Astrological Writing Superstitions

Here's how to use astrology to be even more finicky about writing and publishing.

I’ve noticed there are a lot of writers here on Substack! So, I thought I would compile a list of astrological insights on writing and publishing. You know, if you’re into superstitiously planning everything, which many of us writers are.

Photo by Sanni Sahil on Unsplash

1. Void moons take place when the moon has ceased making aspects to other planets during the remainder of the time it’s in a zodiac sign (with the exception of when the moon is in Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Pisces— those signs are cool and the moon still “performs,” as astrologers say). When the moon is void, astrologers say nothing will come of the matter. So, perhaps don’t hit publish when the moon is void? But if you’re terrified of going viral, or if you’re worried your piece will start beef with someone, then maybe it’s the perfect time! You can find out when the moon is void here, just make sure it’s set to your time zone and you can listen to an episode about void moons from The Astrology Podcast here.

2. You can ignore everything you hear about Mercury retrograde, because when it comes down to it, Mercury retrograde is actually all about plugging your ears and going “la la la!” And, it’s a fabulous time to revisit work that you’ve put on the back burner. Mercury retrograde wants to finish things that were started but which went no where. If you’re a writer, you probably have plenty of projects like those on your desktop.

3. New moons are excellent times to start new projects, and are also great times to have existential crises about life’s unknowns. Write about it!

4. Mercury is the planet of writing and Jupiter is the planet of publishing. Jupiter is also the hype person of the zodiac. If Jupiter could be your reply guy, he would. Jupiter thinks your writing is awesome, and thinks everyone should read it. Mercury, on the other hand, has noticed some typos that need editing. Honor Mercury in your writing by giving everything a thorough reread, and foster goodwill amongst your scene of writers by invoking Jupiter and leaving comments or restacking other people’s work. To catch the attention of an audience, one must contribute to the discourse. You don’t think all those intellectuals showed up to literary salons back in the day because it was fun, do you? No! They just didn’t have the internet!

5. Speaking of Mercury and Jupiter, Mercury’s day is Wednesday and Jupiter’s is Thursday. You can get even more into the nitty gritty by exploring planetary hours in planning when you write and publish. You can look up planetary hours here, but again, remember to enter your timezone.

6. Full moons are wonderful times to finish projects, and are also exciting periods to show off your writing. It’s okay to restack your work a bunch of times, full moon or not!

7. Eclipse season is time for prayer. And exposés! Capitalize on the chaotic eclipse season vibes and spill any salacious tales you have to tell. This could also be a great period for writing about situations that felt destined in some way.

I write horoscopes (go ahead and subscribe!) but I haven’t held any of these things in mind for years. Over planning is not fun for me. But, sometimes a little superstition is just what we need to get the creative juices flowing! Remember, as always with astrology, it’s for entertainment purposes only, so have fun with it and remember that your success lies with you.