Follow us on TwitterFind us on FacebookFind us on Tumblr

Get daily Astro-Logical forecasts delivered to you here.

I have been sitting with the incredible experience of your gift and knowledge and letting it sift down into my understanding and psyche. It was a powerful time for me. I told a friend, "she is the real deal." I don't say that very often!
--Diana S.
New York

I CAN'T WRITE THIS WITHOUT YOU : ) PLEASE support my time and efforts. CONTRIBUTE to my COSMIC TIP JAR using the gold button below. THANK YOU.


Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday-Friday 9/30-10/2/2015: A Mooon in Taurus & Politics As Usual

What a difference a day makes. In your own personal world, did you notice the shift between the charging forward  Moon in Aries and the comparatively calm, material comfort-oriented, “let’s not make any drastic changes” Moon in Taurus? The change happened at 2:57PM ET on Tuesday, and the Taurus Moon continues today. It goes void of course at 6:44AM ET on Thursday, and won’t shift into Gemini until 4:03PM ET. So if you must ship, get it off your desk today and focus on routine concerns during the Moon void portion of tomorrow.

A Taurus Moon facilitates our enjoyment of sensual pleasures: good food and drink, music and a snuggle with your sweetie. Indulge. Taurus also facilitates earthly concerns such as material security, organization and making tangible forms out of fiery ideas.

Today — right as I’m typing — we even have a brief Grand Trine happening, as the Taurus Moon makes harmonious connections between Mars-Jupiter in discerning Virgo and Pluto in status-seeking Capricorn. Grand Trines suggest self-sufficiency and an easy flow of energy that some label luck and/or abundance. Markets are up across the board this morning.   Coincidence or conspiracy? Who remembers the easy flow we experienced during a much longer-lasting Earth Grand Trine in March of 2012?

When the Moon enters Gemini at 4:03PM ET on Thursday, the drive of the day becomes one of information-sharing and communication. Some of what is circulated around 5:53PM ET may be experienced as a wet blanket, as the Moon is opposed by controlling Saturn. An argument over details and perfection may well be part of your experience around 11:30PM, as the Gemini Moon is challenged by Mars (action) in Virgo.

Note your dreams upon waking on Friday, as the Moon makes contact with visionary Neptune at 4:56AM ET. The last day of the work week offers an easy flow of expression in the morning hours (ET), followed by an expansive, expensive or exuberant release around 11:06AM ET, as the Moon is challenged by Jupiter.  Get the word out — but double check the details. Mercury is still retrograde!

Speaking of Mercury retrograde, it is an excellent time to finally screw up the courage to book that personal astrological consultation you’ve been contemplating for the past few months. You’ll learn where you are at now in the planetary cycles of life. Plus you’ll gain confidence, clarity and validation for whatever you’re wrestling with right now.

And now, the news.

Update: Kim Davis, whose horoscope suggests she’ll be feeling loved, loved, loved now and in the near-term future, went to Washington and met with Pope Francis, who reportedly advised her to “stay strong”. Ms. Davis also has a personal “above the law” Grand Trine. I wrote about her horoscope here and here.

Meanwhile, Ralph Lauren is stepping down as head of his empire.  With transiting Uranus having made the first opposition to his Libra Sun, we would expect him to be seeking greater independence and freedom of expression through 2016. At his stage in life, we can appreciate why he would choose to lighten his load.

With John Boehner also stepping down, two names have been bandied about as potential successors. Kevin McCarthy is the current House Majority Leader. He’s also an Aquarius with Moon in either Sagittarius or Scorpio – we do not have a birth time & time does not permit me to labor over his potential exact horoscope. But how interesting to see that Rep. McCarthy has an Earth Grand Trine — among Jupiter, Uranus-Pluto in Virgo and an exact conjunction between Mercury-Venus in Capricorn.

How lucky is he? When he was 19, he won $5000 in a lottery and he used that cash to start a business. What’s notable in his horoscope now is that transiting Uranus is exactly square to his fiercely idealistic Mercury-Venus conjunction. When he speaks now, people take notice! Other measurements of note: one between Mars and Neptune suggesting pixie-dust,  and another between the Sun and the Aries Point — this one gaining in strength over the next two years, suggesting prominence.

But what about Trey Gowdy?  And what was he thinking when he chose that garish tie for his official portrait? “With my Moon in Aquarius, I need to be appreciated for being unique?” Rep. Gowdy was elected during the Venus retrograde in November 2010, when we were alerted to the higher probability of aesthetic choices made that would later prove regrettable. He is a Tea Party Republican, and currently chairs the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which perhaps explains why, of the 11 bills he’s sponsored in his Congressional career, one of them was to “prohibit Libyan nationals from engaging in aviation maintenance, flight operations, or nuclear-related studies or training inside the United States,” a top legislative priority for his South Carolina constituents, I’m sure.

Anyhoo. Turns out that yesterday’s buzz about his potential leadership expansion was a Moon-void much ado about nothing, even though it did reflect the windfall potential of transiting Jupiter to Gowdy’s Uranus.  Interesting to note that like, Rep. McCarthy, he also has a self-sufficient, “law unto himself” Grand Trine — but in water signs: Venus-Mars in Cancer, Neptune in Scorpio and Chiron (the wounded healer) in Pisces.

Gowdy’s  Venus-Mars conjunction at 14-15 Cancer has been supercharged by Uranus and Pluto over the past couple of years, and focused on matters of homeland security, perhaps most visibly in the form of Benghazi. The shock value and disruptive potential Uranus might have added has passed, but Pluto’s power and persuasiveness will continue to amplify Gowdy’s social expression (Venus) and actions (Mars) through November 2016. Currently, transiting Saturn to his Sun and possibly his Moon suggests ambition or advance, but one which is streamlined and focused, not necessarily expansive. He’s staying put and staying focused.

Now there are rumors that Rep. Gowdy may leave Congress in 2016. They are unconfirmed, but they are being published anyway. I bring this to your attention because during Mercury retrograde, we note a higher probability of rumors garnering attention. Thus we are advised to slow down and VERIFY before rushing to conclusions….

…which has made writing this forecast today particularly challenging. For some reason I opted to write about the potential candidates for a new Speaker of the House, and this story just won’t stand still. Now Kevin McCarthy has — as anticipated — said something disruptive in an interview this morning — and certain people are howling that what Mr. McCarthy did was admit to what seems screamingly obvious to Those Howling: that the true purpose of the Benghazi committee –established in May of 2014 — was to derail Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, spending millions at taxpayer expense.

With regard to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, we do not have an exact birth time and thus can’t be sure of her horoscope. There are two in circulation — one at 8:02AM and another after 8PM.  Astrologers disagree about which one is correct. Regardless, in both horoscopes under consideration, significant disruptions to the status quo impacting public status are strongly suggested in March and September.

The House will vote on a new Speaker next Thursday. If it happens before 3:50PM ET, the Moon will be void. Regardless, Mercury will be stationary direct (it moves forward on Friday, October 9th). Sounds like politics as usual.

I’m throwing in the towel for the day. Out of curiosity, I searched my archives to see if I’d tagged anything else about Benghazi in past forecasts. I found one reference — curiously written on another day with a Grand Trine. Remind me not to write about anything remotely involving this morass ever again.

Thank you for reading this forecast!

Astro-logical Forecast for Monday & Tuesday 9/28-29/2015: Sneak Peek at the Week; John Boehner Update; US Horoscope in Review

Good Morning! (well afternoon, actually. This forecast was supposed to ship much earlier, but tech glitches got in the way. Imagine that…)

The day is driven by the Moon in Aries, where it has been charging since 3:29 PM ET yesterday. Who noticed the shift in energy and focus after an over 24-hour void of course Moon in dreamy Pisces? That happened as of 12:32PM ET on Saturday. Did you wander? Go with the flow? Ruminate or meditate on an intangible ideal? Experience a soulful communion or healing?  Immerse your senses in music or art? Indulge in spirits or any other altered form of escape? Maybe you allowed yourself to simply space out…

While Pisces refers to endings, Aries refers to beginnings. The need to initiate may be experienced as a power play or emotional catharsis around 11:56AM ET, when the Moon makes contact with potent Pluto. Is that why my computer just froze, but without saving half of today’s forecast, giving me the opportunity to write it all over again?  Eh, Mercury retrograde, too. Which powerful world leader is speaking at the U.N. right now, I wonder. What initiatives will be discussed later today when Vladimir Putin and President Obama RE-connect (after two years)?

Meanwhile, a potential disruption of the status quo may materialize around 9:30PM ET, when the Moon meets up with rebel Uranus. Moon goes void at 3:45AM ET, not to enter Taurus until 2:57PM ET on TUESDAY. Stick to routine concerns during those hours tomorrow; roll with any twists and/or flakes that disrupt your efforts to move forward in a straight. Do your best to stay FOCUSED, since this Moon void adds another layer of spacey potential to the ongoing Mercury retrograde. Remember that crises which crop up during Moon voids are often much ado about nothing. Chill, chill, chill!

Other than aspects to the Moon, there are no other exact planetary patterns this week, except for an idealistic meeting between the relationship-oriented Libra Sun and Mercury retrograde. Over the years I have observed big releases of energy during these planetary lulls — seemingly out of nowhere. So I’m prepared for anything this week, particularly since the patterns that are currently building to exact aspect next week include the Sun in challenging contact with Pluto and Uranus, as well as a wiggy/fanatical/razzle-dazzle/scandalous face-off between Mars and Neptune.

And now, the news.

How nice that last night’s Full Moon/total eclipse sparked so much interest around the world. It was the fourth in a series of total lunar eclipses known as a tetrad, and we won’t see another one like it until 2033. It’s interesting to see a few notable closures in the headlines today, given the conventional astrological wisdom which argues that lunar eclipses herald releases and shutdowns. Add in Pluto’s (power, news from underground) change of direction on Friday, and it is interesting to read today that the Nepalese government is declaring Mt. Everest off-limits to certain would-be climbers and that Shell Oil is shutting down its drilling efforts in the Arctic Sea. Wow.

Another news from underground wow: moments ago, scientists confirmed evidence of water on Mars.

Meanwhile, John Boehner stunned many when he resigned from Congress on Friday, during the Moon void and hours after powerbroker Pluto turned direct. This annoyed me because I’d had an impulse all last week to review his horoscope, which I hadn’t written about since here, here and here (last update was over a year ago). What we see now is that the supercharged and persuasive social expression potential of Pluto on his natal Venus is now in the rear-view mirror. What’s front and center is the potential for sudden and/or surprising action of Uranus on his perfection-seeking Mars in Virgo. I’d wager his Libra Moon is being opposed by transiting Uranus, too — suggesting an intensified need to facilitate harmony and balance in relationship, which would hardly seem possible as Speaker of the House. No wonder he’d want out, especially with the return of a heavy reality check of a Saturn-Sun pattern that would have weighed on him heavily in the fall of 2014.

To find out what’s going on in your horoscope, consider booking a personal astro-logical consultation. Yea verily, I can’t think of a single reason why you would not want to have access to the empowering and emancipating perspective that was once only available to kings and queens. 

Meanwhile…

In August of 2014 I wrote a long post outlining what we could expect in the near future, suggested by patterns in the horoscopes of the United States and President Obama. For those of you who can’t be bothered to click this very useful link, I’ll copy and paste the juicy stuff below.

More on general events in the US,  continuing the discussion from last Friday’s post.  I’ve been thinking about a number of horoscopes — all related — which would include the horoscope of the US, Barack Obama and his second inauguration. The exact date and time of the US birthday is a subject of debate among astrologers. Was it the signing of the Declaration of Independence? The Articles of Confederation?  The US Constitution? We celebrate July 4th as the official US birthday, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Even so, there is no consensus on what time that signing took place. Several times have been proposed, for various reasons, and the debate continues.

One of the most popular charts proposes a birth time of 2:13AM with a 7 Gemini Ascendant; another suggests a 5:10PM time with a 12 Sagittarius Ascendant — you can look at those two here. Regardless of the exact time, a July 4th horoscope, as noted in prior forecasts, is particularly “hot” right now. Why? For a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is the never-ending Uranus-Pluto square, which is currently making contact with the US Sun at 12 Cancer and the US Saturn at 14 Libra. Uranus and Pluto contacting the Sun suggests emancipation and empowerment — for better or worse — and definitely a disruption of the status quo, as in break-ups and shake-ups. Uranus and Pluto to Saturn suggests tremendous effort required in the face of loss — perhaps even a karmic retribution that is downright anguishing.

We last experienced Pluto to the US Sun and Saturn from late 1976-1978. We had a big, empowering 200th birthday bash in the Summer of ’76. Jimmy Carter was President. Thanks to Jimmy Carter, we have the Departments of Energy (empowering) and Education (ditto). Still, the President was not popular. There was an energy crisis. It was tough, and we did not like it. When nebulous Neptune challenged the U.S. Mars, sprinkling rose-colored pixie dust from sea to shining sea, we yearned for greener pastures, went Hollywood and voted for Ronald Reagan.

Ahhh, Neptune, which dissolves whatever it touches.  It is making contact with the US horoscope again, likely in more than one way. Neptune is currently at 6 Pisces, squaring the US Uranus at 8 Gemini. This aspect, writes astrologer Noel Tyl, suggests “loss of ego focus, awakened spirituality, possible irritable or amorphous states”.  Does that sound right? And in the Gemini and Sagittarius horoscopes noted above, Neptune is making a challenging aspect to the US Ascendant. It’s simply a matter of degree.

If we use the Gemini ASC chart, we’re in the middle of a bewildering identity crisis that will have peaked by the end of 2015. If we use the Sag chart, our potential “ego wipeout” — the term Tyl uses to describe heavy Neptune transits — is just beginning, and will peak between 2016 and early 2018. The US had its last heavy Neptune transit between 1973-1976.  We had an oil crisis at the end of 1973.  Neptune also refers to oil. We also had the Watergate scandal and the subsequent resignation of President Nixon. Yeah, that was an ego wipeout, if you’re old enough to remember it. Hmmm. Neptune tends to dissolve boundaries. Isn’t it interesting that we’re having a “border crisis” now, in the form of thousands of hapless Neptune-in-Pisces (keywords: drugs, downtrodden, vulnerable, victims) children from Central America blurring our boundaries?

Leading America through these challenging rapids is no easy task. How is President Obama doing? He had a birthday on Monday. It’s been a tough summer for him, as predicted. We see this suggested by stern Saturn, which has been challenging his 18 degree Aquarius Ascendant for a couple of months now, and will make the last of three exact hits during the first two weeks of September. Saturn is a taskmaster that can feel like a wet blanket or a brick wall. The Ascendant refers to personal projection and how it is perceived by others. Saturn is often reflected in feelings of isolation and/or loss…and also ambition, if we’re up for the task. Happy belated birthday, Mr. President. John Boehner is mad at you and wants to sue you. Your admitting last week that “we tortured some folks” apparently made heads explode on the other side of the aisle.  They just didn’t get your Aquarius Ascendant’s need to be seen as all friendly and stuff, and to some it feels quirky, impersonal or quite mad. But now NBC reports that only 40% approve of the job you’re doing…your lowest poll numbers yet. Lonely at the top?

On the other hand, only 14% of Americans approve of how Congress is doing its job, so I suppose it could be worse. And yes, it could be worse, as apparently not many plan to do anything to change a situation they say do not like, such as vote in November’s mid-term elections. Are we as a nation feeling wiped out, irritable or amorphous?

In contrast to Saturn’s controls, expansive Jupiter will hook up with Obama’s Sun for the first time in 12 years in September, just as Saturn hits his Ascendant. A Jupiter transit, suggests opportunities for growth, reward and success and may buffer the heaviness of Saturn.  This is one measurement that affirms my thoughts about the horoscope for Obama’s second inauguration (previously discussed here), in which I opined that in a tenacious battle of wills, Obama is likely to maintain an edge. September may well be tough, but by the end of October, Jupiter will oppose his Ascendant, suggesting  an expansive public outreach likely to be well-received, except by those who will say (again) that he is overstepping his bounds. In the 2013 inauguration horoscope, Saturn is currently “hot,” suggesting ambition and frustration (or perhaps frustrated ambition), warning lights about “hidden enemies,” and reinforcing themes of isolation or going it alone that we see in Obama’s horoscope.

I hope you’ve found this long post about current and past patterns in the US horoscope helpful. I hope you also appreciate that even though patterns suggest huge challenges now and in the immediate future, these are cycles we have experienced before and we will experience them again. These cycles repeat themselves in individual horoscopes, too. Stay on the planet long enough, and you will surely have an opportunity to make a different choice if you did not like the choice you made the last time a pattern presented itself. I’m an optimist, and fiercely believe that if you are here on Planet Earth, you have a meaningful purpose and gifts to be shared with others that can make this world a better place.

Thank you for reading this forecast — and sharing it with the entire Free World.

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 9/25/2015 & the Weekend; Full Moon in Aries; Total Lunar Eclipse

TGIF!!

Moon is void of course in humanitarian Aquarius until 3:44PM ET. Combined with Mercury retrograde, here we have a major chill opportunity. Whatever crazy rumor — or craze — that occupies the Internet today is likely much ado about nothing, as pleasant or intriguing an escape it might be. Like a dress that is either blue and black…or white and gold — remember that Moon void obsession? Stick to routine matters — or follow the Pope as he continues to take New York by storm. Go with the flow of whatever twists that may derail your efforts to move forward in a straight line.

After 3:44PM ET, Moon shifts gear into Pisces. This is an emotional drive that needs to identify what is ideal. Compassion, intuition and soulful co-mingling can be a Pisces thing. So is vulnerability and faith. This sensitivity may be subject to a particularly militant, explosive or frustrating influence, as the Moon is challenged by action hero Mars and wet blanket Saturn at 4:30PM and 4:40PM ET, respectively. But wait, there’s more.

At 9:12PM ET Mars clashes directly with Saturn. You may be feeling the push to move things forward forcefully if you have a planet or angle at the very beginning of Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius or Gemini. Fine, so long as you’re not beating yourself up…or the person sitting next to you. People born with Mars square Saturn in their horoscopes can be fiercely determined and disciplined. So can cats…and I know, because I had one with this aspect. She took her work on Planet Earth very seriously.

Note your dreams upon waking on Saturday, as the Moon hooks up with nebulous Neptune at 4:11 AM ET. Moon goes void at 12:32 PM ET on a regenerating contact with Pluto. Skip the yard sales and shopping malls; wander where you will; note that lush emotions are on the rise, as on Sunday we’ll have…

…the Moon void continue in Pisces until 3:29PM ET. How lovely for sleeping in! The pace picks up noticeably when it shifts into me-me-me Aries, trying to fulfill its need to be Number One within the constructs of a relationship. The relationship part is the Libra Sun. Hmmm. Its quest is stabilized by constructive Saturn at 4:30PM ET, but fiery emotions continue waxing Full — and are totally eclipsed at 10:50PM ET.

Eclipses interrupt the regular flow of light and whatever other energy flows from the Sun or the Moon, like a river meeting a dam. This creates a bottleneck of energy that must eventually find a release, usually over the course of a few months’ time. In the case of this eclipse, the time frame is about five and half months.

Eclipses often highlight an area of life where something needs to be brought to a close. Wherever the eclipse falls in your horoscope is where you can expect a bottleneck, followed by a release, likely of an emotional nature. The bottleneck is an opportunity to gather your resources and/or forces before the release. Since the normal flow is disrupted, the opportunity is ripe for changing the flow. That can be a very good thing, as new opportunities are presented. It can also be experienced as quite an ordeal, if the karma cops are behind what is being shut down.

Look for 5 Aries (Moon)/5 Libra (Sun) in your chart and take note of the house which contains it, and planets or angles that are near it. Then write down these dates: November 12th and November 20th, and see if anything is triggered — especially the 20th.  As an exercise, if you have planets around 5 Capricorn and 5 Cancer, you, too, can take note.  Consult your local astrologer for further details.

For further insight on the potential significance of this Full Moon/Eclipse, we turn to Sabian Symbol Guru Blaine Bovee. His take on these cryptic Symbols is so appreciated. For the Moon at 5 Aries: “a triangle with wings”; for the Sun at 5 Libra: “a man teaching true inner knowledge”.

Bovee suggests the triangle represents  “an idealized form of transcendence”. The “man” seems self-explanatory, but how interesting to see “true inner knowledge” appear when Mercury is retrograde. You’re all supposed to be tuning in for information when the Messenger Planet appears to be moving backwards in the sky.

I also find it fascinating that the idea of transcendence is connected to the Aries Symbol, as Aries is all about the self! Equally fascinating is the idea of “true inner knowledge” — or self-knowledge — connected with the Libra Symbol, as Libra is all about partnership!

Bovee suggests we apply these Symbols with a mind to “a creative ease with which personal affinities rise to express one’s true self; getting to know who one really is…not being ruled by others…guiding, not dominating…being comfortable about not quite being in the social picture…being oneself and getting away with it.” I expect to see a few breakouts and breakthroughs for people whose horoscopes are directly affected by this lunar eclipse…and perhaps a breakdown, too. Until, look up in the sky tonight — you can see the eclipse from most anywhere.

And now, the news.

Pluto squares Mercury and digs up dirt; Pluto turns direct; Mars in Virgo squares Saturn, suggesting a brutal dose of militant controls involving opinions and detailed data. “Police Program Aims to Pinpoint Those Most Likely to Commit Crimes,” reads a headline now on the NYT home page. Have the police thought of consulting with an astrologer or two? Not that they would tell anyone if they had…or did.

Meanwhile, across the Pond: “Student Accused of Being a Terrorist…for Reading a Book on Terrorism”. The student is enrolled in a “terrorism, crime and global security master’s program,” but whatever. Guess what his first name is? Shades of Saturn in Sagittarius, as Sagittarius refers to publishing, academia, foreigners; Saturn is control, fear, etc.

In other news, Bill Cosby continues to be right on schedule, as suggested by his horoscope. Within days of the second hit of transiting Uranus (disruption of the status quo) to his Cancer Sun, he’s been stripped of two more honorary degrees and is reportedly lawyering up — for a potential criminal defense. Is his horoscope affected by Sunday’s eclipse? Yes — his Saturn, which sits in the 12th house of self-undoing and rules his 10th of career/public status — is at 5 Aries.  I expect we’ll continue to see heavy and disruptive action in Mr. Cosby’s life into early spring and even beyond…

What’s going on in your horoscope?

 

 

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 9/24/2015: The Pope & the Naked Capitalist

Today’s Moon in humanitarian Aquarius makes an easy connection to Mercury at 12:08PM ET, supporting a flow of communication and ideas. Mercury is in Libra, seeking balance and harmony as it weighs alternatives. Sweet and rational as Mercury in Libra may be,  it may also present as intense, no-holds barred and corruption-exposing, as it squares Pluto at 6:32PM ET.

I’m listening to Pope Francis sweetly share his thoughts in a joint session of Congress today. Transiting Mercury is exactly trine his Moon in Aquarius and it seems to be going very well. His own Mercury is at 11 Capricorn — supercharged by today’s Mercury-Pluto square at 12 Libra-12 Capricorn, especially since Pluto is at a standstill now, about to turn direct at 2:55AM ET on Friday.  This is a mighty persuasive transit for a natal chart which already expresses a need for practical ideas, taken to a rarefied level with an easy connection to visionary Neptune.  He’s just sweetly suggested to Congress that it ditch the death penalty.

Later tonight, innovation and tolerance are well supported by a contact to the Moon from Uranus at 10:04PM ET. At 10:18PM ET Mars, the action hero planet, leaves regal Leo for service-oriented Virgo. Perfection and detailed organization in action are Mars in Virgo’s strong points, and with Mercury currently retrograde, cleaning and organizing your files, diet and other elements of your daily routine would be a worthwhile project.

You’ll feel the boost of energy Mars can provide more personally if you have a planet or angle around the early degrees of Virgo, Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius.

Oh good…the Pope is talking about the need to stop trashing the planet (applause). And stomp out poverty. That’s not enough for one climate scientist, who has dismissed the Pope’s agenda as “raving nonsense” because in the scientist’s mince-no-words opinion, the Pope is missing half of the story.

Ship it today if it must ship this week, as the Moon will be void just after midnight tonight, not to enter Pisces until 3:44PM ET on Friday.

And now, the news.

Celebratory social expression that belongs to everyone? Could be a reflection of yesterday’s Moon in Aquarius, coupled with a trine between Venus in party-hearty Leo and Uranus in me-me-me Aries, as a judge ruled that everyone’s favorite song — http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/23/us-judge-rules-happy-birthday-is-public-domain-throws-out-copyright-claim“Happy Birthday” — was in the public domain and has been for a decades. Will those millions of dollars in royalties paid to the music publisher who claimed it owned the copyright now be refunded?

Meanwhile, lack of focus and attention to details. The potential for gaffes increases when Mercury is retrograde. Consider the news director at WGN in Chicago who issued an apology after the station aired a Nazi symbol to illustrate a story about Yom Kippur.

Yesterday I explained how the Sun is at the Aries Point at the beginning of each season, suggesting prominence. Also at the Aries Point now and conjunct the Sun is the North Node, a.k.a. the nodal axis. The Sun refers to leaders. One way to interpret the nodal axis is that it suggests meetings or connections with the public. I find it interesting that this week we have Pope Francis meeting with leaders in Cuba and the U.S. We also have the Chinese president — Xi Jinping — meeting with President Obama.

Elsewhere, a huge public meeting has become prominent catastrophe, as over 700 were killed in a pedestrian traffic jam outside Mecca

… when two large groups of pilgrims who were preparing for one of the last major rites of their trip met on an intersection of two roads, Saudi authorities said.

Meanwhile, shock and outrage continues to be lobbied at Martin Shkreli, the 30-something former hedge fund manager who infamously jacked the price of a life-saving drug from $13 to $750 per pill  overnight. Mr. Shrkeli has since backed down on the price hike, whilst noting the reduced profit may necessitate staff cuts. Mundane astrologers in assorted chat forums have been scrambling to see what kind of horoscope would produce such a naked display of greed at the expense of saving lives.

Mr. Shkreli was born in Brooklyn on April 1, 1983 — he’s an Aries whose Sun was supercharged by Uranus and Pluto in recent years, more power to him. His Moon is likely either at the very end of Scorpio or very early part of Sagittarius, with an ambitious agenda likely triggered by transiting Saturn in recent weeks. He has a tough-as-nails Saturn-Pluto conjunction opposed by a high-functioning Mars (action) in pioneering me-me-me Aries. This suggests militant, persuasive, take-no-prisoners action.

It is fascinating that Neptune (drugs, vision, intangibles) is at 29 Sagittarius, at the Aries Point and conjunct the South Node. So we can see how drugs could become a point of fame in his horoscope — and to a classical astrologer, perhaps a point of self-destruction. To a modern astrologer, we’d note the potential for some bewildering mother issues. Anyway, all that was just triggered by the Sun-North Node at the Aries Point, squaring his Neptune.  Oh and he has Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Sagittarius (there’s your potential high-risk, big dream, hedge fund speculator)…and that big dream potential is currently being squared by Neptune (scandal, visions, drugs). And let’s not forget his Mercury in Aries, currently supercharged by transiting Uranus. What a buzz this man has going on!

But here’s the thing.

Everyone is angry at this guy — rightfully so. But just a couple of days ago, the NYT ran a story about how, under the so-called Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are slooooooowly increasing premiums and raising deductibles to a level where middle-class consumers are refraining from getting possibly necessary and life-saving care because they can’t afford to pay the out-of-pocket costs: deductibles and co-pays. And their premiums are getting higher. So yes, everyone has insurance, but they Care the are getting in return is hardly Affordable.  But the insurance industry is booming.

Where is the outrage?

Really, according to planetary patterns, it should be well on its way…

Thank you for reading this forecast.

 

 

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 9/23/2015: Happy Autumnal Equinox

Writing this under a still void-of-course Moon in Capricorn. If your need to make things happen wanders slightly off-course this morning, it is likely reflecting the “go with the flow” energy of the void. That, combined with Mercury retrograde, suggests a prime opportunity to focus your enterprising structuring and efforts inward.

Once the Moon engages in Aquarius at 1:51PM ET, seize the rest of the day. Patterns happening around 2:34PM ET are especially helpful for cooperation in business and planning, as the Sun and Moon form a communicative sextile to Saturn. And regardless of the red line the auto-correct function in WordPress insists on drawing under “sextile” and “trine,” those are real words. “Sextile” means two planets are 60 degrees apart. “Trine” means 120 degrees apart. Both the trine and the sextile suggest an easy relationship between two bodies, facilitating harmonious effort and communication between them.

Squares and oppositions are more charged, with a greater potential for conflict. The square is 90 degrees; the opposition is 180. A conjunction — which suggests an intensified, blended focus of two separate energies — is 0 degrees.

See how I wandered off-course, but with Really Useful (Moon –void!– in Capricorn) information? But seriously, WordPress: get up to speed, already! Funny how it draws a red line under “WordPress,” too. Like it doesn’t really know who or what it is. Definitely would benefit from a consultation with an astrologer.

Back to the Moon in Aquarius. That is a friendly sign, ready to help your humanitarian cause or hook you up with a fresh group of contacts, the more unconventional the better. Aquarius can also be quite the stubborn rebel, clinging to an antiquated past or a pushing for a far-out future. Either way, it’s on the fringe.

The Aquarius Moon continues with drive until 12:02AM on Friday, when it goes void with a sigh until 3:44PM ET. Then Moon changes gear and shifts into Pisces. If you must ship, do it this afternoon or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, while you were sleeping the Sun left Virgo for Libra at 4:21AM ET. Happy Autumnal Equinox…a perfect balance between day and night.

Here’s what you need to know about the first day of any season  — i.e., equinoxes and solstices — from an astrological point of view. The first days of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter correspond with the first day (or first degree) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively (there are thirty degrees in each sign of the zodiac). Got that? Good.

These four signs are called cardinal signs. Cardinal signs initiate. They come up with the idea and put it into action, which leads to necessary change. “Cardinal” suggests (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.”  So the first day/degree of a Cardinal sign is a turning point. In astrology, the technical term for the first degree of any Cardinal sign is the “Aries Point”, just to confuse people who are not professional astrologers. In other words, the first day of Cancer, Libra, Capricorn and Aries is the Aries Point. The first day of Taurus (and the rest of the signs) is NOT at the Aries Point).

Equinoxes and solstices are also prominent. We make a fuss over them, right? In Japan, the first day of each season is actually a national holiday. How cool is that? Thus, in a horoscope, a planet or angle at the Aries Point needs to be prominent. Off the top of my head, Meryl Streep & Elizabeth Warren (both Cancers — happy birthday!) and William Shatner (an Aries) were born with the Sun at the Aries Point. They’re pretty prominent in everything they do, don’t you think?

Libra is a airy, mental sign, generally concerned with relationships, social graces and with promoting fairness, justice and balance. Its ruling planet is Venus, which can be oh-so-sweet and socially gracious. Libra’s mantra is : I BALANCE. This does not mean Librans are balanced; it means they generally are seeking balance and are quite capable of swinging back and forth wildly as they search for it.

Did you know that Fox News (motto: “fair and balanced”) launched under a Libra Sun? If you’re now thinking “wow, there must be a lot more to a horoscope than just a Sun Sign,” I commend you. And that’s another  compelling reason why you should get to know your horoscope. Or have a professional explain it to you.

As sweet as Libra can be, they are not marshmallows. The term “iron fist in a velvet glove” often applies. Jimmy Carter is a Libra. So was Margaret Thatcher, who is not coming to a $10 bill near you any time soon. Tim Robbins, John Lithgow, Lee Harvey Oswald, Julie Andrews and Maria von Trapp (inspired casting?) — all Libras. Oh wow — Lenny Bruce is Margaret Thatcher’s astro-twin; they were both born on October 13, 1925. Fascinating.

And now, the news…briefly.

With Venus trine Uranus yesterday, I was expecting a story involving someone with an unconventional social expression to make the news. Throw in a Mercury retrograde travel nightmare, and perhaps you heard about the transgender woman, Shadi Petosky, who was “detained and humiliated” by the TSA because it apparently was confused by her anatomy.  I wonder if the TSA will be in existence in another ten, twenty, fifty years. What do you think?

Yogi Berra had an unconventional social expression in a delightfully quirky way that was also profound. I am so sad to report that he has passed away. I looked at his horoscope — especially the patterns involving Mercury and the 3rd House, both of which refer to how we need to think and communicate. I expected to find contacts with Uranus and Neptune, and sure enough, there they were. In a  horoscope, Uranus configured with Moon, Mercury and Venus suggests wit; Neptune suggests an inspired vision that can also be bewildering. I wish I had more time to write about Mr. Berra, but I don’t. His Capricorn Moon has been under stress in the past two years, courtesy of the Uranus-Pluto square. RIP

“You should always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”

— Yogi Berra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Monday & Tuesday 9/21-22/2015: Sneak Peek at a Driven Week

Good Morning!

That slow start or twist in the morning routine of some East Coasters came courtesy of Mercury retrograde, combined with the Moon going void of course at 4:59AM. It went void on a square between the Virgo Sun and the Sagittarius Moon, a challenging aspect otherwise known as the First Quarter Moon. What kinks or advances need to be worked out or made to last week’s New Moon agenda?

How convenient that need to Make Things Happen kicked in at 8:33AM ET, when the Moon changed gears and shifted into Capricorn.  This proactive drive continues mostly unimpeded today, with a touch of inspiration added by contact with Neptune around 10:52PM  ET, followed by a boost of enthusiasm suggested by another contact with Jupiter just after midnight.

On Tuesday, the morning is subject to emotional intensity and/or a power play of the most utilitarian kind, as the Moon makes its weekly challenge to Pluto at 8:04AM ET. Another challenge to the Moon from mental Mercury (verrrrrry much retrograde), suggests you add an extra dose of patience and focus to your travels, mindset and communication.

The workday on Tuesday may close with a surprise revelation or other upset to the status quo, as the Moon is challenged by eccentric Uranus at 7:13PM ET. Then the Moon goes void again…not to enter the next sign — Aquarius– until 1:51PM ET on WEDNESDAY. Chill, chill, chill during the void — and remember that crises that crop up during voids are often much ado about nothing. Moon will be void again on Friday 12:02AM until 3:44PM ET — can you start your weekend early?

Planetary patterns of note this week are as follows. There’s a lovely connection between Venus (social expression, aesthetics, women, money) and Uranus which favors unconventional attractions, friendship, humanitarianism and expressions of unity among eclectic groups. This aspect is exact on Tuesday at 11:59PM ET.

On Wednesday we’ll have the Autumnal Equinox, as the Sun leaves Virgo for Libra at 4:21AM ET. It makes a stable and generally productive aspect to Saturn at 2:36PM ET that afternoon. Good for practical business concerns and (re)structuring. More on the significance of the equinox and other turning points later this week.

On Thursday, Mars leaves regal Leo for service-oriented Virgo, seeking perfection and attention to detail in action until November 13th. It immediately clashes with taskmaster Saturn on Friday at 9:12PM ET, putting a potentially militant (albeit effective) and/or frustrating spin on some of the initiatives we may see toward the end of the week. Mars-Saturn squares offer the potential for tremendous drive and discipline; this is not light and fluffy marshmallow energy.

Nor is the ruthlessly blunt, persuasive and dirt-digging potential of another square between Mercury and Pluto on Thursday at 6:32PM ET. Didn’t we just have one of these? Yes, on September 9th. Look for a review and/or rehash of whatever was on our collective plates then, with a final look on October 22nd, when Mercury is again direct.

Last but not least, we’ll have Pluto turning direct on Friday at 2:55AM ET, suggesting we may see an uptick of news items involving power plays, resources and news from underground. You’ll feel the subtle shift of Pluto’s turn if you have a planet around 12 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. Consult your local astrologer for details.

Oh — there is one more thing. Sunday features a Full Moon/lunar eclipse in me-me-me Aries. So emotions will be building to that high and release all week. It’s the Harvest Moon. What will you reap?

With more than one planets changing sign and/or direction this week — as with last week, too — we are advised to stay flexible. Energy levels are high and yours for the channeling with a mindful FOCUS to balance the  snafu potential suggested by Mercury retrograde. Skype was down this AM — don’t know if it’s back up yet….

And now, the news.

I noticed many headlines reflecting last week’s face-off between Neptune (drugs, oceans, refugees/migrants, scandal, deception) and expansive Jupiter in Virgo (healthcare, service, details, ecology, food production). Will just rattle ’em off here: 30-something hedge fund manager buys drug company; raises price of one life-saving drug from $13 to $750 overnight; tax revenues from marijuana sales in Colorado doubled last year — they are making millions! But not everyone is happy about alleged epidemic use by teens. Meanwhile, an actual physician describes bureaucratic nightmare he experiences four times a year when trying to get prescription refill approved by his insurance company — it reads like a worst-case scenario of patience pushed to the brink when Mercury is retrograde.

Speaking of Mercury retrograde, the Pope is coming to the East Coast. Traffic is going to be a mess!

Meanwhile, cheating on U.S. pollution emission tests. Really, Volkswagen? It did, and its stock has tanked. If I had time, I’d look at that horoscope.

Also noting a lot of items about work routine/environment, another Jupiter in Virgo focus. Here’s one about our toxic (Neptune) work world; here’s one about a year-old study in Sweden concluding that a six-hour work day was more efficient for all parties concerned. Hard to imagine how the U.S., with its tough-as-nails Sun-Saturn square, would joyfully embrace lesser hours…but maybe it would if it was determined that its life depended on it.

Last but not least, take Mercury retrograde and add the humanitarian technogeek factor of Venus trine Uranus with Jupiter in Virgo opposing charitable Neptune, and how about the crowd-funding site Kickstarter REincorporating as a “public benefit corporation” . What timing!

Thank you for reading this forecast.

Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 9/18/2015 & the Weekend: The Relief of Moon in Sagittarius; Saturn in Sagittarius, Too

Take it slow; do your best to remain focused on the here and the now. This includes remembering what day it is. Mercury turned retrograde on Thursday afternoon. Saturn left Scorpio for Sagittarius late last night. Jupiter is in the throes of Neptune’s bewildering gaze, expanding the rose-colored fog. It will take time to adjust to the shifts.

Meanwhile, here’s what’s posted on my Facebook newsfeed right now, one after the other:

  • “Dear Thursday,
    Nice work making me think you were Friday all day. ^@*# off.”
  • “I’ve spent most of the week feeling like it’s one day later than it is (so on Monday I spent most of the day thinking it was Tuesday). That has made for a VERY long week and for some reason my brain keeps trying to tell me today is Friday so imagine my disappointment every time I remember it’s only Thursday”
  • “Mercury Retrograde and my phone is NOT working. If you would like to get a hold of me, or have been texting or calling, I’m not ignoring you. Please message me here.”
  • “And my sisters’ work computers completely went bonkers and she lost data. And stuff.”

Meanwhile, a traffic jam made headlines in New Jersey…

Coincidence or conspiracy?

The Scorpio Moon maintains its controlling spin until 3:49PM ET, when it goes void with a sigh. Can we end the work week early? This natural rest period lasts until 11:32PM ET, when the Moon breaks free and gallops into high-flying Sagittarius. What a relief!

A Sag Moon needs to push boundaries and be respected for its righteous opinion. Did you notice how many times — those of you who suffered through the Republican debates on Wednesday — Donald Trump talked about the importance of having America be respected again? That is his priority, with his Moon in Sagittarius. Astrology is amazing.

The only aspects on Saturday are to the Moon from expansive Jupiter and nebulous Neptune. Expect another hit of wigginess in the afternoon hours between 2 and 4PM ET. Take in some art, music, spiritual and/or healing pursuit. Patterns on Sunday are light and social, favoring reconnecting with your most eccentric besties. Overall, the fiery energy of a weekend with Moon in Sagittarius is prime for a gambol or a gamble; a walk in the woods; a feisty debate; a foreign film or language class. Enjoy.

A note about this Mercury retrograde. It stationed at 16 degrees of Libra, thus triggered the seventh Uranus-Pluto square that happened on March 16th at 16 Aries and 16 Capricorn. We should be hearing a lot about revolutionary ideas for the next few weeks, perhaps some that were prominent back in March.

Meanwhile, here’s a re-cap of what we can expect with Saturn transiting through Sagittarius from now until 2018. I wrote it last December. It still applies:

Yesterday was the last full day of karma cop Saturn in Scorpio, where it has been since October of 2012. During that time, as I’ve been writing since September 2012, we could expect to get to the nitty-gritty of issues involving sex (creation),  death (transformation), and money (resources), especially debt. We could expect the revelations to be ruthless and sometimes downright horrific. And in fact, they have been, as stories involving rape, domestic violence, abortion and contraception, questionable death penalty practices (including botched executions and convictions overturned after years of incarceration), and debt have been front and center for the past two years.

Well huzzah, huzzah, finally a change, as Saturn enters Sagittarius.  How will headlines reflect that shift over the next two years?

Saturn refers to control, discipline and structure. Sagittarius refers to collective belief systems, including: the law, religion, philosophy and academia. Hmm…how about mind control? Or tests of faith?  It also refers to publishing and other mass communication media, as well as sports and entertainment. Expect efforts involving restrictions and/or restructuring. Sagittarius refers to that which is foreign, so issues of border control will likely become hotter. It refers to travel.  So we can expect headlines involving controls in these areas, too.

Righteousness is another Sagittarius buzzword, as is blunt honesty. As its best, the Saturnine restructuring of Sagittarius concerns will stem from righteousness, much as the restructuring of the institution of marriage (Libra) to include same-sex couples evolved when Saturn was in Libra. Fairness is a big Libra buzzword. Got that?

For those born in December 1985- December 1988 and  February 1956 – January 1959, congratulations, you were likely born with Saturn in Sagittarius. You’re about to embark on your first or second Saturn return, which suggests a critical time in your life,  rich with developmental potential. Many of my clients book their first astrological consultations on a Saturn return.

For those born at  the very beginning of Gemini, Virgo, Pisces and Sagittarius, these next 12 months are a critical time in your life development, too.  You may need to cut your losses and focus on what’s really important. Saturn transits can inspire your ambition, but they can also be experienced as limiting, isolating and sad. Know that this, too, shall pass. Be brave enough to ask for support if you need it. You are worth it.

If you have a Sagittarius Moon, Midheaven or Ascendant, these next two years will likely also be significant  in terms of streamlining, restructuring, ambition and advance. A consultation with an astrologer would be helpful at this time. Here’s the 411.

And now, the news.

About that debate — which I anticipated would be channeled from another dimension. Here’s the august NYT editorial headline: “Crazy Talk at the Republican Debate”. And here’s a report from a few fact-checkers not at the NYT. What did you think?

File this under bewildering xenophobia and believing what you want to believe (Jupiter opposing Neptune square Saturn)– with Mercury stationary retrogade. Have you heard about Ahmed, the 14-year-old Muslim teen who brought a clock he made to school? When he showed his teachers, he was promptly arrested. They thought it was a bomb, and so did the police. Because Texas? There is a silver lining, however. Mark Zuckerberg and President Obama would like to meet him.

Here’s another excerpt from that lengthy repeat post above about Saturn in Sagittarius. Last December I anticipated certain needs making themselves manifest in Dick Cheney’s horoscope:

Yesterday’s NYT editorial was a call for the prosecution of “torturers and their bosses,” with the top boss cited being Dick Cheney. It is interesting because the last degrees of Scorpio correspond to an angle in Cheney’s horoscope, and that with Saturn now sitting on that angle, we could expect an urgent need to focus on core personal foundation (and also home/family) issues at this time. That pressure will let up for the first few months of 2015, but will be back (with a vengeance?) for a few months this summer. This is also within the time span that the US horoscope will feel the pressure of transiting Pluto (resistance is futile) to its natal Saturn, suggesting no small amount of anguish. Let’s see what happens.

…and what happened was that Mr. Cheney co-wrote a book with his daughter Liz and has been on a publicity tour over the past few weeks. What’s the book about? Homeland security. What else?

UPDATE: The execution of Richard Glossip, which was supposed to happen on Wednesday, was stayed until September 30th. The court has agreed to consider new evidence which Mr. Glossip’s attorneys hope will prove their client innocent. Maybe we learned something from Saturn in Scorpio after all…

…as a case for Saturn in Sagittarius just came in. The town of Liberty, NY is being sued by a man who pled guilty to a traffic offense and sent in a check to pay a fine, along with the ticket on which he’d scrawled profanities. The town rejected his payment and arrested him. Did the town of Liberty violate his First Amendment right to free speech? Saturn in Sagittarius will let you know….

In other news, with all these planetary shifts, the Federal Reserve surprised more than a few people by declining to raise interest rates today. Not willing to burst our current bubble just yet, perhaps…or so I might conclude from these pie-in-the-sky patterns.

I think I’ll high-fly it all the way to Pluto…check out this new pix...and have a great weekend.

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday & Thursday 9/16-17/2015: CNN Republican Debates & Other Stuff

Allll-riiighty then!

Getting started during a Moon void can sometimes pose a challenge. Today I’m thinking about astronauts floating in space, and the way they look if pushed in a particular direction. During a void — a natural rest period — you may need that push to get moving. For more on Moon voids, look here. 

Moon voids are good for taking care of routine matters and going with the flow. They are also good for resting and/or spacing out, with sometimes delightfully surprising results. I’ve had plenty of Moon void creative impulses that came totally out of the blue.

One such impulse happened just after Thanksgiving a few years ago. Circumstances were such that I would not be able to travel to be with the rest of my family for the Christmas holiday, and I was in a funk about missing the celebration. Out of nowhere, I remembered that I had bought a half dozen Christmas ornaments on sale a few months earlier — for no particular reason, since I had never gotten my own big evergreen Christmas tree. I do have a giant silk palm tree in my living room, because a real one would surely die under my watch. Impulsively, I hung the ornaments on the palm tree. They looked fabulous! Which then inspired me to go to Walgreen’s — at midnight — to buy multicolored lights and a few more ornaments. And this was all going on during a wandering Moon void.

If you happen to be working on an initiative during a void, use your informed perspective constructively. This means not getting all worked up about a twist, flake or other detour that may impede your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Don’t panic! Just go with the flow and watch how your “crisis” likely will ebb once the Moon is back in gear.

Today the Libra Moon was void of course all morning, on the East Coast. It changed gear — and got focused — in Scorpio at 11:43AM ET. There it will cruise without interference, driven by its need for power, control, depth and substance. Scorpio is an emotional sign, even though it can be maddeningly silent about its feelings…and motivations. More likely it will keep its game plan close to the chest…and brood. If it’s trivial or deemed offensive to Scorpio’s personal code of honor, it’s likely to be tossed out. You can handle that cut, can’t you? Scorpio doesn’t mess around. How will this aid your quest for world domination today through Friday, hmmm?

Just bear in mind the big shifts that will be exact tomorrow: 1) Mercury turning retrograde (DID YOU BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER); 2) Saturn leaving Scorpio for Sagittarius; and 3) big, fat Jupiter facing off against Neptune, blowing up matters of compassion, faith, delusion, bewilderment, fantasy, etc., beyond the usual proportions. It is important to remain flexible during all these planetary shifts!

And now, the news.

With Saturn at the end of Scorpio — a sign concerned with matters of life and death, it seems tragically fitting that in Oklahoma, a man — Richard Glossip — is set to be executed in just a few hours, despite “mounting evidence that he is innocent”.  Meanwhile, how lucky Lewis Fogle must feel that he was not sentenced to death after being freed from prison after 34 years, when DNA testing concluded that he could not have committed the crime for which he served time. Have we learned anything in our 28 month Saturn in Scorpio journey? How fitting also that an op-ed in the NYT is called “The Rituals of Modern Death” — part on an ongoing series of op-eds in a section called “The End”. Would love to know for sure if the NYT started that series during this Saturn in Scorpio transit.

Meanwhile, more delusions are coming to light in advance of Jupiter opposing Neptune. Ever hear of a comic named Steven Rannazzisi? Me neither. But his delusional escape — from one of the towers in the WTC on 9/11, is front-page news. Turns out he lied. More delusions — OK, distortions — about U.S. intelligence on the organization known as the Islamic State — are also headline news today.

Neptune refers to oceans, and there are a few big news items to report. First, it’s bad news for tuna and mackerel, whose populations are down 74% in the last 40 years. File this also under Jupiter in Virgo, which suggests that food and food production will become an ever-expanding matter of focus.  Meanwhile, it’s good news for whales and other marine life, now that the U.S. Navy has agreed to limit its bewildering insistence on blasting the ocean with sonar and other explosives.

When astrologers who Study These Things consider what may happen over the next few years, we look at what happened under similar patterns. One big pattern we just had, of course, was the Uranus-Pluto square. And the last time we experienced Uranus square Pluto was in the early 30s, the decade that brought us the rise of Adolf Hitler and his insane ideas of one race being oh-so-superior over others. So it was very interesting to read op-eds (by the same author) in two newspapers over the weekend wondering if something like that could happen again. “Hitler’s World May Not Be So Far Away,” says one, while in the NYT you might have read “The Next Genocide”.

The author points out that one tactic that facilitated the insanity was propaganda about shortages of food and other resources. I can see how that theme could tie into escalating delusional fears about foreigners and borders, as Saturn (control) progresses through Sagittarius (foreigners) and squares Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter in Virgo now and into 2016. No, I am not suggesting we will have a repeat of the 1930s & 1940s. I am suggesting that I can appreciate why similar issues might be up for consideration over the next few years, given the repeat of planetary patterns.

Meanwhile, what delusional fears might we see stoked in tonight’s Republican battle-to-the-death  — oh sorry — debate — on CNN? It’s not being promoted as a debate; it looks more like a tournament of gladiators — have you seen the promos?  It’s so depressing to see a media outlet take the low road…

Here are some random thoughts:

The debate chart — 8PM in Simi Valley, CA — has an Aries Ascendant, in contact with Uranus and Pluto. Instant power plays and upsets — oh  joy! We’re off to a pugnacious start. The chart is ruled by Mars in Leo — we’ll see a lot of regal pronouncements and creative self-expression. That Mars is sitting quite close to Donald Trump’s Leo Ascendant, so we can expect his naturally assertive self to be pumped. Saturn is also square his Ascendant, intensifying his need to be taken seriously, but may also be experienced as limiting.

Whereas the last debate featured a don’t-rock-the-boat Taurus Moon, tonight’s Scorpio Moon and other wild card aspects suggest moody intensity, with the potential for brutal stings and no small about of high-flying blather, more based on belief than actual fact (that’s the Mercury retrograde/Jupiter-Neptune component).  But a Scorpio Moon requires substance. Who might deliver?

Carly Fiorina’s chart may benefit from transiting Jupiter to her Virgo Sun; certainly her ego energies are expanded now. Scott Walker has Sun and Moon in Scorpio; plus he’s having a Jupiter return. Thus he’s likely to be feeling comfortable — but perhaps too comfortable to score major points. His horoscope is not nearly as active or potent as it was a few years ago, when his Koch brothers agenda first attracted national attention. Back then, he was unstoppable.

Ben Carson is a Virgo with (possibly) Moon in Taurus — we don’t have a birth time. Now you can understand why he’s comes across as so steady and calm. Transiting Jupiter is sitting right on top of his Mercury now, so you can appreciate why what comes out of his head has been getting more press. Look to his natal Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune T-square for the source of his grand faith and pioneering efforts in the world of neurosurgery. His Jupiter is in Aries, which rules the head. His Mars, like Donald Trump’s, is also in regal Leo. He’s likely feeling more assertive now, too — though perhaps less so than last week, when transiting Mars was sitting exactly on the one in his horoscope.

Jeb Bush? Tonight’s Virgo Sun is sitting right on his Virgo Ascendant — that suggests a spotlight on personal projection, for better or for worse. With transiting Mars square his natal Mars, I expect notable attacks from him or on him — we’ll see it live.  Ted Cruz? Capricorn with Sun at the Aries Point; Moon in sweet-talking Libra; Mercury square Uranus suggests ya never know what rocket scientist thought may spring from his lips, but transiting Saturn is sitting right on his Neptune, so the lines between real and imaginary are likely blurred. He has a pile-up of planets in Scorpio; he’s comfortable swimming in the deep, dark waters facilitated by tonight’s Scorpio Moon.

Marco Rubio? Meh. Unless his Moon is in Cancer (we do not have a birth time) and it is being supercharged by rebel Uranus, I do not expect much. If he does have a supercharged Cancer Moon, expect him to have all kinds of innovative ways to preserve emotional and homeland security, which is the reigning need of Cancer. Rand Paul? His Mars in Leo is also being pumped up by transiting Mars, like Jeb Bush and to some extent Ben Carson and Donald Trump. But Senator Paul’s righteously opinionated Venus at 1 Sagittarius is likely feeling isolated, courtesy of transiting Saturn. This outsider status may well encourage his assertiveness and ambition, but it might not earn him any hearts and flowers. But who needs hearts and flowers, when you have Moon in Gemini? Tell him you find him ever-so-informed, and he’ll be happy.

John Kasich? Sun in Taurus; Moon in enterprising Capricorn, quietly supported by the transiting Virgo Sun and Jupiter. No big waves, other than a shockingly sensible pragmatism, compared to everyone else on stage. His dreamy Neptune-Moon square suggests his spirituality and compassion, up to a point. Mike Huckabee? Another Virgo who’s gotten a boost — for better or worse — from transiting Jupiter to his Sun, though it is fast fading in the rear view mirror. Three planets in Leo, including Mars — are you noticing a pattern, here? Mars in Leo is sooooo regally entitled. Of course it makes sense that it would expect to stand on a pedestal. I expect a outburst of indignant assertion from Mr. Huckabee next week, when transiting Mars will exactly hit his natal Mars. Right now, we can appreciate his militant stances on anything, as transiting Saturn exerting its iron fist on his Mars and Venus (he and Senator Paul can commiserate about that). Huckabee has a Scorpio Moon.

Is that everybody? Hope so. Pass the popcorn. The first Democratic debate on October 13th will also be held on a night with Moon in Scorpio…

 

 

 

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 9/15/2015: Musings on a Libra Moon…

Another day with Moon in Libra, driven by a need for social graces and people-pleasing in relationship, and for being appreciated by putting out those qualities. A planet in Libra is not an absolute guarantee of peace and harmony. What Libra suggests is a need for harmony, peace and balance. It can swing wildly from one end to another in its efforts to fulfill that need. It can also get mighty resentful when it is not feeling appreciated. So much for peace and harmony!

At 1:10AM ET, the Moon was challenged by Pluto, suggesting a potential power play or emotional catharsis. As you are waking up, more cooperative alignments to the Moon between mental Mercury and pleasure-seeking Venus may facilitate a sweet reconciliation around 6:34AM and 7:07AM ET. Be prepared for a flash of insight, a break for freedom or some other disruption of the status quo around 2:27PM ET, when the Moon is opposed by rebel Uranus.

That’s it until 12:22AM on Wednesday, when the Moon goes void with a sigh until 11:43AM ET. Your work day tomorrow may start with a twist or flake. If you happen to sleep through your alarm, no biggie. Do try to get it off your desk today (Tuesday), if you can, as initiatives launched during Moon voids have a higher probability of turning out to be of little consequence.

And now, the news.

I’ve been anticipating a weird week with no small number of communication snafus, as our usual ability to FOCUS is waylaid by mental Mercury at a dead stop and Jupiter expanding the wigginess of Neptune. Woke up yesterday to this one: “American Airlines Accidentally Sends Uncertified Plane to Hawaii” — as well as “Egypt Security Forces Accidentally Kill Mexican Tourists”.  And then I decided to step away from the news for the rest of the day.

In light of the week’s potential pitfalls, I was fascinated to see the slow, earthy Page of Pentacles turn up as Tarot Diva Beth Owlsdaughter’s card of the week. Equally fascinating is the sublime synchronicity between her weekly cards and planetary patterns. Coincidence or conspiracy?

Would you like to talk about you and your unique horoscope? I sure would. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

Thank you for reading this forecast.

Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 9/14/2015: New Moon in Virgo; Solar Eclipse; Sneak Peek at the Week

Good Morning!

By the time you read this, the Moon will have left discerning Virgo for Libra, as of 10:41PM ET on Sunday. There it will cruise without interference for all of Monday ET.

A Libra Moon drives the energy of the day with a need for people-pleasing in relationship. It is a cerebral energy that needs to weigh the pros and cons of a situation in an effort to find the balance. Generally speaking, it abhors conflict. I have seen some Moon in Libra types do outrageous things in an effort to avoid confrontation. Really, it would have been better if they’d screwed up the courage to face their fears of ruffling feathers head on.

But I digress.

Other than the Moon’s weekly clash with Pluto and Uranus — Tuesday at 1:10AM ET and 2:27PM ET , respectively, exact planetary patterns are fleeting and mild, except for the action that happens on Thursday. That’s when we’ll have a triple hit on our plates.

First, expansive Jupiter opposes Neptune. That should be an awesome aspect for Pope Francis’s planned visit to the United States.  It will also be reflected in plenty of continuing headlines about Neptunian themes, which include faith, dreams, illusion, delusion, healing, migrants, compassion, oil, drugs, blood — for starters. We’ll also see more of Jupiter in Virgo themes: an expanded focus on matters related to labor, union, food and food production, diet, health care, ecology — again, just for starters.

Second, Mercury turns retrograde at 16 degrees of Libra at 2:10PM ET. BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS NOW!  Third, Saturn fiiiiiinally leaves Scorpio for high-flying Sagittarius at 10:47PM ET. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Saturn!

Moon voids this week are as follows: Wednesday 12:22 AM – 11:43AM ET; Friday 3:49PM ET – 11:32PM ET. Both of these voids may feel like Mercury retrograde on steroids. Roll with the twists and flakes, and double check everything thrice before you hit “send”. Be patient with the communication snafus, and do not hold a national election during those times!

Meanwhile…

It’s not too late to consciously set your New Moon intentions, even though the exact lunation (and solar eclipse) happened on Sunday at 2:41AM ET. Go ahead and light a candle; make a list. Around September 21st, on the First Quarter Moon, we can expect a challenge to those goals, with appropriate adjustments made. At the time of the Full Moon on the 27th, we can expect illumination on the success or failure of our goals for the cycle. If we succeeded, we can consciously release our success into our reality; if we failed, we let go of whatever did not work. After the Third Quarter Moon on October 4th, we can review our achievements, tie up loose ends and get ready to begin another New Moon on October 12th.

Last month’s New Moon in Leo focused on creative self-expression. How are you living — or not living — by being true to your heart? On this Virgo New Moon we can focus on whom or what does your creative self-expression serve. How does it function? How have you cooperated with and/or integrated it into your daily routine?  Perfection, discernment, work, service, integration, analysis, cooperative systems, diet: these are also Virgo keywords up for focus and review.

 

Virgo rules the digestive tract, where it keeps busy instinctively separating the wheat from the chaff. It keeps elements that provide nourishment and eliminates those which do not. Some digestive systems work more efficiently than others, depending on what they are given to process. What is your process? Is it efficient? What does your gut tell you?

The New Moon happened at 20 degrees 10 minutes of Virgo. So if you have a planet or angle around that degree of Virgo — and to a lesser degree Pisces, Sagittarius and Gemini, you are more likely to feel the need to plant seeds in the areas related to that planet and where it sits in your horoscope. These seeds have more than the usual potency because this New Moon is also a solar eclipse.

If your life is on track, you may reap an abundant harvest. If your life is not on track, this New Moon/Eclipse may call attention to certain flaws, resulting in quite a challenge. This is time to consult your astrologer for details — or order an Astro-Basics Report if you want to know what degrees all of your planets and angles are at.

A Solar Eclipse can act like a “bottleneck” of energy. Light flowing from the Sun is temporarily interrupted, focusing attention on that interrupted point, allowing something new and possibly fragile to enter the picture and grow. And here I would be thinking of Michael, the kindhearted policeman in the storybook Make Way for Ducklings, who stopped the flow of traffic on Beacon Street so Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their brood of eight could safely make their way to the Boston Public Garden. Got that?

make-way-for-ducklings-more-robert-mccloskey-dvd-cover-art

We noted last week that both Serena and Venus Williams have significant planets at 20 Virgo, so we expect to see some activity — one way or the other — in their life experience as 20 Virgo is triggered by Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn later this year and into 2016 (by Jupiter). Let the record show that Donald Trump has his Sun and Moon at 22 Gemini and 21 Sagittarius; Jeb Bush; has his ASC at 23 Virgo; so we’ll want to keep an eye on him, too. Interesting that in 2012, Mitt Romney also experienced an eclipse on his Ascendant.

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “a girls’ basketball team”. The opposing symbol — in Pisces — is “a little white lamb, a child and a Chinese servant,” and boy I am glad Blaine Bovee wrote a book shedding light on what these Symbols might mean and how to apply them productively. You do know how these Sabian Symbols came about, don’t you? Here is the story.

One thing Bovee notes about this Sabian Symbol pair is that we have a team allegedly working together, on the one hand, combined with three separate entities that don’t seem to have much in common, on the other. How is anything going to get done?  It’s weird and bewildering — but y’know, that fits the patterns of the chart for this New Moon, so somehow it makes sense: Mercury about to turn retrograde and that exact opposition between Jupiter and Neptune.

Honestly, with Mercury retrograde, a period of review and reorganization seems in order during this lunar cycle. But you can still move forward by going back…over your old contacts and projects. A reconnection may be just what is required to get that idea to the next level.

Bovee’s bottom line advice is to approach this lunar cycle with “…an awareness of differences within so-called level playing fields; personal concerns within a cooperative setting…” (for better or for worse). This next bit is interesting, given what’s going on in the world right now, “Consider feeling strange about having to learn foreign moves in order to reach one’s goal; enormous patience while coaching others; improving; honing; carrying the ball”.  We’ll watch for those themes to be expressed in the headlines.

Speaking of which…

With Saturn at the end of its rope at 29 Scorpio, I noted with interest the following items involving last-gasp efforts re: the consequences of sexual energy, for better or for worse.

First, you’ve probably heard that the House of Representatives hosted an investigative hearing about Planned Parenthood last week, as it ascertains whether it can get away with murder (Mars is in Leo) by cutting off federal funds — or at least threatening to shut down the government over it.  But would it surprise you to know that in its efforts to investigate what Planned Parenthood is all about, it did not invite anyone from Planned Parenthood to the hearing? So just how stunningly uninformed are some of the people elected to the U.S. House of Representatives? That’s a rhetorical question. But here’s an answer anyway .

Meanwhile, the front page headline on Sunday’s NYT was about another matter of life and death: “a young woman’s effort to transcend death” through cryonics. Elsewhere, Erica Jong has a new book out: Fear of Dying.   How interesting that Ms. Jong’s taboo-smashing book, Fear of Flying, was published in the aftermath of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the mid-60s. Now, in the wake of the Uranus-Pluto square, she writes a follow-up. Coincidence or conspiracy?

And briefly: 1)  a federal study about blood pressure with new data that is allegedly “life-saving” reflects Jupiter in Virgo (expanded focus on healthcare) opposing Neptune (blood); 2) the NYT wonders why so many celebrity couples broke up this summer (hello? aftermath of Uranus-Pluto square plus Venus retrograde in Leo, hello????) — and obviously did not consult with an astrologer; 3) in light of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy’s August break-up, his new flame, Denise is totally living up to Venus retrograde expectations, as the word on Twitter is “what was he thinking???”

What’s going on in YOUR horoscope? If you’re feeling a need for clarity and guidance, consider making an appointment for a personal astro-logical consultation. Thank you for reading this forecast — and sharing it with the Entire Free World :)