With the Moon now firmly planted in Taurus, go about your day with a mind to establishing material comfort and security. Comfort food and drink, music and a snuggle with your sweetie are some of the pleasures of the senses in which you may indulge. Tap in to the upside of tomorrow’s meet-up between action hero Mars and control freak Saturn: exercise discipline and dogged determination in your pie-in-the-sky, righteous pursuits. And let’s hope for the sake of all of us that you’re on the side of the angels.
Moon goes void tomorrow (WEDNESDAY) at 3:38PM ET. It enters Gemini at 7:40PM ET, shifting gears with its need to be the smartest kid in the room. Buzz, buzz, buzz…what will be the buzz on the Third Quarter Moon between the Virgo Sun and Gemini Moon at 11:41PM ET?
And now, the news.
This just in from Avid Reader Wendy, who is also a consistent and cherished Supporter of this forecast:
Your blog has me wondering about what planetary patterns have brought about an increase in news around Music and scientific studies related to it. Encountered these two stories this week. First a new book out about effects of music on healing:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-08-17/new-use-of-music-in-medical-treatments
The author of the book “Waking the Spirit” discusses his experience playing live music to help patients recovering from surgery. Including this interesting quote about Bach’s music:
From neuromusicologist Dr. Arthur Harvey: “Of all the music we tested in medical school with patients, colleagues and others, Bach’s music consistently made the brain work in a balanced way better than any other genre.”
Also, a study of brain scans, taken of musician Sting while listening to music, to research how the brain of an expert associates music:
Just thought this would be of interest because the of the links to the Hathor healing music you have included in your blog. Thank you for sharing them. I have listened to that music to help me fall asleep at night.
Thank you, Wendy! I’d argue that these stories reflect the potential for a practical application (Saturn) of the intangible (Neptune in Pisces), suggested by the current 90 degree arc (square) between them. It’s fascinating to note that Sting’s Saturn and Neptune are strongly placed in his horoscope. Saturn conjoins his Libra Sun; Neptune conjoins his Libra Moon and the whole lot of them are in a dynamic pattern (T-square) with genius Uranus and expansive Jupiter. The man has the potential for discipline and vision to rock the world, big time! His Mercury (the way he needs to think) is at 28 Virgo — about to be hit by transiting Jupiter. How interesting that the way he needs to think has just been published, which transiting Jupiter would suggest!
UPDATE: on Melania Trump. On August 8th, I noted, “transiting Mars will oppose Mrs. Trump’s natal Mars on August 15th. This suggests provocative action.” And when I wrote “provocative action,” I meant either on her part or on the part of someone else, in the form of an attack, action or outburst. That is what Mars symbolizes. I’m pleased to report that astrology continues to be amazing, as last week a British tabloid published an extremely provocative article. During yesterday’s Moon void “much ado about nothing,” a lawyer representing Mrs. Trump put that media outlet and others on notice, as the NYT reports:
In an email, the lawyer, Charles J. Harder, said Ms. Trump, the wife of Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, “has placed several news organizations on notice of her legal claims against them, including Daily Mail among others, for making false and defamatory statements about her supposedly having been an ‘escort’ in the 1990s.”
“All such statements are 100 percent false, highly damaging to her reputation, and personally hurtful,” Mr. Harder added. “She understands that news media have certain leeway in a presidential campaign, but outright lying about her in this way exceeds all bounds of appropriate news reporting and human decency.”
UPDATE: on Rudy Giuliani, whose horoscope was last covered here on July 11th:
His bewildering 2015 Neptune-Sun transit is behind him, and now he has Solar Arc Midheaven and Ascendant in nearly exact contact with his natal rebel Uranus all year. This suggests opportunities and needs for taking the stage, shining in the spotlight and perhaps a dramatic new direction in his career/public status. Let’s watch.
On July 14th it was announced that Mr. Giuliani would be one of the speakers at the Republican Convention, where his speech set the house on fire. Since then, he’s been the warm-up act for the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, gleefully disrupting the status quo as one might expect with a double-whammy of electrifying Uranus active in a horoscope. I wish I’d bookmarked the Twitter responses from Distinguished Paid Pundits who marveled at the high energy and hand waving of Mr. Giuliani’s RNC speech, wondering why they hadn’t seen it when Mr. Giuliani last ran for office some years ago. Astrology, you Paid Pundits. Astrology!
There’s always room for improvement. Especially with so many planets in perfection-seeking Virgo. Thus, last week the NYT decided it was time to update its list of “15 Ways to Be a Better Person.”
Meanwhile, I see a reflection of this week’s Mars-Saturn-Neptune drama in Sagittarius (nature) and Pisces (refugees) in this headline: “As Homeless Find Refuge in Forest, ‘Anger is Palpable’ in Nearby Towns.” On the drug front (Neptune), there’s outrage at a pharmaceutical company — Mylan — which has steadily been raising the price of its life-saving Epipen from $100 (in 2007) to over $600 as of this May. These pens have a shelf life of one year and most allergy sufferers, including children, must carry two of them. Surely I can’t be the only one thinking, “What the hell is wrong with you, Mylan?!”
Elsewhere, Stanford University (Sagittarius refers to higher education) has taken a hard-line approach (Mars-Saturn) to sexual assaults on campus and banned hard liquor (Neptune) at campus parties. Overly idealistic (Neptune)? Or a pragmatic start (Saturn)? This edict arrives just in time for a newly-sober woman to pen this hardcore piece on “The Infuriating Truth About Why Women Drink.” And for this video arguing that the root cause of addiction is lack of connection. That’s a Saturn (separation) vs. Neptune (communion) challenge if ever there was one.
On an uplifting note, militant discipline (Mars-Saturn) has effected healing (Neptune) in a small town in England. In 10 years the village of Ashton Hayes has cut its carbon emissions by 24%. See how they did it. And file this one under the surreal spin Neptune can add to the militant discipline of Mars and Saturn: “Sir Nils Olav the Penguin Receives Military Promotion at Edinburgh Zoo.” If only every army in the world was commandeered by a penguin….
Last but not least, here is Beth Owlsdaughter’s wise and wonderful Tarot Card of the Week. Many Avid Readers have become Avid Fans of Beth’s work. Thus I am sad to report that she was dealt a challenging hand last week. In the wake of an utterly humorless Saturn-Venus square, she was diagnosed with breast cancer — details are posted here.
Beth is a fighter. True to this week’s fiercely disciplined Mars-Saturn alignment, she is determined to keep posting her weekly card pulls as she tackles this battle. Courage, blessings and much love to you, Beth. Courage and blessings and love to everyone fighting whatever challenges are on their respective plates. We are all fighting a unique battle on our personal hero’s quest. Trite, perhaps — but it’s true.
Onward!
Thank you for reading this forecast.
