Make misfit friends and embrace your weird

Venus, planet of love, beauty, aesthetics and attraction is moving into professionally weird, space helmet as fashion and function Aquarius from January 2 – January 26, 2023.

A fixed air sign, Aquarius is ruled by rabble rousing Uranus and stern Saturn imbuing it with strength and a defiant kind of selfhood. In short and in general, Aquarius can’t help but be anything but itself.

This sign lives, thinks and loves against the grain and during this transit, the influence of this energy invites us to not just accept, but proudly own our peculiarities. Since Venus is the planet of love and Aquarius is the sign of independence, this transit affords the chance, and for some, the great challenge, to love people freely and free from the constraint of convention. Aquarius teaches us that independence is not a threat to intimacy but rather the scaffolding for it.

Venus in Aquarius

Aquarius rules the eleventh house of community and in a basic sense, this transit increases the chances of connections being made, romantic or otherwise, through mutual friends and acquaintances. Keep in mind this is not a hot and heavy time for sensual Venus. As an air sign, Aquarius is more concerned with the cerebral and the corporeal so the emphasis is on firing synapses rather than fiery loins, not to say one can’t lead to the other.

For those in committed relationships, this period can be a really beautiful one to rationally discuss goals and take logical stock of the state of your union. Like Capricorn, Aquarius counts Saturn as a planetary ruler and when given the safe space to be its full, unadulterated self, the Aquarian archetype can be every bit as committal as a sea goat. Give them permission to be weird and they won’t wander.

Let’s get together but keep our emotional distance

Aquarius is regarded as the humanitarian of the zodiac. Yet, this distinction does not equate to a squishy, indulgent, MDMA tinged kind of affection for their fellow man. That’s more of a Pisces vibe. Rather, water bearers have deep love for the collective and a deep need to keep individuals at arms length. Venus in Aquarius wants to buy the world a Coke but like not actually sit next to anyone while they drink it.

Apropos of this, water bearers are known for their emotional detachment and while this can cause them to come off as cool, unavailable, ivory tower dwelling aliens it also serves to teach the rest of us a great lesson about love, objectivity and independence. Indeed, love is a little looser, friendship a little freer when a water bearer is bearing.

The social circle of someone with Venus in Aquarius is a bit like the island of misfit toys. This Venus welcomes the unusual, runs wild in the unknown and pants at the feet of the eccentric. We can honor this spirt of inclusive curiosity by opening ourselves to unconventional bonds and the strangest kind of strangers. Recommended listening: “Friends, Lovers, Ex-lovers, Whatever” by Susto.

Go and love yourself

Venus in Aquarius teaches us that independence is not a threat to intimacy, it is the scaffolding for it.

An Aquarian approach to self-love is the greatest gift we can give ourselves during this transit. In the words of sage water bearer Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” May you love yourselves firstly and fiercely and may that care become the tender blueprint for how you treat others. Let love flow and freedom reign.

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Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

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Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.