The Age of Aquarius

Amanda Thomsen

Although I’m admittedly chock full of whimsy, I think of myself as a practical and rather rational person. I’m not one for woo. Astrology? Never even dabbled in it—what are the odds people who share a birthday also share personality traits? It doesn’t make sense, logically. Mercury in retrograde? Seems dubious. 

Then I opened a shop and now I’m planning my whole life by the stars. If I’m really digging deep, most people who’ve worked in retail probably harbor resentment toward the full moon. That’s where it must have started. People ask crazy questions, phone in with bizarre problems. Things get really noticeably weird at the full moon. I tape an illustration of each year’s full moons by the register so we can say, “Yup, makes sense”  when things get whack-a-doodle. 

Then I had these two chunky quartz crystals from when we first opened and they sat around for YEARS and they both sold on a slow Thursday to two separate people, hours apart. A coincidence? Sure! But things like this just keep happening and it really got me thinking. Perhaps I haven’t been stable enough, for long enough, to notice the patterns in the past, but now I’ll have a day when I’m really up on catching up with emails, send out a couple dozen replies and hear nothing back from any of them for days and they all come back within a few hours. All positive and swinging my way. Invoices I’ve sent out won’t get paid immediately, but come in batches, minutes apart. 

In the last year or so I’ve found out where my sun is and that I’m a Virgo rising. I’ve occasionally been using my horoscope to help me set goals, choose launch dates and figure out the most auspicious time to replace the printer ink. Whether it’s real or not, stuff is getting DONE over here and that’s the part I like. It’s like reading a fairy tale all about me, gently nudging me in positive directions. 

I realize I’ve surrounded myself with Leos and Tauruses, and most of my favorite customers are all Sagittarius. I’ve never met even one Pisces in my life; I’m not even sure they really exist. But, most of all, I really love my fellow Aquarians, people on my dreamy/alien level every dang time. I don’t have to start my sentences out with “This may sound odd” or “Hear me out” because my water-bearer friends just get it. 

Asking people what their star sign is tends to be a really great conversation starter. Even if they don’t go for astrology in any way, it’s fascinating to ask why and reply, “Yep, you sure sound like a Scorpio to me!”

Now, 2026 is supposed to be a great year for Aquarius and just reading that sets it up for me. This year calls for transformation, increased stability and abundance. I already feel myself grabbing opportunities for next year, setting things up for the win. It feels in alignment even if it is hooey. Is it hooey? I’m partial to the idea that nothing is real at all until we believe in it. 

How am I getting my steady drip of info from the stars? Well, I was using the Co-Star app, but it was too cool for me and now I’m using the Chani app, which is charming and extremely verbose. I even bought her 2026 planner and I can’t wait to see how that works for me. I notoriously love buying planners that I conveniently stop using around April when everything hits the fan (and I definitely need a planner more than ever)! 

Listen, I remain a skeptical person, but I’ll roll with anything or anyone that encourages me to reach for the stars, cheer for myself, asks me to check in with my feelings and helps me connect. It’s the dawning of the age of Aquarius!  GP

Amanda Thomsen is a funky, punky garden writer and author with her own store, Aster Gardens in Lemont, Illinois. Her store info is at KissMyAster.com, and you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Threads AND Instagram @KissMyAster.