Today at 11:03PM, the Sun reaches 19 degrees, 34 minutes of Sagittarius, my solar return (nearly 23 hours ahead of my actual birthday). I’ve never really made it a priority to look at my solar return chart in the past–after all, the shoemaker’s children are often barefoot–but this year felt different. It felt necessary. And what I found wasn’t at all surprising: at the time of perfection, my ascendant is only 3 degrees from its natal position and the site of the chart’s most interesting aspect: Vesta opposite Neptune–Devotion to the Liminal.
In mythology, Vesta occupied an interesting position. She herself had very few, if any, myths of her own and stayed wholly apart from the squabbles of her divine siblings but remained one of the most important beings in the ancient world. She ruled over the household spirits of Rome and presided over transitional periods of life like marriage and parenthood, yet her shrine–itself a liminal space–was kept by virgin priestesses. As the Goddess of the Threshold, she was often invoked alongside Janus, the God of the Doorway, and historians suggest that she was the conduit between the Roman people and their gods. In astrology, Vesta represents that which we hold sacred, our driving purpose, the fire we devote ourselves to burning.
I often joke that I’ve lived my entire life in the liminal, halfway between one world and another. At different times this took different forms, sticking me between the realms of science and spirituality, academia and the occult, and even between life and death. But this year came with a realization. I do not live on the threshold; I am the threshold. My purpose is to embody this space, to hold open the curtain and invite you through. As I begin my next cycle, I do so with razor sharp awareness and crystal understanding. I’ve heard the call and come to love my fate. Thank you to everyone who saw me as I am and held up the mirror. I’ve got it from here. 🏹✨