Six planets will reign this month in the sign of Aquarius, provenance of humanity, rebellion, technology and radical change. Among them is Mercury, slipping through its first retrograde of the year. The incessant speed of modern life makes retrogrades seem negative or dangerous. In fact, they are a necessary stalling that asks us to question the pace and purpose of our lives. The focus this go-round, or turn-back, is our relationship to work. Do you labor for, or out of, love? Does work bring you joy or simply security? Are you operating in a way that benefits your fellow man? If your answers trouble you, I suggest a restructuring of energy and attachment. Make time for contemplation and space for doubt. Breathe slowly, plot thoughtfully and be the midwife of your own human revolution.
Aquarius
Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
Venus, planet of love, enters your sign and your first house of persona and individuation. This current planetary placement asks you to uncover what kind of partner you are to yourself and how that primary relationship can and will shape your reality. Heed the wise words of Kimbo Slice, “Your mind, your heart, and your balls gotta be in one accord.” Three cheers for alignment.
Notable Aquarius: Maya Harris / Jan. 30, 1967
Pisces
Feb. 19 to March 20
Love planet Venus is moving through your 12th house of the unconscious. This passage will bring past emotional pains into the clarifying light of the present. It will help, even if it hurts. You are actively learning to trust yourself, to be attuned to warning signs and dubious patterns and to discern animal instinct from psychic intuition. Shakespeare said, “Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie.” Here’s to your healing.
Notable Pisces: Grimes / March 17, 1988
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Poet Seamus Heaney writes, “So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be/Old bridges breaking between you and me/Never fear./We may let the scaffolds fall/Confident that we have built our wall.” May these lines illuminate any discord in your closest relationships. Scaffolds, like strife, give shape to, but cannot shake, a fortified foundation.
Notable Aries: Charles Baudelaire / April 9, 1821
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
Poet Skye Jackson writes “sometimes/your hands/remind me/that/my body/is/made/of stars.” As you move through a season of change, challenge and doubt, keep company with, and only with, those who remind you of your own ancient beginnings and infinite possibility.
Notable Taurus: Jane Jacobs / May 4, 1916
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
When diplomat, writer and fellow Gemini Romain Gary learned in the 1960s that his wife was having an affair with Clint Eastwood, Gary challenged Eastwood to a duel. Eastwood declined and was ultimately out-cowboyed by Gary. Address any injury or insult directly, fearlessly and with flourish.
Notable Gemini: Jamaica Kincaid / May 25, 1949
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
After a decade of young marriage, subverter of gender norms, smoker and author George Sand left her husband for a series of male and female lovers. Sand called it her “romantic rebellion.” Indulge in a romantic rebellion of your own. I’m not endorsing infidelity, rather a reassessment of what makes you feel most loved and alive.
Notable Cancer: Marie-Thérèse Walter / July 13, 1909
Leo
July 23 to Aug. 22
Your animal nature and preference for immediate expression can make you impulsive, especially when it comes to communication and romantic relationships. The danger is acting on what feels right, right now, as opposed to what makes sense in the long term. Bite your tongue and hold your horses, mon petit lions. Put mind to meditation and pen to paper. Conceive your future with grand imagination and work toward it with strategic temperance.
Notable Leo: P.L. Travers / Aug. 9, 1899
Virgo
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Fellow Virgo and repentant aristocrat Leo Tolstoy wrote, “The truth is obtained like gold, not by letting it grow bigger, but by washing off from it everything that isn’t gold.” This sentiment will resonate deeply. As the resident excavator of the zodiac, you are charged not just with identifying what is true but what is of true importance. Here’s to finding what shines.
Notable Virgo: Corky Lee / Sept. 5, 1947
Libra
Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
I recently met a goateed Libra who claimed to be a simple man interested in a simple relationship. He went on to reveal that his current girlfriend stabbed him with a kitchen knife on Christmas Day and his ex-wife is an escort in Reno. Practice being whatever it is you hope to attract.
Notable Libra: Ta-Nehisi Coates / Sept. 30, 1975
