TGIF!

But first — Thursday — which I was not able to post in time, in part due to technical difficulties.

The Moon in me-me-me Aries continues its charge through the day — seeking to get things started — not now, but RIGHT NOW. It cruises without interference, bolstered by helpful structured input from ambitious Saturn, exact at 4:36PM ET. Late afternoon and evening hours may be marked by a power play, catharsis or upset, as the Moon makes its weekly clash with Pluto (at 6:01PM ET) and Uranus (at 8:43PM ET).  And let’s not forget about the visionary/delusional potential of mental Mercury meeting up with dreamy Neptune at 1:01AM ET on Friday. How will that rose-color your next few days? You may need to take some of what you hear with a grain of salt.

On Friday, the Moon continues in Aries with less of an edge. It connects easily with Venus at the very end of Aquarius at 1:24PM ET, suggesting an awareness of unconventional social expression and values — more on that in a minute. Moon goes void until 2:44PM ET, at which point it enters Taurus, shifting the energy of the day to one that seeks material comfort and security, good food, sweet music and a snuggle with the nearest sweetie. Oh joy oh joy.

There’s no Moon void to derail your shopping adventures on Saturday. Creative connections to Mercury and Neptune may infuse your morning with senseless beauty, especially since Venus will have moved into Pisces at 5:24AM ET. This facilitates compassion and empathy in social expression. Meanwhile, your efforts to build and maintain comfort and security may benefit from a surprisingly easy resource, as the Moon makes a smooth connection to Jupiter (expansion) and Pluto (power and resources) at 6:41PM ET and 7:36PM ET).

On Sunday, the Taurus Moon will be void between 5:46AM ET and 5:03PM ET. Not a day for impulsive purchases. Chill and focus on routine concerns; avoid the temptation to make a mountain over a molehill of “much ado about nothing” crisis. This too, shall pass.  Once the Moon enters Gemini at 5:03PM ET, the mood may become quite chatty and buzzed. Be advised that the Moon will challenge Venus at 8:21PM ET and Mars at 9:42PM ET. Find a productive outlet for any charged/irritable/confrontational energy you may be feeling in relationship. The operative word is “productive”.

There’s no Moon void on Monday, so no sleeping in. The need for a buzz continues through Tuesday, along with other high-energy patterns to be discussed in the next forecast.

And now, the news.

Over the years I have noticed that when the Moon is void for over a few hours, a story will often run wild in social media that is of little consequence, but feels really big at the time. Remember that big debate over whether a certain dress was blue and black or gold and white? Moon was void. On February 24th, during a mostly all-day void,  news outlets were all over the possibility that Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada would be nominated for the Supreme Court. I was skeptical.  The next day, the story evaporated.

Yesterday, during a long Moon in Pisces void, the “big story” was outrage over President Obama “snubbing” Nancy Reagan by not attending her upcoming funeral. This was followed by outrage over the outrage — all over Facebook. There’s no story here. President Obama has another commitment — booked months in advance at SXSW.  First Lady Michelle Obama will attend Mrs. Reagan’s funeral. Let’s move on — and the take away here is “measure twice; cut once” when you see a story spinning out of control. Check to see if the Moon is void.

Moon voids also suggest a higher potential of upsets which favor the underdog. During Monday evening’s long Moon void, the jaws of pollsters and pundits on a number of payrolls hit the floor when Bernie Sanders defied their odds and won the Michigan primary 50%-48%. Are you surprised? Not if you’ve been reading this forecast. Am I suggesting that Bernie Sanders will win the nomination? Not yet. I am suggesting that his horoscope is strong and should not be discounted, particularly against a backdrop of planetary patterns — Uranus (rebel) in Aries (individual) challenging Pluto (power) in Capricorn (Establishment).

And now, a long pause while I process the fact that on a potentially nihilistic Moon-Pluto square, 500 words of carefully crafted analysis about Marco Rubio’s recent bout with the flu, Donald Trump’s prospects for much love  –– this just in –– in tonight’s debate, Bobby Jindal’s wipeout, Neptune transits in general, etc.  — have all been obliterated. Thank you, tech snafu. Also obliterated: the part about how Mercury in touch with all of the outer planets over the next several days bodes well for SXSW and other forums for empowering ideas and communication (including those happening in your own personal world).

Do you find these forecasts informative and entertaining? I hope so. If you’d like to express your appreciation by making a donation, you’d make my day. I learned an important lesson since the last time I brought this gold DONATE button to your attention. I’ll tell you, so you can benefit from it, too.

I noticed that Avid Readers would click on the gold button — such a lovely impulse — but most would not actually follow through. I found this bewildering. So a couple of weeks ago, I gathered my courage and I called an Avid Reader whom I know personally. I apologized profusely for putting her on the spot and asked for insight. We’ll call her Jane.

Jane was sooooooooo gracious and kind. She told me she absolutely appreciated my efforts, but was unsure of how much to give. She did not want to give “too little” or too much. She needed me to suggest some guidelines. She needed — and perhaps on an even grander scale, the Universe needed — me to declare a value for the insights I provide.

Huh. What a concept. Declare one’s value. Ask — and ye shall receive. Don’t ask — don’t receive. Something to think about.

So I shared with Jane some guidelines. And I was pleased she felt they were reasonable. These guidelines are now posted here, with gratitude for your kind consideration.

Hopefully my experience will help you declare your worth to the Universe, too — with tangible rewards to follow. Meanwhile, I owe Jane a big thank you — handwritten and sent via snail mail.

And now, more news:

Here’s an abbreviated bit about Bobby Jindal’s magical thinking – –posted here two years ago. Here’s his horoscope. Here’s the article that prompted me to dig it up. Apparently Louisiana is facing its worst budget crisis in the history of forever, and all of that magical thinking is getting a reality check. What’s going on in Mr. Jindal’s horoscope? An aforementioned wipeout from all angles, suggested by transiting Neptune dissolving his Ascendant (personal projection) and Midheaven (career status, reputation). Guess who’s being blamed for Louisiana’s dire straits?

Here’s a story reflecting Venus (women, social expression, aesthetics) at the very end of unconventional, gender-bending Aquarius, as promised. Writer/director Lilly Wachowski announced today that she, like her sister Lana, is transgender.   The Wachowskis are the creative force behind The Matrix, among other mind-blowing films.

You’d expect that such a dramatic life-changing event would be clearly reflected in the horoscope, so naturally I went and looked it up. Lilly Wachowski is an enterprising Capricorn, capable of stern discipline and responsibility, driven by a Sagittarius Moon that needs to push boundaries to infinity and beyond, as Buzz Lightyear might say. A need to be seen as someone of depth and substance is suggested by a Scorpio Ascendant — a.k.a., a mask of mastery and self-control. It is softened by a rose-colored meet-up between Venus and Neptune in Scorpio — and in the First House. Something about her personal projection could be alluring – and not as it seemed. “Lilly” seems like an apt name for a beautiful feminine ideal. A need to be herself without compromise –prominently so — is suggested by rebel, unconventional Uranus at the Aries Point.

Looking at developments in the horoscope, we see the suggestion of a need for a fresh start in 2010, impacting core family and foundation concerns. In the two years that follow, we see transiting Pluto and Uranus challenging her with an opportunity for a transformed and liberated ego identity and mindset, but not without hard, hard work. In 2012, we’d expect her to find her place in the sun (this is the year her sister Lana made her first public appearance as a transgendered person, earned a humanitarian award and made a deeply moving acceptance speech). Now that Lilly’s transformation is also public, it’s fascinating to see how a measurement from Pluto to her Ascendant  later this year suggests the potential for another empowered shift in identity perspective. More power to her for living the potential of her horoscope as only she can do.

Potential. This is what we see in the horoscope. How that potential is brought to life is up to the individual.  Millions of people have experienced challenging Uranus-Pluto transits which did not result in a gender transition. But I’d argue they  became emancipated and/or empowered in other ways.

To find out what’s going on in your horoscope, here’s how to contact me.  And here are those nifty new guidelines again for those inclined to support my efforts to keep you informed and entertained.

Closing now with an adorable penguin who swims 5000 miles every year to visit the Brazilian bricklayer who saved his  life. All of life should be so sweet.

Thank you for reading this forecast.