Many people are interested in what Maryaam Lewis-Herbert has to say about the stars. Otherwise known as ShawtyAstrology, she’s built a serious following for her explanations of how the sky and its celestial bodies affect us all down here on Earth. Lewis-Herbert has done celebrity birth chart assessments that go viral and advised multi-platinum pianist Tony Ann on his astrologically influenced album, 360°. While her head is often above the clouds, she’s also a grounded nature lover, one who’s interested in the connection between our planet and others. Saturn and Mercury are the ones that matter most, she says. The ringed planet governs forests and agriculture, she says, while the little red one represents plants, including herbs. “Think of your herbal teas and all the things that we can utilize, cooking wise, to improve our health — Mercury is very connected with that,” she says. “Mercury is very connected with environmentalists as well.” It also affects our communication style, and Lewis-Herbert says one of her goals is to find ways to talk with those who don’t value environmental protection the way she does, in the hopes of bringing them alongside. Here’s what else the Toronto astrologer had to say when she sat down to take our Moose Questionnaire. This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity — all opinions are the subject’s own. Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal What’s the most awe-inspiring natural sight you’ve witnessed between the Pacific, Atlantic, 49th parallel and Hudson Bay, i.e. Canada? Haliburton in Ontario. When I go up there for cottage season, it’s so beautiful and peaceful up there. It’s so serene and the waters are so blue. I just love being out there. It’s exceptionally gorgeous. What is the most awe-inspiring natural sight that you’ve seen outside of Canada? Probably the farmlands that I saw in Rotterdam when I went to the Netherlands back in 2019. Just being out there made me feel exceptionally free and liberated. It was really majestic to see all the farm animals and a different side to agriculture, in a different part of the world. Think of three iconic Canadian animals and choose one each to kiss, marry and kill. I think maybe I’d kiss a mallard duck. I think ducks are very cute. I’d marry a deer. One time, I was at the park, and I was walking on a trail and I saw a deer hop right in front of me. I thought it was the most incredible thing ever. If I had to pick anything to kill, maybe some kind of fish, like some kind of salmon. I’m only saying that because I’m allergic, so I guess that’s the part of me that wishes I could eat seafood. Not in real life, though, just kidding around. A duck at Marie Curtis Park in Toronto. Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal Name a person or a group doing something meaningful for the environment that you think everyone should know about. The Toronto Green Community is a fantastic organization that helps a lot with maintaining biodiversity, reducing waste and helping the environment in the city to be more clean and safer for everyone. Tell us about a time that you changed your mind about something, environmental or otherwise. I do change my mind on my hair colour. For my 26th birthday, I decided that I wanted to pay homage to nature and trees. So I went from wanting to dye my hair purple to a foresty green color. I went to the park wearing this very floral dress that had foliage on it. I felt very connected to the environment. It just felt really connected to who I am as a person. Tell us about a time you tried to change someone else’s mind about something, environmental or otherwise. No shade to any of these people, but people that litter. You can just take a little bit of time to recycle and put stuff where it belongs. Sometimes you’ll go to the park and you’ll see trash around and you’re just like, come on, guys, we can all do a little bit better. Enjoy the scenery, but pick up after yourself, right? Definitely encouraging people to pick up their litter and recycle more and to be more mindful of their environmental decisions. I know that we can’t force people to do these things. I try to be encouraging in a mindful way. Researchers at Yale University, the France-based Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society and other institutions have found women tend to be more concerned about climate change than men. Why do you think that is? From an astrological perspective, it’s really interesting. The moon in astrology represents women or people with feminine energy, and it’s also very connected with the weather and the tide, the cycles and everything. So, I feel like women or people that just have feminine energy tend to be a little bit more empathetic towards things outside of themselves. Not saying that men aren’t. But from an astrological perspective, I can understand why women have this connection to Mother Earth. If you could dip a toe off Canada’s coastline, which ocean would it be in? I would choose the Pacific Ocean, specifically when the sun is directly above where the Tropic of Cancer runs through the Pacific. That happens during the summer solstice, which is the first day of summer. The Tropic of Cancer is very connected with the zodiacal constellation of Cancer. Cancer energy is connected with emotional security, nurturing, feeling safe, feeling protected. So maybe there are sea creatures in that portion of the ocean that tend to be more gentle or more nurturing, or we as humans might have more of a connection to those creatures. What’s a beautiful or useful thing that you’ve owned for a really long time? My Canon T5. I’m a really big advocate for photography, especially nature photography. What’s one way you interact with the natural world on a daily basis? Going for walks, especially in the summertime and in the spring, going for bike rides. There’s a pond close to where I live and I like to go there and look at the ducks and just be around that kind of energy. It’s very relaxing. I always leave feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated. Also having picnics too, especially in the summertime with my friends. We always make sure to clean up after we’re done. Rocky Mountains or Great Lakes? Great Lakes. I appreciate the mountains — I think they’re majestic and beautiful — but I am afraid of heights. David Suzuki, left, filming The Nature of Things in Tla-o-qui-aht territory in 2022. Photo: Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood / The Narwhal If you could ask someone alive or dead their thoughts on climate change, who would it be? David Suzuki. He’s a Canadian icon. He’s built such an incredible legacy for himself and I feel like having a conversation about where he feels the environment is headed in the next 10 or 20 years would be insightful. Smoked salmon or maple syrup? Maple syrup, absolutely. I actually have a really big bottle of maple syrup right now in my kitchen. After this conversation, I might have some. Who in your life has had the greatest impact on your connection to nature? Definitely my best friend, Christine. She lives up north and being able to go visit her feels like such a healthy form of escapism. She’s introduced me to so many amazing places. We went to the Wye Marsh, which is a conservation centre in Midland, Ont., and we were able to see so many different creatures. I got to see turtles and an owl and vast, vast amounts of land around us. We went in the winter and it was such a grounding experience. Whose relationship with nature would you like to have an impact on? I’d love to build a relationship with people that don’t believe in climate change. I think reiterating the importance of saving the environment, helping the world around us and giving them facts and information and proof that climate change is real would be a very impactful thing. Would you rather be invited to visit David and Victoria Beckham at their Muskoka, Ont., cottage, or Harry and Meghan Sussex at their B.C. oceanic escape? Definitely the Muskoka cottage. The energy around there is truly surreal. I saw pictures of their cottage and just how incredibly beautiful it is. No ifs, ands or buts — definitely the Muskoka cottage. Camping, yes or no? Yes. I am a bit scared of bears, so that’s the only thing holding me back from it. But I could definitely see the appeal. You can see the stars at night, you can have a bonfire and you can just be outdoors and get all that wonderful energy. Enjoying the Moose Questionnaire? Read more from the series here. Recent Posts Out of the shadows: confronting sexual violence in tree-planting By Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter) July 9, 2025 16 min. read Drop a group of young people into a remote forest and some will find fun… ShawtyAstrology has no time for litter-bugs Many people are interested in what Maryaam Lewis-Herbert has to say about the stars. Otherwise… Is contamination on a Canadian Armed Forces base making employees sick? July 8, 2025 18 min. read ‘I took an oath that I would risk my life for what Canada stood for’:…
ShawtyAstrology has no time for litter-bugs
