provide luxury, elegance and durability like Boll & Branch sheets or towels, made-to-last All-Clad Cookware, a decadent box of Nu Chocolates or this delightful-smelling Under Aurora body oil. Taurus people thoughtfully surround themselves with items which stand the test of time and often build collections (which potentially makes gifting easy — find out if you can add to their ensemble of old vintage coins, tarot decks, bobbleheads…whatever!) Creatures of habit, Taureans ground via familiarity and consistency, often having specific routines in place which they follow every day. Find out where they grab their morning coffee or at which bar they unwind during happy hour — more than likely, they visit the same spots on a daily or weekly basis. If you’re still in doubt? Get your Taurus a plant! People with their moon or sun in Taurus are natural green witches with an innate ability to communicate with plant spirits (and they’re happiest when surrounded by Earthy accents.) Even if they don’t think they have a green thumb, a beautiful golden pothos is the perfectly low-maintenance beginner plant (and if they’ve already realized their green witch potential, you can never go wrong with another planter pot — this one houses my prayer plant in my living room and is giving major Taurus vibes.)