Friday 8/27/2021 & the Weekend: Eris Squares Pluto; Eclipse Gets Triggered

It’s Thursday, (that’s when I started this post, which continued into today, which is Friday), and astrology is functioning as anticipated and as designed. Astrology does not care whether you believe in it or not. I’m thinking these thoughts in light of today’s headlines, which reflect the potency of current patterns. For instance, Avid Readers who requested personal insights on the June 10th solar eclipse knew that the last few days of August were ripe for an “unexpected” sudden surge of action and aggression, especially for those whose horoscopes were personally affected. The trigger for the surge is Mars — currently at 17 Virgo — as it activates that June eclipse at 20 Gemini. Mars is close enough to an exact square to 20 Gemini to spark an energetic release, with more to come the closer we get to August 30th.  Entities whose horoscopes are affected include President Biden (Midheaven at 19 Virgo), the United States (Mars-Neptune at 21 Gemini and 22 Virgo). For the latter, we should keep an eye on the first couple of days in September.

Also adding fuel to the fire is the 4th in a series of five squares between Pluto and Eris, exact within the next 24 hours. Avid Readers may recall this discussion of Eris last month:

Eris is a minor planet that was discovered in 2005. Eris moves at a snail’s pace, from our perspective on Spaceship Earth.

In mythology, Eris is known as the Goddess of Discord. Chaos is her middle name, but the havoc she wreaks is not random. Eris represents the outrage of those who perceive they don’t have a seat at the table. It is the “have-nots” rising up against the perceived “haves.”  Eris was conjunct rebel Uranus in 2017. From 2021 through 2022, Eris will be squared by Pluto. This amplifies the potential for efforts to overthrow the status quo for the sake of acquiring power, as seen in a news outlet near you. I’ll wager it also amplifies the havoc Mother Nature is currently wreaking in the form of fires, floods, famine, etc. If you have a planet around 24 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn, you are more personally affected by the ruthless and crusading needs of Eris. Bernie Sanders has Eris on Mars at 23 Aries. The former guy has Eris squaring his Venus-Saturn conjunction in Cancer.

Of course, any entity that is being activated by Eris is also being activated by Pluto. The United States has Mercury (how we need to think) at 24 Cancer, currently being squared by Eris and opposed by Pluto. Our national dialogue has been especially ruthless, persuasive, and outraged, as aggrieved factions demand a seat at the table —  has it not?

Anyhoo, the 4th Eris-Pluto square is exact as I type, and it’s happening at the same time as Mars triggering the June 10th eclipse. The fifth and final Eris square in this series happens on October 9th, along with other heavy patterns, including Pluto and Saturn turning direct on October 6th and 10th, respectively, and Mars meeting up with Sun and Mercury on October 8th and 9th.  Point is, the intensity of August — at least in the headlines — is bound to continue in the near-term future,  building on the action that’s happening now.

Here’s an entire website devoted to Eris, if you’d like to dive in…

Meanwhile, we add the above volatility to the weekend forecast, and we see how the volatility is reflected in Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card for the Week:

  • FRIDAY:  Moon enters Taurus at 12:26 AM ET, seeking to build and maintain material security. This is good, as Moon in Taurus tends to calm things down. A trine between the Moon and Sun at 9:19 AM ET facilitates cooperation. Oh — and look at the story WaPo posted, right before 11 AM ET: “Teddy bears, clothes and messages of love: Afghan refugees receive warm welcome in some countries.” The work week ends with an authoritative advance or a streamlining cut, however, as Moon squares Saturn at 5:04 PM ET. Cut your losses, if this pattern affects your own personal world. Count your blessings and find comfort in pleasures that delight the senses: music, food, drink, and a snuggle with your sweetie.
  • SATURDAY: More Moon in Taurus, jolted awake by a bit of buzz around 5:51 AM ET, when the Moon meets up with rebel Uranus. Unless a shock has thrown you off-balance, this is a great day to get stuff done, ’cause after the wake-up call, Moon trines Mars, planet of action at 2:14 PM ET. More music can be made in the evening, under the influence of dreamy Neptune and the Moon’s sextile, exact at 8:55 PM ET.
  • SUNDAY: Moon trines Pluto at 1:49 AM ET, facilitating emotional depth and pillow talk. Moon squares Jupiter at 4:36 AM ET, adding expansive energy and more meaningful discussion as the Moon trines high-functioning Mercury in Virgo at 10:58 AM ET. Moon goes void for two hours — blink and you’ll miss it –and then enters Gemini at 12:41 PM ET. What’s the buzz? Tell me what’s happening –with prominence– as Mercury will be at the end of Virgo, about to enter Libra, a.k.a. one of the four Aries Points. The news that hits the wires late this evening may be the setup for next week’s action.

No sleeping in on Monday. The Third Quarter Moon at 3:13 AM ET suggests a challenge demanding resolution. Then it’s buzz buzz Moon in Gemini buzz for the rest of the day.

And now, the news.

Tuesday’s Mercury-Neptune opposition suggested significant news in the music industry, some of it bewildering or surreal:

The magical thinking potential of the Mercury-Neptune opposition, combined with the weekend’s Sun-Jupiter opposition put ivermectin in the spotlight. Ivermectin is a drug used to de-worm horses, and it’s flying off the shelves, alarming the CDC. In the language of astrology, the Sun refers to horses.

The above planetary patterns suggest excess, fog, and scams, as in“Hospitals and Insurers Didn’t Want You to See Their Prices. Here’s Why.”  a fine piece of investigative journalism from the Sunday NYT.

And speaking of excess and scandal, have you been following the latest developments in the search to find a new host for Jeopardy!? After an alleged exhaustive search, which has trotted out umpteen candidates over the past several months, executive producer Mike Richards pulled a Dick Cheney and declared himself the winner. Except that things were not as they seemed with respect to Richards, so he was forced to step down. That leaves Mayim Bialik — touted as a Ph.D-toting neuroscientist –to hold down the fort. But it turns out that Bialik is also controversial. Meanwhile, fans of LeVar Burton have been lobbying hard for the Star Trek and Reading Rainbow icon to be awarded the gig, and you can find out why in the next issue of Mountain Astrologer, which is due out any day now. I wrote that column a few months ago, and I’m fascinated to see how Burton’s real-life experience suggests he’s not totally out of the running at this time.

Though he passed away last November, Alex Trebek’s horoscope is very much alive. A tough pattern between Saturn and Pluto reflects this anguished period of time. We may hear significant news this weekend, as Mercury hits all four angles, with a burst of assertive or provocative action due around September 14th, when Mars follows in Mercury’s footsteps.  Like all difficult phases, this too shall pass. I expect Trebek’s legacy to be reaping rewards by late spring 2022.

In other news…

Planetary patterns did suggest Congress could move significant legislation forward, and the House did pass a $3.5 trillion bill intended to expand the social safety net, including expanded access to healthcare, childcare and even safeguard our planet through clean energy subsidies. The vote was 219-212, and not one single Republican voted for it.  The House also passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, designed to restore provisions against voter suppression that were stripped away by the Supreme Court in 2013, enabling states like Texas to make it harder and harder for people to vote.  HR 4  also passed on party lines, and both bills are likely to be killed by Senate…unless the Democrats get their party together and kill the filibuster. On Saturday, on the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
“I Have a Dream” speech, thousands are planning to March on Washington for Voting Rights.

Meanwhile, reflecting the potent revelations suggested by yesterday’s Mercury-Pluto trine:

Meanwhile…

I resist linking any U.S. mainstream media coverage of yesterday’s suicide bombings in Kabul. “If it bleeds, it leads” has always been the media’s marching orders (my cynicism is based on actual work experience) — and it reflects the sensationalism (Neptune) of combat in all forms (Mars) of the Mars in Gemini square Neptune in Virgo in the U.S. horoscope. Remember that this Mars-Neptune square is hyperactive now, thanks to transiting Neptune’s engagement  (in 2021 and 2022), with bonus action over the next week provided by transiting Mars. The tragic deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers are dominating the news landscape, as editors and producers seize the opportunity to talk about a fresh event, at the expense of older ones; e.g., over 200 people in Florida dying daily of Covid.

Heather Cox Richardson summarized the progress and challenges of the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan in last night’s Letter, marveling at the response of Republican leadership. Instead of condemning the suicide bomber and the terrorist organization (ISIS-K) that claimed responsibility for the attack, as everyone else in the world seems to be doing, Republicans are blaming President Biden. Fortunately, we have astrology as a tool for understanding these surreal and divisive tactics. We understand the pressures in the U.S. horoscope, and we’ve been following planetary cycles long enough to appreciate that we really do live in all too interesting times.

Using the lens of astrology, we can also understand Biden’s statement that he would hunt down those responsible for the bombing and make them pay. Though often masked by an optimistic Sagittarius Ascendant and comforting, low-key Taurus Moon, Biden has four planets in Scorpio, including Mars square Pluto in Leo. A stereotypical Scorpio doesn’t forget or forgive, as Biden stated last night.

I leave you with an aptly-timed interview with Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Despite everything he’s been through, he remains optimistic that the regime that has imprisoned him after trying to poison him will end, “sooner or later.” Until then, here’s a truckload of uplifting stories from the Good News Network. 

What’s going on in your horoscope? Do patterns support you being one of the 55% of Americans who say they anticipate changing jobs next year?   Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.   

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Thank you for reading this forecast.

Eris, Greek Goddess of Discord

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