How I became an astrologer, where to get your horoscopes now that Vice isn’t around, and what I’m up to now.
I took space from this newsletter last year. My Saturn return adjusted my priorities. I decided to stop suffering unpaid “content creation” and chasing followers. I started spending my leisure time doing what matters to me. This was possible because of my salaried job as an astrologer writing for Vice, which was sweeet.
I was fated into an astrology career. I was in the right time and place. As a teenager at the public library I read everything I could about astrology, even before the Neptune in Pisces astrology trend, but I never planned to be an astrologer. I always just wanted to be an artist, but who can afford to do that? I journaled about wanting to major in astrology in 2010.
Right after graduating, I crossed paths with astrologer Annabel Gat, taking astrology classes in her living room in Brooklyn. Annabel was writing daily and monthly horoscopes for Broadly, Vice’s women’s interest outfit. It was the first online horoscope column in mainstream media written by a professional astrologer. Every blog that followed was because of ground broken in 2014 by Annabel Gat and Callie Beusman, editor.
Of course astrologers existed before astrology was trendy, where do you think Annabel Gat came from? A young astrologer in a niche field who broke into mainstream success, she paved the way for our media careers, which I attest ushered an astrology renaissance in popular culture. Annabel is simply mother.
I took every class she offered. I had time to assist with transcribing her horoscopes, and her first book The Astrology of Love and Sex. I was too dry during a screen test for Vice’s weekly astrology feature on Snapchat, so I was referred for a weekly horoscope column. I published horoscopes at Vice at least weekly for six years, Annabel daily and monthly for NINE!!! YEARS!!!
Annabel Gat’s ability to make astrology palatable to a mass audience is something that no one can compete with. Many are just speaking to other astrologers or hobbyists, but her talent for engaging a general audience is outstanding. What she does can’t be taught, but her classes are just as priceless.
Now that Vice Horoscopes is no more, Annabel is publishing monthly horoscopes on her Substack. She’s offering to comp subscriptions in exchange for referrals. If you are subscribed to my newsletter you must subscribe to Annabel’s, and tell your friends about it, too.
With a referral, you get to read the horoscope for your sign for free (general forecasts are available for all subscribers). If you have the cash, I think it’s worth it. Annabel is the real deal, with horoscope XP that you might think other astrologers have, but they don’t (they use ghost writers— you didn’t hear it from me).
A friend in high school used to print my monthly horoscope for me. Every month we would gather with highlighters and pens, it felt like Christmas morning. Friendship is a virtue, which means it’s something that you do, like sharing horoscopes together.
If I’m writing a goodbye to Vice Horoscopes, I have to thank our editors Sara David and Zing Tsjeng who were with us from the beginning until the end. I also should mention our horoscope app Astro Guide, the many astrologers writing unique horoscopes, and people on the inside at Vice who believed in the project and worked on it with us. I could say more, but the main takeaway I wanted you to have from this post is that Vice Horoscopes is still alive on Annabel’s Substack, and you should subscribe to it.
What I’m up to now…
After a hiatus, I am accepting clients for astrology consultations again. For now, I kindly ask that you write— read more here. I’m looking forward to reading epistolary inquiries.
Technology is not my friend. If you emailed me at hello[at]goodhoroscope[dot]de, I’m sorry. I got a new laptop and have been locked out since September. I’ve also been locked out of my instagram. I recently logged back in and will slowly be responding soon. If it’s urgent, try goodhoroscopes@gmail.com. For a second I hallucinated that I could “learn to code” to prepare for the career change I saw coming from lightyears away. Delusional.
Good Horoscope has almost 888 subscribers as of today, and counting. We’re back, without plans. I am still open to pitches and interested in and sharing writing that fits the vision.
The Italian painting school was a school in the renaissance sense of the word. A bottega, workshop, sharing a technique. Do you really think all those masterpieces were made by one person? Good Horoscope was most like a school just before its hiatus, with horoscopes as time-based poetry archived on this blog, written by
, an astrologer and poet.We go faster alone but farther together. An Aquarius told me this.
I am developing a workshop series to direct astrology-seekers outward, to engage with life instead of getting wrapped up in ourselves. I will share, in the fullness of time, with space for grace. It won’t be long though. I want to afford to be enmeshed in colors and symbols. Happy to reconnect, anyway. Happy new year.
Your sister in Christ,
Randon
I forgot to mention our editors Sara David and Zing Tsjeng who kept our work alive to the end. There's also a missing chapter on the Astro Guide app, our gorgeous horoscopes app. Maybe I should write another draft!
I loved the Vice Horoscopes column so much! Wishing you, Annabel, and the rest of your team much success in your new endeavors. 🤍🙏🏾