Tuesday 5/30/23: Sneak Peek at the Week; Amanda Gorman, Tina Turner, Rosalynn Carter & Saturn Encounters; Full Moon in Sag

Alllllllrighty then!

I am back at my computer after a lovely reunion weekend at alma mater Wellesley. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and a grand time was had by all — especially during Friday’s loooong “party on, dude” Leo Moon void. I considered writing a forecast yesterday, but given that I’m under the influence of a Mars return, the last thing I wanted to do was sit and type. Transiting Mars suggests a need to be channeling physical energy — preferably in a project where you can work independently. And since Mars rules the area of my horoscope that refers to my home, I spent 17 hours organizing and cleaning out every single closet, including putting down fresh shelf paper in the pantry. I was hoping I’d find Pepper the Cat’s missing leash, but no such luck. I did, however, reconnect with several cherished items I would never have been able to find had I not stumbled across them while reorganizing.

This concludes this brief tutorial on Productive Things You Can Do Under an Energizing Mars Transit.

Highlights of the week are:

  • Venus trines Neptune on Friday
  • Full Moon in Sagittarius on Saturday
  • Mercury conjunct Uranus on Sunday — notable because this almost happened in April, but Mercury turned retrograde before it could happen. Thus, we may see quite the outburst of disruptive news, for better or for worse.

It goes like this:

  • MONDAY…was a holiday in the United States, and another day to note your dreams upon waking, as Moon opposes Neptune at 5:45 AM ET. Chill during the ensuing Moon void. Moon entered Libra at 10:50 AM ET, now seeking fairness and balance in relationships. Depth is added to the discussion and debate, as Moon trines Pluto at 11:12 AM ET. If you were traveling back from your holiday weekend escape, a sextile between the Moon and Mars at 9:21 PM ET suggested an easy flow. Godspeed!
  • TUESDAY: Moon trines Sun at 3:38 AM ET. It travels through the rest of the day without interference.
  • WEDNESDAY: Ship it before 11 AM ET, unless it’s a matter of routine. Moon goes void on a square to Venus at 10:53 AM ET, possibly prompting a conflict between the rational and the emotional. Chill during the nine-hour Moon void. Roll with the twists and flakes that may disrupt efforts to move forward in a straight line. Avoid impulse shopping. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill of apparent crisis, as such freak outs have an odd way of resolving themselves, once the Moon engages with the next sign. At 7:45 PM ET, Moon does just that when it enters Scorpio for the rest of the work week, now seeking to be acknowledged for depth and substance, using knowledge for the sake of accumulating power and control. Its agenda is made quite clear minutes later, as Moon squares Pluto at 8:02 PM ET. A restless night for some, perhaps, as the Moon’s need for control may push boundaries when it opposes Jupiter at 2:03 AM ET on…
  • THURSDAY. Early risers may be feeling some version of militant discipline, for better or worse. Moon squares combative Mars at 8:11 AM ET, then trines Saturn at 8:29 AM ET, giving a measure of authority to your plans for world domination.
  • FRIDAY: A stubborn clash of power vs. practicality, perhaps, as Moon opposes Mercury at 2:52 AM ET. A jolt may grab our attention in the morning, reflecting the disruptive potential of the Moon’s opposition to Uranus, exact at 8:09 AM ET. How does the shock of recognition reconcile with the need for beauty and harmony suggested by the trine between Venus and Neptune, exact at 6:42 PM ET? I don’t know, but planetary patterns do support a bit of music and romance, even if the Scorpio Moon is inclined to be a wee bit possessive. Moon trines Neptune at 8:42 PM ET, followed by another trine to Venus at 8:50 PM ET. Sweet…and deep. Moon goes void for the rest of the night. Chill!
  • SATURDAY: Moon enters Sagittarius at 1:03 AM ET, needing to push boundaries with righteous opinions and enthusiasm. This is an excellent weekend for getting out in nature and broadening horizons. Emotions are on the rise — but possibly constrained around 1:07 PM ET, as Moon squares Saturn. Doing something about it — with gusto — is facilitated by a trine between the Moon and Mars (which is in regal Leo, remember – and thus quite able to put on a show). At 11:41 PM ET, look up at the beautiful Full Moon in Sagittarius.

Here is the chart for the Full Moon, calculated for Washington, DC:

 

Observations:

  • The aforementioned Mercury-Uranus conjunction — suggesting disruption/innovation in thoughts/communication — gains even more significance for the United States, as it is on the IC — the root — of this chart.
  • Meanwhile, Pluto is right on the 1 degree Aquarius Ascendant, opposing Venus. The early ASC suggests that its too soon to tell how the changes that are likely to happen in the aftermath of this Full Moon will ultimately manifest. Breakdown, transformation and power plays are front and center. Pluto’s opposition to Venus suggests extremes — in social expression, values and money, particularly with respect to emotional and home/homeland security (that’s what Venus in Cancer needs).
  • A rare cooperative connection between Jupiter and Saturn bodes well for working things out — at least when it comes to matters of business and leadership.
  • The Sabian Symbol for the Moon is “the Pyramids and the Sphinx,” an “image of mystery and monumental wonder,” says astrologer Blain Bovee. They suggest an enigma and/or a riddle. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun is “a conversation by telepathy.” Bovee notes that “tele” means “complete;” “pathos” means “suffering.” Hmm. Both Symbols are steeped in silence; there are simply no words. And yet…information is definitely communicated, even if we don’t understand the source. Astrologer James Burgess opines that the pyramids and the sphinx refer to wisdom that has stood the test of time, but may have been forgotten. It is up to us as individuals to reconnect to the source of knowledge — and this source isn’t likely to be the nearest Designated Authority Figure.
  • You are more personally affected by this Full Moon if you have planets or angles around 14 degrees of Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius or Pisces.  Off the top of my head that includes Asa Hutchinson (who’s running for president), Ozzy Osborne, Anderson Cooper, Julianne Moore, Herschel Walker, and Terri Schiavo. Let’s keep an eye on the headlines.

Back to the Forecast:

  • SUNDAY: the buzz in the air today and yesterday reflects the conjunction of Mercury and Uranus — surprise, surprise — exact at 3:49 PM ET. It would be interesting to go back to things that seemed as if they were going to be resolved just as Mercury turned retrograde last April. Perhaps the wait is now over. Given the Sabian Symbol for this conjunction — “A finger pointing in an open book” — it feels as if the resolution, however shocking it may appear, is intuitively obvious. And so it is written. As it were. And perhaps this will bring a sense of completion to the wounded warrior who appears in Beth Owlsdaughter’s (she’s back!!!) Tarot Card of the Week. Moon squares Neptune at 11:23 PM ET — and then goes void for four hours. Chill!

And now, the news.

As anticipated in last week’s forecast, President Biden and Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement in principle to raise the debt ceiling, so that the United States does not default on its obligations, which would crater the world economy. The deal was reached in between last Friday’s Venus-Uranus sextile (reaching across the aisle) and the Sunday’s weighty Sun-Saturn square. Isn’t that fascinating? Now the deal has to pass in the House, and if it isn’t voted on by Friday, planetary patterns over the weekend and into Monday are potentially extreme and volatile…so…we shall see. On last weekend’s weighty Sun-Saturn square (which the US has in its natal chart), it is apt that McCarthy is touting work requirements for “a child sitting on the couch collecting welfare” as part of the deal.  Plus, his own horoscope has a lean, mean square between his Gemini Moon and Pisces Saturn. No warm and fuzzy role models in his childhood, I would imagine — and thus no soup for you or anyone else. And while I’m thinking of soup nazis...Heather Cox Richardson’s latest Letter from an American blew my mind…because I thought I knew American history, but I’d never heard of the series of pamphlets put out by the War Department called Army Talks.

Meanwhile…

Because I was not at my computer for much of last week, I watched the news only out of the corner of my eye. There were notable events we could see reflected in the horoscopes of those affected.

  • Exhibit A: poet Amanda Gorman was “gutted” last week when “The Hill We Climb” — which she read to a rapt audience at the Biden-Harris inauguration — was deemed to be hateful and thus not suitable for students at an elementary school in Florida. Or rather, FloriDUH, given that the restrictions were imposed because ONE — and I mean JUST ONE — person filled out a complaint form. Yes, one person — who thought Oprah Winfrey wrote it, ferchrissakes — got away with murder, because the designated authority figures did what she demanded. I suppose this is apt for last week’s overblown square between Mars in regal Leo (where it actually can get away with murder) and Jupiter (overblown). You can read “The Hill We Climb” here, courtesy of Town & Country. There is an astro-logic to this injustice, naturally — which we see in what we know of Gorman’s horoscope. The complaint was filed on March 29th, as transiting Mars was squaring Gorman’s prominent Mercury (at the last degree of Pisces) and Mars (at 2 degrees of Aries).  Transiting Saturn was squaring her MC. The ban was announced when Mars opposed the soul of the poet in her horoscope — a.k.a. her Venus-Neptune conjunction in humanitarian Aquarius. Transiting Saturn was opposing her Virgo ASC. I expect remarkable assertion around June 8th, when Mars opposes her Uranus. I also expect 2024 to be more expansive than 2023, as next June,  Jupiter will rise to the top of her horoscope, activating all four angles.
  • Exhibit B: it was announced today that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia. Fun fact: Carter’s Ascendant is 5 Virgo, just like Amanda Gorman’s. Their respective Midheavens are within one degree of each other — at 3 Gemini and 2 Gemini, respectively. Thus, transiting Saturn has been activating the angles in their horoscopes in the same way, although in Mrs. Carter’s case, Saturn is also square her natal Saturn and in a solar arc with her Ascendant. At 95, we can appreciate the controls these patterns reflect. The dementia diagnosis is not surprising, given other patterns in her horoscope that suggest a dissolving reality. Did you know that Mrs. Carter has been a fierce advocate for mental health care for decades? She has — explained here.
  • Exhibit C: I wish we had a birth time for Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General who’s been under indictment since 2015 (but has managed to weasel out of a court date ever since). Paxton just wrapped his second Saturn return, when he should have made plans for the next 28 years of his life. It seems that karma — possibly in the form of transiting Uranus (shock and awe) squaring his natal Saturn (structure; authority; reality) — has its own agenda. Separate from the federal indictment, Paxton was impeached and removed from office last week — stunningly so — by Republicans in the Texas legislature — on 20 counts of bribery and corruption, as Heather Cox Richardson explains.
  • Exhibit D: music legend/diva Tina Turner passed away last week — at 83. Looking at her horoscope and reviewing major turning points in her life, we can’t help but see how they “coincided” with contacts to the angles, Sun and Moon from the outer planets — whether its her split from her abusive husband in 1976, her comeback that started in 1983; another career peak in 2000; or her recent passing. Turner was born with the Sun in Sagittarius, driven by the Moon in Gemini. She would need to be appreciated for being the cleverest, most entertaining person in the room. A regal stage presence reflected her Leo Ascendant. No wonder Leo Mick Jagger was drawn to her. A t-square among Venus, Neptune and Jupiter suggests creative vision and ideals of beauty — big time.  Transiting Saturn has been in contact with another t-square among the Sun, Moon and Mars since March. Uranus has been squaring her Leo Ascendant, and she just experienced a Uranus return — which can be an opportunity to set oneself free.
  • Exhibit E: we are just on a roll with all of these examples of news makers reflecting the weekend’s Sun-Saturn square (streamlining; authoritative advances; losses). Here’s the latest headline featuring someone with transiting Saturn making hard contacts to other planets in the horoscope. Anyone remember Tara Reade, the woman who alleged in 2020 that President Biden sexually assaulted her when she was a staffer for the then-senator from Delaware? Born February 26, 1964 in Monterey County, CA (time unknown), Reade just completed her second Saturn return, and is thus ready for a new lease on life. Her horoscope features a steamy conjunction of Sun-Mars in Pisces, opposed by the disruptive Uranus-Pluto conjunction Virgo. All but Pluto are being hit now by transiting Saturn. There she was today in Moscow, with bestie and convicted spy Maria Butina, announcing her defection to Russia. Hey, she says she feels like home there, and in the aftermath of a Saturn return, we can see why she’d make a move.

Finally…

Check out this awesome headline, reflecting Pluto as it connects with the Great Mutation of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius. The new age of Air is underway, AS ANTICIPATED!!!! Woot!!

Astrology is AMAZING.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. As for my groovy podcast, “Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast,” co-host Whitney McKnight and I took last week off. However, this Friday we are excited to release a brand new episode — recorded in Evanston, Illinois!! The stars were aligned and they conspired to put us in the same space at the same time…for the first time EVER! So…we got to meet in person — and last Friday we shared a sneak peek of the longer chat we will air this Friday. Hope you will find it as fun and informative as Avid Reader Lesley, who says:

Before this brief overview of where I am (which will tell you why I need a consult w/you), I must say how much I enjoy “Off the Charts!” It’s a great way to learn #astrology! After an hour, I know waaaay more than when I started listening.

It just warms my heart to know that Avid Readers and Avid Listeners find these astrological musings worthwhile.

Thank you for reading this forecast — and sharing it with friends.

Pepper the Cat’s Mars in Scorpio is notoriously determined and tenacious.

Leo Moon and Mars; Venus in Cancer over Wellesley’s Whitin Observatory