Monday 10/3/2022: Sneak Peek at the Week; Pluto Turns Direct; Lizzo in the News

Alllll righty then!

It is Monday, and Mercury is no longer retrograde! The planet that symbolizes how we need to think and communicate turned direct early Sunday morning in Virgo, where it is very much at home. It will take until October 17^th for Mercury to return to the place it was when it turned retrograde on September 9^th, and between now and then, we have strong potential for seemingly-great ideas that came to us when Mercury was retrograde to be judged – on second thought – to be not so great after all. Just ask Britain’s new prime minister – Liz Truss – who announced this very morning a sudden reversal of a plan announced just 10 days ago that would have eliminated the country’s highest tax bracket. According to NYT columnist Paul Krugman, Truss’s great idea was wreaking havoc, and in Krugman’s opinion,  Britain’s new leader “seems to live in a fantasy world and is oblivious to concerns about social solidarity.” This reflects Truss’s precise Venus (values) in Virgo square to (fantasy) Neptune (which might also involve Truss’ Pisces Moon), combined with Mercury (how she needs to think) in Cancer, conjunct hard-hearted Saturn (family is a business) and square to Jupiter in me-me-me Aries. It was noted in an earlier post that Truss’s natal Mars (action) in Taurus is being hit by the conflicting drives of Saturn (streamlining) and Uranus (daring). No wonder she’s running hot and cold. Here is what we know of Truss’s horoscope.

In the language of astrology, when a planet changes direction – from retrograde to direct and vice versa – it appears to slow to a virtual standstill from our perspective on Earth. The standstill offers an opportunity for us to focus on whatever the planet represents. So – with Mercury changing direction this week, we have an opportunity to sharpen our powers of observation and discernment. I say discernment because Mercury is in Virgo, one of the signs it rules. If anyone knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff, it’s Virgo.

Other highlights this week:

• Mercury trines  Pluto for the third time in recent weeks on Thursday
• Pluto turns direct on Saturday

Here’s how it goes:

• MONDAY: Moon in Capricorn drives the day with a need to Make Things Happen, bouncing initiatives off Uranus, Neptune and Mercury throughout business hours. At 11:48 PM ET, Moon meets up with Pluto, facilitating a power play or a catharsis. Chill during the six-hour Moon void.
• TUESDAY: Moon enters Aquarius at 6:20 AM ET. Its need to network is supported by easy connections with Jupiter at 10:48 PM ET and Venus at 6:04 PM ET. Nice.
• WEDNESDAY: The easy flow continues into the wee hours as Moon trines the Libra Sun. Shake-ups may land around lunchtime ET, as Moon squares Uranus at 12:57 PM ET, with a sobering effort at control around 1:59 PM ET, as Moon meets up with Saturn. An action plan is supported up until 6:45 PM ET, when Moon trines Mars, but may fizzle out in the 14-hour Moon void. Take the night off to chill, and roll with any twists and flakes that may arise. Crises that crop up are often much ado about nothing. Chill!
• THURSDAY: At 8:46 AM ET Moon shifts gears and enters Pisces, turning the Aquarius Moon’s need for objective detachment into depth of feeling — such as Beth Owl’s Daughter’s always-in-sync Tarot Card of the Week might express. The depth is courtesy of the only exact aspect of the day: the third trine between Mercury and Pluto, suggesting a banner day for investigative reporters — to the possible chagrin of the nearest head of state and/or CEO.
• FRIDAY: If this day has a wandering flow, it’s likely reflecting the lack of exact aspects to the Moon or any other planet…until 3:34 PM ET, when Moon sextiles Uranus. How nice for unconventional alliances. Things may get provocatively wiggy — or sensationally seductive — overnight, as the Moon squares Mars at 10:40 PM ET and then meets up with Neptune at 12:39 AM ET on…
• SATURDAY. Feel free to sleep in late, as the Pisces Moon will be void between 7:10 AM and 11:56 AM ET. Moon then enters Aries, driving the day with a need to lead — powerfully and expansively — especially around 3:36 PM ET, when Moon meets up with Jupiter. That’s the “expansive” part. The “powerful” part reflects Pluto, which turns direct at 5:56 PM ET.Pluto also refers to resources, breakdown and transformation – especially in matters of government and corporate structures and energy resources such as gas, oil and plutonium. These issues may be blaring like a car horn all week — and we are certainly seeing some blaring about nuclear power, e.g. WaPo’s latest editorial urging the West to deter Putin’s threat of nuclear war or the apparent determination of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) to replace Virginia’s clean energy efforts with nuclear power plants. Note that the “blaring” about these issues doesn’t mean these threats will become reality, but the fact that these topics are being discussed in the news now is a reflection of planetary patterns.  Anyhoo, as Pluto gets back up to speed, events that may have been put on hold around April 29^th – which is when Pluto turned retrograde – may now move forward. And we’ll want to keep an eye on events around October 19, when Pluto will square the Libra Sun. You are more personally affected by Pluto’s change of direction if you are Clarence Thomas, Chuck Schumer or anyone else with significant planets or angles around 26 Capricorn, Cancer, Libra or Aries.
• SUNDAY: Emotions are on the rise, as the Moon waxes to its fullness at 4:54 PM ET. You’re more personally affected by this Full Moon if you have planets around 16 degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn. Stay tuned for further details.

Meanwhile…

Humming in the background all month is a closerthanthis square between Saturn and Uranus. Saturn refers to the old guard and necessary controls. Uranus refers to the avant garde and rebellion – and ultimately, Uranus – which represents the future – is going to win. However, all through 2021 — and rightthisminute, the two planets are in a stubborn holding pattern. If you took geology in college, you can envision two tectonic plates pressing against each other – but neither one budging an inch. We see this tension reflected in logjams – including supply chains – and in contests that seem too close to call. Exhibit A: “Brazil’s Lula and Bolsanaro to face runoff after surprisingly tight result”.  Given this tension between Saturn and Uranus, it’s not so surprising. Here is a post from 2021 with more on what we can expect from the Saturn-Uranus square.  So far, we haven’t had a financial bubble burst as we did during past hard aspects between Saturn and Uranus. Let’s see where we’re at by the time Saturn leaves Aquarius and enters Pisces on March 8th.

You are more personally affected by this square if you have planets around 18 degrees of just about any sign, but especially 18 Aquarius, Taurus, Leo and Scorpio. Exhibit A: Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who announced his intention leave the show after a solid seven-year (one quarter of a Saturn cycle) run.

And now, the news.

Neptune refers to idealism (upside) and deception (downside). Whatever Neptune touches, it tends to dissolve — and this may be uncomfortable for people who find security in things like material comfort, clear boundaries and solid structures (like roofs and floors). Oh — and reality. Neptune dissolves that, too. And it could be a rose-colored dreamy trip — or a downright disappointment. Things may not be what they seem with Neptune.

Over the past few weeks, Neptune has been in significant contact with other planets in the cosmic sandbox: opposed by Sun, Venus and Mercury, which were in turn all opposed by Jupiter (expansion) and trine Pluto (extreme; empowerment). Translation: we expect headlines involving leaders, women, aesthetics, money — big time — and with an element of music, idealism, drugs, fish, floods, refugees, etc. — with an element of the surreal. The timing of these stories make much more sense when you consider the astro-logic:

• Inside Lizzo’s historically important flute performance at the Library of Congress   (there’s a video here)

…which was also reported as:

• “Republicans Won’t Stop Complaining About Lizzo Playing James Madison’s 200-Year-Old Flute: ‘A Humiliation Ritual’”

Lizzo is a classically trained flutist, as you’ll learn in this write-up of her horoscope. Her natal Moon-Venus square will be provoked by transiting Mars three times during this Mars retrograde cycle, and the first one is happening right now. No wonder she’s being attacked for her social expression. Not only that, but as Sun, Venus and Mercury have all activated the Aries Point as they traveled from late Virgo to 0 Libra, all three have squared Lizzo’s Uranus, which is also at the Aries Point. She can’t help but attract attention for being innovative and unconventional.

Speaking of music and madness:

• “TFG embraces QAnon at rally by playing music similar to its anthem”   Seriously — why would this story be making news now? Astrology!

The next planet Neptune will engage with is Mars, with the first of three squares happening on October 12th. Mars-Neptune patterns can be oh-so seductive — and also scandalous. Mars refers to warriors and athletes, so watch for those types to be associated with Neptunian themes, such as:

• Brett Favre; other sports figures in massive Mississippi welfare fraud scandal
• Report finds system emotional abuse and sexual misconduct is “systemic” in women’s soccer
• Every single Florida Republican voted against disaster aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Neptune also refers to fish. If it looks fishy, it probably is, as in…

• “Fishermen nearly won a tournament. Then weights were found in the fish.”

Speaking of Venus at the Aries Point…

• “White House restores arts commission dissolved under TFG”
• “Around the world, protesters take to the streets in solidarity with Iranian women” (lots more going on here, but I wanted to mention the important recent developments in Iran)

Speaking of other people with planets and/or angles around the Aries Point, and thus made recent news:

• Edward Snowden granted Russian citizenship
• WaPo publishes op-ed by imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny: “How to build a peaceful post-Putin Russia”
• isn’t it interesting that in contact with J. So if you think the news has been weirder than “usual,” you’re right – and it’s no surprise.
• “Will Gavin Newsom run for president — and could he win over the Democratic base?“

Finally…

I encourage you to follow historian Heather Cox Richardson‘s  Letter from an American. Here’s her latest recap of daily events in these all-too-interesting times, including news about Ukraine, Russia and U.S. politicians.

A bonus podcast for patron subscribers of Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast was posted yesterday. Whitney tells a surreal story from her days as a reporter during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, and I dish about Sarah Kendzior’s new book, They Knew.

I would love to hear from Avid Readers who were in Hurricane Ian’s path. Thinking of you and hoping you are safe and sound.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

Pluto says hi.

Resistance is futile.