Monday 5/1/2023: Sneak Peek at the Week; Pluto Retrograde; Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse & Much More

Rabbit, rabbit!

There’s a reason people say that on the first day of any month, and here it is.

Planetary highlights this week are:

  • Pluto turns retrograde on Monday
  • Mercury conjunct Sun on Monday
  • Venus squares Neptune on Thursday
  • Venus sextiles Jupiter on Thursday or Friday, depending on your time zone
  • Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse on Friday
  • Venus enters Cancer on Sunday

It goes like this:

  • MONDAY: Moon in Virgo drives the day with a need to make things right. Perfect for Mercury REorganizing, REviewing, REconnecting…in every detail (checked twice, suggests Mercury retrograde). A cooperative connection between Moon and Mars 5:08 AM ET gets us off to an efficient start. The big news today is PLUTO — power, resources, news from underground, breakdown, purges, purgatory and transformation — turning RETROGRADE at 1:08 PM ET.

Here are some thoughts on Pluto retrograde:

Retrograde planets suggest a time to look inward for authority in whatever matters ruled by that planet. Pluto is power, control, regeneration, transformation, healing. So stop trying to control the world around you, already. Work on controlling (mastering) your own inner world — and then the world around you will start to reflect your newly-masterful self.  Y’know? You’ll feel the potential for a change of perspective more personally if you have a planet or angle at the very beginning of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio — and especially, Aquarius…and….the very end of Aries, Libra, Cancer — and especially Capricorn.

The Sabian Symbol for Pluto’s reversal today is “an old adobe mission,” which brings images of “burning hot” places in the U.S. Southwest and missionary zeal to mind, says Sabian sage Blain Bovee.  Pluto re-enters Capricorn on June 11th, prompting an urgent revisit of All Things Corporate, no doubt. Pluto turns direct on October 10 — a hair’s breadth away from the U.S. Pluto. Thus we can anticipate any number of power plays in the extreme for the U.S. through September, October and November. Off the top of my head, public figures likely to be affected include Pete Buttigieg, Nikki Haley, Adolf Hitler, Jeffrey Epstein, Kellyanne Conway, President Biden, VP Kamala Harris (especially this fall), King Charles III and Boris Johnson.

  • MONDAY (cont.): Moon squares Venus at 1:31 PM ET, suggesting a clash of values and/or aesthetics. Too clever for your own good, perhaps? There is a would-be practical idealism suggested by this week’s planetary patterns. The first is a conjunction between Mercury (how we need to think) and the Sun, exact at 7:27 PM ET. This is one potential for idealism, as our minds (Mercury) may be blinded by our own light (the Sun). But it’s happening in Taurus, which needs to feel materially comfortable and secure — and thus the potential for practicality. Adding to the dreamy potential is an opposition between Moon and Neptune, exact at 7:52 PM ET. Chill during the ensuing six-hour Moon void. Focus on routine concerns; avoid impulse shopping, and don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
  • TUESDAY: Moon enters Libra at 2:08 AM ET, now seeking fairness and balance in relationships. The only exact aspect today is a harmony between Moon and Pluto at 2:51 AM ET, adding depth of expression to the rest of the day. However, the Moon doesn’t connect with another planet until 5:10 PM ET on…
  • WEDNESDAY…and the lack of aspects may be experienced either as 1) a lack of focused engagement; or 2) needs for fairness and balance that run wild. Either way, it may also feel as if time is moving slower that usual. We shall see. The closer we get to 5:10 PM ET, the closer we get to a potential outburst of energy, as Mars in emotional security-seeking Cancer squares the Libra Moon. Efforts to pour oil on any troubled waters may succeed, as Venus trines Moon at 3:54 AM ET on…
  • THURSDAY. If you wake up with a burst of optimism, credit the Moon’s opposition to Jupiter, exact at 5:15 AM ET. Power players are advised not to push their luck, however, as Moon then goes void for the next five hours. If your morning has a slow start, twist or flake, just roll with it — there’s no need to stress out. At 10:32 AM ET, Moon gets focused in Scorpio, now seeking to be of depth and substance, on its mission of consolidating power and control. This may be emphatically stated around 11:12 AM ET, as Moon makes its weekly clash with Pluto, sparking a possible catharsis. And yet..and yet…there is this other idealistic, rose-colored pattern in the background, exact at 1:40 PM ET. And this would be the square between Venus (who, what and how we need to love — including money and the arts), and Neptune (scandal, spirits, pixie-dust). Could be a beautiful, musical, spiritual, creative, healing escape. Could be a fairy-tale fit for a soon-to-be-officially crowned king. Could be a disappointment, as what was thought of as real is revealed to be not as it seemed. A bit of reality would be supported as evening approaches, and the Moon and Saturn align in an easy trine at 8:53 PM ET. Oh — and isn’t THIS lovely? How could I forget to mention the other harmony this evening: the sextile between Venus and Jupiter, known as the Lesser and Greater Fortunes. Yes, if you have planets around 26-27 degrees of just about any sign, you could try your luck with a lottery ticket. Ya never know — and the sextile is exact at 12:02 AM ET on…
  • FRIDAY. Moon opposes Mercury at 3:15 AM ET, suggesting a potential clash — and release — of stubborn opinion. Emotions are on the rise, as the Scorpio Moon waxes to fullness — and is eclipsed — at 1:34 PM ET.

Here is the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse, calculated for Washington, D.C.:

Observations:

  • Here are cool photos from the solar eclipse on last month’s New Moon.
  • This article explains the three different kinds of eclipses, and where this one can be seen.
  • I see eclipses as temporary interruptions in the flow of light from either the Sun or the Moon. As a result, things may be hidden in plain sight. The interruption in the flow of light creates a bottleneck of energy later bursts out when “triggered” by a transiting planet. Thus, eclipses are astonishingly accurate timing tools.
  • This eclipse falls close to the reeallly long lunar eclipse we had on November 8th, 2022.  Thus, we’re likely to see more more more revelations on whatever was hiding in plain sight on November 8th — which was Election Day in the U.S.
  • Four planets in the 9th house (when set in DC) suggest a focus on the media, higher education, court opinions, and foreign affairs. The eclipsed Moon in the 3rd house suggests matters involving mindset, transportation and documents, to name a few.
  • Pluto on the edge of the 6th house suggests a potent focus on health and labor concerns
  • This eclipse — like the one on November 8th — is likely to be disruptive, given that the next connection after the eclipse is the Moon’s opposition to rebel Uranus, and the Sun conjoins Uranus on Tuesday, May 9th.

The Sabian Symbols for this eclipse are — for the Moon — “children playing around five mounds of sand” — and, for the Sun — “a man muffled up, with a rakish silk hat.” Aren’t these images curious? The first image suggests “creating entire worlds out of the (five) senses,” says Blain Bovee. The second sounds like George Santos (R-Fraud), who got elected to Congress by dressing the part. Bovee has more on the children playing in the sand:

The question is, “What do you do with a shapeless situation? How do you work with a prospect that shifts and slides, that offers no definite lines to guide or follow?”

Sand-box play suggests that one proceed with child-like commitment to fashioning the world as if a higher hand has a part in it. Conviction and commitment… it is life after all. Plus a deep trust that if there is something you need to know, something you need to discover, it will, like an emerging shape in the sand, appear.

Trust valid instincts that bring you to a change in mind, heart and action. Even where there appears to be nothing, a foothold can and will make itself manifest like a world emerging around mounds of sand upon which children play.

Perhaps when this lunar eclipse is activated May 31, June 22, July 19 — and especially June 15th and August 16 — we will start to see those emerging shapes in the sand.

  • If you’d like several paragraphs of handcrafted insights on how the April and May eclipses are likely to manifest in your own personal world, send me your birth data (if you know I don’t already have it), and use this handy-dandy link to send the $65 payment, with gratitude.

Back to the forecast:

  • FRIDAY: At 8:13 PM ET, Moon opposes Uranus, suggesting a disruption of the status quo. Surprise! An easy flow of action supports whatever hit the fan, as Moon trines Mars in Cancer at 1:50 AM ET on…
  • SATURDAY. Note your dreams in the morning, as Moon trines Neptune at 10:37 AM ET. Heck, note them all week, given the build-up to the square between Venus and Neptune on Thursday. Chill during the ensuing Moon void. At 4:03 PM ET, the Moon heaves a sigh of relief and soars into Sagittarius, now seeking to push boundaries and gambol/gamble about the country. Take a walk in the woods; broaden your horizons. Just know that for the next few days, everyone will be entitled to everyone else’s righteous opinions. A sextile between the Moon and Pluto at 4:41 PM ET adds depth to the discourse…and gravitas, too, reflecting the square between Moon and Saturn at 2:12 AM ET on…
  • SUNDAY. Let’s see how themes of sobriety show up in late night comedy shows, hmm? The only other planetary pattern today is Venus — who, what and how we need to love — ditching Gemini for Cancer at 10:24 AM ET. So all through the weekend and Monday, Venus will be demanding extra attention because it is at the Aries Point — i.e., the beginning of a Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). In Cancer, what Venus needs to value is anything related to home and family. I won’t be surprised if any of these folks make news over the weekend: Barack Obama, Liz Cheney, Elizabeth Warren and our Aries Point Poster Child, Ted Cruz. Enjoy.

And now, the news.

E. Jean Carroll is suing the former guy in civil court, alleging that he raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf’s (possibly the most upscale retail store in NYC). The astrology of the plaintiff’s opening statement — which can be used to assess a probable outcome — was discussed in episode 35 of Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast.  There is singing in that episode, and co-host Whitney McKnight and I discussed the astro-logic of Tucker Carlson’s and Don Lemon’s ceremonial dumping by their respective networks. I can’t remember if I mentioned this in that episode, but we really need to acknowledge how the dwarf planet Eris — named for the Goddess of Discord — is being reflected in these firings. Jupiter was conjunct Eris last week, and of course, Jupiter refers to the media, higher education, court opinions, publishing and other collective belief systems. Meanwhile, transiting Eris is square the U.S. Mercury...and over the next few years will square the U.S. Pluto. Translation: it’s not surprising that we’re seeing so many mindsets (Mercury) that are hell-bent (Pluto) on burning the place down (Eris). Got that?

Perhaps this explains why the cover of the NYT Magazine is “The Most Dangerous Person in the World is Randi Weingarten.” She’s the head of one of the country’s largest teachers’ unions.

In other news, historian Heather Cox Richardson has all the details on the history of the White House Correspondents’ Association, and the gala dinner she was invited to attend over the weekend. Planetary patterns support this deep dive…file it under Things I Did Not Know…and here are the best jokes, courtesy of Salon.

Meanwhile…

We had two cooperative patterns that facilitated action, for better or worse. One was between the Sun and Saturn (leaders and ambition/structure); the other was between Mars (men; guns; anger; courage) and Uranus (unconventional; innovative).  The Moon was in Cancer last week — and this is a time when Congress seems able to be more functional.

The symbolism of Pluto (power & resources; news from underground) blaring like a stuck car horn as it prepared to turn retrograde has been epic:

Finally….

Here’s Beth Owl’s Daughter with her always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week.

Be kind to yourself on this Full Moon week. An old wives’ tale recommends eating potatoes on a lunar eclipse to help keep you grounded. Remember that Mercury is still retrograde, so take time for rest and review. It could be fun to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in awhile, too — as Avid Reader Marie did in an email I received this morning:

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you and the work you do. I was re-listening to our check in from last spring and it was really incredibly prescient. I’m working on a creative project right now that is just exactly along the lines you said were indicated in my horoscope- it’s uncanny! I wanted to re-listen because I felt like you mentioned something like that and around the beginning of the year I felt a big push to start writing again and wanted to see if that was sort of validated by what you saw in my chart and it was really kind of freaky how accurate it was…

Astrology. Is. Amazing. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

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

                         Rabbit, rabbit — against a rosy Venus-Neptune backdrop                                                                   with shades sponsored by Pluto…