Emily Anne 10/30/25 Emily Anne 10/30/25

Oh Look, Mercury is Stirring The Pot Again: Your Sign by Sign Mercury Retrograde Survival Forecast

Every few months, Mercury, the planet of communication, thought, and travel, appears to move backward. I know you want to freak out. Don’t! Mercury retrograde is not out to get you. It’s a cosmic review to help realign anything you may or may not notice is falling out of order.

When Mercury goes backward, the universe basically says, “You sure about that?” to everything you’ve been rushing through. Texts misfire, emails vanish, and that one ex with “unfinished business” reappears, but it’s all for the plot.

This mercury retrograde hits starting on November 9th in adventurous Sagittarius, then moves into regenerative Scorpio on November 18th, then out of retrograde (Direct) on November 29th. Expect to rewrite your philosophies, purge your inbox and your feelings, and probably block someone twice. This retrograde is taking you deep on an adventure.

♈ Aries Rising

Your big plans and beliefs are under review. The universe is testing your “I know exactly where I’m going” confidence. As Mercury slips into Scorpio, expect more profound questions around trust, power, and vulnerability. Don’t run from the discomfort; it’s pointing to where you need to make a readjustment to be on the right track.

♉ Taurus Rising

It starts with emotional debts and shared resources. What’s been swept under the rug is now front and center. As the retrograde progresses, expect old conversations or connections to resurface. Intimacy only grows when honesty does.

♊ Gemini Rising

Relationships go under review first. Clarity over compatibility, communication over assumptions. Then Mercury shifts, highlighting routines, habits, and mental burnout. Relearn the difference between helping and overextending. It will make a world of a difference in your relationships once Mercury is out of retrograde.

♋ Cancer Rising

Work, wellness, and order can all be over the place or feel overwhelming; that’s your cue to slow down. You will eventually feel that creativity and joy need a reset, too. Don’t overthink your expression; have fun! Play first, edit later.

♌ Leo Rising

Romance, projects, and passions get the dose of reimagination. The universe is asking you to reconnect with authentic inspiration. You will feel the pull of putting attention on what’s wonky at home base. Make sure you are rejuvenating your foundations to live with comfort, not chaos.

♍ Virgo Rising

Home and emotional roots will be felt from the jump. Family conversations, memories, or inner security might need sorting. How do you react when an old, uncomfortable memory revisits? How you communicate and your thought process on topics will eventually become the main character. Be sure that your words come from genuine expression and not fear from the readjustments.

♎ Libra Rising

Misunderstandings and crossed wires kick things off. Don’t let small talk start big fires. Money and values will eventually take center stage. Reassess what’s truly worth your energy and time.

♏ Scorpio Rising

Your sense of worth and security is under construction. What do you value? Self-perception gets a “Wait…who am I REALLY!?” reassessment as well. Redefine yourself based on truth, not survival mode.

♐ Sagittarius Rising

It starts in your sign, so identity, image, and purpose are up for review. Then Mercury drifts loftily, pulling you into the quiet intuition over impulse. Rest before the next big leap; wisdom downloads best in silence, not in overwhelm.

♑ Capricorn Rising

Your subconscious patterns and spiritual clutter are asking to be cleared. As Mercury continues its backward stroll, you’ll rethink your community and collaborations, hopes and wishes. Not every crowd deserves your presence.

♒ Aquarius Rising

Friendships, alliances, and group projects hit review mode first. Some connections might fade out quietly, possibly some with a misunderstanding, and bang. Your career path and public role need reflection. What do you actually want to be known for and are you currently on the right path to be seen for your true self?

♓ Pisces Rising

Career and reputation are tugged, wanting a revamp. You’re also rethinking your belief system and future vision. Big shifts ahead, but first, get your inner compass right.

If it’s breaking, it probably needs to. If it’s delayed, trust me, it’s divine. There’s a reason for the redirection and restructure. And if your ex pops up? That’s not fate, that’s probably the algorithm being weird again and having your profile show up right when they’re feeling nostalgic and unemployed. Keep scrolling. Mercury retrograde loves to test your progress. The universe will dangle distractions that look familiar just to see if you’ve really learned the lesson. So, when things glitch, stall, or come crawling back, take it as proof you’re evolving.

Emily Anne 10/22/25 Emily Anne 10/22/25

The Sun in Scorpio: The Power of What’s Hidden

Every year, when the Sun moves into Scorpio, the collective energy turns inward.

Just before midnight at 11:51 pm est on 10/22/2025 the sun ingresses into Scoprio

After Libra’s season of connection, collaboration, and outward harmony, Scorpio asks us to dive beneath the surface into the realm of emotional truth and personal transformation.

Scorpio energy strips away the performance and excavates what’s authentic but has been hidden. It shines a light on the unspoken and the raw.

Scorpio’s power lies in its ability to see what others overlook . The emotions people hide, the secrets they keep from themselves, the energy beneath their words. When the Sun moves through this sign, light illuminates what’s visible as well as pierces through the shadows, revealing what’s been buried or ignored.

What’s uncovered during Scorpio season often brings discomfort first, but freedom follows. The truth, once seen, can’t be unseen; where transformation begins.

The Season of Shedding

Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, the planet of death and rebirth, and Mars, the planet of drive and courage. Together, they give this season its emotional intensity the kind that demands honesty and accountability.

You may notice old patterns resurfacing, hidden fears being triggered, or relationships revealing their deeper truths. Scorpio peels back what’s false, even if it hurts, to get you closer to what’s authentic.

Think of this season as emotional composting. Everything that’s outlived its purpose, the stories you’ve outgrown, the attachments that drain you, the identities you no longer fit , all of it becomes material for your next growth phase. But first, you have to let it break down.

That’s the gift of Scorpio: it reminds us that endings are necessary transitions that clear space for renewal.

The Truth Beneath the Surface

When the Sun is in Scorpio, the collective spotlight moves from appearances to motives. What’s actually driving your actions? What emotions live beneath your logic? What truths are trying to make themselves known?

Scorpio season you might find yourself confronting questions like:

Why am I drawn to certain dynamics or people?
What do I fear losing control over?
Where do I hold emotional power, and where do I give it away?
What am I still holding onto that no longer reflects who I am?

This introspection can feel intense, but that’s the point.

Light Through the Cracks

When the Sun shines in Scorpio, it shines through the cracks. They allow illumination to reach the places that have long been sealed off.

Maybe this season is revealing a truth you’ve known deep down but weren’t ready to face. Maybe it’s showing you that a part of your identity is shifting.

This is not an easy process for the weak. Scorpio teaches that transformation is rarely pretty, but it’s always purposeful.

The Tense Square with Pluto

The Tense Square with Pluto

Within 24 hours of the Sun entering Scorpio, it squares Pluto in Aquarius, amplifying the intensity on all fronts. This aspect can bring power struggles, heightened emotions, jealousy, or obsessive tendencies to the surface. But it also offers a profound opportunity.

This is the perfect time to deconstruct the decay in your life, whatever is quietly holding you back from your highest potential. Perhaps it's a relationship that has run its course and now only feeds your grief. Maybe it's habits that drain your energy or finances. Or it could be facades and false identities that no longer serve your true purpose, bringing to light your true self.

The key is in how you approach the square. When you work with this intense energy and see it as a catalyst for growth rather than punishment without reason, you unlock its transformative power. Those who embrace the challenge will have a far more empowering experience than those who resist what needs to be faced.

Scorpio season doesn't ask for comfort; it asks for courage. The rewards are worth it in the long run.

How to Work with This Energy

Get honest with yourself. Where are you performing instead of expressing? What truth are you protecting because you fear its consequences?
Feel what you’ve been avoiding. Scorpio’s water element teaches emotional courage to sit with pain, grief, or longing until it reveals its lesson.
Honor the endings. If something is unraveling, let it. Trust that space is being made for what’s next.
Lean into depth, not drama. Transformation happens quietly, in the conversations and realizations you don’t post online.
Protect your energy. Not everyone deserves access to your inner world. Boundaries are sacred tools during Scorpio season.

A Season of Evolution

Growth often disguises itself as chaos. But if you lean into it, Scorpio’s energy becomes alchemy, turning your vulnerability into strength, and your truth into power.

This is the season of endings that make way for beginnings, of shedding what no longer fits, of rediscovering your emotional sovereignty.

When you meet yourself in the dark, you realize you were never lost.

Emily Anne 10/18/25 Emily Anne 10/18/25

The Cornicello and the Folks Tailsman of Italy

Origins of the Cornicello

Throughout history, people have turned to talismans to shield themselves from unseen forces. From Greece’s blue-glass mati to the Middle East’s open hamsa hand, protective amulets serve a universal purpose: to deflect envy, misfortune, and negative energy. The Evil Eye, believed to transmit harm through a jealous gaze, has inspired countless cultures to create charms that “reflect” the curse back to its source.

In Italy, that charm is the cornicello, which means the “little horn.” Shaped like a delicate spiral or chili pepper, it traces its origins to pre-Roman fertility and strength symbols, with roots as far back as 3500 BCE. During the Roman Empire, protective amulets such as the lunula (moon-shaped pendants) were worn by young girls under the goddess Diana’s protection until their wedding night. Over time, this evolved into the cornicello, an iconic Italian ward against the malocchio,the Evil Eye.

The Evil Eye and the Shared Mediterranean Language of Protection

The malocchio, the Evil Eye, is a cross-cultural phenomenon. It is the belief that envy, even unspoken, can send waves of misfortune toward the envied. The mati of Greece, the blue nazar bead of Turkey, the hamsa of North Africa all arose to repel this energy. The Italian cornicello is distinctive in appearance yet shares a common function: it is believed to deflect envy directed towards its bearer, thereby safeguarding their well-being.

The horn’s fiery curve represents both physical strength and spiritual courage. Red coral, revered as the ‘blood of the sea,’ was thought to be a living mineral infused with nature’s protective force. Gold radiates divine light and success; silver absorbs and deflects emotional negativity, balancing lunar intuition with solar strength.

How and When to Wear the Cornicello

Traditionally, the cornicello is worn around the neck, often beside a cross or saint medal, merging Catholic faith with pagan folk magic. It may also hang from a rearview mirror, rest on a home altar, or guard the entrance of a shop. Its energy is most potent when given as a gift, especially from someone with love and good intentions; such an exchange activates the charm’s magic through genuine goodwill.

If your cornicello breaks, it is not a bad omen; rather, it is a sign of protection fulfilled. The charm has intercepted harmful energy meant for you, absorbing the blow. The broken piece should be respectfully discarded and immediately replaced with a new one to continue its work.

Ritual Care and Folk Practices

Before wearing, some Italians cleanse their cornicello with holy water, olive oil, or incense. In folk magic (stregoneria), it might be passed through candle flame or moonlight to restore its charge. Others whisper a brief prayer to Saint Michael or the Madonna, invoking divine protection to bless its strength.

In Naples and Calabria, the cornicello often appears alongside the mano cornuta, the “horned hand” gesture made with index and pinky fingers extended. Both represent warding energy, deflecting harm with symbolic horns of power. In everyday superstition, one might also mimic a spitting sound (“ftù, ftù”) to throw off the malocchio.

Do’s and Don’ts of the Cornicello

✅ Do

Accept it as a gift from someone with pure intentions

Replace it immediately if it breaks

Cleanse it under moonlight, incense, or holy water

Pair it with crosses or saint medals to blend faith and folklore

Keep it near entryways, cars, or workplaces for ongoing protection

❌ Don’t

Don’t buy it for yourself—its magic comes from generosity

Don’t mock or misuse it as a fashion statement

Don’t lend or share it—its energy bonds to your aura

Cultural Symbolism and Modern Meaning

Today, the cornicello is a cultural emblem, worn proudly by Italians, Italian Americans, and those who appreciate it as a connection to their heritage or a joy of Italian culture. You’ll find it glittering in Neapolitan shop windows, hanging from car mirrors in Brooklyn, and wrapped around gold chains at Sunday dinners.

It’s re-emerging in global pop culture. From luxury jewelry collections, people are rediscovering its charm as a symbol of empowerment. Its presence speaks to anyone navigating envy, competition, or public life: a quiet reminder that confidence itself can be sacred armor.

Magical and Astrological Correspondences

Astrologically, the cornicello carries the fire of Mars, embodying courage, vitality, and active protection, yet it also holds lunar echoes from its lunula ancestry and the intuitive pull of the Moon. The Sun adds radiance and confidence, merging action with illumination; an alchemy of intuition and willpower. Its energy favors fire signs but benefits anyone seeking courage, clarity, or strength when stepping into the public eye.

Of Horns and Horseshoes:
If the cornicello embodies fiery protection, the horseshoe (ferro di cavallo) offers a grounded, iron-forged defense. Hung above doors, it’s believed to repel evil and attract luck. Its crescent shape holds or pours blessings depending on how it’s placed. The Italian phrase “Tocca ferro!” “touch iron” serves as a charm against misfortune, much like “knock on wood.” Whether tapping a key, a belt buckle, or the horseshoe itself, the gesture reflects a timeless belief that in Italian folk magic, luck favors those bold enough to touch it.

Why the Cornicello Endures

In a world that often feels chaotic and competitive, the cornicello endures because it represents something ancient and universal: the belief that protection can be both physical and spiritual, cultural and personal. It reminds us that intention matters. That power lies not in superstition, but in awareness.

Glossary
Cornicello — little horn, protective charm
Malocchio — evil eye
Tocca ferro — touch iron (ward off bad luck)
Mano cornuta — horned hand gesture for protection

Emily Anne 9/22/25 Emily Anne 9/22/25

Solar Eclipse 29° Virgo

Lets Face it, I’m Tired

I have to be honest with ya’ll- this day knocked the wind out of me. I could barely keep my eyes open. The astrology for sure reflects it. This particular eclipse series ends up clunking my planets like whack-a-mole at the San Genaro feast and(Cue in Madeline Khan’s voice). “Let’s face it, I’m tired.”

I have done much reflection this pa..wait, let me rephrase that, as the uber Virgo I am: I have ruminated and analyzed myself to the point of paralysis. I’m just so over it. Honestly, I’m done with the second-guessing, exhausted about the details, and want to put a stop to the perfectionism. Because, for what? It adds nothing but agita.

I’ve tried new things in the last few months- I’m proud of it. Some of it even sucks (okaaaaay, It’s honestly not easy letting go of the self-critisim), but I did it, it’s behind me, and now I’m only looking forward.

✨What a privilege to wake up each day, maybe even fuck it up somehow, to have it be behind you and to start the next day anew with new views, lessons learned, and growth.✨

Looking back, the last time the Solar Eclipse was at 29° Virgo, back in 2006, the lessons I needed to learn and the challenges that came with them , circumstances, faces, and places ,are now different. However, what has stayed the same is not trusting in the divine process.

This eclipse series with Virgo on the south node- Pisces on the North node asks us to trust our inner guidance at the jump, to have a guiding faith that there is something within and beyond us guiding us to our most fulfilled self. Letting go of the details and criticism on how we conduct our days is releasing servitude to the grind and embracing the creative process that sometimes life needs to flow. That tacky saying “Dare to dream.” You know what..hell yeah. 🤘

Emily Anne 8/1/25 Emily Anne 8/1/25

This World Is Bullshit: Fiona Apple, the 1997 VMAs, and the Astrology of Radical Authenticity

A Case Study in Asteroids, Eclipses, and the Dynamics of Misunderstanding

This article was originally published in the NCGR-NYC Spring 2025 newsletter The Ingress. I have formatted the article to fit substack format. Special thanks to Howard Moore for his guidance and assistance on inspiring coaching and helping me write my first article

A few weeks ago, I attended the NCGR’s Special Interest Group on asteroids, hosted by astrologers Amy Angelo and Lori Kaufman. Early in the session, Amy shared asteroid Memoria (1247) was exactly on the Ascendant for the meeting, which also happened to be conjunct my natal Moon.

The group met between eclipses, in that potent liminal space where the past resurfaces and the future hasn’t quite landed. As the conversation deepened, I found myself thinking: Who or what from my own memory could I bring forward?

Fiona Apple showed up in my mind’s eye , specifically, her unforgettable speech at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. You know the one:

“This world is bullshit.”

Fiona’s Chart: The Asteroid Dimension

Fiona Apple’s natal chart is rich with asteroid conjunctions that illuminate the deeper mythos behind her artistry and her life. As Demetra George writes in Asteroid Goddesses:

“ When Asteroid themes are prominent in an individual’s chart, they denote a personality in which the power of the transformative principle can be operative. Often these persons become vehicles in the general society through which old, crystalized structures, attitudes and values are destroyed, then renewed and regenerated. Consequently, their lives are marked by crises of individuality challenging the established path of mass consciousness.” (pg.10) (1)

Let’s dive into the pileup of asteroid activity in her chart, especially around her Ascendant and key angles.

♏️ The Scorpio Rising + Ceres Pileup

Ascendant: 0° Scorpio
Ceres: 1° Scorpio
Part of Fortune: 2° Scorpio

This trio gives Fiona her intense magnetism and depth, but Ceres adds a nurturing edge — the mother archetype, yes, but also the one who descends, who searches, who returns from the underworld changed. At just 19, Fiona was mothering her own trauma through music. And listeners felt it. Tidal wasn’t just a debut album — it was a lifeline for anyone who needed permission to feel.

🌿 Descendant: Chiron + Minerva

Chiron: 5° Taurus
Minerva (93): 29° Aries

Across the way, we find Chiron on the Descendant — wounding and healing through relationship, misunderstanding, and mirroring. With Minerva, the Roman Athena archetype, close by, Fiona has the strategic wisdom of an outsider who refuses to play along.

🌓 Midheaven + Proserpina

MC: Late Leo
Proserpina (26): Conjunct MC

This asteroid — the Roman Persephone — sits on her Midheaven, the point of public life and visibility. The girl who was taken underground becomes the woman who reemerges with the power of both worlds. Her fame was never going to be simple.

💫 Lilith Crossroads

IC: 5° Aquarius
Lilith (1181): 0° Aquarius

This IC-Lilith conjunction squares her Scorpio Ascendant and opposes Proserpina. The symbolism? Shadow work. Refusing to betray the feminine. Family dynamics that reject compliance. Lilith demands authenticity, even at great personal cost.

🌕 Virgo Stellium: Sun, Moon, Vesta & More

Moon: 19° Virgo
Sun: 21° Virgo
Vesta, Diana (78), Demeter (1108): 19°–23° Virgo

The Virgo archetype here is about sacred service. Conjunct the Moon and Sun, Vesta channels devotion. Diana brings wildness. Demeter, again, echoes Ceres: this is a chart filled with divine feminine recovery. It’s no surprise Fiona idolized Maya Angelou, another woman who reclaimed her power through words.

💽 Tidal & The Eclipses That Framed It

Fiona Apple’s debut album Tidal dropped on July 23, 1996—but the stars were already staging a reckoning.

Just months earlier, on April 4, an eclipse landed on her Pluto, North Node, and Hygeia. This launch, coincided with her nodal return, events pointing to the path of souls’ journey, destiny

Chiron (the wounded healer) sat with Pallas (wisdom and justice),
who sat with her Ascendant in Scorpio.
A call to voice deep truths, even when they cut. Even when they’re inconvenient.

Then came the April 17 1996 solar eclipse at 28° Aries—just 2° from her Descendant.
The public would see her. And judge her.

Her 1996 Solar Return told the same story:

Cancer Rising (Moon-ruled, sensitive, intuitive)
Saturn on the South Node in the 10th, squaring the Ascendant = karmic tension around fame

8th house profection year: Uranus opposite Mars, Diana opposite Venus — rebellion and raw truth.

🕊️Caged Birds Maya Angelou, Synastry

Fiona always cited Maya Angelou as a core influence.

Their charts show karmic mentorship:

Chiron conjunct Chiron
Maya’s Moon on Fiona’s Pallas (wisdom from the feminine)
Maya’s Neptune on Fiona’s Saturn
Maya’s Sun-Jupiter on Fiona’s South Node

Both Chiron in Taurus faced early experiences with assault. Their journey’s on finding stable ground through their lives and self worth in the process expressed potently in their art.

🗓️ 1997 VMAs: A Speech Between Eclipses

The 1997 VMAs were held on September 4, smack between a solar eclipse on September 2 and a lunar eclipse on September 16. Eclipse season is never ordinary — and neither was Fiona’s speech.

Let’s look at the sky:

Mercury retrograde was on her natal Mercury (retrograde) — in her 10th house of career
The North Node was conjunct her natal Sun — destiny spotlight.
Lilith was conjunct her Vesta — sacred rebellion.
Chiron was still on her Ascendant and Ceres ‘ wounds made visible.

And that lunar eclipse on Sept. 16? It landed at 23° Pisces, directly opposite her Virgo stellium — her identity, her voice, her emotional truth.

And what did she say?

So, what I want to say is, everybody out there that’s watching, everybody that’s watching this world? This world is bullshit. And you shouldn’t model your life about what you think that we think is cool and what we’re wearing and what we’re saying and everything. Go with yourself. Go with yourself... And it’s just stupid that I’m in this world, but you’re all very cool to me so thank you very much.

💔 Misunderstood — and Ahead of Her Time

The backlash was swift and brutal. Fiona was called angry, ungrateful, and self-destructive. But she wasn’t angry — she was honest. In a 1998 Rolling Stone interview, she explained that the award made her feel like a sellout. People were praising the illusion, not the art. “I’d betrayed my own kind by becoming a paper doll,” she said.

When I won, I felt like a sellout...[and] the recognition I was getting was for the wrong reasons. I felt that now, in the blink of an eye, all of those people who didn’t give a fuck who I was, or what I thought, were now all at once just humoring, appeasing me, and not because of my talent, but instead because of the fact that somehow, with the help of my record company, and my makeup artist, my stylist and my press, I had successfully created the illusion that I was perfect and pretty and rich, and therefore living a higher quality of life. I’d saved myself from misfit status, but I’d betrayed my own kind by becoming a paper doll in order to be accepted.

This is the heartbreak of the asteroid archetypes: they speak a language most people aren’t ready to hear.

🌌 Go With Yourself

Fiona never strayed from her authenticity even when the odds were against her. Her Ceres-Lilith-Chiron-Proserpina grand cross vibrantly provides deeper clarity on how misunderstood she was. The fated quality of the eclipses and the tango of transits during the first few years of her fame show that she needed to be misunderstood in order to be appreciated and better understood years later. As the world changed, her message always stayed the same: “Go with yourself.”

She never changed. We did.

(1) Demetra George and Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-Emerging Feminine (San Diego: ACS Publications, 1986), 10.