Her Facebook bio reads "Woke but Petty". It's true. Mildred Awino is a sharp-witted, socially conscious philosopher, astrologer and all round wholesome person who won't hesitate to put you in your place if you get out of line. We caught up with this mystique mystic to demystify her profession and get answers about all sorts of things from the cosmos.
KB: So, are you a witch, cosmologist, medium or psychic? We get confused sometimes (and I'm speaking for many here). What are your official titles?
I call myself a mystic, which would encompass all the above and more. A mystic is mostly self-taught or mentored to become one, and does this through a significant period of time spent in solitude. But just to clarify what these above terms mean; a witch works with natural elements to turn her thoughts into things (manifestation).
A cosmologist sees the Universe as one unified Being, with each component connecting to the other. This is where my work as an Astrologer stems from. A medium communicates with spirits beyond the veil of the material world, as well as beyond life and death. A psychic has access to knowledge, albeit gained from avenues outside their five senses.
KB: Many of us grew up casually reading our horoscopes in the paper but how did you first become interested in astrology?
My interest in astrology first showed up as an obsession with astronomy. I was stargazing and dreaming of becoming an astronaut from the time I was 10. I knew to look for Venus at sunset and for Mars at sunrise. If I was great at Physics then I'd probably have made my childhood dream come true, but alas… Astrology caught my attention ten years ago though, as part of my spiritual learning. I fully immersed myself in it three years ago, and ''came out'' of the astro closet last year. 
KB: Sometimes horoscopes can get a bit of a reputation for being flakey. I recently saw a meme that went something like "I hate it when people use their zodiac sign to excuse their bad behaviour. Sorry, I can't help it, I'm an Asparagus (lol). No Susan, you're just a bad person".  Do our star signs have any impact on our social behaviours?
That's my cue to pour some 'Astrolo-tea' for you right now. Your general newspaper horoscopes are more accurate if you check for your Rising sign, not your Sun sign. I would say 98% of people don't even know they have a rising sign or even what that is. They are still married to their Sun signs, which addresses who they are at ego-level. Your Rising sign is who you show up in public as, it's your ''social mask''.
I'm a Virgo which makes me reserved and organised at my core. But my Rising sign is Sagittarius, which is probably why I'm so loud and carefree on social media. That's who I show up as, but it's not who I am as a personality. I think horoscopes also need to be clear about such fine print, because it's that flakey reputation that makes most people skeptical about the veracity of Astrology in general.
To answer your other question, Gemini and Sagittarius are the strongest proof that zodiac signs have an impact on our social behaviour. On a serious note though, you are not only your Sun sign. There are so many other elements in your birth chart that play into who you are as a personality. Your celestial ''big three'' are your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs, and they could all be different zodiac signs.
I've already briefly addressed the Sun and Rising signs. Your Moon sign shows how you navigate your emotions, and this is where relationships are made or broken. If your Moon signs are in opposition like a Cancer Moon and Aquarius Moon, you'll be having a hard time in that relationship, especially the Cancer Moon who will constantly view the Aquarius Moon as emotionally unavailable.
The Aquarius Moon will also tend to view the Cancer Moon as needy and stifling. These dynamics are critical, yet people tend to ignore them.
KB: How do you think people can best utilize astrology in their daily lives?
Astrology is not deterministic in nature, it doesn't say ''this is who you are, like it or not.'' It equips you by showing you your best and your worst attributes. What you do with that information is then up to you. This is best utilised in career and relationships.
If, for instance, I was a Pisces working for an Aries boss, then I'd know that to make the most impact with them I should not appear timid, I should keep conversation lively without confusing it with irrelevant details, and most importantly to be humorous, but not humour them! This way, Astrology helps you pull up on areas that you are not necessarily a natural in, to achieve your desired outcomes.
KB: What's this about a 13th Zodiac sign?
At its core, the introduction of a 13th sign (Ophiucus) is an attempt to recolonise Astrology by the West. Our current timing and calendar conventions are modelled around the 12 signs since the advent of Astrology, which as we all know was entirely indigenous in origin. There would be dire mathematical, historical, and metaphysical implications with an additional sign.
The only solution would then be to create an entirely new Astro system that includes this 13th sign. This would incidentally see the West take over traditional Astrology because they would be the ones giving solutions to problems they created themselves. As an African Astrologer, I totally reject it. We stay woke out here; this is how our ancient wisdom gets taken over, repackaged, then resold to us.
KB: You're a Virgo: which sign do you gel with best? 
I know I usually roast the hell out of them but Virgos gel best with Geminis, but ONLY those born between June 18th and 21st. Those ones have attributes associated with both Gemini (wit) and Cancer (empathy) so there's a great counterbalance there. But if you're a June 5th Gemini, please stay away from me!
The other favourable sign for a Virgo is absolutely Taurus; they live for the good life, art, good food, and sensuality. As a Virgo, I love to see it. If you're a Taurus, you can definitely call me.
KB: We live in a state that values Abrahamic religious values and often, these religions clash with African identities and spirituality.  I've seen your work get attacked by both religious and African fundamentalists. Some have accused you of occultism and being 'Unafrican'. What do you have to say about that? 
The word occult, heavily demonized as it is by religion, simply means hidden mystical knowledge. By that definition, yes I am an occultist. Religious folk enjoy associating that term with Satanism, thereby indicting themselves for anti-intellectualism. I mean, they'd rather just say that then.
As for being called 'Unafrican', people who follow my pages know that I always cape for our ancestors, and African traditional spirituality. I have numerous pieces under my belt as far as this subject matter is concerned and I even do ancestral readings.
What I don't support is patriarchy, and the Afro-purists hate to see it because their worldview still entails subjugating the African woman as opposed to confronting the real elephant in the room; white patriarchy and capitalism.
An African calling their counterpart Unafrican is giving me misplaced gatekeeping vibes. Is there only one way to be African? In 1920, sure there was. But in 2020? Nah...
KB: 2020. Whew! One for the books. Let's talk about this surreal year. The whole shebang. What did the cosmos tell you in December 2019? What are the biggest takeaways from this year and what's all this about the 'Age of Aquarius'?
I just saw a Facebook memory of mine from November 2019 where I posted that all planets are going retrograde in 2020 and to gear up for a tough year. Yeah, retrograde planets are a massive red flag for any year. And in 2020 ALL planets were in 'reggaeton'.
The memes about that were just as hilarious. I wrote countless pieces since the beginning of the year to keep folks prepared, and I will do more of that in 2021. I feel like this is the season where people are at least willing to explore alternative means of ''hacking reality''.
KB: On December 21st, there's going to be a Saturn and Jupiter conjunction. What does that mean in astrology?
A conjunction refers to planetary or stellar alignments, and when two planets align it's the equivalent of them joining forces or 'collaborating'. Each of these planets have specific energies; Jupiter is expansive, while Saturn is restrictive. For the beginning of this conjunction, Jupiter will be ahead of Saturn in orbit and so we can expect some advancements by way of technology, positive social change through ''hacktivism'', redefining traditional careers in favour of one's passion; and here we'll see more digitally aligned careers popping up.
Later down the line, Saturn will be ahead of Jupiter, so we can expect periods of restriction as well. Think travel restrictions, enhanced censorship, online surveillance, and old structures fighting to conserve their waning power over the masses. I am a keen student of these celestial events and keep tabs on the implications of each.
KB: How can we prepare for 2021? What does your crystal ball say?
I'm always singing about people embracing this new millennial digital culture and making it work for them in 2021. If you don't have your business as an online store, 2020 may have already pushed you to do so. We must re-imagine a world where people can't get to you, and you must therefore get to them. It is also going to be the year of influencers, and hackers.
Be on high alert for phishing or other digital activities geared towards stealing your information for financial gain. Audit your bank accounts and even mobile money for erroneous transactions. Renew your passports now, and if you plan to travel then allow ample time between your visa processing and your actual travel date.
KB: Can you recommend any online resources for anyone who wants to develop a deeper understanding of themselves or people around them through astrology and spirituality?
I'm working on creating a one-stop online resource that covers all these areas for those who seriously want to begin the journey. I say this because most of us didn't have such a space, so we had to teach ourselves over the course of many years. This is my 18th year of self-development, which is why I refer to myself as a mystic more than any other title. 
KB: Finally, where can people connect with you?
They can connect with me through my page All Things Mystic by Mildred, as well as my personal Facebook page. For direct interaction, I absolutely recommend my business page where my team will be more than happy to set up a session for us. I am hoping once the online resource goes live, then I will connect with even more like-minded individuals.
*Images: Courtesy of Mildred Awino & Astrology.com

About The Author

Author
Maureen Kasuku

Maureen is our resident cat lady and Beyoncé stan. She writes about spas, brunch and ballet recitals but has never been to any. Moonlights as a social justice activist in her spare time. She knows things and is obnoxiously opinionated on the internet but not in real life

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