Barstool Astrology by Reda Wigle

Barstool Astrology
by Reda Wigle

August 2021

Meow, Leo season is upon us. You’ve likely felt the shift from the hard shell of Cancer’s crab to the hot blood of the lion. Leo energy is akin to Texas, it’s big, it’s bold, it wears a belt buckle and it ain’t afraid of a literal or metaphorical rhinestone. It wants to shine regardless of who may have to squint and bear it. The best way to move through this energy is to bow to it and consider how it might in turn, elevate you. While Leo is the sign voted most likely to masturbate to their own sex tape, they are also most likely to donate to a charitable cause or post bail for an attractive stranger.

As a fixed sign, Leo excels at creating and then stabilizing dramatic situations. At worst it’s stubborn, self-righteous and kind of mean. Conquering is curative to Leo but it wants to rule magnanimously. Leo itself is ruled by the sun, the largest and brightest celestial body.

Fittingly, Leo energy is regal AF, it lives to be seen and demands to be worshipped. It will not be ignored. It will not play bass in the family band, it will sing lead and light the curtains on fire if parental attention is lacking, snacks are insufficient or applause wanes. How does one benefit from all this solar firepower? Channel that sunshine into confidence, assertion, and a general commitment to shooting your shot.

To encapsulate Leo season I offer you a parable from fellow lion Steve Carrell, "Would I rather be feared or loved? Um, easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Go forth and roar in fearless pursuit of the love you deserve and the life that you want.

Leo:
July 23 - August 22

My youngest sister and favorite lion, in a recent text to an ex, reminded him “The thing about magic is that it makes you seek more magic. In that way we can thank each other for walking away so we could both go get more of it elsewhere.”

I hope these words resonate for you during your solar return, Leo. Magic: may you find it, may you make it and may the rest of your days be spent in pursuit of it.

Notable Leo: Whitney Houston / August 9, 1963

Virgo:
August 23 - September 22

Sculptor Louise Nevelson used black as the primary pigment in her pieces citing their working relationship as something like a love affair, “I fell in love with black, it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color, black is the most aristocratic color of all. You can be quiet, and it contains the whole thing.”

I wonder, Virgo, if you can apply a similar principle of expansion by reduction. What wholeness you could find in quiet, what pitch in blackness?

Notable Virgo: Seth Curry/ August 23, 1990

Libra:
September 23 - October 22

Writer, sage and fellow Libra, bell hooks writes, “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”

As the sign of partnership and the bearer of the shadow of co-dependence, I urge you to take heed and take to heart these words, Libra. Love yourself enough to be alone and others well enough to welcome them – as company not cure.

Notable Libra: Bella Hadid / October 9, 1996

Scorpio:
October 23 - November 21

Last week, in her light filled kitchen a blue-eyed, wild hearted Scorpio gently reminded me “Everyone you love will die. People are afraid of that, but they shouldn’t be.” For her, the sentiment is an invitation to be present, patient, grateful and radically warm to those she knows, while she’s sharing the earth with them.

I suspect this will resonate with you fellow scorpions in the weeks ahead. It’s not built to last, but it is meant to be shared.

Notable Scorpio: Pele / October 23, 1940

Sagittarius:
November 22 - December 21

Actress, activist and fellow Sagittarius Jane Fonda writes, “The entire world operates on a universal law: entropy, the second law of thermodynamics. Entropy means that everything in the world is in a state of decline and decay. There's only one exception and that is the human spirit, which can continue to evolve upwards."

As the trailblazer of the zodiac, may you move yourself and thus lead the rest of us, onward, upward and ever forward.

Notable Sagittarius: Samuel L. Jackson / December 21, 1948

Capricorn:
December 22 - January 19

For most of the zodiac, Leo season is an invitation to go out and let loose. Not so for the people of the goat, you of the slow pace and heavy horns. For you, the solar power of this cycle is best applied to tending to your own fire.

Invest in reflection, honest conversations, and self-care. In the words of writer and healing facilitator Alexandra Elle, “Be you, love you. All ways, always.”

Notable Capricorn: Mary J. Blige / January 11, 1971

Aquarius:
January 20 - February 18

The sun in Leo illuminates your seventh house of partnership and mutuality. This transit encourages you to evaluate equality and effort in your relationships, yet it’s also an opportunity to reimagine roles and energies within them.

Consider the word of poet Jack Gilbert, “We think the fire eats the wood. We are wrong. The wood reaches out to the flame. The fire licks at what the wood harbors, and the wood gives itself away to that intimacy, the manner in which we and the world meet each new day.” Be willing to be warmed.

Notable Aquarius: Virginia Woolf / January 25, 1882

Pisces:
February 19 - March 20

According to Hollywood legend, actress and fellow Pisces Elizabeth Taylor didn’t open her eyes for the first eight days of her life. She credited this extended incubation with providing her extraordinary powers of imagination, ultimately allowing her to conjure a world that would be rather than accept a reality that was.

I offer you this story, Pisces, and ask that you close your eyes for as long as you can and envision your life as wide and wild as possible. Now, make it so.

Notable Pisces: Simone Biles / March 14, 1997

Aries:
March 21 - April 19

You may feel emotion more acutely and the need for expression more intensely with the sun in a fellow fire sign. Leo season begs, nay, Leo never begs, it commands, you to raise a proverbial microphone to your own beating, bleeding, insistent heart and let it be heard.

Consider the query of writer Richelle E. Goodrich, “If you never bother to say the words, why should anyone believe you ever felt them?”

Notable Aries: Heath Ledger / April 4, 1979

Taurus:
April 20 - May 20

I recently met a sommelier and fellow Taurus who had strong thoughts about biodynamic Italian wines and a word or two to share about living. “Food without wine is an insult to the gods, sex without tenderness is an insult to your body, sleep without dreams is an insult to the imagination and a day without laughing is an insult to life.”

Cheers to taking your pleasure seriously and pairing it wisely.

Notable Taurus: David Choe / April 21, 1976

Gemini
May 21 - June 20

You're more adept at entertaining possibilities than committing to them Gemini, and yet there has never been a more perfect time than now to express the energy of indecision.

Tongue kiss all the strangers, taste every grocery store sample, accept all of the invitations and test drive all of the cars. You won’t see anything through until you’ve seen all there is to see.

Notable Gemini: Henry Kissinger/ May 27, 1923

Cancer:
June 21 - July 22

The sun in Leo shines itself on your second house of values and valuables. Commonly known as the house of possessions, this sector includes not just what we own or covet but how we own our emotions, needs, and wants.

The lesson for you in the coming weeks is to work towards finding a balance between bald ambition and abounding gratitude. You’ll need both to fulfill either.

Notable Cancer: Ariana Grande / June 26, 1993

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. Reda is managing editor of French Quarter Journal. Contact her here.

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