Posted in: Life
Happy Valentine’s Day, enjoy this sensual and seductive playlist curated for The Hoodwitch by Alia Mohamed to get you in the mood for casting love spells, or to simply indulge yourself in a romantic evening of self-care rituals. Whatever your plans are this Valentine's Day, these tracks are sure to get you in the mood for some love and enchantment!
Astrology by Lisa Stardust
We kick off the week with amazing news! Venus is turning direct on June 25th in Gemini. But, don’t get too excited. The Retroshade journey ends on July 29th, when Venus moves out of the degrees it traveled down during its cosmic moonwalk. Mars, who’s in Pisces, squaring off with the Nodes of Destiny on June 26th. This cosmic connection will force us to take immediate action around matters and situations. Mars enters Aries on June 27th, initiating dreams and projects that have been on the back burner for the past few months. The following day, Mars and Saturn, who’s retrograde in Aquarius, link up together, allowing us to use practicality in achieving our goals. The Sun and Mercury retrograde sync up in Cancer, making the 30th the best day of the month to gain clarity on matters. Uranus adds a twist to the information we hear on the 30th — be prepared to hear the unexpected version of the truth. Jupiter and Pluto, who are both retrograde in Capricorn, come together for the second time (the first connection was April 4th and the third time will be November 12th), will give us the chance to assert our personal visions in the world with no apologies. Meaning, it’s our time to take charge and move ahead with our dreams.
You may feel as though you’re not being seen for the amazing ram that you are. These issues stem from your inability to express your sentiments without losing your cool. Instead of jumping head first into an argument, choose your words wisely in a way that truly defines your feelings.
Now is not the time to focus on what makes other people happy. It’s a moment that will force you to wake up and revel in your own bliss. Move towards the path that brings you pleasure, no matter what others say. Remember to put your needs first this time.
You may feel as though no one is hearing what you’re saying, even though you are trying to be direct and screaming your heart out. Don’t cower and run away in the face of adversity, just try another approach to ensure your voice is heard and that your opinion counts.
You’ve decided to skip out on the frustrations and annoyances that are coming your way before they arrive. You can see the drama happening before it’s actually happened, which will make you side crawl to the other side of the street in an effort to step away from such annoyances.
Shifts are happening in your friendships, due to the fact that you’re not being seen for your strengths and criticized for your weaknesses. Talk things out with your friends before resentments remain within. Make sure they understand that you’re doing the best you can which is better than doing nothing.
No matter how far you get ahead in the game, you feel as though you’re always one step back to where you began. Before you get down on yourself, try to be proactive in how you can change the course in an effort to avoid such setbacks from happening again.
Now that you’ve gained clarity on all matters that have been weighing greatly on you, the question is what will you do with this infinite knowledge? Don’t remain in the same place or go backwards. Find the best course of action that works for you, in an effort to evolve.
Looks like someone is getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar this week. Instead of denying and gaslighting, own your part in an awkward situation to avoid drama and to create an honest discourse with others. Regaining and freely giving trust is hard, but doable if you try.
A truth teller by nature, secrets can tear you up inside. You’ve made up your mind about your professional future, but don’t want to share the news until it’s come to fruition. Be open with your friends about your career goals, even if you don’t want to jinx the situation.
Now that you’ve had time to decide about the direction you want to move towards, you’re realizing that you aren’t ready to make any moves. Before moving ahead with projects and relationships, use this week to reflect in an effort to see if this is the right decision for you.
Yes, your needs are important. But, not at the cost of others. You may not notice that you’ve become a little too self-serving recently, which is pushing away those who care about you. Try to find a balance that works in an effort to be less selfish and more generous.
Believing in yourself is the hardest thing to do. However, you can achieve certainty and confidence within yourself if you change your approach to matters. Once you transform your approach to situations and feel about them, then you’ll be able to evolve into the self-assured person you are deep inside.
Astrology by Lisa Stardust
Uranus, who is known as “The Great Awakener,” is in opposition the Scorpio New Moon in earthy Taurus. We will make major discoveries today, which will shift our passions, minds, and hearts. Revelations will be made. Secrets revealed. The only caveat is that our emotions may force us to act impulsively, which will steer us in another direction.
Venus and Mars are currently in mutual reception, as are Mars and Saturn (by exaltation). This means that these planets are strengthening each other in the sky. Venus and Mars are forcing us to move towards our desires. While Mars and Saturn are forcing us to asset our individuality by letting go of the past. Mercury is in it’s retrograde shadow, creating internal confusion and uncertainty. We may be distracted by information that will prove untrue. Take scandalous and shocking news with a grain of salt.
The asteroid Nessus connects with the New Moon degrees with sour emotions. Don’t despair! The asteroid Varuna creates a T-Square in the cosmos with the New Moon and Uranus. This is a triumphant aspect. Honor, grace, and courage will have power over our judgements which will allow us to reach our highest potential.
The fortunate fixed star Syrma is allotting us cosmic inspiration and spiritual knowledge. We are getting divine help from the universe to take concise action during this luminary. The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon is “A
Massive Rocky Shore Resist The Pounding Of The Sea”—quite an accurate metaphor for the celestial energy—as we will all literally be pounding our heads against the wall while we try to gain clarity for the future.
Under the Scorpio New Moon, it’s magically advisable to to gain a deep, almost penetrating understanding, of wisdom. Using a black obsidian mirror, with patchouli incense (an essence of Scorpio) burning in the background, we can visualize our passions and gain clarity on how to achieve our dreams. We will know which road to choose and who to trust from the visions presented by the incense above the scrying mirror.
This will help us to break out of the constraints that hold us back and knock down blocks that stand in our way in our quest towards success.
Enjoy the New Moon in Gemini on June 3, 2019 with this insightful guide.
Written By Jessica Lanyadoo
Let’s talk about the world and astrology. The slow moving outer planets define the events that are impacting us globally. They describe the conditions and developmental lessons that shape a generation. Quite frankly, they don’t get enough airtime in pop astrology because they’re harder to unpack and often reflect more serious themes, but they’re wildly important.
We’re living in a time when humanitarian Uranus is transiting through materialistic Taurus, when demanding Pluto and conservative Saturn are moving through structure-bringing Capricorn, and idealistic Neptune is transiting through escapist Pisces. The upshot of this is that you and me and everyone you know are on call to revisit who and what we value, and to make sustainable, structural changes and choices around those values. We're being challenged to expand our sense of empathy and spiritual awareness in the exact moment at which it would be easiest to check out and evade our problems.
In a larger, more societal sense, we are facing the same challenges. The greatest enemy to democracy and human sovereignty is not the powers that be – it’s the apathy of the people. Neptune in Pisces can empower people to rise up and act in accordance with what we most deeply believe, or it can tempt us to get lost in distractions. Saturn and Pluto's transit through Capricorn represents a period of time when society's hierarchical systems are being challenged. They're either going to bend to the will of the people or break it. People and institutions with power rarely want to give it up, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t have to. Capricorn is a sign that responds to reputation-based pressure. When enough people organize to voice an opinion, change is inevitable. The trouble with these two planets is that they won’t change easily, and they force us to confront our shame and our fears of failure. This is hard work, but it can be deeply healing. At this time, sharing your power is the strongest thing you can do. These energies can easily make people feel victimized and threatened, and that’s what leads to the worst kinds of selfishness. What we need now is empathy. Dr. Cornell West famously said “justice is what love looks like in public.” With Uranus in Taurus, we are ultimately answering the question of who and what has value to us as a society. We are all implicated in this, and what each and every one of us does has meaning now.
Violence, hatred, gerrymandering, systemic oppression, and repression of peoples – these are all symptoms of some people thinking they’re more important than others, or worse, not thinking of others at all. It’s time to make room for the needs of the many over the wants of the few. We all deserve dignity, safety, and sovereignty, and we are at a time when we can demand reform from governments, corporations, and even institutions, and expect material change.
The community you live in counts. More and more we are seeing the ills of the world reflecting the pain of isolation. Do you make eye contact with your neighbors? Do you fear people who have much less or much more than you? People who speak other languages? Those who have sex differently?
This is your horoscope: You are powerful, and you are utterly powerless. It’s hard to be human, but it’s also a gift. How you make use of your gifts is your choice, but now is a time in society where it absolutely matters. Learn.
Concern yourself with the conditions that others are living in. Concern yourself with people who are differently abled, come from different places, or have different values and resources available to them. This may seem like it’s not about astrology, but I promise you that it is. It’s where we’re going, my loves. We will either get there together, or we will end up where we’ve been led, and the future will be so much brighter when it’s led by the people for all the people. This is a fertile period in both a global and a personal sense; rise up to meet it.
March 21-April 19
How do you gauge success, Aries? I don’t mean to ask how your parents, your friends, or even society determines what success is. How do you know when you’re doing well? It’s important that you have your own standards and ways of evaluating your progress. This week will find you asking some essential questions, and as cheesy as it sounds, the answers are within you. Question everything as you strive towards your goals, my love.
April 20-May 20
You can justify your anxieties all you want, but how exactly does that help you? You may find your fears very compelling, but that doesn’t make them right. You’re in a tug-of-war with yourself about something, and if you don’t acknowledge it and investigate what you’re really concerned about, you may find yourself caught up in some seriously paranoid thinking, Taurus. Ground and center yourself before you go chasing conspiracy theories this week.
May 21-June 21
If you allow yourself to slow down and notice it, you’ll see that you’ve come a long way, baby. Take stock of where you’ve come from in efforts to contextualize where you’re at, Twin Star. It’s not enough to grow; you need to take time to acknowledge and celebrate your development. Part of being responsible to yourself is honoring your own progress. Enjoy the fruits of your labors this week, even if you still have a great deal of work in front of you.
June 22-July 22
Exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed may lead you to misunderstand the intent behind others’ actions. Things are likely not as they seem, Moonchild, and that’s not good or bad – it’s interesting. Try to get grounded before you get investigative, and get investigative before you come to any hard and fast decisions about your relationships, my love. This week is all about the way you do the things you do, so take a deep breath and explore.
July 23-Aug. 22
You don’t need a change of scenery, you need an upgrade. Instead of rushing into change because you don’t like where you are, try to carefully consider what you’re doing before you simply relocate your problems, Leo. If you allow yourself to be too responsive to your fears, you’re more likely to be running from something than pursuing another. Manage your situation, and make solid plans from that place this week, even if that slows down your progress.
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Not knowing can be magical and exciting, or it can be the absolute worst. There’s so much that you can’t know right now and even more that’s out of your control. You're going to have to manage the feelings that induces, and it may feel like just another confusing piece of the puzzle. Strive for acceptance and not answers this week, Virgo. Focus your energies on what you can manage and influence, no matter how small those things are, my love.
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Don’t lose sight of the big picture, Libra. You may find yourself so worried about what’s immediately in front of you that you stop looking around. This strategy will bring you nothing but stress, and what’s worse is that it will limit your capacity to enjoy what you have as well as what you see as possible. This week is all about perspective; adjust yours so that you can experience the abundance inherent in your situation, even if it’s hecka difficult, my love.
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Feeling scared and stressed can interrupt creativity. Don’t allow yourself to obsess on or over-invest in your stressful thoughts this week, Scorpio. When things aren’t as you want then to be, you're likely to get frustrated and do something self-sabotaging, so here’s a Pro Tip for self-care this week: tend to your feelings before you seek resolution to your problems. Find acceptance of where you’re starting from before you go trying to change it.
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
What’s the sweet spot between your sense of freedom and your need for security? This week, you may find yourself struggling with the conflicting desires to either throw it all away or build it up to another level. The key here is to intentionally respond to your situation instead of emotionally reacting to it. No matter what you do going forward, you’re going to need to make some compromises. Consider which concessions will make you happier in the long run, ‘Tarius.
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
As you grow into yourself, you have to check your ego to make sure that it’s growing with you – not in size, but in depth. It’s all about balance, Capricorn. You have to be able to take as much as you give, or you’re likely to build up resentments or insecurities that destabilize you and your whole operation. Find people who you believe are good models of behavior this week. Seek inspiration from people who’ve done it before you or who are doing it better than you right now.
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
When you leap off a cliff, it’s hard to see the ground clearly when it's rushing to meet you. So much of life is all about perspective; when you’re leaving a room, it can look so different than when you first entered it. What you’re currently looking at in your life may be intimidating or frightening because it’s new, not because it’s bad. Don’t confuse the anxiety of change with some sort of intuitive flash that things are going poorly. You’re on your way, Aquarius. Don’t allow the fear of the unknown to tell you anything different.
Feb. 19-March 20
Gracefully engaging with frustration is a meaningful skill to have. When you make your plans based on best-case scenarios, you’re setting yourself up for a fall. It’s time to advance your ambitions this week, and it’s likely to take some serious patience and reorganization. Cultivate tools that help you to express and experience your upsets in healthy ways so that you don’t unintentionally trip yourself up out of impatience, my love.
Artwork by John Deckmann
Self-care is not a detour from where you’re going. It's the way forward. Tending to your inner world is the foundation that you need in order to sustain your efforts.
It’s time to prioritize hope, my loves. In the words of John Lewis, “We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.”
Fight your inner demons; fight your fears that tell you not to even bother trying. Fight to be a person that you respect and feel good about. Stand up for those who need your help, for the vulnerable and the struggling. Action is the antidote to anxiety. You don't have to do all the things – you can't, you still have to live your life - but you do need to do some of the things. Add your light to the shadows; illuminate your problems so that you can bring healing to them.
The subconscious mind is a tricky thing; it holds on to things that you don’t want or don’t know how to process. It is the part of you that remembers what your conscious mind just can’t. This week you’re likely to feel anxious over things that are deeper than what you see happening on the surface. It may be tempting to turn away, but it’s not wise or kind. This is not the time to forget who you are or what you’ve set out to do. The unknown is scary, but it’s also ripe with potential. This isn’t the time to check out; it’s time to honor your heart. Hope is easy enough to access when life is going your way, but when you’re struggling is when you need it most.
On the 5th the vibrant Sun will form a harmonious trine to expansive Jupiter and the planet of communication, Mercury, will oppose the irritable planet of fighting, Mars. The combination of these two transits indicates that you take care not to egg on your most aggressive or arrogant impulses. It’s possible to convince yourself that something is true, but that doesn’t make it so. Don’t jump to conclusions or pick fights with people who don’t see things the same way as you do. This can mark a time of rapid growth. You may have to deal with major bullying from yourself or others, or you may just feel pressed by your circumstances.
On the 8th we have a Sun trine to empathetic Neptune. This transit can increase your sensitivities, your sense of empathy, and your compassion for others. It can also make you feel entitled, as it can incline you to only value your own perspective or pain. Make a point to do something for someone else on this day – Neptune is the planet that thrives when you pay it forward.
Finally, on the 9th Mercury will form a challenging square to Jupiter. This can be a time when you learn something new, or you may spread gossip because you’d rather talk than listen. Much like the Mercury/Mars transit earlier in the week, this one can trigger fighting words and snap judgments. The best thing you can do around this date is to really listen. Pay attention to what people are doing as much as they’re saying – it’s all information that you deserve to have because at the end of the day, the truth is true whether you want to face it or not.
Growth requires instability. This summer brings us Eclipses and Retrogrades, and with all that comes major shifts for you, me, and everyone in this big, beautiful world we share. Change can be scary, especially when there are no assurances that things are going to be better, but there’s no need to panic. Eclipses are an opportunity to transform and heal. Retrogrades are a chance to look within and reassess what you’re doing and why. This astrology is urging you to grow, not in leaps and bounds, but in deep and moving ways. Life is meant to be lived. You are meant to try, especially when it’s hard. It’s good to question things; whether we’re talking about the people you love, the law of the land, your own assumptions, your habits, whatever. Seek new perspectives moving forward; new takes on old problems may be just what you need, my love.
March 21-April 19
You have a gift to share with the world that is unique to you, and it’s time for you to challenge yourself to bring it, Aries. Set the intention of showing up for the people in your life or your larger community this week because you’re likely to find that the more you give, the more you’ll have to give. Acts of kindness, no matter how random or small, will remind you of who you are but also of who you can be. Strive to embody your potential, my love.
April 20-May 20
Don’t act out of fear, Taurus. There’s a time for reflection and a time for action, and sometimes it’s hard to know the difference. Carefully consider your plans before moving forward with them this week. If you push too hard, you may put events into motion that you’re not ready to handle. Inactivity is not the answer but neither is rushing in. Instead, move forward with intention, and you'll be able to propel yourself to exactly where you need to be.
May 21-June 21
You’re not meant to be anyone but yourself, Twin Star. Life is full of necessary compromise, and not all situations are for all parts of you. That said, when you try to be someone that you’re not, you only succeed in misleading others and harming yourself. It’s important that you know yourself well enough to know your own limits. Strive to honor the truth of who you are in situations in which you’d usually phone it in, my love.
June 22-July 22
The role that anxiety plays in your thinking is worth considering, Moonchild. Instead of trying to figure out why you’re worrying, strive to soothe yourself this week. There’s enough stress to go around, and you don’t need answers as much as you need care. Do the basics: remember to breathe, to drink enough water, to eat, and to move your body. Help yourself and if you need to, ask for support too. Self-care is not a detour from where you’re going, my love.
July 23-Aug. 22
You can’t always know your place in the world, but that shouldn’t make you lose track of your value. This week your uncertainties threaten to rattle your foundations. The worst thing you could do is try to convince yourself or anyone else of your worth. Have faith in yourself without needing to defend or justify merit. Honor your worthiness by picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and choosing to live your best life, moment by moment.
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
It’s not enough to think positive; you have to be willing to feel into it, too. This week will bring you to the end of a cycle of development. This may be a subtle thing, or it may feel like a massive shift. In either case, you’re likely to feel uncertain of what comes next or where exactly you’re meant to go from here. Be patient, dear one. Try to pair kindness and creativity with discernment and common sense, and then let life play out from there, Virgo.
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Stress is an inevitable part of life, and there’s a reason for it. Feeling frustration or overwhelm is when it’s easiest to disassociate or look the other way, but that's when you need you the most. This week you’re not likely to have your people available to lean on, which can make matters feel worse than they are. Find your inner light and resiliency, and share it with others. To paraphrase Amber Ibarrache, when you can’t take it anymore is when it’s time to be giving. Don't recede, my love.
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Fear is invasive. It tells you that it’s trying to keep you safe, and it can make sense of anything it wants you to believe. But if any induced impulses are to be approached with caution, it’s those that come from fear. This week is likely to kick up some major worries, and it’s in your best interest not to take them at face value. As they say, action is the antidote to what ails you. Take steps, no matter how small, to move your life forward or to maintain what you’ve got, Scorpio.
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
If you can pace yourself through your desires, you’ll be able to create sustainable changes instead of exciting distractions. This week is all about change, and the more intentional you are about what you’re doing and what you hope to get out of it, the better your outlook will be. True strength means knowing when to push your goals forward, knowing when to hold back, and knowing when to ask for help or walk away. You don’t have to be perfect, but it’s time to show all the way up, ‘Tarius.
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
When things don’t go as you’d like them to, it’s easy to get the sads and to stop trying, but that doesn’t advance your life at all, Cappy. The key is to honor your feels without giving up. This week, your best move is to let your problems instruct you to look at what isn’t working and what you most want. It’s time for you to get to work, but before you can do that, you need to get decisive. Identify your greatest desires by the very things that are upsetting you the most.
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
When you struggle against your present conditions, you only succeed in making things harder on yourself, Aquarius. This week is likely to test your ability to accept where things are at, but accept you must. If you don’t start where you’re at, it’s really hard to take the right first steps. As I often say, acceptance is not consent, it’s awareness. Empower yourself to make the changes that need to happen, even if you’re only at the planning stage for now.
Feb. 19-March 20
You don’t have to take on the stresses of the people around you in order to show them kindness and loyalty, even if they really want you to carry the baggage. This week is the time to use the tools you have for having healthy boundaries and staying grounded. Take on only as much as you can handle in a healthy way. It’s far better to do your best at less than it is to half-ass it at full capacity. Empathy is a very Piscean gift, but it requires that you manage your self-care religiously, my love.
Photography by: Maimouna Guerresi
Recently, a lot of people’s realities have been turned upside-down; whether through “natural” or man-made disaster or through events that blur the line in-between. Disaster is something most of us live under the threat of everyday. It bubbles underneath our feet and seethes under our skin. It is what keeps us up at night and often impacts our day-to-day decisions. Its intensity and presence ebb and flow but the threat will always remain. Turmoil in this world is consistent but when the building pressure peaks, people start to panic, and they begin to forget.
As witches, misfortune is a part of our lineage. The fear, pain and suffering of those around us prescribed as side effects of us being privy to our own power. Our aptitude to tap into our natural abilities and form deep connections with our bodies, the bodies around us and the body of the earth are all things that make us dangerous because these acts can never fall under anyone else’s dominion. We listen and flow with the earth and her shifts and changes. We practice remembrance and manifestation in accordance with her seasons. We understand that we are of her and can harness her power and this is why we are feared. But the earth is a witch, too. She casts spells of beauty, love and abundance and she, too, is targeted for being angry and vengeful when she tries to heal herself. And this is why we must carry on. This is why we must acknowledge the power of the witch, the strength in our audacity to be our own temples and our own healers. Our abilities to make altars out of debris and never be without our magic because it lies within us.
To divine through disaster is to not ignore it. A lot of the craft is centered in the simple act of noticing. We watch and wait and participate in the art of divine timing. We are here to nurture the collapse of all that ails us, to live in harmony with our fear and loss. We must remember that our ancestors birthed our path to freedom and it is our duty to lead the way for others. Witches work is the work of the people. It is the work we do to stabilize and satiate and educate and support those who have forgotten the power within them.
During times of turmoil, it is our duty to remember and share our knowledge of how to work and heal with water, soil and ash. We must pass on ways to regenerate with what remains when human inventions fail. We are the ones who have to figure out why the world is still turning and we must take note of where our magic fits into the maddeness. We have to keep fighting, casting and believing the way we have been but with steadier consistency and ferocious fervor. Witches have to hold it down. It is our job to lead the way, to teach others how light comes from darkness and to hold onto our beliefs and our beloveds until the walls fall down around us.
Photography By Photo credit: Maimouna Guerresi
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