My Most Prized Possession
On one of my favourite possessions--and a reflection on my natal chart.
Although it may not be fashionable to talk about material possessions, I had a thought about how a key possession of mine is reflected in my chart.
Having grown up in an Indian immigrant family, rice was a staple in our daily diet--much to my chagrin. I used to listen longingly as my primary school friends would describe their evening dinners filled with macaroni & cheese, spaghetti bolognese, lasagna, or fried chicken and home-baked biscuits with gravy.
It was not until I traveled to Japan for my year abroad in university that I came to appreciate rice. I still remember scoffing at the idea that rice could be 'tasty' or 'bland', too soft, or too firm. Rice was rice, and it was all the same.
My host-mother took the time and trouble to educate me. By the end of that year in Japan, I became a rice connoisseur--and subsequently a rice-snob, horrified at being served Uncle Ben's rice at a college dinner party the following year.
I returned to Japan after university and spent close to two decades there. When we left to move to the UK, I bought the latest, best-selling rice-cooker on the market to take with me. This, dear Reader, is my most prized possession.
Food is said to be ruled by the 2H and here I have Sagittarius--forever interested in other cultures and philosophies. Japanese cuisine taught me the importance of seasonality, of presentation, and of honoring your ingredients.
The ruler of said 2H resides in Cancer in the 9H. With Jupiter here, I am the wandering nomad, forever collecting stories and recipes, and my desire to fuse travel with learning is insatiable.
The ruler of my Cancer 9H is the Moon and is found in my Pisces 5H. The Moon is also conjunct (that is, right next to) my Venus there. Food for me is a pathway to creativity and the dinner parties I threw when I lived in Japan were a constant source of joy and inspiration in my life.
And to round this reflection out, I look to the houses in the signs Venus rules: Taurus and Libra. With Taurus in my 7H of relationships, I can see how food is an important ingredient in building my connections and strengthening them. I literally nourish my 1:1 relationships through food. So having my trusty rice-cooker deliver delicious rice every single time is a necessity for me.
And finally, with a Libra 12H, this suggests a possible spiritual aspect is involved here as well. In Japan, there is a beautiful tradition of clasping one’s hands and saying “Itadakimasu” before each meal. The straight translation of this word/phrase is “I humbly receive” BUT what one is actually receiving is the life-force that was sacrificed by what is on the plate to help enhance one’s own life-force.
This is such a simple yet profound way of thinking about the food we eat. We honor the stuff that nourishes our bodies, and in the process, honor the vehicles of our humanity. With rice once again the center of my own family’s diet, I am humbled at the journey I’ve taken around this simple food-stuff, and grateful for all I have learned as a result.
Photo by Mgg Vitchakorn on Unsplash