Tag Archive for: best mercury retrograde snafus

Tuesday 2/16/2021: Late Sneak Peek at a Short Work Week; Saturn-Uranus Square #1

Allllllrighty then!

What a week it was — and what a week it shall be.

Moon is in Aries, where it’s been since 10:53 AM ET on Saturday. Its fiery initiative combined with Mercury retrograde, is a fitting pattern for charging around the house to  REorganize, or blasting through your emails to REview, REconnect and toss out what no longer serves.

Here’s how this short work week goes:

  • TUESDAY: More me-me-me-first Moon in Aries, building to a cathartic release, purge or power play around 1:32 PM ET, as Moon squares Pluto. A sense of relative balance returns by 7:15 PM ET, when the Aries Moon’s pioneering drive harmonizes with the humanitarian Aquarius Sun…and then goes void for the next three hours. Chill! At 10:11 PM ET, Moon enters Taurus, seeking to build and maintain material comfort and security — not unlike that pictured on Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card of the Week. If you’re lucky enough to be on vacation this week, the Moon in Taurus facilitates enjoyment of simple sensual delights and the comforts of home. Its need for stability and resistance to change may take some of the edge off of the pattern that’s been humming in the background all month, i.e., the first of three squares between Saturn and Uranus, exact on…
  • WEDNESDAY:at 2:07 PM ET.

Let’s talk about that Saturn-Uranus square.

Saturn represents necessary controls, such as authority, the limits of time, responsibility, and ambition. We need Saturn’s structure to exist in the material world; without it we’d be living in a field without a roof over our heads. Uranus represents the intensely disruptive energy of change, lightning bolts, seismic shake-ups, genetic mutations and awakenings. If you have a Saturn-Uranus square in your horoscope, there is a suggestion of tension between the need to fulfill perceived obligations and maintain control vs. a need to break free of it all. That tension may persist for years, but eventually, the pressure for innovation and change wins the day.

Uranus briefly entered Taurus in 2018, backed into Aries and then re-entered Taurus in early 2019. Since then we’ve seen its disruptive energy reflected by shake ups in Taurus-ruled concerns: our values and possessions in general;  earth beneath our feet; the concept of ownership; retail, money, beauty, restaurant (food) and real estate businesses, as I told you it would at the end of 2017. We’ve also seen a disruption of a material comfort we took for granted for far too long, i.e., human touch. I can’t believe I wrote this in April 2019 as a coda to an analysis of Joe Biden’s horoscope (he has Moon at 0 Taurus).It’s amazing how it has played out:

Joe Biden was due for a sobering shock. And on a collective level, this is one of the exercises we are being given, courtesy of Uranus (shock) in Taurus (material comfort and security; physical touch). Those hugs that were once a secure expression of comfort and non-sexual caring affection? Not so secure anymore. We will probably have to wait eight years — when Chiron enters Taurus — for us to put back together our sense of material comfort and security that is likely to be shattered as Uranus continues in Taurus.

Saturn dipped into Aquarius last March for a few months, backed into Capricorn over the summer and re-entered Aquarius last December. It suggests the advancement of necessary controls (this is how my teacher Noel Tyl described the need of Saturn) applied to matters of Taurus using the intellectually innovative methods of Aquarius: technology, rebels from the fringe; the power of the collective (as opposed to a corporation), humanitarianism, diversity, social significance, friendships, networks. And here we are now, gathered together on Zoom, with efforts now being made to control/regulate what had been a wild frontier of cyberspace.

Uranus represents the energy of awakening — with a shock to the system. Saturn represents the reality of the material world. When Saturn/reality is in a hard aspect with Neptune (fog/deception/idealism), as it was in 2006-2007 and 2015-2016, we get magical thinking and bubbles.  The last time Saturn and Uranus were in a hard aspect (conjunction, square or opposition), was late 2008-2010. Anyone remember any bubbles bursting back then (e.g. mortgage crisis & auto bailout)?  They say history repeats itself — and so do planetary cycles.

Many bubbles are likely to pop in 2021. The dates of the three Saturn-Uranus squares are Feb 17, Jun 15 and Dec 24. In 2022, we do not have an exact square, but Saturn and Uranus will still be in a tense pattern, especially in the fall.

Back to the forecast for the week:

  • WEDNESDAY: the Taurus Moon squares Saturn and conjoins Uranus at 12:47 PM ET; the square between Saturn and Uranus happens at 2:06 PM ET. Whatever upsets and revelations happen today are hints of more to come this year. You’re more personally affected if you have planets or angles in your horoscope around 7 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Consult your local astrologer for details. Moon squares Mercury at 9:32 PM ET, as innovative ideas challenge the status quo.  Feelings of expansion and indulgence are suggested around 2:50 AM ET, as Moon squares Jupiter on…
  • THURSDAY: Meanwhile, at 5:43 AM ET, Sun leaves Aquarius and enters Pisces. Noel Tyl wrote that a Pisces Sun “needs to feel and understand sacrifice,” so let’s see how those needs are reflected in the actions of leaders between now and March 20th. The Taurus Moon continues in its effort to preserve the status quo (no matter what upsets occurred the day before). It meets up with Mars at 7:47 PM ET, suggesting potential provocation and/or stubborn resistance.
  • FRIDAY: a slow start to the morning reflects the Moon void between 2:27 AM ET and 11:03 PM ET. That’s your excuse for sleeping in and/or pouring hot water over coffee beans because you forgot to grind them. Roll with the flakes and twists, and note the shift in tone once the Moon enters Gemini, seeking to get all of the facts and figures. Caveat: Mercury has slowed to a virtual standstill, as it prepares to turn direct on Saturday. Seriously double check those facts and figures.
  • FRIDAY: At 1:47 PM ET the Gemini Moon squares the Pisces Sun, suggesting an adjustment involving being informed vs. how it feels. At 6:03 PM ET we’ll have the release of another pattern that’s been building all week: Venus in Aquarius squares Mars. Sparks may fly between archetypes representing yin and yang. Could make an apt backdrop for a passionate hook-up, with no string attached. TGIF!
  • SATURDAY: the Gemini Moon continues on its fact-finding mission, supported by Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. Still, Mercury’s change of station suggests caution against taking whatever is circulating at face value.  Another fine day for getting organized. Do be careful while in transit, as Mercury turns direct at 7:51 PM ET at 11 degrees of Aquarius. Between now and March 13th, one or more of the bright ideas generated during the Mercury retrograde made require adjustment.
  • SUNDAY: Gemini Moon goes void at 1:37 PM ET. Time for a long chill, as the Moon won’t enter Cancer until 10:52 PM ET.us.

And now, the news.

Let’s start with a list of several headlines reflecting last week’s major planetary patterns. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen many of these as they hit the wires:

Meanwhile, I’ve been anticipating disruptions and further separations in the lives of Britain’s Royal Family:

UPDATE: on Claudia Conway — the social media sensation and  would-be emancipated daughter of Kellyanne and George. Claudia’s 24 Libra Sun was hit hard in 2020 by Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Pluto and (goddess of discord) Eris. Pluto continues to square her Sun, suggesting that — having made a ton of noise last year — she would continue to attract prominence (i.e., fame) because Pluto is not done with her just yet. Looking at her horoscope last year, I thought she might prevail in her declared bid for emancipation.  Are we surprised that she appeared on American Idol over the weekend? Eh…not really. Plus, transiting Jupiter (expansion) conjoined her Neptune (glamour, music, fantasy, victim, fog) last week.

Britney Spears is also making a bid for emancipation, apparently — though I confess I have not thoroughly read the stories. The NYT made a documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” that’s now playing on Hulu.  A quick glance at her horoscope, and instantly we see Pluto at play here, too — squaring her Venus-Pluto square. We anticipate extremes, breakdown and eventual empowerment in matters of her self and financial worth — after quite a struggle.

Best Mercury Rx snafu so far — and boy did we need this laugh:

There’s much to be said about last week’s impeachment trial. Part of that exercise involves reviewing the flow of planetary patterns over the past several years, in order to understand how the United States got to this point in its development, and why the 2022 midterms are so critical to the survival of our democratic process. That’s what I plan to do in the next forecast. If I start writing that part now, this current forecast won’t ship until tomorrow; until I can get to it, here’s Heather Cox Richardson with the latest from her non-astrological historical perspective.

To find out what’s going on in your horoscope, here’s the 411 on personal consultations.  If you’d like to become a Faithful Monthly Supporter of these weekly insights, you may do that here.

If you’re a student of astrology, I invite you to register for the Empowered Astrology Conference –happening on Zoom March 11 – 14th. Teachers include several of my fellow honors graduates of Noel Tyl’s masters program. If you’ve never heard of Noel Tyl, here’s a take from Avid Reader John:

I met Noel in 2000 at his seminar in Edinburgh. Such a giant of a man, not because of his height but is whole persona, white hair, white shirt, white shoes and trousers, or pants as they say in the USA. He looked like an angel. His work is such an inspiration… There are hundreds and hundreds of astrological twitter accounts, Instagram accounts, and blogs, all increasing weekly. It is such a pleasure and relief to read your work. Nothing in the Astro world is worth reading or listening to more than anyone who has studied with Noel Tyl.

Thank you for reading this forecast.