“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, …” 

This is from the famous opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities. It was published in 1859, when Neptune was close to the end of Pisces, as it is now. We have all been here before.

This week’s patterns are likely to reflect ginormous — and possibly grave — initiatives at the start, either smacked down or enacted as an ambitious, possibly authoritarian advance around Wednesday. Big gains may be followed by big losses, as in this headline that just showed up on the Xitter (as some on the platform formally known as Twitter have called it — and I’m guessing that the “Xi” is pronounced “Sh”, similar to Xi Jinping):

• “Man forfeits $1.7 million he made after overhearing wife’s remote work for BP”

See. Big win. Big loss.

Then, by the weekend, the heavy clouds may lift, replaced with a more cooperative, generous spirit. Caveat: matters involving money, values, women, art, and social expression are likely to be disruptive; watch the markets.

Highlights this week are:

• After Saturday’s Venus-Jupiter square, we have Mars square Jupiter on Tuesday
• Mercury – Saturn – Sun are conjunct on Wednesday
• Mercury sextiles Jupiter on Thursday
• Sun sextiles Jupiter on Friday
• Venus squares Uranus on Sunday

It goes like this:

• MONDAY: East Coasters, any slow start or twist to your morning routine is sponsored in part by the Virgo Moon, which opposed Neptune at 2:35 AM ET, and then went void for seven hours. Did you note your dreams? Moon-Neptune contacts seem to “coincide” with a dissolving of boundaries between waking life and wherever we are when we sleep. My dreams were exceptionally detailed and vivid — like something an AI movie-generating software would create. Except it isn’t AI software; it’s my own imagination — or something yes? In the dream, I had moved into a new house, and I woke up feeling amazed by what I seemingly experienced so viscerally — e.g., paintings, the view from a balcony, a headboard unlike any I’ve seen in real life. How are we able to do this? I’m not sure, but now we’ve created AI software that so powerfully mimics what we — unknowingly? — do in our sleep, that movie mogul Tyler Perry just put his planned $800 million studio expansion on hold. So that was my Moon-void morning meditation. How about you?
• MONDAY: At 9:29 AM ET, Moon enters Libra, seeking fairness, an avoidance of conflict, and a rational discussion — while swinging from side to side as weighty matters hang in the balance. Depth and perspective soon follow, as Pluto trines the Moon at 11:46 AM ET. Expansion actions, assertion, and/or aggression may hit the wires before 3:29 AM ET on…
• TUESDAY… reflecting Mars (action, etc) in Aquarius (the rebel with a cause) squaring Jupiter (big) in Taurus (material comfort & security).  Use the morning productively. The people-pleasing Libra Moon may win support from both sides, as Moon trines Mars at 7:51 AM ET and trines at Venus at 1:21 PM ET. The next 33 hours should be interesting, as the Moon will be VOID for all of this time. Avid Readers know that efforts to move forward in a straight line during Moon voids are more likely to be challenged by twists and flakes. Actions — especially actions that are supposed to be decisive or serves as launches — are often of little consequence. Crises that crop up are often much ado about nothing, which is why your coping strategy is to CHILL and not make a mountain out of a molehill. Stick to routine matters; take time to wander if you can. Hunch: some of the “crises” we’ll see in the news will likely involve screams of something not being fair.
• WEDNESDAY: Heavy, heavy, heavy. Also: invisible, blinded by their own light, unproductively idealistic, moving fast, and beginning anew. These are themes associated with Mercury (how we need to think and communicate) as it meets up with the Pisces Sun at 3:46 AM ET. In Pisces, this conjunction focuses us on matters involving boundaries (or lack thereof), empathy, intuition, ideals, suffering, and sacrifice. At 10:07 AM ET, Mercury meets up with Saturn (necessary controls, gravitas, authority, the law, mortality, cuts & losses). At 4:25 PM ET, we have the Sun’s annual meet-up with Saturn, adding leaders of business and state to the mix. Here are headlines from past Sun-Saturn meet-ups.  And here’s an apt example of current potential: Hunter Biden is scheduled to be grilled by U.S. Congresspersons (heavy authority figures) behind closed doors (invisible), some of whom actually refused to testify when the January 6th Committee subpoenaed them (blinded by their own light). As it’s all happening during the void, we can expect that 1) it’s much ado about nothing; or 2) it will be postponed or subject to some other twist or flake.  What have you got scheduled for today? Let me know if it actually happened…and/or if it was productive. If the Supreme Court rules today that the former guy is not above the law, that would reflect the heavy reality check on leaders suggested by Sun-Saturn-Mercury, as well as the “actions of no consequence” potential of the long Moon void.  In your own personal world, you’re more affected by this triple conjunction if you were born on around the 28th of February, July, October, or April...or if you have planets around 9 degrees of Pisces, Sagittarius, Gemini or Virgo. Consult your local astrologer for details.
• WEDNESDAY: At 10:09 PM ET, Moon finally gets into gear and enters Scorpio. For the rest of the work week, our focus is on consolidating knowledge for the sake of power and control. And with Saturn and Mercury essentially hidden by the Sun’s light…we may not see the machinations for several days. We will, however, perceive some sort of power play or catharses this evening, as Moon squares Pluto at 12:32 AM ET on…
• THURSDAY. At 4:53 AM ET, Mercury sextiles Jupiter, suggesting a cooperative flow for those seeking to expand their big ideas. Court opinions, foreign affairs, sports, higher education, and the media are likely prominent in the headlines. The Scorpio Moon suggests issues of honor, loyalty, and/or vengeance are involved. Whatever the motivation, the prospects for structuring something that sticks are supported by trines (easy contact) to the Moon from Saturn and the Sun, at 5:51 PM ET and 7:52 PM ET, respectively. Caveat: an opposition between Moon and Jupiter at 8:39 PM ET may reflect overconfidence. Getting the message out may spark conflict, as Mercury trines the Moon at 11:18 PM ET, but at 12:07 AM ET on…
• FRIDAY…Moon squares Mars. By now, it’s March 1st, and Americans will know if the wrecking crew in the House has shut down the government. With the Sun sextile Jupiter, exact at 7:14 AM ET, perhaps there is hope for a cooperative approach that is good for business. However, patterns of volatility are also at play, starting with the Moon’s square to Venus at 8:08 AM ET, followed by an opposition to Uranus — surprise, surprise — at 12:53 PM ET.
• SATURDAY: Note your dreams upon waking. Moon trines Neptune at 2:47 AM ET and goes void for the next six hours. At 8:56 AM ET Moon heaves a sigh of relief and soars into Sagittarius, now seeking to expressing boundary-pushing opinions. You know the Moon in Sag drill: get out in nature; take in a foreign film; have a righteous debate. Moon sextiles Pluto at 11:20 AM ET, adding power to the mix.
• SUNDAY: A thud and an upset in the morning, perhaps. Moon squares Saturn at 4:11 AM ET, suggesting cuts, losses, and other wet blankets. At 8:17 AM ET, Venus (money, women, art, social expression) square rebel Uranus, suggesting unconventional attractions, innovation, and upsets in the news. Further tension seeks release around 10:23 AM ET, when the Third Quarter Sag Moon squares the Pisces Sun. Note that there is no Moon void today to discourage your hunt for yard sale bargains. Actions are supported by a sextile between Mars and the Moon at 1:11 PM ET. Wires may be crossed around 6:39 PM ET, when Moon squares Mercury. Socializing is supported this evening, as Moon sextiles Venus at 11 PM ET.

Here is Beth Owl’s Daughter’s always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week. She’s teaching classes again. Yippee!

And now, the news.

It’s heavy, as it always is on a Sun-Saturn conjunction. Factor in the big squares among Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, and we anticipate big action.

• “U.S. airman dies after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington.” CNN reports that 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell was “active military” (Mars) and in the Air Force (Aquarius). Mars in Aquarius is a rebel with a cause, and Bushnell’s was to declare that he would “no longer be complicit in the genocide in Palestine,” acknowledging that his was “an extreme act of protest” (Mars amplified by contact with Jupiter and Pluto). Bushnell’s last words were read on the air at CNN, and given this week’s Sun-Mercury-Saturn conjunction in empathic Pisces, it is apt that the clip was posted on Xitter, with the OP observing not only “basic journalism,” but also “gravity recognized.“
• “Joe Biden says Gaza ceasefire could be reached by next Monday,”  and perhaps the cooperative spirit of patterns involving the Sun and Jupiter later this week will reflect a successful negotiation.
• Flaco the Owl has died.  He escaped from his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo (vandals cut him loose), and survived in the urban jungle for just over a year. Photos of Flaco sightings brought much joy to social media (you can see some pix in the linked article above). Flaco – born on the Ides of March — would have been 14 next month. His Pisces Sun is conjunct Mercury and Uranus – a maverick combination – and we can appreciate how he would become known for his need to be his unique, free self. Transiting Neptune was currently conjunct his Mercury, and transiting Pluto was opposing his Mars. The former could reflect a foggy sense of direction; the latter suggests extreme drama and power in action. Yes, astrology apples to animals. Astrology applies to everything! Flaco died because he flew into a building.
• From the NYT Magazine: “Destination: Solitude. As NASA prepares for a Mars mission, it’s conducting test on what might be the effort’s greatest challenge — the trauma of isolation.” No doubt the NYT editors put this feature on the calendar months ago — and I seriously doubt they checked to see if the subject reflected this week’s planetary patterns. But they don’t have to, as astrology doesn’t work that way. But here is this glorious feature on the isolation (Saturn) that astronauts (Mars in Aquarius) will experience when they travel to Mars (big trip = Mars square Jupiter). Astrology. Is. Amazing.
• The NYT Magazine also ran a piece extolling the virtues of Brutalism — a severe (Saturn) architectural style featuring ginormous  concrete structures (Mars square Jupiter in Taurus) — which the essayist says is all about creating community (Mars in Aquarius) through architecture (Saturn).

In other news…

• Woman loses £650,000 injury claim after being seen tossing Christmas tree — why is this story making news NOW?

• “Widow gives $1 billion to Bronx medical school, meaning students will pay no tuition forever” WOW!!

Meanwhile…

• “Abortion shield laws: the war between the states” — on the front page of Sunday’s NYT, along with:
• “A marketplace of girl influencers marketed by moms and stalked by men”  (behind a paywall, alas — because I just used my last of 10 articles I can share with Avid Readers)
• Heather Cox Richardson recap of last week covers how Republican lawmakers are seeking to distance themselves from the Alabama court ruling that declared fertilized eggs are human children (shutting down three IVF clinics in the state).

In sum…the news has been big…and heavy! Even SNL’s cold open captured the juxtaposition of Venus-Mars square Jupiter (big!) with Sun-Saturn-Mercury (heavy)! The setting: Republican senators gather in a D.C. hotel for their party leader’s big victory party…and it is…sobering!

UPDATE: in his second night back at the Daily Show, host Jon Stewart took it on the chin, sharing the negative reviews he’d received the week before. In the interest of sharing something you may find entertaining in spite of this week’s heavy patterns, here is Stewart skewering Tucker Carlson’s recent trip to Moscow and his interview with Vladimir Putin.

Finally…

I had the best time on Saturday night! I was booked to give a talk about astrology to five women who’d rented a beach house for the weekend. It was a birthday celebration, and I joined them on Zoom. They loved learning about how astrology works, and I shared insights about their horoscopes. I love talking to “Muggles” about astrology, especially smart Muggles! So…email me if you’d like me to give a talk to a group of friends…or social club…or your co-workers.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

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

Photographer Hanna Postova is from Ukraine.

She currently lives in the Netherlands.