Friday 9/28/2018 & The Weekend; Week in Review; Pluto Turns Direct; Flake & Twists

Greetings from Los Angeles!

I am overjoyed to be back in my old stomping grounds — my home for a dozen years. Also overjoyed to be meeting Angeleno Avid Readers in person. I do have appointments available and I am in town until October 9th. Hope to see you soon! Here’s the 411 on consultations.

Meanwhile, it’s Friday, and I’ve been working on this forecast since Monday. What’s been happening?  I’ll tell you.

The work week began with a waxing Moon in Pisces — void all day — from 1:26 AM ET to 7:04 PM ET. Neither Brett Kavanaugh nor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified that day.  However, since last Sunday’s harmony between Mercury (talk) and Mars (action), a flood of new accusations against the SCOTUS nominee ran away with the headlines. We expected empathy with a Moon in Pisces, and that’s what we got — on both sides.

On Monday night, the Full Moon happened at 10:52 PM ET — with the Moon at 3 Aries & the Sun at 3 Libra.

The Sabian Symbol for 3 Aries is  “a cameo profile of a man in the outline of his country” and the text provided by Blain Bovee, the go-to guy for all things Sabian, suggests a need to  assert our unique identity in or contrast to the collective. What sense of stability do we gain by identifying ourselves as, for example,  “I am Brazilian” or “I am Polish-American” or “I am a Buddhist” or “I went to Georgetown Prep, Yale and Yale Law School?”  What happens when others put us in these kinds of categories?

With this Sabian Symbol, Blain Bovee notes the potential “to stereotype others at the expense of their full individuality; to highlight only their prominent features” (suggested by the image of the cameo profile, which is only presenting one side of a person’s face). Watch for stories of  snap judgments based on general outlines — in the news and in your own personal world.

I last wrote about 3 Aries when it was the New Moon on March 22, 2012. At that time, I noted that “one consequence of such (literally) trigger-happy thinking is illustrated in this disturbing story, likely to gain more traction in the headlines during this lunar cycle:   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-trayvon-martin.html   Recommended reading for this lunar cycle: Blink and Outliers, both by Malcolm Gladwell http://www.gladwell.com/   The first book is an eye-opener about first impressions; the second is an equally provocative read on why certain individuals — such as Bill Gates — are so successful.”

For the Sun at 3 Libra: “Dawn of a new day, everything has changed,” of which Bovee says is an “image of awakening to the fact that past impressions were misleading, incomplete or just false.” People and things are likely to be seen in a new light. Faaaaaaaaaa-scinating, in light of recent headlines, no?

Now add this week’s dominant patterns to the mix –i.e., “what just happened”:

  • Tuesday: Moon charges into me-me-me Aries, seeking to be Numero Uno. Cue P45’s address to the United Nations, accompanied by another heavy aspect: Sun square Saturn. Suggestion: patriarchal/corporate agendas; advances (upside); cuts (downside). In the latter category, the UN responds to P45 with a heavy dose of the world’s best medicine: laughter. In the former category, know that the Sun refers to the heart and the spine (as does Saturn, which refers to bones). Check out these cool new advances in medicine: “Paralyzed Man Walks Again” and “Tiny Device is a Huge Advance for Treatment of Heart Failure.”
  • Wednesday: in the all-day void of Moon in me-me-me Aries, P45 goes on and on and on and on about nothing in a rare solo 80-minute press conference; I get on a plane to LA, planning to write a forecast, but with Alaska Airlines wanting $49 for in-flight wi-fi, and monthly contributions to my Cosmic Tip Jar totaling  just $17,  I watched Meryl Streep in The Post, lamenting how challenging it is to have to consider the cost of providing Really Useful Investigative Journalism when you’d rather be fully focused on digging up and publishing facts.  This was followed by the superb Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri . Mesmerized by this movie, in which justice does not seem to prevail, but karma does. Have you seen it?
  • Thursday: Moon entered Taurus at 3:16 AM ET, desperately seeking material comfort and security. Moon squared Mars at 11:50 AM ET, suggesting a rebel with a cause challenging the status quo; combative outbursts. Cue Dr. Christine Blasey Ford now, please. Sun trined Mars at 7:35 PM ET, facilitating a marathon Senate session, which I hope many of you watched.
  • UPDATE: Brett Kavanaugh has a T-square in his horoscope: Jupiter in Taurus squaring an idealistic Sun-Mercury in Aquarius…which is in a delusional/rose-colored square to Neptune in Scorpio. Translation: a potentially challenged relationship with objective reality, as evidenced in yesterday’s testimony. His T-Square is in Fixed Signs, suggesting that once his mind is made up, he is not going to back down, no matter what is presented. There is no “on the other hand…” His Mars (action, anger) is retrograde, suggesting a long wind-up when it comes to asserting himself or taking action. Mars is in Virgo, so all pesky details must be in place, fussed over and over again before they finally come out. If you were watching yesterday, did you notice how he fussed with the placement of his name plate and adjusted the mic before he sat down? That was part of his wind-up.
  • Transiting Venus is now exactly square to his natal Venus at 9 Aquarius, in case you are wondering why now is the time for him to be facing people who take issue with past and present modes of social expression, especially with regard to women.  At 9 Scorpio, transiting Venus is also conjunct the 9 Scorpio Moon in the horoscope of the P45 inauguration chart, facilitating that Scorpio Moon’s need for ruthless depth and control.
  • FUN FACT: when Kavanaugh was sworn in yesterday at 3:10 PM ET, Pluto was exactly on the Ascendant, suggesting a tear-down of personal projection. Saturn, ruler of the swear-in chart, was in the 12th house, a.k.a., the house of the self-undoing. Venus was exactly conjunct the 9 Scorpio Midheaven (see a pattern here?) — suggesting a ruthless/vicious presentation involving honor and/or vengeance. Mars was in the First House, along with the South Node. Anger/action with a dose of toxic release. To me, it all came out sounding like this gem from WaPo funnywoman Alexandra Petri :“How Dare You Do This to Brett Kavanaugh?” I recommend reading it aloud, exactly as written. You may appreciate the catharsis.
  • Friday: Moon continues in Taurus, and the Kavanaugh confirmation process continued. But after announcing his support for the nominee, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) was ambushed by two women in an elevator. They gave him a tearful earful about how it feels to be a survivor of sexual assault and not be taken seriously. Haven’t written about Flake since July 2017, noting how patterns in his horoscope suggest why he needed to criticize P45 and many conservatives in his recent book.  Jeff Flake was born on December 31, 1962 — time unknown — in Snowflake (!), AZ. Capricorn Sun driven by a Pisces Moon. He needs to be compassionate and work with ideals in his quest to get to the top of the mountain. His Sun in Capricorn is currently feeling the weight of the world on its shoulders, thanks to transiting Saturn about to conjoin it in December.
  • Flake’s Mars (how he needs to take action/assert itself) is in a challenging aspect to P45’s Mars and Midheaven (public status). Flake’s Mars is also retrograde — like Kavanaugh’s, suggesting he needs to have a reeeeeally long wind-up before he lets a pitch fly. But when he does take action, he needs to act with drama, as his Mars is in Leo.  His Mars squares his Venus at 25 Scorpio: it’s fascinating to see that Jupiter will be at 25 Scorpio on October 16th; it’s putting pressure for an expansion in matters of social expression and action.
  • Meanwhile, transiting Venus is exactly square his Saturn at 9 Aquarius. Symbolically — if you watch the video of this morning’s elevator pitch — Venus squaring Saturn suggests women, values, money, social expression activating ambition/authority. In Aquarius, Flake’s Saturn can function effectively when placed in the service of a humanitarian cause. Who knew?  Transiting Venus is going to be sitting square to Flake’s Saturn for the next few weeks, as Venus slows down and turns retrograde on October 10th.
  • But wait, there’s more. Transiting Uranus is squaring Flake’s natal Mercury at 28 Capricorn, supercharging his mindset with a need for innovation/disruptive thoughts and communication. And now, in case you haven’t heard, Jeff Flake dramatically disrupted the Kavanaughty confirmation train wreck by asking for a one-week stay on the process to have…wait for it…an FBI investigation of the numerous allegations that have come out.  Two other senators have joined that request, including Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Not sure if that request will be granted; we’ll all have to stay tuned. Am concerned about transiting Jupiter square the nominee’s Sun on October 9th, as it suggests expansion of self, for better or for worse. And we do not have a birth time.
  • FUN FACT: Pluto was exactly square the Midheaven in Washington, DC when that request was made; Saturn was on the Ascendant, suggesting a no-go. Astrology is amazing.

As for the weekend, Moon goes void tonight at 6:36 PM ET. Please indulge in sensual pleasures and chill tonight because after this week, you all deserve it. Moon enters Gemini on SATURDAY at 9:36 AM ET, buzzing with the latest dish. Chill on SUNDAY and avoid impulse shopping, as the Moon goes void at 11:38 AM ET until 2 PM ET on MONDAY. A day to sleep in, for sure — and an interesting start to the new season of SCOTUS if they start during the void.

Final pattern: Pluto turns direct on SUNDAY at 10:01 PM ET, suggesting a focus on seismic activity, news from underground, power and resources. Tsunami/earthquake in Indonesia is Exhibit A. Here’s Exhibit B: “The U.S. is Living Under a Volcano.”   On TUESDAY, Pluto squares Mercury, suggesting more investigative dirt hitting the fan.

Random thoughts:

Last, but not least: Election Day is November 6th. Are you registered to vote? Are you SURE? Please check your status here — and share this link with everyone you know. We must vote on November 6th. As if our lives depended on it. Because they do.

Thank you for reading this forecast. Here’s the 411 on consultations. We will have an excellent discussion together.