Good Morning!
Moon is in Virgo today, where it has been since 8:47PM ET on Saturday. Use its organizing and discerning energy to put things right in your world today. Your efforts can be supported by an easy flow of communication and action, as the Moon makes contact with Mars (action) and Mercury (mindset) at 7:3oAM ET and 11:02PM ET, respectively. Refine, revise, reform….with an eye towards perfection and service.
Construction, stabilization and productive use of time is supported by two other easy flows among Sun and Mercury in emotional security-conscious Cancer and Saturn in reality check Scorpio. Those aspects are exact tomorrow at 7:08AM ET (Sun-Saturn), and Wednesday at 1:51PM ET (Mercury-Saturn). Use these building blocks well!
The smooth flow of planetary patterns at the start of this week give way to more excitement towards the end. After a brief Moon void on Wednesday (6:06AM ET – 9:23AM ET), Moon enters Libra and attempts to find balance, social graces and fairness in relationship — at least in theory. Note the potential for an emotional catharses or power play around 1:36PM ET when the Moon is challenged by ruthless Pluto. Late Wednesday night, the Sun leaves Cancer for drama queen Leo. Mercury follows suit on Thursday (8:15AM ET) and then meets up with the Sun (3:24PM ET). This suggests a certain stubborn and fiery idealism in thought and communication.
Early Thursday the peace-seeking Libra Moon is further rattled by conflict and upsets from Mars and Uranus (12:04AM ET and 3:02AM ET) — exciting, if you’re working the night shift. Patterns are relatively supportive for the rest of the day on Thursday, though be advised that the Moon will be void between 2:12PM ET and 10:07PM ET. That’s a good time to focus on routine matters and roll with any twists that may crop up in your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Crises during voids tend to be much ado about nothing.
If you work in a mercurial business such as the media, where you have daily deadlines, you’re more likely to notice these “road to nowhere” crises. When I was working onsite in TV news, I can’t tell you how many times a “hair on fire” project would show up during a void, and somehow fizzle out after the void was over — but not before a number of tech snafus and other flaky events that could have raised my stress levels if I were less informed. So CHILL if this happens to you.
Friday’s fun includes a tense and stubborn First Quarter Moon at 12:04AM ET, as the Moon, now in control and depth-seeking Scorpio, is challenged by the regal Leo Sun. Whatever agenda you set on last week’s New Moon may now be adjusted. A dreamy flow between Neptune and the Moon at 4:41PM ET aids your need for a weekend escape.
Humming in the background on Friday are three significant patterns exact on Saturday and Sunday. First, the other shoe of last Wednesday’s face-off between Mars and Pluto drops at 5:42AM ET. That would be rebel Uranus (aviation, seismic activity, accidents, sudden outbursts, technical breakthroughs, astrology) in a hard aspect to Mars (action & assertion, for better or worse). Second, Uranus pulls focus again on Sunday at 6:38AM ET when it turns retrograde at 20 degrees of Aries. It will back up to 16 degrees before turning direct again on December 26th.
When a planet is retrograde, the energy it represents is best expressed by turning inward, instead of outward. When direct, Uranus tends to rebel against the status quo set by others. When retrograde, Uranus needs to set itself free from limits that are self-imposed. So if you have a planet between 16 and 20 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn…or if you were born around the 10th of April, July, October or January, you can expect an intense second hit of issues you’ve recently experienced (i.e., since April), involving freedom, independence, being yourself without compromise, sudden revelations and upsets of the status quo. Exhibit A: Bill Cosby, whose status has definitely been disrupted, as predicted in this forecast last year — with more to come all this year and into 2018 (because after Uranus is done with Mr. Cosby’s Cancer Sun and Aries Ascendant, Pluto will take over).
The Sabian Symbol for this year’s Uranus retrograde is this: “a pugilist entering the ring”. Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee suggests we apply this symbol to “the focused contest between social organization and individuality; the natural inclination to define one’s space; finding the range of one’s power, the impact of one’s punch”. What are we fighting for? Are we championing a noble cause or are we just in it for ego recognition, born of insecurity? Will we inspire the world with our battle cry or will we just throw a temper tantrum and never mind the damaging consequences of our actions? Aries can go either way — big baby or warrior-hero — what will it be?
Third, Venus — which refers to women, aesthetics, social expression and values/worth — also turns retrograde. That happens at 5:29AM ET at O degrees of Virgo. In Leo, Venus needs a dramatic, playful, heart-centered expression of affection and values. In Virgo, such expression is likely to be more analytical and refined in its quest for perfection. It can also be priggish and hypercritical. Venus has been in Virgo since 6:38PM ET on Saturday (last weekend), so perhaps you’ve already noticed the shift.
Tomorrow I’ll post some helpful guidelines for handling this year’s Venus retrograde. I’ll also recap the news — always amazing to see the synchronicity between planetary patterns and the headlines. Isn’t it fun to have a sense of what’s going to happen before it makes news? I’m only planning to post two forecasts this week — and I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow.
Meanwhile, why not find out more about what these planetary patterns mean to you? Consider that an invitation to schedule a personal consultation. Find out why you are the way you are, what you need in order to feel fulfilled, and what opportunities you can create for yourself now and in the near future. Astrology is amazing.
Thank you for reading this forecast.