Allll righty then!

Late start to writing the forecast today (Monday), but what a lovely day it was, starting with an early breakfast meeting in the city (i.e., Manhattan), with a dear friend and former TV promo colleague who happened to be visiting from out of town.  The clouds of smoke from Canadian wildfires have moved on, which made it possible to dine outdoors. In our convivial catch-up over coffee and croissants, I suggest that they make their way to LaGuardia Airport via the Roosevelt Island Tramway, one of NYC’s hidden gems. Yes, you can take a cable car over the East River, and that’s my preferred commute home anytime I’m on the East Side.

We parted ways, and I spent the next several hours taking care of various errands, with surprises along the way. I discovered amaranth and cut chrysanthemum greens (an excellent source of carotene; good for the eyes) at the Union Square farmers’ market. I helped a lost Arab find his way to a local hospital — in French, because neither of us spoke the other’s native language. My last errand was at Bloomingdale’s, where I informed a fellow customer that the cash sticking out of her back pocket might be better kept in her wallet. Then I headed to the Tramway, and as I arrived at the stairs leading to the platform, I found myself climbing up…directly behind my breakfast buddy!! What are the odds of that happening? The synchronicity is astonishing.

Anyhoo…

It’s now Tuesday morning, so let’s get to the Forecast! Highlights this week are:

• Mercury squares Saturn on Thursday
• Mercury sextiles Venus on Saturday
• Saturn turns retrograde on Saturday
• New Moon in Gemini on Sunday
• Sun squares Neptune on Sunday

It goes like this:

• MONDAY: Moon in Aries is energized by trine to Mars, exact at 8:35 AM ET. It travels through the rest of the day with no interference from the other kids in the cosmic sandbox (as evidenced from the above diary entry). Arise, go forth and conquer.
• TUESDAY: More Moon in Aries, building to the power play and/or catharsis suggested by Moon’s weekly clash with Pluto. This one happens at 2:26 PM ET, just before the former guy is scheduled to be arraigned on dozens of counts of criminal charges related to his theft of classified documents from the American people. If you haven’t read the indictment, it’s a page-turner, and can be found here. More on the astro-logic of the scheduled arraignment later. Meanwhile, the Aries Moon will be void for all of five minutes, thanks to Pluto being at the verrrrrry end of Capricorn (and activating the April 20th solar eclipse, FYI). Moon’s ingress into Taurus at 2:31 PM ET should shift our focus from fiery crusading me-me-me first Aries drive to the stabilizing, material comfort and security-seeking needs that are symbolized by Taurus. The evening offers an optimistic lift, reflecting Moon’s meet-up with Jupiter at 1:40 AM ET on…
• WEDNESDAY. Cooperation and communication are supported by Moon’s sextile to Saturn, exact at 3:35 AM ET. A clash of values and social expression may greet us upon waking, as Moon squares Venus in regal Leo at 5:07 AM ET. Tensions build to a release around 5:15 PM ET, as Moon squares Mars (also in Leo, and easily prone to indignation). Another surprise — or lightning bolt that clears the air — may arrive as Moon meets up withe Uranus at 4:54 AM ET on…
• THURSDAY. Realism and discipline in matters of thought and communication may permeate the morning, as Mercury (how we need to think) squares Saturn at 12:09 PM ET. Realism — possibly popping a bubble of tenaciously-held magical thinking — is one theme that is humming in the background all week, as Saturn slows down to a virtual standstill from our perspective on Earth, preparing to turn retrograde on Saturday. Planets slowing down to a change of station bring matters they symbolize into focus, like a driver leaning on the horn of their car. Because Saturn is Pisces, the focus is likely on matters of control, limits and structure in areas that are associated with Pisces: e.g., water, empathy, oceans, souls and soles (Pisces rules the feet). You are more personally affected by the potential for gravitas if you have planets or angles around 7 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Off the top of my head, that includes MBS of Saudi Arabia, Sara Duterte of the Philippines, Justin Bieber, Woody Allen, Kristi Noem and Chrissy Teigen.
• THURSDAY: the counterpoint to Saturn’s gravitas may be hinted at around 5:18 PM ET, as Moon sextiles (harmonizes) with Neptune, purveyor of idealism, fantasy and escape. Looking at things through rose-colored glasses is likely to become more evident as the weekend approaches, as you will soon see. Depth of emotion is warranted around 9:36 PM ET, reflecting Moon’s trine to Pluto. You won’t notice the nine-minute Moon void, but you may notice how the mood shifts when Moon enters Gemini at 9:45 PM ET. A need to be the most informed, witty and entertaining kid in the room runs away with the wee hours, with potentially sobering discoveries on…
• FRIDAY.  Moon squares Saturn at 11:19 AM ET. There’s your prompt for sobering news or rain on your parade. Focused communication putting it all in the best light possible is due around 3:12 PM ET, as Moon meets up with high-functioning Mercury in Gemini and then sextiles Venus at 4:57 PM ET. Happy Happy Hour, to all who celebrate.
• SATURDAY: Moon in Gemini sextiles Mars at 4:13 AM ET, facilitating an active day of fun and games — at least for those not personally affected by Saturn’s change of station. Mercury (in Gemini) sextiles Venus (in Leo) at 11:29 AM ET and echoes the potential for creative play. Note that we are in the dark of the Moon — the end of the lunar cycle. If there is a sense of listlessness or restlessness, it is reflecting the anticipation of the new cycle just around the corner. With little light from the Moon, clandestine affairs are supported. Meanwhile, Saturn turns retrograde at 1:27 PM ET, possibly putting the brakes on administrative progress from now until November 4th, when Saturn turns direct. Another opportunity of Saturn’s retrograde is to look within for authoritative guidance. Consider that the cavalry may not be coming — and if that’s the case, it must necessarily follow that we are the ones we’ve been looking for…to save us.  Anyone with planets between 0 and 7 degrees of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius is affected more than most. Consult your local astrologer for details.  FYI, the Sabian Symbol for Saturn’s retrograde is “a girl blowing a bugle.” That’s an attention-getter (even if no one wants to hear it), adding to the attention all matters related to Saturn are likely to command as the great karmic taskmaster pivots this week.
• SUNDAY: At 12:37 AM ET, the new lunar cycle begins when the Moon meets up with the Gemini Sun. It squares Neptune at 2:23 AM ET and then goes void for a few hours. Enjoy the chill — and given the Sun and Moon’s engagement with Neptune, note your dreams.

Here is the New Moon in Gemini, calculated for Washington, D.C.:

Observations:

• A New Moon offers us an opportunity to re-set  intentions and goals for the next lunar cycle. Gemini is an air sign, ruled by Mercury, which refers to the mindset, information and communication. Gemini is a double-bodied sign (it is represented by the Twins), and is thus capable of going either way — or more than one way simultaneously — in a situation. Gemini invented the phrase “…on the other hand” — and guess what? Gemini also rules the hands. It likes to have its hands in a lot of different pies. The Gemini mantra is I THINK.
• Sun and Moon are in the 4th house, focused on the foundation of the nation; real estate; home, family, lineage. Sun-Moon are square to Neptune, suggesting an idealized projection of the self, for better or worse — and by “idealized,” some of it may not be based on reality.  If the truth is out there, we may not see it quite yet.
• Pluto is at the verrrry end of Capricorn, on the cusp of the 12th — hidden enemies, ginormous institutions of confinement, and the self-undoing.
• Saturn — controls, authority, cuts, structure — is in the 12th house (happily, FYI), but also close to the Ascendant. This may work as a counter to the aforementioned idealization.
• It’s worth noting that Venus and Mars look as if they are going to connect in Leo. However, they will not. Venus will turn retrograde before it meets up with Mars — and in a minute I’ll give you an example of how this pattern is reflected in real life.
• The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is “a gypsy coming out of the forest.” Hmm. A wanderer coming out of the woods…into civilization? A spy coming in from the cold? Gypsies have a reputation for fortunetelling; what does this emerging gypsy know? And how will their insights be received? Gypsies are usually viewed with suspicion, notes astrologer Blain Bovee. Keep this gypsy image in mind over the next few weeks.  More insights can be found here.

Back to rest of…

• SUNDAY: Moon enters Cancer at 6:57 AM ET, shifting focus to emotional and home/homeland security needs. However you address those needs, planetary patterns have your back all day — and there’s no Moon void to dissuade you from shopping, if that what your need for comfort in your home requires. A sextile between the Moon and Jupiter at 8:45 PM ET may be optimistic; a trine (harmony) between Moon and Saturn at 8:59 PM ET facilitates structure. The caveat would be the Sun’s square to Neptune at 11:53 PM ET. Sun refers to leaders of state and business; Neptune refers to healing, lies, intangible, fraud, oceans, the surreal, etc., etc.)” Here’s what transpired in the news when Sun squared Neptune at the end of 2022.

For more insights on this week’s potential, here is the always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week from Beth Owls Daughter. Look at all those shiny Sun-square-Neptune objects on the face of this card!

And now, the news.

Pluto leaving Aquarius and re-entering Capricorn over the weekend suggested an urgency in matters of governmental and corporate power and resources, including infrastructure. News of corruption exposed would not be unexpected. Minutes after Pluto’s backward shift at 5:45 AM ET,  there was an accident involving a oil tanker truck under a bridge on 1-95 (major highway running up and down the East Coast), which sparked a fire...which led to the collapse of the bridge. Was it a coincidence or a conspiracy that the collapsed bridge was right near the world-famous Four Seasons Total Landscaping, site of Rudy Giuliani’s ridiculous press conference a few years ago? I don’t know, but Giuliani’s horoscope is affected by transiting Pluto — and all the other planets in the early degrees of Leo and Taurus, so there’s that. Far more interesting is that the fire that arguably melted the steel supports of the bridge was a burning oil tanker. Oil and other fossil fuels are symbolized in part by Pluto.

Meanwhile…

Heather Cox Richardson addressed the symbolism of Pluto current action and also how it is being reflected in the horoscope of the United States. Obviously, HCR did not consciously do this, but if you read her latest Letter from an American, she notes the astonishing “coincidence” of final curtains falling on key proponents of Reagonomics, including Pat Robertson and James Watt (noted in Friday’s Forecast). Why is that reflective of Pluto? First, because Pluto at the end of Capricorn is likely to break down the influence of all that is rotten among those with power and resources. Second, Avid Readers will recall that Reagonomics came into being on the square transiting Pluto made to Pluto in the U.S. horoscope in the early 80’s, as explained in this post from January 2022.

We don’t have a confirmed birth time, place or even a date for Richardson, but my Avid Reader sources have given me a potential date. And based on that date, it is interesting to see patterns suggesting a blossoming of assertive energy in speech and in action. If you follow her on Twitter, you may have noticed it, too. Richardson has taken to directly calling out certain politicians when they lie.

Here are few headlines reflecting Pluto’s shift and/or Saturn slowing to its station. Stories of contraction and cuts refer to Saturn.

• Add Pat Sajak to the list of departing dinosaurs, as he announces the end of his 41-year stint as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
• Ditto for Silvio Berlusconi, who died last week.
• JP Morgan Chase reaches $$$$$ settlement with victims of Jeffrey Epstein‘s abuse –– included because Epstein’s horoscope is affected by transiting Pluto. Doesn’t matter that he’s dead; the horoscope lives forever.
• “People are spending less on hotels, flights and restaurants”
• “It’s not a good sign when people who don’t pay for news have so little to choose from“
• “Whisper it, but the boom in plastic production could be about to come to a halt“ — about a possible world treaty that could be negotiated this month.
• “US regulators move to block Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal“

It’s worth noting that as Venus has moved from its opposition to Pluto and then to a square with Jupiter over the weekend, we see this expansive, optimistic item:

• Stocks are climbing in the aftermath of the good news that inflation has been decreasing for the past 11 months.

In other news…

I looked at the chart for TFG’s scheduled arraignment  today at 3 PM in Miami, FL as soon as the time was available. In that chart, it appears as if the prosecution and the defense might reach a settlement, as they are represented by Venus and Mars, respectively. But — as noted above — the two planets do not meet up while both are in Leo. We won’t have a conjunction between Venus and Mars until 2024. Instead, Venus will turn retrograde, turning away from Mars. So…at this point in the game, a deal does not look likely. I was delighted to see the prosecuting attorneys represented by a high-functioning Mercury in Gemini, and that the Sun at 22 Gemini (TFG has Sun at 22 Gemini) was sitting in the prosecuting attorneys’ domain.

I was disappointed, however, to see that Mercury was in an area of the horoscope suggesting that it may be locked away in some way. Nor was I crazy about the planet representing the judge being in the area of the chart assigned to the defense, and also being high-functioning (Moon in Taurus). One consolation was that the planet representing a potential judge was at the beginning of the sign — zero degrees — and thus not set in stone. One can only hope, I thought — especially when it was announced the next day that TFG appointee Aileen Cannon has been given the case. But — oooh — lookie — as it turns out, Cannon will NOT oversee the arraignment. That task has fallen to — OMG, will you look at his name!! — Jonathan GOODMAN, who was a reporter before launching his legal career, apparently. Goodman is known for his sense of humor, which is apparently shared by whatever entities unknown to us are crafting this storyline.

At this point, unless Cannon recuses herself or the prosecution files an objection, word on the street says there won’t be a change in the judge for TFG’s trial. We shall see.

In the next episode of Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast (available on Friday), we’ll weigh in on the astro-logic of whatever transpires today, with a look at TFG’s solar return (his birthday is June 14th). Plus we’ll have more on the fate of Nicola Sturgeon, whose recent fall from grace was anticipated before it happened, as Avid Listeners may recall. Sturgeon was arrested over the weekend, and taken in for questioning about suspicions of questionable financial matters involving her political party.

And that’s it for now — oh no — wait — here’s one more — as we approach Fathers’ Day this Sunday:

• “A father’s gift of a kidney gave his child a normal life for decades.” Why am I sharing this — gifted — no paywall – article? Because the child in the article is now a grown woman — and also a friend — and the kidney she received from her father 50 years ago is wearing out. If sharing this article helps connect Sharon with a life-saving kidney donor, it would be a wonderful thing indeed — as wonderful as the Washington Post is for publishing Sharon’s story. Pass it on!

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations, reports, etc. Yes, I would be delighted to speak to your group or company about astrology and how it works. PowerPoints are at the ready. Thank you for all the referrals…

…and thank you for reading this forecast and sharing it with friends.