A New Season

Sun + Pluto Conjunct Aquarius: Let's Go, Girls ("girls" is gender-neutral in this case)

Today marks a new astrological era for the world and for this Substack, if you can believe it.

But first! The continuation of my Train Girlie Journey, the cliffhanger I left you all with months ago, which feels like a lifetime ago now. I have a more formal story in the works (read on for more about that [you’re hooked now!]), but here is the headline:

The carpet (!!) of my train roomette was wet with urine, which I discovered when I realized my socked foot was wet and smelled it (mistakes from which I have since learned).

After I apologized (!!) to my train attendant for bothering him (!!) by asking for help cleaning it, I was notified that animals are never allowed on this train, so it was more than likely human urine, and I proceeded to live and sleep in that space for two days. All of the other sleeper cars were booked!

It was fine, really, I just put multiple towels on the ground and never touched it with my feet. It was like “the floor is lava”! Remember that game? Reminded me what it was like to be a kid, when everything was a game and there was a greater risk of accidentally stepping in urine.

That’s the short version, more on that later (hooked ya again!). Back to this new era.

Today the Sun and Pluto, the planet of transformation, both moved from Capricorn into Aquarius. If this is your first time realizing I am not only a Train Girlie but also an Astrology Girlie, surprise!

I was born under an Aquarius Moon. The Moon represents the body and emotions and is a deeply personal aspect in astrology. Aquarius is a sign that is considered intellectual, innovative, a little spacey and weird, rebellious, and focused on the collective. When I explain how I feel with an Aquarius Moon, I say that I’m truly excellent at understanding my emotions and talking about them, I’m less excellent at feeling them. I am often seeking evidence or justification for my overflowing emotions (I’m also a dramatic Leo Sun and intense Scorpio Rising and have been diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar two so you do the math), and it’s taken me until recently to begin to trust myself and my intuition. My intuition isn’t backed by anything material, you see.

But my Aquarius Moon (and my ADHD) has also gifted me with an abundance of curiosity and a mind that is always running, even when I’m asleep. I’ve always had vivid dreams where I’ve had the freedom to experience the full spectrum of my emotion, safely contained in my subconscious and blessedly fresh in my mind when I wake so I can apply these lessons to my waking life. I see patterns and recurring themes and am finally learning that breaking patterns or changing something in my life to address those themes, while terrifying, is also liberating.

When I embarked on my Train Girlie Journey, I wasn’t sure how I would spend my days on the train - I definitely didn’t imagine it would be in part by pretending the floor would melt my little feet - and I brought an embarrassing amount of books and activities to keep myself inspired and creative. Ultimately, all I needed to have brought was my headphones and some downloaded music and a spiral notebook, because when I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or gazing at the truly remarkable countryside, I was writing. I wasn’t judging, I wasn’t outlining, I wasn’t planning. I was simply writing and letting whatever wanted to flow, flow. I felt like a true vessel, which as a 10th House Leo Stellium was a dream come true.

That journey brought me a new practice that I’ve maintained since and it lets me pour out my emotions in a way that feels comfortable to my Aquarius Moon and, beautifully, begets more creativity and inspiration.

And yet.

It’s been months and I’ve shared practically none of that work. Because there’s still a loud enough part of me who has me convinced I am the one at fault for being assigned to the roomette with urine-soaked carpet, and I should make sure the attendant knows how sorry I am to bother him about this minor inconvenience. That part of me is still good at telling me how my work will be received, and it’s not nice! Even right now, I can hear her saying “you’re not actually saying anything right now, this is self-indulgent and a waste of time”. Not nice, right?

My Leos are all terrified of rejection, but my Aquarius Moon is becoming more confident in reminding me that I can’t control how my work is received, ever.

2024 has already been declared the year of judging less and sharing more, and now that the planet of transformation has moved into Pluto for the second time since 1798, it’s time to embrace the fear, embrace the weird, embrace the cringe.

Pluto in Aquarius is about breaking patterns. It’s about changing perspectives. It’s about collective liberation. It’s about connection. It’s about vision and imagination. It’s about trying and discovering. It’s about communication. It’s about learning from mistakes. It’s about showing up as your weirdest and truest self with a sense of play and freedom and embracing the community that embraces you. It’s about creative expression. Creating every day.

Also if you refer my Substack to other people you’ll get free subscriptions, it’s a benevolent pyramid scheme! But, more importantly, word of mouth goes a long way, so anytime you share this Substack with others, it’s appreciated.

Thank you for reading, I love you.