…and we’re off to the races again!

Moon is in Capricorn, looking to get down to business, so go for it. Here are the notable planetary patterns for the week:

• TUESDAY: Moon makes its weekly clash with rebel Uranus at 10:13 AM ET, suggesting an upset to the status quo. Moon goes void for 30 minutes and then enters Aquarius, seeking to network its electric blue socks off. Now that Uranus is hanging out at the tail end of Aries, you’ll notice that Moon voids are quite brief this week. We’ll have one other on THURSDAY between 10:58 PM ET and 11:41 PM ET, and that’s it. No rest for the weary, for now.
• WEDNESDAY: Moon continues through Aquarius with little interference. Keep on truckin’ — and BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS NOW — in preparation for Mercury’s upcoming retrograde.
• THURSDAY: Mars, planet of action harmonizes with Uranus, the rebel technogeek — exact at 4:31 AM ET. Until then, take advantage of the potential we have right now to act outside of the box and channel assertion for positive change. At 9:54 AM ET, the Aquarius Moon squares the Scorpio Sun. How are all those “smiling girls’ faces” holding up? I’m talking about the seeds planted during last week’s New Moon in Scorpio. Today’s First Quarter Moon suggests a chance to work out the details and move forward. It harmonizes with Venus and Uranus at 2:05 PM ET and 10:58 PM ET, suggesting a innovative easy spin in matters of women, money and social expression.
• THURSDAY: Mars leaves rebel Aquarius for the steaming cauldron it creates when it plunges into Pisces. It’s steams because that’s what fiery Mars does when it hits the water and dissipates into thin air. Pisces is not a comfortable place for Mars, which is more effective when it can be direct. And how annoying it is to have to consider the soulful suffering (Pisces) of all humanity instead of gratifying one’s own ego drive (Mars)? Still, it is determined to try. Watch for these themes to be exaggerated and expanded upon, for better or for worse, around November 19th, as Mars is supercharged by Jupiter. Look for Mars in Pisces to put a major stamp on the next lunar cycle, as it meets up with wiggy Neptune on December 7th, the next New Moon.
• FRIDAY: This day is driven by the Moon in Pisces, seeking empathy, ideals and impressions. At 5:50 AM ET, Venus finally turns direct, and we’ll have from now until December 15th to review our impulsive aesthetic and value choices made during Venus retrograde. At 8:33 PM ET, Mercury officially turns retrograde, and thou shalt not grumble or panic. We need these down times to review our progress over the past few months. Thus it will be your sacred charge to review everything thrice while the planet of thoughts and communication is moving backwards through high-flying (but potentially sloppy) Sagittarius. Mercury turns direct on December 6th, the day before that Mars-Neptune meet-up. That day sounds ripe for a tangled web of inspiration; we’ll see how much of it is real.
• SATURDAY: Go with the flow of the Pisces Moon and feel free to shop. If you’re holiday shopping already (everyone at the mall was over the weekend), my money says your generous impulses will rule. There is no Moon void to interfere with your intuitive impulses. Gift certificates for astrological consultations and/or personal reports are sure to be appreciated by anyone on your shopping list. What other gift screams so convincingly (and accurately), “It’s all about YOU!”
• SUNDAY:  Take advantage of the Moon void by sleeping in. The void is between 3:04 AM ET and 10:56 AM ET, after which the Moon charges into me-me-me Aries, happily jumping off cliffs with exuberance, aided and abetted by Mercury retrograde and that big, fat, expansive surge of energy otherwise knows as Mars (action) square Jupiter (expansion), exact on MONDAY at 8:30 PM ET.

Bottom line: compared to last week, it’s relatively chill.

And now, the news.

UPDATE: On Michelle Obama, who’s right on schedule. With transiting Uranus supercharging her Capricorn Sun in 2017 and early 2018, she harnessed that liberating potential to write her autobiography with no holds barred. It’s being published as transiting Saturn meets up with her natal Mercury, suggesting the advance of a sobering mindset that minces no words. It wasn’t easy for her to get pregnant. She had a miscarriage. No way in hell was she going to smile at P45’s inauguration. Etc. Here’s what’s on her plate through 2022 — posted in 2016.

UPDATE: On the state of California, whose horoscope continues to function as we might expect, for better and sadly, for worse. Avid Readers will recall that California is in a period of volatility that is not likely to end next year (see prior link for thought posted in January 2018).  By nature, California is designed to disrupt the status quo, as it has in its horoscope the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of 1850 — at 29 degrees of Aries. Avid Readers will recall that on Election Day, Uranus returned to 29 Aries, triggering California’s horoscope — exact on November 10th and again on November 17th (the third and final hits occur between February 19th and March 2nd). Adding anguish to the potential for upsets is transiting Pluto square its natal Saturn, in effect for the past couple of years, and exact for the last time on December 7th. Now we are seeing the downside of these patterns in devastating wild fires — the deadliest in California’s history. Paradise has literally burned to the ground.   California Avid Readers, please stay safe.

TOLD YA SO: “New Cholesterol Guidelines Offer Personalized Approach” — just days after Jupiter (which refers to the liver in traditional medical astrology) enters optimistic Sagittarius.

DITTO: “In North Korea, Missile Bases Suggest a Great Deception.”— despite P45’s June 13th tweet assuring us that NoKo was no longer a nuclear threat.  One of the fun things you can do with astrology is run a horoscope for the moment a statement is released (written or verbal, either will work). You can assess the veracity of the statement by examining patterns in the horoscope. When I looked at the horoscope for 6/13/2018 at 5:53 AM ET at Andrews AFB, MD, it failed the truth test. This is a useful technique for evaluating the truth of other statements, including, but not limited to: “the dog ate my homework,” “I will always love you,” etc.

THIS, TOO: Breaking news at WaPo: “Botched Israeli Operation in Gaza Triggers Sharp Escalation of Violence.”   Avid Readers know that Israel’s horoscope is hot, with its regal Leo Moon and Mars eclipsed in July 2018 and August 2017, respectively. Mars is currently at 28 degrees of Aquarius, exactly opposite Israeli’s Mars at 28 Leo, suggesting strong potential for provocative assertion or aggression. Coincidence or conspiracy? Here’s the post from July, with a link to Israel’s horoscope.

Meanwhile, there is always always good news  to report — thanks to the NYT’s  “The Week in Good News.” Indulge and enjoy! And yes, I am still offering a few solid paragraphs on the indulgences Jupiter’s entry into Sagittarius is likely to bring for you. Reply to this email with your date, time and place of birth. Then toss $44 into my Cosmic Tip Jar — a.k.a. the Big Gold DONATE button in the left side of this page on my website (you do not need a PayPal account; just use your credit card).  I will send you insights within a day or so. Fun!

Thank you for reading this forecast, and for sharing it with your friends. Your friends are wonderful, just like you.