(pssst: if you’re looking for the link to this week’s good fortune!, you can find it here.)
You know, I knew last week’s New Moon in Scorpio was going to be a doozy (a cold plunge, a caffeine jolt, a Vitamin B12 shot), and yet, I still wasn’t prepared for the reality check it flung at me. It’s funny when the astrologer cannot heal herself. I really thought my own cold plunge was going to be a spiritual experience at the spa, but instead I jumped out of the pool too quickly and got a horrible muscle strain in my neck. It was a humbling moment of lucidity. The Mars cazimi on the 17th and 18th really did feel like a major reset for momentum and motivation over here though. To be cheesy: after the fall comes the climb.
My Mars cazimi burst of inspiration led me to:
Update my offerings — we’re back to three distinct reading types: Natal Chart (for getting into the nitty-gritty of your purpose and potential); Solar Return (for a look at the year ahead on your birthday); The Guidepost (for looking forward or processing the past with a particular goal in mind) — watch out for the Black Friday sale coming soon…
I also officially moved good fortune! to a new hosting platform — Substack was a great place for me to start the pod, but from here on out, I want to keep it very separate from my writing. You can find good fortune! on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Make sure to follow good fortune! there so you get updates when new episodes drop :)
I’m also so excited for Sagittarius season to begin on the 22nd. Especially because I’m curious how it will play out with Sagittarius’ ruler Jupiter in Taurus. Taurus and Sagittarius could not be farther from each other when it comes to shared values. How does freewheeling Sagittarius express itself when painted in Taurus’ grounded palette?
I decided to look into Sagittarius public figures born while Jupiter was in Taurus to create a mood board. My favorite three examples so far: John Lurie, Frank Zappa and Dionne Warwick.
If you don’t know John Lurie, he’s a jazz musician, painter, actor, and director. He’s also a close friend and muse of Jim Jarmusch. His jazz band, in amazing Sagittarius-Taurus fashion, is called The Lounge Lizards. Back in the early 90’s Lurie created a 6-episode television show Fishing with John where he took his famous artist friends on, you guessed it, fishing excursions in locations from Montauk to Maine to the Costa Rican jungle. Lurie didn’t know how to fish, but the point wasn’t to make a catch, but the rambling, philosophical conversations found along the way. He followed this up decades later with HBO’s Painting with John, a vehicle for Lurie to tell his wild stories while painting watercolors. If both of these shows aren’t Sagittarius-Taurus enough for you, there’s also just the titles of all of his paintings, from “Anchor Is Stuck Now. I Cannot Go Anywhere. Time For A Sandwich.” to “In The Restaurant Kitchen, Late At Night, Is Where He Did His Best Thinking.” to “Man Cannot Destroy Nature, Nature Is Too Mean.”
Maybe over this Sagittarius season, instead of pulling out tarot cards for divination, we can just go to Lurie’s website, pick one of his paintings at random, and call that the omen.
Then there’s Frank Zappa, a musician known for his freeform improvisation. Calling his band The Mothers of Invention is perhaps a perfect summation of the Sagittarius-Taurus philosophy/nature ethos. Zappa, though known for his very out there thinking, was very grounded in person. He’s sometimes a man of few words, only communicating what’s most important, as seen in this interview he and his daughter Moon Unit did with David Letterman.
Or, of course, his song “Help, I’m A Rock!” which might as well be the Taurus-Sagittarius anthem:
Finally there’s Dionne Warwick, one of the most chart-topping vocalists of all time, who recently became known to a whole new generation via her absolutely vicious hot takes on (the website formerly known as) Twitter. “I’m not writing a bio” reads her bio. This is pure Taurus-Sagittarius culture. Though she didn’t write the song herself, one of her first hits, “I Say A Little Prayer,” perfectly marries the philosophical archer and the grounded bull.
The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair now
And wondering what dress to wear now
I say a little prayer for you
Some other notable public figures with the Sun in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Taurus include: Noam Chomsky, Richard Pryor, Zoe Kravitz, Bobby Flay, and Ville Valo, a Finnish musician from the goth band HIM, who created the heartagram (impeccable Taurus-Sagittarius hijinks).
I’m looking forward to a Sagittarius season filled with grounded wackiness, philosophical snacks and a curated sense of humor. Watercolors as beautiful jokes. Songs as tongue-in-cheek prayers. Disarming steadiness as secret weapon.
good fortune!
bookings
I updated my services on my booking site and website - check it out! I’d love to sit with you during this down-to-earth Sagittarius season and figure out the story and the plan.
Tried some John Lurie painting divination - closed my eyes, scrolled around, and clicked on a painting called "There are things you don't know about." which is TRUE wow and is really landing with me right now!! Thank you for the rec! :D <3
Let's see, today is Tuesday. I could not sleep on Sunday morning. Awake at 3 am, I listened to The Astrology Podcast. Thank you for turning me on to that collective. I was looking for you by 8 am. I checked every hour! Moon Missives did not arrive until close to 1 pm, and by then I was solidly out of sorts. Not until today, my third listen, was I able to follow and make sense of your forecast. I just couldn't hear it. Cazimi, indeed. But as foretold, I am feeling returned to my power in a way that has not been true for two years. I am out from under my smash and grab capitalist middle adulthood aka the great decline. I am happier than I have been in a couple of years. I've navigated tricky "let the kids grow up" waters, declined to play holiday uproar with family, and feel returned to my rightful place as my own guardian, my own fortune creator, my own precious to give or hold. You've been VERY helpful to me. Thank you. You've become quite good over these months. Usable and memorable descriptors and metaphors, efficient reframes, and just enough sweet snacks and grocery days. Thanks.