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Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 7/10/2015 & the Weekend: Living in Interesting Times; Shades of Venus Retrograde in Leo

TGIF!

Today’s Taurus Moon is tinged with the pixie-dust of Wednesday’s alignment between Mars (action!) and Neptune (vision). Sprinkle it onto whatever you need to build comfort and security through late Saturday, and you’ve got it made.   There is no Moon void today or tomorrow to misguide your shopping sprees. You could seriously indulge in regal luxury, encouraged by lunar contacts with Venus and Jupiter in Leo.

Note the potential for a moment of stern sobriety around 5:52PM ET, as the Moon is challenged by Saturn and then digs in its heels during a two-hour Moon void. Chill! The pace lightens up at 8:16PM ET when the Moon enters Gemini. Now you can talk about it, with wit and charm.

Sunday features a dreamy challenge between the Gemini Moon and nebulous Neptune around 1:19PM ET. Art, music, water…that all sounds good. At 10:53PM ET, the Sun is challenged by a disruptive square from rebel Uranus, and I expect we’ll be feeling the buzz of impending shake-ups well before then. Watch the headlines for tech breakthroughs, cosmic revelations, revolutions and other quirky upstarts.

Next week there’s even more rock and roll potential, when Mars, planet of action and Mercury (mindset, communication) tangle with potent Pluto in a super-charged New Moon happening on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

And now, the news.

The debate was contentious and emotional, as expected. In the end, the Confederate flag was voted off the island by the South Carolina House of Representatives. Why, then,  would any member of the U.S. Congress try to sneak a provision permitting this controversial flag to be flown on federal grounds into a House bill?  Y’know, history and heritage, suggested by a few planets currently in Cancer, clinging to the past.  How appropriate that this account of yesterday’s failed effort opens with these four words: “The anguished national debate…”

Why is that appropriate? Because “anguish” expresses beautifully what one may experience when ruthless Pluto makes contact with Saturn (structure, law, karma) in a horoscope. And as I’ve noted before, that’s what is going on the U.S. horoscope from now into early 2016. Anguishing. But times are changing. People are waking up.

Take this item, for example. Incorporating themes of deception (Mars trine Neptune), power plays, revelations and energy resources (Sun in touch with Pluto and Uranus), this story reveals how Exxon apparently knew quite well thirty years ago how the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere might impact the planet.  But this did not stop the world’s largest oil company from spending millions over the next few decades promoting climate change deniers. Surreal.  But now we know.

Meanwhile, a power play and a disruption of the status quo happened in Florida when its  Supreme Court ruled against gerrymandering in eight Congressional districts. The districts have been ordered to be re-drawn before the 2016 elections. Quite a shift.

Oh but it is Friday. Surely I can find something light and amusing for the weekend. It can be challenging in these interesting times! Oh — here’s one that might make you cheer. Take it in the spirit of Venus, now in its shadow period, ready to turn retrograde on July 25. It’ll back up through drama queen Leo, and social graces shall be tossed out the window unless you’re very, very mindful. Ready?

So Broadway diva Patti LuPone was on stage the other night, and she was not at all amused by a woman in the audience who persisted in texting during the performance. Ms. LuPone would not stand for this rudeness. Presumably the crowd went wild. In other news, over the weekend a theater patron thought it would be awesome if he could plug his cell phone into an outlet….which happened to be on stage. The outlet wasn’t real, of course…given that it was part of a set. Who are these people anyway? What in the world is going on in their horoscopes? Thank goodness you won’t be tempted to fall into boorish behavior, since you’re up to speed on planetary patterns. For details on how these patterns affect you personally, consult your local astrologer.

UPDATE: The texting theatergoer incident happened on Wednesday, a day which was predicted to be volatile, with communication and computer issues (symbolized by Mercury) prominent. Also happening on Wednesday: a computer glitch grounds United Airlines and shuts down the NYSE. Rumor has it that public transportation in DC was also not functioning as designed. In London, the Tube was shut down by a strike. Astrology is amazing.

It could be a long, hot summer.

Searched in vain to close with an adorable cat video from my Facebook feed. Have to make do with latest from next week’s Pluto fly-by… enjoy!

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday & Thursday 7/8-9/2015: Saturn Goes to the Movies; Mercury in Cancer; Mars Trine Neptune

Headlines….headlines…and more headlines…on a day when the Moon continues its charge through headstrong Aries. Well, I told you on Monday that you would not be bored today.

At 4:16AM ET the me-me-me Aries Moon was challenged by Mars, infusing the morning with an extra dose of caffeine.  It was a bumpy ride for passengers on United Airlines, which grounded flights this morning thanks to a computer (Mercury) glitch. Fiery power plays and/or catharses are possible around 12:44PM ET, when the Moon is squared by Pluto.  Ditto those potential challenges when the history, heritage and family loving Cancer Sun squares the warrior Aries Moon at 4:24PM ET. A shock or other upset to the status quo is likely when the Moon meets up with rebel Uranus at 11:17PM ET.

Meanwhile, mental Mercury is at the Aries Point, about to leave Gemini for Cancer at 2:52PM ET. What is said and thought today has extra prominence. The oil on today’s potentially choppy waters is an easy alignment between Mars and Neptune. The harmony between them offers the potential for peace, spiritual pursuits, charisma and actions based on rose-colored ideals.

Given these planetary patterns, we can expect that when the NYT, writing about today’s debate in the South Carolina House of Representatives on the fate of the Confederate flag says it is “expected to be contentious and emotional,” rest assured that the NYT’s prediction will prove to correct.  It’s fascinating that the debate is happening on the same day that a U.S. court put the final nail in the coffin of the Washington Redskins trademark protection. It’s officially history.

Tomorrow the Moon will be void of course between 9:47AM and 3:49PM ET, facilitating self-absorbed howls of indignation that are likely much ado about nothing. Take care of routine matters during that time and chill if you can. After the void, Moon enters material security-seeking Taurus, slowing down the pace and tempting us to indulge in simple pleasures of the senses…and why not?

And now, the news.

With Saturn now back in Scorpio until September 18th, we expect heavy themes of sex, death and money to return with a vengeance. Following up on yesterday’s revelation about the stunning gender and racial imbalance among  prosecutors in certain states, consider this headline: “Louisiana Prosecutor’s Proud Goal: ‘Kill More People'”.  Did you know that only 1% of all counties in the U.S. were responsible for 50% of all death sentences meted out between 2010 and 2014? I didn’t.  In the linked article you’ll learn about Dale Cox, the prosecutor whose efforts have resulted in more death sentences in his Louisiana parrish per capita than any other county in the U.S. Vengeance is his middle name. And here’s a detailed account of one of his “success” stories, despite the controversy over the evidence presented. If we don’t become aware of these cases, how can we change the system?

Couldn’t find a birth date for Mr. Cox — looks like it might be January of 1948, where we might see in a horoscope a hard and detached social expression suggested by Venus opposing a tortured Saturn-Pluto conjunction in regal Leo.

Contraceptives — another consequence of sexual energy, as well as a battleground topic over the past couple of Saturn in Scorpio years — also made the front page. Women are spending less — a lot less — since the Affordable Care Act required insurers to cover contraception. But as you know from Monday’s forecast, that savings will now likely be charged back to consumers in the form of higher premiums. So women will pay in other ways. Which is awesome news if you happen to own stock in a health insurance company. Meanwhile, Colorado is reporting enormous success as a result of its decision six years ago to offer free contraception to teens and other economically-challenged women. Birth rates and abortion rates have plummeted.

In other news, stories of the past week’s alignments between the Sun and Mars with dreamy/escapist Neptune are reflected in these stories. First, your kids are addicted to those virtual realities they stare at on their screens. What are you going to do about it?

(A pause, while your astrologer considers whether she is going to re-type the rest of today’s lovingly and carefully-crafted forecast, which went into a WordPress black hole when she pressed “Publish” minutes before annihilating Pluto squared the Moon.)

(Still thinking about it, as the me-me-me Aries Moon demands to know what’s in it for her.)

(Concludes that she is too much of a professional to not persevere with her passion,  believing that what needs to be re-typed will be so much fun and enlightening for others to read. How can she not share?)

(Resolves that out of this temporary loss, a plan for advance will be formulated that will allow her to receive as much support from the Universe as she gives. Recognizes that this is the challenge — and gift —  of a heavy Saturn transit in a horoscope.)

(Onward!)

Second, in what we might think is intuitively obvious, new research suggests that babies are born spiritual.   How might this impact parents and caretakers whose efforts are more focused on supporting a child’s physical and emotional development? Cue The Police now, please…preceded by a brief, silly bit embodying the seductive allure of a Mars-Neptune alignment.

Speaking of emotional development and Saturn transits, much gratitude to avid reader Diane, whose Facebook rave about Inside Out inspired me to see it over the weekend. The film opened last month, though it seemed like it wasn’t until last weekend that I noticed other raves about it in the mainstream media and on blogs. Makes sense, given certain planetary patterns, but the point I’d rather make is this:  the film is FABULOUS. You MUST see it.

Without giving too much away, it’s about an 11-year-old girl whose mind is run by five emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. It’s the latter emotion that is most challenging, and it got me thinking that in the language of astrology, Sadness is equated with Saturn. When I tell clients who know just enough about astrology to be dangerous that they’ve got a Saturn transit on the horizon, they are not happy. They would prefer to avoid Saturn at all costs, much as some of the characters in Inside Out want to avoid Sadness. Is this a productive strategy?

Go see this movie. It’s in 3-D, and there’s an equally fabulous animated short about a lonely volcano that precedes the feature attraction.  Bring Kleenex. Then read this piece on how the storyline was developed. Then read this op-ed written by two of the psychologists who served as consultants on the film.  What you learn about Sadness can be applied to your understanding of Saturn in the horoscope.

Thank you for reading this forecast. I’d be delighted if you shared it with your friends.  Meanwhile, if you’re curious to know what Saturn is doing in your own unique horoscope, here’s the 411 on consultations.

Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 6/24/2015: Mars in Cancer; Hot Horoscopes

If you feel like you’re being kicked out of bed, you’re picking up on the energetic boost suggested by the First Quarter Moon, exact at 7:02AM ET. Said Moon is in people-pleasing Libra, seeking popularity, balance and fairness in relationship. What challenges may come to light re: the agenda you set last week on the New Moon? You’ve got the whole day free and clear to work it out.

Two and a half hours later, action hero Mars pulls focus by leaving Gemini for Cancer. Look for prominent action related to home and homeland security — or general Mars matters such as iron and steel. Here’s a story that popped up an hour or so ago — about an axe thrown by a Fox & Friends host that missed its target and hit a West Point drummer instead. Will this be tomorrow morning’s hot topic?

Mars will be in Cancer until August 6th. You are more personally affected by transiting Mars entering Cancer if you are someone like — say — Barack Obama, who has his Venus at 1 degree of Cancer. Immediately we expect his social expression to be more active and prominent. And — oh lookie — here is an article from the NYT about how he’s been wearing his heart on his sleeve more than his usual cool, airy (Moon in Gemini; Aquarius rising) mode of expression allows. Blame it on transiting Mars activating his naturally caring, sensitive social expression (yes, really), brought to a sensitive, deeply spiritual blossoming suggested by a prominent transit of Neptune. Really, no surprises here…but I suppose journalists do need something to write about.

Meryl Streep is another person affected by Mars at the Aries Point. She has Sun and Uranus conjunct at the Aries Point in Cancer (happy belated birthday, Ms. Streep). Yesterday she made headlines by urging Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.  You may recall the last time her horoscope was discussed in this forecast it was expected that she would experience a change of direction in her career that would also be prominent. And now she is getting quite serious about this women’s equality thing — RAH.

In other news, the Trans-Pacific Partnership was fast-tracked by the Senate yesterday. Score another victory for Barack Obama’s horoscope, which clearly suggests he’s at the top of his game. No lack of ambition and gravitas for him through early fall, as Saturn completes its series of transits to his Midheaven and his Moon.

Maybe someone else can think of a good reason why this deal should go through, but I am skeptical for reasons cited here, and in this video here. If you can think of a good reason, feel free to share.

Elsewhere…

That flag. That Confederate flag. Suddenly most everyone is in agreement — as if it just hit them for the first time in a quantum leap of consciousness.  Soon it will be off the state license plates in Virginia; Walmart and Sears won’t be selling flag-emblazoned items anymore; heck, maybe Mississippi may change its state flag.

In South Carolina,  Governor Nikki Haley urged state legislators to consider taking it down from state grounds. Calling it an “emotional” decision, she said:

“It came down to one simple thing,” Ms. Haley said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I couldn’t look my son or daughter in the face and justify that flag flying anymore.”

Just like that. A quantum leap facilitated in the aftermath of the Uranus-Pluto square and the brutal force of transiting Pluto square Saturn in the US horoscope.  Wake up and smell the coffee. Change or die. Stuff like that.

Fun fact: Sabian Symbols work in pairs. I did not tell you about the opposing Symbol of last week’s New Moon at 25 Gemini but here it is: “a flag bearer”. Interesting, eh? Wish I had time to write more…

What’s going on in your horoscope? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Thank you for reading this forecast.