As it turned out, I could not bring myself to pack my trusty laptop in my overnight bag for a sidetrip to Hakone; hence, no forecast. And if you ever make it as far as Tokyo, I hope you will take time to escape to this glorious mountain playground, carrying as little baggage as possible. Arriving at my riverside ryokan after a day’s trek via four different kinds of transportation (including a cable car over a sulfurous volcano), I felt like a character in one of the Dungeons & Dragons type role-playing computer games I indulged in during my “geek phase”.  This was back in the day when the plot of the computer game was way more developed than the graphics, and thus far more engaging than the gory (and ultimately tedious) 3-d displays of monster-slaughtering mayhem one apparently must suffer through in computer games now.

Back to the ryokan: it was built in the 17th century, and my spacious tatami-floored suite (!) included a private, open-air hot spring bath overlooking the aforementioned river….were you expecting an astrology forecast?   Oh, all right…

If this post is more focused on fantasy and sensual delights, I am guilty of being swayed by current planetary patterns. Moon moved into comfort-seeking Taurus at 6:33PM ET Saturday, and at 12:37AM ET on Sunday it made a delightfully escapist connection with rose-colored Neptune (I hope your “date night” was inspiring). Late morning hours (around 11AM ET) hold the potential for further emotional depth, with this caveat: a responsibility or serious subject rearing its head just before noon.

Sunday (ET) marks the last day of summer — the Sun is at the end of Virgo and will move into Libra at 4:44 PM ET Sunday and then…happy Autumnal Equinox…a perfect balance between day and night.

The first day of each season is especially powerful. We are immediately alerted to the likelihood of change and the beginning of a new cycle. These days are prominent, noticed and in some cultures even celebrated (it’s a national holiday here in Japan).  The astrological signs that mark the seasons are Aries (spring), Cancer (summer), Libra (fall) and Capricorn (winter). Thus if you are born on or near the first day of those signs, or you have a planet or angle within the first two degrees of those signs, you will likely have a drive to be noticed in whatever areas of your life that planet signifies.

Libra is a airy, mental sign, generally concerned with relationships, social graces and with promoting fairness, justice and balance. This does not mean Librans are balanced; it means they generally are seeking balance and are quite capable of swinging back and forth wildly as they search for it. As sweet as Libra can be, they are not marshmallows. The term “iron fist in a velvet glove” often applies.

I will be in Los Angeles October 3rd – 12th and available for in-person consultations. Please contact me to schedule an appointment.

More about Sunday: more pleasurable indulgences — or overindulgences — can be facilitated by an opposition between the earthy Taurus Moon and loving Venus in depth-seeking Scorpio this evening at 7:41PM ET. If you’re a night owl, however, be advised that a potential clash of wills may ensue some time after midnight, as the Moon is challenged by ardent Mars in regal Leo.

At 3:13AM ET, Moon goes void of course for 24 hours — until 3:34AM ET on Tuesday, suggesting that Monday will be a bust. Stick to what is routine, chill out and roll with whatever twist crop up in your efforts to move forward in a straight line.

Planetary patterns are relatively quiet on Tuesday and Wednesday, with two exceptions. First, a stubborn challenge between loving Venus and action-hero Mars that can ignite sparks between the sexes. This square is exact on Saturday morning at 9:32AM ET, but aspects are often felt before they make exact contact. The other potentially volatile pattern is the Libra Sun’s approaching engagement with the never-ending disruptive Uranus-Pluto square, exact between October 1st and 3rd, but surely reflected in world events between now and then. Y’know, like a possible government shutdown in the U.S.,  engineered by our noble elected representatives…now that could be disruptive.

And speaking of disruptive, ruthless Pluto turned direct last Friday at 11:27AM ET, suggesting a potent and potentially destructive release of underground energies, as reflected in headlines over the weekend. Consult the home page of the New York Times for details. Finally, because reading stories about food stamp programs being slashed and other violent massacres around the world is sometimes more than the average mind can handle, I offer  this note from the world of physics that “challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental concepts of reality….” Will it change your perspective of current events?