A Village Is A Verb

With Jupiter’s transit through Cancer wrapping up its harvest in my 11th House this summer, I’ve found myself reflecting upon what crops grew in my life, and most importantly, what part I played in nourishing them. Villages, community, and support systems are concepts I once understood in theory but have become less foreign to me within the last year. Throughout my experience of cultivating and finding my own village, I’d like to open your minds through the lens of Astrology to better understand this concept. In order to have a village, you must be a villager. As I walk you through the 11th House, notice how your village is cultivated and what role you can play in tending it, according to the

modality and element present in that house.

The 11th house, known as the house of Good Spirit is a special and magical place. A temple full of wishes, hopes, and dreams. A temple that holds a space for our spirits to imagine what life could be like if we follow the desires that give us joy and purpose. A temple there to remind you that reciprocity sustains life. A temple there to remind you that aspirations rarely come to fruition in isolation. This concept can be further understood by considering Jupiter’s joy in this house. Jupiter, the greater benefic, naturally sits between Mars and Saturn playing a mediating role between extreme heat and extreme cold. In the midst of balancing both extremes, Jupiter inherits a tempered quality reflecting how important fairness is to the planet. Jupiter is happy to provide the crops of a harvest because its abundant and generous qualities are life giving. However, work was put into that harvest, which easily goes unnoticed. Someone was there watering, fertilizing, and tending the crop before harvest. Thus, when considering the 11th’s succedent nature, it serves to support the height and power of the angular 10th House. If you want people to cheer you on the way to the top of the 10th House, you must also cheer for others in the 11th House. If you want an abundant harvest, you must water your crops. Villages don’t exist without villagers. When support is given in good spirit and faith, you’ll become more familiar with the term: if they win, we all win. So, how can you put the verb in the word village?

Cardinal 11th House:

When the sign of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn occupies your 11th House, it’s important that you take initiative to cultivate your village. The cardinal modality reflects the beginning of our four primary seasons, symbolizing initiation. Therefore, sitting around waiting for people to do things for you and come to you first won’t work. Be the first to put a foot forward in order to make things happen. Have a vision of what you hope to achieve and run with it. When you initiate a goal or a dream and move towards it, you’ll find people who share a similar vision along the way. Be the friend who organizes hangouts, community events, dinners, parties, celebrations, and trips first. Be the friend who initiates an idea and brings together people who are willing to participate. Create the village you need to succeed.

Example: Cardinal Water ♋︎

You must be willing to invest resources of your own, it could be emotional or material. You’ll find your village when you invest in nurturing, supporting, protecting, and welcoming others. Your village requires true connection and care. When you pour what you have to offer into others, you'll form bonds and connect in unimaginable ways. Host that dinner party! Teach someone your tips and tricks on removing stubborn stains from clothes! Stand up and protect that innocent person being bullied! Bring coffee and pastries for everyone at work! Extend any resource you can out of the goodness of your heart. Bring the nurturing quality that helps life grow and sustain it. If you cannot be of value to your village, they will not see your value.

Mutable 11th House:

When the sign of Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, or Sagittarius occupies your 11th House, it’s important that you remain flexible to meeting all kinds of people. The mutable modality reflects the seasons that transition us into primary ones, symbolizing fluidity. Be willing to go out and chop it up with new people. Be willing to meet the friend of a friend because any acquaintance could easily become a part of your support system. Next thing you know, you have a connection or a specific friend on hand for every occasion or favor you need. When you venture into unknown territory, you create room for yourself to adapt to new environments that might just hold a space for you to fit in. Spark up conversations with random folk, book a trip across the country, schedule a cooking class across town, sign up for a yoga class, join a book club, anything new! By being willing to venture into fresh spaces, you also serve as a mutual connection for others. “Oh, you know Harley? I just met him last week at my book club! Let’s create a group chat together so we can talk about the book.” Put yourself in fresh spaces. What you seek is also seeking you. If you want a variety of people in your life, you must be willing to go out and find them. Be the friend who can supply that variety as well!

Example: Mutable Air ♊︎

You must be willing to talk to people. The more conversations you have, the more connections you’ll create. There’s value in learning different people's life stories, perspectives, and skills because you can collect and pass on this information. Your village requires an exchange of information, and you, as a villager, play the role of connecting one another through messages. Be the friend who starts a group chat!  Introduce two mutual friends who share the same interest in Astrology! Recommend books, podcasts, or articles to people online! Attend workshops, lectures, and any gathering where you can learn a new skillset and share that experience with others! Think of your village like an airport. You’re there to learn as much as you can from people coming from all around the world, but you also serve as a connecting flight. Connecting everyone to their destinations.

Fixed 11th House:

When the sign of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius occupies your 11th House, it’s important that you are present in a careful and consistent manner for others. The fixed modality reflects the seasons that sustain and stabilize us through the year. Thus, if you move from place to place and don’t focus on tending the friendships, acquaintances, or loved ones you already have, the support system will dry out. Be the friend who offers sanctuary when a loved one is going through it. Be the friend who remembers birthdays, follows up on promises, and just shows up for one another! Your village requires consistency and trust. It requires reliance on one another, almost like a blind trust, that no matter what happens, there will be someone to help pick up where you left off. Be there through the harsh winter of Aquarius, in sustaining the fruits of your labor through the spring of Taurus, through the celebratory warm summers of Leo, and the autumn declination of Scorpio. Small amounts of reliability compound into strong trust over time. So, if you want that kind of trust and support from others, you must also be that!

Example: Fixed Fire ♌︎

You must be willing to show up for others. With the Sun as the natural ruler of your 11th House, take note of the way the Sun rises every morning and sets every night without fail. Your presence is non negotiable. Therefore, you must show up for others and cheer them on. Your role is to illuminate with your presence, to bring a sense of warmth and vitality wherever you go. To be a villager is to be a source of reassurance for others. Everybody remembers the joy that midsummer brings, and they wait all year long just to feel its warmth again. Be the friend who shows up in all periods of life! Be the friend who cheers on small or large accomplishments! Be the friend who supports without expecting anything in return. The Sun plays one of the most important roles, partially responsible for life on Earth, and it doesn’t ask for anything in return except for acknowledging its presence. If you want people to appreciate your presence, your good deeds, your acts of kindness, and support, then you must let yourself be seen and do it first. A village cannot, and will not, remember you for what you didn’t do first. In exercising my own Cancer 11th House through this blog post for other Astrology lovers, I hope this information has been of value to you all. I encourage you to consider your 11th House as a place of reciprocity. To free yourselves from solely living in a consumer mindset, and to wonder in what ways you can give back. Let the 11th House’s topic not solely be what kind of people support you? Let it also be, how do you show up and support others? -Mercurialore