I’ve been told so many times that most straight men don’t (or won’t) believe in astrology. And yet, the more I yap about it to the guys around me, the more interested they seem to become. So this column is dedicated to those dudes: The suspicious and the curious, the skeptical and the inquisitive. I’ll be here every week, tackling the stuff your basic-ass horoscopes will never get into. Because you know what? You might think astrology is esoteric snake-oil, but everyone around you still judges you based on your star sign.
Do certain cities have more of one sign? — Alana L., Aries
I’m actually not sure. BUT, astrocartography is definitely a thing. It’s a form of “locational astrology” used to determine the chart of a city, state or country. So, for example, my home base of L.A. is a Leo city, suggesting that it’s more organic and natural for those with Leo in their charts to thrive there. On the other hand, New Orleans is a Scorpio city, which, like with L.A., is unsurprising since Scorpio is associated with the occult, and the Nola has a rich history of witchcraft and spiritual practices. It obviously goes on from there — New York is a Cancer city, etc., etc.
Astrocartography is particularly useful when traveling, as not all places will have a vibe that suits your individual birth chart. So it’s worth checking out before you book that dream trip to a city your sign might turn into a nightmare.
Does astrology say anything about our relationship to food? — Eddie K., Aries
It does. To figure out what, though, you’ll have to look at your second and sixth houses — and in order to do that, you’ll need your full birth chart.
Our second house represents what we find value and comfort in. It’s naturally ruled by Taurus, which is the sign most associated with a love of food (the second would be Cancer, but we’ll get to that in a minute). So if you have Jupiter (the planet of expansion and enlightenment, but also excess) in that house — or Venus (the planet that naturally rules the second house, and thus, amplifies its qualities); Sagittarius (ruled by Jupiter, which we just covered); Cancer (ruled by the moon, which ebbs and flows, and therefore, leads to emotional eating patterns); and Taurus (duh!) on the cusp of that house — I’d watch out for overindulgence when it comes to food.
As for our sixth house, it represents our daily routines as well as our ability to manage and maintain healthy patterns. It’s naturally ruled by Virgo, but if you’ve got Jupiter, Venus or the moon in this house, you’ll have to be extra cautious about over indulging. Because within the moon, we usually find yo-yo dieters; Jupiter and obesity are familiar friends; and Venus brings with it a general laziness when it comes to hitting (or not hitting) the gym.
Write to me! Because dude, I’m more than happy to tell you what your sign means w/r/t whatever is happening in your bedroom, with your friends and family or your job/office. Hmu at erin.taj@melindustries.com.
Erin Taj
Taj is the Art Director and resident Astrologer at MEL. She’s worked with Nike, UPROXX, Taschen, Red Bull, New Balance, and other brands as an art director, graphic designer, illustrator, and producer. She was born and raised in Los Angeles. She's a Leo, does jiujitsu, and has a giant bully pit-bull named Roxanne who's completely useless.
