Retrograde

Journey by Starlight

Mercury retrograde is finally over, whew! Whether you “believe” in astrology or not, the disruptive energy of the past month was undeniable. 

According to Chani Nicholas (the only astrologer I listen to), “Retrogrades tend to bring certain issues, people, and opportunities back around — especially if they’re of a Mercurial nature, or related to the sign it takes place in. What is a ‘Mercurial’ nature? Anything to do with communications, learning, thinking, reasoning, and moving about” (from Chani’s website).

This Mercury retrograde was not only in the sign of Aries, a fire sign, it also occurred during eclipse season. In other words, this retrograde was a doozy. “Eclipses can bring a frenetic pace and unexpected turns,” and a retrograde amplified by fire and frenzy sent most of the month into a tailspin (Nicholas, 2024).

Ok; I don’t enter a month thinking, “It’s Mercury retrograde, I need to slow down,” but that’s often what happens and it’s exactly what retrogrades ask of us. I regularly find myself struggling with a communication breakdown or a stressful situation and find myself asking, “Is Mercury retrograde?” And sure enough, nine times out of 10, it is.

I don’t believe that our destiny is etched in stone, or that I have to live each day according to planetary alignment, but I do believe that astrology can help lighten our loads. How? Well, if I can recognize that perhaps something bigger than the momentary struggle is at play, what follows is usually a sense of relief, knowing that it will end at some point, that things feel heightened because they actually are.

Regardless of what astrology has to offer us, its reminders can offer us space to breathe, reflect, assess. The retrograde in Aries felt intense, and knowing that yes, there is a reason things are so intense, helped me feel less stressed and less alone in the struggle. We all struggle, obvi, and we all struggle more when issues we thought were done with come back to haunt us, but what if we could observe the struggle instead of participating wholeheartedly in it?

I find it useful to know that there are larger forces at play when it feels like our world is on the verge of collapse. A civil war seems evident, climate change is real, social upheaval and uprisings against racism, genocide, and capitalism are more common at this time than ever before in my lifetime. Things feel scary because they are. And.

And, we are on the precipice of a new world order. Things are going to change, and perhaps we have to get through this pain to get to something better. Plus, there is humor and joy and beauty to be found with the help of astrology, which Chani Nicholas shares via funny memes, video montages, blog posts, and newsletters (you should sign up!), helping to make sense of the senseless.

Whether we believe in star signs and moon placements or not, the lessons astrology imparts are for all of us, believers and doubters alike, and everyone in between. Astrology is a practice of self-awareness in relation to the larger whole, a celebration of self while embracing all that surrounds us. It invites us to pay attention to patterns, to notice habits and coping skills, to look both within and beyond.

In knowing that it’s Mercury retrograde, we are invited to know that things are hard because of what is occurring both on a grander scale and on an individual scale, simultaneously and interconnected despite our belief in it.

It’s easy to say, “They’re definitely an Aries,” when we meet someone outspoken and fiery, to joke, “They’re in full Virgo mode,” about our super-organized friend, but it’s also more than that. We can use it to categorize people and explain their behavior, or it can allow us to give one another, and ourselves, grace.

I like thinking of astrology as an invitation to grace, as a way of unlocking or accepting the mysteries of the universe, ourselves, and each other. I think of astrology as a method of self-exploration, discovery, and a way to parse the madness and harrowing days of modern life.

Rather than a compass charting my path forward, I like to think of astrology as a magnifying glass, a kind of sensemaking mechanism, allowing me to sift through the confusion or look back and say, Ohhh, that’s what that was. 

When I first read Chani Nicholas’s book, You Were Born for This, a surprising amount of things fell into place. As a Gemini rising with a Libra moon, it makes sense that I love communication, information, going down rabbit holes. I am endlessly curious and love sharing what I find with those who are interested in hearing it (and sometimes with those who aren’t lol). 

Not everyone thinks of astrology this way, and that’s fine. We can dismiss it, not think about it, or we can use it. We can use it as a kind of map, not necessarily to help us find our way amidst overgrown paths and torched roads, but more as a picture of our surroundings and our interior landscape. Remember before GPS existed? We would write down directions to get to where we were going, sometimes getting lost along the way. 

Astrology is like optional directions, handwritten and a little smudged, sometimes helping us get to where we want to go and sometimes getting us lost. But the secret is, we’re not really lost. We’re never lost. 

The stars don’t determine our fate, but they can help light the way. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take a journey by starlight than no light at all.

Montego Bay, Jamaica, December 2023

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The Friday Finds

Action. The University of Southern California has canceled 2024 valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s graduation speech due to her speaking out against genocide. “Call on the USC administration and Trustees to stop silencing the anti-war, anti-genocide students on campus” (MPower Change, 2024). Read Asna’s statement here and take action here.

Subscriber Spotlight. Find reader Mitali Gupta recently started Chalo (which translates from Hindi to “Let’s go”), a homegrown cowboy boot brand for women! Chalo combines traditional cowboy craft with modern design, working with a family-owned tannery factory in North India that has specialized in cowboy craft for over 25 years. The tannery supports small-batch production values, utilizing solar energy and air/sun-drying their leathers to keep machine and chemical use to a minimum. I haven’t tried these gorgeous boots, but I’m super inspired by what Mitali and her family-owned tannery are doing. Check ‘em out, follow Chalo on IG, or say hello!

(Have something cool you’re working on that you’d like considered for a Subscriber Spotlight? Let’s talk! Send me an email at thefind@substack.com.) 

Listen. “Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)” by Skunk Anansie. I’ve been going down rabbit holes of past eras and was astonished to discover Skunk Anansie, a 90s rock band fronted by a beautiful, bald, punk Black woman called Skin. How have I just now learned about them?!

Watch. Lisa Frankenstein! If you loved Heathers or Edward Scissorhands, you’ll enjoy this one! Written by Diablo Cody, the brilliant and twisted mind behind Jennifer’s Body and United States of Tara, Lisa Frankenstein is a nostalgic yet thoroughly modern take on bodily autonomy, agency, and the horror of being good.

Read. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton! Propulsive, incendiary, and inventively constructed, this novel blew me away. Written as an oral history, the book utilizes form—and breaks it—to powerfully tell a story of race, gender, and freedom set in the 1970s. Stunning!

Thank you for being here. Enjoy the weekend.

‘Til next time,

Emma