Astrology Buzzwords and Red Flags
As a professional astrologer working in the age of big tech and influencer astrology, a lot of my time is spent doing damage control. Unfortunately, we’re in an age of “anything goes” astrology. Anything goes as long as it gets clicks and likes, regardless of its accuracy, relevance, or helpfulness.
There’s a lot of bad astrology out there. And although some may mean well, app interpretations and clickbait articles tend to leave my clients feeling either afraid or confused. Do challenging things happen in life? Yes. Can astrology give us information about those things? Yes. But fear or confusion are trademarks of interacting with unhelpful astrology. Honestly, I wish many of these apps, articles, tweets, and Instagram posts came with a disclaimer that said: I know enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be helpful.
I’m grateful that astrology is having a boom. It makes it more accessible. But misinformation is one of many tradeoffs to its increased popularity. And instead of pointing people to trusted and experienced astrology professionals, a lot of dollars and attention are going to less reputable sources. Big tech, influencer, and DIY astrology simply can’t replace a professional consultation. Period.
The intention behind this post is to help you sharpen your discernment skills so that any fear, worry, or overwhelm that may occur while navigating the digital astrology space is reduced or eliminated. And a couple fine points before we get to the juicy bits. This list is not exhaustive. I’m a traditional astrologer. A modern astrologer might put different things on their list(s). These opinions are rooted in sound traditional technique, but they’re still opinions. My opinions may change over the life of my practice.
Buzzword Topics
I consider the incomplete list below “buzzword topics” because they’re what the bulk of popular astrology content is about today. Buzzword topics are popular because they’re easy to understand and don’t require a professional to write something basic about them. Buzzword topics are also rooted in vague, partial truths, which means they’re going to “resonate” with someone somewhere. I don’t think buzzword topics are inherently harmful, but they’re rarely the big cosmic players when it comes to how your life unfolds—and they contribute to misleading stereotypes about my profession.
New and Full Moons
When I first got into astrology, I was obsessed with New and Full Moons and what they “meant” for me. So if that’s where you’re at, I get it. The issue is when New and Full Moons are blown out of proportion. These things happen every two weeks. In the big scheme of life, it’s like getting freaked out that it’s going to rain tomorrow, or that the sun will set tonight. Of course it’s going to set. It happens every day. It breaks my heart when I watch clients needlessly worry that something life altering is going to happen every New or Full Moon. It just won’t.
New and Full Moons may matter if they’re in extremely good or challenging condition, and occur in exact aspect with a pivotal part of your personal birth chart. But even then, it’s rare for a New or Full Moon to be more than a passing mood or experience. I like to think of them as highlighters for other things that are happing in the sky rather than instigators.
New and Full Moons may matter much more if they’re an eclipse. But this needs standards too. I’m talking about an eclipse that’s in exact aspect to something personal in your birth chart (same whole degree or very close to it, and not an outer planet). Otherwise, it’s just an eclipse out there possibly affecting the world and people around you. But we don’t need to add obscure and ungrounded language about eclipses being “portals of awakening” and an “upgrade in global consciousness.”
And for any aspiring astrologers out there, looking back over my career, I wish someone would’ve told me to stop wasting my hours writing about New and Full Moons. It’s a lot of effort spent on something that comes and goes so quickly. These days, I try my best to honor my energy by only creating evergreen astrology content.
Mercury Retrograde
This is my favorite one. Every few months Mercury retrograde takes social media by storm. It’s almost comical if you start paying attention to it. Everything gets blamed on Mercury retrograde, even if it has nothing to do with Mercury and nothing to do with retrograde motion.
Mercury retrograde can be a little annoying sometimes, but it’s rarely (if ever) going to be that one thing that makes life fall apart. There are very specific astrological circumstances that may make one Mercury retrograde more annoying than another. And certain astro circumstances that may make one totally unnoticeable for you, but the “worst ever” for a friend.
Pluto (and other outer planets)
This is where many traditional and modern astrologers peacefully part ways, and that’s totally cool. But I also have a lot of real client experience to back this up. Sorry not sorry: I’m really tired of hearing people talk this way about Pluto.
I’m sad today. Is it Pluto?
I lost my job. Must be Pluto.
My dog died. Dammit, Pluto!
It’s like a bad country song. They all sound the same. Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes Pluto may be a player, but we need to be choosy. Pluto moves so dang slow that if you don’t set some technical standards, you’re going to be singing that bad country song for many, many years. I’d rather switch it up.
Nine times out of ten when a client comes to me complaining about “Pluto”, Pluto is doing nothing interesting. But another more pivotal planet certainly is.
The other problem with Pluto (and the other outer planets…you can add the asteroid Chiron to this conversation too) is that it creates a disproportionate amount of astrological fear. I’ve had to talk many a client off the Pluto fear train. I’ve witnessed plenty of Pluto transits that amounted to nothing, and plenty that amounted to something only if and when it was activated by another, faster moving, more personal transit.
Another hot take: transformation (which Pluto is so famous for correlating with) is beyond our little ideas of good and bad. It sucks to live a life where you’re constantly expecting destruction from Pluto. Let’s expect more.
So, when does Pluto (or Uranus and Neptune) matter? Maybe when it’s in exact aspect (same whole degree) as a natal angle, sect light, or chart ruler, and perhaps a few other things beyond the scope of this blog.
Red Flags
Definitive Statements
This planet means you will X.
Your loved one has X and that means X.
This planet means your life will be like X.
You like X.
You don’t like X.
You will have X.
You can’t have X.
You are X.
Sound familiar? If an app, article, or astrologer talks to you in definitive statements, just say no. Yes, astrology speaks about a range of life possibilities, but it’s easy to abuse and misuse. As an astrologer, I’m simply a translator. I’m not an all-knowing presence. It’s extremely important that I do my best to translate without causing harm or infusing any personal bias. It’s even more important that I put my client in a position of personal power and choice. Definitive statements remove personal power and choice.
“Awakenings” and “Upgrades”
I’m all for a shift toward peace and unconditional love—truly. But interpreting every single astrological configuration as a “collective awakening” or “upgrade” is not only worn out, it’s verging on unethical.
First of all, what does this mean in the daily lives of real people? I’m talking nuts and bolts. When my client loses their job, telling them that the next eclipse is going to create a “global shift in consciousness” will not help. Repeat: will not help.
And two, are these “upgrades” really that potent if they’re happening every time the Moon does something cute? And when was the last time you saw an “upgrade” unfold positively and equally on a global scale? Think back over the last few years. That’s what I thought.
This conversation goes way beyond this tiny post, but the “awakenings and upgrades” line of astrological interpretation tends to disregard what’s actually unfolding in the real world. It also assumes the reader has privilege, safety, power, and access to resources. I’m not saying that resource and privilege are prerequisites to personal growth. Rather, those who offer the “awakenings and upgrades” view often conflate ideas of “abundance” and material “manifestation” with an “awakening.”
Things You Can Stop Worrying About
“Empty” Houses
You can stop worrying about this one. No, having an “empty” seventh house does not mean you’ll never have a romantic partner. No, having an “empty” fifth house does not mean you’ll never have children if you desire them. Vacant houses (houses with no planets in them) don’t translate to empty areas of life.
From a traditional standpoint, every house has a zodiac sign on it, and every zodiac sign has a planet that oversees it and supplies it with resources and instruction. So, if you want information about your 7th house, a professional would (hopefully) look to the planetary ruler of your 7th house for information. For example, Jupiter is the planetary ruler of Sagittarius and Pisces. If you have Pisces on the 7th house, you’d look to your natal Jupiter (no matter where it’s placed) for information about 7th house topics. This works for all of the houses in your chart and is one way to find information about relatively any topic in your life.
What this line of thinking also excludes is time. The natal chart may not change, but you and the sky certainly do. And there are other techniques, like secondary progressions, that explore how a chart (AKA a person or a life) unfolds and changes over the years. You will experience many planets moving through all of your houses throughout your lifetime—yes, even “empty” ones. On top of all this, there are other techniques that highlight certain houses during certain years, regardless of their level of planetary vacancy or fullness. That’s what pros are for.
Retrograde Natal Planets
You can stop worrying about this one too. Do retrograde natal planets matter? Do they need to be interpreted? Of course they do. Are they a signature of failure and destruction? Of course they’re not.
There is so much nuance and truth missing from this over-simplified view of direct equals good and retrograde equals bad. A retrograde planet may take more time to do its thing, or do things differently than the status quo. Long story short: people with retrograde natal planets make the world a creative and cool place to be.
I hope these few pointers will help you wade more confidently through the murky, digital astrology world. If you’re ready for a sturdier but compassionate view of your personal astrology, I’d love to see you.