Attention, London readers: I’m hosting an intimate gathering to align + wine on Wednesday, April 29, and I still have a few tickets left. Click here for more information, and I hope to see you there.
Today marks six years since I left New York City and moved back home with my parents in Westchester County, where I was born and raised. I never planned to stay this long, but it’s given me the chance to save a significant amount of money—and the freedom to travel whenever I want. I also think it’s allowed me to work through some deeply rooted emotional baggage—yet it’s hard to escape family dynamics that feel so hardwired when I’m the only person in the house doing the work.
I’ve also spent the last four years living part-time in London. I’m constantly asked by people I meet to explain why I split my time between two places, and I simply say, “Because I can." Being in the UK has been really meaningful to me in ways I didn’t expect— especially considering I barely left the East Coast for the first quarter of my life. There is a part of me that genuinely feels at home in London.
The title of this newsletter isn’t entirely serious (or maybe it is?), but there was a point in my twenties when that question was very much on my mind. And after my conversation with astrologer Helena Woods, she makes a pretty compelling case for why I should at least spend more time in Stockholm. We chat about relocation charts (basically your natal chart if you were born in a different part of the world) and how traveling to different planetary lines can activate different areas of your life.
Whether I’ll finally plant roots of my own is a question that’s been on my mind a lot lately. I’m hoping for some clarity when Jupiter moves into Leo this summer, activating my 4th house of home and family.
Ahead, Helena breaks down astrocartography and how your location can shape your mindset, relationships, career, and more—from travel plans to life-changing moves.
P.S. Helena is teaching a free masterclass on how to bring the energies of these places in the world right now and how you can start using it today on May 9th, click here to sign up for free.
Helena, welcome to FWD JOY. I am so excited to talk about Astrocartography. Word on the street is you are the girl to talk to.
Helena: Yeah, it's my favorite topic to talk about. I started talking about this back in 2020, and then I started my business at the end of 2021. It's the tool that's been gaining momentum and traction, and even businesses that aren't into astrology are starting to use it, like cruise lines, hotels, and travel advisors. They're all starting to get in on this.
We're gonna get into all the things, but first, my favorite question to ask everyone to kick things off is: What were you like as a child?
Helena: I was bold and very expressive. Always putting on flamboyant outfits, leading groups in my neighborhood, getting all the kids together to put on shows, and running around into different people's houses. I was also always journaling. In my free time, in my alone time, just hiding up in a tree in my front yard, head in my journal, watching people in my neighborhood, and writing down things that I notice about them.
So, when did you start getting into astrology?
Helena: My mom was really into it when I was born. She had her astrologer make a packet of my birth chart. It wasn't until I was a teenager, like junior year of high school, that a friend gifted me the book, The Secret Language of Relationships. I became obsessed, and I'm still obsessed to this day. Every time someone has a birthday, I look it up in The Secret Language of Relationships. I became obsessed with understanding people, their relationships, and how certain people got along with others, and that was in high school.
We had a bookshop around the corner from my house, so I would always go to the astrology section and read all the books by the AstroTwins, Linda Goodman, and Sun Signs. Then I moved to France in 2018, and the story of going deep into astrology was like, boom, activated. I became obsessed with it in my free time. I learned about Astrocartography when I moved out here because I felt like I belonged. I felt at home for the first time in my life. So I got into Astrocartography just by googling it, learning about it for free online. It wasn't big at all in 2018. There was very little I could find online. I would talk about it on YouTube and make charts and maps for my friends. Then, at the end of 2021, I started my business because I was like, I love this so much. I've gotta share it more publicly with the world.
I wanna hear more about what was going on in your chart when you moved, and how that helped you learn more about astrology and astrocartography.
Helena: So I was in Jupiter return, and Jupiter was going through my first [house], but in the relocation chart for France, it's going through my ninth. The ninth house is so connected to astrology, right? The House of God, philosophy. I was getting really into all things ninth house. I was writing on Instagram, my blog, and making YouTube videos about culture and life in France.
Wow. I love that. So, for people who don't fully know, explain what exactly Astrocartography is.
Helena: It's locational astrology, but on the map. Locational astrology is like a major umbrella for the astrology of place and location, and for how your stories shift. Your life events change, and your energy shifts when you move to or travel to different parts of the world. But in the 1970s, a genius named Jim Lewis created astrocartography, which essentially maps where the planets were angular or on the four angles at the exact moment you were born. So Venus was rising in one part of the world in this location at the moment you were born, or the Moon was setting in this location. So there were these lines, these beautifully colored lines, and you could use astro.com to pull this up for free and see where your lines are. I call them power places, because when you get close to them, it's like you're in this energetic influence of that planet and how it is positioned in your birth chart. So your Venus story is gonna be different from mine. Your Jupiter line's gonna be different from my Jupiter line and the blueprint, the promise, the story that's baked into your chart. I've been testing this full-time in my life, traveling the world, doing this work to see what it's like. You could get on a plane and fly over and just notice mind shifting and your energy shifting and the things you're thinking about on the plane ride. You could track it, see where you are, and pull up your astrocartography map at the same time. And it is so spot on. I'll manifest things when I'm flying over my Jupiter line, for instance. I'll land, and something crazy happens. Sometimes it's really literal, the events that transpire when you go to these lines. There are other times where it's activating a story within you, an aspect of your consciousness, an aspect of your energy. So it's all about being in places that activate a part of your story.
I never even considered that if you're flying over a line, you can use it in that way. That's so cool. Can you also explain what a relocation chart is?
Helena: So, the same birth chart that you have, if you change the location to a different place in your birth information, and then you have to adjust the time because of the time zone shift, the only thing that shifts are the houses. Your planets will stay the same, but the houses and the angles, and also the aspects to angles. For instance, in a new location, you might have Mars trining the ascendant, or you might have Saturn squaring the Midheaven in a new location, so that goes a little bit more into the details, but essentially, a relocation chart is your birthchart for that place. So if you took your first breath at the exact same moment but were born here in this part of the world, it's like you're getting a Google Street View of all aspects of your life, if you're in a new location.
You can literally be a different person if you go to a different part of the world. My astrologer had done my relocation chart for me. I'm a Leo rising in Europe.
Helena: Yes, you are, and you got Mercury on the Midheaven, too, out there in Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. It's like writing, speaking, and media work can be more visible for those types of things.
Totally. It feels very much aligned for me. If you are traveling to a specific line for the first time, how long does it take for that energy to kick in? Is it immediate?
Helena: It's immediate. But the real literal manifestations where things outside of you are just happening, that's where we go to the next level, which is when you have transits or progression. So the timing is hitting those lines. You'll feel different the minute you land somewhere. I've even tracked local train rides, car road trips, and cruises. I love to test my lines while I'm cruising at different latitudes. I'll never forget: I went up to Norway, and I was writing in my journal every day: "I'm in this location; this is how I'm feeling." I go back home, vlog for my YouTube channel, and record all the data for people. I didn't know about my map. I didn't know what was going on in those areas. Then I get home, I look at the map, and I make new videos about what it was, and it's spot on.
I actually tried to plan a trip last year that was loosely based on my astrocartography. I went to Madrid, and I spent two weeks there. I can't remember what line is close to there.
Helena: Madrid is closer to your moon descendant line. So that's a partnership and relationship line in Madrid. You know what, I would go there when the nodes enter Capricorn and Cancer. Your Moon's at 25 degrees Capricorn. So ideally, we wanna be there when there's a major activation of that Moon. Oh yeah, the north node's gonna be on your Moon. This is like the spring of ‘28, like May or June of ‘28.
I was very curious, how far outside the line can you feel that energy? Because it's not directly going through Madrid, but it was the closest line.
Helena: Your moon line is 121 miles away from Madrid. So that is within the orb of intense strength. Jim Lewis taught that there are different orbs—an intense strength is 150 miles roughly. My ideal goal is to get someone within 200 miles. But all astrologers use different orbs, but you can use up to 700 miles and still be within the orb of the story of that planetary line. But 150 to 200 miles is always my goal.
So now, let's get into the nitty-gritty of each sign. If you want to find love, is it as easy as just traveling to your Venus line?
Helena: No, not at all. One: you gotta time it. I have a lot of clients who go to these love lines, and there's nothing being activated in their chart, timing-wise. I really lead with the natal chart, what's going on in their fifth and their seventh houses. Also, if they wanna go to a specific line, like a relationship line, I'm always looking at the descendant lines, so the lines that are labeled DSC or DC. I wanna see something activating that planetary line. So the timing is the first big thing. Then the second big thing is, your person might be from there, so you could meet someone in your town who is from that country. That's where the astrocartography map shows you where things are happening, as well as where you have stories and where these people are coming from in your life.
That’s actually a perfect segue into something I wanted to talk about. In my mid-twenties, I suddenly fell into a friend group of Swedes. I was also having some romantic entanglements with Swedish men, and I had never been there. The energy of Sweden was so present in my life. I think it was maybe two years before I ever actually went to Sweden, and I've been there a few times now. It's truly one of my favorite countries, and especially Stockholm. I even considered moving there, but I was like, what is it with me and Swedish people?
Helena: You have the lunar nodes going through Sweden, and the North Node and the South Node are both going through there. And the South Node is exactly on the IC, and the North Node is exactly on the Midheaven, like zero degrees. So it's really powerful in terms of karmic, dharmic, fated, and significant themes happening in your life. But the South Node on the IC—everyone's got a different opinion on this—I like to think of it as past life or familiarity, a feeling of, "I know you. I've connected with you before." That feeling of the past, foundations, or something that feels instantly knowing or karmic. That's when the nodes are on the IC and the south node, which is often symbolized totally on the ICS, going right through Sweden.
I definitely feel like many of the people I was hanging out with, and some of the men I was involved with, felt so fated. The first Swedish guy that I liked, I've written about this for my newsletter, but I was at a club in New York City one night, and I was leaving, I'm walking to catch a cab, and I see a cab go by me, and all of a sudden, the cab stopped, and the guy literally hopped out of the taxi and ran to me and was like, "Where are you going?” I said I'm going home. And he was like, no, will you please come back and have a drink with me? So we had a drink and chatted for a bit. It was like his second night in New York on a 10-day trip, and we spent every single day together. We were in love for 10 days. He's the reason why I first went to Sweden.
Helena: Wow. So yeah, that's a massively powerful place for you in your whole life. There'll be a connection with Sweden, and it's interesting because in New York, you've got Jupiter, the Sun, Venus, and Pisces in the 11th. So it's a very social place for you. The East Coast is a lot about friends and community. Then the South Node is in the seventh—but the South Node moves to the fourth house when you're in Sweden, but it's in the seventh house of relationships when you're on the East Coast and in your birth chart. The angular houses are the most powerful, the most potent. It's when things become physical, become literal, become real.
I was born and raised on my moon line. What does living on your moon line typically denote?
Helena Woods: It's a place where people feel really connected to their desires and their heart, and you have the Moon on the MC, which represents service, sharing, and being public. I always like to think of Moon on the MC as like being a voice or the desire to support people. To help people. And so that's really beautiful to have.
That is very much my calling.
Helena: And that's right in that area. So that's great for a career. I love that, for service, there's a desire to help people. Moon on the ascendant. I find a lot of people love that line for just a place of feeling at home somewhere in the world, or a feeling of peace, tranquility, and relaxation. It's one of the happy lines I find for people's Moon on the ascendant. Moon on the descendant is more bonding, emotionally bonding, relating, and connecting with others. And then Moon on the IC is a big home location. I've even seen for people who don't wanna live in a place where their moon IC line is their ancestry comes from that part of the world, so their mother and or the grandparents are far back in the ancestry. There's a connection to that place. So that's how it works on the four angles.
I was actually trying to look this morning because both my parents were born in Jamaica, and so I was like, Oh, I wonder if I have [any lines].
Helena: Yeah, you actually have the south node on the descendant out there, so that's more relationship-type things. But the moon line, and is it on your mom's side?
It's both.
Helena: Both, okay. The moon lines are often connected to a mother figure, a woman, or a parent in our lives. I would say the big thing is that the South Node is on the descendant in Jamaica. Also, I wanna look a little closer. One thing that not a lot of people talk about, and that I'm obsessed with sharing about astrocartography, is paran lines. This is like the game changer because paran are latitude crossings, and they're created when two astrocartography lines cross. So when they cross at that moment of intersection, that place is super powerful 'cause it brings together two stories. Let's say you have the South Node on the descendant and the Moon on the Midheaven at that point of intersection where those lines cross. It's creating a story of careers and relationships happening in that place.
So if you go up to New York, it might have one energy. But if you go down to Washington, DC, it'll have a completely different story or energy, even if you're on the same Moon-Midheaven line, for instance. Going north or south is gonna be different because of that blend of the parans. Let me see if I can find some examples. Any places that you're curious about, though, top of mind?
Well, I live in London, which I know is on my Chiron line.
Helena Woods: That's an aspect. That's not a main planetary line. So if we think about what's most important, like breaking it down first things first, planetary lines, like that's gonna be the big thing that you feel. So the closest one you got to London is that Mercury on the Midheaven, that's within orb, that's, 400 miles away. So you're closest to Mercury in your career, being in media, podcasting, social media, all of that. Then the second most important thing is the paran. And in terms of the parans, you have Jupiter-Neptune, which is in London, and that's Jupiter culminating on your Midheaven. So teaching, publishing, astrology, spiritual work, and writing books. Then you have Neptune setting, which is about relationships. So, it could be working one-on-one with clients, or like spiritual-type relationships coming into your life that can support your career.
Oh, okay. I also feel like part of the reason why I like being here is that dating is better for me here than in New York.
Helena Woods: Totally. And I love that, that Neptune-Jupiter paran that's in London. You do have the Chiron trine and the Chiron sextile, and those are lovely for feeling more relaxed and healing. I love Chiron for being a teacher, an astrologer, someone who wants to be of service. But the big things are those planetary lines and those parans. You've got Mars in the fifth, so I love that for dating. Mars in the fifth and the relocation chart is really fun for dating. And Mercury's in your ninth, too, by the way, in the relocation chart for London.
I don't look at my relocation chart very much, but I remember last time I talked about it a little bit with an astrologer friend of mine. She was saying my eighth house stellium gets pushed into what? My seventh house?
Helena Woods: It depends on the system you use, but in whole sign we got Sun, Jupiter, Venus in the eighth, and it can be the seventh if you're using Placidus. But yeah, Mercury on the Midheaven is like the closest, biggest energy that you have in London.
Tell me some things about living on your Mars line.
Helena Woods: Mars lines are great for initiating things, starting things. If you need courage, you need confidence, you wanna start a business, be an entrepreneur. These are great lines. I always go to my Mars line when I need to launch something, or if I'm lacking energy in the middle of a launch, I will go out to my Mars ascendant line and be like, okay, let's push through next week.
And where is that for you?
Helena Woods: That's in Greece. It's also challenging, though. I didn't know about Astrocartography at the time, but I spent two months exactly on my Mars ascendant line for my honeymoon. We went to Egypt, and I was feeling so irritable. I have my Mars in Aries too. I had so much energy, I was going, going, going. I was doing three scuba dives a day, and starting my blog, and trying to get my business off the ground, on a honeymoon, like I have so much energy.
You get so much energy, but it is not a place of relaxation for sure. For relaxation, a peaceful vacation, I always recommend Neptune Lines. People love a Neptune-IC line for a vacation or even a moon line. Moon lines are wonderful for a trip or a vacation. Then Jupiter lines are so great for travel, expanding your horizons, wanting to learn history, connect with family, a multi-generational family trip, I love Jupiter lines. I always go to my Jupiter lines when I like wanna cast the vision for the year ahead, so like every New Year's or in January, I'll go out to my Jupiter line and basically plant the seeds for the year ahead.
It really makes you rethink what it means to travel, right? And how you can get the most out of an experience. What happens if you travel to a place where you don't have any lines, or like you're not in the orb of any planetary action?
Helena Woods: I find a lot of people who are reflectors or projectors actually love being in a place where there's no planetary lines because it feels very spacious. There's a lack of urgency because with these planetary lines, they do really feel an energy, but also it's like you're in the middle of a big story, and you could just feel the intensity or the urgency of that planet and what that story is and wants you to lean into. A lot of people don't wanna live in places where there is that sense of urgency or story. The other thing is, you've still got parans. So if you don't have an astrocartography line close by or within an orb, the secondary influence of that paran becomes a primary influence. It becomes really important for that area. The third thing is you still have a relocation chart. So even if you don't have an astrocartography line, you still have the chart, which will tell the story as well.
Now let's talk about maybe some more difficult places, like living near a Pluto or Saturn line. What can that bring up?
Helena Woods: The most challenging ones I find for people, and it depends on the chart, but often Uranus lines, specifically Uranus-IC, can bring a sense of disruption to the home life, or the person's always moving. The person has issues with plumbing or electricity. I see this all the time. People have really weird experiences on the Uranus-IC line, or just feel unsettled.
Pluto's lines are intense. Pluto lines bring up a sense of drama or psychological introspection, or just a feeling of intensity about something you're experiencing. I always like to say that Pluto makes the small things really big. So if you're an overthinker, Pluto lines can feel like the small things become really big. Or if you're on a Mercury-Pluto, these places can make things a little bit more intense. Pluto nodes can just feel like you're in your head a lot, but they can also be powerful places of change. I have multiple friends who live directly on Pluto lines, and they love them. So I usually don't recommend Pluto lines because they are about metaphorical death, rebirth, transformation, letting go, and surrender.
Saturn lines are about responsibility, duty, obligation, and seriousness. I live super close to my Saturn ascendant line, and I've been here the last eight years. For me, it's been amazing, but that's because my Saturn in my chart is protected. I have a trine from Jupiter, I've got a square from Venus. So this is where it gets really detailed. What's your Saturn story? Some people have really amazing times on Mars lines, but they have challenges on Saturn lines. For me, it's the opposite. I thrive on Saturn, but I have a lot of difficulty with Pluto lines, even sun lines.
I have a lot of difficulty consistently because my sun has harder aspects to it. So those are typically the harder places, like Mars, Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus. But again, depends on the aspects and the condition of your planet in your chart.
I don't know that we talked about this specifically, but living on your Venus line, it's not always necessarily that this is the place that you're going to find love. Are you gonna feel better about your appearance? Can you come into some money?
Helena Woods: Absolutely. Venus is about values and pleasure. I call it the simple joys line. But it's just a place where you really feel like you can slow down and soak in the sensory aspects of life. Whether that's you can slow down more, you connect more with beauty, design, nature, and connection. Some people do find love on Venus lines, even like a Venus ascendant line, but most of the time, it's just a feeling of tapping into the Venusian aspect of your sense of self. I find that a lot of designers, interior designers, musicians, artists, they live on Venus-MC lines. And I do find that Venus lines are places where you can make a lot more money. I've seen this for a lot of clients, specifically with Venus on the MC. Values, investments, home, all of that.
If someone's planning a vacation, should they be going towards Venus or Jupiter lines?
Helena Woods: Overall, yeah. I would say—
Don't use ChatGPT
Helena Woods: Yeah, don't use ChatGPT because it's wrong. I've been testing this for my family members and me, and they get the angles wrong. They say there's a Jupiter line when there's not one, or like they just don't take into consideration parans at all. The chart itself.
I would say, overall, Venus and Jupiter lines are usually amazing to plan trips on, especially for short-term trips. Sun lines are really helpful for clarity— like receiving clarity, illuminating an aspect of who you are or what you want, shining in your true self-expression, being creative, stepping into leadership, wanting to be more assertive, or asserting your will in a stronger way. I find sun lines are really helpful for that.
Something that I'm really struggling with right now, and maybe astrocartography can't solve this for me. I spend about half the year in London, half the year in New York. But there is a part of me that is like, I really do want to start to build roots somewhere. I'm a Taurus rising, so as much as I like to travel, there is a part of me that needs that secure base. It's tricky because I have the freedom to be anywhere. So it actually makes it really hard to decide where I actually want to be? Of course, I do think that ultimately, New York is probably the best place for me because that's where my biggest network is. My family's there, everything is there. But at the same time, I'm like, but is Europe just a better place for me?
Helena Woods: I always like to look at the IC for a feeling of home and roots. Even if we can't get something on the IC, even like a moon node paran is really wonderful for a sense of home. You do have the south node on your IC in Europe, which is usually an indicator of someone who feels very comfortable in that location, or it's a place where they feel a sense of familiarity or connection with a place. And you know that's going right through Sweden. Like Stockholm, you have a Moon-Jupiter paran, which is one of my favorites for overall feeling a sense of happiness. So Moon and Jupiter are setting, or on the relationship point in Stockholm, so important relationships are coming from there. You have a Moon-Mercury setting in Stockholm, with themes of relationships, Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, and all relationships, stories. Oh my God, you also have Mercury-Jupiter there, which is great for writing, having ideas, and doing your podcast and everything, but that's also a setting. So relationship themes again. And you have the south node on IC, so Stockholm, I would say, is a consideration.
Do I need to just go set up shop there for the summer? Find my husband, get my work done.
Helena Woods: Yeah. That's a powerful place for meeting people. The other thing I would say is, where's your family located?
In New York.
Helena Woods: In New York, your Venus and your Jupiter are beautifully placed in your chart—you have an exalted Venus. Your Jupiter is in strong aspects in its domicile. So you do have Venus and Jupiter in the US, you've got Jupiter going on your ascendant, going through the California area.
Which is so funny because I have a zero desire to live there.
Helena Woods: And that's something I always like to tell people, is you've got these lines in these stories, but it doesn't mean you should move there. Always do a gut check. Check in with your soul. It's like a process of elimination.
This has been very eye-opening for me. It just changes the way that you look at the world.
Helena Woods: Oh, I know. And it's a lot, it's a lot of detail and a lot of complexity, but the big thing I always like to leave people with is your map of the world shows you where your stories are. So even if you can't travel or move there, it's like, where are your people from? The people you're connecting with, the people you're collaborating with. As you live on my Mercury line, I have a Mercury line in London, and I have a Mercury line in New York. It's all about podcasting, collaboration, and connection with other people. So even if you don't live in London, even if you don't live in a part of the world, you have stories that exist all the time. It's just about connecting with these people. I had reached out to an astrologer to have her on my podcast a long time ago, and I didn't know this at the time, but she has her Sun-Midheaven line going right through Paris, where I live. So I call that line the publicity line, 'cause you're getting massive exposure. She was booked for four months after the podcast episode aired. Like, she got so much work, so many clients, so many views, so many people followed her. So, connecting with me, because I live on her Sun-Midheaven line— that's the magic of Astrocartography. You can tap in at any point. You can set your VPN to those places in the world. You can order your produce and get your coffee from that part of the world. This is how magical it can be, even if you don't travel somewhere.
What's bringing you joy right now?
Helena Woods: Oh, so many things. I'm a Taurus girlie. I love the simple joys. I love walking down the street in my little town in Versailles, smelling the flowers, taking our morning walk with my husband, getting a cup of coffee, and lighting candles all over my house. It's the simple things. I got flowers on my coffee table. I'm just like, give me all the. Sensory smells and the little simple joys, that's what gives me life.
