Let’s talk underestimation.
In the words of perennial babe, burlesque legend and apex Libra Ms. Dita Von Teese, “I’ve always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be.”
The typical strengths and weaknesses of all members of the zodiac have been exhaustingly detailed, but what do we most underestimate about each sign? What unsung talents, hidden aches, buried assets and deep pocket aces are we failing to see in one another?
I’m so glad you asked.
Some signs are oxygenated by being underestimated, Virgos, enterprising earth signs that they are, expect it and use it as kindling for the bonfires of their indignant inspiration.
Read on to learn more about the underestimated, miscalculated and underrated qualities of each zodiac sign.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
Morality
People routinely underestimate how morally motivated the average Aries is. Part of their impulsivity and reliance on instant aggression is triggered by a clear and present understanding of wrong and right. As such they are the first to intercede on behalf of someone else or call out mistreatment or ugliness of any kind. It is precisely here in the call out, and the cutting in that their disavowal of decorum and righteous rage shines most beautifully,
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Sensitivity
Though ruled by pretty on purpose, love as a pasture planet Venus, Taurus folk appear more stoic than sensitive. Their stoicism is born from the fear that if they allowed themselves to be vulnerable or shared the intimate details of their sensitivity they would no longer be safe or taken seriously.
Unduly hard on themselves they equate openness with instability and in the process of trying to protect themselves they sacrifice the chance to be fully seen or wholly understood.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
Effectiveness /persuasiveness
Gemini is ruled by planet Mercury, named for the god of gossip and exchange, and realms of the mind and messaging. As such, natives can often appear distracted, juggling multiple task, plot lines, phone calls and interests. Yet, when their frequency is focused they are able to forge all the scattered data and disparate energies within them into a single force for getting s–t done.
Skilled conversationalists and serial charmers, they are adept at subtle coercion, gentle persuasion and leveraging friendships, casual, biblical and otherwise to help them pull stings and make moves. When it comes to the wild ways that the mind of a Gemini synthesizes, it’s like Roy Choi’s viral recipe for fried rice; you don’t need to know why the ketchup works, it is not to be understood, only appreciated.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
Resilience
Cancers are stereotypically described/dismissed as hyper sensitive to an almost unmanageable degree. In my ugly and dismissive Taurean stoicism I have been known to call them emotionally sunburned. Yet, there is no sign, save for maybe Scorpio with a stronger survival instinct than the crab.
They know what harms them, how to protect themselves from grievous emotional injury and how to side step the pain and above all else, how to endure even and especially amid the most devastating of circumstances. We see this resilience in ‘can’t kill me’ crabs like Courtney Love.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
How exhausting it is to be them
Leo is ruled by the sun and lords over the fifth house of play and pleasure. And let me tell you folks, it’s hard work to shine and serve as the perennial party host/ring leader/hype man/favorite friend/star employee/resident goldendoodle. Every Leo you know is smiling, jazz handing and otherwise choreographing their lives amid a deep state of burn out.
Ensuring they look good, everyone is having fun and that they remain perched atop the perilous pyramid of lovability is wildly tiresome. Add to it an ordained need to make sure everyone in their inner circle, an ever increasing orbit, feels important, celebrated and empowered means they are, more often than not, running on fumes, self-tanner and primal dance therapy.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Adaptability/general merriment/sexual depravity
By and large and among their zodiac compatriots, Virgo gets reduced to being an uptight, nitpicking prude with a judgmental glint in their eye and a Brillo pad in their back pocket. Yet, Virgo is a mutable earth sign that doesn’t get the credit they deserve for their ability to improve, adapt, roll with the punches or reach for resourcefulness in a crisis.
They are also, in my experience, a very, very, good time. Virgos can actually and acutely determine the mean average and means by which everyone can have an optimally pleasurable experience see Beyoncé wanting/decreeing that everyone wear silver to her stadium shows so they can uniformly reflect the light of one another. If you let them, Virgos will organize you into unparalleled joy. If you don’t, it’s your loss and their ire. Virgo is also low key very sexually deviant and the carnal is one arena in which their standards and behaviors are shockingly elastic.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Your temper
Libra is represented by the scales and balances of justice and while natives are often cast in the role of diplomat, Themis, the goddess whom the sign borrows its iconography from, holds not just a scale, but a sword. In kind, Libras are always, always keeping score and when things don’t tip in their favor their reaction recalls the faux bible verse quoted by Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,””And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.”
Turns out terminal placation, ceaseless people pleasing and repression of need invariably leads to rage. Because their element is air and their impulses Venusian, this anger may be less obviously expressed than in other signs (cough Aries, cough) but it is more destructive as it struggles to find an appropriate outlet or a deserving target.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Romanticism
There is a deep and deeply hopeful part of the Scorpio psyche that is looking for long term love, pastel feelings and the kind of trust born from disappointing someone and having them stick through and hang in.
Scorpios are born expecting betrayal but it doesn’t prevent them from wishing ever and always to be proved wrong. There is no sign better equipped to love another person, worts and all, nor no sign that wishes more intensely to be loved with the same lens.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Seriousness
People take you for a barefoot, fancy free rolling stone, Sagittarius and habitually underestimate your ability to be serious and seriously play the game to your advantage. You rule the ninth house of travel AND higher education so while you may wield what you know in a light hearted manner, make no mistake you are motivated by knowledge and often, that swashbuckling veneer belies a serious student of the world well versed in getting ahead and getting theirs, a sort of rollicking ruthlessness if you will.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
How rock n’ roll you are
Common tropes about sea goats would have you believe all among them are cold, calculating capitalists who masturbate to “The Fountainhead” and worship at the eccentric altar of Howard Hughes. This is an entirely reductive reading as Capricorn is low key the most rock n’ roll sign of them all. The Devil is their tarot card and while they like to earn/suffer for their satisfaction they are, at heart, cloven footed hedonists hell bent on having a good time. For evidence look no further than the king himself, Mr. Elvis Presley, Lemmy Kilmister, Patti Smith and Janis Joplin.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
Compassion
Aquarius is a sign oft noted for their emotional objectivity and abject strangeness. Depicted as more clinical than compassionate those that would write them off as robots miss the mark because they care. They care SO F—ING MUCH, but it takes a different form. They care about the fate of the world, nuclear warfare, human rights violations and the troubling environmental conditions we are bequeathing to future generations. They are haunted by the big picture to such a degree that they cannot trifle with texting back, being present, offering tender advice, sweet sentiments or any other small scale obligation to their fellow man.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Manipulation
The Pisces power of intuition and psychic communion is well documented and while this makes them dreamy AF with an oceanic capacity to heal it also gives them a major upper hand to play. Being able to intuit and anticipate the needs of others has its advantages and is a power that can easily be wielded for personal gain. Pisces are aces at manipulating others into doing their bidding and then mystifying/lulling/sweet talking their marks into thinking it was their idea all along. Hiding in plain sight with a vibe that suggests tender, sensitive care bear with no thought for darkness is precisely how you get to be a world class serial killer folks.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
- The 12 zodiac signs
- What are the astrology houses
- Here’s what each planet represents
- Sun, moon and rising signs: Get to know your Big 3
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. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods
