My Astrology Hot Take

Astrology is Fake and Exceptionally Helpful

This was originally posted to my website’s blog and connected to my September 2023 newsletter.

“On the Pisces Moon,” an embroidery I finished for my Fibers Residency in early March! Bright orange stitching of a large sad pierrot clown holding themself, who is surrounded by a small satyr playing a pan flute, a happy dancing version of the pierrot clown, a cat in a flowing garment playing the tambourine, and several stars. I have a Sidereal Pisces moon. Tropical Aries moon, if you were curious. BUY IT HERE!

Ok, “fake” was to grab your attention.

What I think is astrology is no more illusions than anything else.

What do I mean by that?

Let’s just lay it all out there.

To understand my take on astrology, you must understand my perception of reality. 

We create our reality. 

There are overarching creations that we agree upon together. Reality is an illusion because it is malleable and subject to our perception and influence. Take, for instance, the laws of physics, motion, matter. We agree/d to these rules of reality. 

We also make little agreements every day. These are much more malleable. You create the way your tea tastes, always have a knack for knowing when your sister’s about the call or never win raffles.

There’s a lot in the middle and outside of and in between. 

Astrology is one of those things. 

I’m no longer a faith-based person. I very much used to be. I have witnessed tangible manifestations of what I believe—palpable cause and effect—yes, even of magick.

I think astrology is just as much an illusion and made-up as our other human systems, but I have observed patterns that align with it and underline its “realness,” pointing to a tangible and/or collectively psychic phenomenon.

It is subjectively supportive to me, specifically in terms of how I can talk about myself and relate to others. My neurodivergence sometimes manifests as difficulty expressing emotion and understanding others’ emotions, and astrology gives me a system to explain myself and analyze an otherwise frustrating interaction with another.

I don’t want to be into astrology. It’s often annoying and cringy because pop culture takes it too far. 

But then a friend will tell me about a specific relationship dynamic, and then I’ll ask if that person has Sagittarius placements, and they’ll say, “Oh, she’s a Sagittarius sun!” And I’ll just shake my fist at the sky. The patterns are so potent. 

Seasons come in patterns. The water cycle is a pattern. Menstrual and hormonal cycles. Migration patterns. 

Everything moves in patterns and comes in certain waves, so why not people? 

What about us is so special and immune to the collective forces?

This part is essential: I do not see astrology as a personality prescription.

Personality prescriptions are many of those astrology memes, or when someone says, “You’re a Leo. You must be so full of yourself,” or “Wow, you’re a Capricorn! You must only care about money.

Reductive.

I am not an astrologer, but I use astrology as a tool because astrology is not personality; it’s a hack.

Astrology is a cheat code for understanding the lessons of our lives. 

Now, you must understand the second part of my belief system. We, all things, are a part of one collective Force. As the Force, we are exploratory, playful, and curious, creating realities to experience and learn. We forget all we are and begin our lives as individuals on our journeys back to Source, which can look infinite ways. 

Many ascribe to this understanding and use it to continue oppression by saying things like, “If you are in poverty, you created that reality,” or “If you were born Black, you must’ve wanted subjugation.” Deeply disturbing, but I’ve seen it time and again.  

One must understand that being one body, one Force, means we are all oppressed if one of us is. To be born in a white, privileged body is to work through the lesson of relinquishing power and righting injustice, such as through redistribution and transformative justice.

Yes, reality is an illusion, but we are experiencing HERE and NOW right HERE and NOW, so we are HERE and NOW for a reason. People skip the step that to be HERE and NOW means you have lessons and responsibilities HERE and NOW that are tied to your identity, ego, soul, etc.

We have cosmic imbalances to rescale together. Many ignore this lesson and become distracted by the pleasures oppression brings. Racism, classism, transphobia, etc., are lessons for all of us to overcome. 

That’s an overarching perspective. 

A closer look shows that we each have specific lessons we are learning in our individual lives. 

Astrology can help us identify those lessons so we can move from being inside the lesson and thereby unable to see it to being outside of the lesson and able to take control of ourselves, our lives, etc. 

Inside the lesson, we repeat it over and over without awareness. Outside the lesson, we see our pattern and can stop ourselves, ask for help, heal, etc. 

For example: Let’s look at Aries. They are known to be impulsive, bold, loud, and aggressive. However, I have some Aries friends who are quiet, soft-spoken, and gentle. If you talk to them further, you’ll learn that their upbringing restricted them. They didn’t feel heard. Growing up and evolving has meant tapping into their inner fire and strength so they can learn to speak up for themselves. 

I also have Aries friends who more accurately fit Aries’s typical patterns. They’ve done the work to slow themselves down, become better listeners, and learn to channel their expansive energy into what they love. 

One sun sign, two different lessons. 

That’s just two options with limited variables. Zoom out, and there’s an entire birth chart with aspects affecting one another, and then there’s the birth charts of the people who raised you, your siblings/companions/peers, and the astrology of your surrounding climate.

I am still wary of predictive astrology. Again, it’s as true as you want to invest in it. I prefer to apply the same individual lesson logic to groups of time and people. Astrology’s later planets, like Saturn, Jupiter, Pluto, etc., can help with those collective assessments. 

There are a lot of variables involved in understanding your lessons and who you are. It’s not as simple as, “You’re a Cancer, so you’re a crybaby.”

And that is just considering Tropical Astrology (the one we’re more familiar with).

I look at Tropical Astrology and Sidereal Astrology/Vedic Astrology.

You can look up many more people who are more specific and knowledgeable about astrology and their differences than I am.

Tropical astrology is Western Astrology based on ancient Western planetary alignments, such as the Gregorian calendar. They believed that the planets moved in a circular motion, which is inaccurate. Vedic Astrology or Sidereal Astrology is an Eastern Astrology based on an Eastern planetary alignment, which is elliptical and correct.  

Some astrologers tell others to throw out Tropical Astrology because it is the “colonizer’s astrology,” and that’s valid. I think it’s all made up, so why not use it all to look at a more nuanced portrait of the self? 

Sidereal Astrology will shift back your astrological placements depending on your birthdate. For example, my Virgo sun doesn’t shift back to Leo because I was born so late in Virgo season on the 21st, but my Venus placement moves back from Scorpio to Libra, the one before. 

Venus rules love and relationships, so I can examine both Scorpio and Libra to get a fuller picture of my lessons in relationship dynamics.  

I have struggled with obsession in love, falling in love immediately and intensely, and sacrificing much of myself for the person I am in love with. These are all very unevolved Scorpio Venus traits. As I’ve learned and grown, I’ve become much more balanced in the affairs of the heart. I value spaciousness and the balance of our needs, which are Libra Venus traits that I see as more evolved. Then, I can combine those traits with my evolved Scorpio Venus traits, such as passionate affection, devotion, and wanting to love a whole person, flaws and all.

You can get specific in the data of the stars. Recently, I learned that I have a “-41 Opposition between Jupiter - Lilith” meaning “There can be disappointments in love until moderation is practiced.” This is such a good summary of my romantic love lesson. (Where was this advice eight years ago???) I got this information from Cafe Astrology, which recently updated its site to include much more in-depth charts.

Every astrological sign has struggles and room for growth, as well as conversations, conflicts, and balances with one another.

We are all evolving.

We are all stories of change.

Astrology is just one tool among many that give language to our patterns of emotions, perceptions, behaviors, and other internal and external processes.

You can also wholly and completely ignore astrology.

The choice is yours. Where would you like to invest your energy?

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Quick Q: I’ve been lowkey making playlists for every Venus sign for like…years. Is that something y’all would be interested in? *tucks hair behind ears, looks up over glasses shyly*

Let me know in the comments (. )(. )

^^ Those are supposed to be the eyeballs emoji, but they just look like boobies lol

I also know a lot of y’all have wayyyy more astrological knowledge than me; feel free to share your thoughts, knowledge, resources, and questions below, too! If I don’t know the answer, I’m sure I know someone who does!!!