Hexagon Magazine Reviewed
Smart. Sharp. Subversive.
These aren’t my words, but the way Hexagon magazine describes itself. This urbane publication looks and feels like it belongs on your coffee table next to Architectural Digest or Cigar Aficionado. The design is impeccable, the paper stock is thick and rich, and the graphics are intriguing without being overwhelming. In his opening editorial, publisher and editor Matt Savinar notes that this is the first new astrology magazine in print in almost three decades, and indeed, this in not your father’s astrology journal.
Great finger feel and visual appeal don’t make a great magazine, however, and astrologers and readers interested in astrology need solid content along with nice images. Hexagon provides the content in its premier issue, with a range of articles that will appeal to the general public, students, and seasoned astrologers. Austin Coppock writes an interesting and fun piece on The Astrology of Horror, musing about scary films for all twelve members of the zodiacal family, while Jason Fleming offers musical possibilities in his Hip Hop Mix Tapes for Each Sign.
In keeping with the times, there are articles about the astrology of the Black Lives Matter movement, the NSA, and Edward Snowden’s attorney. Michael Lutin shares his unique mix of entertaining insight and spot-on astrology in his assessment of The Capricorn Conspiracy. There’s an informative offering about how to protect oneself from psychic vampires, and a short note about Saturn in Scorpio: Beauty at Any Age. Astrologer Willow offers a great article on the feminine asteroids, the Ladies of the Zodiac, and the mysteriously named Madame Zolonga writes a quarterly forecast for each sign that, happily, has more clarity and practical advice than mystery.
There’s much more to Hexagon, but this is a review rather than a table of contents, so the reader is referred to the source. The magazine is published quarterly, and I’m among the readers anticipating the next issue. Hexagon is certainly sharp and smart. But is it subversive?
It may just be. Like many astrology magazines and websites, Hexagon is politically progressive. As with most good astrology that focuses on social and political matters, the articles address issues from a perspective that incorporates archetypal patterns that work below the surface of the left/right or conservative/liberal debates with which we’re so familiar. That’s insightful without necessarily being subversive.
What makes Hexagon subversive isn’t exclusively its content – which is excellent – but its style. It’s the first astrology publication that could fit into the waiting rooms of a Silicon Valley technology corporation or a Park Avenue plastic surgeon. It’s a sophisticated magazine, and it looks it. It seems obvious that it belongs in chic, stylish places, and by extension that sophisticated, chic, stylish people are reading it. In a culture where astrology is marginalized, people are often hesitant to discuss or even admit their interest in the subject. All astrologers know that their clients come from diverse socioeconomic and educational strata of society, but many clients prefer to keep their enthusiasm under wraps.
Hexagon makes astrology look cool. You can imagine reading it while sipping a nice whiskey or a glass of wine and listening to Mile’s Davis’ Live at the Plug Nickel (or Jason Fleming’s hip hop mix for your sign). You can leave it out when coworkers are coming to your place. Perhaps most importantly, you can imagine a conversation with your friends at work, over lunch, or at the bar, where you say, “Hey, did you see that article in Hexagon about…”
Now that’s subversive.
