Monday 8/30/2021: Sneak Peek at the Week; Mars Opposes Neptune

Alll-righty then!

Moon is in Gemini, driving the day with a need for information. The workweek contains only one exact pattern between two planets that doesn’t include the Moon, and that would be an opposition between Mars (action, aggression, combat, cars, iron) and Neptune (surrender, idealism, drugs, oil, deception, spirits) on Thursday afternoon. Mars combined with Neptune suggests potential seduction, surrender, sexy scandals, genuine charisma, snake oil, fanaticism, sparkly razzle-dazzle, or action that ends with a fizzle. As we get closer to the weekend, we’ll pick up the reflections of other patterns that kick in on Saturday night through Monday.

Here’s how the rest of the week goes:

  • TUESDAY: if Monday was fairly calm, it reflected the Gemini Moon’s trine to diplomatic Venus in Libra, exact at 12:29 AM ET. The wee hours may be restless and provocative, as the Moon squares Mars at 6:35 AM ET, followed by a square to wiggy Neptune at 9:40 AM ET. Note your dreams upon waking. The stories hitting the wires get bigger and bigger, reflecting the Moon’s trine to Jupiter at 4:46 PM ET. Chill for the rest of the evening, as the Moon will be void. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, and avoid impulse shopping. Moon gets back into gear at 1:25 AM ET on…
  • WEDNESDAY: when it enters Cancer. Now is the time to focus on emotional and home/homeland security, including food, clothing, and housing. We can expect a debate about such concerns around 7:46 AM ET, when the Moon is squared by Mercury, trying to weigh both sides in Libra. That’s where Mercury has been since 1:06 AM ET on Monday, and that’s where it will stay until November 6th. Why? Because Mercury turns retrograde on September 27th, turning direct on October 18th. There will be NO WHINING about this upcoming opportunity to REview and REorganize and REconnect…and possibly even REtreat. Just start paying attention to the debate about what’s fair, balanced, and rational after September 7th, because whatever is in play then is subject to quite the persuasive review. As for this Wednesday’s Moon-Mercury spat, it should all balance out in the evening, aided by the sextile between the Moon and the Virgo Sun. Glad to be of service, doncha’ know.

Speaking of balance, that theme has turned up in Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card of the Week, to no Avid Reader’s surprise.

  • THURSDAY:  Unconventional alliances may have formed overnight, reflecting the sextile between Moon and Uranus. The Mars-Neptune opposition is exact at 1:42 PM ET, and here are links to past posts, if you’d like to review what happened during other Mars-Neptune face-offs. The Cancer Moon’s need for emotional security clashes with someone’s sense of worth around 6:24 PM ET. Action on a cherished ideal may ensue as the Moon trines Neptune at 8:51 PM ET and sextiles Mars at 9:15 PM ET, with a powerplay or emotional catharsis on….
  • FRIDAY:at 1:37 AM ET, as the Moon opposes Pluto. I expect all of this intensity may be reflected in whatever the Supreme Court has to say about a petition to ban Texas’ latest effort to turn itself into Gilead, which will go into effect this week, on the surreal Mars-Neptune opposition if it is not blocked. My point here is that as you will see, planetary patterns over the next few days reflect this kind of story coming over the wires. We shall see.  Meanwhile, as I type this Forecast on Monday evening, this is the most-viewed story on The Guardian’s website. As for Friday, chill, chill, chill during the ensuing ten-hour void. That explains a slow start, twist, or flake to your Friday morning. Stick to routine concerns. Remember that crises that crop up during voids have an odd way of vaporizing once the Moon shifts gears. That happens at 11:58 AM ET when the Moon enters rip, roarin’ Leo, looking for a stage upon which to shine. There are no other exact aspects among the planets that day, but by now the weekend’s patterns are in play, which you’ll read about in a minute. Meanwhile, I’m keeping an eye out for provocative and regal rulings.
  • SATURDAY: Moon sextiles Mercury at 12:45 AM ET, which is good for talking things out. Moon opposes Saturn at 2:54 AM ET, suggesting a wet blanket or loss — and also an authoritarian advance.  Avid Readers will recall that because of the Saturn-Uranus square that is in effect all year and next, the heavy controls of Saturn are shortly followed by the release demanded by Uranus. After the Moon opposes Saturn, it squares Uranus at 3:23 PM ET — let freedom reign. Humming in the background for the past few days and exact at 9:30 PM ET is a trine between Mercury and Saturn, which is a fine pattern for structuring ideas and plans, with gravitas.
  • SUNDAY: if those plans involve gobs of money or a focus on women, art, social expression, and values, they would be reflecting the square between Venus and Pluto, exact at 11:06 PM ET. But before that happens, the Leo Moon needs to party on, big time until 10:21 AM ET, when it opposes expansive Jupiter. Chill during the ensuing void — and if you feel driven to extremes, consider that the Venus-Pluto square can suggest a waste of emotions, bringing a sledgehammer to a situation instead of a smaller, less destructive tool. On the other hand, the catharsis potential of Venus-Pluto may be just what the doctor ordered, in order to clear the air. Contributing to the potential for indulgence is a trine between Venus and Jupiter, exact on Monday morning, not to mention another trine between Mars and Pluto, facilitating action that may be more yang in expression than in yin. Once the Moon enters Virgo at 7:05 PM ET, the evening is driven to perfection and analysis. Note that the Moon is at the end of the lunar cycle, preparing to begin anew the next evening at 8:51 PM ET.

Are you finding this weekly forecast helpful? This delights my Gemini Moon. Other parts of my horoscope would find it delightful if my palm were crossed with silver, which can be made to happen via the Cosmic Tip Jar, with much gratitude for your appreciation.

And now, the news.

Lots of action over the weekend, reflecting the anticipating surge of energy symbolized by Mars activating the June 10th solar eclipse. There was even a power surge in New York last night that knocked out service on eight subway lines. Hundreds of riders had to be evacuated, and New York’s new governor was not amused. 

That’s a huge story, but not the top one (obviously), as Hurricane Ida landed in Louisiana as a Cat 4 storm. It was fascinating to see Ida reflect the weekend’s patterns. We had a high-functioning Taurus Moon, needing to build material security at a slow and steady pace. The Moon was well-supported by the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in supremely organized Virgo, boosted by a square to Jupiter. I told you it was a good day to get stuff done, right? Here’s how atmospheric scientist Kimberly Wood reacted on Sunday morning, according to WaPo:

She looked again at satellite images showing what scientists call a “well-organized” storm.

“Well-organized,” eh? Ya think? Not only that, but Ida didn’t race through towns like an entity with a lot of fire or squares. Noooooo, it hung around for hours, stubbornly enduring.  Silver lining: though over a million people in Louisiana (especially New Orleans) are without power (until who knows when), most all of the levees held, sixteen years to the day of Hurricane Katrina. I’ll take that silver lining while reading WaPo’s explanation of how human behavior has affected the changes in our climate, which in turn created this very persistent storm. My heart goes out to Avid Readers in Ida’s path — and frankly in any other environmental crisis zone (fires, floods, droughts, etc) in these challenging times.

UPDATE: it seems that the loss of power in Louisiana could be far more impactful than the brick and mortar damage done by Hurricane Katrina. It is a sobering reflection of the paradigm shift of the Jupiter-Saturn Great Mutation in Aquarius, which suggested that the resilience of our support networks, including power grids, would become paramount in this new era. Humans are ridiculously clever and adaptable, and the power will be restored…but our systems must change. The trine between the Sun and Uranus, exact on Monday after the New Moon, combined with the ruthlessly effective Mars-Pluto trine and benevolent Venus-Jupiter trine does bode well for a successful collaborative recovery effort over the next several days.

Meanwhile…

The White House said it had evacuated over 122,000 people from Afghanistan in recent weeks, and today, the last troops departed, officially ending America’s longest war. The stories of the 13 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in last week’s suicide bombing are worthy of time and attention if you ask me. For Barbara Lee (D-Oakland, CA), the only U.S. Congressperson to vote against invading Afghanistan way back in 2001, this day comes as transiting Mars squares her Uranus-Node conjunction at 19 Gemini (birthdate: 7/16/1946 in El Paso, TX). An eclipsed Uranus suggests an opportunity to showcase one’s independence; the eclipsed Node can push one into the spotlight, as demonstrated by the press she’s receiving.

Here’s another important Neptune-themed ending: “Leaded petrol era officially over as Algeria ends pump sales.” Neptune refers to oil.

If Neptune is demanding focus in the news, it’s time for another chapter in the life of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, noted here back in 2016. She claimed to have developed a way to run a zillion lab tests from one pinprick of blood, and while maybe one day in the future this will be possible, it wasn’t possible when Holmes was running a billion-dollar company based on nothing. With transiting Saturn on her 14 Aquarius Sun, which is also being squared by Uranus, it’s time for her to get real and shake things up. She’s finally going on trial this week and her rumored defense is that she was in an abusive relationship with her co-defendant (and former boyfriend and business partner).

From Mercury opposing Neptune last week…to Mars opposing Neptune this week, we were bound to hear stories of fanatics and viruses combined. Three fierce anti-vaccine crusaders died of Covid in recent days, all with broadcasting platforms (Neptune refers to broadcasting through intangible airwaves). Two of the three changed their stance before they died. Also:

Oh lookie what NYT columnist Paul Krugman posted just minutes ago — he is so in sync with planetary patterns:

Ooh, a scandal that’s not happening here in America:

Mars-Neptune patterns can be transcendent and miraculous.

And finally, Mars-Neptune patterns can reflect men (Mars) who dance (Neptune) en pointe, thus dissolving boundaries (Neptune), as seen in this video posted on Twitter by the good folks at Now This! Overall, it reflects the ground-breaking potential of the 2021-2022 square between Saturn (old guard) and Uranus (avant-garde), a contest in which Uranus will always, always, always. prevail.

All in good time.

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Thank you for reading this forecast.