Monday 2/22/2021: Sneak Peek at the Week; Saturn Square Uranus in the News

Good morning!

Mercury is now direct, as of Saturday at 7:51 PM ET. Take it slow as you move about the country, accommodating Mercury as it slowly gets back up to speed. Mercury changed station at 11 degrees of Aquarius. The corresponding Sabian Symbol is “people on stairs graduated upwards,”  — and that is Mercury’s focus Feb 17 – 25. It’s an apt support for last Wednesday’s Saturn-Uranus square, as it suggests (says Blain Bovee) “social advancement in the wake of an old order; opportunities for rising up while the prevailing order is setting down like the evening sun.” Cue the opening number from Hamilton, now, please.

No sleeping in today. The Cancer Moon is focused on creating and maintaining emotional/family/homeland security. If you’re not part of the solution,  you’re part of the problem.

Here’s how the week goes:

  • MONDAY: Cancer Moon cruises through the day, supported by the Pisces Sun and rebel Uranus. Merrick Garland finally gets his Senate confirmation hearing (they vote on March 1) — not for Supreme Court Justice, but as President Biden’s Attorney General. Garland says he’ll focus his efforts on maintaining homeland security — apt for a Cancer Moon. Heather Cox Richardson has more on Garland’s hearing.
  • TUESDAY: More Moon in Cancer, this time supported by Mars (action!) and Neptune (healing; spin). Moon makes its weekly clash with Pluto just before midnight, facilitating power plays and catharses. Moon goes void until 7:22 AM ET on …
  • WEDNESDAY: ..when it roars into regal Leo. Now is the time to shine, shine, shine — and help others, shine too! Humming in the background for the past several days is a harmony (trine) between Mars in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn, exact at 8:51 PM ET. Upside: if you need physical stamina, it’s at your disposal. Downside: Mars is not at its best in Taurus, so the quality of the assertive energy seeking to be expressed may be questionable and overly possessive. We may see a jolt — followed by a loss,  as the Leo Moon squares Uranus at 8:49 PM ET and then opposes Saturn at 9:51 PM ET.  
  • THURSDAY: More Moon in love, love-me-do Leo, expanded by an opposition to Jupiter at 11:40 AM ET. At 8:11 AM ET, Venus (the planet of who, what and how we need to love) leaves “I love you, but don’t take it personally” Aquarius and enters touchy-feely Pisces. May we all treat each other with greater compassion between now and March 21! At 4:12 PM ET, the Sun makes a cooperative sextile with Uranus, facilitating innovation and accord in leadership.
  • FRIDAY: A potentially cranky start to the morning, as the Leo Moon goes void at 6:31 AM ET on a square to Mars. That’ll fuel your Zoom yoga class or your run around the block. Chill for the next six hours; don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Moon enters Virgo at 12:07 PM ET, ready to put Leo’s party mess back in order. An argument about aesthetics may crop up around 2:50 PM ET, as Moon opposes Venus.  Emotions are on the rise, courtesy of the Full Moon that will be exact on…
  • SATURDAY: at 3:17 AM ET. If you have a planet around 8 degrees of Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius or Gemini, you’re more personally affected. Moon travels without interference through the day, ending up in a face-off with Neptune at 10:06 PM ET. A good time for a lovely escape.
  • SUNDAY: An energizing morning may facilitate an emotionally deep encounter, as the Virgo Moon harmonizes with (trines) Pluto and Mars before 12 PM ET. Chill during the Moon void that begins at 10:57 AM ET. Moon enters Libra at 2:16 PM ET and cruises merrily along, seeking fairness and balance in relationships.

And now, the news.

Told ya it would be quite a week, and it was. Dominant headlines were disruptive, ground-breaking, network-focused — reflecting the first of 2021’s three squares between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. It was anticipated that we’d see a clash of the old guard vs. the avant garde — with the latter likely to prevail.

On Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh died. Politicians who arguably would never have risen in the ranks without Limbaugh’s vitriol were quick to honor his passing (e.g., George W. Bush, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and P45). As this obit from a local NBC affiliate in Florida notes, Limbaugh is credited with facilitating the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994.

I remember stumbling across Limbaugh’s TV show in the 90s, and caught him comparing 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton to a dog. His live studio audience (all wearing navy blazers and ties), found it hilarious. Limbaugh was also famous for  denying that smoking causes cancer (he was diagnosed with lung cancer last year), and for tearing families apart (if you haven’t seen Jen Senko‘s documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad, you simply must). Limbaugh leaves behind a horoscope worth studying. It’s interesting that his entrance and exit happened on a Saturn-Uranus square.

Meanwhile, in Texas

I knew that the  Texas power grid was intentionally not in compliance with federal regulations, but until this week I did not realize that most of it is completely separate from two other grids that power the rest of the mainland states. Did you?  With Saturn in Aquarius, power and control will be held by the ones with the strongest networks — of electricity, of funding, of friends, etc. Uranus in Taurus squaring Saturn reflects a shocking test of the integrity of our power and support networks.

Texas — with the exception of a few border cities (e.g., El Paso, which draws its power from one of the networks that supplies the western part of the U.S.) — failed the test. It seems that the Lone Star State’s self-contained power grid was created to benefit investors (the few), not customers (the masses). Greater value was placed on profit over preparedness (e.g., not winterizing equipment because of cost). Was it worth it? Ask Texas customers who are now facing monthly electric bills in the low five-figures, and pity those whose bank accounts were automatically debited.

Uranus  in Taurus suggests a potential awakening in Taurus affairs; e.g., money, values, possessions, Earth. Astrologer Bill Herbst’s latest essay addresses the value we place on money vs. principles, and how that affects our lives. Food for thought!

The Texas crisis prompted the following responses from assorted politicians:

  • “While Texans Freeze, Governor Greg Abbott Lies About the Green New Deal” (Abbott’s horoscope was mentioned in 2019); his exact Mars-Neptune conjunction suggests an ability to argue the delusional.
  • Texas senator Ted Cruz infamously escaped to the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun.  His horoscope has been discussed here a number of times, and with his Capricorn Sun and Pluto on the Aries Point, the man can’t help but attract attention. For the first half of 2021, he’s operating under patterns that suggest “selfish pursuit of one’s objectives; a devil-may-care attitude.” SNL had fun at his expense in the weekend’s cold open.
  • Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, who lost his bid for Cruz’s Senate seat in 2018, organized volunteers who “made welfare calls to suffering senior Texans.” It’s fascinating that O’Rourke also has Sun-Pluto at the Aries Point, as well as Jupiter. There is talk that he may run for governor in 2022 — and if he does, I see a few expansive patterns in early 2023 that could support a promising new position. Without a birth time, we can’t be certain.
  • Tim Boyd, the mayor of Colorado City, tweeted that the Texas government didn’t owe its (powerless) citizens anything; that they were on their own, and that “only the strong would survive.” Then he resigned.
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) teamed up with Beto and other Democratic lawmakers to  raise $5 million dollars for a Texas food bank. See? They have networks of reliable support, and can pass the test of Saturn in Aquarius. Plus AOC’s Aries Moon is always up for a crusade. AOC even flew to Cancun Houston to offer further assistance — and naturally attracted a lot of attention, as her horoscope — like Cruz’s and Beto’s — has planets at the Aries Point. For her, it’s Mercury and Uranus, suggesting plenty of innovative ideas some find radical.
  • Even though Republicans in the Texas State Legislature voted just two weeks ago to seriously consider seceding from the Union, President Biden declared Texas a disaster area so it could receive federal aid. Perhaps those state legislators aren’t as keen to secede now, after experiencing the shock of Saturn square Uranus. Has anyone taken a poll?

But this is where we are at as a nation — and we see the dilemma in the U.S. horoscope. Do we want our government to create structures and enforce regulations that will keep everyone safe and secure, as our Moon in humanitarian Aquarius, along with Venus-Jupiter in Cancer would enjoy? Or do we want to live like that Texas mayor who told his constituents they were on their own — with no heat, light or water?  That’s what the U.S. Cancer Sun might get, squared by heavy Saturn in Libra. Self-reliance is a virtue. You want food and shelter? Work for it. What’s wrong with that?

And now, an assortment of other headlines reflecting:

  • Saturn square Uranus 
  • Venus (yin) in Aquarius square Mars (yang) in Taurus (exact last Friday)
  • Mercury turning direct 

Ready?

In other news…

UPDATE: on President Biden, who had a ton of action in his horoscope Feb 17-19, including the third and final opposition of Neptune (vision/wipeout/scandal) to his Midheaven (professional status). Also, the Saturn-Uranus square made contact with his Pluto. Reflecting one potential of Neptune, it was interesting to note that earlier this month,  Hunter Biden’s memoir about his battle with addiction got a publication date. On Friday, a Newsmax anchor tore a page from Limbaugh’s book, as he and two “historians” lobbed insults at another Biden family member: Champ, their 12-year-old German Shepherd.

Otherwise, this week has been a whirlwind of action. Biden opted for the vision/healing potential of Neptune at a Town Hall on CNN. His Taurus Moon, which needs to calm people down and make them feel secure, was in top form. I’m grateful to Heather Cox Richardson for keeping a list of everything else he did,  e.g., telling allies at the Munich Security Conference that “America is back;” re-opening the Obamacare health exchanges from now until May 15th; expanding production and distribution of vaccines to stop the pandemic that has now killed 500,000 of us. The Washington Post is also keeping close track in a section on its website called “First 100 Days.”  The driving force of innovation, determination and expansion aptly reflects patterns in the horoscope of Biden’s inauguration:  Mars-Uranus on the Taurus Ascendant, square to Jupiter, Saturn and Sun in Aquarius.

Some are starting to compare Biden to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. How fascinating that FDR was an Aquarius driven by the Moon in nurturing Cancer. His horoscope has three planets in Aquarius (including the Sun) and four in Taurus, many of which are activated by current patterns. The horoscope lives forever, doncha’ know. FDR is hot!

UPDATE: on P45 (because I told you last week would be significant).  He had the first of a series of three oppositions to Venus from Pluto, exact on February 18th. The next two are July 10 and Dec 25, and the latter coincides with the third Saturn-Uranus square. Another pattern: an opposition between Saturn and Pluto, exact March 16, August 4 and Dec 13. Another one: transiting Neptune will square his Gemini Sun and Sagittarius Moon  multiple times this year and next. The first exact hit is March 26. Possible themes: erasure, addictions, alternative realities, glamour, victimization, scandal, mystics, martyr, vision. These are not fun patterns, as seen by last week:

We anticipate aggression  and/or attacks on or from him in matters of courts, publishing and foreign affairs on Feb 22 (update: SCOTUS ruled that NY could have his taxes); Feb 26 (he’ll be speaking at CPAC) and March 3 (rallies are planned on March 4).

It is prudent to track his horoscope for now, because he was not convicted at his impeachment trial. Some lawmakers still persist in touting The Big Lie — i.e., that Biden is not our legitimately-elected President, as Steve Scalise did yesterday on the Tee Vee. This is concerning, given that the Mars-Neptune square in the U.S. horoscope is activated by Neptune this year. Avid Readers will recall that this Mars-Neptune square reflects our nation’s belief in the American Dream, along with our idealization (Neptune) of war and guns (Mars). It’s also our opioid addiction (Mars square Neptune may surrender to a beautiful escape), our evangelicals (Mars is a crusader; Neptune is spiritual), and our film industry. Mars-Neptune patterns can suggest fanatical beliefs, and the current Neptune transits suggest we– as a nation —  are more susceptible to that potential than usual.  The upside potential would be inspiring, healing vision — and peace. I’ll drink to that!

Here’s a post from 2020, with more on the U.S. Mars-Neptune square and what happened the last time it was under the influence of transiting Neptune in 1979.

To find out what Neptune is doing in your horoscope, here’s the 411 on consultations. To support these weekly insights, here’s how you can become a Faithful Monthly Subscriber, with gratitude for making it clear to me that they are of value to you.

Thank you for reading this forecast.

Last week a NASA scientist affirmed that Pluto is a planet.

 Resistance is futile. Happy Mars trine Pluto!