Monday 5/22/2017: Sneak Peek at the Week; News & More News

Alll-righty then!

The work week begins with the Moon in fiery me-me-me Aries, seeking to lead the way off of the nearest cliff. Without a care in the world, like The Fool in your nearest deck of Tarot cards. Thinking big in the morning comes courtesy of the expansive influence of Jupiter at 5:38AM ET, followed by a meet-up with Venus at 10:09 AM ET.

At 2:44 PM ET we may see a power play or emotional catharsis, thanks to the Moon’s weekly clash with Pluto. Action is facilitated that evening by an easy alignment with Mars. We may see an upset in the headlines overnight, as Moon meets up with rebel Uranus at 8:33 AM ET.

On TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY the Moon will be at the end of its cycle in Taurus, seeking to keep things the way they ought to be. Whatever brings you material comfort and security — have at it.

THURSDAY is the most active day of the week. We’ll have a New Moon in Gemini at 3:44 PM ET, in the wake of an intensely emotional clash between Venus and Pluto, exact at 12:19 PM ET. Aries can be a tough placement for Venus, suggesting a consummate flirt with an overwhelming need for approval and great sensitivity to rejection. It could also suggest a warrior woman in an equally hell hath no fury mode. How will that fly in a clash with Pluto in Capricorn, sign of the Powers That Be? Watch the headlines — I hear there’s a nasty budget proposal in the pipeline, loaded with cuts to the social security net.

Meanwhile, a Pluto-Venus square can also suggest passion of the juiciest kind…and you are affected by it personally if you have a planet or angle around 18 degrees of Libra, Cancer, Aries and Capricorn.

Your Moon voids for the week: TUESDAY 2:59 AM ET until 8:33 AM ET; WEDNESDAY 3:08 PM ET until 8:15 AM ET on THURSDAY. If you are unfamiliar with Moon voids and why you should be aware of them, here is a primer from a prior forecast. 

And now, the news.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Oh. Wait.

Let’s start with the sweet stuff. Last Monday I anticipated we’d see something sweet on Friday, reflected by:

…an indulgent and exuberant face-off between Jupiter in Libra and Venus in Aries. Watch the courts for over-the-top judgments on matters concerning women.  Maybe we’ll have a helpful headline about sugar and/or diabetes.

“LUCKY CHARMS GOES FULL-ON SUGAR BOMB” blared the subject line of my daily “First Reads” email from the Washington Post. Of course it would be Lucky Charms, given that in astrology, Venus and Jupiter are known as the lesser and greater benefics; i.e., LUCKY CHARMS. As WaPo reports:

Americans are eating less cereal, but executives at General Mills are hoping they’ve found a way to revive sales: By offering customers a chance to win one of 10,000 boxes filled with nothing but Lucky Charms marshmallows.

On its website, General Mills calls marshmallow-only Lucky Charms “the unicorn of the cereal world — fantasized about, but never seen.” In reality, they come with more sugar per serving than a Snickers bar or Twinkie.

I’m so pleased with this aptly timed headline — chosen out of dozens to be the SUBJECT LINE for that daily email — that I’m doing a Snoopy Dance and passing around my Cosmic Tip Jar. It supports my affinity for fresh-cut flowers. With gratitude.

Venus also refers to the thyroid. Jupiter adds expansion. How fascinating to see a piece in the NYT about the alarming number of domestic cats with hyperthyroidism. Not feral cats, mind you. Domestic.  The NYT  reports that 40 years ago, such cases were non-existent. Suspected cause: a class of common household chemicals. Something to think about when considering the current destruction of the EPA and other consumer safety organizations. The lack of oversight could be a death sentence for Fluffy…and potentially us, too. My money says you know more than one person who has a thyroid health issue…and you didn’t several years ago.

In other news,  a Basquiat painting of an angry skull with blood-red accents sold for a “mind-blowing” $110 million at Sothebys. Because nothing says Venus (art) in warrior Aries like an angry skull, selling for a BIG (Jupiter) price.

UPDATE: Roger Ailes passed away. The former Fox News chief was ousted last year — under allegations of  sexual harassment. Looking at his horoscope in a past post, I noted his Sun at 24 degrees of Taurus — conjunct two challenging Fixed Stars: Capulus (male sexual energy) and Algol. The latter suggests “losing one’s head.” Mr. Ailes was born on May 15th; transiting Sun just met up with his natal Sun and those unfortunate Fixed Stars. From the Palm Beach Medical Examiner’s report:

Ailes “died this morning of complications of a subdural hematoma after he fell at home injuring his head,” said the report. “Hemophilia contributed to his death and his manner of death was accidental.”

In other news…

Last week I was thinking we’d see stunning headlines — akin to an ice shelf in Antarctica suddenly falling into the sea. “Thanks to Global Warming, Antarctica is Beginning to Turn Green,” says WaPo. “Arctic Stronghold of World’s Seeds Flooded After Permafrost Melts,” says The Guardian (the seeds are OK, but the flood was a shock.) Meanwhile, a portion of icy Mt. Everest has in fact, collapsed. 

It was a stunning week in Washington. “The Trump Presidency Falls Apart” summarizes events of the 10 days leading up to  May 17, when former FBI director Robert S. Mueller was appointed by the Justice Department to be the special counsel overseeing the  investigation into possible P45-Russia ties. Mr. Mueller — a Leo with Moon either in late Pisces or early Aries — has been known to question authority, as the prior link recounts. Here is what we know of his horoscope.

Note that transiting Neptune (fog, scandal, deception) at 14 Pisces is opposing Mr. Mueller’s natal Mercury and squaring his natal Uranus at 12 Virgo and 12 Gemini.  His natal Mars is at 16 Virgo. We can see how he would be exacting and innovative in thought and action. The Neptune transit infuses both with weird, wild stuff for at least the next year…let’s see where he is at in September.

Meanwhile, at the White House….with transiting Sun crossing his Midheaven (shining a light on his reputation/career) and squaring his Leo Mars (ruler of the 9th house of foreign travel) and his Leo Ascendant, P45 jetted off on a tour of  Saudi Arabia, Israel, The Vatican, Brussels and Sicily. Which reminds me of a song from “Evita.”  On the eve of his departure, the big Friday news story was that one of his senior advisers is under investigation.

So far, a tentative $100 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia has been announced, with much credit being given to Jared Kushner for making it happen. Coincidentally, it was also announced that the Saudis and the UAE will donate $100 million to “a World Bank fund for women entrepreneurs that was the brainchild of Ivanka Trump”. Big deals and big gifts — happy Jupiter opposing Venus….with a dash of Saturn (old guard) cozying up to Uranus (avant garde) for good measure.

Finally, the old guard and avant garde scored big in New Orleans last week, as a number of Confederate monuments were taken down.

“While we must honor our history, we will not allow the Confederacy to be put on a pedestal in the heart of New Orleans,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said as the latest statue was being removed. “As we near our City’s 300th anniversary, we must continue to find courage to stand up to hate and embrace justice and compassion.”

One of my mentors loves to say that when it comes to a contest between Saturn and Uranus, Uranus will always win. Even if it takes a hundred years or more. The new always triumphs over the old. Eventually.

Plus, Robert E. Lee — one of Confederate monuments in question — has transiting Uranus square his old guard Capricorn Sun. He was scheduled for a fresh start, intense and disruptive as it may be.  The horoscope lives forever!

What’s going on in your horoscope? Here’s the 411 on consultations.

Thank you for reading this forecast — and for the lovely emails. I appreciate you, too.