The word obsession comes from the Latin obsidere “to besiege,” and apt as a true obsession can feel very much like being surrounded without means for escape.
It wasn’t until the early 20th century that obsession was given the psychological definition of an “idea or image that intrudes on the mind of a person against his will.”
For many of us that idea or image takes on the form of another person, one we want to sleep with or kill or both, as was the case for Sagittarius poet Rainer Maria Rilke who wrote if not the book, the quintessential poem on obsession:
“Extinguish my eyes, I’ll go on seeing you.
Seal my ears, I’ll go on hearing you.
And without feet I can make my way to you,
without a mouth I can swear your name.
Break off my arms, I’ll take hold of you
with my heart as with a hand.
Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat.
And if you consume my brain with fire,
I’ll feel you burn in every drop of my blood.”
Whoosh, RMR, intense stuff but I’ll take burning blood and extinguished eyes over a “WYD” text any day.
Beyond people, our obsessions can run from the mundane (dental health) to the maniacal (popularity). Read on to discover what obsession besieges each sign in the zodiac.
Taurus rules the second house of values and self-worth and consequently bulls oft conflate the two. Governed by Venus, planet of pleasure and possessions they get the former from the latter and can’t pass up a flash sale or a bargain basement discount on high end merchandise. I don’t know a single Taurus that doesn’t doom scroll a sale section when they’re feeling down. What they shop for varies from bull to bull but the act of soothing through purchase or the intent to purchase extends to all that belong to these pastures.
Like food poisoning and orgasms, the obsessions of the Gemini ilk are brief but intense. Ever connected to information of the high and low variety (state secrets or salacious gossip) they are obsessed with the exchange of ideas, the possibility of connection and the beacon light of their cell phones.
Cancer, which rules the fourth house of home and ancestry, is predisposed to an obsession with the past. The most nostalgic sign in the zodiac they feel called to places they’ve never been, people they never met and eras before they were born. There’s a masochistic melancholy to all of it, stitched to the belief that things were better then or that they would have felt more at home in centurion armor or Victorian lace. According to his back story, Indiana Jones is a Cancer sun.
Sometimes, this call to the past is closer to the present as Cancers are known to look longingly upon their childhoods or romantic histories with an obsessive and obfuscating lens. What particular era peaks their obsession depends on the Cancer in question but unequivocally there will be some yearning for love lost, analog modalities, quality craftsmanship and days gone by.
Leo gets the lion share of shade for being self-obsessed and at times the pejorative proves true but these mane shakers have infatuations that live beyond them. Notably, Leos are obsessed with being the hype men for the people around them, galvanizing them into believing in, and acting in accordance with, their own greatness. Leos are also obsessed with karaoke, sporting events, choreographed dance routines, piñatas, bouncy houses, popsicles and anything else that oxygenates the carnival heart of their inner child.
Virgo rules the guts and the sixth house of service. Meticulous by nature, these mutable earth signs are low key obsessed with the fine tuning and smooth running of their corporeal forms. Again, the kind of obsession depends on the Virgo but I have known one to spend the sum of a midrange sedan on sound therapy and the removal of Mercury fillings, one that’s devoted to intermittent fasting, vaginal steaming and cryotherapy and another that swears by a combination of parasite cleanses, saunas, and tobacco grown in compost and her own menstrual blood.
Libra is the sign of partnership and they like to try out the prospect with most everyone they meet. Ruled by Venus, that lewd minx of loose robes and a honey tongue, noncommittal flirting is the birthright of Libras. Obsessed with both likability and making other people feel special/comfortable, Libras flatter and fawn as a way to ingratiate themselves and keep their charms sharp.
Scorpio rules the eighth house of sex, death and secrets and scorpions love to dig in the dark matter of that trinity. This sign is closely associated with psychology and investigative research and scorpions are driven by an obsessive need to uncover and understand the motivations of others and bring light to what has been buried; bodies, lies and otherwise.
Sagittarius is big time big kid energy, ruled by drunk uncle Jupiter they are pie in the sky, buy the ticket take the ride, Peter Pan types. As such they have an obsession with both looking and feeling young. We see this expressed in work out enthusiast and octogenarian smoke show Jane Fonda. Their obsession with youth extends to the way they approach ideologies and causes; notably buying in and going hard like an inflexible teenager with a Che Guevara poster on their wall. The Sag need to feel free is another hallmark of their youthful spirit and they will often put themselves in unusual or even dangerous circumstances in order to feel the thrill of the unknown and the tingle of the reckless.
Capricorn is represented by the hard scrabble sea goat, ever striving to make his way to the top of the mountain and as any Cap will tell you, there’s only enough space for a solo act on the summit. Virgos are often the sign most associated with punishing perfectionism but it’s truly Capricorn that’s obsessed with being the best. Due to their intense trust issues Capricorns do not look for this validation outside of themselves but rather use their internal barometer of excellence to determine if and when they have reached their own proverbial peak.
Aquarius is a fixed air sign which makes their obsessions vast reaching and deeply rooted. Ruled by lightning in a bottle Uranus and structured Saturn, their obsession is with making or being that which has never been before. We all benefit from the obsessive inventiveness of water bearers, looking at you Galileo Galilei, Robert Boyle, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Henry M. Leland and Clyde Tombaugh. Were it not for their strange fascinations we would be without electricity, knowledge of the planet Pluto, evolutionary theory and the heavy metal gift of the V8 engine.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Pisces is ruled by Neptune, planet of the unseen, the fantastical and the delusional. This is the sign associated with liminal spaces and the unconscious mind. Consequently, natives are obsessed with esoterica; ghosts, aliens, secret societies, divination etc. Pisceans are predisposed to suspending reality and belief which makes them prime supplicants for the mystical, magical and unexplained. These qualities also predispose them to a rich fantasy life that when applied to a sub par or unrequited romantic partner can quickly spiral into love struck obsession.
Aries is the first sign in the zodiac and emerges from the womb with axe in hand and trail to blaze. They are obsessed with newness in its myriad forms; technology, the first flush of a crush, a full tank of gas, the smell of fresh blood and just sprung daffodils. They exist to push forward, to move through the world guzzling experience and spitting out joy and newness is what gets their nips hard and their boots marching.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.