A new work week begins with a New Moon, this time in Scorpio. For the first time in a couple of years, this New Moon is not an eclipse. Patterns in the New Moon chart suggest a rollicking start…segueing into powerfully focused action, colored by ideals.

Patterns reflecting this potential are:

• New Moon in Scorpio on Monday
• Sun opposes Uranus on Monday
• Mercury sextiles Venus on Wednesday
• Sun and Mars trine Neptune on Friday
• Sun meets up with Mars on Saturday (Friday, if you’re on the West Coast)

Spieghiamo (“Let’s explain”):

• MONDAY: New Moon in Scorpio begins at 4:27 AM ET. Light a candle and set your intentions for the new cycle, planting seeds for development wherever Scorpio falls in your horoscope. Innovative actions and assertion, accompanied by sudden upsets to the status quo are inevitable, as Moon opposes Uranus at 5:05 AM ET and meets up with Mars at 7:18 AM ET. At 12:20 PM ET we have two patterns exact. Sun opposes Uranus — suggesting shocks to the system involving leaders; revolting peasants; seismic activity; news of innovation or disruption in energy resources. Moon also trines Neptune. Depth is added to it all around 6:03 PM ET, as Moon sextiles Pluto and then goes void for three hours. At 9:22 PM ET, Moon heaves a sigh of relief, soaring into Sagittarius — but there’s a catch. Avid Readers will recall that for the next few months, the Moon’s first stop after entering Gemini, Pisces, Virgo, and Sagittarius is a hard one — to Saturn. Translation: a sense of gravitas to the Sag Moon’s need for righteous opinions; authoritative blocks or necessary controls to efforts that aim to broaden horizons. Tonight’s block happens at 10:27 PM ET.
• TUESDAY: Tomorrow may have a lighter feel, with Saturn in the rear view mirror. Moon meets up with Mercury at 9:03 AM ET and then sextiles Venus at 9:44 AM ET. Not until Wednesday evening do we have a contact between the Moon and any other planet, thus the Sagittarius’ Moon’s need to be of influence and push boundaries could run wild. Color the rest of the week rose, frankly, reflecting the first of several patterns suggesting magical thinking, including fuzzy math. At 7:48 AM ET on…
• WEDNESDAY: …Mercury (how we need to think and communicate) makes a cooperative aspect (a sextile) with Venus (who, what, and how we need to love). Mercury-Venus contacts suggest idealism, as I’ve said. Venus is currently in Libra — high-functioning in its aim for beauty, balance, and rational discourse.  Mercury, on the other hand, is more inclined to shoot from the hip in Sagittarius (isn’t it interesting that Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, also rules hip), potentially lacking in details necessary for practical application. Anyhoo. Magical thinking — awesome for artists, healers, visionaries, poets, and possibly pacifists — it shall be, as Moon squares Neptune at 5:56 PM ET…and goes void for the next (almost) nine hours. You know the Moon void drill: roll with the twists and flakes; stick to routine concerns; don’t make a mountain out of a molehill of crisis. Chill!
• THURSDAY: At 2:41 AM ET, Moon enters Capricorn, now seeking to Make Things Happen, and ideally, that’s good for business. Moon sextiles Saturn at 3:48 AM ET, suggesting supportive structures and authority; Moon trines Jupiter at 5:47 PM ET, so perhaps we’ll have something to cheer for at the end of the day. Still — there is tension between the Moon’s proactive drive and the need suggested by Venus in Libra for that which is lawful, fair, and balanced.
• THURSDAY: Humming in the background this week are two patterns that are not inclined to engage in direct conflict, preferring instead to cast a charismatic spell…or wear adversaries down to the point of fatigue and surrender. At the same time, empathy may be heightened, which results in focused acts of compassion. Other potentials of Neptune demanding focus in the cosmic sandbox include faith, oceans, drugs, spirits of all kinds, scandals, fog, cinema, photography, and all other intangibles. Note your dreams, as Mars (action, assertion, anger) trines Neptune (which tend to dissolve what it touches) at 3:35 AM on…
• FRIDAY: Then, at 9:51 AM ET, Sun trines Neptune, suggesting that themes noted above likely involve leaders of business and state. The earthy, achievement-focused need of the Capricorn Moon is well-supported. Innovation and unconventional alliances are boosted by Moon’s trine to Uranus at 2:51 PM ET; a sextile to Neptune at 9:52 PM ET takes the edge off of whatever pointed action is about to hit, aided by sextiles between the Moon, Sun and Mars at 10:48 PM ET and 10:51 PM ET, respectively.
• SATURDAY: Pointed action reflects the conjunction of the Sun and Mars at 12:41 AM ET. Mars meets up with the Sun every two years (that’s about how long it take Mars to orbit the Sun). Thus, this meet-up marks the beginning of a new cycle of action. In Scorpio, the actions of Mars may stem from loyalty and/or a personal code of honor, for better or worse. Mars is moving faster than its average speed (because of its proximity to the Sun), arguing for a faster pace on Earth. Headlines in the wake of past Sun-Mars conjunctions can be found here and here and here.
• SATURDAY: Moon meets up with Pluto at 3:27 AM ET, suggesting our weekly appointment with power plays and catharses. Chill during the three-hour Moon void. Moon enters Aquarius at 6:27 AM ET, inspiring us to hang with friends and other like-minded souls. Being recognized for one’s unique social significance within the construct of a group is an Aquarian dream come true. We may see expansive efforts to realize that dream, as Moon squares Jupiter at 8:49 PM ET.
• SUNDAY: No lunar speed bumps in the early part of the day. Moon trines Venus at 3:12 AM ET, and sextiles Mercury at 5:38 AM ET. The weekend is ripe for cooperation among the Powers That Be, and we may hear about some of that this evening, as Moon squares Uranus (surprise, surprise) at 5:53 PM ET

Here is the chart for the New Moon in Scorpio on Monday (today, as I write), set in Washington, DC:

Observations:

• A  New Moon in Scorpio plants seeds for reaching heights and plumbing depths, armed with knowledge obtained for the sake of power and control. Given that this week’s agenda includes searching for a way to avoid shutting down the government on November 17th, it seems apt that from the perspective of the United States, this New Moon falls in the 2nd house — of money, values, and worth. Mars and Mercury (action and talk) are also in this house.
• Pluto — power, resources, purging — is at the root of this horoscope.
• It’s interesting to see so many planets on the cusps of houses. Planets on a house cusp draw attention to the house and the symbolism of the planet. Neptune on the cusp of the 6th house, for example, suggests matters of faith, viruses, toxins, water, wipe-outs, victims, healers, peacemakers, etc. are likely to be prominent in 6th house matters for the US in this lunar cycle. The 6th house refers to health issues, diet, working conditions, pets, and systems of process.
• The Sabian Symbol for this lunation is “a soldier derelict in his duty.” We worked with this symbol on the Full Moon in Scorpio, back in May 2017. Wikipedia defines “dereliction of duty” as

• …a specific offense under United States Code Title 10, Section 892, Article 92 and applies to all branches of the US military. A service member who is derelict has willfully refused to perform his duties (or follow a given order) or has incapacitated himself in such a way that he cannot perform his duties. Such incapacitation includes the person falling asleep while on duty requiring wakefulness, his getting drunk or otherwise intoxicated and consequently being unable to perform his duties, shooting himself and thus being unable to perform any duty, or his vacating his post contrary to regulations. Article 92 also applies to service members whose acts or omissions rise to the level of criminally negligent behavior.

•  Sabian Sage Blain Bovee adds that

• “choosing not to perform one’s duties may be a matter of conscience: a personal realization that the orders given are humanly, personally unacceptable. Refusing to shoot innocent defenseless people is a failure to obey orders, but also a show of higher moral sensibilities: refusing pay out of conscience and a higher sense of worth and reward.”

• I expect the headlines will reflect these themes in the coming month.
• You are more personally affected by this New Moon if you have planets or angles around 21 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius. Off the top of my head that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Meadows, President Biden, and Israel.

Beth’s Owl’s Daughter’s always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week is an image of a person standing on higher ground, defiantly (?) defending himself against attackers. Looks like an apt reflection of Sun conjunct Mars in Scorpio to me.

And now, the news.

Jocularity is one potential on a day with Sun, Mars, and Moon making contact with Uranus. Many comedians have these patterns in their horoscopes. Uranus is a cut-up, doncha’ know. I’m thinking about this whilst tuning in to the latest episode of NY Attorney General Letitia James’ suit against the former guy’s organization, reported live by Lisa Rubin on the site formerly known as Twitter.  James already won her case, as the Trump Organization’s fraudulent misrepresentation of asset values has already been proven in court. Judge Engeron is hearing the case now so that he can determine the damages. For some reason, not everyone understands this, including the former guy’s lawyers.

Today, the former guy’s eldest son returned to the stand for the defense, and — not surprisingly for this day — the mood was jocular, with plenty of quips between Don Jr. and the judge. Plus, there was much talk reflecting the pixie-dust of this week’s trines among Mars, Sun, and Neptune, as Don, Jr. described the family business as “very sexy,” “visionary,” etc. It is amazing how astrology works its way into the Zeitgeist of any given day.

Meanwhile…

Sun-Mars opposing Uranus suggested news involving aviation, upsets, gender-benders, seismic activity, and tech breakthroughs. Mars refers to men, cars, athletics, iron, red, war; Sun refers to leaders, eyes, and energy; Uranus refers to disruption, rebellion, etc.:

• Sunday’s NYT Magazine was “The Space Issue“
• “Iceland volcano: emergency declared over eruption concerns” The quakes started four days after I left, and the Blue Lagoon is now closed.
• “The [sudden] death of Jezebel is the end of an era of feminism. We’re worse off without it.” We should be adding the sobering mindset of last Friday’s Mercury-Saturn square to these headlines, too….especially:
• “Hearst (magazine publisher) asks colleagues to report ‘controversial’ social media posts; even liking certain posts could cause a problem, according to publishing giant’s new social media policy  imposed as divisions over the Israel-Gaza war roil the media industry.”
• WaPo op-ed response: “You shouldn’t be fired for being a jerk.”
• “Inside an Only Fans empire: S*x, influence, and the new American Dream“  –lots of Neptune fantasy in this WaPo exclusive
• Also w/Neptune in this disruptive verdict, which may shake up the cryptocurrency industry next year: “Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of fraud.”
• Also Neptune: SCOTUS adopts ethics code — surprise! –– but there’s no way to enforce it (so how can it be for real?)
• “Surgeons perform world’s first human eyeball transplant“
• “Trans people can be baptized and be godparents, says the Pope”
• “State of emergency declared in Los Angeles as fire engulfs interstate.“
• “Exxon aims to be top lithium producer for electric vehicles“
• “The best place to shop is other peoples’ lost [airline] luggage“
• “A college football coach gets $77m not to work while US education suffers”

Meanwhile…

I told you last week that Venus at the Aries Point, improving in condition as it entered Libra, was likely to reflect favorably for women in the results of last Tuesday’s election. And it did. Ohio’s Issue #1 enshrined the right to abortion in the state’s constitution, and control of both legislative chambers in Virginia are in the hands of Democrats, after Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin made it clear that he would push a measure banning the procedure after 15 weeks if Republicans prevailed. Astro-logically, we had patterns similar to those in the 2022 midterms, when pundits doubted that protecting reproductive rights would spark voter turnout — and were proven wrong. In 2022, Jupiter was on the Ascendant of the chart for the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling; last week, Venus opposed it.

Also favorable for women:

• “SCOTUS hears case on reinstating gun possession people accused of domestic violence” — and observers opined that the justices seemed open to not reinstating.

UPDATE: Mitch McConnell continues to feel the squeeze of Saturn as it sits on his Pisces Sun. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was easily elected for a second term, defeating McConnell’s choice. Attorney General Daniel Cameron infamously called the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor justified, and astro-logically, Saturn is putting the squeeze (by square) on his Sun, too.

UPDATE: on Joe Manchin (D-WV), yet another politician being squeezed! In Manchin’s case, it’s Saturn opposing his (Virgo) Sun, and last week Manchin announced he would not seek another Senate term. There is speculation that he might seek to run against Joe Biden as an Independent in 2024. Manchin’s action is right on schedule, w/transiting Mars conjunct his mission-driven Jupiter in Scorpio; transiting Uranus opposing Jupiter this year and next sparks sudden, apparent windfall opportunities. August 24, 1947, in Farmington, West Virginia — birth time unknown.

UPDATE: on Senator Tim Scott, who –surprise! — brought a girlfriend to last week’s Republican debate. That didn’t help, and he’s suspended his campaign. Scott’s Virgo Sun has been under the bewildering spell of transiting Neptune; we can appreciate his need to be seen as a visionary, but it was only a dream. Next year he’ll have his second Saturn return…that’s when reality is likely to bite. True to themes of last week’s patterns, the announcement was a surprise to his staffers. Did you know that Nikki Haley appointed Scott to his Senate seat when she was Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina? I’d forgotten that…until I discovered prior write-ups on both in the archives of this forecast. Haley’s horoscope continues to function as anticipated years ago, now that transiting Pluto is on her Sun. I can’t see her dropping out of this race.

Finally…

This happened over the weekend:

• “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing Hitler, Mussolini.“ — in speech on Veterans’ Day — and that was WaPo’s headline.
• Here’s how the NYT reported it: “Trump takes Veterans’ Day speech in a very different direction”

Say what?

I bring this to your attention for a couple of astro-logical reasons. First, as noted here over the years, Hitler’s horoscope has been in a phase of development where we would anticipate prominence. This phase will not last, as deeply disturbing as it is to witness. But still, while the former guy may not be in running come November, he has many supporters in office willing to follow his lead of not honoring the results of an election. In Ohio, for example, we have this headline:

 

Second, with respect to gathering accurate information that doesn’t treat the 2024 election not as a horse race, next year is likely to be more challenging than it is now. Thus I (once again) highly recommend historian Heather Cox Richardson‘s daily take on what’s going on in our government, and what’s at stake. Here’s her post for Friday, November 10th. This is the state of our union.

But you know I always like to end on an upbeat note, because there is always some good news to share.  This video is a follow-up to Beth Owl’s Daughter’s suggested coping strategy for last week’s challenging Tarot Card (it was the Three of Swords). The strategy was to get in touch with your feelings…and talk about them. And guess what?? This four-year-old makes it look easy. The video is seven months old, but it popped up on my feed today. I hope you find it adorable and inspiring. That child is the future.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. YES, I do have gift certificates for all your loved ones, now that the holiday season is just around the corner. Gift certificates may be emailed or snail mailed — whatever your preference. Send me an email and we’ll make it happen.

Thank you for reading this forecast.