Summer Solstice – Sensory Astro Guide

Come closer. Slip out of those old threads and skinny dip straight back into your soul suit. Summer 2019 is made for returning to our original “essence,” a powerful siren song to do less, and simply exude more, more, more.

Ruled over by Cancer, Leo, and Virgo astro energies, this holy trinity of beach babes symbolizes the zodiac’s creative process, and the claims we stake to our singular self-expression. In Cancer, we get cozy with what lives inside of us, loving up on the freaky fantasia that graces the pages of our secret diaries. Leo sun-bleaches these sensations into the daylight, urging us to sparkle and glow, swapping shame for the unabashed celebration of our own shiny sweat. And Virgo asks us how we can alchemize this sweat, refining what we’re here to bring forward, making good on our promise to pledge allegiance to our inner code, and never, ever giving it away for free.

With this particular summer packing a pair of eclipses along the Cancer-Capricorn axis, and a Mercury Retrograde from Leo back through Cancer, ‘tis the season for returning some wet and wildness to your self-care routine, swapping out austere cleanses and crystal healing for solo dance parties of unapologetic self-seduction. How could you tend to yourself and your process like a treasured pet?

This cosmic capsule collection returns us to the bare skin of what’s absolutely essential. Think of these next three months as a private midnight swim in a pool filled with petals; let it be first and foremost for your eyes only, blooming open exactly as you are as if no one is watching. And then, slowly, let the night get heady, splashing your emo waters over the hard edges, and infusing the humid air with your signature scent … 

This Season’s Sensory Astro Guide: 

TOUCH

Silk Sheets. Combining Cancer’s private bedtime dreaming with Leo’s easeful glamour and Virgo’s worthy thread-count, this Summer’s star-kissed silken sheets are a chance to treat your emotional life like a Queen. Bed down, get entangled, and dress yourself up in whatever sensations arise. 

TASTE

Pocket Foods (think everything from pierogies and dumplings to Tofutti Cuties + cream puffs). The Summer’s cosmic menu serves up secret treasure sweetness, mixing the inner life of Cancer with Leo’s undeniable fluff, and the perfectly poised sense of Virgoan bread baking. From clamshells to calzones, it’s a moment to fully fête tastes that reach out from the inside, remembering that you can choose to calibrate your “give and take.”

SIGHT

Magical Realism + Vintage Scarves. Take your cues from the poetry of Latin American authors like García Márquez and Isabel Allende, and visual artists like Paul Gauguin, as you embrace whatever deliciously strange vines lurk inside and summon the boldness to celebrate the blooms that get birthed when you support these root-deep feelings. Rachel + Mia’s summertime current obsession is vintage scarves worn every which way. Symbolizing this season’s call to decide when you want to come out to play, choose to wrap them on your head or neck when in need of some emo hibernation, or sport them around a waist or tied to a bag when you’re ready to sparkle and shine. 

SOUND

Slow Jams. Throw your clothes on the floor and surrender to Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You.” Think of your summer soundtrack as the campground prom of your pre-teen dreams, filtered through the emotional lens of adult experience. Cue the honeyed ache of Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” for July’s wet n’ wild Cancer energy. Then take Leo-ruled August to love up on your unapologetic feline feeling range, set to Miley Cyrus + RuPaul’s "Cattitude." 

SCENT

Suntan Lotion. Deliciously over-the-top sensations of coconut, papaya, and tropical fleurs come calling with lotions that conjure images of private applications and first kisses. Really rub it in, as you relish this season’s invitations to court your own carnality before offering yourself to be touched by another’s hand.