Barstool Astrology by Reda Wigle

Barstool Astrology
by Reda Wigle

October 2020

Libra:
September 23 - October 22

You’re prone to fits of nostalgia, spending the precious present reflecting on the past. If your recollection is rosier than reality or is preventing you from progressing in your current situation, I ask you to consider the tough talk of famed Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen: “I demolish the bridges behind me, then there is no choice but to move forward.”

Detonate and don’t look back.

Notable Libra: Sheri Moon Zombie/ September 26, 1970

Scorpio:
October 23 - November 21

Performance artist and fellow Scorpio Kazuo Ohno transmitted the horror he experienced as a soldier and POW into the creation of butoh, an experimental dance movement that bucked Western tradition in exchange for primality and explorations of the grotesque.

As the sign of death and rebirth, you possess the same alchemical power to turn your own personal trauma into cultural transformation. Your pain is gold.

Notable Scorpio: Rock Hudson / November 17, 1925

Sagittarius:
November 22 - December 21

Your vitality is deeply tied to your productivity, archer. You don’t feel whole unless you are actively engaged in a cycle of creation and completion.

The underbelly of this energy is that you’re more likely to act on impulse than reason. Remember that biding your time is not the same as standing still.

Notable Sagittarius: Richard Pryor / December 1, 1940

Capricorn:
December 22 - January 19

Saturn, your ruling planet and the arbiter of hard work and daddy issues went direct last week. This forward momentum ushers in a season of crystal visions and focused follow-through for you, sea goat. Your challenges will come from collaborations, as those around you may struggle to match your energy and drive.

To avoid alienating those who can aid your cause, heed the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

Notable Capricorn: Madam C.J. Walker / December 23, 1867

Aquarius:
January 20 - February 18

“I’m sorry” is not a phrase familiar to you, water bearer. You’re more inclined to argue your reasoning than admit your wrongdoings. Yet, in the emotionally fraught weeks ahead I urge you to consider the wisdom of writer Nick Smith, who maintains, “Apologies serve as the daily bread of our moral discourse.”

I venture to guess you may be starving someone special out of atonement. Time to start baking.

Notable Aquarius: Sharon Tate / January 24, 1943

Pisces:
February 19 - March 20

A favorite Pisces of mine recently came down with a fierce illness. In the midst of her fever dreams, her blankets transformed into the breathing nostrils of a lion. Fearful but curious she walked right through that feline snout and ended up in a cave where she felt well for the first time in days. When she awoke, her fever was gone and her body on the mend.

I offer her dream as a parable to you, fellow fish. You never know what cave of wonders awaits on the other side of fear.

Notable Pisces: Ruth Bader Ginsburg/ March 15, 1933

Aries:
March 21 - April 19

The wellness of others takes precedence over self-interest this month, Aries. Planetary placements indicate you may find yourself at odds with supervisors as you grit your teeth trying your damnedest to be helpful.

Your generosity and directives are needed, but you must humble and soften yourself to ensure they are properly received. Take a cue from Lao Tzu, who advised, “To lead the people, walk behind them.”

Notable Aries: Tracy Chapman / March 30, 1964

Taurus:
April 20 - May 20

Fellow Taurus and method actor Daniel Day-Lewis was so dedicated to his role as Bill the Butcher that he refused to wear any clothing not authentic to the 19th century. As a direct result of donning a threadbare tailcoat in freezing conditions, he contracted pneumonia. He rejected the modernity of antibiotics and only consented to treatment (and microfiber fleece) after collapsing on set.

I share Danny’s tale and urge you to consider whether or not your own unwavering commitment to a person or a process is bordering on reckless self-endangerment.

Notable Taurus: Karl Marx / May 5, 1818

Gemini
May 21 - June 20

Your fifth house, home of pleasure and procreation, is illuminated this week, Gemini. While this energy can be channeled into indulgence, playfulness and nudity (three of your favorite virtues), it also invites you to reconsider where and how you derive gratification.

Pleasure is often a consequence of creation, and you are being called to seek out the act of making in all of its forms. The fifth house also governs gambling, and the time is nigh for you to roll the dice on a risky investment or a questionable love affair. Luck is on your side.

Notable Gemini: Carole Baskin / June 6, 1961

Cancer:
June 21 - July 22

Your home needs your attention, Moon Child. With nights getting darker and winter on its way you need to curate a space of refuge. Purge clutter, foster a pet, buy a candle you can’t afford and build yourself an altar to comfort.

Here’s a little poetic inspiration courtesy of pediatrician, poet and wielder of three names, William Carlos Williams:
Still, the profound change
has come upon them: rooted, they
grip down and begin to awaken

Notable Cancer: Cat Stevens / July 21, 1948

Leo:
July 23 - August 22

Your third house of communication and exchange is illuminated this October, Leo. You never struggle to speak up or out, but now more than ever you are interested in learning from others.

Essayist Michel de Montaigne called conversation the most fruitful and natural exercise for our minds. I’m willing to wager the conversations you find in the coming weeks will bear the fruit of transformation long after the last word is spoken.

Notable Leo: Alexandre Dumas / July 24, 1802

Virgo:
August 23 - September 22

Writer and fellow Virgo Jorge Luis Borges said of his life, "I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited."

I bring his words to you with the humble suggestion that to deepen and affirm your own existence, you seek out the strange: unread writers, unknown people, unloved lovers and unseen cities.

Notable Virgo: Leo Tolstoy / September 9, 1828

FQJ's managing editor, Reda Wigle, is a writer, editor and journalist who divides her time between the salt and grit of Key West and New Orleans. Her work has been published in travel anthologies and online platforms. Her profiles and astrology column, Barstool Astrology, appear regularly in the Key West Weekly and The French Quarter Journal. She holds an MA in Studio Art from the University of Colorado and an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the University of New Orleans. She is the winner of the 2020 Gulf Coast Association of Creative Writing Teachers’ first place Non-Fiction award. In 2020 she was awarded the Fredrick Barton Service Award for her work as associate editor of Bayou Magazine, a literary journal curated and published in New Orleans, La.

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