Good Morning!
East Coasters, get it off your desk early. The Virgo Moon goes void at 10:45 AM ET, not to enter the next sign — Libra — until 6:26 PM ET. “Void” refers to the period of time between the last aspect the Moon makes to a planet in one sign and the time the Moon enters the next sign. The last aspect the Virgo Moon will make is a tense square to Saturn at 10:45 AM ET, suggesting a wet blanket on best-laid plans, or perhaps an ambitious advance. Then the Moon drifts — in the way the steel ball in a pinball machine drifts after bounces off its final bumper and then falls down to the bottom of the machine (the drain), ready to be loaded for a fresh round of play. Do you understand this analogy? When was the last time you played a game on a pinball machine?
Moon voids are good times to chill and take care of routine tasks. Roll with whatever twists and flakes disrupt your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Avoid impulse shopping. Things that happen during voids are often of little consequence. Give yourself a break if you’re running late.
It’s interesting to have a heavy Moon-Saturn square starting off the week, coming only several hours after an expansive meet-up between Venus and Jupiter. Did you happen to shop yesterday? I swear everyone in my neighborhood was at the local mall — I have never seen it so jammed. And that’s what I ended up indulging in on a day with the ruler of sugar (Venus) expanded by Jupiter: four decadent jars of jam. If I’m filling your Christmas stocking this year, that’s what you’re getting.
Take a minute this week to look up at the sky — Venus together with Jupiter are bright and beautiful. Entities born with Venus conjunct Jupiter include the United States and Louis C.K. The U.S. Venus-Jupiter conjunction is in Cancer, in which both planets function effectively. Cancer concerns include nourishment, home and emotional security. Check — though the U.S. arguably takes that sweetness to excess. That won’t be the case in 2018, when the U.S. Venus and Jupiter are opposed by mean old Saturn. Tighten your belt — and if you are a woman, watch your back.
In C.K.’s horoscope, the Venus-Jupiter conjunction is in Leo and Venus is retrograde. Here the excess is on having a royally good time, with “good” defined as plenty of ego recognition. Look at me! Look at me! (let’s not and say we did). With Venus retrograde, however, we see the potential for crossed signals and short circuits in relationship. What Venus retrograde thinks is working just fine, often isn’t working at all for the other party. Note that C.K.’s Venus is at 28 Leo — the degree of August’s Big Fat Solar Eclipse. I’d say that eclipse hit his Venus bigtime.
Meanwhile, the snake oil salesmen have been out in force over the past couple of days, as Mercury (thoughts, communication) and Neptune (fantasy, drugs, escape) build to a challenge at 5:49 PM ET. Lies, lies and more lies…unless you’re an artist or a musician. For you, these past few days — and today — might be exceptionally inspiring for better or for worse. Here I would be thinking of the inspired artist/musician known as “the Lady Gaga of Vietnam,” who was evicted from her home after protesting P45’s visit to her country. Vietnam has had little tolerance for dissidents in recent months.
Still, this start of this week suggests a need for rose-colored aesthetic vision — possibly one with healing power — courtesy of a harmony between Neptune and Venus (art, money, social expression, women), exact on THURSDAY at 10:21 AM ET. More sweet talk about effective action and cooperation as the week progresses, suggested by a harmony between Mars (walking) and Mercury (talking), exact at 9:25 AM ET.
Wrap up projects this week. The New Moon happens on SATURDAY at 6:42 AM ET…at 26 Scorpio, exactly squaring P45’s 26 Leo Mars — and triggering anyone else’s horoscope with planets around 28 Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. On SUNDAY Mars (action) squares Pluto (power). Nothing sweet about that — and we’ll be seeing it the headlines a few days beforehand. Challenging Mars-Pluto patterns often coincide with explosive action of a stereotypical masculine expression.
And now, the news.
Alabama is all over the headlines. Last year, the governor resigned in disgrace (sex scandal). One senator — Jeff Sessions — became the first in Congress to endorse P45’s campaign and is now the U.S. Attorney General with a dubious relationship to truth. He is regularly lampooned on Saturday Night Live, as portrayed by comedienne Kate McKinnon. His appointed replacement in the Senate is Strange — literally — as his name is Luther Strange. But Senator Strange lost a bid to keep his seat, as you may have heard. Republican voters dumped Strange for Roy Moore, an Alabama state supreme court judge who was elected and removed from the bench — twice. Moore is the founder and president of the Foundation for Moral Law, and is currently making headlines for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl when he was a district attorney.
I know you must be thinking, “how are these bizarre disruptions reflected in Alabama’s horoscope?” Alabama’s birthdate is December 14, 1819 at 2:14 PM in Huntsville, says Astrotheme. OK, let’s run with it. That makes Alabama a Sagittarius — but not just any Sagittarius. It’s a Sagittarius with the Sun at the infamous 22 degrees — and thus feeling the squeeze of transiting Saturn all this year — as if it needs any more stress than it already has in its horoscope.
We’d expect Alabama to be fiercely independent in ways some might find eccentric (its Sun is conjunct rebel Uranus). We’d expect it to be deeply sensitive — perhaps unsure of itself — and that lack of clarity would likely be baffling to outsiders (Sun is also conjunct nebulous Neptune). Those three planets — Sun, Uranus and Neptune — are all in a tense aspect with a heavy-handed — potentially anguishing meet-up of Saturn (patriarchy; authority) and Pluto (power). How might an entity with these planetary patterns cope with stress? Last year Alabama was called “ground zero” in the national epidemic of prescription drug addiction, where doctors write more scripts for pain killers than in any other state.
We see a need for idealism about social status and structure, suggested by a tight meet-up between Mercury and Venus in Establishment Capricorn. Dreamy, rebellious, suppressed, resilient, brutal; Alabama may be pushing boundaries with that Sagittarius Sun…but minds its manners with that Mercury-Venus in Capricorn.
What drives this complicated state? A need to be seen as an entity of depth and substance, gathering knowledge for the sake of power and control, courtesy of its Scorpio Moon in a charged pattern with expansive Jupiter. There’s a lot in this horoscope that reminds me of patterns in the horoscope of Chelsea Manning. It’s complicated. And assertive, as we see with Alabama’s natal Mars square its 8 degrees Taurus Ascendant. Oh, how Alabama needs to be seen as earthy, practical, comfortable and secure — as a sweet home, indeed. Infrastructure is Alabama’s strongest suit, coming in at #31 compared to the other 50 states. In all other categories, Alabama is #40 or lower.
So. Right this minute today’s Venus-Jupiter meet-up is sitting on Alabama’s Scorpio Descendant. The potential wretched excess of sexual secrets is right in the public’s face. Transiting Saturn is moving away from Alabama’s Sagittarius Sun, but hasn’t finished with Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto. This is tough. This is weird. Transiting Uranus made a disruptive square to Alabama’s 24 Capricorn Midheaven in April, when Robert “luv guv” Bentley finally resigned. A second square happened just days ago; the third will happen in February. So the upsets aren’t over yet for Alabama.
What about your horoscope? Are you having a Saturn squeeze? A disruptive hit from Uranus that has you yearning to break free? Wandering around in a fog? That’s probably a Neptune thing. When will it be over? How can you make a plan for what’s around the corner? That’s how astrologers can be of service. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
Thank you for reading this forecast. Cue Lynyrd Skynrd now, please (and check those lyrics).
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the south-land
I miss ‘ole’ ‘bamy once again and I think it’s a sin
Well I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A southern man don’t need him around anyhow
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
In Birmingham they love the Gov’nor, boo-hoo-hoo
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you, tell the truth
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you, here I come
Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they’ve been known to pick a song or two (yes they do)
Lord they get me off so much
They pick me up when I’m feeling blue, now how bout you?
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Sweet home Alabama, oh sweet home
Where the skies are so blue and the governor’s true
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Written by Edward C. King, Gary Robert Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group