I've updated the page, so if you have Leo rising or Leo Sun, take a look at the shiny new scope.
But it set me thinking about horoscopes in general and these ones specifically and I thought I'd tell you about my process.
A lot of astrologers and astrolophiles sneer at the horoscope column. Personally, I like them. But they need to be read with some discrimination.
A daily horoscope is never going to work because the astrological clock is not that strict. A weekly one is acceptable, but generally also too bounded. A yearly one is too far in advance. But a monthly overview of the planets in general, even when it's not specific to a sign can really give you a useful steer about the planetary weather. (Jeff Jawer and Rick Levine do an excellent forecast on the first Wednesday of every month which you can find on YouTube. Janet Kane also does a good round-up in Janet's Planets.) So checking out how the planets will relate to your Sun and Rising sign for the month ahead is perfectly valid.
The sneering is because we are not our Sun sign, or our Rising sign, but a mixture of all the planetary energies expressed through the filter of particular signs. But anyone reading the horoscopes here is well aware of that, so I know you're taking it into account.
I write these horoscopes at the last minute, because I try to keep them as fresh as possible and also because I want to see how the previous month has played out. Astrology is about "being here now", paying attention to the spirit of the times. It's no good knowing a lot of theory about what ought to happen, and ignoring what really has happened.
This does mean a stressful few days here at Schloss Astrologer, but on the other hand I think it gives them an edge of immediacy that horoscopes in magazines can never have. For a monthly magazine, those are written at least four months in advance.
I also choose the aspects that I think are most interesting for each sign. These are not always the same. What thrills a Virgo may be just too dull for Sagittarius to read. In fact, this month Sagittarius got bullet points because I think the Centaurs are going to be so busy, they'll only have time to speed read. In other words, I take the raw material of what's happening this month, edit it and turn it into something that makes sense for the individual sign. I'm seeking the narrative in the individual stories.
I know you read these scopes to get my personal take on the month ahead, but you are smart enough to adapt them to your own circumstances. A lot of you have your own thoughts about the month ahead already, but, just as you would for a medical diagnosis, you need a second opinion.
On that note, I'm so happy that the general astrological weather is so much better this month than it was in November.
Meanwhile on the theme of Leo, this'll make you laugh.
