Astrology for Authentic Activism – Reflections

Here you can read my own and others reflections from the tools section to see examples on how individuals are guided by the questions on the website. This is a way to see the project in action, and to consider the diverse way that each person is able to reflect on and consider their astrological chart.

Zibby Trewartha-Weiner – Pisces Rising, Gemini Sun, Taurus Moon

Pisces Rising

  1. Does spirituality play a role in your life? What does that look like? How has spiritually guided you or limited you? How can it serve you in pursuing racial justice?

I think spirituality plays a pretty major role in my life. I have always struggled with putting a label on my spiritual life, but I think i have always felt deeply connected to an alternate reality and I think that is a huge reason why i have been so drawn to study astrology. Especially in the last few years I would say that spirituality has helped guide me to this idea of universal or collective healing. I feel more driven than ever to develop spaces our guide others to spaces that are rooted in love and solidarity in shared humanity. I think that spirituality is what has inspired me to conceptualize these spaces of compassion and community care in which we are all being taken care of. I dont feel that it has limited me persay, but sometimes i feel that I have limited my spiritual nature by allowing the mainstream rejection of religion to keep me from engaging to my fullest with my spiritual side. In racial justice work I think spirituality keeps me grounded and oriented. It is a guide in which I am able to remind myself that there is something other than, and the spirituality of others, which is very prevelant in racial justice work, is one of the most inspiring and moving energies. I think spirituality will keep me hopeful and motivated to continue fighting for justice.

  1. Pisces risings often look for paths for escape when they feel overwhelmed with emotion. How do you escape? What does escape feel like? Do you see escape as positive or negative?

This is an interesting question for me to think about (even though I wrote it). I think escape is something I am still trying to understand for myself and it is not really something that I am very good at or good at knowing when I need it. I think I tend to sort of push myself to a breaking point and its not really until i’ve broken down that I realize its time to check out. However, I think I relate to Irsa Hiris’ reflections on using activism as an escape. I think personally I use spaces like my radio show, passion project, or just journalling to express myself creatively and kind of escape into my own mind a little bit. They are also spaces where I feel that I can express myself more honestly and express my social activism more fruitfully. I think that it is important for me to have these spaces so to refine my own activist beliefs without the influence of the outside world.

Taurus Moon

  1. Because the moon is exalted in Taurus you may feel like you have exceedingly high expectations to fulfill in your life. Because racial justice work can often be long and hard, how can you care for yourself as you work through the internal pressure that you feel?

I think this question really resonates with me. I never knew that my Taurus moon was exalted however as I have learned more about what that means it has become a very comforting realization. When the moon is exalted it basically means that that sign is very prominent in your life and the characteristics that come with it are much more intense. I think I have always felt that I have high expectations and that I have something big that I need to accomplish in my life. As a person with an exalted moon I think I feel an internal pressure to be the person or to be on the inside of the movement to create the newly imagined world where justice prevails and compassion rules. What helps me process this pressure is the reminder that I have to narrow my scope to actually fulfill something powerful. I think its also reminding myself of my positionality and taking a step back to uncover how I can be the most useful and helpful person within the fight for racial justice rather than being at the very “front” of it. I want to practice focusing on finding value in the process rather than the potential outcome.

  1. As a Taurus moon you are often someone that others come to for relief and a sense of grounding. You are an essential tool in providing your fellow comrades support in justice work, however how might you best balance your own need for security with what you are able to offer to others?

This is also something that I think about a lot. Sometimes as a Taurus moon I think I fall into the feeling of exceptionalizing myself which is really dangerous and sometimes can be destructive. I think that I do resonate as a person who wants to provide support and stability to my community whenever I can, and I also think that I need my community to be happy and my relationships to be secure before I can find comfort in myself. In the work of racial justice I see myself being a really helpful tool for making my community feel safe and cared for because that is how I will feel my best. However, I think its also really important in racial justice work and activism work in general to be okay when people need their own space or need the comfort from others. As a Taurus moon i can get insecure when people arent immediately coming to me to process their emotions, however I am practicing acknowleding the individual needs of each person and not centering on myself. In racial justice work centering on myself could distract me from acting compassionately towards the collective.

Gemini Sun

  1. Sometimes engaging in dialogue can be the most draining work in racial justice but it is still an essential role – how can your ability to understand multiple perspectives help you engage with others? Is this a role you see yourself pursuing?

As a gemini sun with a taurus moon I think I am more fixed than your average gemini sun, making it a little harder for me to sometimes engage with people who do not agree with my perspectives. However, I think that it is important for me to consider this role in tandem with my racial privilege. It is a lot safer for me to advocate for my beliefs and values to people who disagree than it may be for my Black peers or my peers of color. Also, I think that gemini’s have a unique ability not necesarrily to “understand” multiple perspectives but to alter our appraoch to conversation to engage in dialogue with a variety of people. Additionally, I think that because gemini’s are so attatched to logic or intellect that we can approach conversations from a very logic or intellect based way an defend our beliefs through that lens which I think can be useful when engaging with more difficult people. However I also think that emotions are central to activist work and I dont believe that logic is in anyway “better” than emotions.

  1. You thrive with versatility. In what ways does versatility function in racial justice work and how can you harness your need for movement and change to keep you invested in racial justice work rather than burnt out by it?

when i think of versatility i also think of intersectionality. there are so many different issues that are uniquely related to one another in racial justice work. I think this is important to me as a gemini because it means that I can be constantly engaging with so many different pursuits of justice and constantly learning about new issues. In that way I think that being a gemini is really helpful for remaining engaged and energized by the work through constantly finding new facets of engagement. However I also think that it is important to stay committed and not to engage in any portion of it half-heartedly.

Alexa Sorensen – aquarius sun, cancer moon, cancer rising


Cancer Rising

  1. What environments and relationships in your life are ones that you consistently feel yourself drawn to? What is your role there and what is being shared?


I really idealize the idea of communities and find myself drawn to creating groups of friends. Nothing scares me more than being a floater! I want to feel grounded with people and foster connections in which I feel equally supported and supportive. If I am not intentional about cultivating these spaces, I tend to take on most of the weight in my relationships, as cancer often does, and get burnt out quickly.


2. What types of roles are needed in racial justice work that you feel yourself called to? How does the role of the protector resonate with you?


The role of the protector definitely resonates with me, and I think I do well in community building roles as a result. I don’t believe that any racial justice work can be done without first building coalition and forming trusting community, and I see that as sacred work. I feel called to supporting this work through cultivating individual relationships that help people feel supported in a larger community.


Cancer Moon:

1. What types of care are you most confident or comfortable giving others? Is it physical? Material? Proactive? Re-active?


I am most comfortable caring for others emotionally. With two cancer placements in my big three, I tend to be really in my own emotions, and think that I understand others best through their own feelings. Since I spend so much time wading through my own emotional waters, I like to think I do well in providing comfort for others in those times.


2. Cancer moons are reliable and loyal and you tend to be a trusted person that others want to confide in, however you tend to be more protective over your own emotions. Why might this create obstacles for you in the vulnerable work of racial justice? How can you balance this?


Wowowow I feel called out by this question in such an important way. I definitely feel that in my natural state, without therapy and self-work, I tend to be a bit hypocritical when it comes to sharing myself vulnerably in the way that I prompt others to do. This certainly creates obstacles to racial justice work, since we all need to be equally committed to sharing ourselves in order to create effective movements. I’m working to balance this by investing as much in my own emotional well-being as I do in others.

Aquarius Sun:

1. The revolutionary is a big title, especially when considering the transformative work of racial justice. Do you resonate with this label? Does it excite you? Concern you? What spaces do you feel like you are already a revolutionary, or where would you like to be?

It certainly excites me to think about tearing down and building up in radical, “revolutionary” ways. Something that I feel I have to be careful with, since this is something I think I often get carried away with, is making sure that in the excitement of big movements, I don’t forget the importance of each individual involved. Without grounding myself in this reminder, I tend to charge forward as a leader without really making sure that everyone else is on board. As a white person and an aquarius, it’s important that I don’t let my ideas get ahead of me when it comes to racial justice work. 


2. Do you create networks? Do you exist within any networks? What does the idea of a network mean to you? How are networks valuable in racial justice work? How may they be harmful?


I definitely create networks, and think that relates to my cancer moon and rising. I deeply desire networks of people that I care for and that care for me, and think that this attention to community building and care is an essential starting point for racial justice work.