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Monday 10/21/2019: Sneak Peek at the Week; Politics, As Usual

Writing this forecast one minute before the Cancer Moon — which has been void since 8:39 AM ET — leaves Cancer and gets focused in party-hearty Leo at 12:26 PM ET. Now is the time to shine — and help others shine, too. It’s also the time for drama queens and kings to take the stage, hoping the madding crowd will fulfill the Leo Moon’s need for love and honor. In effect for the past few days — and exact at 3:41 PM ET — is a trine (harmony) between Venus (a bit witchy in Scorpio) and Neptune (happily wallowing in Pisces). A Venus-Neptune alignment suggests a need for idealism; the water signs involved suggest depth of feeling; the Scorpio Venus may take you to places you’ve never been before. At 10:29 PM ET the Leo Moon meets up with rebel Uranus, suggesting a shock or other upset to the status quo. The rest of the week goes like this:

  • TUESDAY Moon in Leo drives the day with little interference from other planets, save for a clash of values/aesthetics possibly involving women, as the Moon squares Venus at 6:54 PM ET. Not the time to call Mom.
  • WEDNESDAY — the Leo Moon goes void at 5:14 AM ET, on a square to Mercury. A challenge to a regal ego as Mercury in Scorpio digs up dirt? The Moon void lasts until 3:30PM ET. Roll with the twists and flakes; stick to routine concerns; avoid impulse shopping and finalizing decisions. The crisis that crops up during a Moon void is usually much ado about nothing. It will all get sorted out when the Moon enters Virgo, aided by accommodating authorities and helpful friends. Meanwhile, during the void the Sun ditches Libra and enters Scorpio at 1:20 PM ET — there’s no need to run screaming down the hall. While Scorpio may spark fear in those who follow stupid astrology, we do not do stupid astrology in this forecast. For example, I will never tell you which zodiac sign is mostly likely to get a dog this fall, even if you are a reporter writing a story about it (this actually happened last week). That would be stupid. But back to the Sun in Scorpio.  It demands substance; none of that airy-theory-rational stuff that Libra does so well. Scorpio is a deeply emotional sign, noted for its need for privacy, power and control.  Scorpios “build all the way up to Heaven…and all the way down to Hell,” wrote astrologer Linda Goodman. Hopefully you can hang with one who builds a stairway to Heaven. A Scorpio heading for Hell will happily annihilate everyone and everything in its way. Really, they are so very interesting.  Scorpios also have a strict code of honor and are known to be loyal to a fault. Scorpio is a Fixed Sign — which does not mean they are neutered. It means they are here to create form — and they are quite stubborn in their way of being. Theodore Roosevelt is a Scorpio who famously said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” He probably had one of those famous “Scorpio stares” that wordlessly inform you (a scorpion has no need for words when it has such a compelling sting) that he sees right through your song and dance. Joaquin Phoenix — currently starring in “Joker” — is also a Scorpio, and transiting Uranus opposing his Sun is being reflected in his life big time, wouldn’t you agree? What a crazy-genius, powerful and deep performance, eh? I’d be stunned if he wasn’t at least nominated for numerous awards, as Uranus will be activating his Sun into early 2020.
  • THURSDAY — get thee to work with efficiency and discernment, driven by the Virgo Moon’s need to get it right. Moon opposes Neptune at 6:07 PM ET; put on your rose-colored glasses and escape.
  • FRIDAY — East Coasters note that the Virgo Moon goes void at 9 AM ET and won’t enter Libra until 4:20 PM ET. West Coasters, the Moon void is likely to reflect twists and flakes in your morning routine — and perhaps you’ll need a push to get going. Venus sextiles Pluto at 5:49 AM ET, suggesting an easy flow of communication involving emotional depth and catharsis, in effect all week.
  • SATURDAY — Moon in Libra drives the day with a need for balance and harmony in relationship — and a willingness to talk about it. Heads up around 4 PM ET, when the Moon’s need for equilibrium is supercharged by a meet-up with Mars (at 3:48 PM ET) and then gets doused by a cut or wet blanket when it is squared by Saturn (4:32 PM ET). It may be a sneak peek of the square between Mars and Saturn, exact on…
  • SUNDAY — at 10:30 AM ET. Mars-Saturn patterns are known for militant discipline, only too happy to fight for control. If you’re an authoritarian dictator, this is your time. And if you want to have secret meetings to advance your plans for world domination, the dead Moon’s (it’s the end of the lunar cycle) lack of light will facilitate your wish to fly under the radar. The New Moon in Scorpio kicks in at 11:38 PM ET — details in the next forecast. For now, let’s just note that while last month’s New Moon squared Pluto (power plays and corruption revealed), this New Moon opposes Uranus (shocks, seismic activity, technological breakthroughs, astrology, rebellion). Watch the headlines as this buzz builds all week.

Want to know what all this means in your own personal world? Here’s the 411 on consultations. If it’s been a year since your last chat with your astrologer, you’re overdue for a check-up. Consider this your personal invitation.

And now, the news.

UPDATE: on Israel’s horoscope, which you can read more about in my column in  the next issue of Mountain Astrologer. Avid Readers know from past posts that Israel is totally ripe for upsets this year, especially with respect to its elections. Despite not getting as many votes as challenger Benny Gantz and operating under charges of corruption, PM Benjamin Netanyahu was still tapped by Israel’s president to form a government…which Netanyahu has failed to..for a second time. So now Benny Gantz gets to have a go…and I’m doing a Snoopy Dance over the astonishing accuracy of astrology.

UPDATE: on Boris Johnson, who is experiencing the potential blow-up of action hero Mars crossing his people-pleasing Libra Ascendant (today) and squaring his Midheaven (career/status point) on the 23rd. Try as he might to wheel and deal his wretched Brexit through Parliament, he failed to do so over the weekend and again today. More time is being asked for, as opposed to  Johnson’s wish to cut ties from the EU on October 31st, the day Mercury goes retrograde. The smart move says buy more time or call the whole thing off altogether.

UPDATE: on the usual elephant in the room, whose horoscope continues to function as designed. Avid Readers will recall that P45 is primed for boundary-pushing action last week and this week, as transiting Jupiter activates his blah-blah-blah Gemini Moon and desperately-seeking-respect Sagittarius Moon. When not betraying allies, bowing to authoritarian leaders and serving as Commander-in-Chief of retreating troops that are pelted with rotten potatoes (further diminshing the status of the United States as suggested by the transit of Saturn squaring the U.S. Saturn, which is exact TODAY), P45 declared last week that yes, in fact, the next G7 summit would be held at one of his own resorts despite an Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution that says that is a no-no. He still has a job, but when members of his own party pushed back, he dropped the idea.

Also boundary-pushing: a face-off between Nancy Pelosi and P45 at the White House last week, resulting the release of a  photograph that not only went viral, but is being analyzed to death by some unconventional pundits. Here is a body-language expert — and here are a few art critics. And now, for the astrology, which no mainstream publication has asked for, because they are too busy “having fun” over which zodiac sign is most likely to get a dog this fall…or was it a hamster — now I can’t remember.

Anyhoo…

This face-off involved  P45 having a meltdown tantrum  (another way of saying he lost his head) and Nancy Pelosi standing up and pointing out his disturbing loyalty to Vladimir Putin.  This happened on Wednesday, October 16th, when the Moon was void in Taurus and conjunct the Fixed Star Algol — a.k.a. the Gorgon Medusa.  Thus, the Taurus Moon was activating the horoscopes of both Pelosi and P45.  Like Robert DeNiro, Nancy Pelosi has action hero Mars conjunct Algol — and who messes with Robert DeNiro, right? But Algol is also square P45’s Mars — and within a few degrees of his 23 Taurus MC and square his wannbe regal Leo ASC. You can see already how the two might not see eye-to-eye. But right now, Pelosi holds the sceptre, thanks to a current power surge in her horoscope between Pluto (power) and Jupiter (expansion). As an Aries driven by Moon in Scorpio, Pelosi is a natural born warrior. P45’s Mars on the ASC makes him need to be seen  a fighter, but essentially he’s a Gemini salesman driven by an entertaining, pie-in-the-sky Sag Moon. He’s also in the hospitality business.

Let the record show that the July 2nd solar eclipse hit P45’s Mercury, which relates to appreciation received from others, friends and associates, self-worth and other assets. that eclipse was triggered by Mars last week — suggesting potential release and revelation. Mercury refers to how we need to think and communicate, and what was revealed in concert with that Mars trigger was a letter P45 wrote to Turkish premier Recep Erdogan. It is a further example of the diminished status of the U.S., pushing boundaries of diplomacy so far that many who read it thought it was written by The Onion. Coincidence or conspiracy?

UPDATE: Mars also triggered a planet in Mitt Romney’s horoscope, too: Neptune, planet of illusion. He was outed over the weekend as the man behind a “secret” Twitter accountquelle scandale! (Actually, not really).  His nom de plume: Pierre Delecto. Transiting Jupiter is squaring Romney’s Pisces Sun — which is being reflected by his expanded stature in the headlines. But pourquoi “Pierre Delecto”? I don’t know, but Pierre means “stone” and delecto is Latin for “delight.”

FUN FACT: Hillary Clinton’s natal Neptune was also triggered by Mars. And we did get an update — a final end to the final end — on the “but her emails” scandal. A P45 Administration inquiry found “no deliberate mishandling of classified information.” And  a CNN legal analyst is apologizing all over the place, but Fox News remains skeptical.   However, in that link you will find a surprising statement HRC made over the weekend about how she believes Russia will work to undermine the 2020 elections, and if she is correct, it would be scandalous indeed.

Meanwhile…

As Uranus continues its seven year stay in Taurus, we see the potential for disruptions (Uranus) in Taurus concerns. Venus rules Taurus, hence those concerns are related to pleasure and material goods, e.g. food, clothing, shelter Shopping just isn’t the thrill it used to be — and who has time to haunt the malls — and why would you when you can get anything from Amazon, destroyer of malls and small businesses everywhere? High-end retailer Barneys filed for bankruptcy, as did another chain in the UK, but I can’t remember which one.  Disposable clothing outlet Forever 21 is also going out of style, as is trashing the environment. So here’s an apt primer on how to buy clothes that are better for the planet and  are built to last. 

Thank you for reading this forecast, which took three and a half hours to put together. Fun stuff — and onward!

 

 

 

Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 8/8/2016: Sneak Peek at the Week; Big News Round-Up

Good Morning!

The Libra Moon goes void at 1:41PM ET, on its weekly disruptive clash with rebel Uranus. That’s the only exact planetary action on a day driven by a need for social graces, fairness in relationships, and appreciation from partners and peers. Stick to routine matters during the void and roll with whatever twists or flakes crop up in your efforts to move forward in a straight line.

Moon enters Scorpio at 12:51AM ET on TUESDAY, driving the following 48 hours with a need for depth and substance. It’s aided by a happily investigative alignment between Mercury and Pluto, exact at 7:22PM ET on WEDNESDAY. Dirt-diggers, unite!

The only other Moon void during the work week happens on Thursday at 1:22AM ET until 1:24PM ET. As we get closer to the end of the week, we’ll have Venus (money, women, social expression) following in Mercury’s footsteps (refer to last week’s lengthy post about the astrology of August). Venus squares Saturn on SATURDAY at 10:31PM ET, suggesting a hard-lined approach in matters related to Venus.  Look for “women of steel” to make headlines.  On SUNDAY, Venus is opposed by Neptune, blurring lines and inviting us to See the Softer Side of Sears, along with the strictly practical.

The biggest shift this week is Saturn turning direct at 9 degrees of Sagittarius, exact on SATURDAY at 5:51AM ET. Saturn refers to structure, authority, ambition and necessary control (among other keywords). If you’ve been having trouble getting a project off the ground in the past four months, take heart. Moving those plans forward is now in sync with planetary patterns, especially if those plans involve getting real about your belief system and expanding your reach. You’ll feel the release and/or push to advance more personally if you have a planet or angle around 9 degrees of Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo and Gemini.  Onward!

And now, the news.

First, news received two weeks ago from Avid Reader Margaret:

Elisabeth Grace, I tried to donate, but was taken to a generic PayPal site and I need your phone number or email address to send money to you.  This may be an obstacle for others, too.

Isn’t Margaret kind and thoughtful to take the time to send me that note? Thank you, Margaret!  I wrote her back right away and sent her  this link, which PayPal claims is foolproof: https://www.paypal.me/GraceAstrology

…though I’m not convinced PayPal’s claims are accurate. Margaret,  please let me know if that link didn’t work — with much gratitude to you for your appreciation and support.

News and more news, reflecting the hardcore dizziness of mental Mercury’s recent engagement with Saturn, Neptune and now Pluto. Add a war between the sexes and you have it all on the cover of the NYT Sunday Magazine: “The Untold Story of the Fight Over the Brain of ‘H.M.’ — the Patient Who Revolutionized the Science of Memory.” On the NYT home page: “Researchers or Corporate Allies? Think Tanks Blur the Lines.” Plus, a seriously wiggy profile of the ex-priest whose assault on an Olympic runner in 2004 led to that runner, Vanderlei de Lima, being chosen to light the caldron last week in Rio. Meanwhile, who remembers the ad campaign, “This is your brain on drugs,”  — the one with the egg sizzling in a pan? What a perfect week to read that it’s coming baaaaaaaaaack.

Honestly, the wheels have been flying off the bus in the news  — and I’m just grateful to have an understanding of the planetary patterns suggesting a world gone temporarily insane. The NYT threw up its hands two days ago and declared this  the meme for the entire year:

this is fine

Right?

UPDATE: on Edward Snowden. Last fall I anticipated that he would be making a move in January, June and/or October. He did make headlines in January — but I see the potential for something more ambitious. What’s going on in his horoscope?  How about a 12 degree Gemini Ascendant with Mercury sitting on it at 10 degrees Gemini, both currently under pressure from Saturn, Neptune and all of the other mutable planets, as noted in my last post? We can expect an idealistic/ambitious communication impacting his relationship to the public, his personal projection and creative expression. We may see a move, a wipeout or separation. I’ll be interested to see what’s happening in the first weeks of September and October. Meanwhile, this week he created a buzz with a tweet inviting former colleagues to reconnect with him, saying, “it’s time.” Another cryptic tweet had some wondering if he had indeed been wiped out. Not so, say people who claim to Know Such Things.

Elsewhere, Madeleine L’Engle, the author of the children’s classic,  A Wrinkle in Time is no longer among the living. But her book sales are skyrocketing since Chelsea Clinton mentioned A Wrinkle in Time in her DNC speech last month.  Would it surprise you to learn that Ms. L’Engle has a 10 Virgo Ascendant and is thus also being energized by transiting Saturn, Neptune and all of the other planets in Virgo? Her chart has some other things going on now, too. The horoscope lives forever!

Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand’s PR efforts to promote an upcoming memoir and a new album are in sync with planetary patterns in her horoscope. Her love love-me-do Leo Moon is at 10 degrees, energized by last week’s New Moon at — 10 degrees Leo. Her Moon is in the 5th house of creative self-expression; transiting Mars, which rules her pioneering me-me-me Aries Ascendant just squared Saturn, ruler of her 10th house of career and 11th house of love/appreciation received. Engage! Her upcoming solar arc between Jupiter, ruling her 9th house of publishing, and her Ascendant suggests expansive and rewarding potential. Huzzah!

UPDATE: on Melania Trump, whose natal horoscope I briefly sketched at the end of July. I did not discuss her upcoming Mars transits, as there are only so many hours in a day with so many other news stories to discuss.  But when your horoscope is hot, you’re hot, so here goes. Last week Mrs. Trump’s website was taken down (under attack by those doubting the veracity of her asserted college degree) when transiting Mars was at 28 Scorpio, exactly opposing her earth goddess Venus in Taurus. Hours later, the New York Post published nude photos of Mrs. Trump and another woman that were taken in New York in 1995 and appeared in a European magazine (they’re one Google search away, if you simply must see them).

OK, so what — big deal — what model doesn’t have nude pictures in her portfolio? But then, when transiting Mars entered Sagittarius on August 3rd, it met up with her natal Neptune.  Scandale! Mars-Neptune contacts do suggest scandal — and the nature of this particular scandal has to do with her status as a foreigner (Sagittarius).  Because it is quite clear that Mrs. Trump has not been truthful about when she first came to New York,  and statements she made about having a visa that would have allowed her to work legally in the U.S. are highly suspect.

Someone with empathy might say, “look, she wanted to live the American Dream and who can blame her, and look how well she’s done — so why make a fuss about a technicality.” Totally! Except that if Mrs. Trump were any other illegal immigrant, her husband — who is decidedly not an empathetic person — would want her deported immediately. I know, surreal, right? And perfectly in tune with the wiggy Saturn-Neptune patterns we’ve been living through for months.

Transiting Mars will oppose Mrs. Trump’s natal Mars on August 15th. This suggests provocative action. It’s taken me two days to get back into finishing this news round-up, and dirt continues to be dished, with “new evidence” suggesting that Mrs. Trump may have gained her 2001 green card by virtue of a marriage — four years before she met her current husband.

Will any of this matter to Trump supporters? Social scientists say it won’t and here’s why — add it to last week’s ginormous pile of bewildering Mercury-Neptune headlines, along with this palm reader’s take on Trump’s tiny hands.

Speaking of Mr. Trump, let the record show that transiting Jupiter was at 22and 23 godforsaken degrees of Virgo all last week. Why is this important? It is important because the planet associated with expansiveness — for better or worse — has been squaring his 22 Gemini Sun and 21 Sagittarius Moon since the end of July, reflecting a dominant status in the headlines akin to the proverbial Hindenburg.

23 Virgo was where Jupiter stood at a dead stop last January, before turning retrograde. This suggests that the potential for expansion was especially strong at the beginning of the year. Transiting Jupiter at 23 Virgo makes harmonious aspects to his potentially stingy social expression, suggested by his Venus conjunct stern Saturn at 23 and 25 Cancer. It also harmonizes with his 23 Taurus Midheaven (career/public status).

Thus it makes sense that we’d see a lengthy article detailing his generous contributions to charity, as well as others  concerning his expansive behavior. Let’s keep an eye out for the week of September 11th, when transiting Mars will make contact with his Sun and Moon. Should be provocative.

But wait, there’s more:  as with Barbra Streisand, Donald Trump horoscope is also directly affected by this month’s Leo New Moon. It happened right on his natal Pluto, buried in the 12th house of the self-undoing, ruling the 4th house of core personal foundation. What exactly is that foundation, many in the press and elsewhere are publicly wondering. Quicksand? In the 12th House a natal Pluto suggests, as astrologer Noel Tyl has written, someone who feels that “the world doesn’t understand me.” Sad!

On to general news about Jupiter turning retrograde at 23 Virgo in January. This is when Iran released four detained Americans. This is also when the U.S. sent Iran a plane full of cash, fulfilling a separate agreement  to return money Iran paid the U.S. for weapons it never received back in 1979. It made headlines then, so why is this story back now? Some members of Congress are calling the cash payment a “ransom” paid in exchange for those who were detained, as you made have seen in the news. A friend of mine is calling it “blueberry pancakes,” which would be a much more entertaining headline. Though just to be clear, because he’s calling it “blueberry pancakes” doesn’t make it so. What’s relevant from an astro-logical point of view is that we see how a story that was hot when Jupiter (or any planet) turns retrograde can become hot again when — after its retrograde period, it turns direct and  returns to the place it was when it stationed retrograde. Astrology is amazing.

Final note re:  the combative potential of the recent clash between Venus and Mars, coupled with this week’s Venus square Saturn. I’m so pleased to see we do have an “Iron Lady” making headlines at the Olympics — Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu. She is shattering records, even as a furious buzz erupted over the weekend when a hapless NBC announcer said that Ms. Hossku’s husband (who is also her coach) was “responsible” for her fabulous performance. Right-o.

OK. I believe that covers everything for the next few days, including the Big Cargo Short Controversy (Venus in prissy Virgo challenged by adventurous Mars in Sagittarius), which the linked article brilliantly explains.

To find out what all these planetary patterns mean for your horoscope, now is the time to schedule a personal consultation. We will have an excellent discussion together.

Thank you for reading this forecast, sharing it with friends and for supporting my efforts to write it over the past seven years.  Onward!