Happy Boxing Day to all who celebrate!

Happy Kwanzaa, too!

After a seven hour Moon void in Gemini, Moon entered Cancer at 10:15 AM ET. From now until Thursday evening ET, the focus is on creating emotional and home/homeland security — big time. I say this because of planetary patterns happening over the next few days, and because the Cancer Moon will be full at 7:33 PM ET.

Highlights during this short holiday week:

• Full Moon in Cancer on Tuesday.
• Chiron turns direct on Tuesday
• Mercury Rx squares Neptune (#2 of 3) on Wednesday
• Sun trines Jupiter on Wednesday
• Mercury Rx conjunct Mars on Wednesday
• Mars square Neptune on Thursday
• Venus sextile Pluto on Friday
• Venus enters Sagittarius on Friday
• Jupiter turns direct on Saturday

So… a lot going on…and here is the chart for the Full Moon, set in Washington, DC:

Observations:

• Under a Cancer Full Moon, the need for compassion, nurturing and FEELINGS challenges the potentially unemotional, status-seeking ambition of the Capricorn Sun.
• The Cancer Moon is in the 11th House, shining its light on groups of like-minded souls and benefactors, who may extend their influence to behind-the-scenes activities, hidden enemies, institutions of confinement and the self-undoing.
• Mercury and Mars are conjunct in the 5th house — of creativity and speculative ventures. Together in Sagittarius they suggest a focused, boundary-pushing mindset-action combination. Both are squared by Neptune, suggesting the focus may be in matters of drugs, dreams, oceans, spiritual concerns, scandals, healing, victims, viruses, healers, musicians, etc. It’s possible that the focus may be diffused, as Neptune suggests a dissolving of whatever it touches.
• Moon is sextile Jupiter, ruler of the 5th house in this chart. This is a supportive alignment.
• Sun is also in the 5th house, trine (in harmony) with Jupiter, which is slowing to a virtual standstill in Taurus. Jupiter is verrrry close to the eclipse degree of October 28th, so we may see a surge of action or revelation involving people with planets around 5 degrees of Taurus and Scorpio. Off the top of my head, that includes Liz Cheney.
• The Sabian Symbol for this Full Moon is “an automobile wrecked by a train.“ Astrologer James Burgess interprets this as “the collective will of the community has the power to bring destruction to an individual out of alignment with their destiny.” Ooh! But which individual? For the Sun at 5 Capricorn we have “Indians rowing a canoe and dancing a war dance.” Sabian Sage Blain Bovee notes that these Indians are a group of impassioned people, united in a common purpose. We are advised to watch for “creative and skillful ways to navigate extreme differences in power; guerrilla tactics against a powerful foe; issues of being swept away by ingenious ways to maneuver on one’s own course.” We should also watch the news for examples of powerful collisions between individuals and collective forces.
• Where have we seen these Symbols before? On the solar eclipses of December 2019 and 2000 — here’s what went down back then.   Hmmm.
• You are more personally affected by this Full Moon if you have planets or angles around 4-5 degrees of Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, and Libra. Whatever is activated now may be activated again on the Lunar Eclipse of March 25, 2024.

And here is the forecast for the rest of the week:

• TUESDAY:  Cancer Moon sextiles Jupiter in Taurus at 8:45 PM ET (the perfect pattern to schedule a marathon holiday cookie-baking session with an adorable five-year-old). At 10:09 PM ET, Chiron, the wounded healer, turns direct in Aries. Chiron has been in Aries since 2019, and here’s what was anticipated back then.  You are more personally affected by this pattern if you have planets or angles around 15 degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer, or Capricorn.
• WEDNESDAY. Moon travels without contact from the major players in the cosmic sandbox until 11:03 PM. Until then, three other patterns that have been driving the action all week will come to a head. First, at 2:42 AM ET, Mercury Rx squares Neptune. I guarantee that the cookies my five-year-old neighbor decorates will stretch the imagination, while the headlines will continue to be mystical, magical, or simply incredible. At 10:28 AM ET, Sun trines Jupiter — facilitating random acts of kindness and senseless beauty. At 7:31 PM ET, let the righteous opinions walk their talk, reflecting the conjunction of Mercury and Mars. Everyone gets into the act this evening, as Moon sextiles Uranus at 11:03 PM ET.
• THURSDAY: Note your dreams, which are facilitated this morning by Moon in sensitive Cancer’s trine to Neptune. Heck, note your dreams all week, and if you need a nap to keep on dreaming, with Mercury retrograde, and Neptune so engaged with Mercury and Mars, go for it. Remember that Mercury retrogrades are apt for RE-anything, including retreating and relaxing. At 5:15 PM ET, Mars squares Neptune.  Sexy scandal and deceit, fanatics, razzle-dazzle, drugs, healing, victims, ships, oceans, martyrs, refugees, music, cars, guns, soldiers, healing and wipeouts — ranging from the sublime to the surreal– may make news, as they did on a Mars-Neptune square in 2021.  This week’s square carries the power play/cathartic potential of the Moon’s opposition with Pluto, exact at 5:57 PM ET. Chill during the 90-minute Moon void. At 7:23 PM ET, Moon enters Leo, looking for the nearest stage, throne. or party. Your mission is to find creative ways to shine — and help others shine, too!  Meanwhile, Venus is at the verrrrrrry end of Scorpio, possibly ruthless in an effort to even the score, aided by a sextile to Pluto, now at the verrrrrrry end of Capricorn (until January 20). The sextile is exact at 1 AM ET on…
• FRIDAY:  A grandly exuberant or boastful start to the day comes courtesy of a square between the Leo Moon and Jupiter at 6:17 AM ET. For the next 27 1/2 hours, this burst of optimism or regal bearing builds and builds…like a snowball rolling down a mountain. Venus is still doing her payback thing at the verrrry end of Scorpio, and whatever is done is done…until 3:23 PM ET. That’s when Venus soars righteously into Sagittarius. From now until January 23rd it is now social expression, values, and aesthetics that dare to push boundaries, and initially, what is pushed may feel a bit harsh (because the first stop for Venus is a square to Saturn on New Year’s Day).
• SATURDAY: Any disruption of the status quo in the morning reflects the disruptive potential of Moon square Uranus at 9:38 AM ET.  Double check the messaging, no matter how seamlessly things flow, given that Mercury is still retrograde. At 9:40 PM ET, Jupiter — planet of reward and expansion — turns direct. Expansive projects that may have been delayed in recent months may now move forward — with a sudden surge, perhaps, given that Jupiter is activating October 28 Lunar Eclipse.
• SATURDAY: The Sabian Symbols for Jupiter’s change of station is “a bridge being built across a gorge.” It is a promise of reward for constructive efforts – as in, bridging a gap or crossing a river — driven by a rush or excitement. 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?  Astrologer Blain Bovee suggests we apply this Symbol to “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 if you have planets or angles around 5-6 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Off the top of my head, that includes Liz Cheney (again!),  Ellen DeGeneres, RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, Ron DeSantis, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), former SCOTUS justice Anthony Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy — the father, not his son.
• SUNDAY: Moon goes void on a trine with Mars at 12:18 AM ET. You know the Moon void drill: roll with the twists and flakes that may disrupt efforts to walk forward in a straight line. Avoid impulse shopping; stick to routine concerns. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill of crisis and CHILL. At 6:53 AM ET, Moon enters Virgo, determined to get things in perfect order before the start of the New Year. It may have some ‘splainin’ to do around noon, as the prim Moon squares Venus in big-mouthed Sagittarius at 11:22 AM ET…and then opposes wet blanket Saturn at 1:23 PM ET. Though the New Year’s Eve soirees start on a festive note, as Jupiter trines Moon at 6:10 PM ET, there may be a bit of streamlining in matters of money, worth, women and social expression the closer we get to midnight. Venus squares Saturn on New Year’s Day…and Mercury turns direct that evening. I’ll fill you in on that and more in the next forecast.

And now, the news.

Lots of headlines reflecting Neptune themes of fantasy, ships, drugs, viruses, etc. etc. — they’re listed in the forecast above. Note that I have only a limited number of articles in the NYT and WaPo I can gift you, so some of these links may not work if you do not subscribe.

• “Tolkien estate wins court order to destroy ‘Lord of the Rings’ sequel” — a significant development in the battle for control of intellectual property, as we’d expect in the aftermath of the Great Conjunction of 2020.
• Meanwhile, in the world of higher education (last week’s Mercury-Jupiter trine), Harvard president Claudine Gay faces allegations of “duplicity” — a.k.a. plagiarism. Quelle Neptune scandale!
• “Finally, a good reason to travel to space”
• OMG…this story of “forgiveness” kills me…and — not that anyone asked for my opinion, but… — is a prime example of why I believe the death penalty is not a great idea (because misteaks are made): “Exonerated after 48 years in prison; now battling stage 4 cancer.”
• “Learning to sleep like a bear could save your life.”
• “Ukraine says it destroyed Russian warship in Crimean port” — most-shared article on this homepage, FYI

• The weird but true history of cereal – from anti-sex campaigns to mind control — sounds right up Neptune’s alley, doesn’t it?

• Alcohol misuse and loneliness ‘increase risk of early-onset dementia’

• JN.1 Covid variant: WHO charts its rapid global spread

• Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana possession on federal lands. File this one under “I told you so…years and years ago.“Astrology is amazing!

• “Six-year-old boy put on wrong flight from Philadelphia to Florida” is a textbook Mercury Rx headline, is it not?

And finally, two weirdly wonderful stories from outer space:

• “Cosmic Christmas tree: NASA shares new image of young star cluster”

• The Morning After: NASA beamed a cat video from deep space to Earth

Stay tuned to this channel for continued updates…

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. With the 2024 just around the corner, this is also a time to consider ordering a written report for Your Year Ahead — an excellent accompaniment to a personal consultation.

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