Envy is rightfully counted among the seven deadly sins, underscored in the light hearted beach read the Book of Genesis as the dark motivation behind Cain’s rock slinging killing of his baby brother Abel.
Evolutionary psychologists argue that jealousy is an inherited response that gave our forbearers a “fitness advantage” for survival.
In kind, men are/were more inclined towards sexual jealousy, wanting to ensure they weren’t being cuckolded out of the DNA race while women were wary of emotional infidelity, fearful of having valuable resources diverted.
In any era and in every expression, envy is born from feeling inferior. At worst it is the ugly, killer of joy and at best it is transmuted into creative ambition. As we are all human and thus equally capable of feeling both threatened by and less than others, all signs have the capacity for envy but some among us are more likely to be possessed by it.
Bear in mind that the enemy of jealousy is gratitude and no matter what stars you fall under you have the power to rise to your higher self. Libra Carlos Ruiz Zafón writes, “Envy is the religion of the mediocre. It comforts them, it soothes their worries, and finally it rots their souls, allowing them to justify their meanness and their greed until they believe these to be virtues.
Such people are convinced that the doors of heaven will be opened only to poor wretches like themselves who go through life without leaving any trace but their threadbare attempts to belittle others and to exclude – and destroy if possible – those who, by the simple fact of their existence, show up their own poorness of spirit, mind, and guts. Blessed be the one at whom the fools bark, because his soul will never belong to them.”
Resist mediocrity at all costs, be anything but gutless, allow jealousy to be a motivating force rather than a bitter pill and read on to learn more about the zodiac signs most inclined to covet.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Green is the natural hue of envy and the power color of Taurus. Bulls rule the second house of values, self-regard and tangible possessions and when they are vibrating at a lowly level this expresses itself as a nasty jealous streak; coveting their neighbors wealth, comparing themselves to others and treating the people they love like things that they own. It’s worth noting that William “Wild Bill” Shaksepeare who is credited with coining the term “green-eyed monster” and whose plays are anchored in envy see “Othello,” “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” and “Richard the Third,” was a Taurus.
Bill’s got a kindred sprirt in Taurus novelist Charlotte Brontë who was so jealous of her kid sister Anne’s good looks and literary prowess that after Anne’s untimely death from tuberculosis, Charlotte willfully “stopped the republication of a book that would have cemented her reputation as a great author.” Talk about a grave grudge, lord of mercy.
Other examples of modern bulls acting out in envy include Teresa ‘take this table and shove it’ Giudice’s whose feud with sister-in-law Melissa Gorga is allegedly rooted in T.G.’s jealousy over M.G.’s marriage which she has consistently tried to undermine. Taureans are famously territorial so it tracks that Giudice wouldn’t take kindly to Gorga joining forces with her brother of joining the ranks of the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” franchise. Read more about the astrological toxicity of the RHONJ here.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
For all of their confident bluster, there is something of an insecure child actor living within each and every Leo, believing they have to perform and/or must win in order to deserve love. This makes them natural competitors and naturally jealous of anyone they fear could usurp them. Despite their predisposition towards it, Leo will NEVER cop to being jealous as admitting that they want what someone else has subverts their power and nullifies their belief in their own GOAT-ness.
Leos do root for people; relentless champions of underdogs and hype men to their homies they want everyone to do well…but never better than them. As you might imagine Leos LOATHE losing, a quality made manifest by lion queen Angela Bassett’s reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis’s Oscar win.
We see these tendencies alive and well in lions like Martha Stewart who shaded lifestyle guru Gwyneyth Paltrow for “trying to be like her” and Madonna who called Lady Gaga “reductive.” Bigger the cat, sharper the claws. Nothing is more infuriating to a Leo than the wild success of someone who considers them irrelevant, it’s rancid meat to their maw folks. While Madge and Gaga buried the hatchet for the sake of an Oscar selfie, I’m stil holding out hope that Paltrow will broker peace with a candle inspired by the scent of her Stewart’s vagina. Dare to dream.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
- 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
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Scorpio is a fixed water sign that both craves intensity and craves intensely. Ruled by planet Pluto, matters of the heart always feel like matters of life and death to a scorpion. Fearful of their own capacity for devotion, they actively anticipate loss and betrayal. It is almost as if they believe they can inoculate themselves against pain if they operate from a place of vigilant suspicion.
Concerned with power and control, Scorpio is determined to get theirs and to make it to the top. Because wrath is the twisted sister of envy, it tracks that Scorpio Tonya Harding, who got a personal shout out in our list of the most vengeful zodiac signs, was motivated by jealousy.
When you think you’re fated to lose, you hold on tight folks, like Scorpio matriarch/momager Kris Jenner who was has amitted to being jealous of her partner’s ex-wives and female pets alike. Why? Because when you’re a Scorpio it’s top bitch billing or bust my babies.
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.
