The Zodiac Club #2: Arise Aries! An Astrology Playlist
Closing out the first sign of the Zodiac with an astrological Spotify playlist
Hauntology Now! is the Substack of interdisciplinary artist, designer, musician, academic writer, and cultural critic J. Simpson, where he writes about all things hauntological, atemporal, philosophical, as well as sharing thoughts, reflections, and musings on music, movies, books, and life.
art by Melissa Sullivan
Last night, at 12:34 EDT, the sun passed from the fiery sign of Aries - the first sign of the Zodiac, representative of the first house and ruled over by Mars - moved over into the Earthy sign of Taurus, representative of the second house and ruled over by Venus. We’ll soon start shifting our gaze to Taurus, Venus, and The Hierophant in coming editions of The Zodiac Club (as well as some thoughts on today’s Jupiter/Uranus conjunction that happens every 14 years), but, for now, let’s close out the month with the first of our astrological mixes.
For the past month i’ve been compiling songs that have to do with Aries in some way. Several simply had ‘Aries’ in the title. Eithers were made by Aries musicians. Still others deal with themes, images, and symbols pertaining to the first sign of the Zodiac. I also asked around to various communities i’m a part of asking for recommendations. I got dozens of incredible suggestions from the /r/AstrologyMemes subreddit ranging from Kimbra to Megan Thee Stallion to Doja Cat and SZA. The end result is a compelling, eclectic mix that explores the many different themes and moods of The Ram.
Over 5 hours long, you’ll hear everything from the far out free jazz of Franco Battiato - “Aries,” to the mechanical minimal techno of Josh Wink - “Aries In Mars.” The beastly primordial yowl of Primitive Man - “My Will” illustrates the power of focus while Wand - “Melted Rope” will help you focus your own will and achieve your dreams (like i talked a bit about in the last installment of The Zodiac Club.)
I couldn’t be more pleased, proud, and excited to share this mix with you! I’m hoping to achieve three main goals with this series, which i’ve been meditating on and preparing for for several years. The main reason, other than simply being a good collection of songs that are nice to listen to, is to flesh out and make concrete some of the astrological energies, themes, and currents. All too often, astrology is seen as simply reading yr horoscope, taking it as written in stone or something static and just not thinking much more about it. That’s not what astrology, spirituality, philosophy, or magic are about, though. They shouldn’t simply be another cage. They should be keys to set you free.
The second reason for these mixes is for extended meditation and to invoke Aries energy into your life. Maybe you have something going on with Aries, the first house, or Mars in your own horoscope. Maybe you’re looking to become The Emperor and take charge of yr own life. Maybe you simply need a blast of solar confidence, a celestial glow-up, to inspire you to go after your own goals and dreams.
With Aries Arise!, i couldn’t be happier and more proud to announce the Correspondence Web is one step closer to actualization! For the last decade, I’ve been reflecting on occult correspondences and looking for examples in pop culture and daily life, as part of the larger Postmodern Witchcraft and Digital Witchcraft projects. Perhaps you’re looking to invite more Aries energy into your life, due to your personal astrology, a significant tarot reading, a visionary dream, or simply your own Will. The Correspondence Web can help you surround yourself with those energies, letting you personalize your altar or customize your own rituals.
Aries Arise! is just one of the occult/astrology/tarot-related mixes and playlists, dealing specifically with the sign. There’s also a playlist for the Emperor tarot card, IV: The Emperor. There are also master lists for Aries albums and, last but not last, the Correspondence Web master list itself, which compiles all of the occult and astrological music i’m unearthing in my ritual. The master lists are meant for two main purposes, also. They’ll let you create your own astrological mixes, for one thing. Even more importantly, playing the Correspondence Web playlist on shuffle acts as a kind of sonic tarot reading. Gustav Holst’s “Mars: the Bringer of War” into Dirty Three’s “The Restless Waves” followed by Lamp’s “For Lovers” could be a musical approximation of an Emperor, The Moon, The Lovers three card spread. Even better still, you can “read your cards” even while out and about, when you have no access to a deck or the time for divination.
Matters dealing with The Self, the Ego, and the Will don’t stop mattering simply because it’s April 20. Working with Aries energy is an ongoing effort, and not just for people with Aries’ energy heavily emphasized in their charts. With Aries Arise!, you can invite The Emperor into your life, mind, heart, and spirit whenever you need to feel yourself.
I’ll leave you with a question. What are some songs or albums that remind you of Aries? What about The Emperor? Suggestions welcome for Taurus and The Hierophant, too, as i’m already working on the next batch of mixes.
Special thanks to the AstrologyMemes community on Reddit and especially /u/CuriousInquiries34 who truly delivered with an astonishing 70 recommendations!
Even more special thanks to Melissa Sullivan, who made the stunning textile art for this mix. She’s supposed to be making prints of the piece, plus she’s supposed to do one for Taurus, too, so make sure to follow her on Instagram, Threads, check out her Linktr.ee, and newly designed website. You can also support her on Ko-Fi!
Welcome to The Zodiac Club, a new series of writing, art, and thoughts on Astrology, the Tarot, the Occult, and Metaphysics!
Want More Magic?
Follow @for3stpunk on Twitter and Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Letterboxd, Goodreads, and drop by the Facebook page!