Living on My Jupiter Line w/ Aunty Mexico
My Jupiter line runs smack down the middle of Mexico City, and oooooh baby, I’m so glad I took time to understand what that means for me.
Sitting in Parque de Mexico
(In this diary entry, we’re expanding upon the tool of astrocartography. Please refer back to this entry for better context!)
This was my first stop in my year of travel, and over three stints, I spent time in different parts of the city as well as Oaxaca de Jardin and Puerto Escondido. With this being my first time in the country, folks definitely had opinions about me going. I actually didn’t realize how much propaganda exists about Mexico being unsafe and cartel this, cartel that! - until I got ready to go. Like yes, obviously there’s bias through racist rhetoric and media, but I didn’t think people actually believed it?....
I was also born and raised in Southern California, so I have a deep appreciation for Mexican culture like it’s my own. As I prepared for my travels, I saw the best advice in some random blog that asked, “do you plan to do drugs or any cartel-related activities? If not, then please stop worrying about the cartel, because they ain’t worried about you.”
Safety was actually a key factor in why I loved my experience in the country so much, interestingly enough. Because it’s a walkable city, people be outside. Because it’s one of the largest hubs in the world, the city never sleeps, you can easily find what you need and people from all over the world frequent the city for business, pleasure and leisure. There was always something going on, whether it was a protest for women's rights, a popular Boba shop that had a line wrapped around the building, cultural events, or a diaspora party hosting the city's best DJs.
Alebrijes art fixtures on Reforma during Muertos
Mexico City is still a big city though, and the normal big city shenanigans are to be expected. As an avid traveler, I obviously kept my head on swivel and still moved like I was a foreigner in someone else’s neighborhood, city, and country. On top of that, I was told by Spirit to go and I had a friend who lived in the city, so I felt a level of comfort as I navigated. I understand this is not everyone’s experience, and folks might actually have a lot of negative things to say about their time in the city, so I’m not invalidating their experience, but I cannot relate. This was another reason astrocartography caught my attention, because when I encountered people like this, I was always so curious as to where Mexico sat in their chart.
Stereotypical themes around the planet Jupiter are luck, expansion, pleasantry, and easy life experiences. It can be said that living on your Jupiter line influences a strong, positive energy flow in every area of your life.
But I noticed that expansion energy the most, in the way of where you put your energy, your energy will flow. Which means that if you’re in a creative, positive, expansive energy, it’ll build on that. AND, if you’re in a still, quiet, reflective, or yucky energy, it’ll expand upon that too.
I think there’s a specific wisdom to Jupiter though. It reminds me of that Edna Mole quote from The Incredibles about how luck favors the prepared. If you ain’t prepared, if you don’t have your mind right, Jupiter will highlight those areas that are blocking the path. It’ll be loud, and you will have endless opportunities to course correct to get back to that positive, success-oriented energy.
The first time I visited Mexico City, it was juicy. I was glowing in ways I hadn’t before. I was outside, meeting all the people and doing all the things. It was also my first location on this slow travel adventure, so spirits were high lol.
The second time I went, the energy was incredibly somber. The veil was pulled back on some pretty major themes in my life, which sucked. I slept, a lot, and was met with a lot of sweetness to keep me above water. I was staying in a neighborhood that had 90% of what I needed within a 5-minute walk. Things were open late, and there were more foreigners in that area, so I blended in a little more compared to the other neighborhoods I previously stayed in.
The third and final time I visited, I was in a winter state of mind. It was a season of integration and slow movement for me. I was guided to stay in a quiet home and neighborhood. I had access to fresh fruit, healthy foods, walkable cafes with wifi, sweet neighbors who were excited to see me when we crossed paths, and a balcony for sunshine.
Every time I went to Mexico, I had what I needed. Considering our history as Black folks from America with this land, it felt appropriate to call her Aunty Mexico. During a meditation with a celestial level of cacao, she let me know she had me. I remember I started to cry, feeling so held, so cared for in a way America has never, could never (even though we fight and pray for a reality in which this is a different story).
So with that being said, let’s jump into things I enjoyed! I’m not a “here’s my must-do itinerary” person because I’m a big proponent of getting to a location, having some basic sightseeing activities, but most importantly, just vibing. Do your best to speak the language, integrate into the culture, and be open to receiving what the land has to offer you.
Highlights of My Trip
Maria Cacao for your cacao needs
Woman and Mexican owned, with an all woman team. Their brand is beautiful and Maria loves what she does.
Mercado Sonora
Rule of thumb: buying anything at a mercado is top tier compared to a store. Keep cash on you, but most vendors did have card readers. This market in particular was considered the spiritual market, and I was obsessed. I had access to what I needed to maintain my spiritual hygiene as a spiritual girly and Isese Ifa practitioner, which is a crucial factor in determining what I require from a location to live well.
Taqueria Gaberia & El Habanerito
There are taco spots literally everywhere. Like every other storefront. The two that had me in a chokehold were Taqueria Gaberial (efficient, simple, and delicious, best agua de Jamaica I had in the city) and El Habanerito (authentic Yucateca food, every rolled taco had the most juicy, marinated meat, the cactus juice was so refreshing, and the vibes are so tranquillo). Honorable mention goes to Taco Bar; their barbocoa tacos and mezcal menu did not disappoint, the music made an American feel cozy, and the bar tenders were always great company.
Tolantongo Hotsprings
Incredible, and a full-day adventure. One visit was enough for me because it’s about a 3.5-hour trip to and from the city through the mountains. Make sure you have a waterproof phone case and waterproof shoes. They said sandals were okay, but you’re going to deal with underwater caves and desert roads type shit, so my suggestion is waterproof footwear that you can hike in.
Oaxaca
Has my heart. My Spanish teacher in the city was a brown Mexican man who talked about his grandmother doing limpia’s (spiritual cleansings) when he was a child. Even though he brushed it off as spiritual hoopla and was Catholic, I definitely asked where Grandma was from and what she practiced. He didn’t know, but said she was from the state of Oaxaca. In talking about race, colonization, Western religion, and indigenous practices, my ears perked up for reasons we can discuss offline, but I knew I had to go visit.
In short, the spirit of this land was quiet but so strong; it had me in a stupor. I visited the main puebla, Oaxaca de Jardin, and the beach, Puerto Escondido. I plan to go back and experience Muertos out there next!
Zocolo
The most similar energy I can compare this part of Mexico City to is going out in Hollywood, California. There’s so much to do and see! My following statements reflect the spiritual energy I personally felt, not meant to detract from visiting or speak negatively about this part of the city.
The energy is loud because the history is long and complex. It was the Aztec epicenter, and then during colonization, Spain came and put “New Spain” on top of it. This city overall is sinking because when they came and built these roads, they built on top of unstable river canals, so even in the midst of beautiful and ancient architecture, it feels like Mother Nature and the ancient spirits are out of balance. I did a ghost tour there, which, given the amount of psych wards where they were definitely testing on folks and how many people died, there’s just an unsettled energy there in my opinion, even with the exciting restaurants, art, museums, and theatre! I was not in a rush to go back outside of friend outings, as the energy gave mass grave site. This was similar to energy vortexes in America, like Sedona, AZ, Hollywood, CA, and New York City, NY, on top of this being on my Jupiter line.
Remember that “where energy goes, it flows”? My spiritual practice is a huge focus within my life, so with the winds of Jupiter blowing in my direction, I was open as a mugggg in Mexico. I didn’t have the opportunity to slack on my routines, spiritual cleansings and ebo because the veil was damn near non-existent. But this was MY experience - did I mention Jupiter sits in my 8th house? LOL. So all in all, there is so, so, so much history down there, and again, I’m not sharing this to deter people from visiting, so please add it to your list to see. IF YOURE A SPIRITUAL GIRLY who’s senses are a little more open and aware, I would say covering your head and keeping your cleansing habits on lock wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Speed Round
Luche Libre (picture 2 below) was a must; the Xochimilco boat tours are only fun if you’re with a group of people you don’t mind being in an enclosed space with for three+ hours while drinking or vibing. There are WhatsApp groups for literally everything, and you’ll also run into a lot of kin folks just walking around the city.
The art scene is immaculate! Yes, there’s controversy around Frida Kahlo. I did visit her home/museum and have my very strong opinions, but I’m not Mexican, so I’mma let the girly’s have that conversation. Diego’s mural museum in Zócalo is definitely a must-see. I’m appreciative of their contributions and how they add to the canon of divine partnership that serves as a third entity with its own purpose and destiny outside of both individuals' paths.
Afromenu was good for some Nigerian food (picture 1 above), Bousque de Chapultepec castle was incredible to see (picture 3 above), and the park itself was a grounding force on Sunday mornings. The Anthropology Museum was a lot to digest. I’m not sure how I felt about it because when highlighting the indigenous gods, they had a giant cross at the front of the exhibit and painted the conquistadors in a not-so-negative way that made me question who was narrating this shit, which ultimately made me walk out.
The Four Seasons spa saw me like every two weeks. I 100000% could have found closer, more local, and definitely cheaper massage services, but didn’t. Their restaurant in the back, Zanya, was the best steak I had in the city, and I dream about it often.
And we’re going to end it there. The city is endless, to the point that I personally would not wait in line for shit, because there are incredible restaurants on every corner.
In closing, this is your reminder that it’s okay if you don’t vibe with a popular destination - your particular math (birth chart and energy) probably don’t vibe with the energy of the land or its ancestry.
Between having Lady Guadalupe on every corner, the practice of Dia de los Muertos, and a woman president, it’s hard to articulate, but Mexico did feel like home in certain ways (FOR ME).
The elementary school I went to served pan dulce on Fridays, traumatized me by playing the La Llorona in the first grade, and allowed me to create friendships in which I was a regular at the family parties that had Mariachi and carne asada poppin. I saw the importance of learning Spanish as a second language living in America from an early age (why this ain’t a requirement is BEYOND me, but I digress). This is definitely another reason my adjustment in Mexico was so smooth, as my Jupiter line simply expanded these key factors to what I consider “home” and comfort.
I really did feel like I had the winds of favor always blowing my direction in my business, my art, my creativity, relationships, health, and spiritual practice because the influence of Mexican culture runs deep in my perception of the world.
Astro.com has a great astrotravel breakdown; tap in and don’t forget that any and all astrology interpretations are someone’s bias, and that your birth chart is a culmination of the synergy of a lot of different energies. Taking it a step further, when you apply that to your astrocartography, be mindful of the bigger picture our charts paint when considering planet lines.
Take time to get to know your birth chart first. In whole sign astrology, my Jupiter creates a snuggly stellium with my Sun and Mercury, so looking back, the position of this planet in my chart makes a lot of sense considering my experience. Research astrologers to help you begin interpreting your chart and stay off ChatGPT. Then dive into astrocartography and use it as a way to be in tune and reflect on how you feel in certain places, not the end-all be-all of your travel choices.
I spent a total of three months in Mexico during its summer. Puerto Rico called next, which gave me an opportunity to experience the drama of living on my Chiron line.
More in the next entry,
Janiece Ifasooto