Bodyscopes

November & December 2024
Nicola van Straaten
artist, dancer and consulting astrologer
Aries: It could be that your sense of pace and timing is all out of whack. Things might feel like they're moving so slowly that they're coming to a standstill. Or perhaps it's all racing by. Or both. Time, like love, can also be a battlefield. Challenge yourself to engage in bumpy temporalities by exploring different timescales with your body, which is also an archive. Revisit old scars. Honour your injuries, both ancient and new. Try to recall the pop dances of your youth, revisit an old sport or exercise routine. What was your favourite game as a kid? Can you figure out ways to jog the memories hidden in your body? It could be that looking backwards might support you in stepping forward into a new chapter that's opened up. Listen to Future Perfect by The Durutti Column.
Taurus: You know the expression "Two steps forward, one step back"? You could create a beautiful choreographic routine out of this. Start by literally trying it out - two steps forward, one step back. What it does to move in a teetering way? As the year winds down, draw inspiration from your relationships and be methodical about creating structures for pleasure. When it comes to communication, you might feel like you're in the dark so be patient and try to enjoy mysterious mishaps. The full moon in your sign on 15 November could feel like an expansive and exciting time. Take care of your nervous system, but stay open to unexpected inputs. Keep grooving to Enjoy It by 'Om' Alec Khaoli.
Gemini: Not many people know this about Gemini energy, but every so often you have to go into the underworld. Switch off the lights, check out, disappear and reorient yourself a little bit. It's how you digest all that information you consume. The end of year is a good time to do this. Figure out different ways to dive. Whether it's into pools, beds, old journals, new books - jump in, swim down and try touch the bottom briefly, before you come up for air. This will support the activity and growth you're experiencing in relationships. So stay humble as you discover a more integrated way of partnering. Let yourself drift with "Falling" by Julee Cruise.
Cancer: If you've been experiencing weird spurts of motivation mixed with a confusing underlying aggression over the past few weeks, it's not entirely over. But the energy that closes up the year might feel slightly calmer than autumn was. Use this time to ground and nourish because the new year may start off a little strangely. Practice strangeness by pulling faces in the mirror. Play at being a villain as a way to express any challenging emotions that may come. Tread very gently in your home space and tender relationships. Conflict is not worth it right now, but being playful with your urge to fight may help. Feel messy with Heads Will Roll by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Leo: The close of this year may leave you feeling itchy and inflamed. Or perhaps you're feeling slightly trapped? Misunderstood conflict can sometimes feel like a puzzle to solve, and it's not always easy to solve a puzzle when you're irritated and restless. Try to soothe your irritation by making a study of your favourite misunderstood "bad boy" archetypes. Peruse films and books for a misunderstood and overlooked angry kid who you resonate with. Embrace the character, mimic their posture, learn their most iconic lines and find sympathy therein, for both yourself and those around you. Have fun with this character study by dancing to Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat.
Virgo: I'm sure you're feeling the tug, perhaps an uncomfortable pull of your heart stretching in two different directions? Perhaps it feels like it will never end. It will end. You will arrive, you always do. So don't worry (easier said than done, I know). When two powerful forces are at play (like optimism and pessimism) you could be left glued to the spot doing a bizarre little dance, vibrating tensely between the pulls. Breathe. Think back to past dilemmas. You've come this far, navigating what you've needed to with your skills. Give into a silly on-the-spot dance when the energy gets too much. Go wild, while being glued to the ground, with Deceptacon by Le Tigre.
Libra: Gosh, you must be exhausted. I mean, everyone is very tired. But you've been through a lot, haven't you? If you're feeling dry and empty seek out watering holes where you can replenish. Watering holes include naps, trashy novels and the embraces of old friends. I want to tell you moisturize yourself, literally and metaphorically. Maybe treat yourself to a new self-care product or make a daily practice of pretending to be in a tragic music video. Give in to your emotions, your grief. Your depth of feeling is what makes you human and what moves you to the next chapter. Walk the streets to Changes by Antonio Williams & Kerry McCoy. Let the tears pour down your face.
Scorpio: Perhaps you are feeling like everyone is finally starting to get on your wavelength. Let people look to you for guidance. What others may perceive as difficulty, you perceive as opportunity to grow. Don't be ashamed of your ability to understand the relationship between creation and destruction. You might be feeling a boost of energy towards, but expect the new year to unfold in non-linear ways. Things could take longer than you'd like but in the long run, the timing is perfect. Become obsessed with harmonizing, whether vocally or energetically. Observe how different wavelengths fit together to create something entirely new and beautiful. Get corny with Everything's Gonna Be Alright by Sweetbox.
Sagittarius: Did you know that Hermes, the ancient Greek god of messengers was also the pantheon's token trickster? That is to say we can't expect communication to always be reliable and serious. Remain open to an abundance of messages from both mysterious and obvious places. Interact with these messages playfully, receive them with the energy of the trickster. When delays, mishaps and misunderstandings emerge, acknowledge the trickster is present. Go along with the joke. Leave little messages for strangers on the train, hide love notes in pockets, decipher the meaning of graffiti. Trust the universe is communicating with you, both playfully and seriously. Listen to Hari Om By Asha Puthli.
Capricorn: The close of the year opens a season of respite. Let pleasure trickle down, in the same way that water seeps out of mountains. Watch out for any harsh actions or words you throw out - it's kind of a boomerang time so you may find what you send out returning to you next year. That said, you can also work with this if you're intentional enough. The last new moon of the year on December 30 is in your sign. It marks a precious moment for quiet reflection. Light a candle, imagine it is shining in your deepest core and design a mantra that affirms your belonging. Return to this mantra throughout the new year. Let yourself drift with Even After All by Finley Quaye.
Aquarius: Think back to the start of the year (around February). You might have felt a new kind of intensity emerging, which settled down and eased off around the middle of the year. This intensity returns at the close of the year, perhaps bringing new questions about power, humanity, connection, transformation and your role in the world. It's a good time to be curious about your fears. Get to know the way they sit in your body. Perhaps give them nicknames. Read 'Frankenstein' to contemplate the how humans need monstrous creations. Look at what you have created, and how it reveals parts of yourself back to you. Ask for things, and listen to open this wall by berlioz.
Pisces: While a part of you vibes with the melancholia of Scorpio season, as the sun moves into Sagittarius on 21 November, you might shift into a mild and gentle panic that the year is already done. Express your panic with a nonsense language, let words spill and squish and morph into something unknown. Try to communicate in an extra opaque and cryptic manner, just to lovingly tease your friends and remind them that you are indeed a Pisces. Let tpyos becoem a nuw kind of poetree. Permitting errors enables new learning. That being said I do advise you to plan extra time to accommodate any travel hiccups or administrative mistakes. Groove out the year with Lo Fit by Azawi.
For more information about my astrology work, visit www.nicolavanstraaten.com/astrology
- November-Dezember 2024
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