"Each of our planets has its own predisposition, but it performs its gender dynamically based on the sign it lives in and its relationship to the sun and the moon. All of these factors add up to that one planet's particular gender queerness, which then combines with the hybrid genders of the 6 other planets, all of which combine to form us, and our unique gender slurry."
— Joey Cannizzaro, Binary Clusterfuck
Reading Joey Cannizzaro’s essay, Binary Clusterfuck: How Hellenistic Astrology Queers Gender, felt like finding words for something that had been on the tip of my tongue for my entire relationship with astrology.
In their examination of gender in culture and technique, they arrive at a place of multiplicity, one where a single gender becomes impossible to pin down.
For me, on a practical level, this was a balm for the anxiety of what to do with the male and female in astrology, and the ongoing quest to dismantle the gender binary by erasure, where male and female get renamed force and form, day and night, yin and yang, etc., etc.
It turns out that if we stick with the binary long enough, it unravels itself.
That was the catalyst for our conversation.
What transpired was a dynamic exploration of myth and personal narrative that went beyond the binary clusterfuck to unravel all of astrology into a messy, gorgeous, tangled heap of multiplicity.
The threads of gender.
The threads of culture.
The threads of place & temperament & time itself.
Some Context
Our conversation centers heavily around the story of Ares and Aphrodite caught in the net of Hephaestus.
You can read a version of the myth here.
If you’re interested in exploring the topic further, Joey’s course, Planetary Condition in Natal Hellenistic Astrology: Essential Dignity, starts Saturday, October 17th, over Zoom. All sessions are recorded, so you can catch up if you join late.
Want to talk charts with me every week? Join Club Astro.
If you’re looking for a group of likeminded astro seekers, Club Astro is your place!
We meet weekly to explore the sky in real time and make sense of what is unfolding in our lives and in the collective. This is your chance to ask me questions about your chart, share stories, and connect with a cohort of fellow astrologers.
Club Astro members also get exclusive perks:
Discounted astrological readings & mentorship
Secret invites
Discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the LA Astro Fest.
About Joey
Across disciplines and forms of media, Joey Cannizzaro (they/she) works with metaphysics to cultivate radically different ways of thinking and being. Joey’s astrology practice is oriented towards both nurturing personal liberation and provoking societal transformation, weaving together ancient techniques and cosmologies with threads of anarchism, mysticism, crip theory, and queerness. In addition to their consulting practice, Joey is faculty in the Hellenistic astrology program at Kepler College, and author of the blog Chronos & Chaos. Following an intensive three-year course of study with Demetra George, they were awarded her Advanced Diploma in Hellenistic Astrology in 2022. Joey also holds a bachelor’s degree from The New School and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts, and has performed and exhibited their artwork internationally.
About Vivi
Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose practice centers on storytelling, mythology, and collaborative divination. She creates a space for clients to reclaim their personal narratives through the lens of ancient archetypes. Vivi produces LA Astro Fest, hosts the Los Angeles Astro Salon, serves as Secretary of NCGR, and is the creator of the podcast TALKTALKTALK. You can find her weekly writing on ritual and meaning right here on ART of the ZODIAC.
