Lilith is for the misfits and outcasts. Lilith is for all who dwell in the cultural underground, because we have been shunned, but also because we have chosen freedom over conformity. Lilith is the one who beckons us to come out.

Badass, right? Yet Lilith has been demonized in traditional mythology and often ignored in popular astrology. Why has her story been shadow banned for so long? For the same reason queerness has. People fear the kind of power that can set you free.

Who is Lilith?

Lilith is ancient. She appears in Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hebraic, and Arabic mythology. In Jewish mythology, she is Adam’s first wife, created of the Earth as his equal, unlike Eve, created from his rib.

Lilith refused to sexually submit to Adam. He demanded her beneath him and she was like, “No sorry, I’m a top.” She held her ground and therefore was banished from the Garden of Eden.

In her defiance, Lilith has been demonized as a wild-haired succubus flying through the night seducing men, breeding demons, and killing babies. Which is to say, she has been used throughout history to scare people away from masturbation, kink exploration, and birth control.

She is the ultimate femme fatale—alluring, irresistible, deadly. She is called a witch, blood sucker, alien woman, hag, enchantress, harlot, bitch. And she has been left out of much scripture and discussion because patriarchs did not want to provide a model for a defiant wild woman who disobeys authority and demands equality.

Needless to say, she is a queer icon.

What is Lilith in Astrology?

In astrology, Black Moon Lilith (not to be confused with the asteroid Lilith or satellite Dark Moon Lilith) is the mysterious point in space where the moon travels the farthest from Earth.

A lot of writing about Lilith can feel kind of TERF-y, essentializing femininity and womanhood in attempts to be subversive. In Western Astrology, Black Moon Lilith has been represented as an important piece of the divine feminine that has been shamed and shunned in modern patriarchal society. We can fully honor that history while expanding our understanding of astrological Lilith as an archetype—beyond binary gender—of wildness, unashamed sexuality, and rage against oppression in all forms.

Lilith’s placement in a birth chart shows us where we carry the wounds of being too much. Investigating this placement can help us better understand our instincts, primal urges, and the parts of us deemed “uncivilized.” This placement can be revealed as a foundation of power from which to better understand our most erotic, authentic and whole selves.

Owning Villainy

From the history of ancient religious texts through modern TV and cinema to contemporary political rhetoric, queers have been cast as deviant, dangerous, and a threat to societal norms. The very act of existing authentically, of loving and expressing ourselves outside of heteronormative boundaries, has been framed as a transgression.

Lilith, in embracing exile for refusing to conform, becomes a potent blueprint for giving less fucks in the face of historical and ongoing villainization of queerness. To embrace Lilith in our birth chart is to acknowledge and reclaim the power inherent in that very “villainy” assigned to us by oppressive forces.

The “in my villain era” trend has blossomed on social media in recent years, showcasing transformative glow-ups as people prioritize their needs, set boundaries, and shed people-pleasing tendencies. In these playful “villain” posts people who’ve been overly accommodating celebrate themselves for stepping into their personal power. The most Lilith-like aspect is how it reclaims “badness”—knowing full well that those who benefited from their previous overextension will resist this change that’s actually healthy behavior.

In a time where queer narratives in media are often either sanitized for palatable consumption or sensationalized for dramatic effect, Lilith offers a different lens. She burns virtue signaling to the ground. Instead, she encourages us to embrace the complexities of our identities, the anger at injustice, the fierce protectiveness of our communities, and the unyielding desire for authentic self-expression, even if it makes others uncomfortable.

Lilith in Your Birth Chart

Astrologically, the sign that Black Moon Lilith is in reveals some of our most taboo desires. This is where our deepest instincts for freedom and autonomy are most fiercely felt, and where we might encounter societal friction for expressing these aspects of ourselves. It highlights the areas where we might have been silenced, judged, or exiled for our rawest truths.

Understanding our Lilith placement can be a key to unlocking a profound sense of self-acceptance and empowerment, particularly for queers navigating a world that often seeks to diminish our validity. If they’re going to villainize us no matter what, we might as well have fun with it!

Black Moon Lilith in each sign asks us to sit with the uncomfortable question: What do you really take pleasure in?

Lilith in Aries

This placement thrives in competition, gets off on domination, and represents the often repressed, raw drive to assert yourself and win at any cost. For the Aries Lilith, power lies in allowing yourself to revel in the thrill of the chase, to take up space unapologetically, and to own your competitive nature. Your ‘villain era’ embraces the primal fire that others try to tame. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in competition?

Lilith in Taurus

In Taurus, Lilith is in her ultimate mode of lust, hunger, hedonism, and the raw sensual power of embodiment. Despite all the ways it’s shamed and hidden, this placement revels in physical pleasure, finding liberation in embracing desires that society often labels as excessive. Your ‘villain era’ means rejecting artificial scarcity and guilt around material and sensual abundance. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in opulent indulgence?

Lilith in Gemini

Lilith in Gemini is utterly voracious for experience. This placement thrives on collecting and sharing knowledge, experiences, and perspectives—the more taboo or forbidden, the better. Your ‘villain era’ means fucking around and finding out, embracing your insatiable curiosity and tendency to stir up trouble with information, gossip, and provocative questions. Gemini Lilith takes pleasure in variety, even if that means being seen as “fake” or “two-faced.” What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in mischievousness?

Lilith in Cancer

Here, the dark side of the moon is smothering. Lilith in Cancer takes over through overprotection, possessiveness, and emotional manipulation. This placement finds power in the depths of emotional intensity, even when it manifests as clingy or overwhelming behavior. The Cancer Lilith ‘villain era’ looks like delighting in creating deep emotional bonds and wielding nurturing as both weapon and shield. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in neediness?

Lilith in Leo

Any Leo placement is usually dragged for pride and vanity. With Lilith, it all boils down to attention. What aren’t you willing to do to be seen? To feel celebrated? Perhaps no cost is too high. The Leo Lilith villain hunts for witnesses, relishing in the power of commanding attention and demanding tribute. When this placement exalts the parts of us that have been historically forced into hiding, pride and vanity become a delightful form of reclamation. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in being worshipped?

Lilith in Virgo

Envy can be highly productive. Lilith in Virgo wields the sharp knife of perfectionism. An obsessive drive for optimization defines this placement. The Virgo Lilith ‘villain era’ finds delicious satisfaction in critiquing, analyzing, and methodically dismantling everything and everyone around them. Their pleasure comes from identifying flaws and exercising precise control over their environment, even when others perceive it as nitpicking or harsh judgment. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in demanding better?

Lilith in Libra

Libra Lilith delights in being impossible to pin down. Their pleasure comes from the dance of attraction and repulsion, drawing others in only to shift away, masterfully playing with denial. The Libra Lilith Villain wields charm and social graces as a game of manipulation, finding pleasure in the artful dance of social influence. This placement excels at creating desire through strategic unavailability, making others question their own perceptions while appearing utterly blameless. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in being a tease?

Lilith in Scorpio

At their most intense and transformative, Scorpio Lilith finds raw power in emotional extremes, destruction, and rebirth. This placement revels in psychological intensity, finding catharsis in provoking reactions and wielding their sharp psychological perception to cut through superficiality. The Scorpio Lilith ‘villain era’ embraces volcanic eruptions, understanding that sometimes total demolition is necessary for genuine transformation. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in destruction?

Lilith in Sagittarius

In Sagittarius, Lilith is incredibly blunt. A classic know-it-all, this placement takes pleasure in challenging others’ beliefs and assumptions. The Sagittarius Lilith villain finds power in their unfiltered truth-telling, often positioning themselves as the ultimate authority on everything. This placement revels in pushing boundaries of faith, delighting in the chaos that ensues when others are confused and seeking. It’s giving cult leader. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in your god complex?

Lilith in Capricorn

Tortured by their own determination, Capricorn Lilith finds inexhaustible satisfaction in the relentlessness of tasks needed to reach the next benchmark of success. This placement is incredibly masochistic. There’s always more to do, to become, to atone for. The Capricorn Lilith Villain climbs hierarchies through treating everything—including relationships—as resources to be maximized, just to get to the top and still feel like something is missing. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in the struggle?

Lilith in Aquarius

For Aquarius Lilith, power lies in their ability to observe human behavior like a fascinating experiment. Cold and calculating, this placement revels in their role as the detached rebel. Always too-cool for what’s popular, this placement rejects to avoid being rejected. The Aquarius Lilith ‘villain era’ is that of a mad-scientist, finding satisfaction in their ability to analyze and manipulate social dynamics while remaining personally untouchable and ever-mysterious. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in detachment?

Lilith in Pisces

Pisces Lilith finds power in complete surrender to fantasy and delusion. This placement revels in altered states, finding ecstasy in dissolving boundaries between reality and imagination. The Pisces Lilith villain wields the superpower of glamour, creating enchanting mirages that blur the lines between truth and fiction, drawing others into their dreamlike realm where nothing is quite what it seems. What would happen if you rejected the story that it’s wrong to take pleasure in escape?

How to Work With Lilith

Take note of the feelings that came up in reading about your Lilith placement. Did it feel untrue? Maybe those desires are deeply repressed. Did you feel ashamed? Embarrassed? That’s normal. Did you feel lit up and excited? That’s a fun sign that you’re already in relationship with Lilith.
Want to dive deeper? Create outlets for radical ownership of your desire. You can negotiate a kink scene with a play partner. You can make, watch, and celebrate art that reclaims queer villainy. (The “My Kink is Karma” Chappell Roan music video is IT.) You can write poetry from the voice of your Lilith, like this stunning piece, Yes, I Talk Shit by nawa angel a.h. / Moonyeka iterating on Nikki Giovani’s iconic Ego Tripping. Make an altar to your Lilith placement, including your favorite villains. Find safer spaces to be honest about what lights you up and to practice finding out.

Embracing Lilith looks like rejecting the model minority stereotype, respectability politics, and the good girl (or nice guy or low-maintenance them) complex—letting go of the societal pressure to be constantly nice, agreeable, and palatable . . . even if just for a scene, a night, a performance, a moment. It’s about having the courage to disappoint those who have grown accustomed to our compliance, and finding power in being labeled “difficult” when we’re simply honoring our truth.

Lilith coaxes us out of denial. It’s about recognizing that what others might view as villainous behavior is often just the natural consequence of our own healing and growth. So, do you anyway.

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