Practical Magic: A Beginner's Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells - Nikki Van De Car 2017

The Celestial Bodies
Astrology
Casual Clairvoyance

SUN: As the center of our solar system, the Sun is essentially the center of our universe. It provides us with light, life, and represents our ego, our health, and our pride. The Sun is an authority, usually the authority we have over ourselves and others. The Sun makes its journey through the zodiac once per year, spending about a month with each sign.

MOON: The Moon also provides light, but it is a mysterious light, and so the Moon represents our intuition, our deepest feelings, and our private lives. The Moon is connected to our familial history, our roots—and our ability to connect with our emotions. The Moon takes only twenty-eight days to travel through the zodiac, spending two to three days with each sign.

MERCURY: Mercury is an excellent communicator, but mainly in the realm of rational thought. Mercury revolves around research, learning, decision-making, and the sharing of information. When Mercury goes retrograde (meaning when it appears to be moving backward across the night sky—though mind you, that’s just an optical illusion caused by the differences in the speed of its orbit with respect to Earth’s), it scrambles its ability to disseminate that information, causing all kinds of confusion. If Mercury is in retrograde, definitely hold off signing any important contracts or making any big decisions. It also wreaks particular havoc with the technology of communication, so expect your iPhone to crap out on you. Since Mercury is so close to the Sun, its journey across the zodiac is very similar in length and time.

VENUS: As you might expect, Venus represents love, beauty, and pleasure. Venus is alluring and receptive, but not aggressive. Venus can be a little manipulative, but only in a short-term, hedonistic way; thinking about consequences and making careful plans are not Venus’ way. But when Venus retrogrades, then that’s a time to reassess and think about whom or what we truly value. Venus generally takes about ten to twelve months to travel across the zodiac, spending a few weeks with each sign.

MARS: Mars is a force of nature. Its energy is aggressive, energetic, competitive, and brave. Mars governs war, of course, but war in all forms, including sports, arguments, and any kind of conflict. When Mars goes retrograde, though, it’s time to retreat and regroup. Mars takes approximately two years to circle the zodiac, spending six or seven weeks with each sign.

JUPITER: Jupiter is a planet of vision, faith, optimism, and wisdom. As our largest gas giant, it casts a powerful shadow of good fortune—because of this, Jupiter is sometimes known as the Great Benefactor. Jupiter encourages us to seek out the new—externally, through travel, but also inwardly, as we learn something we hadn’t considered before and feel confident to explore. When Jupiter is in retrograde, that forward expansion turns inward; you may find yourself planning and replanning without actually getting started. Jupiter takes twelve years to travel the zodiac, and it sits with each sign for a full year.

SATURN: Called the Great Teacher, Saturn is a planet of ambition and productivity, but also of caution and responsibility. Saturn is not a dreamer; instead it forces us to confront reality, bringing maturity and the values of patience, consideration, structure, and sacrifice. When this planet is in retrograde, we have the opportunity to go back and revisit things we might have wanted to do differently, to consider other ways of doing things. Saturn takes twenty-nine years to go across the zodiac and stays in each sign for two and a half years.

URANUS: If Saturn teaches us to be responsible and think things through, Uranus helps us learn to love the unexpected. It rules the future and all new technology. Anything innovative, idiosyncratic, or experimental falls under Uranus’ umbrella. And Uranus encourages us to think as far outside the box as possible—maybe even breaking the box. When Uranus is in retrograde, you may experience a shift inside yourself, where a change that you had been resisting suddenly becomes more appealing—even necessary. Uranus takes eighty-four years to circle the zodiac and stays with a sign for seven of those years—making those seven years very creative, indeed.

NEPTUNE: Lovely Neptune is the planet of inspiration. Like the Moon, it governs intuition, dreams, the subconscious, and the magical. But Neptune goes deeper than the Moon does, making us purer, more refined. It urges us to be more than we are, to not accept Saturn’s reality, but instead strive for greatness. When Neptune is in retrograde, however, reality comes knocking, and you might receive a wake-up call. It’s a great time to make decisions about what is really important to you. Neptune circles the zodiac over the course of 146 years, staying with each sign for fourteen years.

PLUTO: Not yet demoted from full planetary status in astrology, Pluto rules transformation, rebirth, and metamorphosis. Pluto reigns over all that is unseen or buried, including secrets, the unconscious workings of society, and planning. Pluto can be a bit unpredictable, sometimes helping you to hide, and other times revealing all. When it is in retrograde, Pluto asks you to look inward, particularly at the parts of yourself you may not like so much. Is it time to transform? Pluto takes 246 years to travel around the zodiac. Its eccentric orbit makes its stay with each sign uneven—sometimes it visits for eleven years, sometimes for thirty-two.