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Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 10/9/2015 & the Weekend: Mercury Direct; Meltdown in Congress

Note your dreams upon waking, as the Moon in Virgo — doing its best to put everything in order after a nearly 24-hour bender in rip-roarin’ Leo — is opposed by nebulous Neptune, nevertheless. Further confusing efforts to sort truth from fiction is mental Mercury at a standstill…but turning direct at 10:58AM ET. Do make a conscious effort to slooooooooooooooooooow down and FOCUS before flying off the handle around that time, as the persnickety Moon meets up with assertive Mars at 10:05AM ET. Somebody somewhere is likely to snap around then — and we’ll likely see it in the headlines.

A notable display of confidence and resources is likely to become apparent around 5:24 PM ET, as the Moon meets up with expansive Jupiter and trines potent Pluto at 6:12PM ET — hmmm, markets are up this morning. Then it goes void of course with a long sigh, suggesting we head for the nearest Happy Hour. What happens between Friday evening and Sunday AM is anyone’s guess, as the void will continue until 4:46AM ET. It’s a dead Moon, too, i.e., little light, which is perfect for planning actions in secret. And here I am imagining any number of back-room meetings around Capitol Hill, as the plot thickens….

For us ordinary mortals, chill Friday night and Saturday. Like I said earlier this week, an organizational project around the house would be a fine use of the Virgo need to sort it all out. Avoid the malls during the void; what you buy is not likely to be something you really need. Avoid turning a molehill into a mountain of crisis, especially in matters relating to business, women, arts and finances. I say this because taskmaster Saturn will square Venus at 8:31PM ET on Saturday. Not the most suggestive pattern for a casual fling, and even the most familiar of partnerships may feel chilly…or at least require at attitude of gravitas. You’ll feel the weight of Saturn-Venus more personally if you have a planet or angle around the first few degrees of Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo or Pisces.  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), that includes you.

On Sunday, power and resources with stunningly disruptive consequences are suggested, as Jupiter makes an easy connection to Pluto and the Libra Sun is opposed by rebel Uranus. Again I find myself thinking of deals made in back rooms with closed doors. Sure, the Moon will be in relationship-oriented Libra, seeking to win that high school popularity contest and be seen as fair and diplomatic….but still.

On Monday, we’ll continue in the dark of the Moon — with no Moon void for those who must head to the office. A dead Moon is often accompanied by a sense of restlessness or listlessness, as we intuitively sense the arrival of something new — if only it would hurry up and get here. Regardless, we can expect a power play or emotional catharsis around 7:19AM ET, as the Moon is squared by Pluto…followed by a disruption to the status quo around 6:20PM ET, as the Moon is opposed by Uranus. That disruption in matters of relationship, backed by the powerful thrust of Jupiter trine Pluto sets the tone for the New Moon that will kick in at 8:06PM ET. Make your list of intentions a good one.

And now, the news.

Are we having fun following the drama in the U.S. Congress this week? I confess I am having fun writing about it, as it is so in synch with what was expected, given planetary patterns. Astrology is amazing!

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, headlines are ablaze with the stunning news that the man who was supposedly a shoo-in to become the next Speaker of the House suddenly withdrew his name for consideration. Let the record show that we did expect the unexpected  — and no consequences (!) — from a Congressional meeting that was scheduled to take place during 1) Mercury stationary direct; 2) a Moon void of course — suggesting upsets (!); 3) the backdrop of the Sun’s challenging contacts with Uranus and Pluto, not to mention a bewildering and scandalous Mars-Neptune opposition.

The meeting in question was disrupted by the man’s sudden announcement. So much for the meeting — it was cancelled. If you were a member of Congress and you knew something about astrology, you would not have been all that surprised.

The man in question is  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose disruptive Uranus transits were discussed here just over a week ago. What really prompted this surprise upset? Did McCarthy’s Benghazi “gaffe” do him in? Was it because Stephen Colbert followed Rachel Maddow’s lead and called attention to Mr. McCarthy’s bizarre usage of the English language — and CBS has many more viewers than Mr. Colbert’s former network, Comedy Central?  Was it because Dick Cheney endorsed Mr. McCarthy’s Speaker bid — was that the kiss of death? Or was it the rumors that have apparently been circulating for months — about a possible extramarital affair? Could that be more of a kiss of death than the parallel Mr. McCarthy’s way with words has with Mr. Cheney’s former boss?

With Mercury retrograde, we reserve final judgement on the rumored affair, even though it does reflect the potential for excited and risky social expression/attractions we’d expect with a Uranus transit to Venus, which is one of the Uranus transits Mr. McCarthy is experiencing.

But what in Heaven’s name is going on with the Republican Party? Surely we must see this bewildering meltdown in its horoscope. If we accept July 6, 1854 at 1:01PM in Jackson, MI as its “birth data”, we do see considerable stress on key angles and planets in the chart now and into next year. I wish I had time to write it up now, but it will have to wait.

Update: Also on the Hill, there was yet another hearing about Planned Parenthood, in which it was admitted that in last week’s Moon void hearing on the same subject, nothing of consequence was found. Said Jason Chaffetz — whom you may remember from earlier this week:

“Did I look at the finances and have a hearing specifically as to the revenue portion and how they spend? Yes. Was there any wrongdoing? I didn’t find any,”

He has vowed to continue the quest for more information, which is what was expected from the 114th Congress when I wrote about it a year ago.

Let’s see…any other disruptions to report? Yes. Scientists say they have digitally recreated part of a rat’s brain. The mayor of Rome just resigned in a scandal...see? It’s not just us. Elsewhere, Governor John Kasich (R-OH), who has seemed to be such a decent, level-headed man in the last two Republican debates, disrupted that perception with patronizing remarks to college women at UVA. Sigh.

One of my classmates from my days at Wellesley who reads my forecast emailed to ask what planetary patterns suggested about Vladimir Putin “sending in ground troops despite denials, and today bombing Syria with missiles from 1000 miles away from the Caspian Sea”. I wrote briefly about Mr.Putin’s horoscope a few days ago, noting that it suggested efforts at considerable empowerment now through the end of the year. However, in a thirty-second glance at basic horoscope data (we do not have a confirmed birth time), transits to hit natal Saturn from Pluto suggest extreme efforts at the risk of considerable loss. Today a headline reads, “Russia Will Pay Price for Syrian Airstrikes, Say US Defense Secretary”. I can see how that could happen.

Finally, because it’s time for me to post — and for you to stop reading about astrology in world events and start considering how this awareness can benefit you personally — here are two cool, timely stories. Venus is changing signs and back where it was when it stationed retrograde — and now it’s making headlines as a possible NASA “next visit”. And check out these supercool pictures of Pluto that hit the wires on Tuesday’s Sun-Pluto square.

Thank you for reading this forecast. Thank you especially to those of you who share it with friends. Will be back later this weekend with a forecast for Monday’s New Moon….will try to write about whatever other candidates for Speaker of the House emerge, too.

Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 10/7/2015: The Conception of Planned Parenthood & More Politics as Usual

Moon in Leo continues to drive the day with a focused need for creative self-expression and ways to shine. The power plays and sublime spin of yesterday’s exact patterns are in the rear view mirror. Now we will be building to another crest of activity over the weekend. This will involves a disruptive need for independence, as the Sun is opposed by Uranus on Sunday, accompanied by the impressive resourcefulness of an easy alignment between expansive Jupiter and Pluto (also on Sunday). These will be prefaced by a stern business and/or financial advance, as Venus (women, money, aesthetics) and Saturn (controls) square off on Saturday. We last experienced a Saturn-Venus square the week of August 5th; here are some headlines; plenty more can be found by searching the archives.

There’s an easy balance to this morning’s planetary patterns, as the Sun and Moon are in exact harmony at 7:40AM ET. The only other exact pattern is another easy flow between the dramatic Leo Moon and innovative Uranus at 5:10PM ET. Get it off your desk by then, as the Moon will then go void…not to enter Virgo until 3:5oPM ET Thursday. Regular readers understand that Moon voids are best for routine matters, as efforts to move forward in a straight line are more likely to be hampered by twists, flakes, delays and other “crises” which usually prove to be much ado about nothing. Chill and go with the flow, if this happens to you.

And now, the news.

Keywords for Mars-Neptune aspects, such as the Mars-Neptune opposition we had yesterday, include drugs, healing, redemption, chemicals, showbiz…to name a few. The Sun-Pluto square suggests empowerment; news from underground. How interesting to see that 6000 inmates in the U.S. are about to be released from prison at the end of this month (trick or treat?), an “effort to ease prison overcrowding and rollback the harsh sentences” handed out to nonviolent offenders in the 1980s and 90s. In other news, the prestigious Harvard debate team recently lost a contest against…a team of prison inmates from New York. What a power play.

Meanwhile…

(I drafted this next bit yesterday — couldn’t finish it in time to ship. It’s a bit of a rant, and I confess I wrote it 1) after watching what I judged to be just plain awful behavior on the part of the newsmaker in question — click the link to a video in the first paragraph; and 2) under external ambient duress, as you will see. I am sure the newsmaker is a very nice person. Or at least would like people to appreciate him for being so. And he’s on the homepage of the NYT this morning, so we should look at his birth data and understand why. Here goes:)

So much else to cover. Once again, it’s a matter of time.  You know who else does not have time? Jason Chaffetz. Who? The Congressman from Utah who chaired last Tuesday’s void–of-course Moon in me-me-me Aries “hearing” in which Cecile Richards, who heads Planned Parenthood, attempted to say a few words. It was nearly impossible for her to do this, because Mr. Chaffetz was too busy telling her how little time he had. Certainly he did not have time to learn the difference between a mammogram and a breast exam, and why you can’t get a mammogram at Planned Parenthood.

You can just imagine him falling down stairs because it’s faster than walking, bulldozing ahead without regard to much of anything except his own me-me-me ambitious agenda. Thus it would not surprise you to find out that Mr. Chaffetz was born with a me-me-me Aries Sun conjunct a potentially autocratic Saturn in Aries; bulldozing capacity courtesy of a stubbornly persistent Mars in Taurus, much like the jackhammers the City of New York thinks I need to hear for hours on end on this otherwise bright, sunny Moon-in-Leo day.

Mr. Chaffetz’s horoscope is driven by a people-pleasing Moon in Libra, and he sure seemed sweet and charming in the early days of his congressional career when he was interviewed by Stephen Colbert.    But that was before Uranus and Pluto supercharged Mr. Chaffetz’s 5 Aries Sun in 2010-2012, suggesting transformation, emancipation and empowerment, for better or worse…and it’s quite possible, given that we do not have an exact birth time, that his Libra Moon is feeling bold enough to enter its biggest popularity contest yet, under the influence of Uranus and/or Pluto.

Mr. Chaffetz’s Sun was eclipsed on the Big Bad Full Moon on September 27th. Interesting to see him attracting attention almost immediately. Last week, that inglorious Planned Parenthood hearing. This week, he’s declared his candidacy for Speaker of the House. He certainly would have a vision, with transiting Neptune now sitting right on top of his Mercury, and his Libra Moon would be so happy if all the kids in his party elected him Speaker. Is he for real?

The NYT headline profiling Mr. Chaffetz  is this: “For Jason Chaffetz, Quixotic House Speaker Bid is in Character”.  Quixotic! Mix Aries with Mercury-Neptune and you’ve got an Impossible Dream for sure. Cue the Broadway classic now, please. Without the Mercury-Neptune, you just have “impossible”. To Aries, it’s the same either way. Tell ’em they can’t do something and you just watch…

…and here’s an example. In 2003, Mr. Chaffetz’s application to join the Secret Service was rejected “because better qualified candidates existed” out there (here’s more dirt on that). Now he chairs the Committee that oversees the Secret Service. So there.

But what about Kevin McCarthy, the presumed successor to the Speaker’s chair? Well, there was that disruptive remark last week implying that damaging Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers was the true objective of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. You may recall from a post last week that Mr. McCarthy has transiting Uranus exactly square Mercury and Venus right now, suggesting a buzz, flash of recognition or other excitement in mindset and social expression that would likely attract attention. And boy, has he.

If you’ve never actually heard this would-be Speaker speak, you may be entertained, gob-smacked or utterly bewildered by this clip, completely apt for Mercury retrograde and other currently surreal patterns. Yesterday the Kardashians are proclaimed “America’s First Family”; tomorrow we may see Kevin McCarthy become third-in-line to the Oval Office. Oh, America…you are having some weird, wild Neptune thing happening in your horoscope…

Finally, the New York Times has a cool new feature in which it notes the first time a subject appeared in the headlines. Yesterday it featured Planned Parenthood:

It started out as an idea, then developed into an organizing committee, and within four years it was Planned Parenthood. The organization, the subject of much recent congressional jousting, had its roots in the American Birth Control League, which started a fund-raising drive in 1938 to promote the concept of “planned parenthood,” as The Times reported on Jan. 28, 1938.

So what did planetary patterns suggest on January 28, 1938? Exactly what you would expect! Sun, Venus (women) and Jupiter (expansion, birth) all together in the humanitarian sign of Aquarius, squaring Uranus in Taurus. Freedom! Independence! Technology! A windfall opportunity! We see a Moon in practical, earthy Capricorn trine to Uranus as well. The Capricorn Moon would be ever so down with family planning as a practical strategy. The trine to Uranus suggests emotional detachment and egalitarianism, with the help of technology (echoes the innovative tech spin of those three planets in Aquarius).

There is a militant, disciplined action plan, suggested by Mars conjoined with Saturn at the Aries Point; boy is this idea likely to attract attention. Mars is in Pisces; Saturn is in Aries. Both planets refer to what is yang and/or patriarchal and they are not placed in signs where they operate most effectively/happily — if you are a fan of traditional astrology thinking. Hmmm. We can mull that over for a spell…

We see Mercury in practical Capricorn — in an easy alignment with Neptune in Virgo. A practical vision in a health care concern. Mercury is in an obsessive relationship with Pluto, suggesting how this initial idea could become a power struggle over Plutonian matters of life and death…and of course, Pluto would be in Cancer…in an easy alignment with Mars.

This first mention of the idea that would evolve into Planned Parenthood manifested in the aftermath of a series of Uranus-Pluto squares that occurred in 1934-35. Birth control was legalized for all Americans in 1972; Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, six and seven years after the Uranus-Pluto conjunctions of 1965-66. What revolutionary advance will we see in this area in four to seven years, in the aftermath of this past series of Uranus-Pluto squares? Can you see the patterns here?

Delighted to report that I have thank you notes to write to the four readers who generously expressed appreciation for my efforts to put what’s happening in your own personal world — and the world at large — in perspective. Yes, there is a donation link at the bottom of this email — and on the DAILY FORECAST page. If you’d like to discuss your own horoscope, here’s the 411 on scheduling a consultation. We will have an enlightening discussion together — guaranteed.

Thank you for reading this forecast.