Tag: Lifestyle

Unabashed romantics, earnest water signs, folks high on the fumes of heartbreaks and sworn Swifties rejoice, we’re looking at the stars behind the blunt bangs and breakup songs, the birth chart of the Anti-Hero herself, ladies and gentlemen, Taylor mothertruckin’ Swift. Tay Tay if you’re nasty.

On October 21, Swift released her latest album “Midnights.” Described as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” the cover features our girl under the influence of a seriously smoky eye and looking headlong into the abyss of a Zippo lighter, presumably contemplating burning that goddamn red scarf or setting fire to John Mayer’s eyesore Ford GT. 

Swift made history when it was announced that the entire top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 was stacked with songs from “Midnights.” A feat thus far accomplished by no one else. This utter dominance is staggering though for the fans that love her fiercely and follow her loyally, not at all surprising. 

“Midnights” marks the first album of new material from Swift since 2020’s quarantine opus “Folklore” and kid sister “Evermore.” In 2021 she sent hearts a flutter with the lauded tenth anniversary rerelease of “Red” which came complete with a self-directed short film/music video for the song “All To Well,” widely believed to be a quasi autobiographical and acutely painful retelling of her relationship with Jake Gyllenhal. Mine that man and that memory for all it’s worth Tay Tay!

Following the midnight release of “Midnights,” Swift announced a 26 date stadium tour. The 2023 Eras Tour is billed as “a journey through the musical eras of (Swift’s) career (past & present!),” exclamation points hers, not mine. 

It’s well established that our girl’s fan base is rabid, quick to spew venom on her detractors and defilers and willing to RESCHEDULE their weddings in order to see her live, because make no mistake my babies, the most important day of your life is not the one in which you commit yourself to another person in mind, body, heart and spirit – neigh – it’s the day T.Swift comes to town.

Sharing the stage and the wealth with Swift will be opening acts Paramore, HAIM, Phoebe Bridgers, beabadobee, Girl In Red, MUNA, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and OWENN. 

In honor of T. Swift’s absolute ownership of the charts and minds of the nation, we bring you a look at her birth chart. What do the stars say about the artist and the many men that have loved/inspired/emotionally tortured her? Read on, right on, “Red” forever.

Sun in Sagittarius 

Born unto us on December 13, 1989, Swift’s zodic sun sign is in Sagittarius. Ruled by planet Jupiter, the fun-loving drunk uncle of the zodiac, Sagittatius energy is expensive, optimistic, adventurous and a little guileless. Sagittarians are seekers, always looking for new horizons, higher learning, spiritual transcendence and — in the case of T. Swift — fresh bros. 

Swift’s resilience in the wake of relationship endings is emblematic of her Sagittarius Sun. These folks can’t help but believe that good things are on their way and life is bound to get better. Swift herself acknowledges that arch in the song “Begin Again,” reportedly inspired by her relationship with Conor Kennedy. It is precisely that kind of blithe optimism that keeps her a perennial player in the game of love. Cue Steve Earle’s “Fearless Heart.” 

Sagittarians seduce with their bon vivant approach to life, promising that a relationship with them will be akin to a storied road trip, complete with quirky pit stops, caramel nonfat lattes, a varied soundtrack and a highly enviable vintage car.

Pack your bags, burn your hesitations — right?

Moon in Cancer 

Not so fast. That freewheeling, easy-breezy high-road-taking is a bait-and-switch, folks. Beneath the surface and way back in the shadows lies Swift’s crustacean Cancer Moon. In astrology, the Moon represents our emotional needs and how we go about getting them met; it relates to the kind of nurturing we did or didn’t receive as children. It’s the soft underbelly, marshmallow center, pulpy mess and primal heart of the human condition and in the sign of Cancer, it is at its most acutely sensitive. These people want intense emotional connection and a sworn blood oath that you’ll never leave. So real is this fear of abandonment that those with Moon in Cancer are prone to adapting themselves to match the needs and preferences of their partners. 

Because the Moon rules Cancer, it is very much at home in this placement. It’s wearing a Snuggie and ready to passively-aggressively manipulate you into staying in for the night for the rest of your life. 

At its highest expression, Cancer energy is creative, caretaking and deeply romantic. At their most indulgent, Cancer Moon natives tend toward masochistic nostalgia, endlessly idealizing or overanalyzing past love affairs. Though their relationship lasted just three months and ended over 10 years ago, Taylor apparently is still writing new verses about Jake Gyllenhal. Further evidence of Swift’s pangs for the past can be found in the song “Style,” where she rhapsodizes the aesthetic of her failed relationship with Harry Styles.

The modality of Cancer is to return and return again. Yet Swift has capitalized on this somewhat pained placement by channeling it into music that serves not only as a balm for her, but sonic medicine for the masses. No one, and I mean no one capitalizes on the grist mill of the human experience quite like Swift. 

Mars in Scorpio

Mars is the planet of war, and within the birthchart it governs our approach to sex, ambition and conflict. Tay Tay’s Mars is in the formidable, “vengeance as an art form” sign of Scorpio. 

Mars in Scorpio views people as either enemies or allies, with exes falling firmly in the latter category. These natives take nothing lightly and put a lot of effort into ensuring others feel the weight of the pain they have been made to suffer. Beyond revenge, Scorpio energy seeks transformation, often spurred by trauma and/or loss. The alternative totem for the sign of Scorpio is the phoenix, and no one lives to light it up, watch it burn, write it down and turn pain to profit like our girl.

Taylor has a long and illustrious history of transmuting the raw material of her relationships into song. She called out John Mayer by name and a list of personal failings in her 2010 song “Dear John.” Further in keeping with her Scorpionic tendencies, Swift plays the long game. Her fervent fan base is still trolling that dude a decade later, greeting his entry to TikTok with slings and arrows. 

Perhaps the worst punishment in the playbook of Mars in Scorpio is erasure. Fittingly, Swift has a stable of exes including Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris and Eddie Redmayne who have been weighed, measured and found unworthy of immortality through music. Ouch, bro.

Planetary cluster in Capricorn, daddy energy rises and reigns

Swift has a stellium of planets in the hard knocks, tough love sign of Capricorn with her Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune all in sea goat territory. Capricorn is a sign concerned with building and securing a legacy that will outlast them. We see this energy expressed in Swift who is nothing if not on her damn grind. Caps are big into ROI and our girl is not going to suffer for free, quite the opposite, she turns the pain of lived experience into lucrative melody, singing her fine self all the way to the proverbial bank and an ever impressive real estate portfolio.

Those with serious Capricorn placements tend to age in reverse, their early years see them growing up too fast, taking on adult responsibilities before they are emotionally equipped to do so. If that sounds like it sucks, it does. The upswing of this is that if they can manage to survive adolescence and early adulthood, they earn their happy childhood in the later part of their life, it ain’t easy but it sure is sweet. We see this timeline inversion in Swift who was bullied as a teen and lived through a healthy roster of douche lord dudes and frenemy feuds before hitting her stride in the last few years.

Stars align 

In Swift’s latest, closely guarded relationship with actor, collaborator and sweet Pisces baby angel Joe Alwyn, it seems she has met a man whose hunger for depth, search for song and commitment to companionship match her own. Blonde on blonde, baby.

Whether they are made to last or built to break, we wait with high hopes, red lips and eager ears.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars

Fortunate forecast

A look at Swift’s transits reveals why she is experiencing one of the most fruitful and fortifying periods of her life. As my colleague and fellow star reader Kyle Thomas notes, “benevolent Jupiter dances into her solar sector of true love, creativity, and fertility from May 10, 2022 to October 28, 2022. It will return once again on December 20, 2022 to remain until May 16, 2023.” Jupiter is coming correct with the glad tidings, creative energy and lasting love and will continue to pour itself freely and favorably into Tay Tays proverbial cup as she takes the stage for her world tour. Cheers to you, Swift, may all your heartbreaks be in the rearview and may your best days await you.

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.