The Astrology of Shopping: A Buyer’s Guide
Have you ever noticed how an expensive item can tear on the second day, while a trinket bought on a whim serves you for years? In astrology this is put down not to chance, but to the position of the Moon during your shopping trip. This guide will help you plan your shopping so that every penny spent brings you joy and practical use.
Basic rules: the lunar phases
The very first thing to consider is the current moon phase:
- Waxing Moon: the ideal time if you want to buy something new (updating your wardrobe, say) but do not yet know exactly what you are looking for. It is a period of expansion and of drawing new things into your life.
- Waning Moon: head to the shops in this period if you have a firm, specific list and know exactly what you need.
- New Moon & Full Moon: days when it is best to avoid shopping altogether. At these turning points (including the day before and the day after the New Moon), purchases are often wasted or driven by strong emotion.
Keep the retrograde planets in mind as well. Avoid buying clothes, cosmetics and jewelry while Venus is retrograde. A retrograde Mercury is a strict taboo for electronics, cars and signing contracts. And during a void-of-course Moon, it is better to postpone large purchases, as they tend not to bring the result you hoped for.
Clothes, shoes and accessories
Clothing and footwear have an especially close link with the zodiac signs, so special rules apply here:
- Classics, beauty and elegance: the best time to buy clothes is when the Moon visits Taurus and Libra (ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty). Clothes bought under Libra fit the figure perfectly.
- Sporty and youthful style: denim, sneakers, sportswear or a bicycle are great to buy under Gemini, Sagittarius and Aquarius.
- Business and everyday style: Virgo is perfect for a practical office suit. Everyday and outer clothing, along with bags and belts, are best bought under Capricorn — the pieces will be reliable and solid, if a little understated.
- Statement pieces: under Leo you will buy bright, wonderfully stylish things — but you will wear them only rarely.
- When not to buy: avoid buying clothes under Aries (they wear out quickly, or “burst at the seams”) and under Scorpio. Clothes bought under Pisces become great favorites but spoil quickly.
- Special rules for shoes: buying shoes under the fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) is strongly discouraged — they wear out remarkably fast, as if they “burn out on your feet.” Pisces is the worst choice too: the shoes rub mercilessly and quickly become unwearable. Shoes from Capricorn are very hard to break in, while those from Aquarius stretch out too much. The ideal signs for shoes are Gemini, Libra, Taurus and Virgo.
Jewelry, cosmetics and perfumery
- Precious pieces: for jewelry set with precious stones, choose the fire signs — Aries, Leo or Sagittarius. For gold, Leo is ideal; for silver, Cancer.
- Everyday jewelry: pieces bought under the earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) last a very long time and are perfect for daily wear. Avoid buying jewelry under Gemini and Aquarius.
- Cosmetics and perfume: Libra is the perfect time for any cosmetics and perfumery. Taurus is great for nourishing creams and skin-care products. Cleansing products (scrubs, toners, shampoos) are best bought under Virgo, and bath foams and shower gels under Cancer.
- A word of caution: perfume bought under Aries will in time seem too sharp, and decorative cosmetics from Aquarius can turn out overly avant-garde.
Technology, cars and home appliances
- Transport and gadgets: an excellent time to buy a car or a mobile phone is under the air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). Aquarius is also a wonderful period for any computer or electronic novelty. If you buy a car only rarely — “once and for life” — wait for the Moon to pass through solid Capricorn.
- Home appliances: the earth signs — Virgo and Capricorn — are ideal. Kitchen appliances are especially good to buy under Virgo, with a fair chance of improving your cooking along the way.
- When not to buy tech: the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) are unfavorable for electronics. The Moon in Taurus is especially unsuited to buying a car or a computer. And avoid complex appliances under Leo — chasing the trendiest new model, you may end up with an unreliable one.
Home, furniture and real estate
- For coziness: wallpaper, finishing materials and furniture that make a home feel truly warm are best chosen under Cancer.
- For reliability: Taurus favors the purchase of beautiful, practical and highly reliable furniture.
- For luxury: want a leather sofa, gilded wooden furniture or a solid armchair? Your ideal time is Sagittarius.
- For aesthetics: flawless combinations of interior pieces are easiest to find when the Moon is in Libra.
- A word of caution: real estate is great to buy under Capricorn — yet decor and finishing materials chosen then can feel cold and impersonal. Buying furniture or property under Gemini is not recommended, and finishes chosen under Aquarius may turn out too extravagant.
Specific and unusual goods
- Scorpio: ordinary shopping does not go especially well now. It is, however, the perfect moment to buy fine wine, a gift bottle of cognac, amulets, esoteric books, and the most effective pest-control products or household chemicals.
- Sagittarius: a great time to plan a holiday — buy tour packages, tickets, suitcases and any imported goods.
- Aries: a favorable period for sports equipment, hunting gear, knives, and bright souvenirs and trinkets.
- Gemini: time to stock up on stationery.
- Pisces: excellent for children’s books and films.
Ready to put this into practice? Our buying advice tool marks the favorable, neutral and unfavorable days for each category over the coming weeks, based on the current Moon phase and sign — a quick way to time any of the purchases above.
This guide is offered for reflection and entertainment. Astrology is not scientifically proven, and this information is not professional advice.