As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the notion of lucky charms, double rainbows, good fortune and the benevolent blessings of the fickle gods, we are casting an eye on the not-so-easy birth chart placement — the hard-pressed, the bitter breast milk and the cosmically cursed.
Astrologer and Aries king Joshua Pingley @thespiritualweatherman has taken to TikTok to share his picks for the worst placements in all of astrology.
As Pingley sagely notes, “While it may be challenging to navigate life with one or more of these placements, they definitely add to the plot and provide some much-needed character development.”
Remember, folks, easy street is egregiously overrated and misery makes you formidable. No one ever became a hero without a steaming heap of hardship, nor a sage without suffering.
In astrology, the sun represents our essential selfhood, how we want to be seen, and the yellow brick road to actualization. The sun is in detriment in Aquarius, meaning that the death star cannot shine at full capacity.
“The sun is about the self, Aquarius is about everything else. Those with this placement often times never know who or what they TRULY are,” explained Pingley.
And yet, Aquarians often make the work of figuring out who they are something akin to public service and/or a memorable performance art piece; looking at you Oprah, Harry Styles, James Dean, Ellen DeGeneres.
On the uptick, Aquarius suns easily amass acolytes, armies and simps, because with this ilk being a charismatic cult leader takes precedence over having a discernible or nuanced cause.
Moon in Capricorn
The moon reveals our style of need and the nourishment we did and didn’t receive as children. If the sun is the light we shine, the moon is the shadow we keep. Within the birth chart, astrologers look to that shadow to determine survival instincts, defense mechanisms, eating habits and emotional intelligence. How are we fed and formed folks? By the light of the ever-loving moon.
The moody moon is at home in the sign of Cancer and at its utmost detriment in the sign of the sea goat.
“Have you ever met a Capricorn who freely and openly constantly talks about their feelings?” Pingley asked.
“You very likely have not, and the moon’s major beef is being the object of emotions.”
Cap moons harbor a wellspring of emotions but are continually blocked from expressing them. They fear letting go and find overt displays of feeling and affection tacky. For them, maintaining decorum amidst chaos is a personal strength.
Great in a crisis, questionable in a Hallmark commercial.
Mercury in Sagittarius OR Pisces
Mercury is the planet of the mind and the mouth and is at home in the signs of Gemini and Virgo. Conversely, that coyote-tongued, thief-loving, message-delivering luminary is in detriment in the opposite signs of Sagittarius and Pisces.
“Mercury is all about the facts and specifics so the downside of having one of these placements is that you probably have ADHD, but the upside is you probably have ADHD and therefore your mind processes things in very interesting and creative ways,” explained Pingley.
Venus in Aries
Venus is our planet of wealth and worth, assets and aesthetics. It rules diplomatic, soft-shoeing, soft-lighting Libra and is in detriment in the hot-blooded, quick-tempered, monster truck heart of Aries.
“Venus loves love (and money) and Aries likes to f–k and destroy things,” explained Pingley.
“This placement is essentially sensuality meets sexuality and demure meets batsh*t crazy.”
He shared that those with Venus in Aries tend to have passionate, short-lived relationships that extinguish as soon as they ignite, which, depending on personal preferences, sounds like a lot of getting lucky and a refreshing lack of drudgery.
Mars in Libra
Mars is our planet of will and decisive action. It’s the get up and go, get it on and get it done energy we need to rise up and push ahead.
Mars is the modern ruler of hell-bent Aries and the ancient ruler of the ‘art of war’ Scorpio, and it is in definite detriment to the people-pleasing, inanimate object sign of Libra.
“If there is somebody who is not going to get it done, it’s someone with this placement though Mars in Taurus and Cancer are a very, very close runner-up. When it comes to Libra, it’s the crippling indecision; ‘I wanna do this but I also wanna do that but what if this happens or that? I’m just not gonna do anything,” said Pingley.
His advice to those who were born with Mars in Libra?
“Find a sugar daddy.”
Jupiter in Virgo
Jupiter is our planet of good times and good fortune. Named for the king of the gods, this planet rains blessings and serves as an expander of hearts, minds and bank accounts.
Jupiter is the modern ruler of Sagittarius and the ancient ruler of Pisces and is in detriment in the fastidious, bleached bathtubs, purge and purify sign of Virgo.
“Virgo’s anxiety and need for control drives Jupiter insane. Those with this placement tend to stunt their own growth potential, often through self-doubt (and/or sabotage),” said Pingley.
He advises those with the planet of luck in the sign of discernment, “Stop holding yourself to such an unreasonably high standard.”
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
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