Underworld Astrology

In the initial post for this series, The Astro Style Parlor, I talked about how on our quest for meaningful and authentic personal style, we can use our birth charts to give us clues about how to dress ourselves. Astrological styling is a tool that can be used strictly OR can be used for certain scenarios. As in all things astrology-related, this is a choose-your-own adventure type of a system. In this post, I’d like to introduce you to Aries- The Catalyst.

The Catalyst:

The Catalyst rushes in where angels fear to tread, always on guard and ready for a fight. Life is a battlefield, she says and she’s dressed and ready to face whatever gets in her way. She is a tactical and strategic thinker, always ready for action, movement and excitement. Like the first flowers of spring, she pushes through wherever she is and says “I’m here.” For The Catalyst, any time is the right time to start something new. She’s not waiting around for permission, she’s getting a move on. The Catalyst has a great need to assert her will onto the environment in front of her and anyone or anything that gets in her way will face her wrath. A guardian of inner fire, The Catalyst has a deep and abiding sense of her self that she never loses. She has a strong sense of her own boundaries and her anger acts as a way to help her maintain her independence in a world that often tells her that she’s too impetuous, impatient and self-centered for her own good. What people don’t see is that she’s very loyal to the people and causes that inspire her fire. The Catalyst has an instinctive sense of what needs to be initiated and she relies on other people to see her visions through. Representing the tension between instinct and fear, The Catalyst just sees fear as another roadblock. ‘Move out of the way,’ she says. ‘I’m here.’

Photo by Anna Popović on Unsplash

In The Underworld:

You’ll find The Catalyst on a battlefield reminding all the warriors who enter her domain how to remember their own inner fire. On this fiery battlefield, The Catalyst crosses swords with all of those souls who are learning how to listen to their gut instinct, channel their own courage and tactically dispatch their inner demons. The Catalyst takes her tactical, strategic mind and puts it to use by also teaching all new souls who cross that their anger is a sacred expression of their own boundaries and power. Whenever she sees someone in need of a little push, she’s not afraid to give it. When not on the battlefield, she’s probably training. She needs to channel her energy into something physical and productive, so she makes an excellent athlete with a gladiator’s edge, as well.

Symbolism:

The Catalyst takes after the warring nature of Aries’ ruler, Mars (from the Roman for Ares). Courageous, bold and unafraid of a fight, The Catalyst is fierce and willing to defend their territory. They see anger and rage as sacred emotions within us that can teach us about our emotional boundaries. While they’re not great at respecting their own physical boundaries (since they have the tendency to go too fast, too hard), they always trust their inner gut to tell them when something seems unjust or wrong.

Sacred symbols include the Mars glyph, the color red, anything battle inspired, the Tarot cards The Fool, The Tower and The Emperor, red crystals, such as jasper and red carnelian.

Style Needs:

From a practical standpoint, The Catalyst is a bit of a utilitarian dresser. Despite their love of bold and daring choices, they cannot stand when any article of clothing impedes their movement. This is why they’re often found in styles that combine practicality with some boldness, toughness and edge. They favor styles that combine athletic-wear with military inspired elements, workwear and outdoor gear, as well as anything that might be associated with high octane sports like motorcycling, boxing, MMA, bungee jumping or skydiving.

What to Wear:

By this point, you’re probably wondering what to wear, so let’s discuss. When channelling The Catalyst, you need to get into the mindset of gearing up for your day. The Catalyst wants to make the biggest impact they can in the most low maintenance way possible.

1. Every Day: On an every day basis, The Catalyst is focused on effortless power dressing. Focus on mixing structured pieces with relaxed, athletic basics. Use bold colors with accessories and details that look tough. For example- a leather jacket with a graphic tee and black leggings.
2. Lounge: The Catalyst at home is probably not resting in any concrete way, simply saving up energy for her next challenge. In order to be prepared for anything, try out matching athleisure sweat suits in warm colors or pair an oversized band hoodie with leggings.
3. Professional: The Catalyst does best in professional environments where they constantly feel challenged but don’t feel micromanaged and their outfits will reflect this. Thing strong, angular lines mixed with more casual pieces, like a red suit jacket and pinstripe pants with some black and white sneakers.
4. Date Night: Out on the town, The Catalyst is ready to dress to impress, but still in their very ‘look but don’t touch’ kind of way. Try out a red satin dress with some high heeled gladiator sandals and pair it with a distressed military jacket.
5. Workout: For the fast, furious and intense workouts that The Catalyst enjoys, make sure to slip on your toughest sneakers and combine them with a coordinated set in bright, warm tones to have you prepared and ready for action, wherever your gym takes you.

Style Staples:

• Moto Jackets
• Fitted body suits
• Cropped tops
• Tough boots
• Utility jackets and gear
• Moto inspired detailing
• Statement or ‘weapon’ inspired jewelry
• Athletic wear
• Red dress (swap the LBD for a red version instead)
• Red power boots or statement sneakers

Outfit Cheat Sheet:

Ready to channel The Catalyst right away? Here are a few easy combos to get you started.

1. Cool but Casual: Cropped band tee + cargo joggers + red or white sneakers + vintage sunglasses OR Oversized denim jacket + tank top + leather jacket.
2. Warrior Inspired Workout Look: High neck crop top + utility vest or windbreaker + compression leggings + bold sneakers OR matching activewear set in red, orange or metallic tones with fingerless gloves.
3. Magnetic but Dangerous Date Night Look: Red slip dress + black leather jacket + strappy combat heels + gold statement jewelry OR graphic tee + leather mini + ankle boots + bold lip
4. Professional with an Edge: Structured blazer + graphic blouse + straight leg trousers + pointed boots OR Structured jumpsuit + belt bag + matte lips + killer heels
5. At Ease, Soldier: Oversized red sweatshirt + black leggings + tall grey athletic socks + a sweat headband

Check out The Catalyst Pinterest boards here.

Fabrics:

Fabric Keywords: Assertive, practical, tough, sleek, daring, athletic, utilitarian, modern

Fabrics to look for: Leather (real or vegan), denim, canvas, cotton, jersey knit, bamboo/modal, ribbed knits, mesh, performance fabrics, wool suiting, metallic finishes

Patterns:

When shopping for patterns for The Catalyst, look for patterns that evoke intensity, daring, motion and a sense of purpose. Some examples include:

1. Stripes/lines (angular and/or broken): diagonal, chevron or racing stripes, bold pinstripes, broken or disrupted stripes that invoke scars
2. Abstract flames or smoke motifs: stylized or hand drawn fire forms, wave-like motion, or fractal heat maps.
3. Angular Geometrics: triangles, chevrons, and pointed shapes- extra points if they’re bold or high contrast.
4. Color Blocking: clean contrast with bold colors like red, black and white
5. Warrior Inspired Prints: ink lines, stylized arrows, symbolic runes
6. Animal Prints
7. Techwear Patterns: Grids, maps, terrain lines because no one crosses into your territory

Accessories:

These should feel bold, purposeful and match the utilitarian warrior vibe of The Catalyst. Basically, they don’t want anything weighing them down, so everything should have a function or be used to reinforce the message of boldness, independence and power.

Jewelry: Minimalist, powerful and angular

• Wide metal cuffs or arm bands
• Stacked rings or signet rings
• Spiked or geometric earrings
• Pendant necklace with Aries inspired symbols: Mars glyph, arrows, lightning bolts or flames
• Red Stones: Carnelian, garnet, ruby, red jasper, or fire opal in bronze settings
• Ear Cuffs and Climbers
• Geometric studs or spikes

Bags: Essentialist, minimal, tough, rugged and preferably hands free

• Crossbody or Belt bags
• Structured satchels or backpacks
• Convertible bags
• Bold hardware like exposed zippers, buckles, or chain straps

Shoes: Choose shoes that are as bold and powerful as you are with a rugged edge and a functional finish.

• Combat Boots
• High top sneakers
• Pointed toe heels/ boots
• Gladiator or cage sandals
• Chunky loafers or platforms
• Moto inspired boots

Others: Some other essential accessories for The Catalyst include:

• Sunglasses: Sharp, angular frames, aviator or wrap style
• Utility or statement belts
• Fingerless gloves in leather or mesh
• Bold scarves or headwraps
• Hats- these should be minimalist, sporty or functional

Color Palette:

Overall, The Catalyst color palette is bold, warm and fiery. If you use a different color palette, find your warmest, most fiery inspired colors and use those. The most important color for The Catalyst is red, so prioritize the ones you can and leave out the ones you don’t want to use. Below are Catalyst inspired colors for each season.

Power Color: Bright red

Core Palette: scarlet red, crimson, orange red, and brick red.

Accent Colors: Bright coral, sunset orange, golden yellow, deep burgundy

Neutrals: Warm beige, Camel, terracotta, rust, golden sand, charcoal grey, olive drab, ivory, black

Seasonal Color Analysis:

Seasonal color analysis is a style system that is about helping people harmonize their clothing with their coloring. First popular in the 1980s, it has now had a resurgence in popularity thanks to social media. If you’re new to color analysis, click here. If you know your color season, here are some custom palettes combining Catalyst color principles with your season.

Autumn:

If you use an autumn color palette, you’ll find a lot of ease and comfort in The Catalyst’s color palette. Look for these colors to add to your wardrobe- brick red, burnt sienna, olive, mustard, deep teal, rust, forest green, mahogany, camel, warm taupe, espresso, copper, terracotta, pumpkin, bronze, metallic gold.

Spring:

If you use one of the spring color palettes, following The Catalyst color palette should be pretty easy. Look for these colors in your palette- geranium or poppy red, goldenrod, green grass, coral, tomato red, aqua, buttercup, warm sand, light ivory, cream, cantaloupe, tangerine, turquoise, bright gold and rose gold.

Winter:

While The Catalyst’s palette naturally tends towards warm tones, if you use the winter palette, you’ll still have a lot to work with to get the same effect. Look for these colors- crimson, black, white, electric blue, cherry red, vivid magenta, emerald, charcoal, true navy, fuchsia, cobalt, silver, chrome.

Summer:

On the outset, the summer palette seems farthest from The Catalyst’s natural coloring, but nothing should stop you from your goals if you use one of the summer palettes. Focus on the smoky colors for the closest effect. Here are the colors to look for- rosewood, raspberry, smoky plum, cool berry, French blue, soft magenta, dusty mauve, cool taupe, dove grey, powder blue, periwinkle, rose quartz, icy lavender, brushed silver, white gold.

Chart Notes:

At this point, you might be asking yourself how much of The Catalyst do you really need? Assuming that most people will use a combination of 3-4 archetypes, your use of this archetype will depend on how much Aries you have in your chart and where it is placed. Here are some examples for how to apply it to your chart.

Aries Rising (or Mars rising): This is likely a primary archetype for you. You inherently approach life as a battle to win. You can choose to go either the sporty, minimalistic expression (to channel Aries’ athleticism OR go the more battle/combat ready). No matter what, keep it high impact and low maintenance.

Aries Sun: You benefit from The Catalyst’s combat ready, battle orientation since you inherently see life as something to win. Choose pieces that reflect your leadership abilities- structured, angular, and powerful.

Aries Venus: On date nights or nights when you want to channel your femininity, keep it magnetic, bold and dangerous. Replace the LBD with the red dress and pair it with something dangerous, like a leather jacket or combat boots. BOOM goes the dynamite.

Aries Mars: You likely favor bold, high impact workouts that challenge you, like boxing, martial arts and Crossfit (warrior much?). Go for matching athleisure sets in red, color blocking with red and black or pair a muscle tee with sneakers. Everything should be edgy and sharp.

Aries Midheaven: You’re no wallflower. You were born to take up space in the world and no one can hold you back. Choose your professional gear to maintain your fierce impact. Structured elements, geometric shapes, shoulder pads, but also remember that you’re not stuffy and you need to be battle ready at all times. You might like to pair red suit pieces with combat boots or even sneakers to keep things more lowkey.

Aries IC: Our sign on the IC (opposite our midheaven) indicates our most private self, not to mention the types of things we might like in our home environment. If you have Aries here, home is a stopping place between activities or a place to meet your own goals, continue your training or pick your next battle. Opt for matching sweat suits in warm tones, graphic tees with moto inspired leggings or oversized tee shirts with shorts and tall sports socks.

The Shadow:

All of the archetypes have a dark side, and for The Catalyst, their desire for newness can lead them to an overconsumption problem. Because they always want their wardrobes to feel new and exciting, they might find themselves with closets full of stuff that brought them a small thrill when they bought them, but no longer or never did have a functional use for them. The Catalyst does well to ask themselves ‘Will I actually use this in a functional way?’ when they’re shopping. They should also not shop just to fill a void, and instead channel their fire into a new project, goal or better yet, a physical activity in which they can burn some energy off.

In Conclusion:

Because all things must come to an end, we’ve reached the end of this comprehensive styling guide. The Catalyst is bold, dynamic, free spirited and wholeheartedly themselves. This shows up in the raw, trailblazing fashion choices that they make. These astrological style archetypes are designed for the maximum amount of flexibility for anyone to use.

Experiment with embracing your inner Catalyst. Throw on a red silk or satin and pair it with some kick butt combat boots, buy yourself a fiery red bathing suit for summer paired with some studded sandals or pair a graphic tee with some cut up shorts. Let me know in the comments how embracing this archetype empowered you.