Earl Grey

What this is

Earl Grey is the Jovian tea of this set, black tea crowned with the bright oil of bergamot, the small fragrant citrus that gives it its lift. Named for a British prime minister and long the byword for a refined, generous cup, it carries an air of expansiveness and noble ease. It is the one of the seven that tastes of occasion.

What it governs

It is set under Jupiter and so over Thursday, sharing the Jovian virtues of expansiveness, nobility, and good cheer. Its domain is the lifting of the spirits and the gracious gesture, the bergamot crown that opens the cup outward. It governs the day's call to think big and to receive its gifts with an open hand.

Its properties

Its colour is the rich amber of strong black tea, its scent the bright citrus of bergamot, its character expansive and noble. The upright virtue of Earl Grey is Jovian openness, the gracious lift that warms the mood and widens the outlook; its shadow is only the over-richness of too much, the cup that cloys. A cup of it is the great benefactor-spirit's expansiveness made drinkable, the same Jupiter-force that Bethor wields in raising and reconciling brought down to the lifting of your own spirits. The bergamot crown is the planet's blessing in miniature.

Where else it appears

Earl Grey is Jupiter's note steeped in a cup, the same blue-and-tin that is Bethor's metal and Sachiel's mercy and the magnanimity of Chesed, here made bright with citrus. Its expansive cheer echoes the Jovian rule over increase and good fortune that every system gives the planet. The Jupiter that grants dignities and riches in the grand telling lifts your single mood in the cup. Set them together and it is one expansiveness at two scales.

Where you meet it on the Oracle

On The Day, Earl Grey is the tea-face of Thursday, beside Jupiter, the archangel Sachiel, the eagle, and the spirit Bethor. When it appears the day favours openness and the gracious gesture: brew the bright noble cup, lift your spirits, think and act on the larger scale. Read it as the day's expansiveness, the benefactor-force put to your own good cheer.

Why it matters

Earl Grey carries the truth that the Jovian lift is available in the simplest cup, that good cheer and a wide outlook can be steeped as well as sought. It matters because the Thursday self grows by expansiveness. It asks you to open your mood and your outlook before you spend the day.

Correspondences

planet

Jupiter

element

Air

zodiac

Sagittarius

sephirah

Chesed

day

Thursday

colour

Amber

metal

Tin

tarot

Wheel of Fortune