Music To My Ears

Many of you may not know this but way back when (circa 2008), before I became an astrologer, I was a part of the indie art scene here in NYC for a few years. I wrote poetry, I dabbled in filmmaking, I performed onstage and at open mics, I went to all the underground art shows and indie concerts. And then somewhere along the line, I kind of fell out of love with the scene and gave that part of myself up as I moved on to pursuing a new direction in my life and career.

Then, about two months ago, I received an email from a very talented musician and composer, Marquis Hill. Marquis had the idea to do an astrology themed album and invited me to collaborate with him on it. I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I love Marquis’ work and thought it would be cool to be a part of this project, but I knew that doing this would help me tap back into a part of myself that I’d been disconnected from for a very long time. Turns out my intuition was right.

Download Soul Sign by Marquis Hill.

Trumpeter, Composer and Producer, Marquis Hill releases a 12 track cosmic musical journey through the zodiacs in the form of a spoken word infused beat tape.

“ A yearning to learn more about the Zodiac - types and celestial influence for The Good - I’ve been inspired toward a fresh project. In its place, this extended spiritual knowledge of self is crucial in our lifetime. Collaborating with astrologers Mecca Woods and Boro the Lucky Libra - both hailing from the Bronx - we developed tracks that musically impressionize each Zodiac sign.

Here, jazz, spoken word and hip hop orbits and dances together. Each track is quite different, consistent with the often vast differences among the Zodiac signs and their types. Recorded during quarantine life, in Boston, NYC, and Chicago, this project underscores resilient elementals, energies in terms of fire, water, air, and earth”

Cocoa Butter and Taurus Season

Cocoa Butter and Aries Season

Cocoa Butter and Capricorn Season

Cocoa Butter and Libra Season

Serving You Horoscopes, Looks, and More

courtesy of Fluffy Pop Postcards

I'm happy to report that my detailed monthly horoscopes are back!

You can find them over at I AM & CO for now. I've also been writing other astrology-based articles for them too. Like the one on what it means when you keep attracting the same zodiac sign time and time again.

I was also recently featured on the style blog - Val's Vanity - where I was asked about my style influences and beauty must haves. While I don't necessarily consider myself to be a style maven, the Leo Rising and Leo Mars in me was very honored to be featured. 

courtesy of Fluffy Pop Postcards

Also, a big, BIG shout out goes out to the people of Oakland and the team at Wellness in Action for having me out to teach astrology in the Bay. I had a great time and the people were so welcoming!

And remember for your daily fix of astrology - check me out on Bustle. 

Later peeps!

Black History Month, Astrology, and The #POWER28

Recently, I was interviewed by Justin Michael Williams and Motivation For Black People for their #POWER28 series honoring 28 black creatives and innovators making history today.  I had an opportunity to talk with Justin about astrology and how astrology can be used as a tool of empowerment for black people. 

I am deeply honored to be celebrated alongside so many dope people!

You can visit motivationforblackpeople.com on February 8, 2018 to check out my interview, though I encourage you to check out the other fab interviews. In the meantime, you can also check out this article on Blavity, where Justin discusses how he got the idea for The #POWER28 and what it means. 

Jupiter In Scorpio: Finding The Light In The Darkness

photo: RKTKN, unsplash.com

I think Scorpio is one of the signs that most often gets a bad rap when it comes to astrology, because Scorpio is not usually known for being a soft, sunny, and gentle kind of energy. Being ruled by aggressive, hot-headed Mars and power-hungry Pluto, Scorpio is not a sign for the faint of heart. Experiences marked by Scorpio or Pluto transits usually coincide with times in our lives when we must face and grapple with our demons, on a personal and collective level. Scorpionic or Plutonic themes (sex, death, loss, rebirth) often deal with dark night of the soul experiences where we are emotionally split open, transformed, and healed. 

Deeply intuitive and motivated by instinct, Scorpio has the uncanny ability of finding our wounds and sinking its teeth into them until we bleed. But it doesn’t do this for purposes of torture. See, Scorpio has already felt those same wounds too. Scorpio wants us to delve deep into the places that hurt, because only there is where the true healing can take place. By facing our pain head-on, through the blood, sweat, and tears; we are reminded of just how powerful and resilient we really are. Scorpio is not for skimming the surface or pretending the problem, the pain, will go away on its own. 

As we move into Scorpio season (October 23 - November 22), these themes will become stronger, especially as Jupiter – the planet of growth and abundance – enters Scorpio for a thirteen-month stay on October 10th. Jupiter in Scorpio’s job is to show us just how much opportunity there is for growth through the process of rebirth and transformation. Though in order for us to be reborn, it means that something in our lives has to die first. For some this may mean a relationship, for others it could be a career, or in some cases dealing with actual death itself (and no, this doesn’t mean you’re going to die) but it could mean dealing with the loss. But do know that however that death may show up, it's OK to grieve. It's OK to rage, to cry, to completely come undone. Rebirth is not a pretty process. Sometimes it takes many "deaths" to get where we need to be. 

As we move further into the autumn and the veil between the spirit world and the living world gets thinner, Jupiter's trip through the underworld will challenge us to find the light in the darkness, as this is the kind of transit that may feel at times like we're stumbling through the dark; trying to avoid the ghosts and the monsters. Though the power in Scorpio rests on our ability to reach down deep and confront the things that scare us, backs to the wall, knife in hand. It also depends on our ability to trust our instincts and intuition too. 

Though not everything will be dark, ugly, and intense. There's a beauty in Scorpio that pushes us to form and nurture our most deepest, loving bonds; as sometimes it's through the strength and support of another that we can stand on our own. Sometimes it takes the experience of cracking open with another to fully access all that exists within ourselves, and sometimes in healing another we heal ourselves too. 

One last thing to note - if your birth chart is Scorpio heavy or predominately made up of water (Pisces, Cancer) or earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), you'll find this Jupiter transit to be much easier to handle than others. In your case, the shedding and re-birthing process won't feel as emotionally heavy. Try to hold space for others that may not be where you are. 

Solar Eclipse In Pisces: Leave It All Behind

art:  featured in 18 Days by Grant Morrison

Happy Solar Eclipse in Pisces! This eclipse incorporates a powerful New Moon that can help us to usher in change and new beginnings. Use the power of Pisces to heal old wounds and to release anything that is no longer nourishing to the soul. Listen to your intuition and give yourself space to rest, unplug, dream, create, and love. As this Moon is also connected to a fiery merger between Mars and Uranus in feisty #Aries consider it a strong cosmic push to leave the past behind. 

Let's Talk About Sun Signs: Why There's No Such Thing As Cusps in Birthdays

Does this sound like you or someone you know?

"I'm a Scorpitarius"

"I'm a Cancer/Leo cusp"

"I'm both a Capricorn and an Aquarius because I was born between both signs"

If any of this sounds familiar, here's the real deal:

NOPE. NO. NOT A CHANCE. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Why?

Because when it comes to your Sun Sign or any planet in the birth chart, it can only be in one sign at a time. This is because astrologers work with degrees, hours, and minutes.

Let's take a look at a sample birth chart.

Birth chart courtesy of astro.com

The date October 23 is when Scorpio season begins in Western Astrology, though if you look at the chart as pictured above (some of you may know Johnny Carson as a famous TV personality from years ago), the Sun is located at 29 degrees, 36 minutes and 55 seconds of Libra. That means the Sun won't be entering Scorpio until another degree later.

Each of the twelve zodiac signs (again, I'm speaking in terms of Western Astrology) are made up of 30 degrees, beginning with 0 (yes we count the zero) and ending at 29; adding up to a 360 degree circle. So as you can see, there's a lot of math and detail that goes into astrology (and I've barely scratched the surface here), which is why it's important to know the details of your birth chart. Accuracy is everything.

Full Moon in Sagittarius: Freedom First

Artwork: Kenal Louis, kenalsworld,com

What fires you up? What makes you passionate? What are you willing to fight for?

Under today's Full Moon in Sagittarius, we're called to answer these questions as the Full Moon comes in conjoined to fiery Mars in Sagittarius, and opposite to the Sun in Gemini. We're supposed to get passionate about something, but what?

The Gemini-Sagittarius axis (polarity), is largely about honoring what we know or what we believe to be true. Through Gemini and Sagittarius, we move beyond our immediate four walls to access and learn information, then share what we've learned with others, crafting and re-crafting our personal belief system along our journey. However, as Full Moons are about releasing the things we no longer need; and Mars being retrograde now is about bringing that hot, Martian energy to the interior, we are called under this Moon to reevaluate our belief system, to reevaluate what we know in order to cast any self-limiting beliefs into the fire and watch them burn away.

Of course because Full Moons are emotional and the Sun in Gemini is more about words, and rational thought (and how we identify with those thoughts) we are reminded that head and heart must align for us to truly make progress forward. For example, how can we fully let go of something if not at the emotional level first? Or, how can we be in alignment with our convictions, our personal truths, our visions if how we feel doesn't align with what we speak? This Full Moon gives us the power to expand our awareness, to move beyond our personal borders (whether real or imagined) to become truer versions of ourselves. Mars gives us the courage to hold ourselves accountable. How will you define your freedom?

Listen To My Podcast...and Win!

Dropping that hot fire on you this week. LOL! So I have a podcast now. I'm talking news, film, and TV via astrology with my co-host @JChiron18. I am so excited about this!

Also, help us name our podcast! The lucky winner will win an astrology reading.

Take a listen: http://twosagittariusonflix.podomatic.com/ #NameOurPodcast