by Nicole Goicuria and Sharon Isabel Curley
The sun has entered the Cardinal Water sign of Cancer, marking the summer solstice. Cardinal energy brings forth the concept of initiation. This summer brings us the continuation of a karmic story that is being written on the Aries and Libra axis. The Moon’s nodes, and thus the eclipses, will move into these signs, marking a time of initiation into a new phase. The North Node will enter Aries and the South Node will enter Libra. The nodes are where we experience the eclipses that mark major destined turning points in our lives. The last time the Moon’s nodes were in Aries and Libra was in 2014-2015 and the last time the North Node was in Aries in 2005-2006. Think back to those time periods and any major shifts or changes that may have occurred. Fresh starts or sudden endings. You may find yourself confronted with these themes again as we experience the eclipses in Aries and Libra from July 2023 to January 2025.
This summer the nodes are presenting us with an opportunity for rebirth. Aries is the start of the Zodiac, and in itself signifies beginnings. The North Node in Aries is a starting point of growth and will present us with situations and people that help us to embrace our capacity for self-reliance. This summer is calling for bravery in exploring new territory. Pluto directly squaring the nodes as we transition into this new season and eclipse cycle, is applying pressure for us to discover—and then step into—our personal power. Where in your life do you need to take charge?
We have been experiencing Mars ruling over the South node in Scorpio since January 2022. The Tarot card that corresponds with Mars’s energy is the Tower. Mars rules both Aries and Scorpio, and will destroy what no longer is sustainable so that we can transform. Mars ruling the South Node likely means that something in your life has ended, and created space for newness. Mars may have brought a fiery end to situations that were holding you back from realizing your power. Now that Mars is guiding the North Node, we may put that fiery energy to use by seeking out new opportunities that require us to be independent or take the lead.
Think back to mid-April during eclipse season. The solar eclipse in Aries opened up a portal for change, through the 29th degree of the Aries and Libra axis. No matter how mundane, change is being called into your life. If you have not tended to your environment and prioritized making room in your life for growth, it will come, sometimes in the form of a crisis, always for the greater good of becoming the person that you are destined to be. Meditate on these Aries North Node themes to help you welcome change.
You might ask yourself:
What does self-care and self-nurturance mean to me?
How can I find inner balance and peace?
What areas of my life need to experience growth or change?
What relationships are holding me back from realizing my full potential?
Horoscopes are best read according to your Rising sign, or your Sun sign (if you were born during the day), or Moon sign (if you were born at night). If you would like to learn more about your unique Astrological profile or want a more detailed, personalized horoscope based on your birth chart, contact Nicole at The Astral Botanica (theastralbotanica.com).
Aries
I recently found out that the richest actor today is Jami Gertz, being worth a whopping $3 billion dollars. Shocked, I did research to realize she’s married to a billionaire which helps. When I first read this, I needed to do an image search, and then realized that the girl from Lost Boys had made it to billionaire seemed cool. I later read that there are 11 cities in the US where in order to afford rent, you need to make a 6 figure salary. Again, surprisingly, the most expensive rent is in San Jose, CA. Who knew? Imagine a 10-digit salary! Money can be so stressful and it doesn’t appear that will get any easier. Aries, I suggest letting the dreams and toe woes fall by the wayside this summer, and simply embrace who you are.
Taurus
Why do churches have stained glass windows? I hoped to learn the answer to this, but they were so vague I’m not sure any were even true. The only one which seemed to resonate with any consistency was “beauty.” Even as you see a church falling, and the fixtures are hidden with the marble somewhere beyond the stone rubble, somehow the stained glass can still catch a glimmer and draw you to it. Taurus, I suggest you be like the stained glass windows of a dilapidated church and catch a good angle, and shine with all your beauty.
Gemini
There’s a strange phenomenon where humans walk right into a glass door, or a bird flies into a glass window. These creatures simply don’t catch the glare or the knowledge of being that others may in that moment. It’s as if there is no glass there because the creature has no barrier; nothing is stopping them. The Gemini, full of secret sensitivities and insecurities, will put up that glass barrier so that we can see you, but we can’t totally reach you. This summer, it’s your time to open that glass door with ease and break free from what’s holding you back.
Cancer
Once while babysitting my magical cat friend Jasper, I caught an episode of a show called Tanked on the TV. Although a go-to for me is a jellyfish youtube channel, I didn’t think this show would be so appealing. That all changed, of course, when the idea for this episode was that two guys to build a few giant lava lamps with changing colored lights as tanks for jellyfish. The location of this was the Spencer’s Gifts headquarters. This episode changed my life. I knew I could never afford to maintain a jellyfish tank—but I could get a lava lamp. And then I got another and another and now I have a nice collection of them to ease me when in need. I urge you to take a sign from the universe this summer and embrace it to get what you never knew you needed.
Leo
I’m not afraid to say that I enjoyed the part of the pandemic where I was laid off for 9 months, and I got to spend every day cooking, exercising, watching TV, talking more to friends, and seeing my family more. In my small 2 room apartment, my husband and I had no real sense of nature. Outside of our windows were nothing but other people’s windows. I bought a small fountain. It was quiet, but it brought some kind of life. I placed it next to my then very small rubber plant, and it was all we had. We talk about buying a house now, and I now know I need easy access to getting outside into nature. In other words, I’d like to walk outside and my feet be on grass and shade from a tree nearby. Leo, if you are not where you want to be, but you know exactly where it is you need to go, I think this summer is your time to start that journey.
Virgo
In this day and age, the plastic bag is hard to come by. You run to a store and think, I’ll just grab a few things, and then realize, you’re also grabbing a store-brand tote bag to carry your goodies. You hate this, because you already have too many totes at home, but simply forgot one this one time or that one time. What do you do with all these tote bags? Is there guilt with just throwing away a perfectly good tote bag? Maybe you’ve got one with your favorite band, or your favorite store, or one you simply cherish because it marks a significant time in your life. Let me tell you something, Virgo – you should take all of that simple made-up guilt and dig deeper to what you are really hanging onto. Perhaps with each tote you get rid of, you can attach something bothering you to each? This is just one way to start getting rid of unnecessary baggage – pun intended.
Libra
Sometimes, to zone out after a long work day, I play a word game on my phone. It’s one of those games where you get a certain amount of letters and you have to make words from them. It’s interesting now to really know how many words are in other words, or how many words scrambled are the same like “earth” and “heart.” I’d prefer to go to the gym, but something about sitting for 10 hours on my computer makes that seem impossible. Think about your outlets, Libra—what do you do to zone out that you can change and turn into something more valuable? Maybe it’s time for you to make some changes and get involved in one thing you can do more regularly to help let go of habits that aren’t really helping you. Maybe it’s time to set a goal and stick to it. Maybe it’s time to commit to something simple, like a 15-minute walk every day, or a new tradition like finding the best pie in the city and getting a slice every Thursday. Whatever you decide, I wish you happiness in your new and improved self.
Scorpio
The amazing Canterbury prog band Caravan once sang, “In the land of grey and pink/ Where only boy-scouts stop to think/ They’ll be coming back again/ Those nasty grumbly grimblies/ And they’re climbing down your chimney/ Yes, they’re trying to get in/ Come to take your money/ Isn’t it a sin they’re so thin..” I see these lyrics and the rest of the song as an opportunity for you to “…sail away for just one day/ To the land where the punk weed grows/ You won’t need any money/ Just fingers and your toes”. You can be letting go of avoiding work, distraction and falling behind on responsibilities, addictive, or self-sabotaging behaviors. Instead, embrace the fact that your (figurative, if not true) money is gone, but you’ve still got your fingers and your toes.
Sagittarius
In the hit cartoon movie, An American Tale: Fievel Goes West, the mice sing a song full of dreams, with lyrics like, “there are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese.” The idea of leaving behind hardship to follow dreams is something we all strive to do. This season, it’s your turn to even just pretend this is a possibility for you. What is that you would do? What is there that is causing you to struggle, that if you just left behind in the hope it would go away, you’d feel free? This could be anything for you from a diet routine to an old hobby you feel stagnant about, but know how to bring back tenfold. Maybe giving up something that you know you want none of can allow you to have the thing you want all of. Isn’t it worth the journey to see if you’d succeed?
Capricorn
The goal of being monk-like appears to be a theme in many people’s lives at some point. Never me, though. I don’t like the idea of sitting still, alone or basically alone. I don’t even like the community of some Trappist monks who make jams together. It’s all too routine. However, Cap, maybe this is a time for you to lay down some roots and get in touch with your inner emotions. However, I recommend doing so with the thought of pleasing others in mind. Is there someone that needs you more in a relationship? Are you suffering to feel like you’re enough for someone?
Aquarius
After years of barely leaving my house between Covid and changes to my job which caused working from home, I know that it can be hard to make some changes to be back to my once-social self. I won’t lie that getting older is not seeming to be a good influence on this situation either. Years ago, a dear friend of mine uttered these words to me, “Getting old is cool, being cool is old.” I want to embrace that, but this particular friend somehow seems to get older and cooler in tow. For this summer season, although it’s the time that my personal seasonal depression hits pretty hard as I try to move through unbearable heat and humidity, I plan to follow suit. Aquarius, if you’re like me, more of a February Aquarius, I’m sure you’re feeling a slump. Let’s get some telepathic energy between us all, including those of you January babies, and let’s make this summer count. New projects can be in the mix, more social activities, embracing the inner you that maybe you miss or thought was gone for good. That person still exists, and now is the time to let them escape from the deep dark parts of you and let them out.
Pisces
I recently watched an episode of Hoarders which recapped 3 people who hoarded food. One woman’s daughter was being interviewed and stated that she “didn’t want to eat cookies with bugs in them.” The next scene was her mother stating that mealworms could be in the cookies and her daughter wouldn’t know the difference. Another lady ate something from a jar that was probably many years old, and the Hoarders staff nearly vomited on camera. She said she did it to “prove it wasn’t bad.” Well, Pisces, now that spring has ended, and summer is here, the hope is that you’ve purged your old grimy things and have made space for newness. Whether that be budgeting for the things you want, or simply making peace in your sacred space. It’s time to let go of the past and move forward, although this has never been easy for you. Holding on to a deep emotion that pains you is only as satisfying as eating overly expired food to prove a point – and it can make you sick all the same.
About Sharon and Nicole together:
A little over a decade ago, Sharon and Nicole met as neighbors living in the same apartment building in South Philly, where they bonded over a mutual love and respect for boxed wine and L7. While both were experiencing their individual trials and tribulations that one goes through as they transition into their 30’s (ahem…Saturn return!) Sharon was also in a difficult relationship at the time that Nicole was able to help Sharon process as she was embarking on her healing journey. Years later, this past experience helped inspire Sharon to book a Natal Chart Session with Nicole, as Sharon was in another transitional phase of her life. This session reconnected them, and now they are collaborating to provide your monthly horoscopes for Title Magazine.
About the individual people:
Sharon is an artist living in Philadelphia. She began writing horoscopes in 2016 for a local newspaper called The Spirit, which has since gone under. Not an astrologer, and knowing only the basic characteristics of each sign, she simply did this as a form of self-expression and performance art. When the Spirit was no longer, Sharon found other places to publish her work, syndicating it in The Secret Admirer and online art publication Title Magazine. During the pandemic creativity sort of disappeared for Sharon, and so she came up with the idea to collaborate with Nicole. When “I” is used, it is referring to Sharon. Nicole’s writing is the truer astrology parts.
Sharon says, “Maybe with Nicole’s expertise and my hopefully enjoyable writing style, we can help to at least entertain people.”
Nicole is a clinical therapist and community organizer living in Philadelphia. She is passionate about her purpose as a healer and her practice of trauma-informed Therapeutic Astrology and Tarot.
Nicole says, “All I want is to share my love and enthusiasm for Astrology with as many people as possible. Through sharing my astrological insights and knowledge I hope to help others empower themselves with the information that the planets and their cycles provide for us.”