Seeing New Stars

Mercury retrograde and Pluto in Aquarius: A pre-holiday astro PSA

A detail from Sies + Höke, Marcel Dzama, 2018.

Hi, doll.

I woke up excited today. Hopeful, which is not something I’ve felt for two weeks.

Part of my lightheartedness stems from last weekend’s intuitive readings. In nearly every tarot spread, I drew the Five of Pentacles—scarcity and struggle. But I also drew the Magician, which indicates alchemy through the realization of one’s worth and powers.

Tarot cards boast myriad meanings, and in an individual reading I interpret them in the context of one person’s path. But when the same cards keep appearing in different readings, I pay attention to their broader implications.

The repetition of the Five of Pentacles and the Magician in tandem suggests the collective will find new resources in the face of struggles to come—that we will harness new skills and visions to support ourselves and others.

This tracks. Today, Pluto—the planet of subcutaneous, systemic transformation—moves into Aquarius after 16 years in status quo-oriented Capricorn. Not everything can be ascribed to or aided by astrology, but this particular shift is big. Huge, to quote the prophet known as Vivian Ward.