Nothing is stranger than believing.
It’s time for things to be turned upside down. “Stranger Things” is back. Season four of the hit television series returned with Volume One on May 27, 2022. Volume Two returns five weeks later on July 1, 2022 at midnight Pacific Time in the US.
Netflix’s nostalgic nightmare coming of age tale follows a powerful girl named eleven, her brave friends and the denizens of Hawkins, Indiana as they face supernatural threats, flesh eating monsters, alternate dimensions, possession, Cold War conspiracies and the pitfalls and fever pitches of puberty. In season 4, volume 1 the gang must also face their tallest hurdle thus far: High School.
“It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins,” reads the official synopsis for “Stranger Things” season four. “Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”
As great as volume one was. Volume 2, which is only two episodes, is shaping up to be even better. “There’s no question that season 4 is built as a prelude to and springboard for the fifth and final season,” executive producer Shawn Levy told Entertainment Weekly. “When you watch Volume II, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Without giving anything away, everything happens for a reason on Stranger Things. It’s why we’re gonna end things after season 5 because it’s important to the [Duffer] brothers, and all of us who make the show with them, that we finish strong, stick the landing, and not tell one fragment of story more than has purpose. As you can see in season 4, we’re taking a lot of strands — strands of character, strands of plot, strands of mythology — and we are giving explanations and weaving those threads together.”
Before things get strange and in celebration of what is shaping up to be the best season yet, we’re looking at the list of OG characters through the scope of astrology. Cue the snyth music and read on to learn which character you’d be in the fight against the demogorgons based on your zodiac sign.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
Mike Wheeler
The first sign in the zodiac, Aries prefers to blaze a trail rather than follow a path, a route preference exhibited by Mike Wheeler who looks like a young Tommy Lee and doesn’t hesitate to run head long and heart first into danger. A natural leader, Mike is brave to the point of recklessness but he makes others, most notably Eleven, feel safe and seen.
A fire sign, Aries favors action over contemplation and won’t back down from a fight even, and especially when they are outnumbered and or outgunned. Valiant to the last, there is hero heroism in Aries energy. They honor oaths and worship at the alter of friendship. As Mike explains to Eleven, promises are to be kept and, “A friend is someone that you’d do anything for.”
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Chief Jim Hopper
A Taurus acts only when they are absolutely ready. Creatures of habit that elevate routine to ritual it tracks that a Taurus like Hopper would demand silence and isolation under the banner that “mornings are for coffee and contemplation.” Indulgent AF, it’s also on brand for a bull to consider beer and donuts breakfast. In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, Taurus is represented by the Hierophant, a priest that translates the supernatural into the tangible, a habit of Hooper who is also willing to suspend belief in his search for the truth. Stubborn and rigid, Taurus can alienate others with their stoicism and inflexibility, exhibited in Hopper’s policing (pun intended) of Eleven. Yet, as Hopper’s storyline shows, all those hard edges are there to protect a steadfast heart of gold.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
Lucas Sinclair
Blessed and cursed with curious minds, Geminis are born to analyze and question. This observe/investigative/commentate approach to life explains Lucas’s initial skepticism of Eleven and his encyclopedic knowledge of the “Satan’s Baby” fireworks. Gemini is an intellectual air sign and it is thus utterly fitting that Lucas’s munition of choice is a slingshot and his brilliant mind is a weapon in its own right.
Lucas’s back and forth breakup, makeup relationship with Max is also indicative of the non committal energy of Gemini. His spilling of the proverbial supernatural beans to Max before consulting the other members of The Party, is also in keeping with the Gemini propensity to over share.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
Joyce Byers
Ruled by the moon, the zodiac sign of Cancer is associated with maternal instincts, a sense of home, acute intuition and erratic moods. Enter Joyce Byers who fearlessly rides the line between sainthood and psychosis in her campaign to save her son. Cancer is a water sign that approaches the world from a place of emotion rather than reason. It is precisely this approach that allows Joyce to communicate with Will while he’s in the Upside Down. Guided as she is by her maternal instincts and unfettered by rational thoughts, Joyce immediately recognized Will’s corpse as a fake. aTrusting not what she sees, but what she feels makes Joyce an apex Cancer and a hero of the “Stranger Things” universe.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
Erica Sinclair
Leo rules the fifth house of creativity, play and the inner child and Erica Sinclair with her eye catching neon fashions and willingness to compromise physical safety for an eternity of ice cream is big time, big kid, lion vibes. Leos love a pride and are fluent in social politics and the hierarchy of cool. For her part Erica maintains a group of friends and admirers and also easily makes the transition into the nerd realm, playing nice and fighting dirty as a junior D&D participant. Leos shine when in service of others and though she was bribed with dairy to make the perilous journey to infiltrate the Russian base, she demonstrated the leonine hallmark of bravery in the face of danger.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Nancy Wheeler
Dedicated to academics and adept at target practice, Nancy fulfills the familiar trope of Virgo as the perfectionist of the zodiac. Cautious but no less courageous, Virgos like Nancy are natural investigators. Underestimated by her lessers, the seriously resourceful Nancy proves herself capable of outsmarting and sometimes destroying her adversaries (suck it Tom and Bruce) and exposing corruption, looking at you Hawkins Lab.
Virgos have the curious ability to see the potential in all things and all people, a lens that helps explain Nancy’s choice in romantic partners and career objectives. She sees things not as they are but as they could be and as her character develops, her ability to pretend and feign normalcy begins to wane. As she admits , “All this time, I’ve been trying so hard to pretend like everything is fine, but it’s not.”
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Steve Harrington
A f**k boi with great hair who needs to be liked and is susceptible to pack mentality, Steve embodies some of the less stellar traits of this cardinal air sign. Yet, as the seasons progress, Steve’s personal evolution takes shape and his finer Libra qualities begin to shine. Because the sun is in fall in Libra it struggles to assert itself or find purpose. In this sense, Libras need to be activated.
We see this need play out in Steve who is bettered by and through his relationships with others. By becoming a babysitter come surrogate older brother to the other characters he’s able to beautifully demonstrate the Libra gift of mediation. Libra is ruled by Venus, planet of aesthetics and attachment. Well versed as he is in both, Steve shares his knowledge about hair care and female dynamics with Dustin to hilarious and heartwarming effect.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Eleven
Scorpio has two planetary rulers Pluto, planet of death and regeneration and Mars, planet of action and aggression. As a telekinetic savant who can kill things with her mind, Eleven expresses heightened qualities of both planets. Scorpios are born to transform through trauma and to guide others towards the knowledge that what must be endured can also be overcome. Eleven, through her genesis from prisoner of a system to dismantler of it the very definition of an actualized, in their power Scorpio. Eleven further illustrates the fiercely loyal qualities of her sign through her willingness to sacrifice everything, including her own life, to protect the ones that she loves.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Dustin Henderson
Sagittarians are known for their relentless optimism, high ideals and oddball sense of humor, a combination found in just can’t keep him down fan favorite, Dustin. Greeting adversity and haters alike with his gapped tooth grin, Dustin’s good nature and signature one liners keep his friends in high spirits. Sagittarius rules the ninth house of philosophy, expansion and higher learning and Dustin embroidered the welcome mat with this exclamation to the town librarian, “I am on a curiosity voyage and I need my paddles to travel.” Seek long and prosper my guy.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Eddie Munson
Season Four newcomer Eddie Munson is heavy metal to the hilt. While Capricorn gets a reputation for being pragmatic and dry, in truth they are low key hedonist weirdos with a very, very rock n’ roll vibe. Their tarot card is the devil and notable Caps include Lemmy, Jimmy Page, Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder and Lars Ulrich. In short, they shred and Eddie is no exception. Though an avowed outsider, in true sea goat fashion he is a leader among his people, head of the Hellfire Club, the official D&D club of Hawkins High School and lead guitarist of the cacophonous band, Corroded Coffin.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
Will Byers
Aquarians are known for being a little bit out there but none have gone further than Will Byers who gets himself tangled up in the Upside Down. Aquarius is associated with electricity and sudden jolts of change. Fittingly, Will uses the circuitry of lights and electronics to communicate with his mother Joyce when he is trapped in the hell scape fo the alternate dimension.
There’s a disconnect for Aquarians between who they truly are and who they appear to be, a theme made manifest in Will’s possession by the Mind Flayer. Aquarians are independent thinkers that value freedom, elements that explain Will’s resistance to being watched and coddled by his friends and family following his rescue.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Jonathan Byers
Brooding with a taste for music and a scowl/hair combination that recalls the late great Kurt Cobain, Jonathan gives serious Pisces vibes. Sensitive, observational and deeply caring, Jonathan is brought to tears by dead bunnies and is unwaveringly devoted to his mother and brother, showing the latter that it’s not only ok, but preferable to be different. Pisces rules the twelfth house of the unconscious mind and natives find it necessary to retreat from reality into a soundtracked world of their own.
Overseen by Neptune, planet of dreams and delusions, Pisces are always looking beyond the surface and behind the veil for hidden meaning, a theme Jonathan touches upon when Nancy asks him about his interest in photography, “Sometimes people don’t really say what they’re really thinking … But you capture the right moment, it says more.” Rather than wrestling with his outsider status, Jonathan nurtures it, dismissing normies like Steve, and letting the words of haters roll off his hunched shoulders.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
- The 12 zodiac signs
- What are the astrology houses?
- Here’s what each planet represents
- Sun, moon and rising signs: Get to know your Big 3
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.
