Monday 8/10/2020: Sneak Peek at the Week; Mars Square Pluto; Uranus Retrograde

Happy Monday!

The start of the work week is driven by a Taurus Moon — high-functioning and looking to build something solid and/or preserve the status quo.  The shock of recognition that greets us upon awakening reflects the genius buzz a square between Mercury (how we need to think) and Uranus (disrupter of the status quo). Use the fresh perspective in your quest for world domination. Another spark of innovation or upset occurs around 7:05 PM ET, as Moon meets up with Uranus, followed by the imposition of someone’s royal edict on someone else’s need for material comfort and security around 9:12 PM ET. Why? Because Moon squares Mercury in Leo, that’s why.

This week is colored by the potent force of Thursday’s exact square between Mars (guns, war, assertion, men, desire, action) and Pluto (power, breakdown, annihilation, resources). Breakthroughs in brain surgery would be a happy reflection, but the Neanderthals among us may respond to this pattern with unchecked aggression, as in this story from  The Guardian about survivors of sexual abuse and brutality in the Phoenix police department…or this shocker about McDonald’s suing its former CEO on charges he lied about having affairs with not one — but three — employees in a single year. Which leads us to the other pattern pulling focus: Uranus — symbol of rebellion, disruption, aviation, technology, astrology, seismic activity — slowing to a virtual standstill as it prepares to turn retrograde on Saturday. 

It goes like this:

  • TUESDAY: Moon is still in Taurus. Upside: its constructive abilities are well-supported by needs for expansion, vision and power throughout the day. The challenge comes from the Third Quarter Moon — a square between the Moon and the Leo Sun. Translation: the need for material security and the preservation of the status quo takes issue with the energy of regal leaders. Both are fixed in their opinions; sparks may fly. That happens at 12:45 PM ET.
  • WEDNESDAY: Taurus Moon goes void at 3:55 AM ET, on a harmony with Saturn (authority, structure, control).  That’s your excuse if you sleep through your alarm. Roll with whatever twist or flake disrupts your morning routine, e.g., pouring cold water over coffee beans you forgot to grind (an actual Moon void happening). Moon shifts gears and focuses at 9:46 AM ET, when it enter Gemini. Gone is the need for the status quo; now the day is driven by a need for information: who, what, where, when and why? There are no exact aspects to the Moon all day and night. What commands attention now is the aggressive/assertive drive of Mars in Aries as it challenges Pluto in Capricorn, exact on…
  • THURSDAY: …at 3:05 AM ET. You are more personally affected by this potential for forceful action if you have a planet or angle around 23 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. That includes P45, Orlando Bloom, Maureen Dowd, Bill Cosby, Brigitte Macron and Tulsi Gabbard, to name a few. This Mars-Pluto square will repeat on October 9 and December 23, so take note of issues that are hot this week — and see how they are revisited around these later dates.  Get the word out around 8:33 PM ET, as Mercury harmonizes with the Gemini Moon. Then indulge in escapist entertainment, sponsored by…
  • FRIDAY: …the Moon-Neptune square that will be exact at 1:17 AM ET. Early risers may effectively apply whatever visions are percolating upon waking, as the Moon will harmonize with the Sun (willpower) and Mars (action) at 4:32 AM ET and 7:19 AM ET. Late risers may wander a bit before honing in on whatever it is they are dying to know (about Thursday’s Mars-Pluto display of force?) as the Moon will be void until 7:35 PM ET. Wanna start the weekend early? Go for it — but note that rebel Uranus is at virtual standstill as it prepares to turn retrograde as noted at the beginning of this forecast. Pay attention if you’re moving about the country.
  • SATURDAY: a lovely weekend for focusing on the comforts of home and family. Moon entered Cancer at 7:35 PM ET on Friday. It meets up with Venus at 9:26 AM ET and harmonizes with Uranus at 3:18 PM ET. Uranus turns retrograde at 10:26 AM ET…not to move forward again until January 14th. Do something with the easy flow of assertive/physical energy today, reflecting the exact trine between the Sun and Mars on…
  • SUNDAY: …10:03 AM ET. Note your big dreams upon waking, as Moon opposes Jupiter and Neptune at 5:33 AM ET and 8:29 AM ET, respectively. Choppy waters appear in the afternoon, as the emotionally sensitive Cancer Moon opposes Pluto, squares Mars and opposes Saturn between 1:23 PM and 7:59 PM ET…and then goes void with a heavy sigh for the rest of the night.

And now, the news.

Venus entered Cancer on Friday, a point of prominence. Thus we anticipated stories of art, women, money and social expression to be prominent in the headlines:

  • “For Three Suffragrists, a Monument Past Due” is about the upcoming unveiling of the first statue depicting women who are not fictional characters in Central Park. Did you know that of 150 statues of historical figures in New York, only five depict women?

Meanwhile, Twitter had NYT op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd for lunch over the weekend (it was not a good thing) after her latest column pondered that it had been 36 years since a man chose a woman as a running mate (as Joe Biden is expected to do this week)…as if it really had been 36 years since a man and a woman campaigned to serve as president and vice-president of the nation. Hillary Rodham Clinton was not amused that Ms. Dowd apparently had no memory of 2016, in which HRC chose Y chromosome owner Tim Kaine to be her running mate. Then again, Kaine did have transiting Neptune on the Midheaven that year, so perhaps we can understand how his status could have been wiped from memory.

In other  news…

Uranus refers to uranium, and with Uranus pulling focus last week and this week, we have:

Uranus refers to seismic activity, and there was a 5.1 earthquake on Sunday in an unconventional location: North Carolina. In Indonesia, Mount Sinabung – an active volcanohas been making noise.

With Uranus pulling focus in the cosmos, it’s not surprising that people with strong Uranus placements in their horoscopes would be in the news. Exhibit A: Geena Davis, whose Aquarius Sun opposes Uranus, which in turn sits on her Midheaven. She’s bound to be known for being unique and independent, and a champion for social equality. A profile about her has been The Guardian’s most-read story all weekend. Here is her horoscope.

I have no idea what Rocket Companies offers or produces, but news of its IPO seems to be everywhere. Its founder is enjoying a Saturn return (well done, founder) — and this is what he had to say about his success: “Rocket Companies has a proven record of innovation that drives industry disruption …” Rocket, innovation, disruption…blah blah blah Uranus pulling focus in the cosmos, reflected in the headlines. Astrology is amazing.

Meanwhile…

Arguably bonkers, but reflecting the defiantly rebellious energy of Uranus, as well as this week’s Mars (wheels) – Pluto (extreme) square, would be the tens of thousands of bikers trekking to Sturgis, SD for a 10-day rally — most of whom won’t be wearing masks.

Also unmasked were most of the audience who reportedly paid as much as $350,000 to join P45’s  New Jersey golf club, where they bore witness to P45’s announcement and signing of three memoranda and one “executive order” purporting to extend financial relief to those unemployed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The executive order attempts to usurp powers of taxation specifically given to Congress by the U.S. Constitution — so good luck with that. Here’s Heather Cox Richardson with her usual Really Useful Take.  But if these edicts did fly — and if the payroll tax were permanently eliminated, Social Security would be toast, as it is the payroll tax that funds those retirement checks — and part of Medicare, too. People who are not on a payroll contribute to Social Security by paying a self-employment tax — but no one is talking about that. It all seems to be a big distraction from other news, such as the “chilling” intelligence that Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) would like to declassify, so everyone can understand how Russia is once again spreading seeds of division and corruption in our election.

Anyhoo…astrologically, the timing of the announcement of these edicts looked impressive as a PR stunt, but are not likely to come to fruition as planned — as Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) explained. But this will not stop P45 from continuing to push boundaries past the limits of the Constitution over the next several weeks, as we see in his horoscope.

Pop quiz, dear Avid Reader: what planet refers to expansion?

If you shouted JUPITER!!! at the top of your lungs, you have been paying attention. Congratulations!

Yea verily, transiting Jupiter is only two degrees from a nearly-perfect square to P45’s Jupiter in his very own personal horoscope. Jupiter is just….starting….to….slow….down….as it prepares to virtually STOP…and then turn direct on September 13th. And in between now and then, transiting Jupiter will activate P45’s natal Jupiter  twice — on September 7th and September 18th. So this is the energy of expansion activating inherent expansion — impacting areas in P45’s life related to self-worth, money, creative self-expression, entertainment, children and gambles — to name a few. We should look back and see what expansive actions he tried to pull off around February 18th — the first of this series of three.

Do you have any planets around 17-19 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn? You’re in for a spell of expansion in those areas of your horoscope, too. Consult your local astrologer for details.

Another pattern reflecting extremes of action on the part of P45 in an effort to maintain control was brought to my attention by astrologer David Crook has been going on since the first of July and will continue through September.  Transiting Uranus is activating a measurement in P45’s horoscope (midpoint picture Pluto = Mars/Saturn, for astrology students who may be reading this) that suggests a need for extreme effort, likely aggressive. Uranus adds intensity and erratic combustion to the mix. The last time this midpoint was activated by Uranus was in 1998, when he reportedly met his current spouse — and shared thoughts on women with Howard Stern. Hmm.

Elsewhere…

UPDATE: on Jerry Falwell Jr., whose horoscope is functioning as anticipated on March 30th, when we observed that he was due for a big reality check in 2020. Last week he was put on “an indefinite leave of absence” from his position as president and chancellor of Liberty University, a Christian educational institution. Why? Because his decision to post a fun vacation photo of himself with his pants unzipped and arm around a woman with her pants also unzipped just didn’t fly, pun obviously intended. I suspect the next few years will be deeply transforming for Mr. Falwell.

Here’s a long article from Rolling Stone on how the Covid crisis has catalyzed the “end of American exceptionalism” — the kind of wipe-out one might experience with transiting Neptune on one’s Mars — as the U.S. is just getting into now…

Random disruptive news: the Friday night massacre at the USPS. Please request your absentee ballot now. You can return it directly to your local Board of Elections office before Election Day or your polling place.

Finally, a story shared for no reason other than it made me happy to read it — and with Uranus in focus, stories of liberation are aptly timed.  “How to Move Your Elephant During a Pandemic.”  For more uplifting news, check out the Good News Network. 

Thanks to the Avid Readers who were inspired over the weekend to support this forecast with Joyful Random and Faithful Monthly Expressions of Appreciation. Your contributions sustain me through hours of research and writing each week.

Thank you for reading this forecast.