WELL / AWARE Show 020: 2016 Astrological Forecast with Bess Matassa of Mojave Rising

Today’s episode is meant to be a gift for all of you as a huge thank you for listening to WELL / AWARE and for making 2015 the best year ever. Astrologer Bess Matassa not only shares her story, but she also conducts a sign-by-sign astrological forecast for 2016. I love her approach because it’s less of “a terrible thing will happen on May 24, beware!” and more of “if you’re feeling this way in May, here’s the astrological reasoning, and here’s what you can do to explore it.” It’s an invitation to deepen self awareness through the zodiac, using those energies as a vehicle for personal growth. If you’re into astrology, looking for what’s in store for this year or just feeling like you need more groundedness in your life — this episode is for you. Because she’s awesome, she has also curated an accompanying (and amazing) astrological playlist that captures the energy of each sign that I highly recommend you check out.

Since this episode is meant to be used as a resource you can return to, I’ve included time stamps for the start of the forecast and each astrological sign below, as well as a quick recap for each sign. This written guide is certainly the cliff notes version; you’ll want to hear Bess speak about each (she has such a way with words!) but the reference is here should you want to bookmark it and come back to it. Also, if you’re curious about what’s happening astrologically at this very moment, the full moon is in Leo this weekend and Bess wrote all about how you can capitalize on its energy.

I met Bess at an astrological plant workshop at Sprout Home in Brooklyn, where I got my first birth chart reading. If you haven’t splurged on this type of reading yet — I highly, highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy reading horoscopes.

In this episode, we discuss:

* her path to becoming an astrologist (because she also has PhD, and that’s fascinating)

* astrology myths

* how to interpret your sun, moon and rising sign (and what those mean)

* how to navigate your Saturn return (and what that means)

* a comprehensive energetic guide to each sign for 2016

Just a note, we mention a company called Street Signs, which has since evolved and now lives on in Bess’s newest venture, Mojave Rising, where she and her partner Cara look to astrological energies in order to guide others to live a more fulfilling life.

Talk to us during the show! Find us both on Instagram: @mojave_rising and @wellaware_, and tell me which sign you’re looking forward to the most. Footnote: If you’re in the New York area and aren’t afraid of winter storm Jonas, there’s a Cosmic Terrariums workshop this weekend, January 23, from 12 – 1PM at Sprout Home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and more to come in the coming weeks.

Thank you, Bess, for sharing your story, energy and gifts with WELL / AWARE!

ARIES 

Ego expression, combat, fire, spark, alive.

As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries represents a spark. Aries is alive, potent and can even be combative.