Monday 1/29/2024: Sneak Peek at the Week; 1861 in Review; Mind the Void!

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Allllllllllrighty then!

The Moon has been in Virgo since Saturday afternoon ET, facilitating discernment in your quest for a more perfect, better organized world. In the wake of the potential shock to the system suggested by Uranus (rebels and other disruptions to the status quo) turning direct early Saturday morning, combined with an abundance of easy connections among five planets in Earth signs (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus, and the Moon), much could be accomplished on the material plane, and this potential continues through today. For me, I was inspired to tear apart my entire filing system over the weekend, sorting, purging and reorganizing a Saturn cycle’s worth of work in multiple careers. How about you? Did you watch the big game?

There are only two exact patterns (other than contacts with the Moon) this week:

  • Mars trine Uranus on Monday
  • Mercury sextile Neptune on Friday

It goes like this:

  • MONDAY: Moon in Virgo was trine Mars, Uranus, Mercury just before dawn ET — 3:54 AM, 4:51 AM and 6:37 AM ET. If you were up (I was!), I hope you put that easy flow of energy to work. Uranus is in Taurus; Mars and Mercury are in Capricorn. Add the Virgo Moon and we have a Grand Trine in Earth signs, suggesting a potentially lovely and lucky projection of material self-sufficiency. An innovative approach in matters of assertion and action reflects the trine between Mars and Uranus, exact at 6:40 PM ET. As the afternoon progresses, fog or idealism may affect your senses. Double-check the details as 6:19 PM ET approaches, and Moon opposes (foggy) Neptune. Chill during the nearly-nine hour Moon void. That means sticking to routine concerns, and rolling with twists and flakes that may disrupt efforts to move forward in a straight line. Remember that crises which crop up during Moon voids are often much ado about nothing, and will sort themselves out once the Moon shifts gears and enters the next sign. If you’re not familiar with the term “Moon void,” here’s a primer.   [UPDATE: and here is a real-life example of a Moon void experience. This forecast was ready to ship just after 6 PM last night, 12 hours after I started writing it — and just when the Moon went void! Mailchimp only allows shipping newsletters on the hour, so I had to schedule it to ship at 7 PM. Even though the shipment was confirmed at 7:06 PM last night, no forecast was actually sent. I chatted with someone at Mailchimp at 10 PM, and they said the system crashed at 6:38 PM…right after the void! It’s now after 8 AM ET on Tuesday, and Mailchimp is still working on it. I’m hoping many Avid Readers thought to check my website for this week’s forecast, which fortunately, is not dependent on Mailchimp.]
  • TUESDAY: Moon enters Libra at 3:04 AM ET, putting a premium on intellectual debate for the sake of fairness and balance. A trine to Pluto at 3:41 AM ET adds depth to the discussion. A sense of swinging back and forth (in that quest for balance) may run away with the whole day. Note the potential for a clash of values and social expression around 10:33 PM ET, as Moon squares Venus in “let’s get it done, already!” Capricorn. And hey — whaddaya know? The next stop for the Moon is a balanced trine to the Sun at 1:06 AM ET on…
  • WEDNESDAY. Mission accomplished? On the one hand, the Libra Moon travels without interference during business hours in the Americas. On the other hand, its people-pleasing needs may spark another clash — this time from Mars — around 8:59 PM ET, as Moon and Mars square off.
  • THURSDAY: More crossed wires, perhaps — or a heated discussion — as Moon squares Mercury at 4:03 AM ET and then…OMG…another lonnnnng Moon void — 11 1/2 hours. Time to chill, and not let accusations of unfairness suck all the oxygen out of the room. At 3:36 PM ET, Moon enters Scorpio, demanding to be appreciated for being of depth and substance. Business on the East Coast may end with a power play or catharsis, as Moon squares Pluto at 4:22 PM ET.
  • FRIDAY: Inspiration, ideals, and a desire for healing may drive the action overnight. A trine between the Moon and Saturn at 4:39 AM ET adds gravitas and a possible strategy to a visionary mindset. Exuberance — or braggadocio that backfires — is suggested around 6:17 AM ET, as the Scorpio Moon opposes Jupiter in Taurus. Sounds territorial or intensely indulgent, if you ask me — but perhaps appropriate for the fun and games in Punxsutawney, PA, where the groundhog may or may not see his shadow. A practical spirit of cooperation develops, as Moon sextiles Venus at 5:09 PM ET. A righteous possessiveness may consume a normally impersonal executive agenda around 6:17 PM ET, as the Scorpio Moon + the Aquarius Sun = the tension symbolized by the  Third Quarter Moon.
  • SATURDAY: Surprise! Today’s wake-up call reflects the disruptive potential of Moon’s opposition to Uranus at 4:54 AM ET. There are no Moon voids to discourage your yard-sale impulse purchases today or tomorrow, and the Scorpio Moon’s need to consolidate knowledge for the sake of power and control is supported by easy contacts to Mars (11:42 AM ET), Neptune (5:42 PM ET) and Mercury (10:24 PM ET). Moon will be void for three hours thereafter (when no one should be anywhere near a yard sale).
  • SUNDAY: Moon soars into Sagittarius at 1:27 AM ET. Now is the time to get out of your usual comfort zone. Take a gambol or a gamble. Broaden your horizons; catch up on the news outside your home turf, and check out all the foreign-language films that are Oscar nominees. At 2:09 PM ET, Moon squares Saturn, suggesting  an authoritative block or advance. Investigative reporters should have a field day this weekend, as Mercury (how we need to think) and Pluto (news from underground) meet up on MONDAY in Aquarius. Today, however, Mercury is at the verrrrry end of Capricorn, so whatever dirt hits the fan, it likely involves the Powers That Be.

And now, the news…

…in which astrology is batting 1000. Headlines last week were big, big, big (reflecting Friday’s square between the Sun (leaders; ego identity) and Jupiter (big, big, big), and they were disruptive (reflecting Uranus, le provocateur, turning direct. Women were in the spotlight (thank you, Venus at the Aries Point), and most of the kids in the cosmic sandbox were getting along famously, reflecting an accord among some (in Congress, for example) you’d never imagine could reach across the aisle.

Now that all planets are direct in motion I expect events to move forward — and fast — over the next few months, and I’ll do my best present the astro-logic of it all. The biggest challenge is choosing what to write about. I’m old enough to remember when the most important national news at this time (in a non-inaugural year) was the Super Bowl, with nothing to distract me from doing astro-color commentary on Facebook, anticipating the action in advance. The end of the NFL season was the conceit of SNL’s cold open, and while most critics were not amused, I appreciated it.

But since this year’s Super Bowl involves Taylor Swift’s beau Travis Kelce, (isn’t just adorable how his Venus in Scorpio is conjunct her Mars), maybe the Super Bowl will be the most important national news story in a couple of weeks, after all. Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers on February 11th.

But this week, the biggest story for most late-night comedy show writers and audiences was:

As you can see in this excerpt from the 2019 Summer Solstice forecast, E. Jean is designed to hold TFG accountable:

E. Jean Carroll is a Sagittarius.  With  Jupiter on her Sun three times in 2019, we can see why she has a book coming out now, as Jupiter refers to publishing. Her Sun is conjunct P45’s South Node, suggesting a fated/karmic/energy-draining connection. Her Saturn is in Gemini, conjunct P45’s Gemini Sun and opposing his Sagittarius Moon. She has the potential to serve in his life as a reality check or other severe control.

Avid Reader Jeri was quick to email me the current transits (thanks, Jeri!)

Her Pluto at 8 Leo is conjunct her North node, suggesting a potential use of considerable power and celebrity to advance humanity! And today Sun is at 8 Aquarius, so shining a light on that potential (as it opposes her Pluto). Meanwhile Venus is transiting in Capricorn, right on her Mercury (translation: potential good news!), while transiting Jupiter at 6 Taurus, trine her Venus at 4 Scorpio suggests enrichment. Revenge, anyone?

Revenge…for Venus in Scorpio square Pluto (extremes) sounds about right.

Meanwhile, astrogeeks in the room will appreciate that attorney George Conway (who connected E. Jean with her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan),  helpfully shared his introductory email with the Entire Free World — and the email has a time-stamp: July 16, 2019 at 8:47 AM. OMG, check out this chart, set in New York — it’s jaw-dropping. The introduction is in the inner ring — look carefully at the Ascendant and the Midheaven, and tell me what you see. Those angles should be familiar! The outer ring is the time this latest verdict was scheduled to be announced, and there is a ton of synchronicity between the two charts, validating the outcome of that introduction. Astrology. Is. Amazing!!!

In other news…

Uranus refers to agents of change and declarations of independence, and as I wrote last week, Uranus is in Taurus, which refers to territory (among other things).

Historian Heather Cox Richardson provides further details, along with her usual historical perspective:

Observers worry that Texas’s stance is a modern version of the secession of the American South from the Union in the months before the Civil War, and perhaps in one way, it is….

…In the 1860s, southern leaders’ posturing took on a momentum of its own, propelling fire-eating southerners into a war. As MAGA Republicans are talking tonight about fighting the federal government and as Trump calls for “all willing States to deploy their guards to Texas,” I think of those elite southerners in 1861 for whom threatening war was all a rhetorical game.

In other words, HCR observes that it seems we may have been here before. History has a way of repeating itself, and so do planetary patterns and cycles. So…what’s going on in 2024 that was also going on in 1861?

Thanks to Greg Olear for writing about Jefferson Davis’ farewell speech to Congress in the latest post in PREVAIL (Olear’s Substack page). The farewell speech happened around 1 PM ET on January 21, 1861, in Washington, DC. Uranus was at 8 Gemini, square to Saturn at 8 Virgo. There’s a clash of the avant-garde vs. the old guard, with a possible stalemate. That’s the energy of that particular day, and note that 8 Gemini is where Uranus — the need for freedom in a horoscope — is in the chart of the United States.

In his speech, Davis explained why he believed that States had the right to leave the Union, supporting the state of Mississippi’s declared wish to do just that. Rebelling against the established order in a bid for independence is what we’d expect of an entity experiencing a Uranus return. The United States is scheduled to have its 3rd Uranus return starting in July 2027 until May 2028. So…not right now.

However, the Sun was at 1 Aquarius on the day of Davis’ speech, so what he had to say may be empowered by Pluto this year. Also, transiting Uranus will be squaring the Moon in the Sibly chart (linked below). We get the first pass in August-September; the second one in May 2025; and the third one in January-March 2026. The U.S. Moon is in Aquarius, where it seeks to be appreciated for its unique social significance within a group of like-minded souls. We are likely to see an intensification of what we’re already seeing. Some will seek to level the playing field; others will claim the freedom to do whatever they like in matters of home and homeland security — to the point of seeming to be losing their heads.

Meanwhile, Neptune was at the verrrry end of Pisces in 1861, and that will happen for a few months this summer and again in 2025. Under a Neptune transit, boundaries and borders may become porous; that which seemed firm may seem to dissolve; things may not be as they seem. In the Sibly chart, which has proven to be a reliable horoscope for the United States, Neptune at the verrrrry end of Pisces will be close enough to the IC (the bottom of the chart) to experience its potential.

Translation:  the ground underneath our feet may not feel solid. The very end of Pisces can feel like the end of the world, and it may well be the end of a world. However, if you choose to see time as cyclical — not linear — you can be certain that whatever ends will be replaced with something new. That’s your coping strategy. Another coping strategy is to appreciate that Neptune refers to healing, inspiration and ideals.

You can use this astrological perspective to appreciate why immigration and border issues may be pushed this year to an apparent crisis point — with prominence. You can also see how last week’s surge of cooperation among the planets, especially in earthy, practical concerns (like funding immigration and border controls) would be reflected as a possible bipartisan Congressional deal in these matters…so long as the disruptors in the House don’t sabotage it, as in “Oklahoma GOP condemns Senator Lankford (R-OK) for bipartisan border talks.”

File these headlines mostly under Uranus turning direct in Taurus, with a smidgen of Pluto in Aquarius and big old Jupiter squaring the Sun:

Elsewhere…

Venus at the Aries Point, sextile Saturn and trine Jupiter suggested prominent news involving women, art, money, and social expression.

…and look at the Tarot Card Beth Owl’s Daughter pulled for this week!

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Astrologers are like dentists. If it’s been over a year since your last check-up, it’s time to schedule an appointment.

Finally, I’m delighted to share that on February 12th, I’ll be presenting a talk to the London School of Astrology. The topic: So What If You’re Dead? The Horoscope Lives Forever! All are welcome, as the talk will be held on Zoom.

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

…in which a fellow whether forecaster sends cheerful salutations…