Author: astroaries

Angel is the author of ASTROLOGY REALNESS and also hosted the AOL astrology show ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL. His interest in astrology started early, when at age 5, he found the daily horoscope in the back of his local newspaper. Years later, he was pulled more deeply into the world of mysticism when he began working at a metaphysical bookstore while at school in San Francisco. His passion for astrology and other forms of divinity quickly blossomed as he studied with a variety of teachers, and by age 23, he was working as a professional astrologer. Angel has since read for clients all over the country. He also works in film and is an avid music lover.

One Man’s Pain is Another Man’s Retrograde

Shit’s gonna go down when you least expect it

For the past few months now, I have been unhappy in my day job. It had just ceased being challenging and creative in the way I needed it to be. And I had been talking to friends about my “next steps” while mentally laboring over the things I needed to be doing in order to achieve the real professional success I was looking for in my life. Yeah, lots of words. Lots of me, talking. Therefore, I wasn’t making much tangible progress. In particular, these last few weeks saw me making light attempts to flesh out some of my creative projects, but the work always found itself overshadowed by my inner chatter – a white noise wall of questions. Am I really meant to be a writer? How should I go about bringing it into my life? What is this astrology thing about for me? Is it a legitimate path? How can I find clarity when I have to report daily to a job that leaves me passionless?

Then, life offered me a nudge – I was abruptly laid off from my job. In a way, it wasn’t sudden. I had the feeling that I needed to move along. I just thought that perhaps I would be a bit more in the driver’s seat. However, when Saturn, the planet of structure, is hovering over Uranus, the ruler of sudden surprise, and it’s going on in your chart’s 6^th House, the place that rules your daily work routine, shit’s gonna go down when you least expect it. And how you least expect it. But I haven’t responded in a way that most would in this situation. In fact, I have surprised myself with how positive I am seeing the whole thing.

I am choosing to utilize this moment as a call to order

I know that this is a gift of retrograde. The universe is urging me to review how I want to spend my days and reinterpret my daily routine to fit that ideal. All I can see here is opportunity. Sure, there is some fear and imminent limitation in the situation, which are all things Saturn, but I am choosing to utilize this moment as a call to order. And, in a way, it’s a chance to reboot my life. That is the exact gift of a retrograde for each and every one of us – a do-over.

We need to make sure that we’re asking the necessary questions

Everyone is going through some major questioning right now. Not only are Mercury and Saturn in retrograde, but we also have five planets and the celestial cousin Chiron all moving through the sign of Pisces. That means we are either getting deeply in touch with our inner selves or we are feeling so confused that we just can’t drink three glasses of wine fast enough. And coupled with the retrograde energy, we’re second-guessing our ideas and goals. Are we sure that we know what we’re doing? The good thing is, we don’t need to have the answers right away. We just need to make sure that we’re asking the necessary questions. That way, we can then open ourselves up to receiving all of the important information that is going to help us understand where we need to go next in life.

Let’s take a closer look at how all of these planetary influences are affecting each sign:

Continue reading “One Man’s Pain is Another Man’s Retrograde” →

Your Soul is Your Truth – Deal With It!

A gift lies within pain and confusion

I haven’t written for the last month, but it’s not because I have chosen to desert you, dear reader. Soon after my last post, a dear friend of mine passed away. It was one of those moments in life that shattered my perceived perception of how the Universe works. I couldn’t help but to question the goodness of all things, knowing that my young, successful, and ambitious friend had been wiped from the earth in a single day. I spent so much time agonizing over how I could have been a better friend, or creating fear for myself around death. Then, exactly one week later, my boyfriend experienced a death in his immediate family, which brought mortality even more into the limelight. I spent hours wondering, “what the hell is going on here, Universe?” I was tired, sad, and just plain over it. So I caved and spent a good long month just crying.

With the dust from my intense January settled, I have truly been able to recognize that a gift lies within pain and confusion. But we must be willing to go into the tears and feelings to access it. Because that is the only way that we can move deeper, into the Piscean deep where our soul dwells. And our soul is our truth. Sometimes, we can grow too distant from that truth, and we need a crushing hand to come in and remind us to reconnect. See, my soul was feeling abandoned in a way, and nothing ever comes from being in that place. Thankfully, I have re-established the connection, and just in time for Pisces to make its way in.

In Pisces lives spirit and intuition.

Pisces is the connecter to soul. In Pisces lives spirit and intuition. It is the sign that governs our link to the divine and makes our human experience a deeper, more soulful one. The sun hasn’t moved into Pisces yet, but four others are already there – Mercury, Mars, Neptune, and the asteroid Chiron, which in astrology represents our soul’s greatest wound. With the Sun coming to join soon, as well as Venus, we will all be driven more by our internal compass, so it will be important to gain or further vitalize that connection. Otherwise, we could just find ourselves fighting the messages we are receiving, making life chaotic rather than flowing. And that’s where we deserve to be.

Let’s look more closely at where Pisces may be affecting you, and how you should harness its energy to live a better life.

(In Memory of Sadath Garcia, a true friend and Aries soul.)

Continue reading “Your Soul is Your Truth – Deal With It!” →

It’s 2013! What the Hell Are You Doing With Your Life?

The universe has given us a shared language in astrology

I recently went to see a planetarium show at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. It was a show I had seen before, about the birth of the cosmos and the history of astronomy. In the past, I had found it to be visually lovely and rather entertaining. But this time, I was more so affected by the narrative content of the piece. In particular, I was struck by the fact that ancient civilizations like the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians saw astrology to be the same as astronomy. The zodiac was established and used to study the night sky but was also used as a tool for how to live one’s best life. It was all essentially a uniform science that we, over time, have created a separation for. Astronomy has become considered true science while astrology just a charming and, to some, silly ideology. And, it’s a shame really. Because something rooted in such human history, as well as in nature, shouldn’t be looked down upon because we have entered into a world ruled by technology. Our relationship with the natural world should be our most important. And if the universe has given us a shared language in astrology, then we should all take an interest in it so we can each better understand our own personal nature.

There is a powerful scent of “what is the bigger picture for my life” in the air for all of us right now

As I have spent the past few days deeply pondering all of this, I was intrigued to find that Pluto, the God of all things profound, and Mercury, the communicator, were meeting up for a conjunction in Capricorn, the sign of serious ambition and goal-attainment. That means, in astrological terms, that it all makes more sense that I would be immersed in grand thoughts about the cosmos and the meaning of it all. It would also make sense why I spent yesterday morning on a call with my Capricorn friend, who wanted to discuss the deeper meanings of his romantic life. And also why a group of my friends and I got together last night to start organizing an action plan on how we were going to accomplish our big goals for the year. This is some serious life realness we have going on right now! There is a powerful scent of “what is the bigger picture for my life” in the air for all of us right now, so we all must take a big ass inhale and breathe it in.

Continue reading “It’s 2013! What the Hell Are You Doing With Your Life?” →

How to Have an Emma Thompson Cry, and Deal With the Last Full Moon

What of your emotional past have you been hoarding?

The other day, I had an Emma Thompson moment in the dressing room of a Saks Fifth Avenue outlet store. If you’ve seen LOVE ACTUALLY, then you have an idea of what I’m referring to. It’s that moment in the film where she ducks into the bedroom to have a quick, private cry before returning to her family as if nothing is wrong – an emotional dance you assume she has done one too many times. Well, I didn’t duck in purposefully to have a cry. But after a long, tiresome day and attempting to fit my post-holiday weight gain butt into some clothes designed for much taller and thinner people than me, I broke down. Not because I was feeling ugly or fat, but because I was depleted. I was beaten and tired from my year and hadn’t taken a moment to exhale it all out. So instead, the moment chose itself, under that horrible, department store lighting.

It was then I recalled that it was the full moon in Cancer that day, so for a Cancer moon like me, it was going to be a day of harsh, emotional challenge. And I had to release it out. However, later that day, after some further retrospection, I realized that the full moon was actually about releasing more than some tears. See, this was not the first time I had been the star of a dressing room cry. But I had to work a little bit harder to make it my last.

It’s important to throw things out and start anew

The Cancer full moon is all about releasing your past. You see, in general, Cancers are all about collecting the past, and they do a good job of utilizing what they gather as they move forward in life. But it can also be easy for a Cancer to hold onto the past in a way that is unhealthy. I’d imagine that the first hoarder was probably a Cancer. Some cave man or woman just rolling a ridiculous amount of stones into the home cave, storing them for some event that would never happen. So this past full moon was well timed with the New Year. You may have found yourself wanting to be rid of unnecessary clutter. And it’s important to throw things out and start anew. But the greatest place to take stock is inside of your self. What of your emotional past have you been hoarding?

Continue reading “How to Have an Emma Thompson Cry, and Deal With the Last Full Moon” →

It’s Time for Some YOU Realness.

As we gear up for the end of the year (or to some, what could be the end of the world), it’s best to take assessment of where we’re at with ourselves. And more importantly, where we seek change and who can best help us to attain it. Because for the most part, that’s what we’re all feeling now – a need to make change somewhere in our lives. And this feeling is coming from the gut, up. I get more into this, and offer a more specific assessment on my thoughts for the 2012/2013 shift in an interview I did for my friend Drew’s website, Open Doorway Reflections (http://www.opendoorwayreflections.com/?p=50). But for now, I want to remind each of you reading this that you must not ignore whatever call is coming up inside of you at this time. And if you’re not entirely feeling something yet, give it ten days. That’s when the Sun will meet Pluto in Capricorn, and we will all be activated to look at the bigger picture of our lives. Yes, it’s the end of the year and we all start to go through that process around this time of the year. But right now, it means more than ever. So don’t ignore it.

Continue reading “It’s Time for Some YOU Realness.” →

OLD HABITS DIE NOW

Anxiety found its way to me at a very early age.

I have no idea when I started biting my nails. I must have been around 7 or 8 when my dad would yell at me from the couch as I sat four feet away from the TV set, just gnawing on my hand. It sounds like anxiety found its way to me at a very early age. Chewing my nails was a way to deal with the pent up energy. And it still is, I guess. What can I say: I have a lot of spirit running through me at all times.

Today as I was driving on a grocery run, I started to bite my nail. I immediately became present with what I was doing and pulled my hand away. As I continued to drive, it dawned on me that I have been partaking in this particular bad habit for almost thirty years. Thirty years of behavior that my young child self started while mindlessly staring at The Cosby Show. And here I am. A grown ass man, still mindless. So what the hell has kept me stuck in this juvenile routine for so many years? I think it’s probably a product of my fearful upbringing, coupled with a problem relaxing. But it ain’t doing me any good now.

We must free ourselves from the habits that keep us from actualizing our best selves.

You may think that a habit like nail biting isn’t a big deal. Gross, yes. But is it destructive? On the surface, no. But in truth, when it comes to certain stressful situations, I am still that scared, nervous little boy. And in my adult life, when dealing in business or with a client, people don’t want to see some scared little boy in front of them. They want to see a confident, capable man. And that is who I want to be. But holding onto some childish activity just lets me keep one foot in the doorway to adolescence, and that’s a problem. Because then I am not fully taking responsibility for the present moment, and I am ultimately expressing fear about being a fully realized adult. I’m keeping myself from truly living as me.

Well, it’s time to let go.

This week’s full moon in Taurus wants you to get real.

We all have our vices, addictions, and areas of life where bad decision-making reigns, but the planets currently have a grander plan in mind for the sum of us. We must free ourselves from the habits that keep us from actualizing our best selves. This week’s full moon in Taurus wants you to get real and see that by holding onto a habit, you’re not giving yourself the complete commitment you deserve. More so, it wants you to get to the root of your apprehension to going all in on yourself. In order to be the greatest expression of yourself, you have to be dedicated to the dream you have for your life. It is when you strive for that dream that you activate the scenarios and relationships that will take you to the next level of your existence.

So what nasty habits are keeping you from making that ultimate commitment – the one that would have you dazzling at the change you’ve made for your life? Look at your life and choose one habit that is keeping you from actualizing the next, best version of you. Now, that is not to say that the ‘you’ now isn’t good enough. But the ‘you’ now probably isn’t taking full advantage of the gifts you have nor is it fulfilling the true purpose you see for yourself. So look deep and see where in your life you could stand to let go of an old way of being.

Here’s some further help, in case you need it.

Continue reading “OLD HABITS DIE NOW” →

Are You Walking with a Ghost?

Are you going to recognize the change and live it, or will you be a ghost in your own life?

Recently, I was at the gym, working on my fitness and pondering the various questions of my life. I was thinking about work, about my health, and about my need to make some important mentality shifts. I had already been in the headspace of change, as I had been thinking about Pluto and Saturn and the recent moves they had each made. And given that these planets are all about transformation in our lives, I knew that I was in the midst of metamorphosis. So as I finished up my tricep pushdowns and moved over to a back machine, all of my mental lingering led me to a sudden thought that I was compelled to jot down. I quickly pulled out my phone and used my ‘Notes’ feature to write out the following:

“It’s time to commit to the transformation. There is no turning back. Turning back doesn’t even equal death because the death has already occurred. The change is in place. Are you going to recognize the change and live it, or will you be a ghost in your own life?”

I was immediately struck by the idea of being “a ghost in your own life”. I thought of how so many of us refuse to meet a change, or death, in life. Whether it’s the end of a relationship or the loss of a loved one or even growing up into an adult, we can all find it hard to let go and move on at times. But still, life moves on without us. Yet we remain stuck in our outdated beliefs and mentalities. And like ghosts, we wander through our present day lives responding from a place, a feeling, of the past. The pain of long ago haunts our current relationships and work lives, making for weighted, poor decision making. And then we wonder why we’re unhappy. Why things won’t change and get better. Well, until we realize that we are producing our current reality from a place of pain – one that has been festering in our psyches for far too long – we won’t be able to fully and cleanly move into the next chapter of our lives. And right now, we are all feeling the ache to manifest change in a major way. That’s because Saturn is knocking at our door and Pluto is rumbling under our feet.

As Rupaul says, “The time has come for you to lip-sync. For your life.” So let’s get to it.

What does this new phase bring for you?

Continue reading “Are You Walking with a Ghost?” →

This Full Moon in Aries Means Business

Who the hell doesn’t need to exhale right now?

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, my boyfriend the Aquarius muttered sleepily, “This week has just flown by.” Sure, this is something we all say or hear time and again, but when I paused to really take in his statement, I realized that the week truly had for me. But, it was really because the week had been chock full of business and life and communication. And transformation. Yes, Pluto’s shift out of retrograde has definitely urged the energy forward in a massive way. Change is, by all means, afoot. And she is taking no prisoners. This energetic twitch has built us all up to this weekend’s full moon in Aries, a time of release. And who the hell doesn’t need to exhale right now? But with Aries around us, it ain’t gonna be easy to, as Whitney called it, shoop.

I feel like we’re all barreling toward some sort of goal or hoped for outcome right now, and Aries only amplifies that. Yet, as I said, a full moon is a time to let go of everything that’s been building up these last few weeks. It’s not necessarily the cool down in a workout, but more so the halfway point, when we pause for a nice sip of water and a few breaths to help us collect ourselves. Yes, we all feel the need to accomplish something – especially during the crazy swelling period of 2012 energy. Some of us are moving methodically ahead, paying attention to the signs and road posts helping to guide us to our destination. However, others of us have been pushing ahead without much awareness of the world around us, so perhaps we are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the transition occurring in our worlds. Or taken by surprise when change finds her way to our doorstep. Either way, we need to take this important moment to release the tension we have recently collected. Now how does Aries best do that?

If there is ever a time to be blowing off steam, this is the time do so – that is if you need to. If you have been walking slowly while everyone else has been in fast motion, you may just have an opportunity now to access more creativity than you have in a while.

Let’s take a quick look at how you can harness this Aries full moon for good:

Continue reading “This Full Moon in Aries Means Business” →

What Mercury Taught Me (And Maybe You Too)

Stop looking at what’s going wrong long enough to see the gift’s that are being offered to you at this time

From July 14^th to August 8^th, Mercury sat in retrograde. As I’ve mentioned before, I always look at Mercury Retrograde as a time to pause and reflect, renew, remember. Yes, Mercury in retrograde also represents a time when communication breaks down. Computers mess up, phone service sucks more than usual, and your TiVo forgets to record the season finale of Dance Moms. But I don’t like to focus on the negative. All of that shit is just going to happen anyway. In fact, it’s going to happen any time of the year too. Mercury being in retrograde only amplifies its effects. So what kind of good can come out of a time that most associate with personal chaos and disaster? A lot! You just have to stop looking at what’s going wrong long enough to see the gift’s that are being offered to you at this time. Gifts, you say? “I ain’t seen no fucking gifts in the last few weeks, Angel. You crazy.” Well yes, I am. But still, hear me out.

Continue reading “What Mercury Taught Me (And Maybe You Too)” →

It’s a full moon in Aquarius. What about it?

I bet you woke up this am thinking, “I am totally going to be my highest inspired self today”

I can’t even remember how long it has been since I sat down to write an astro blog. Sure, I know the last date I posted something and I have gone back to recount old postings of mine, however the actual act of tapping astrological musings onto the keyboard is an old, sorely missed friend. So I am here today to create and release something new out into the world. Because today is the full moon in Aquarius, the energies of which allow us to release expressions of our highest inspired selves out into the world. Sure, a completely easy task to take on. I bet you woke up this am thinking, “I am totally going to be my highest inspired self today”, and then popped on some Pink songs, put on your cutest shoes, and kissed the daylight with your most confident hello. Okay, maybe that was just me. And in all reality, I was only half as energetic as that picture I just painted. But I did leave my house knowing that I had to reconnect to that part of me that feels the most creative and awake.

So here I am.

“What finally convinced me to go ahead was simply that I was so unhappy not going ahead.” – Steven Pressfield

A full moon is all about a release of energy. It’s not exactly the end, but it’s more like that moment where you throw all your cards on table and see how the rest of the game shakes out. I feel like a lot of people I’ve encountered lately have felt a sense of “something’s gotta give.” The toils of reality play a huge part, but in the context of astrology, we’ve also had that little friend, Mercury Retrograde, at play. As many of you know, this is when communication breaks down and your computer has the hiccups or your Directv didn’t record the latest episode of The Bachelor Pad, or you find out that you accidently left a message on your friend’s voicemail calling her a skank. Those who know my astrology and me know that I see it more as a time to slow down and take stock of where you’re at and what you’re thinking about. Lot’s of “Re” things need to go on. Regroup. Reimagine. Reconnect. Renew. And it’s in the sign of Leo, which means it’s about remembering to cast yourself as the star of your show. Something many of us forget to do. So how is everything in your life working for the greater good of you? Or is it not? Do you need to rethink some things that aren’t allowing you to live your most fulfilled life?

This Aquarius full moon is an opportunity to connect to your dreams and release that more inspired you out into the world. So let’s look at all the signs and get to it!

Continue reading “It’s a full moon in Aquarius. What about it?” →

Giving you just that