Cosmic Culture 07/20
Mercury’s inching ever so closely to the microwave, paving the way for a dramatic Leo season (more so than usual, anyway).
Brenda & Dylan Forever
In devastating news to start the week, the public learned that Beverly Hills 90210 and Heathers star, Shannen Doherty, passed away after her long, hard-fought battle with breast cancer; the OG head witch in charge was only 53. Shannen’s death wasn’t without added layers of complication, however. She had finalized her split from ex-partner, Kurt Iswarienko, hours before her death and was granted a rare posthumous divorce two days later—a massive release in more ways than one. The tributes have been pouring in all week, with bestie Buffy—sorry—Sarah Michelle Gellar sharing personal memories and offering beautiful insight into Shannen’s close female relationships. We’ll be here on the couch binging older seasons of Charmed if you need us.
✨ Cosmic alert: Shannen was an Aries Sun, with a Scorpio Moon and Virgo Rising—a courageous heroine, with the soul of a truth-teller, wearing the mask of the public servant. Shannen was a complicated individual who bore the brunt of a lot of external projection, yet her truth never wavered despite turbulent times. At the time of her passing, the transiting nodes (destiny) activated her natal Chiron in Aries - wounding and primal fears - in her eighth house of death, transformation, and intimacy. We hope her soul finds the peace it desperately sought in this lifetime.
You've Gotta Be Kitten Me
Stop the press because the world discovered this week (once again) that the widely beloved fictional character Hello Kitty is not a cat (wtf) but a London girl (huh???)…despite her whiskers, ears, and y’know, the actual name itself. Apparently, Hello Kitty is a tiny girl who “weighs three apples” and stands five apples tall, lives in the London suburbs with her twin sister Mimmy, their parents, and her pet cat. We can’t help but wonder…if Hello Kitty is a girl with feline qualities, could Doja Cat be considered a feline with feminine features?
✨ Cosmic alert: This Hello Kitty reveal arrived this week as Mercury (perception, communication, and names) entered its shadow period ahead of its official retrograde on August 5—consider this your unofficial heads up! Shadow periods can be gnarlier than the actual retrograde itself, delivering misunderstandings, blasts from the past, disruptions, and a whole lot of confusion (hi global cyber outage). This Mercury shadow period is happening in Leo, LITERALLY the sign of cats. Astrology can be so literal sometimes.
Pieces of Me
It’s the summer of girly pop anthems and millennial pop-punk queen Ashlee Simpson refuses to be left behind. After spending all week teasing her iconic debut Autobiography—on a Monday we were waiting, Tuesday we were fading, and by Wednesday we couldn’t sleep—fans could seemingly rest their heads on something real as the singer celebrated the album’s 20th anniversary by releasing an expanded edition on Friday, July 19. The updated album includes three tracks that previously weren’t released in the U.S., including Harder Every Day, Sorry, and Endless Summer—for the die-hard fans in the room. Ashlee is back in the studio working on new music (think more mature “fun rock” than teenage angst) and looks to be back on the road later this year.
✨ Cosmic Alert: Ashlee is a Libra Sun with Mercury (communication and songwriting) in the artistic sign as well. She’s talented y’all (for those who have that SNL lip-sync lodged as a core memory )! Keep your eyes peeled for October’s Solar Eclipse in Libra that will usher in a fresh new two-and-a-half-year cycle for Ashlee, her relationships, and her music endeavors. We L.O.V.E. that for her (and us).
Tasha is a former Wall Street cog turned spiritual astrologer and pop culture aficionado. When she's not busy analyzing her clients' natal charts, you can find her decompressing to the soothing loop of Bravo Housewives fighting in the background. She's also the co-host of the Bravo weekly recap podcast, Popposites Attract. Follow her on Instagram for more of her astrologically-inclined pop culture hot takes and deep dives.