Allllllrighty then!

I’m posting a Sneak Peek for half of next week now, because I’m traveling over the next several days. Here’s where we are as of Saturday, December 16th:

• SATURDAY: Moon is in Aquarius, seeking to network and REconnect with friends and other like-minded souls.  At 10:43 PM ET, Sun squares Neptune — the perfect pattern for a trek to the dazzling light display in Dyker Heights.  Here are headlines from last December’s Sun-Neptune square, so you know what to expect. In the language of astrology, the Sun refers to leaders; Neptune refers to scandal, drugs, confusion, victims, inspiration, etc. — and we’ve been seeing examples in the news all week.
• SUNDAY: Sun sextile Moon at 7:03 AM ET suggests a balanced flow to the early morning…followed by a sigh and an eight-hour Moon void. You know the Moon void drill: roll with the twists and flakes; stick to routine concerns, and don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. If it were me, I’d avoid impulse purchases — especially tech and communication devices — when the Moon is void. Conventional wisdom holds that purchases made during Moon voids have a higher than average probability of living up to expectations. At 2:38 PM Moon enters Pisces, seeking to work with impressions and empathy. Moon meets up with Saturn at 6:31 PM ET, infusing the afterglow of the yesterday’s Sun-Neptune square with a bit of sobriety. The evening is lighter and chattier, as Moon sextiles Jupiter at 12:49 AM ET on...
• MONDAY…and then sextiles Mercury at 1:20 AM ET. At 9:27 AM ET, we have the second in a series of three trines (harmony) between Mercury (how we need to think) and Jupiter (expansion). The first was on December 7th; the third happens on January 19th. We anticipate significant news involving court opinions, sports, publishing, education, and dogma. We won’t be surprised if what makes news now is tied to what was in the news on December 7th, and some of it may be revised or in error, given that Mercury is now retrograde.
• MONDAY: The Pisces Moon travels without interference between 1:20 AM ET and 7:29 PM ET, so we could see themes involving empathy and ideals gathering in strength like a snowball rolling down a mountain. At 7:29 PM ET, Moon trines Venus, usually suggesting good cheer. However, Venus is still in Scorpio, suggesting social expression that needs to be much more controlled, pointed, and point-scoring. Tension rises to a release around 8:58 PM ET, as Moon squares Mars. With Mars in Sagittarius until January 4th, action is inclined to be fiery, righteous, and boundary-pushing.
• TUESDAY: Yet another morning to note your dreams, as Moon meets up with Neptune at 9:07 AM ET.  Working out the bugs in last week’s New Moon agenda may be on deck this morning, reflecting the tension (First Quarter Moon) between vulnerable Pisces Moon sensitivity and the Sagittarius Sun’s broader approach. Depth in communication is suggested around 4:03 PM ET, as Moon sextiles Pluto. Chill during the brief Moon void. At 5:46 PM ET, Moon zooms into me-me-me Aries, no doubt picking up the pace in a rush to Get Things Started and/or Get There First. Impulsive initiatives may be challenged by a practical mindset around 12:42 AM ET on…
• WEDNESDAY…as Moon squares Mercury (still retrograde!). The Aries Moon travels without interference for this entire day. Again, we have a “snowball effect’ of building intensity in all me-me-me Aries concerns, including standing up for underdogs and other crusades. There is a buzz in the air…and potential disruption in matters of money, women, values, aesthetics, and social expression, reflecting the opposition between Venus and Uranus at 2:04 AM ET on…
• THURSDAY. Unconventional attractions — possibly later regretted — are supported. Whatever surprise may be in store, the Aries Moon and Sagittarius Mars pool their improvisational, fiery resources in a trine, exact at 3:23 AM ET. You are more personally affected by the Venus-Uranus opposition if you have planets or angles around 19 degrees of Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius, or Leo. Here are examples of past headlines.
• THURSDAY: Whatever excitement made waves overnight, a sextile between Mercury and Saturn at 7:33 AM ET suggests a pragmatic outlook. Once again, the Aries Moon travels through the day with no interference, reflecting another potentially me-me-me-first snowball. This may build to a power play or catharsis, as Moon squares Pluto at 8:10 PM ET.
• THURSDAY: Note that the Sun is now at the verrrrrrry end of Sagittarius, which means it is activating the Aries Point. Translation: exceptionally prominent news involving leaders of business and state. Moon trines Sun at 9:47 PM ET and goes void for just three minutes. At 9:50 PM ET, Moon enters Taurus, on a quest to restore the status quo and build something secure and tangible out of the Moon in Aries excitement. At 10:27 PM ET Sun leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricorn. Happy Winter Solstice — and happy birthday to all the goats climbing to the top of the mountain.

My plan is to write about the Winter Solstice when I return from my travels on Thursday. Astrologers can use Solstice and Equinox charts as tools for anticipating world event over the course of that season.

Before I get to the astonishing synchronicity of the news and planetary patterns…

Yes, it’s still possible to order consultation gift certificates for everyone on your list! And yes, you can still order the AstroCoins — but hurry up if you want to make sure they arrive by Christmas.

And ooh! The 2024 Mercury Rx Bookmarks are in!! If you’ve been nice enough to become a Faithful Monthly Supporter of this forecast, bookmarks are on the way to you right now, with my deepest thanks for finding my work of value. On the back of the bookmark are the dates for the 2024 Mercury retrogrades, with helpful coping strategies.

Super-special shout-out #1: to Avid Reader Laura of Specialized Printing in Marietta, GA — for printing and shipping bookmarks!

If you’d like 10 bookmarks for you and all your friends, I will happily send them for $18, which includes the cost of shipping via USPS priority mail. Toss that in my Cosmic Tip Jar, at the bottom of this page — and make sure I have your snailmail address.

Super-special shout-out #2: to my webmaster Mark Marshall of InterAge, who made my site look great and up-to-date…and who made my design concept for the bookmarks a reality.

Fun fact: Mark is also a musician, and he’s been receiving a potent transit of Pluto to the Sun. Translation: a potential ego empowerment and transformation in the extreme! Thus I was delighted by his annual holiday greetings video — his version of  Santa Claus is Back in Town — in which he plays every instrument in the arrangement. Astrology is amazing!

And now…the news.

Neptune went retrograde on December 6th. We anticipated a focus on all things Neptune, like the blaring of a car horn when leaned on by the driver. Neptune refers to fog, deception, fantasies, scandal, visionaries, conspiracy, healing, victims, drugs, ideals, and intangibles. It dissolves whatever it touches.

So…on December 6th, right on schedule:

• “Republicans to blur faces in January 6 footage as ‘we don’t want them charged’” That was MAGA Mike Johnson, new House Speaker talking. Though he later acknowledged that DOJ already has this footage, it seems MAGA Mike didn’t want to offer DOJ any additional assistance from the general public (who might be able to ID some of those faces, if only they weren’t blurred).
• “Mike Johnson compares himself to Moses at a Christian Nationalist gala” (he thought the cameras were off. Oops.)

But we shouldn’t be surprised by MAGA Mike’s empowered new self-image, given his horoscope’s recent encounter with Pluto, and these basic observations, posted at the end of October:

Johnson’s Sun is in Aquarius, driven by the Moon in Leo. If pushed out of balance, the energy for detached, intellectual innovation, driven by a commanding stage presence and a need for the love love love, could create a potential king complex. Everything he does would be personal, potentially devoid of logic.

• “Moms for Liberty cut ties with Florida GOP Chairman (Christian Ziegler), who is accused of rape” I thought that was an apt incorporation of the “reality check” involving women and values, suggested by the Venus-Saturn trine on December 5, and the first Mercury-Jupiter trine (highlighting matters involving education), on December 7.
• Neptune refers to music. “Taylor Swift named Time’s Person of the Year”
• Norman Lear, boundary-breaking sit-com creator, dies at 101
• Neptune refers to immigration (refugees and the dissolving of borders), and it was a hot topic in Congress on Dec 6, as Heather Cox Richardson explains.

Now then. How might Neptune turning direct be reflected in one’s own personal world? Here’s an example:

I received an email on December 6 from the Casa de Dom Inacio in Abadiana, Brazil. I hadn’t heard from them in a really long time, and I’d forgotten why. It was a chatty email, offering deals on products,  with a questionnaire asking whether I ever intended to visit the Casa again, and if so, when.

I was at the Casa by happenstance at least 20 years ago, it seems. I was in Brazil with a boyfriend, and our original plan was to go to the Amazon from Brasilia,  and then fly south to Iguacu Falls. But my boyfriend had a friend who was an Olympic champion with a health issue, and she had gone to visit “John of God” — a proclaimed channel for disembodied entities with healing powers. And she raved about it. So instead of flying to Manaus, we traveled to Abadiana by bus (I think), and instead of staying for a few days, we stayed for a week.

It was such a peaceful experience to spend hours of time in quiet meditation, enjoying the beauty of nature, simple food, and the company of travelers from all over the world. Since my motive for being there was idle curiosity, I had no expectations of being healed, and had little reason to be disappointed. And I recall the visit being pretty darn astonishing, but I’d have to review my journal to remember the details. Fun fact: I was there during a lunar eclipse, visible at night, against the backdrop of the Southern Cross.

So…suddenly hearing from the Casa was fitting for a day with Neptune in the spotlight, right? I didn’t feel a need to respond to the email (sent from two people we’ll call Sam and Larry), but I was curious to know how the Casa had been thriving over the past 20 years. And Professor Google told me that it hasn’t been thriving at all. Why? Because the medium — John of God — now 81, I believe — was convicted on charges of sexual abuse and more in the late 20-teens (on the level of a Jeffery Epstein, I kid you not), and was sentenced to a zillion million years in prison. Scandal! The shadow side of Neptune!

But wait…there’s more! Several hours later, I received another email, apologizing for the first email, as it was misrepresenting “Sam and Larry,” who were no longer associated with the Casa. And it was signed (presumably) by the real Sam and Larry. And then…on the following day, there was yet another email from the actual Sam and Larry, explaining in ever greater detail what they were doing and how they weren’t connected to the Casa.

So…no headlines here…but we see how planetary patterns are reflected in real life. How was your day with Neptune turning direct?

Here’s an example for Mercury turning retrograde on December 13:

I had appointments in the city that day, and naturally, in the course of my travels, I forgot that only the F train stops at 14th Street, not the B or the D. I also completely lost focus at the post office, where I was mailing AstroCoins and a holiday care package to a friend. The postal clerk asked me if there were any liquids in the package or anything made of glass. She asked me twice, mind you — and I said yes — and then I said no, because I really wasn’t focused on what she was asking. But in fact,  there were jars and liquids in the package, and I sure hope they didn’t get smashed on the way to my friend’s house!

Anyhoo…

A few more headlines and updates, and then I must prepare to fly!

Venus opposed Jupiter last weekend, and then sextiled Mercury last Monday. Money, women, worth — big time.

Have you heard about the US stock market’s new all-time high (after the Fed signaled it will cut interest rates in 2024)?

UPDATE: on Kamala Harris. Avid Readers know her horoscope has been gathering steam this year, and we expected her authority to be recognized. Also, with Moon in Aries, she’s going to be first in everything she does.

• “Watch: Kamala Harris breaks 32nd Senate tie, making history.” And then Chuck Schumer awarded her a golden gavel.

UPDATE: on Liz Cheney, whose horoscope is hot hot hot and functioning as designed, as Avid Readers were advised months ago. Her book is out and she’s on tour. Here she is being interviewed a few days ago by Stephen Colbert.

UPDATE: on Matthew Perry. We now have a conclusive cause of death. Remember that…

It is notable that a 911 call was received at 4:07 PM in Los Angeles [on October 28, 2023]. Neptune was on the Ascendant at that moment in time and place. It is an apt placement for the apparent nature of Perry’s passing — he is believed to have drowned in a hot tub…but they are still investigating.

Even though there was no evidence of drug use initially, I was not surprised to see this headline yesterday:

• “What is ketamine, the drug tied to Matthew Perry’s death?”

Headlines reflecting Mercury retrograde reviews and delays (trine Jupiter),  as well as the bewildering wipe-out potential of the Sun square Neptune:

• “IDF says hostages it killed [yesterday] were bare-chested and waving a white flag.” Awful news.
• “‘It’s going to delay the mail.’ The fight over Louis DeJoy’s USPS plan” Why does this man still have a job?
• “Rudy Giuliani dismisses $148 million verdict as ‘absurd'” Fun fact: all four angles of Giuliani’s horoscope will be receiving Neptune in late spring/early summer 2024. Stay tuned.
• “The inside story of how the Supreme Court dismantled Roe v. Wade,” including that Neil Gorsuch spent a grand total of 10 minutes reviewing the 98-page opinion before signing off on it without comment.
• “Supreme contempt for women” — Maureen Dowd’s op-ed recaps the attacks on reproductive health that pushed boundaries in recent days.
• “The Texas abortion case blows up the abortion ban rationale” — Jennifer Rubin’s WaPo op-ed on how proponents of the ban seem determined to get women killed.
• SNL cold open skewers university presidents (all women) for evasive answers at House antisemitism hearing.
• Big news in sports: the Capitals and the Wizards are ditching D.C. for Northern Virginia.
• A former White House scientist was scammed out of $655,000. Then came the IRS.” Please don’t let this happen to you!

And finally…

• Society ‘disappears’ ageing women. So I harnessed that cloak of invisibility to do all sorts of ‘inappropriate’ things

Whew! Did we cover everything? I think we covered a lot. Apologies for any Mercury Rx typos.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations (and gift certificates!).

Thank you for reading — and sharing — this forecast. You are AWESOME!