Weekly Vibe Check: 5.15-5.20 Work, Bitch
This weekend I was driving through the city and couldn’t stop listening to a very specific Britney song. We all know by now the trials and tribulations of Britney’s life in the public eye, and the rabbit holes seem amost endless at this point. Is she okay? Is she alive? Is it appropriate to support her by not listening to her music anymore, or should we listen to it to show our support?
That’s the rub on this week. It’s time to Work, Bitch.
As Pluto inches in retrograde back towards Capricorn, we feel the shaky effects of being sucked back down the bathtub drain into the underworld for one more row. But this time we’re joined in this whirlwind of Pluto’s cryptid making power with a T square between Mars and Jupiter as the focal point in Taurus.
Remember a few years ago when we were all very much waking up every day to work in a hypnotic loop? And then BAM- the existential questions slapped a lot of us right upside the head: Are you working towards your goals or someone else’s? What are the motivations behind the work you’re being told to do every day, and who is it actually serving? Are you sure?
The song is split between 2 tones of Britney, almost between two perspectives.
The first is the devil on your shoulder- what do you want? Taurean things? Work then. In a suspiciously Andrew Tate like mindset and getting increasingly more demanding - almost devilish in her vocal editing.
The repetitive nature of the chant “work work work work” coupled with the hypnotic beat that propels you forward with the mere momentum of suggestion feels almost eerie in hindsight.
oops, I stole your will to live
Don’t stop. Get to work if you want these things! A Bugatti? A Maserati? A hot body? Go work for them! Because we all know that in our society, our time working is paid fairly and in direct proportion to how hard one works.
Then we get a little gaslit, being cheered on during the bridge- Here comes the smasher, the master! You’ve levelled up and are getting some praise from Britney herself. There’s no reason to stop now. You’re on a roll!
Having a blast at work
A reminder of the incentives that lay after all this hard work: Living fancy, partying in France… cmon now
Then the song splits it into an angelic auto tune of Britney’s voice. Instead of speaking in a demanding tone, we hear her pleading for us to do almost the exact opposite of working hard: put your hands up- go higher than your current perspective. Keep going higher and don’t let those who want to keep you down win. A mutiny seems to be afoot at the beat factory!
They don’t need ya, but they gonna need ya. Now, instead of ‘dont stop working’ it’s ‘moving higher.’ And that, it seems, is the actual work. The higher perspective of it all.
The chant changes from merely “work, work work” to “work it out, work it out, work it out”
Those aren't plugged into anything I bet
Does this seem like an unnecessary thinkpiece about a catchy club track? Maybe it is, but after all- you’re reading a blog on a website about Fancy Monsters. Everything dark, even parties, can have many layers of meaning that hold paradox of fun-horrific that lay in a delicate balance. Spare your judgement for my SATC style analysis and walk with me for a moment.
The tension within the song is particularly appropriate when we consider the high, upbeat dance track is hypnotic in an EDM style. Commonly used to feel one with a crowd dancing, one with a common purpose- an out of body experience, and therefore an out of autonomy experience.
When we consider Britney as she’s referred to in emails from her management/conservators as a literal “cash cow” we can understand the paradox and tension within this weeks Jupiter-Pluto-Mars T Square.
When we experience a T Square either Natally or as a transit energy, we are experiencing a feud between two planetary energies fighting to be in the spotlight, and a third syphoning, anchoring their energy into its own. The focal planet of this T square is Jupiter in this case, and when dealing with a T square’s tension we look to the opposing sign of the focal planet.
In this case, the opposing sign at 0° Taurus is 0° Scorpio.
What does this meannnn?
It means that this week we’re gonna feel a ton of tension externally from powerful social forces. Major social figures will make moves or be reported as more controversial, deeply flawed individuals. If you haven’t already experienced a previous popular idol defamed for being awful in an obscenely human way, this week might just rock your boat on that. Be it political figures, pop stars, Hollywood actors, Social Media influencers, beloved talk show hosts, or any other generally ‘good person’ considered by the masses- something’s about to be shaken loose. We’re turning up the heat of complexity where generalized branding of demographic isn’t enough to mark someone as ethically ‘good’ or ‘bad.’
The paradox here is allowing yourself to not separate your love for them with your disgust in their behavior. For you and I are drawn to people who project the kinds of values we assume ourselves to have (if we ever get the appropriate resources to do so). Celebrities are fantasy archetypes of society as a whole made to be relatable to the largest amounts of individuals at once. The richest and most successful ones perform their assigned archetype the most faithfully.
The most important transit of the week: Kesha's Gag Order dropping on the 19th
Much like the Greek deities of the ancient world, these modern day deities have superhuman levels of wealth and power, but still have VERY human flaws. As regular degulars, we love to battle them and put them through their paces. Killing them if we deem necessary.
Prime exercises to practice this week: not judging individuals in order to align yourself with a perceived 'higher' Jupiterian ethical purpose. To perform your values is strip them of their humanity entirely. To live your values allows for nuance and paradox- which is very sucky.
It’s so tempting, and so easy in this system we’ve created of building up people to love and tearing them down if they become too… anything.
Ron NO!
Instead, this week is asking you to take a sip of the Scorpionic poison and become familiar with your personal ability to still be reflected in your pop idols, even when it’s an unethical or unsavory reflection. Understand humanity in its viciousness, its evil and cruelty and contemplate your personal ability to act accordingly. Sure, if you were in their shoes, you’d never have said or done X/Y horrific thing. But what horrific thing can you imagine yourself doing? There’s many more than a few somethings there to investigate.
History is full of well meaning people who were just ‘following directions’ and ‘doing their job’ while actively committing atrocities. Harsh truth here is, those jobs never stop taking applications. In fact, entire systemic structures are kept in place every day by necessity of everyone going to work and ‘doing their job’ by keeping a specific social tone and ousting actions and viewpoints that don’t uphold those structures.
The most heartbreaking part of this is, it’s not overt violence for most of us. In fact, the social pressure to distance yourself from someone who is deemed unsavory is at the heart of mob mentality we know all too well. And we’ve all been faced with horrible news about someone we’ve loved.
This week we are being given the opportunity to understand what our hard work is actually working towards, bitch. Are your efforts moving you personally toward your ethical goals and values? Are you in a hypnotic loop of capitalistic ‘work bitch’ mode that’s making someone else rich, and you miserable? Are you getting the hot body, Maserati for your efforts? Or is someone else getting those things?
Remember what they do to pretty white ladies is the kindest wing of the dumpster fire
Fact is, no celebrity is as wealthy as the .01% that’s controlling and ruining the planet. They have more money than we do, but performing acceptability and upholding a system that is overtly racist, homophobic, patriarchal and violent isn’t good for your soul even if you’re in a glittering evening gown. Fame and power affect the brain neurologically just like a traumatic head injury or childhood abuse. It’s not good for you. If you listen to some of the most famous art that revolves around the concept of fame, you’ll find a violent, bloody mess. Pop culture figures are the gambits in a game of chess that’s far above our individual heads. And that’s a real Cave Allegory moment.
It’s unavoidable to move through the world causing zero harm in the process. This week we get to investigate what parts of our movement serve us and our values, and what parts are we putting in a ton of effort into with little to no payout besides pushing the wheel forward on the big machine?
It’s not easy being a champion of the belief that we need to empathize and humanize celebrities and famous artists. Being abused for your labor isn’t more fun or glamorous just because it’s covered in glitter or has an EDM beat behind it.
I’m hoping at this point you’re aware I’m not speaking specifically about your job, but your contribution to the social conversations we have daily. What causes are you riding for, how hard, and why? How does your commitment to those causes shape your view of popular figures? What would knock you off your horse and twist you into an ethical knot to the point you’re making Peep Chili in a Wine Mom shirt?
Listening to this track, even in a small way, contributes to the problem of entertainer abuse we feed into. The aching, groping need to identify personally with celebrities, actors, and artists is our individual attempt to reclaim our personhood stolen by our role in capitalism. As a false idol, a golden calf of Jupiter in Taurus, worshipped on bended knee.
So, while there will be many more serious issues that come up with this T square- as fancy monsters and pop alchemists, I offer you the opportunity to begin this work on easy mode. Start with your favorite artist, celebrity, or someone you would be devastated to learn is just a regular person who has done malicious shit in their life, just like everyone else.
Take back your personhood from their image. Their pedestal gets shorter that way. Or, keep it there and own their gross parts too. Not to fix or excuse them. But own them.
For those of us who are farther along in our montage, we will be able to put more power and perspective behind the work we’ve been doing.
Keep it moving higher! (and higher, and higher...)
Lead by example and try not to get sucked into nonsense virtue signaling traps. It’s hard. The internet is weird.
But that’s the work, bitch.
#freebritney
Astro Transits of the week:
5.15- Mars Cancer Trine Neptune Pisces
5.16- Jupiter Ingresses into Taurus, Moon Conj Chiron Aries
5.17- Jupiter Taurus Square Pluto Aquarius (0Degrees)
5.18-Sun Sextile Neptune Pisces, Moon Taurus Sextile Venus Cancer, Conj Uranus
5.19- New Moon in Taurus haiii
5.20- Mars Leo Opposing Pluto (rx) Aquarius - Square Jupiter Taurus (this is the big T Square vibe)
5.21- Sun Trine Pluto
Like the vibe of this post and want a reading with me? We chat more in-depth about your specific wonderings with an Astro Chat or Card Session!
W/<3,
ECHO