by Nicole Goicuria and Sharon Isabel Curley
The Sun has entered the Cardinal Air sign of Libra, marking the Fall Equinox. The season of autumn brings with it the beginning of the end, and our awareness of the cycle of life begins to peak as our surroundings transform and darken. Libra season ushers in our second eclipse season of the year. As we leave behind a very heavily retrograded summer, we head into autumn with a renewed sense of direction, motivation, and clarity. You may feel the dust starting to settle from navigating recent changes, and now is the time to root into your new reality to follow a path more aligned with who you really are. Eclipse season can inform us if we are moving ourselves in the right direction. As the South Node of the Moon now transits through Libra, we are being tasked with releasing any tendencies that are holding us back from stepping into our personal power. This cuffing season is full of boundary-setting and tests of our growth when it comes to relationships, both with others and with ourselves. The South Node may bring back people that we have had some distance from. How we proceed in revisiting these connections will speak to the progress we have made or have yet to make.
Both eclipses this eclipse season are ruled by Venus; the planet of love, relationships, creativity, finances, and self-worth. This planetary energy will bring these issues to the forefront, and test if we are tapping into our strength in facing situations that are asking us to change and grow. With Venus now ruling the South Node, we are being divinely supported in finding new ways to create space for us to accept our authentic selves. The first eclipse is a solar eclipse on October 14th and will mark a major turning point or beginning in the Libra area of our charts. The last eclipse, on October 28th, is a lunar eclipse and will bring a culmination to the Taurus area of our charts. November 27th brings the Gemini full moon, the last full moon before the Winter Solstice. It will illuminate for us what changes made during the fall are bringing us more in alignment with our life’s purpose, as the ruler of this lunation, Mercury, will sextile both Venus and the South Node. We will find ourselves realizing the ways in which we have stayed true to ourselves, and reaping the rewards of staying the course through the lunar chaos.
We will all make it to the other side of eclipse season, we just have to live through it first. We are required to rest during eclipse season since the Sun and the Moon’s light are obstructed, and we are not working with the luminaries at their full power and potency. It is a time to sit back and observe how our manifestations are materializing, and take what comes. Eclipse season teaches us the power of surrendering to change and welcoming transformation. If you would like to consult the Tarot for guidance through this eclipse season, shuffle your deck and find The Empress. The Empress in Tarot represents the planet Venus. Find the card behind The Empress and in front of The Empress. The card behind the Empress will symbolize what is ending in your life, and the card in front of The Empress will symbolize what is beginning. Take inspiration from these messages from your higher self, and let your intuition guide you into this new chapter.
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 would like personalized guidance through eclipse season, contact Nicole at The Astral Botanica (theastralbotanica.com).
Aries: Lately, soft somatic movement each day to activate my vagus nerve has made me feel better. More than half of my work is done remotely, and so my sedentary lifestyle was begging for it. Doing something for myself each day feels good. Aries, a worker at heart, should be allowing yourself some time for self-care. That may be taking a yoga class, joining a gym, reading a book, whatever! Remember the riches of life come through your own personal self-worth. It’s how you look at things that guide you forward. If you need to let go of some things holding you back, now is your time. Out with the old, in with the new.
Taurus: Only 2 years after it became a part of her body, reality star Angela White (formerly Blac Chyna), your fellow Taurus, recently had her Baphomet tattoo removed. She also got a breast reduction, took some filler out of her face, and converted to a life of spiritual self-healing. Maybe you’ve got some reevaluating to do yourself? What demons do you have to release from yourself? People used to tell me that you can’t eat decorative cabbage, but you really can. I suppose when it’s grown in the city, you don’t want to eat it because dogs are probably peeing on it. The decorative cabbage isn’t as delicious. It’s pretty, but bitter. Meanwhile, your store-bought cabbage is delightful, but just a big ball. It’s the internal flavor that makes you who you want to be, and that can be ever-changing.
Gemini: I quite surprisingly recently learned that the Clearly Canadian drink “Orbitz” ran for 14 years! I remember trying it as a kid and thinking it was so gross. Just these weird balls floating around in sugar water. I remember expecting it to be carbonatedthat first sip was like picking up an empty box I thought was full, a real shock to my system. If you are feeling a disappointment in your life, it is now the time to dream bigger. I suggest adding an afternoon espresso shot to your days, and then a 22-minute rest/nap (yes, coffee first) where you spend this time to focus on goals moving forward. You can get what you want if you seek from within.
Cancer: I’ve recently seen a lot of fondue sets in thrift stores. I remember getting one back in the day and using it just once by melting chocolate and dipping strawberries into it. I guess I didn’t know back then that it traditionally was small pieces of spongy bread dipped into melted cheese. I liked my idea better. Cancer, you’re very creative but may be seeking new outlets or ideas. Whatever your blank canvas usually is, maybe find a new one, metaphorically speaking. Draw something on your bathroom mirror, cut the sleeves off your shirt, or get a pair of shoes you normally wouldn’t wear.
Leo: I recently read in the New Yorker that in 2022 there were 425 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County, Arizona. People who love summer really love summer. They go on about it like it’s not a death trap. Maybe they’ve never had heat exhaustion? I’m telling you, my body shuts down right about 70-75 degrees. Any hotter and I have a very hard time breathing and enjoying anything at all. When I lived in AZ, the old snowbirds would winter there, and I never understood why any sane human would want to be anywhere that isn’t cold and snowy and wintry. Like, for pleasure. Aside from the climate becoming warmer in general, we should all embrace the colder days. Lucky for me summer is finally over. For you, though, Leo, your season is coming to an end. I urge you to take the things you like about summer and incorporate them into the darker months as a ritual to get you through. Until next year, you sweaty smelly weirdo!
Virgo: Virgo, you represent the end of my least favorite season into the beginning of my most favorite. I know a Virgo who used to rightfully call herself, “the idea gal”. She is an ever-evolving complex human. She’s run multiple businesses, survived cancer, moved around the country, and has always been an inspiration to me. With the incredible strength of the Virgo, there’s also a hidden part of fear of success. How will this look for you in the coming months? Is there something you’re passionate about but don’t know how to incorporate this into your life? Perhaps this is your time to do this! Seek guidance whether this be a financial adviser or a therapist and then show us what you got!
Libra: In a recent pop quiz, I learned that the first food officially consumed on the moon was bacon. Another option on the quiz was peaches, which I’ve read were eaten regularly on Apollo 11. I wonder if anyone was eating on the ship when it landed on the moon while Buzz consumed that first bite of bacon while actually on the moon itself. Technically, then what is considered “on the moon”? Also, after the first bite of bacon, I’ve read that old Buzzy then did consume a peach—also a grapefruit drink, coffee, and 3 sugar cookies. One unhealthy meal for man, one giant leap for the Reaper, amiright? Libra, deliciousness can be in the form of many things, including a simple, healthy life itself. Delicious health can help you become the best version of yourself. Add a salad to your days, quit smoking, volunteer. You know who you want to be, now just be that.
Scorpio: Sometimes starting new projects can consume us in the best ways. Bringing new ideas, new feelings, and new successes. The all-consuming satisfaction of working on and completing a meaningful project can seem so ideal, that nothing else matters. Well, that isn’t the case, Scorp. You still need to be sure you’re getting enough sleep, taking deep breaths, seeing your doc, the list goes on. Work in any form can be hard on our bodies. Perhaps you travel and food choices are limited, or you don’t get a break, so food isn’t an option. Well, now I’d like to take you to the thought process of your beloved project. That energy isn’t just for projects, and if you keep up that way, there won’t be any left for new ones. Distributing that energy everywhere is needed. Right now, after you finish reading all of these glorious horoscopes, call (don’t text!) your favorite person that you haven’t spoken to in a while, and give them a few minutes to talk. They also need some of that energy of yours.
Sagittarius: Your sign falls just short of my favorite holiday, Christmas, yet your season is full of its cheer, making it as Andy Williams would sing, “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.” How can you make your coming season, which also transitions into winter, the next best season, feel so wonderful for yourself? Perhaps taking the Autumnal Equinox as a sign to settle down? Are you in a relationship or a job that you see a future with? Maybe it is time to accept that. Are you scared of losing yourself while giving into something else? Well, that is possible, if you let it be. I urge you to take this time to set your birthday as a goal to figure this out, so when Saggitarius brings on winter, you are prepared for snuggling up with whatever you choose.
Capricorn: In the hot summer of 2011, in a 3rd floor West Philly apartment in an old tall twin house, I learned the true meaning of what it means to love matcha. My friend at the time was so obsessed, he was brewing vats of the stuff to put over ice and to drink constantly. He’d add some citrus, maybe some honey, but for the most part, it was the matcha adding a new feeling to him that made it best. I took him to the old shop next to Veracruzana (RIP), where large bags were sold. He bought them all, like a true addict. Lately, I’ve been drinking again. I don’t have that excitement he had, but I don’t have that excitement anywhere anymore. I need to change that. I need that feeling of pure joy. I need my “magic back” (quote from my dear Pooboy). My surroundings have felt meek and bleak; an urge for more is what I seek; perhaps toward Capricorn I’ll take a peek; tell me now what will you speak? I need your words, oh eternally chic; I need my groove back on fleek. Please and thank you, kindly.
Aquarius: Making life changes is difficult unless you want to do it. Sometimes it’s even easy to wait until the only reason you want to is because you have to. You can smoke until the doc tells you that you’ve got lung cancer, or you can quit before—or better yet, never smoke. Then, sometimes you see those little ladies in their wheelchairs, with their breathing machines and Marlboro Menthol Light 100s that they’ve been smoking for 60 years. Well, what is your choice going to be, Aquarius? What can you do to reboot into a new life philosophy? I, your fellow Aquarian, have been tinkering with old ideas and making them new again. Like starting Sundays at a Quaker Meeting, or having a cheat day with my diet. It’s a good time for you to do some rebirthing, and this time when you travel through the tunnel to light, let it truly be light.
Pisces: As of the day I write this, it has been 554 days since I lost my favorite Pisces. It’s been weird and hard since, but also easy. I sometimes feel like one day we will just call each other and start talking, get our nails done together or find a thrift shop in Scranton or something. Missing something can be so hard. Finding new things can be even harder, particularly without proper coping and mourning of what you’ve lost. If you’ve got any relatable situation to this, it’s time to move on. It’s time to take control of your trauma and create something beautiful from it. When you come out on the other end, that new you will need ways to express yourself and there are so many possibilities for that.
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.”