apologies for the double-send! having tech difficulties!

There are more than 120 responses (!!) to the end of year reader survey so far, and one thing is clear: when it comes to astrology, many of you still struggle to feel comfortable with the basics. This has been such a good call-in. Even seasoned hobbyists and pros benefit from brushing up on our fundamentals. And the most fundamental of astrological foundations is not the signs, but the planets (which are, incidentally, the entire focus of my forthcoming Astrology for Artists book!). Which is to say, y’all have reminded me that a primer on the planets is always a good idea.

That said, I don’t think that keyword memorization is the best way to learn anything. I think Story is a powerful teacher — and connecting the planets to the cultural stories that we are most familiar with is a potent way to (re-)introduce them. And my favorite myths, legends, and over-stories have always belonged to that category most often called Fairy Tale.

The truth is that I’ve been sitting on a “let’s use fairy tales to talk about astrology” google doc for years. It’s bursting with notes on which planets relate to which character types and events and stories. While I’ve had it on my content calendar as a “to-do” since 2021 (literally), I’ve talked myself out of the series every time I made to start a new Substack draft. It’s too weird, too off-the-beaten-path. No one asked for this. This isn’t how the masters of the field teach astrology. Etcetera etcetera.

But I am also a chronic over-thinker. I’m a lifelong lover of fairy tales whose interest often turned academic to justify my obsession. Fairy tales were the subject of my first ever independent study (which I designed in high school), the subject of my undergraduate honors thesis, the focus of numerous graduate papers (including conference papers at MPCA and NEMLA). I also developed and taught courses on fairy tales and queer theory while in my PhD program back in the early 2010s.

Which is to say, I know enough about both fairy tales and astrology to be exceedingly aware that they do not map neatly onto each other. The internet loves a reductive headline, and I’m afraid that it’s not so simple as “Cinderella is Cancer, Rapunzel is Virgo, etc.” There’s too much to consider on both ends. For fairy tales, there’s the Aarne-Thompson index, Campbell’s Hero’s Journey (ugh), the scholarship of living legends like Jack Zipes and Maria Tatar, the multicultural diversity of stories beyond the Grimms and Disney. For astrology — well, where to even start. You see my dilemma.

But y’all have reminded me to explore topics in this newsletter that bring me joy. You’ve affirmed that you’re here to follow me down the rabbit hole, a la Alice in Wonderland, to explore offbeat connections and, most of all, that crossroads where archetype and story meet planet and star.

🔮 I am officially opening my comprehensive, planning-oriented 2026 Year Ahead readings to new clients! These are especially good for artists and writers wanting to ~make moves~ and also best utilize the astro-weather for seasons of high output and vital rest. Work with your personal astrology rather than against it!

Each of these stories possess different and unique lessons that we might learn about each of the seven traditional planets.1

I am so excited to kick off our first post-eclipse season series. Coming to an inbox near you, the first installment will arrive next week. The second will be in November, and the third in December. I hope these essays-slash-love-letters to the planets, and the stories themselves, reinvigorate that childlike spark in you as they have in me — and remind us why we fell in love with Story (and astrology!) in the first place.