Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday – Sunday 11/26-30/2014: Happy Thanksgiving!

After a potentially restless night, the enterprising Capricorn Moon is supported by a cooperative flow of mindset, communication and structure until it goes void at 10:30AM ET. Go with the flow; roll with the twists and flakes (snow!) that may detour your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Thank you, unpredictable East Coast storm.

Moon re-engages at 2:23PM ET, when it enters humanitarian Aquarius, a sign whose friendliness and tolerance for the unconventional and the fringe is echoed by a harmonious connection between Venus in righteous Sagittarius and rebel Uranus in crusading Aries at 7:22PM ET.  Perhaps your usual Thanksgiving celebration will deviate from the norm? Go ahead and add a few new things to the menu. Chat up the perfect stranger you’re stranded with at the airport.

There’s a dreamy/bewildering haze over it all today, as nebulous Neptune in intuitive Pisces squares the opinionated Sagittarius Sun. Watch for idealized visions and things not being as they really seem to be. Here’s what was in the news on another Sun-Neptune square, which happens four times a year. Peace!

The Aquarius Moon continues through Thanksgiving Day, with easy connections to loving Venus and Uranus suggesting a noticeable lack of the usual family tensions for most of the day. Huzzah! One shift you may also notice occurs at 9:26PM ET, when Mercury, planet of communication, leaves heavy Scorpio for high-flying, opinionated Sagittarius. See if the conversations become more righteous as the evening progresses.

On Black Friday, an early face-off between expansive Jupiter and the Moon at 4:16AM ET suggests overindulgence and/or optimism, leading up to an ambitious reach  or wet blanket smackdown from restrictive Saturn at 12:14PM ET. That’s when the Aquarius Moon goes void for five hours, and you have no business doing any shopping at the malls. Try it out for yourself and see if purchases made during voids do not prove to be nearly as useful as you thought they would be.

At 5:03PM ET on Friday, Moon shifts gear into empathetic Pisces, and quickly squares off with mental Mercury at 7:03PM ET, suggesting the potential for a fleeting spat or communication snarl.  Said spat may be related to your New Moon agenda, as several hours later at 5:06AM ET, we’ll see the First Quarter Moon, which suggests a challenge to whatever seeds were sown last week. This is a better day for shopping than Friday, as there is no void to space you out. However, you may be inclined to spend more on Saturday than you would on Sunday, courtesy of a socially indulgent square between Venus and the Moon at 9:26PM ET.

Sunday is an intriguing mix. The Pisces Moon continues, stabilized by an easy connection to disciplined Saturn at 3:47PM ET. Then the Moon wanders off into the void, suggesting potential detours in your travel plans until it charges into Aries at 8:14PM ET. Aries is feisty and proactive. It falls down stairs because its faster than walking. Astrologer Rick Levine likes to say that the Aries mantra is “Ready. Fire. Aim!” — and he would know, since he’s an Aries. And given the visionary (upside) and/or befuddled/delusional (downside) potential of a challenge between mental Mercury and Neptune at 11:27PM ET, we may see more than the usual happenings of impulsive or misfired actions as a result of muddled or “out there” thoughts and communication. On the plus side, if you’re an artist, healer or spiritual type, you may find yourself quite inspired.

And now, the news.

The grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting unarmed teenager Mike Brown six times (and killing him) after a provocative encounter,  sparked protests all over the country.  The decision was announced at 8:25PM ET on November 24th and looking at the chart for that event time, we instantly see the potential for disruptive outrage. Uranus and Pluto are on the angles of the chart; the Capricorn Moon is about to clash with both. Warrior Mars is running wild (and thus pulling focus) and is also on an angle in the chart (translation: aggression in your face). There’s more, but you get the idea. Fascinating.

That being said, the failure to bring Officer Wilson to trial was received by many as heavy, heavy news, reflecting the depressing, intense, controlling mindset suggested by yesterday’s exact Mercury-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio.  And it also motivated one creative, despairing soul to produce a mock-up of the New York Times front page that then made the rounds on Twitter and Facebook. Do NOT NOT NOT NOT look at it if profane language might offend you. I offer it only as an example of the potential of planetary patterns — astonishingly brought to life.

Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was asked to resign. Mr. Hagel was criticized for coming across as “tentative” in his presentation, which is reflected in the Sun-Neptune in Libra conjunction in his horoscope (Oct 4 1946 North Platte NE — no birth time known). Sun-Neptune aspects tend to diffuse and/or confuse. Barack Obama has a Sun-Neptune square in his horoscope. Even he has had a difficult time figuring out who he is — and there are plenty today who would argue that we still do not know what he’s all about. What’s heavy about Mr. Hagel’s resignation is that presumably his replacement will be even heavier.

So let’s end with some lighter stories, shall we? For there is much to be thankful for and worthy of celebration. First, the annual study of the Happiest Countries in the World is out — and the U.S. is nowhere near the top. That’s heavy, but perhaps we can learn something useful by examining the operating models of countries that now rank higher. That’s a happy thought, yes?

Second, here’s a story reflecting some of the typical traits of Sagittarius: adventurous, animal-loving, international, righteous, generous, optimistic. It hit the news on the Sagittarius New Moon. A Swedish team of athletes were on an extreme trek in Ecuador. One athlete tossed a meatball at a hungry stray dog, and that dog followed them for the rest of their journey — even going so far as to swim alongside them they were crossing by kayak. This story has a very happy ending — and lots of pictures, too.

Enjoy — count your blessings — and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful to you for reading this forecast and further supporting these efforts by sharing it with your friends. Gratitude!

P.S. — Yes, I am working this Sunday, should you find yourself in need of further astro-logical insights on your own unique horoscope. Especially if you have planets or angles around 12 degrees of Aries, Capricorn, Libra and Cancer. Those with planets around 22 and 29 Scorpio, Taurus, Leo and Aquarius, you are also in the hot seat — and how are you planning to handle it?