Alll-riighty then!

The Moon in regal drama queen Leo went void at 8:06AM ET, setting the stage for a whole day of play, pomp and circumstance, or insufferable much-ado-about nothing grandstanding. What a lovely backdrop for FBI director James Comey, who will explain to Congress this morning  why he did not recommend filing criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for 1) using a private email server; and 2) not being entirely truthful about it, etc. etc. etc. The clean-up crew doesn’t arrive until 6:41PM ET, when the Moon shifts backs into gear in discerning Virgo.

Adding color commentary to the drama are three other exact patterns as follows:

Two exact aspects happening between 8AM and 10:30AM ET — the influence of which may be felt all week — along with a third at 6:24PM ET. The Sun and Mercury will be opposed by Pluto, suggesting power plays, news from underground, a greater-than-usual emotional intensity.

The third exact aspect of note  is a gender-bending challenge between Venus and Uranus, exact at 10:24AM ET. Venus-Uranus aspects suggest unconventional attractions and other innovations; free-spirited and/or volatile artists, women and financiers/financial markets — possibly reflected in the day’s obituaries, too.

Your mission is to roll with the flakes and twists which may derail your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Crises that crop up during voids are often blown way out of proportion and then fizzle out with a big “never mind.” Deal with it with a playful spirit; show a roaring/sulking drama prince or princess a little appreciation; that should help calm things down. If there’s no drama to deal with, then play as you focus on routine tasks or simply chill.

And now, the news.

Along with many other violent headlines around the world, it is tiresome and upsetting to read of yet another African-American killed by police officers here in the United States, captured on tape by a civilian. Earlier this week, 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot in Baton Rouge. There’s a fascinating and redemptive, ruthlessly investigative “news from underground” element, reflecting today’s Mercury-Sun-Pluto tension, as the person who filmed that incident was not a random bystander. Last night in Minneapolis,  a 32-year old man named Philando Castile ended up dead after being pulled over for having a broken tail light; his girlfriend livestreamed the aftermath on Facebook. This heinous incident prompted Minnesota governor Mark Dayton to state:

“Would this have happened if … the driver and passenger were white?” he asked. “I don’t think it would’ve. So I’m forced to confront and I think all of us in Minnesota are forced to confront that this kind of racism exists.”

Back in February of 2015, transiting Pluto was exactly square to Saturn in the U.S. horoscope:

…suggesting a particularly difficult, anguished exercise. Pluto challenges us to change our perspective. It insists we face the truth. On Tuesday, for example, the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, published a report on the history of lynching in America. The report lists close to 4000 names of African Americans who were killed in the South between 1877-1950. Bryan Stevenson, the director of the organization, has proposed that the sites of these brutalities be marked with a plaque. Perhaps raising awareness will foster a greater understanding and healing of racial prejudice and inequality as it exists today.

Transiting Pluto is now retrograde at 16 Capricorn, just two degrees away from the U.S. Saturn at 14 Libra. Pluto will be exactly at 14 Capricorn in September and October, putting more pressure on the need for the U.S. to adjust its perspective on how fair and balanced (Libra) we are in terms of law enforcement (Saturn). The Guardian has been keeping track of the number of people killed by police since January of 2015. This year, 275 Caucasian people have been killed,  compared to 132 African Americans. Did this statistic surprise you? Now look at the stats per million: 1.39 to 3.23, respectively.

Not specific to the U.S. are a couple of other volatile patterns worth remembering, as you peruse the news. First is Mars, now direct in Scorpio, in an uncomfortable aspect with freakishly erratic Uranus and destructive Eris — all month. Second is a midpoint pattern noted here back in March:

…the Saturn/Pluto midpoint, associated with anguish, is now at the Aries Point, along with the Sun and Mercury. In a personal horoscope, the Saturn/Pluto midpoint at the Aries Point suggests a prominent trauma in the early home life. Its prominence suggests that, when asked about it, he or she will readily discuss it. I learned this from my studies with astrologer Noel Tyl.

It is not surprising to see this midpoint picture reflected in current events. Anguish is prominent, yes?  In Yemen, a U.S. airstrike on an alleged terrorist training camp reportedly killed “dozens”. Last week, two female suicide bombers killed 24 people in Nigeria. Who was it that said “an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind?” Mahatma Gandhi, I believe.

This Saturn/Pluto midpoint = Aries Point pattern has been in effect since January 2016 and will continue through the rest of the year. It may help your perspective and processing of the upsetting events in the headlines to see them as a reflection of a collective agreement to focus on the anguishing skeletons we might prefer to keep in our closet. This is an opportunity to bring those skeletons into the light, so they may be healed. That is the potential upside.

The Saturn/Pluto midpoint at the Aries Point was discussed in the context of an individual’s horoscope back in 2014.

In other news, fired FOX anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes. Smart of her to wait until after Mars turned direct. In the UK, a 2.6 million year-long word report based on a seven year-long investigation concluded that

…Prime Minister Tony Blair helped President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney misled their countries into a war with Iraq in 2003 that was one of the most damaging blunders in history.

Finally, file  this one under yesterday’s hugely idealistic hook-up between Sun and Mercury in Cancer (family, nurturing), Venus trine Mars (sexual energy/union) and a regal Leo Moon. Charles Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, declared this week that couples who divorce and then remarry should not have conjugal relations.  Now just what sort of patterns do you think we’d see in his horoscope to suggest, “on WHAT PLANET, your Archbishopness?”

Born in Concordia, Kansas on September 26, 1944 — birthtime unknown, the Archbishop has the Sun EXACTLY conjunct Neptune in relationship-focused Libra,  thus needing to deny/dissolve ego energies, along with the rest of the material world. This is as screamingly rose-colored as it gets. Also in Libra: Venus and Mars, adding to the Libra need to avoid conflict at all costs.  As for why he might need to impose this need on the rest of the Free World, we see Saturn (control, authority) in Cancer (family, emotional security) either running wild or starkly opposing a Moon in Capricorn, a sign not known for emotional intimacy, but awesome when it comes to figuring out the best way to use people and things for practical purposes.

Astrology is amazing. What’s going on in your horoscope? To schedule a personal consultation you will find enlightening and enjoyable, here’s how to contact me.

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