Discover more from Loving the Dark Parts
Starlight Saturday: Kristen Luiso
The beginning of a new series on Loving the Dark Parts. Introducing our first guest and fellow writer!
Welcome to the new series, Starlight Saturday, where I interview others through the lens of their personal astrology chart. My goal with this new series is to highlight creatives, entrepreneurs, and/or anyone who has something to share with the world (spoiler alert: this is literally everyone).
In this interview series, I will ask questions based on the guest’s astrology chart, giving them an opportunity to share with the reader.
If you would like to be featured, please fill out the form and I will reach out to you when the time is right.
Our first guest writer is , big welcome to you Kristen!
Kristen: Thanks, Kaitlyn! This is so much fun. I’m happy to be here!
Kaitlyn: Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
Kristen: I grew up on Cape Cod and have always called New England home. I lived in Boston for many years before retreating up to the MA suburbs. I’ve been joyfully married for almost six years, and my kids are still young (ages 5 and 2) but since they've reached the ages where they can play together, I've got some more me time on my hands. I'm writing about travel (with kids, as well as reflecting on decades of travel without!) food + drink, books, what I'm loving, while also digging a bit deeper with vulnerable subjects as they relate to experiencing life, following your intuition and so much more.
I had a giggle when I saw the name of your blog, “indulge inspire imbibe” because it quite literally fits your “big three” in your astrology. You’re a Pisces sun (imbibe), Scorpio moon (indulge), and Leo rising (inspire).
I’d love to hear more about how you chose this name and what you write about!
This is outstanding, Kaitlyn. Suddenly I feel an incredible connection to you for this lightbulb moment of mine. I love that you laughed when you saw this. I knew my moon, my rising sign, but I had no idea how they related to my 3 favorite words! Wild.
When I named my blog at age 26 in the simplest form it was imbibe (drink)~indulge (food)~inspire (whatever moves me along the journey). So there was a focus but also a limitless possibility for what I wanted to share. (great! but certainly touches a bit on the lower expression of chaos you mention below. Not a singular focus but more free flowing with no constraints).
This makes a lot of sense, looking at your chart you have Mercury (your mind) and Venus (your values) in Aquarius (the sign of the rebel). I wouldn’t imagine you do things by the book and wouldn’t like to be tied down to one single focus. Your Mercury also squares Pluto, which tells me there is a lot of depth in the way you think and communicate—so when you say you enjoy digging deeper, this is the part of you that wants to get to the bottom of things. Your Venus (values) also squares Saturn, which brings commitment to the things you value in life—and with Venus in Aquarius, that could be things that are rather outside of the box, the things that make us unique.
Let’s go a bit deeper into your big three.
You’re double water and fire—at the highest expression, you are able to transmute emotions, bringing inspiration and connection to the world around you—I would imagine you’re a very passionate person. At the lower expression, it’s chaos. There may be times where the volcano of emotions erupts and drama is difficult to escape, you also take on a lot of feelings that aren’t necessarily yours, which can be confusing and frustrating—energetic boundaries and moving the stagnant energy is important.
Can you relate?
Yes. I can relate. I can or more precisely I want to connect and empathize with others to the highest degree. I’m incredibly accepting and my mind no matter what goes toward acceptance or idealism first. Has that lead to chaos at times in my life/relationships? Yes. Feeling misunderstood? Yes. Frustrated with myself? Sure.
But overtime the calm sets in, especially if you are open to learning about yourself.
Moving stagnant energy can be so hard. (For me at least). Once you figure it out / get through it, it is incredible. That’s life!
You’re a Pisces sun, at your core you are the visionary—you’re here to dream. This is the part of you that is boundless and may struggle with drawing hard lines in the sand. Your sun sits in the 7th house of relationships, so you may find boundaries to be a necessary, yet challenging dance in your relationships, and I’m sure you’ve probably learned that the hard way.
Your moon is part of a stellium in Scorpio—you have depth to you. You understand pain and I would imagine you’ve experienced pain a lot in life, particularly childhood. You have a gift of connecting through the pain of others because you understand what it’s like to go through hard times. You’re a very powerful presence, and you may notice people feel comfortable sharing things with you that they wouldn’t share with just anybody.
Part of your lesson in this life is to honour your darkness and to learn to find stillness in the pain without needing to control the outcome. And lastly, you’re a Leo rising—you’re here to shine—which may actually feel uncomfortable with all of that Scorpio in the 4th house. You may feel more comfortable in smaller, more intimate groups, but you are bound to be the star of the show. There’s a part of you that wants nothing more than to be seen, and on the other hand you shy away from the spotlight—is this true?
This is all true. Wow. You’re extremely good at this. Yes, a Pisces to my core!
We can touch on the childhood pain. My childhood on cape cod was extremely wonderful actually. The way I grew up in the remote dunes and waters of the cape, the backwoods of New Hampshire and the ski slopes of Vermont are a literal childhood dream. I had an abundance of exploration, adventure, community, family, friends, and love.
My parents divorced when my sister and I were preteens, and while we celebrated the end of their fighting and their renewed sense of happiness apart, there was a residual fall from grace.
Addiction (my Dad’s alcoholism, which was not a secret and something we were always aware of as we grew up and time passed) and finances (a new to us/open issue as we grew up post divorce) were a struggle. None of this feels unique to me, I mean divorce and addiction and financial problems are universal. It certainly shaped me and how I came to experience and move through life.
Truthfully, I feel lucky. I could not have asked for more loving, supportive, fun parents and they always did the best in their capacity for us. But life is hard! The struggle through the family unit falling apart, but maybe coming together, but looking very different every season thereafter, the realization of how it could have been to how it actually ended up is probably the childhood pain you are describing.
I feel that Leo/Scorpio conflict. I think you nailed this intersection that’s been hard for me to understand. I don’t want to be the star of the show or the center of attention. I never, ever have. But I do absolutely want a community and connection and to feel seen and to inspire a plethora of others. The stellium in scorpio you mentioned - I was listening to a podcast the other day with a tarot card reader and I just learned what a stellium is! To see it pop up in my chart is cool.
I actually thrive in all settings in balance; from large groups and parties, to more intimate, to one on one time with someone close to me to alone time.
I feel or have felt a vibration at a higher level, many times in life. l have a lot to share with you about living, manifesting, traveling, eating, drinking, raising kids. But I’m not a brand! I’m not curating a lifestyle. I’m just sharing my life.
I am incredibly grateful and humble. I have so many experiences to complete these thoughts. I’d love to share more through my newsletter as I find the time and space.
A theme that shows up in your chart is individuation in the name of inspiration. There’s a part of you that may have felt disconnected from your community, but you’re here to share your uniqueness and build connections with others. This is also the part of you that is required to learn to listen and to be open to the possibility that there can be more than one truth.
In a past life (if you believe in that) you may have been someone who was seeking the ultimate truth, and this could show up in this lifetime as well. Part of your lesson is to experience the possibility of multiple truths, explore, and learn through listening to the experience of others—asking questions and truly listening. Have you struggled with feeling misunderstood throughout your life? If so, how did you move through that to get where you are today?
I believe it in past lives! If you want to elaborate on that, I’m here for it. I think I’ve just started to touch on this idea of multiple truths — through my writing. That’s probably the root of if I’ve felt misunderstood, why. I experienced the same exact situation or person or place or food as you but I took it in completely differently. I was open and accepting to a fault. Why wasn’t I more discerning? Was I too nice? But I’m such a fish! I’m so go with the flow. I’m extremely averse to confrontation and anxiety. I’m mellow and calm! But now it’s like…let’s explore what else there is. What can I confront? Is being in an anxious state ok sometimes? Where do we go from here?
That’s the perfect way to explore the idea of multiple truths—through your writing and connecting with the larger community. There’s an opportunity to connect with others through their experiences while sharing your own, too. I love the way you put it, “I experienced the same exact situation or person or place or food as you but I took it in completely differently.” By sharing your experiences and listening to the experience of others, there’s a practice of accepting that our perspectives can be different. Also, it’s important to know that you’re not meant to be like others—there’s a uniqueness about you that may feel uncomfortable to you and sometimes to others. Staying true to yourself and leaning into your uniqueness is a gift, and sharing it with the world shows us that it’s okay to go against the flow of the masses.
Now for your current transits!
You’re coming through a karmic period as Saturn passes over your Pisces sun—a cosmic up-levelling is happening for you, and it’s a time of taking stock of all you have (or haven’t) accomplished. It could feel restrictive or as if your usual Piscean flow is disrupted.
Do you notice the pull to take responsibility for your goals and how they relate to who you truly are? It could feel heavy if you haven’t been honoring yourself—the need for boundaries will be clear. Your relationships may be in the spotlight as this happens in your 7th house of relationship—keep in mind, it could be business (hello collaborations!) or personal. The ruler of your sun is in the 5th house of romance and creativity, so I would suspect it is highlighting your love life or creative life. How has this been showing up for you?
It is definitely showing up in my creative life! My love life is stable and no changes are happening there. If in business it is collaborations you are seeing, tell me more because I’m open to that on a new level. It is interesting to know that overall I’m in a transition period because I feel that despite not knowing it was a thing in my chart.
I love this! The reason I mentioned collaborations is because we’re here collaborating! And I think if you’re being pulled to collaborate, I would say reach out to your community. There’s a big opportunity for you to create creative connections during this process, while using it as an opportunity to find those connections who honour your uniqueness and help you to grow.
You’ve also entered in a huge transition period that we call the Pluto square, it’s one of our major life transits that we experience once in a lifetime. Pluto transits burn away anything that no longer serves us. You may notice this year things start to change, or fall away from your life—it could be old habits, ways of thinking, or relationships—anything that is holding you back. Pluto transits can feel uncomfortable, but they ultimately bring us closer to our true selves.
Jupiter (the planet of expansion) is also traveling over your Midheaven (your career point) and opposing your moon (your emotional body). This could bring opportunities to expand in your career, which will naturally bring changes to your home life as well. Harping again on the lesson of boundaries, it’s time to follow the opportunities that truly light you up, rather than taking on everything and anything.
Your midheaven is in Taurus, which tells me you’ve probably been in one career for quite a while—you’re very fixed, so you have the staying power and could stay longer than you should in situations that don’t serve you. Now is the time to really ask yourself if it’s worth keeping on the same track, or if changes need to be made. Have you been feeling this?
Kaitlyn, you are very good at this! Midheaven is a new term for me but yes, I’ve been at my employer / career / this role for a long time! It is my financial stability and I feel like I have staying power for sure. I’m supporting something I’ve literally built from the ground up for my company. I’m curious if you think it no longer serves me? Because it has been too long? Or I should be doing something else? I also have a lot on my plate financially and can’t walk away from a strong source of income!
By no means do I mean you should step away from something that is so fulfilling, but it’s definitely a great time to take a temperature check. This could also be a time where you have the capacity to take on more, or see an expansion in your company finances and/or external growth.
One thing I admire about fixed signs is their ability to build and stick with it, so this is one of those parts of you that has the tenacity to see something through, and this could be the time where you really reap the rewards of your hard work. Think of it as a little boost!
And lastly, if you have any last questions, please let me know and I would be happy to answer!
I’m floored at how exceptionally well you just read my chart. I haven’t had a reading in years and this felt so refreshing and relevant!! I’d love if you had any insights on my family / husband / kids….from us as a unit to them as individuals! Perhaps I can give you their details and we can work together on it in time! My husband is also a Pisces with (I think) Leo rising. Is that crazy!?
Thank you for trusting me, Kristen! I wish we had more space to play. I’m realising how challenging it is to try and fit everything I want to tell you in one written interview, but this is part of what I’m here to do in challenging myself to be more succinct, while bringing light to creatives like you!
I would love to meet about your kids and your husband (although I do ask for consent from anyone over 18 if they’re not present). One of my favourite types of readings to do are children’s charts for parents—there’s a special magic in learning about their unique needs because every child is unique.
Here’s a note from a mom I’ve worked with:
It’s fascinating that you and your husband have similarities! I’d love to explore more with you!
For anyone who would like to explore astrology with me, please check out my calendar to book a time.
So fascinating to see your approach to readings in a written format, Kaitlyn! I loved reading this and following along the chart in my mind’s eye — I could almost see it as you were describing certain aspects 🤩🧚♀️✨ love this new addition to your publication. And thank you to Kristen for sharing yourself so generously!
What a great read! I'm glad I came across this :)