TGIF!

Summer’s last hurrah — a long holiday weekend for those in the U.S. — kicks off with the Moon in chatty, versatile Gemini at 7:48AM ET. What’s there to talk about? Whatever wet blanket or authoritative advance happened while you were sleeping, suggested by a face-off between the Moon and Saturn at 6:20AM ET. As the day progresses, boundaries may be pushed as the Moon squares expansive Jupiter at 5:04PM ET…and perhaps dissolve altogether as the Moon next squares wiggy Neptune at 10:23PM ET. Some enchanted evening?

Saturday morning starts with the Third Quarter Moon at 5:54PM ET, offering another potential revelation on the agenda you set for yourself on last month’s New Moon. The rest of the day looks good for being a social butterfly, as the Gemini Moon makes contact with Venus and Mars, before going void with a sigh on a hit to rebel Uranus at 7:04PM ET. Take a loonnnnng chill, as the Moon won’t enter the next sign — Cancer — until 1:40PM ET on Sunday.

Not that there won’t be plenty going on in the cosmos. At 7:08PM ET  on Saturday the Sun aligns with Pluto. This is a potent and resourceful mix, quite different from the intangible vibe of the Sun-Neptune face-off that started the week. Meanwhile, at 4:29AM ET on Sunday, Venus finally turns direct — huzzah, huzzah! It will take until October 9th for it to reach 0 Virgo, the degree at which it turned retrograde on July 25th. How many summer flings will fizzle out between now and then?

Important Safety Tip: while Venus may soon be moving direct, mental Mercury will be turning retrograde on September 17th. Take this time now to BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS and other gizmos…and NO WHINGEING about Mercury retrograde! There are plenty of productive things that can be accomplished during this necessary period of REview, and you can read about them here.

And now, the news.

Everywhere I look, I see fallout from last weekend’s bewildering Full Moon and Sun-Neptune face-off (fish, refugees, oceans, spirit, deception, etc.).

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension was overturned by a federal judge. This made me smile — not because I am fan of Tom Brady, but because my sense was that the Deflategate scandal was not likely to have serious consequences. Elsewhere, however, there have been serious consequences for the president of Guatemala, who resigned today in a swirl of scandal involving an alleged customs fraud. He was promptly jailed.

Around the world, the plight of refugees made disturbing headlines — in Turkey, Canada, Germany, Australia and Hungary.

Meanwhile, Kim Davis, the rebellious Kentucky county clerk who refused to follow an order from the Supreme Court to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, has been found in contempt and sent to jail. Since my last forecast, Wikipedia has published Ms. Davis’s birth date, and I appreciate the Avid Reader who let me know. Ms. Davis was born September 17, 1965. Service-oriented Virgo Sun square expansive Jupiter. Moon in Gemini, suggesting a need to be the smartest kid in the room. Even without an exact birth time, we can see how her mindset would be unconventional and intense, with her Mercury conjunct Uranus and Pluto — all in Virgo. And all three planets are opposed by a retrograde Saturn in Pisces, suggesting any number of necessary controls, a challenging relationship with the father and no small amount of soul-searching.

To understand her potential spiritual  zeal, charisma and/or proclivity for deception or scandal, look no further than a meet-up between Mars and Neptune in Scorpio. Yea verily, my head spins when reading about her complicated marital history. Her Venus is also in Scorpio, in a loose Grand Trine with Jupiter and Saturn. A Grand Trine is traditionally seen as a lucky pattern in a horoscope, but I learned from Noel Tyl that it  also suggests one who may see herself  as a “law unto oneself”. Ya think? There’s more….but you get the idea.

OK, I promised you fish. As in “An Ancient Fish is Running Out of Time,” as seen in today’s NYT op-ed pages. And this fish tale involving President Obama today in Alaska. Still at the top of his game, btw, as he now has enough support in Congress to move forward on the accord negotiated with Iran.

Thank you for reading this forecast and sharing it with the rest of the Free World. And thanks especially to Avid Reader Jerry, who was kind enough to make a $10 donation in support of my efforts to keep you entertained and informed on planetary patterns. Jerry, you made my day. This forecast was written especially for you.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!