Lady Luck may have left the building, but your chances of getting lucky are still pretty good.
Insert horror movie doom music — Friday the 13th is nigh, bringing with it a sense of general unease and an unexpectedly delightful astrological transit.
Before we get to the primal sex and shadow work, we’ll address the ominous reputation.
Why the dread about Friday the 13th?
The unlucky association of this day of days stretches back centuries to Nordic folklore. According to myth, the twelve primary deities of the Nordic pantheon threw a dinner party in Valhalla (fun).
The trickster god Loki showed up uninvited as the thirteenth guest and orchestrated the ‘murder by mistletoe’ death of Balder the Beautiful, god of light and gladness. Balder’s death brought grief to the world and solidified the bad vibes of the number thirteen.
Fateful feasts continue in the Christian tradition.
Friday is no fun, all death in The Bible
Thirteen people were present at the Last Supper; Judas, a probable Aries and the redheaded betrayer of JC, was the last to arrive, furthering the association between the number and imminent death or ruin.
And the hits keep on coming, folks.
Friday comes into biblical play in several additional ways; Jesus was crucified on the Friday after the Last Supper, and according to lore, Friday marks the day that a) Cain killed Abel and b) Eve offered Adam the downfall apple of knowledge.
Yikes.
Friday the 13th in history
Through the bible and beyond, Friday the 13th has played host to odious events that have further stoked its reputation as a baddy. Notable among these are the arrest and subsequent massacre of the Knights Templar in 1307, the bombing of Buckingham Palace in 1940, and the murders of New Yorker Kitty Genovese in 1964 and rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996.
Fear of this date is as deep as its history; there are even two terms to describe the phobia, each sounding remarkably like Ikea furniture — paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia, respectively.
The astrology of Friday the 13th
In astrology, Friday belongs to Venus, the planet of love, beauty, attraction, assets, aesthetics and ambient light.
And it just so happens that this year, Venus will be in her home turf of Libra on Friday the 13th.
This transit amplifies the energy of love, attraction, beauty, and reception, making it a peak time to call in desires and an excellent time to hit the town or hit up a stranger for role-play, family constellation therapy, freelance opportunities, or a hotel rendezvous.
Venus in Libra = turned on by turndown service, and all in for getting it on in a space someone else has to clean up.
Black Moon Lilith and Friday the 13th
In a union of the status quo and the subversive, Venus will also be conjunct, or blending energies with Black Moon Lilith (BML) on Friday the 13th. Libra represents conventional attraction and appetites, while BML is the toe-sucking, shadow-walking, salted underbelly of the taboo.
Apropos of the dark associations of Friday the 13th, BML represents our wild selves, our primordial urge to create and destroy, the shadow side of human sexuality, our assigned shame, unconscious mind, secreted desires, and reservoirs of power.
You know, sunny stuff.
During this conjunction, the lines between the illicit and the accepted are blurred, expression and experimentation are encouraged. Venus asks that we be wholly present for the physical pleasure of being alive, while BML demands that we own and initiate what makes us feel vital, powerful, and free.
Letting it out, getting it on, getting off and speaking the truth are excellent ways to honor the spirit of this transit and to welcome next week’s eclipse, the primary theme of which is released.
Given the horror movie hype of Friday the 13th, may I suggest translating the painful/pleasurable anticipatory and darkly curious energy of those fright fests to your pursuit and enjoyment of all things?
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
