Sacred Daze Podcast - The Zodiac Meditations

Lessons in Astrology & Astronomy | Aries launching next week!

My beloved’s

Happy Full Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse in Virgo! She’s potent! She’s a biggie!

Right now we are deep within a Venus Retrograde. Mercury starts its retrograde tomorrow. And we are in the thick of Eclipse Season. There are a lot of different energies fluctuating right now - can you feel it?? Are you holding up ok?? It’s intense but you go this babe! I’m sending you all the love & supportive energy 🌟 I hope you are staying present, staying hydrated and surrendering to the powers of the universe - Eclipse season is their time to take the wheel. Not a lot is in our control right now (understatement of the year), but it’s imperative that we are still taking care of ourselves by listening to our bodies, following our hearts, and expressing ourselves in healthy ways.

This Substack Museletter edition is an exciting one, as we are gearing up to the launch of our next Sacred Daze Podcast series - The Zodiac Meditations!

Next Thursday on March 20th, we have the Spring Equinox|Ostara and the beginning of Aries Season! We will be launching our first meditation with a bunch of juicy zodiacal details about Aries - its’ mythology & astronomy, its’ magical signatures & symbolism and how we can work with the Aries Season of 2025. Whether meditation is a consistent practice for you or it’s an ‘every once in a while' type thing or an eye roll vibe of ‘I know I should try it but…’ - my hope is that you’ll allow yourself to be curious and give our Sacred Daze Meditations a listen. They are free, short & sweet and something that you can come back to throughout the astrological season; to use as a supportive tool as we continue on our personal & collective 2025 Hermit journeys.

Before we dive head first into Aries Season - like an Aries Ram would - I want to ground us in some cosmic foundations & bring us back to the basics.

The Cosmos

So many cultures around the world, throughout the ages, all the way back to the ancient civilizations, have looked up to the sky and wondered who|what were these celestial bright lights beaming from high above? Are they gods? Are they windows to other worlds? Are they bonfires blazing intensely, just like those of our ancestors?

Ghost Landscapes

Humans, cultures and civilizations have awed in wonder at the night sky since the dawn of our time, but the first recorded night sky observation was in 1000 BCE. It was the Babylonians (modern day Iraq & Syria), who first took note of the stars and started to chart them. Aligning Earth’s seasons to the moving stars gave way to organizing systems of Astronomy & Astrology.

Changes in the night sky meant there were changes on Earth, a mirror mapping out our reflected world and its seasons. Ancient sites like Stonehedge in England, Machu Picchu in Peru, Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Newgrange in Ireland, and the Great Sphinx & Pyramid of Khafre in Egypt all have archaic tracking mechanisms that align with the movement of the Sun. Connecting to & honoring the rhythms of the world through the galactic power of the universe. Before society switched to a solar calendar, ancient civilizations followed a lunar cycle. An obvious marker in the night sky, early humans used the Moon to witness and track time on a daily basis, as well as recording star placements and their movements across the sky.

Naming of Stars

Some of the most famous stars in the sky - Aldebaran, Algol, Arrakis, Deneb, Altair, Fomalhaut, Rigel, Thuban, Vega, and Betelgeuse - have Arabic naming conventions. When Europe was going through its’ Middle & Dark Ages (suppressing intellectual progress by the Church), at the same time, there was the Islamic Golden Age happening. A flourish of advancements in astronomical knowledge transpired (as well as Science, Art & Philosophy), from Moorish Spain to Egypt to China. Islamic & Muslim scholars created a foundational legacy of astronomy mapping that we still use today. In fact - many Islamic world scholars later played a crucial role in translating knowledge from the ancient Greeks & other civilizations before they were lost in the Dark Ages in Europe (fucking patriarchal colonization #smh).

Astronomy vs. Astrology

How I see it - the main difference between Astronomy & Astrology is this:

• Astronomy:

  • Astronomy is the study of celestial objects through a scientific lens of mathematics, physics & chemistry, in order to explain and understand their origins and evolutions.

  • Astronomy is Heliocentric - meaning that the view of the universe is Sun-centered. Scientifically we know this to be true: the planets revolve around the Sun and the stars are ‘stationary’ while we move in our elliptical orbits.

• Astrology:

  • Astrology is the study of celestial objects through a humanistic lens of their movements & relative positions in the sky and interpreted as having an influence on our natural world and human affairs.

  • Astrology is Geocentric - meaning that the view of the universe is Earth-centered AKA Human-centered. Based on our position on Earth, as we look up into the sky - we chart the Sun, planets and stars moving around us.

One may say that since Astronomy is scientifically backed, this ultimately means that Astrology is lacking, not important, and based on falsities. Another perspective could say that charting Astrology through history actually reveals some interesting interpretations of human society and events. Someone else might generalize Astrology as solely a divination tool while another might see Astrology as a story of the stars. Or others might think it a load of crock. Why does it have to be one or the other though? It shouldn’t be Astronomy vs. Astrology. This is a binary way of thinking that is restrictive on the most expansive subject in the universe! Literally the Cosmos! Why can’t we perceive our galaxy & beyond in multiple ways? Why can’t we love both Astronomy and Astrology? I do!! Why can’t we weave both of these deeply complex systems together to gain a deeper understanding of the cosmos, ourselves & each other?

Let’s expand & play with this a bit. Science is factual and an incredibly important branch of knowledge that supports & sustains our everyday lives. But And Also! Belief systems can be just as potent with how we live our lives too. Why can’t we hold both systems to be true? Why can’t we honor & love & study & appreciate & research and take into consideration both Astronomy and Astrology together?

• Astronomy gives us the facts about the universe - planets, stars, moons, asteroids, planetoids, meteoroids, comets, nebulae, galaxies and the like. For example, the planet Mars is made up of iron, nickel and sulfur. It’s a dusty, cold desert that has polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons & weather. We can geek out with NASA all day long - I’m down!

• Astrology gives us information & interpretations on what these same celestial objects mean to us on a human level. For example, traditionally, Mars was named after the Roman God of War and seen as a masculine warrior planet. In a modern perspective, Mars is associated with our drive, our will & the actions that we take. It’s the planet that represents our assertiveness, our ability to take initiative. It’s the planet that holds conflict, friction, tension.

Astrology takes the Cosmos around us and brings it down to Earth as a tool and resource that can help individuals be more intentional as they move through their day to day lives. And while some use it as a tool of divination and predicting - personally myself (and many others, including professional astrologers), use Astrology as an intuitive tool to have a relationship in understanding ourselves & others within the present moment, and to call in awareness to the different energies of the universe that we can then co-create and co-collaborate with. To be in communion with the Cosmos - what a lovely relationship to be in :)

The Belt of the Heavens

The 12 zodiac signs that make up the foundations of Astrology were selected because they are the 12 constellations directly in the Sun’s ecliptic path, also known as The Belt of the Heavens. The Sun takes about 30 days to move through each zodiac constellation.

So when we look up our own astrological birth charts - we get a 2D circular map representing our galaxy that shows the exact positions of all the planets, asteroids, stars when you were born. We can then determine which zodiac sign falls under which part of the sky for us.

In Astrology, each & every one of us make up the whole Cosmos and we have all 12 zodiac signs in our chart! Even if you don’t have a planet in Aries, it doesn't mean you aren't connected to Aries! Aries still rules a section (or a house) in your birth chart that you can take into consideration. As Britten LaRue puts it, “You are all 12 signs… You can weave the wisdom of all 12 signs into your everyday life.” My main point here is to convey that each zodiac sign is important to you on a personal level.

If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend purchasing Britten LaRue’s Living Astrology book HERE or Sacred Saturdaze Outpost is open & available to schedule introductory astrology sessions where we can review your birth chart together! Message us directly or email at info@sacredsaturdaze.com if you’re interested in booking an astrology reading.

To wrap up this history lesson, while many stars were found & charted by the Babylonians, it was centuries later when Ptolemy, the Greco Roman Astronomer, in 2nd century BC actually named the 12 zodiac constellations that we follow today. These 12 zodiac signs are in order & in correspondence to following the Sun’s path and the changes of the seasons here on Earth.

So, without further ado my friends - we are officially launching Sacred Saturdaze Outpost’s 2025 Series - The Zodiac Meditations! We will start with the first zodiac sign on the Wheel, that kicks off the Spring Equinox, Ostara, the Spring Awakening & Rebirth of our Nature Planet - Aries Season - coming to you live next week on Thursday, March 20th.

Blessed Be,
Joh

~ 12 Astrological Signs + 12 Guided Zodiac Mediations ~

• Aries Season || March 20th

• Taurus Season || April 20th

• Gemini Season || May 20th

• Cancer Season || June 20th

• Leo Season || July 22nd

• Virgo Season || August 22nd

• Libra Season || September 2nd

• Scorpio Season || October 22nd

• Sagittarius Season || November 21st

• Capricorn Season || December 21st

• Aquarius Season || January 20th, 2026

• Pisces Season || February 19th, 2026