Each zodiac sign navigates difficult resolutions

Happy New Year star seeds.

As we leave behind the coil of 2022 and forge forward into the new year, we do so in the midst of some very interesting astro weather.

In the first flush of a Mercury retrograde and the final days of a Mars backspin, January is not the most favorable time to commit to sobriety or a resolution as the best laid plans are libel to go to hell in a hand basket. But take heart, it only gets better from here and it’s something of a sweet relief to greet the new year with a measured pace and a quiet plan rather than unsustainable enthusiasm.

At the onset January we have the sun, Mercury and Pluto all in the belt tightening, empire building sign of the sea goat. In astrology, Capricorn represents the archetype of the father and with a concentration of energy in this sign, reflecting on how we have been made and unmade by the presence or absence of our fathers is of real importance.

Capricorn novelist Umberto Eco maintained, “I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.”

Whether you were given a quilt of knowledge or a few unruly knots of it, my suggestion is to teach and love yourself like the father you wish you had. Do not continue an inherited legacy but rather give birth to a beginning. Allow who you are and what you know to unfold oddly and in pieces. Raise yourself a little bit everyday with the intent to be better than your forbearers and your former self. At night feel the quiet pride of expanding, existing, becoming. Special thanks to astrologer Elise Wells of Planet Poetica for her planetary insights and earthen platitudes.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19)

With both Chiron and Jupiter in your sign this month Aries, you’re invited to feel the expression and expansion of your wounds and soft spots. Rather than leaning into the instinct the burn bridges, allow the power of fire and the good will of luck to cauterize these wounds and smoke cleanse your karma.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)

Uranus in your sign will square Venus this month, Taurus, asking you to find different channels for what you love and adore, and to reconsider how you receive versus how you pursue. Explore what the element of surprise can do for you, how it can upend and eliminate feelings of stuck-ness or stagnation. 

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)

Mars, planet of will and drive is in your sign this month Gemini, where it is prone to worry and overload. Yet, this energy gives you the gift of turning thought into action. You’re built for filtering, Gemini, so set to sorting through all the cosmic and human information you’re receiving in order to find your own frequency.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22)

For you in particular Cancer, issues of parent/child, dependence/independence, and the container/contained are points and polarities to meditate on. Big revelations about what you are capable of when you inhabit either extreme are available to you now. Don’t be afraid of your power or your vulnerability as they are the same source.

LEO (July 23 – August 22)

You are able to find beauty in new and different places this month, Leo. You’re able to dance with desire as worthy partner rather than an opponent to dominate. You might even delight yourself when you let hunger rule you rather than try and hold the reins. 

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)

Part of composting is turning, part is burying, part is getting out of the way to let nature work its magic. Now is an especially ripe time for Virgos to take out their own personal, outdated, nutrient-depleted hurts, defeats and other detritus that no longer serves, while with the same hands giving the go ahead light to a new, fresh, future. The green that will be is for you, a form of being fed. 

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)

There’s harmony in unity for you Libra as you truly want everything to run smoothly and everyone to work together in a symphonic manner but you cheat yourself when you forget to ask, “Is this what I want?” It’s a great time to define and defend your role in all of your relationships. Do not be afraid to stand your ground or rock the boat, baby. 

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)

Your life force resides very close to your survival instincts Scorpio. Survival can be a reminder of what there is to lose but it can also trap you into thinking that win/lose, me/you is the only game out there. Rather than being jaded by all that you’ve endured in this year of eclipses and lunar nodes in your sign and axis, let yourself be invigorated by reversal. Dare to feel safe not in spite of hurts but because of them. Practice gracious asking, and radical receiving without guilt or score keeping. Flip your idea of victory as if it were a coin and contemplate what happens when everyone wins. 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)

  Jupiter in Aries brings big energy to your seeker self, Sagittarius. Jupiter is a torch that not only lights the way but warms it. Due to the influence of Saturn this month your quests will have not just get up and go but serious staying power. Once you decide what to pursue, the energy you need to sustain you will be there, like a coal that burns the whole night through and is still glowing at dawn.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)

As a cardinal earth sign, you’re often looking for the site; the ground on which to build, a solid starting point. For you Capricorn, January can be about more than foundations and materials as you are now more capable than ever of unlocking your world building potential and infusing it with wild ideas. This isn’t a flash in the pan but an inspirational long game which marries your constructive nature with the power to dream and innovate. As Chris Marmolejo of the Red Read maintains. “It is not enough to just have the key, you actually need to turn it.” For you sea goat, the mindset that makes space for the new and untested will be as important to your plans as the ground you lay them upon. 

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)

Think about what the idea of the other means to you, Aquarius. Find the beloved other everywhere, and make a list of where they can be found; talk sweetly to them, leave them little gifts, make friends with them for no other reason than why not. As you do this in the external world, the other within will be simultaneously brought in. Theres no shame in need, or the fear of rejection. In fact, these are the threads we all share and that bind us together but we have to be willing to see and show them. Those stitches ares what build solidarity, even and especially among outsiders, the others among and within us that run upon parallel paths.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20)

Theres a song that promises, “a dream that forgets itself, repeats itself.” In response Pisces, make remembering your noble quest. By month’s end, both Venus and Neptune will be in your sign, making dreams, the liminal, the romantic and the enchanted front and center. This watery realm is not only one you know well, it’s also the place where emotion gives meaning to action. Map this place in your minds eye and go there often to recharge your electric connections and oceanic perspective.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.