ELFIE KALFAKIS ILLUSTRATION

Cosmic Relief: 2021 Mixtape and Toolkit

After the dumpster fire of 2020, many of us are looking to various sources in order to cultivate some reassurance that there is promise for the year ahead. And so, as your astrologer, I hope to be as forthcoming about what I understand as patterns in our cosmic realm. 

When I sit down to write horoscopes for the month, I often will look at planets and transits whose orbits oscillate on a monthly basis. Planets like Mercury, Venus and Mars move quicker than the outer planets. 

If I want to understand the overall ‘flavour’ of 2021, I would zoom out to planets that have lengthier orbits and have a long-lasting effect on our energy. After observing these celestial shifts, the word I would use to describe the energy of 2021 is opportunity. 

Our first big player of 2021 is Jupiter, which changes its sign once a year. Throughout history, Jupiter has been connected to collective ideas and philosophies. It’s the part of our society that wants to learn, expand and reach understanding. This year, it will light up our skies through the lens of innovative, community building and quirky Aquarius. 

What this means is that the year ahead will be a good time to try and find creative ways to implement ideas, find your people and shine a light on the oddball parts of ourselves. This is an opportunity to creatively exchange ideas and grow together as a collective. This socially ingenious Aquarius energy is linked to inventions like the internet, communications and scientific discoveries. We can expect some vibrant new philosophies in these parts of our lives. 

Zooming out a bit wider, we reach Saturn, which is lighting up Aquarius as well. This innovative and social energy is being applied to Saturn, who governs our authority, limitations, rules, and regulations. For the next couple of years, we can expect Aquarius, the rebel that can connect with many, to create an opportunity for our structures to grow into something new. 

This transit happens once every 29 years. Other Saturn in Aquarius years brought us the dismantling of the USSR, the American Civil Rights Movement, the Internet becoming more accessible to the world, and Nelson Mandela becoming president. 

Saturn entered Aquarius earlier in 2020, in fact. In the weeks leading up to and following Saturn moving into the sign of Aquarius, we saw: the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling its farthest since 1929, mass protests demanding social change break out in the USA and the World Health Organization declare COVID-19 a pandemic. 

Saturn moved back into Capricorn for it’s retrograde in July and stayed there up until December 2020. As it moved back into Aquarius in the middle of December, (which it will now call home for the next two and a half years), the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 was widely approved. That being said, cosmically this next year forecasts more thresholds being crossed in terms of our capacity to innovate and work collectively.

ELFIE KALFAKIS ILLUSTRATION

And of course, here’s another cosmic mixtape that taps into the exciting promise of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius to cast a spell on 2021 for you.

Toolkit For 2021

To help us navigate these transformative but promising times, I’ve assembled a flavour toolkit below for each sign for the year.

Capricorn

DECEMBER 22 — JANUARY 19

Motto: “You Got This!”

Item to have on hand: a good joke

Beverage: espresso

Guide: James Bond

Aquarius

JANUARY 20 — FEBRUARY 18

Motto: “Make Love, Not War”

Item to have on hand: informative blogs to follow

Beverage: a Long Island iced tea

Guide: Eleven from Stranger Things

Pisces

FEBRUARY 19 — MARCH 20

Motto: “Dream Big”

Item to have on hand: a new playlist

Beverage: hot tea

Guide: Alice in Wonderland

Aries

MARCH 21 — APRIL 19

Motto: “Stay golden and show them what you’re made of”

Item to have on hand: a good luck charm

Beverage: iced coffee

Guide: Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games

Taurus

APRIL 20 — MAY 20

Motto: “Understand your comfort zone”

Item to have on hand: a sentimental keepsake

Beverage: a decadent milkshake

Guide: Mary Poppins

Gemini

MAY 21 — JUNE 20

Motto: “We got this!”

Item to have on hand: a smartphone

Beverage: iced water

Guide: Marty McFly and Doc Brown

Cancer

JUNE 21 — JULY 22

Motto: “You got a friend in me”

Item to have on hand: fun socks

Beverage: punch 

Guide: The Breakfast Club

Leo 

JULY 23 — AUGUST 22

Motto: “Here we go!”

Item to have on hand: a funny helmet

Beverage: anything in a juice box

Guide: Matilda from the film or book

Virgo

AUGUST 23 — SEPTEMBER 22

Motto: “According to my research…”

Item to have on hand: a notepad

Beverage: a smoothie

Guide: Sherlock Holmes

Libra

SEPTEMBER 23 — OCTOBER 22

Motto: “It’s now, or never”

Item to have on hand: a brilliant Zoom backdrop

Beverage: an Old Fashioned cocktail

Guide: The Pink Panther

Scorpio

OCTOBER 23 — NOVEMBER 21

Motto: “Finding my groove”

Item to have on hand: a set of headphones

Beverage: a mezcal cocktail

Guide: Black Panther

Sagittarius

NOVEMBER 22 — DECEMBER 21

Motto: “Yassssssss”

Item to have on hand: outdoor gear

Beverage: cucumber water

Guide: Dora the Explorer

mm

Elfie Kalfakis is an artist inspired by mythology, play, the occult and consciousness. Her work is multidisciplinary, intuitive and uses mediums such as, but not limited to: collage, film, illustration and street art. She aspires to use her artwork as a means of breaking down stigmas and barriers within popular culture towards metaphysical concepts and has a passion for female empowerment, mental health advocacy and understanding the collective unconscious.