Alllllrighty then!

The holiday week is over, and it’s time to get back to work. Highlights this week are:

• Mars enters Virgo on Monday
• Mercury opposes Pluto on Monday
• Mercury enters Leo on Tuesday (or Monday, depending on your time zone)
• Sun sextiles Uranus on Friday

So…most of the action happens today — Monday — perhaps bringing us down to Earth. That’s certainly the message of Beth Owl’s Daughter’s always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week.

• MONDAY: Moon in Aries says “arise, go forth and conquer,”  armed with a new action plan that puts a great priority on efficiency in every detail, as opposed to a dazzling, “because I said so” execution. Why? Because at 7:40 AM ET, Mars leaves Leo and enters Virgo. Perfection and correctness; hypochondria and anxiety; these are apt topics for conflict and combat until August 27th, when Mars enters Libra. Mars in Virgo is an excellent time for analysis and adjustment in matters of health, diet, and work routines. I would not be surprised to hear more headlines of labor disputes (especially about work environments and comparisons to slave labor) over the next six weeks. Meanwhile, Moon trines Venus at 12:34 PM ET, facilitating — perhaps — a spoonful of sugar to accompany whatever action plan you’re on…or whatever perspicacious statement that needs to be made around 4:47 PM ET, as Mercury (how we need to think and communicate) and Pluto (power and resources; depth, transformation; corruption revealed) are opposed. Catharses and power plays may follow, reflecting Moon’s weekly clash with Pluto (at 6:49 PM ET). Ten minutes later, Moon squares Mercury, now at the verrrry end of Cancer. This suggests a workout for the Aries Moon’s me-me-me agenda as it wrestles with an urgent message involving home, homeland and emotional security. The latest weather report might qualify, with its record-breaking heat waves and flash floods.
• MONDAY: Moon goes void at 7:11 PM ET; blink and you’ll miss it. Moon enters Taurus at 7:55 PM ET, determined to build and maintain material comfort and security. It trines Mars at 8:30 PM ET, facilitating a down-to-earth initiative.
• TUESDAY: Mercury exits Cancer and enters Leo at 12:11 AM ET. There it will roar with great drama and showmanship until July 28th. Actions today are supported by a cooperative flow between the Taurus Moon and Saturn in Pisces, so structure that deal. A wave of optimism fuels the rest of the day, as Moon meets up with Jupiter at 4:04 PM ET.
• WEDNESDAY:  An easy flow to the morning, as Moon is in harmony with Sun. Security needs may be disrupted this afternoon, as Moon meets up with Uranus at 12:41 PM ET. The need for peace and quiet contends with another person’s need for drama — perhaps — as Moon squares Venus at 9:23 PM ET. Meditate on it — or plan an artsy escape, as Moon sextiles Neptune at 10:59 PM ET…and then, at 2:10 AM ET on…
• THURSDAY: …benefits from the power and resources of a trine to Pluto. After a 75-minute Moon void, Moon enters Gemini at 3:25 AM ET. Gemini Moon’s agenda: to be the smartest, most entertaining kid in the room. That agenda is challenged to get it RIGHT by Moon’s square to Mars at 6:51 AM ET. Find a constructive outlet for any excess of physical energy, if you please. A harmony between Moon and Mercury at 12:39 PM ET favors getting your message across, even if a wet blanket or other authoritative advance shows up around 4:05 PM ET, as Moon squares Saturn. Believe in your ability to wrangle cooperation among unconventional allies, reflecting a sextile between Sun and Uranus that’s been humming in the background all week, and is exact on…
• FRIDAY…at 7:02 PM ET. Watch the headlines for innovation involving leaders of business and state, technology, aviation, and maybe even astrology. The Gemini Moon buzzes through this day with no interference from the other planets in the cosmic sandbox. If time feels like it’s moving slower than usual today, it might be reflecting that planetary pattern.
• SATURDAY: a potentially dreamy morning, as Moon sextiles Venus and squares Neptune between 8:27 AM ET and 8:35 AM ET, then goes void for nearly five hours. Time to sleep in and chill, chill, chill. Moon voids do not favor impulsive yard sale purchases, as what is bought during a Moon void may not live up to expectations. At 1:13 PM ET, Moon enters Cancer, driving the next few days with a need to focus on home and family security concerns. Your action plan is supported by a sextile between Moon and Mars, exact at 7:48 PM ET, as well as a trine between Moon and Saturn, exact at 2:05 AM ET on…
• SUNDAY. By now, we are likely to feel the expansive mindset of Monday’s square between Mercury (how we need to think) and Jupiter (BIG!). Is anyone grandstanding over the weekend? Trying to be an inspiration? They would be embodying the Mercury-Jupiter square. The only exact aspect today is a sextile between Moon and Jupiter at 12:22 PM ET. Get your message out; put another shrimp on the barbie.

And now, the news.

Stories of action and heat — with a dramatic urgency — reflect Mars, planet of action and assertion, as it blazed through the last degrees of Leo.  Add images of information and communication, reflecting Mercury’s contact with Uranus, Neptune, and — especially — Pluto. Sports seems to be another dominant theme::

• “Despite all the rage, smashing printers with hammers might not be good for you “

Astrology is amazing. We could stop right there, yes?

• The seventh most-read story on the Guardian’s home page is about the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, as it gets cruder and ruder in the players’ quest for world domination. But they aren’t the only Men Behaving Badly that are cluttering up my computer screen:
• Convicted abuser and ex-US gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser was stabbed in prison.
• In Tennessee, a “soccer coach’s phone reveals disturbing abuse”
• “Jonah Hill’s alleged texts to his girlfriend have enraged the internet.” 
• Florida ocean temperatures at downright “shocking” levels
• Flash floods washed out roads in the Northeast, especially in Vermont and New York, where a reporter was inspired to write that they had never seen a river so “angry”
• “PGA board member quits over ‘serious concerns’ with Saudi deal”
• “NYT disbands its sports desk“

But wait — there’s more!

Actor Kevin Spacey is on trial — again — this time, in the UK. The allegations are that he is a “vile sexual predator,” which is pretty much what he was accused of years ago, when he stood trial in the US and mounted a successful defense. There is dispute over his birth date, but we know enough to see clear patterns suggesting 1) magnetism; 2) things may not be as they seem; and 3) ruthless perfectionism and willpower. As I wrote nearly five (!) years ago for Mountain Astrologer:

Kevin Spacey chose a stage name that aptly reflects his horoscope, with its square between his regal Leo Sun and spacey Neptune. Who he really is and the illusion surrounding him have been a prominent focus since late 2017, when the first of dozens of men came forward to accuse the two-time Oscar winner of sexual assault. In December 2018, actual felony charges were filed against him by a man who says he was only 18 when he was groped by Spacey in a Nantucket bar.

Where do we see the potential for dramatic “wipeout” in the horoscope? Spacey’s second Saturn return was in January 2018 — definitely a reality check. Since 2017, SA Sun (who he is) and SA Neptune(illusions) have been at the Aries Point (within 2° of 0° cardinal signs). His Sun was eclipsed at the end of July 2018, echoing the potential for a curtain falling (in August, the total weekend box office for his film Billionaire Boys Club was $618.00). Meanwhile, SA Neptune has just conjoined his Saturn, adding to the surreal potential. If his Aries Moon is being squared by Pluto, we see the potential for emotional catharsis.That’s assuming he even has an Aries Moon, as it’s not entirely clear whether he was born on July 26 or July 27! Seriously, who is this guy?

In response to the felony charges filed against him, Spacey broke a yearlong silence with a bizarre defense posted on social media, in character as Frank Underwood, his killed-off persona from the series House of Cards. However he is judged in the trial (the next stage is scheduled for March 4, 2019), this video is undisputed evidence of a grand eccentric genius (Mercury conjunct Uranus in Leo and square Jupiter in Scorpio), acting out — literally — with compelling, disciplined perfection (Mars conjunct Pluto in Virgo, trine Saturn in Capricorn).

Current planetary patterns for Spacey include 1) karma cop Saturn putting the squeeze on Spacey’s ruthless assertive drive; and 2) the above-referenced emotional catharsis being rescheduled to 2024, affecting the area of the horoscope related to self-undoing.

Meanwhile…

President Biden, Barack Obama and the former guy all experienced events reflecting transiting Mars making challenging contacts with other planets and angles in their respective horoscopes. In the case of TFG, as Mars conjoined his Mars and 29 Leo Ascendant, his rants on his social media platform included the posting of what he said was Obama’s address in Washington, DC. I don’t know why there is confusion over whether this address was correct; either it was, or it wasn’t, amiright? In any case, soon thereafter, an armed man was arrested outside the Obama’s DC home, as transiting Mars squared Obama’s 28 Scorpio Midheaven.

President Biden has Sun-Venus at 27 and 28 Scorpio, respectively (no wonder Biden was so supportive of Obama’s professional status), and Biden certainly has been active in recent days. Biden’s Sun rules his 9th house — of travel and foreign affairs, and he’s currently overseas, meeting with King Charles today, (to discuss the climate crisis) and onto to Lithuania and Finland.  Note that this focus on foreign affairs was anticipated in the analysis of the chart for the Summer Solstice. Neat, huh?

Fun fact: Biden’s Sun, Queen Elizabeth’s Sun and King Charles’s Moon are all 0 Taurus. Prince William’s Jupiter is at 0 Scorpio, which is right on Prince Harry’s Pluto. The horoscopes of the Biden-Harris Inauguration and the official start of Brexit both have Moon at 29 Aries. All of these horoscopes are being simultaneously super-charged by dynamic contact with transiting Pluto — power & resources; transformation.

Finally…

Transiting Mars was active in my horoscope over the weekend, too, which is my rationale for why I spent all day Sunday in the kitchen. Sorrel soup, red pepper hummus, couscous salad, and a plum-blackberry torte, anyone? Mars can be quite the positive catalyst, doncha’ know — when it is not being reflected in the smashing of printers with hammers.

Here is the world-famous plum torte.

The sorrel soup recipe is from The Silver Palate, a cherished tome. To die for!

Here’s what I did with the chrysanthemum leaves I told you about a few weeks ago — OMG — these greens are sooooo delicious! So were the amaranth leaves, which I steamed and used as a bed for a fish curry — yummy!

But perhaps you didn’t come here for recipes. Perhaps you are interested in discussing your life, using the potential of your horoscope as a guide. I can help with that, too. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

Thank you for reading this Forecast, and for listening to Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast.

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Photo of a beach, for no reason in particular.