Spring Equinox · Brighter days ahead · March 21 – June 20
FLOWER FORECAST, SPRING
This spring will be full of pretty and bright celestial events. April sixth’s pink moon is followed by meteor showers beginning on April 15 until late May, Venus will be unusually bright in the western sky as it reaches its greatest eastern elongation. The season begins with a new moon on March 20, signifying a kind of celestial blank page and a time of do-overs and new beginnings.
Some people believe that new moons, like falling stars, have the power to grant wishes. Whether this is true or not, wishing is a useful activity as a method of imagining what we want (which is sometimes pretty hard to pin down). However, being too focused on a specific desire — the kind of want where nothing else will do — can rob the wisher of the ability to observe all the wonderful opportunities and surprises floating by. Oscar Wilde’s perspective was that what we see in the first place is conditioned by art and language. “Falling stars” are really just dust entering the earth’s atmosphere and burning up on contact. If part of what makes them magical is their context, high above us in the dark, maybe it’s our concept of them as “stars” which enchants us (we might be less likely to wish upon “burning dust”). And when Wilde’s character Lord Darlington famously says, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars,” as stargazers, we are not just looking at their shine, we project onto them in our search for clarity and meaning ias part of an ongoing stellar dialogue. Before we had candles, and flashlights and smartphone-satellite systems in our pockets, stars (and moons) were all we had when we were lost in the dark, it’s natural enough to check back in from time to time.
Wilde was the original modern star and although he is not often thought of as a figure in design history, his international celebrity was built partly on his lectures on décor (heavily inspired by William Morris) and he branded himself as an aesthete. As a Victorian, one of his favourite languages was floral and one of his favourite themes to ponder was fate and so, when thinking about stars and flowers for this spring design horoscope, why not look at the world in Wildean terms? Wilde’s understanding of the patterns and potentials of transformation can be seen in his observation that, “All the spring may be hidden in the single bud.” As the new moon arrives at the Equinox, the time has come for us to shake off the winter dust like sparks and come out of hiding.
Image: Recollections of Oscar Wilde illustrated by Charles Ricketts (detail)
Aries
Oscar Wilde wrote, “A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.” Wilde often spoke in the language of flowers and what he meant here was essentially, “live and let live.” Putting aside the full context for Wilde’s thought — a paradoxical Utopian essay calling for both “Individualism” and socialism — the challenge of being yourself while living peacefully with others is at hand for strong-willed, hot-hearted Aries this season.
This challenge is even harder than it sounds, since being yourself means knowing yourself in the first place. And who are you these days? As Wilde suggested, “[t]he only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes.” So, to know yourself and to know others — and to find the balance between you — will require steady flexibility to accomodate for both difference and change. Part of this flexibility may require you to cultivate a willingness to let go of old ideas, making room for that inevitable change to come in the form of fresh and healthy growth.
power flower: Eucalyptus
Taurus
Oscar Wilde was fond of precious things — metals and stones — describing them lovingly and at length in his writing. But he understood that time is precious, too. And when he wrote, “[d]on’t squander the gold of your days, listening to the tedious, trying to improve the hopeless failure, or giving away your life to the ignorant, the common, and the vulgar,” he was addressing you, now. Where are you encountering these tedious people? If it is at work or at school, maybe it’s time to invest in some sleek noise cancelling headphones. You can make yourself a Wildean playlist of Chopin concertos instead of learning more about what he said and what she did and what they’re going to say and do and why. If the tedious people you encounter are online, you may want to shelve your phone, get a new stack of books from the library and spend the gold of your spring days on voices you find charming (Wilde divided people into the categories “tedious” and “charming”).
If you find it hard to walk away from your duties advising tedious people, dutiful Taurus, remember Wilde’s call to, “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”
power flower: Chrysanthemum
Gemini
In the Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character (Dorian) is entranced and corrupted by “a yellow book” given to him by his friend Lord Henry. What this yellow book is exactly, the reader never finds out, but Wilde tells us that, “[i]t was a novel without a plot” and “a psychological study of a certain young Parisian who spent his life trying to realize in the nineteenth century all the passions and modes of thought that belonged to every century except his own.” There are some mysterious ancient bees and jewels involved, too. This entrances Dorian, leading him down a dangerous mystical rabbit hole to his doom. So what does this have to do with your spring plans? First of all, get off the internet. Don’t start obsessing about ancient bees or mysterious Parisians and chatting about them with invisible people who write things like “lmaoooOOoooOo” or “Make millions of dollars beekeeping from home, DM me 4 more info.” You want to know! More! Now! But you have to get your work done. Also, you need more sleep.
This spring may throw a few mild complications your way, so maintain a clear-head and keep life simple. Get things done how and when you say you will. Keep an extra bit of gold in your bank account for a rainy April day. Avoid bees, generally. And on the weekends, keep it lazy. Sleep in and have plenty of tea and toast. Read yellow books and watch giallo movies, but always in moderation and never take them seriously. This year has incredible potential for you, stay focused.
power flower: Mimosa
Cancer
Very few species are are as resilient as the crab, which has been scuttling around oceans since ancient times. As you scurry sideways into another spring, you’re in luck, Cancers, because your tenaciousness is about to pay off. This is an abundant season for you.
Oscar Wilde expressed his belief in crustacean potential when he took his pet lobster on walks around the Oxford campus, exposing it to the finer things in life. This type of behaviour earned him a place on this listicle of history’s most eccentric people. And, according to the internet, crabs similarly “make great family pets.” This is a good lesson as to why, as clever as Wilde and the world wide web can be, it is sometime advisable to ignore them completely. Ancient sea creatures ought not to be put on a leash and no one will attempt to tame or toy with crustaceans like you this season unless they want to get a good pinch.
Now, Wilde’s insistence on living life on his own terms sometimes paid better dividends than his lobster adventures. When he visited the silver-mining town of Leadville in 1882 to lecture its residents, he did so with some caution because, as he observed, for Leadvillians the “revolver is their book of etiquette.” But this tough guy town did not dampen Wilde’s mission and when it was show time, he decked himself out in velvet, lace, and silk and reclined in a leather armchair while expounding at length to the miners there on the importance of The Decorative Arts. His lecture was a hit. As different as their styles were, he loved Leadvillians and they, in turn, cheered him on to international stardom. March like Wilde into April in your finest silk stockings and accomplish all that you have been dreaming of on your own terms.
power flower: Sea Holly
Leo
In his poem “La Mer” Oscar Wilde wrote:
A white mist drifts across the shrouds,
A wild moon in this wintry sky
Gleams like an angry lion’s eye
Out of a mane of tawny clouds.
O Leo, Leo, Leo! What mist will drift about your gleaming eye this spring? Knowing, as I do, that your spring will be vibrant, mysterious, and shifting, I have scoured the works of Wilde for the best advice for you on what to do as those tawny clouds roll by. Unfortunately, while Wilde was an unparralelled genius and intellectual, I am merely a graphic designer who likes flowers. And so I have had to turn to another source — an expert on spring rituals — for wisdom to guide you through this season. When the spring comes, Snoopy doesn’t think twice, he simply begins dancing spring dances. For people who cannot dance, he advises hopping. This is the ticket for you. Find some high quality EDM to help you navigate the mysterious mists of spring, Leo. In short, don’t think too hard before you dance through the clouds. It’s all in the toes. Dance it out.
power flower: Helenium
Virgo
Oscar Wilde once wrote a very silly and funny ghost story called “The Canterville Ghost” about a dreadful English ghost who is unable to frighten a cheerful American family who purchase his ancient and dismal home. When he tries to frighten the family by leaving a terrifying bloodstain on the floor, the father uses modern detergent to scrub it out. When he groans terrible groans in the middle of the night, the mother offers him medicine for indigestion. Eventually, after all his tricks have failed, he grows discouraged and ceases haunting them altogether (but not before making friends with the family’s youngest child who has taken pity on him).
Perhaps this spring you will need to face some fears, Virgo. But rather than fight them, try befriending them and offering them some tasty indigestion drops. You have always known when balance out your more esoteric explorations with reason. So use your skillful, practical planning to stay in touch with reality and keep your powder dry and your spending on luxuries low for the time being. This year holds many potentials and opportunities for you to move forward more swiftly than ever. Don’t be fooled by any silly ghosties who try to frighten you out of doing that.
power flower: Morning Glory
Libra
During one of the hardest times of his life, while imprisoned, Oscar Wilde — a Libra himself — wrote a very long poem called “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”. In this poem, he observed of the prisoner’s perspective:
I never saw a man who looked
With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went
With sails of silver by.
Libra, your spring promises oppportunities for newfound freedom and joy. As you prepare to find these, remember that Wilde, faced with hardship and injustice, looked at himself not as separate from his fellow prisoners (some of whom had done bad and hurtful things, none of which he himself was guilty of), but rather as part of shared body. Wilde meditated upon the pain of imprisonment with a sense of fellowship and compassion towards his fellow captives. It must have required a great generosity of spirit on Wilde’s part to do this, and that allowed him to create one of his most moving works, one which still reaches people in their times of trouble.
As you find your way past difficulties, don’t lose sight of the people around you. Take care of yourself, and reach out for help when you need it, but also offer help to those around you. Your spring will bring you a generous helping of blue sky. Savour it and share it when you can.
power flower: Sunflower
Scorpio
This season is bright for you and will be social, successful, and joyful. What will you wear to celebrate? In his early lectures in America on aesthetics, Oscar Wilde predicted that the dress of the people of the future “will abound with joyous colour.” Wilde disapproved of décor that was not generous in colour. America, he felt, has too many white walls. “More colour is wanted,” he complained. I wonder if he would be dismayed to find that here in the future we have been dressing mainly in black jogging pants and white t-shirts with the occasional splash of kelp green puffa or charcoal beanie for the past few years. We still are not short on white walls, either. Of course, the future is a constantly receding horizon so it’s not too late to add some colour into the mix. Whether you add it to your toes or your lips or your wrist or your hair or your coffee table, bring a bright colour into your orbit as you enjoy your season. And if you cannot do this, mollify the spirit of Wilde by wearing some velvet or lace (or both) to greet the spring in style.
power flower: Bird of Paradise
Sagittarius
Oscar Wilde’s tale of the Remarkable Rocket is a warning to spectacular egoists everywhere. In Wilde’s story, a firework boasts of how dazzling he will be to all the roman candles, catherine wheels, and little squibs who have been gathered, along with him, to celebrate a royal wedding. Unfortunately, the Remarkable Rocket is so taken with his own descriptions of himself that he is moved to tears. After arrogantly rejecting the other fireworks’ advice to keep his powder dry, he is unable to pop into the sky and sparkle with his fellows and is left in damp disappointment on the ground.
Although you are, of course, much nicer and more intelligent than the pompous rocket, you might take the lesson he learned about listening to heart. This spring it is time for you to roll up your sleeves and work and, luckily, you will enjoy doing this as well as the rewards it brings. Keep your mind and ears open and find a strategy for maintaining your patience during hectic workdays. If you briefly lose it, double back to find out what you might have missed. Generously acknowledge the contributions and perspectives of those around you and you will have plenty of friends to pop the champagne with later in the spring.
power flower: Chive
Capricorn
Once, in an ode to Pan — the god of rustic music and sheep — Oscar Wilde cried out,
O goat-foot God of Arcady!
This modern world is grey and old,
And what remains to us of thee?
Wilde felt that Pan should hurry up and hoof it out of Arcady — which is, according to google, “an ideal rustic paradise” — and into the modern world because, despite outward appearances, it “hath need of thee!” This is still true, today, Capricorn. We hath a lot of need of somebody to brighten up this dull place with some new ideas. With your unpredictable goat-fish ways and your determined nature, you really are the Pan for the job. Therefore, like Wilde, I encourage you to throw aside your “oaten pipe” and get out your biggest, brassiest trumpet.
Work might be stressful and boring for a few weeks (unfortunate combination), but the good news is that you will have opportunities outside of work to shift your career path towards a newer, brighter target. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Don’t do anything rash just yet, but keep your eyes out for sly opportunities to move your own goalposts without anyone noticing. To make it through, you will need to let off steam, so start throwing parties all over the place at the first sign of spring and make sure you are rocking out for at least eight hours a week until June. Drink plenty of water.
power flower: Hops
Aquarius
This spring will be a quiet one for you. Maybe you could use a bit of rest? Luckily, you have plenty of friends to spend this time off with. But two important questions you must face before you begin to relax are (1) what will you wear? and (2) what kind of décor will you rest in?
When Oscar Wilde was interviewed by Lady’s Pictorial shortly after arriving in New York for a lecture tour in 1882, he was feeling, like you, “wearied.” And so he chose to be interviewed reclining on “a sofa ...drawn up to the fire” with an “immense wolf rug, bordered with scarlet...thrown over it” while, in a “languid, half enervated manner he gently sipped hot chocolate from a cup by his side. Occasionally he inhaled a long, deep whiff from a smouldering cigarette held lightly in his white and shapely hand.” Since Victorian ladies’ magazines in Wilde’ day promoted cocaine for dandruff control and arsenic for clear skin, the staff of Ladies’ Pictorial probably thought that chocolate milk and cigarettes were an essential part a healthy diet. Nowadays, they might advise you to take some apricot kombucha or lavender tea or something, but the point is to sip whatever it is languidly and in a great outfit with an admirer or two nearby. Wilde’s “wearied” lewk included: “a smoking suit of dark brown velvet faced with lapels of red quilted silk. The ends of a long dark necktie floated over the facing like sea-weed on foam tinged by the dying sun” and he paired these with trousers with red stripes runnning up the seam and patent leather shoes. I hope you find a way to be so well wearied, yourself. Stock up on sipping supplies and at least a handful of delicately hued cashmere socks for some gentle April days.
power flower: Chamomile
Pisces
In 1920 Katherine Mansfield, a modernist short story writer, encountered Oscar Wilde in a dream. In it he said to her, “You know Katherine when I was in that dreadful place I was haunted by the memory of a cake.” The cake would float in the air before him, “a little delicate thing stuffed with cream and with the cream there was something scarlet” just tormenting him because he couldn’t remember its name (and he was ashamed to ask). From reading Mansfield’s account, I’m not sure where the dreadful place was, or if it was dreadful mainly because of the namelessness of the cake. The point was that his dreadful experience made quite an impression on her, She wrote it out in detail, even though it never happened.
This spring will be period for you to disentangle fact from fantasy, especially late in the spring when there is a Saturn retrograde in your sign (from June 17) making you even dreamier than usual. Use this dream time to reflect on your past, clearing the way for you to build more concrete future plans. Once you’re in touch with what torments you, what tempts you, you’ll work out how to wake up from it all and get real.
power flower: Cornflower
This horoscope is inspired by poet Lisa Robertson’s interior design horoscope called Decorator Horoscope for Nest magazine, which she wrote under the pseudonym ‘Swann’.