Good morning from New York!

One eclipse down; one more to go — in another action-packed week. Highlights are:

• Sun enters Scorpio on Monday
• Sun trines Saturn on Tuesday
• Mars opposes Jupiter on Saturday
• Full Moon in Taurus — a lunar eclipse — on Saturday
• Mercury opposes Jupiter on Saturday
• Mercury conjuncts Mars on Sunday

So…what appears to be an easy flow of authoritative energy at the beginning of the week, builds to a big, big release of energy over the weekend, likely possessive/territorial in nature.

• MONDAY: Moon in Aquarius drives the day with a need for innovation, networking, and showing the special magic that only you can do, especially within the construct of a group. A surprise or other disruption to the status quo arrives around 3:04 PM ET, as Moon squares rebel Uranus. Roll with the twists and flakes that may arise in the ensuing 13 hour Moon void. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Stick to routine — i.e., avoid launching projects you hope will be of consequence, including significant purchases. Chill — and take time to wander if you can.
• MONDAY: At 12:20 PM ET, Sun leaves airy, cerebral Libra for the watery, emotional depths of Scorpio. Theories just won’t cut it; Scorpio demands substance. Mention Scorpio to those who know just enough about astrology to be dangerous, and they may run screaming down the hall. Perhaps they find Scorpio’s natural bent for power and control intimidating. Per pioneering astrologer Linda Goodman, “Scorpios build all the way up to Heaven and all the way down to the Hell. That’s what makes them so…interesting.” Interesting, indeed. And fiercely loyal and protective/possessive of what and whom they love. Scorpio may be a Water sign, but it is Fixed in its modality — as in tenacious and relentless.
• TUESDAY: That easy flow of authoritative energy is symbolized by a trine between Sun and Saturn at 3:13 AM ET, but will any of it stick during this long Moon void? That is the question. At 4:32 AM ET, Moon enters Pisces, shifting our focus to matters of empathy and ideals, with a sobering focus of what’s real and practical, and what’s not. Saturn — as I mentioned in the last forecast — is still retrograde in Pisces, but it’s slowly to a virtual standstill as it prepares to turn direct next week. As it makes the second pass over territory it began covering in March (you can review what was anticipated here), we are seeing revisions in matters of structure/support for all things Pisces. Example: here in New York, the mayor has announced time limits (Saturn) on housing for migrant families with children. Refugees, compassion, and empathy are not boundless, as Pisces would like to be. Saturn is the energy of necessary control. Perhaps there will be another rethink of this policy change when Saturn turns direct.
• TUESDAY: The “sobering focus on what’s real and practical” is symbolized by the meet-up of the Pisces Moon with Saturn at 5:34 AM ET. This focused sobriety receives plenty of structural support from the other kids in the cosmic sandbox: Sun trines Moon at 5:44 AM ET; Moon trines Mercury at 10:56 AM ET (make your pitch before then); Moon trines Mars at 6:57 PM ET (put the plan into action)…and maybe have cause to celebrate around 11:56 PM ET, when Moon sextiles Jupiter.
• WEDNESDAY: An adjustment is required around 5:51 AM ET, as Venus — in discerning Virgo — opposes the Pisces Moon. Perfection and exacting details may be demanded of Pisces’ more all-encompassing approach. Cooperation with unconventional allies and technogeeks is supported throughout the day, as Moon sextiles Uranus at 4:34 PM ET. A focused vision or an escapist fantasy may carry us away in the evening, as Moon meets up with Neptune at 10:22 PM ET. A sextile to Pluto adds depth to the dream around 2:39 AM ET on…
• THURSDAY…and then Moon goes void until 6:01 AM ET. It’s kinda like that clock in Groundhog Day, getting us out of bed. Arise, go forth, and get things started (or conquer), driven by the Moon’s ingress into Aries. Incredibly, Moon charges through this day and…
• FRIDAY…without input or interference from any other planet. This could be one serious snowball of fire and crusading passion, building to a power play or catharsis as Moon squares Pluto at 4:19 AM ET on…
• SATURDAY…and then goes void  until 7:44 AM ET. So…wow. Just wow. In 15 years of writing about the daily motion of the Moon, I can’t remember a journey quite like this. Emotions are on the rise, of course, because the Moon is waxing to its fullness. Humming in the background all week — and building to a big release — is the dance among Mars (action), Mercury (communication/mindset), and Jupiter (big big big). It’s all happening over the next 24 hours. At 12:03 PM ET, Mars opposes Jupiter. Mars is in Scorpio — ruthless, laser-focused, highly effective. Jupiter is in Taurus — expanding on a stubborn need for comfort and security, especially in matters of territory. Taurus needs to preserve the status quo and keep things calm —  and that’s where the Moon now is, as of 7:44 AM ET. This need receives cooperation from the local executive authority, symbolized by Moon’s sextile to Saturn at 8:39 AM ET. So…cooperation…followed by the big action potential of Mars opposing Jupiter…and then, at 4:24 PM ET, the Full Moon in Taurus will be exact. At 11:44 PM ET, the first contact after the eclipse suggests big news in matters of foreign affairs, publishing, courts, sports, with a yours vs. mine theme, as Mercury opposes Jupiter. You are more personally affected by the energetic releases among Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter if you have planets or angles around 11 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Off the top of my head, President Biden has Mars at 12 Scorpio, so we can see how his need for assertion is pumped up. Vladimir Putin has Venus at 12 Scorpio. Alexei Navalny’s North Node is 11 Scorpio; his Mars is 10 Leo. Karl Marx’s Moon is 11 Taurus — and it doesn’t matter that he’s dead. Same for Jeffrey Epstein, whose Jupiter is 11 Taurus. They’ll be making waves this week. The former guy’s Pluto is at 10 Leo; Jim Jordan’s Mercury is 10 Aquarius. Watch for them all in the headlines.

A pause, while we look at the chart for this Full Moon/lunar eclipse, set in Washington, D.C.:

Observations:

• The opposition between the Taurus Moon and the Scorpio Sun suggests a conflict between the need to preserve the status quo for the sake of material comfort and the ability to achieve greater depth and substance in our values and joint ventures, including relationships. Dare to go there, despite the discomfort — so that old patterns can be released. With expansive Jupiter and proactive Mars involved in this conflict, how could we not be drawn deeper by such maxxed-out energy?
• Neptune is on the Ascendant of this chart, which reflects the U.S. experience of this eclipse. Neptune refers to illusion, healing, saviors, deception, bewilderment, drugs, conspiracies — for better or worse. These themes are tied to how the U.S. is seen in the world, and how we see ourselves.
• Venus is on the Descendant, soon to oppose Neptune. Venus is in Virgo, seeking perfection — and more capable of achieving what it desires than it might otherwise be in Virgo. Venus-Neptune suggests a need for beauty, loving kindness, and rose-colored glasses.
• This eclipse falls on the cusps of the 2nd and 8th houses of this chart, putting a strong emphasis on releasing matters of money, worth, joint investments, debt, taxes, mortality, and values — as in yours vs. ours.
• Mercury and Mars are in the 8th house, opposing Jupiter in the 2nd house. Jupiter in Taurus in the 2nd suggests a need for abundance in worth — but note that Uranus is there, too — and this suggests volatility. This abundant stability is what needs to be projected out into the world. Mars in the 8th suggests intensity and ruthlessness in matters of desire; Mercury in the 8th suggests an investigative approach, and a possible covert, silent strategy. Might be quite the surprise when the trigger is finally pulled.
• Pluto in the 11th suggests power plays and catharses among administrative bodies; potential energy vampires. Upside potential: empowerment through benefactors and groups of like-minded souls.
• The  Sabian Symbols for this eclipse are “a bridge being built across a gorge” — for the Moon — and “a gold rush” — for the Sun. Wow again. Such promise of reward for constructive efforts – as in, bridging a gap or crossing a river — driven by a rush or excitement. I think it’s interesting that it is a gorge being bridged, and not a chasm or a ravine. Words matter! A gorge suggests a massive indulgence, does it not? I can’t believe I ate the whole thing — and I really didn’t need that much! I wonder how that interpretation may play out in the news…
• Meanwhile, in your own personal world, astrologer Blain Bovee suggests “finding ways to the other side; bridging difficulties; tying caution and excitement together in productive ways”.  The caution and excitement relates to the big X factor involved when one crosses a bridge to the other side. Astrologer Lynda Hill’s interpretation stresses the need for building bridges instead of walls — (a thoughtful take in this time where borders and boundaries are making headlines) and how speaking up and reaching out to others — in a conscious effort to break down barriers — is a more evolved strategy.
• You are more personally affected by this eclipse if you have planets or angles around 6 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Off the top of my head, that includes Liz Cheney, Ellen DeGeneres, Ron DeSantis, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), former SCOTUS justice Anthony Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy — the father, not his son.

And yes, there’s still time to request a few paragraphs of personalized insights on how this eclipse may be reflected in your life experience. I’ll tell you when it will be triggered, and you may plan accordingly. You can order these eclipse insights  using the handy PayPal button on this page.

Back to the weekly forecast:

• SUNDAY: The Taurus Moon’s drive to keep things calm and stable receives a boost of expansion as it meets up with Jupiter at 2:36 AM ET. It is then provocatively challenged as it opposes Mercury and Mars at 3 AM and 3:30 AM ET. Seven hours later, at 10:21 AM ET, a new cycle of walking and talking begins, as Mercury and Mars meet up in Scorpio. A trine to Venus at 5:32 PM ET offers practical social expression, with an upset to the status quo around 8:35 PM, as Moon meets up with Uranus.

Meanwhile…

Beth Owl’s Daughter’s always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week last appeared in August — during the week of the devastating fires on Maui. It’s a sorrowful card, but as I’ve noted before about the Nine of Swords, there is a literal comforter in it, crafted with patterns of beauty and hope. Beth offers helpful coping strategies…and these recent articles may help, too:

• “Our lives had been shattered. Now, something extraordinary was happening.”
• “A national park bounces back after California’s biggest fire.”

And now, the news.

On my two-week whirlwind European tour I was more focused on walking, walking, walking — through cities I’d never before seen, and less interested in following the news. But I flew to Dublin on the day Hamas breached the walls surrounding Gaza, and their horrific attack was on my mind.

With only several hours to spend in Ireland, I couldn’t stop to linger at Trinity College (and see the Book of Kells), for example. But if I’d had the luxury, I probably would have headed to the National Museum of Ireland first, to see the bog bodies I’d read about in my travel guide. They are ancient — and believed to be victims in rituals of human sacrifice, which had got me thinking about how humans have a long, long track record of deliberate cruelty and violence against each other. I thought about this again when I walked by Rome’s Coliseum, where humans were routinely thrown to lions as a spectator sport.

Current events might make one wonder if we as a species have evolved much at all over the millennia. Even in Iceland, an eco-conscious country where bankers were actually held accountable for crashing their economy several years ago, women — including the prime minister — are going on strike (tomorrow!) in protest of pay inequity — and gender-based violence.

On the other hand…putting the news aside…my two-week whirlwind tour was pretty much non-stop beauty and human kindness, for which I thank my lucky stars.

In other news…

The flow of events as reported by Heather Cox Richardson were utterly in sync with the planetary patterns outlined in last week’s forecast. Sun and Mercury at the verrrry end of Libra suggested more talk about the rule of law, and there was President Biden giving a speech in Israel about upholding just that, as well as seeking peace. Later in the week, he gave another speech — this time from the Oval Office — along the same themes.  Over the weekend, on the trine between Venus and Jupiter, which suggested an easy flow of fortune, “a convoy of trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt,” for the purpose of delivering humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile…

As anticipated, Jim Jordan did not have the votes to become Speaker of the House, but he did play a major part in Saturday Night Live’s cold open (with thanks to Avid Reader Michael for making sure I didn’t miss it).

Also as anticipated: VP Kamala Harris was on the cover of the NYT Magazine. The story hit the stands on October 9th, the day after transiting Mars opposed her Aries Moon and was conjunct her Libra Sun. Not surprisingly, it’s a provocative piece — hardly warm and fuzzy. The reporter unknowingly addresses the challenges of being clearly seen when transiting Neptune is squaring your Ascendant and your North and South Nodes, especially when Neptune (which dissolves whatever it touches) rules your Midheaven — career! Patterns through the end of 2023 are more expansive…here is her horoscope.

Closing with a random tidbit about what it’s like to constantly look at the world through the lens of astrology…

I was listening to a Suzanne Vega album for the first time in years, and thinking — upon hearing the lyrics to this song — “I’ll eat my hat if there are no screaming Scorpio/Pluto placements in her horoscope.” As it turns out, Vega has Venus exactly conjunct Pluto in Virgo (emotional overkill); Mars in drama queen Leo square Jupiter in — Scorpio (!) — with added shock value suggested by Mercury exactly conjunct Uranus (!!!) in Leo. Astrology is amazing.

For another take on an astrologer’s point of view, Avid Reader Julia recommends Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by the Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Torkarczuk. It’s a murder-mystery with a philosophical bent — and the protagonist is an astrologer. It’s just right for this time with Mercury, Mars, and Sun in Scorpio.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.   We will have a fine discussion together. 

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

Happy Birthday to all the Scorpios. Resistance is futile.