Monday 11/20/2017: Sneak Peek at the Week; Neptune Turns Direct
Good Morning!
Moon continues its sojourn in high-flying Sagittarius, driving the day with a need to push boundaries and righteously express its opinion. A harmony between the Moon and technogeek Uranus around 4:43 PM ET favors innovation and humanitarianism. A potentially conservative backlash or ambitious reach kicks in at 7:26 PM ET, as the Moon meets up with Saturn and then goes void until 2:14 AM ET on TUESDAY. Roll with the flakes and twists that may crop up when the Moon is void — crises that manifest during voids are often much ado about nothing. Chill!
Notable shifts and patterns this week are as follows. First, today is the last full day of the Sun in Scorpio. Sun enter Sagittarius on TUESDAY at 10:05 PM ET. Whereas Sun in Scorpio can keep much under wraps for the sake of control, Sun in Sagittarius is more inclined to let it all hang out, and never mind the mess. If you were a Centaur (half-human, half-horse), aiming at arrow at the sky, whilst galumphing across an open field, you’d trip over your four left hooves on occasion, too. But what a fitting festive energy for the beginning of the holiday season…
Second, Venus in Scorpio forms a cooperative alignment with Pluto in Capricorn, exact at 6:26 AM ET on Tuesday. Women, social expression and money — demanding substance and control — somehow in alignment with the Powers That Be? Third, Neptune turns direct on WEDNESDAY at 9:21 AM ET.
When a planet is retrograde, the suggestion is to turn inward on issues involving that planet, as opposed to looking outside the self. You’ll feel the effects of Neptune’s change of station more personally if you were born 10-13 days into Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius…or if you have a planet or angle at 10-13 degrees of those signs. What kind of effects? Oh….perhaps you are feeling somewhat bewildered…or less inclined to be in Type A personality mode (if you are normally a Type A personality). You may find yourself desperately needing a creative outlet — even if you have never thought of yourself as a “creative” person. Consult your local astrologer for further details. In the news, we are likely to see Neptune themes continue to pull focus in the headlines: oceans, poisons, the navy, dreams, lies, lies, lies, did I mention lies, scandal, drugs, drugs and drugs. And oil. And spirits of all kinds. And music. We’ve been getting double doses of these Neptune themes since 2011, when Neptune entered Pisces — the sign it rules. Here’s a link to a post from 2014, talking about this cycle in more detail, with examples of what happened the last time Neptune entered Pisces — back in 1847. Neptune will remain in Pisces until 2026.
Your Moon voids for the week — in addition to today’s: THURSDAY 5:33 AM ET – 3:14 PM ET. If you’re cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, don’t forget to turn the oven ON. Also: SATURDAY 9:37 PM ET until SUNDAY 3:04 AM ET. Really, not many twists and flakes to disrupt your plans for world domination this week. Arise, go forth and conquer, planting seeds from the New Moon intentions you set over the weekend.
And now, the news.
Macho Mars behaving badly in Libra, sign of social graces…in a militant aspect with Pluto; expansive Jupiter in sexy Scorpio…in harmony with naughtily nautical Neptune. Ready? “Penis in the sky: U.S. navy pilots grounded after ‘obscene’ stunt.” Your tax dollars at work. Speaking of obscenities, tax dollars and airplanes, the House passed its alleged tax reform bill, which a Forbes writer called “the end of all economic sanity in Washington.” If you’d like to call your Senator (the Senate hasn’t voted on their version of this toxic waste dump yet), here are some tips and phone numbers. Planetary patterns do favor the Powers That Be, which means you’ll need make a serious effort if you prefer a different outcome. What does that have to do with airplanes? Well, if you own a private jet, the House’s tax plan gives you a tax break. If you’re a teacher who spends $250 of your own money to buy supplies for your students, you’ll no longer be able to write that off. And if you’re a grad student you may go bankrupt, as your taxes increase by 400%. The Washington Post offers this detailed analysis.
Why all this mean focus on education? I’d argue it’s a reflection of Saturn making its way through the last degrees of Sagittarius, where it will be until December 19th. Saturn refers to control and streamlining. Sagittarius refers to higher education, media, legal philosophy. Given a choice between electing a senator who does not have a history of sexually assaulting teenage girls (Doug Jones, a man who successfully prosecuted Klansmen who blew up a church and killed young girls) vs. electing a senator who will vote to make the judiciary system (Sagittarius) leaner and meaner (Saturn), Alabama Governor Kay Ivey says it’s a no-brainer: Roy Moore — the lean, mean underage girl-chasing machine is her man.
Meanwhile in Okinawa, U.S. military troops (Mars) have been banned from drinking alcohol (Neptune) after a drunk 21’year-old soldier killed a local man in a fatal crash (Mars-Pluto). Also in Japan, Mars-Pluto news from underground: “After six years, robots finally find reactors’ melted nuclear fuel.”
***Breaking News*** as I type: Charles Manson, the “wild-eyed leader of a murderous crew” has died at 83. Always interesting to see how even the obituaries reflect planetary patterns — and here I am referring to the potential brutality of Mars square Pluto — with mystical Neptune humming in the background. Also always interesting to see how someone is described in her/his obituary is clearly reflected in the horoscope. From the Washington Post:
Mr. Manson was a study in stark contrasts. Small and scrawny, he was also charismatic and held an almost hypnotic power over his followers, especially women. Some believed he was divine.
Mr. Manson has Mars (action, yang energy, assertion) together with Neptune in his horoscope. This pattern practically screams with visionary/guru potential — with the caveat that behind the glamor things may not be what they seem. Mars with Neptune seeks expression in intangible forms — music is an intangible form, and Manson was also a songwriter (if only he’d been more successful as a songwriter….).
Manson was born on November 12, 1934 — a Scorpio with three other planets: Mercury, Jupiter and Venus — either in the “seeking connection with an ‘other'” 7th House or on the cusp of the 7th, strengthening the need for connection even more. His community-seeking Aquarius Moon needs to take charge in the 10th House, and it is challenged by tense aspects to Mercury-Jupiter (big ideas) and the Uranus-Pluto. This is the disruptive Uranus-Pluto square that preceded World War II and all of its horrors.
It’s interesting that Manson’s dark chaos pulled focus in the years following the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of 1965-1966, culminating with random and ghastly murders committed by his followers in the summer of 1969. It’s interesting to note this passage from his Wikipedia bio:
Manson believed in what he called “Helter Skelter“, a term he took from the Beatles‘ song of the same name. Manson believed Helter Skelter to be an impending apocalyptic race war, which he described in his own version of the lyrics to the Beatles’ song. He believed the murders would help precipitate that war. From the beginning of his notoriety, a pop culture arose around him in which he ultimately became an emblem of insanity, violence and the macabre.
“Apolcalyptic race war?” As in “Us vs. Them?” Did we see that theme expressed in the aftermath of the early 30s (and a Uranus-Pluto square)? And there Manson was in the aftermath of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction, expressing that theme again? And now here we are, in the aftermath of a long series of Uranus-Pluto squares (2011-2016) once again. It’s only been a year. The potential for chaos in the aftermath is just getting started. I would love to believe that if we all keep our heads on straight, we could channel the energy seeking release into something truly beneficial for humankind. And in some places, we may well do so. When you become aware of planetary patterns you understand how they run in cycles. We have all been here before. Here’s a post about the Uranus-Pluto cycle written in 2012.
UPDATE: Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and U.S. presidential candidate. As predicted two years ago, he’s sparking now. He’s formed a new PAC. As FiveThirtyEight writes, “Take Martin O’Malley Somewhat Seriously in 2020…Seriously.” Capricorn Sun, supercharged by transiting Uranus; Scorpio Moon, expanded by transiting Jupiter. Here is his horoscope.
UPDATE: Angela Merkel, whose horoscope suggested expansion and public support — at least until early fall (so I wrote, back in March). What is her horoscope suggesting now? The frustration potential of transiting Saturn (control) on her Mars (action). “Collapse of German coalition talks deals Merkel blow; raises prospect of new elections.”
Do you think Angela Merkel has a consulting astrologer on staff? Wouldn’t it be helpful for her to be aware of the potential suggested by planetary patterns? What’s going on in your horoscope? Are you heading into a period of expansion or streamlining? Bewilderment or empowerment? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
Thank you for reading this forecast — and sharing it with friends.