Monday 11/22/2021: Sneak Peek at a Holiday Week; News Round-Up, Especially Mars
It’s SUNDAY, and the Gemini Moon has been void since 10:51 AM ET. Enjoy the long chill time, and resist the urge to do any significant Black Friday shopping until after the Moon enters Cancer at 10:32 PM ET. Purchases made during Moon voids often do not live up to expectations, so this is why I use the word “significant” with respect to the caution against purchases on a Moon void. I have bought “frivolous” items on impulse during voids and can report at least one instance with a surprising twist to the upside.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was having a grab bag sale of select items. Whatever you could stuff into a shopping bag was all yours for $5. On impulse, I filled a bag with 10 gorgeous tree ornaments, even though I’d never put up a tree for the holidays. The ornaments sat in my hall closet for a year or two, until one late December night — in the middle of another long Moon void — I realized that since I wasn’t traveling anywhere for the holidays, I needed to decorate my apartment. I walked over to Walgreens and bought a strand of fairy lights, which I wrapped around the tall potted palm tree in the living room. Then I remembered I had that grab bag of ornaments from the Met, and those went on the palm tree, too. I was thrilled with the results, and it’s now an annual tradition. Surprise!
I would not buy a computer during a Moon void.
At 9:33 PM ET the Sun ditches Scorpio for Sagittarius. Happy birthday to all the philosopher-clowns! Whereas Scorpio seeks to control and master; Sagittarius pushes boundaries — even if it trips over its feet. Whereas Scorpio may be suspicious and keep its cards close to its chest, Sagittarius expresses optimism — and its opinions. Even if its foot lands in its mouth. If you are a Sagittarius born two-thirds of the way into the sign (around December 12th), you may be feeling a need for a vision — or simply lost. The same goes for Virgo, Pisces, and Geminis born around the 12th of their birth months. When will the dreamy clouds disperse? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
Here’s how the week goes:
- MONDAY: until Sunday, there are no exact aspects among the planets that do not involve the Moon. A six-day “lull” in planetary action seems to “coincide” with events that may feel as if they’ve come out of nowhere, in the way that an ice shelf in Antarctica suddenly collapses into the sea. Or so I’ve observed in years past. Today is driven by the Moon in proactive Cancer, focused on matters involving women (especially motherhood), homeland/home/family security; nurturing. Apt for many who are focused on feasting and traveling to be with family on Thanksgiving, yes? There are no exact aspects to the Moon from any other planet until 10:58 PM ET, when Moon sextiles Uranus, suggesting cooperative communication involving technology, networks, and social significance. It’s rumored that the Supreme Court will hand down a few rulings today, and one might be about the draconian law in Texas that has effectively denied constitutionally-protected reproductive rights to women who can’t afford to go out-of-state. I’m prepared for a surprise upset.
- TUESDAY: Moon opposes Venus in Capricorn at 5:48 AM ET, reflecting an illumination and release involving social climbers and other ways in which people are used as a status-conscious means to an end. Moon trines Mars at 7:24 AM ET, facilitating your early morning workout. Going with the flow, indulging in a dream or idealized vision of home and family matters is suggested around 3:50 PM ET, when the Moon trines Neptune. A power play or catharsis may crop up in the evening, as Moon makes its weekly clash with Pluto at 12:46 AM ET on…
- WEDNESDAY. Chill during the ensuring 10+ hour void — especially if you are traveling. Go with the flow; roll with the twists and flakes that may disrupt your efforts to get to Grandma’s house in a straight line. Stick to routine tasks and don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. This advice applies mostly to night owls and early risers, as the Moon enters Leo at 10:58 AM ET. Perfect for a celebration or a dramatic performance, so party on, dudes. Meanwhile, at 10:36 AM ET Mercury (how we need to think and communicate) leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius. From now until December 13th, Mercury in Scorpio’s penetrating focus is replaced by Mercury in Sagittarius’ need to wax rhapsodic about “big picture” concepts, which may lack precision and thoroughness in the actual plan. Watch for the words “sloppy thinking” to show up in the headlines, as well as discussion about boundary-pushing and righteousness in the expression of opinions. Other than that, the Leo Moon is well-supported by trines to Mercury and the Sun for the rest of the day, exact at 11:01 AM ET and 4:34 PM ET. Those should help you get where you’re going, with gusto.
- THURSDAY: The Leo Moon’s need to pull out the stops is clipped by an opposition to Saturn at 3:51 AM ET. How will this impact the high-flying balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? I don’t know, but I’m prepared for a quirk or two around 10:32 AM ET, when Moon squares rebel Uranus. The earlier your Thanksgiving Day gathering happens today, the better, as the regally entitled Moon squares Mars in ruthless Scorpio at 10:19 PM ET. If there’s a game happening in the evening, this should supercharge the action on the field. It may also spark provocative debate, with neither side willing to give an inch. So choose your battles carefully, especially in the evening hours.
- FRIDAY: Finish your impulse Black Friday shopping by 11:23 AM ET, as the Moon opposes Jupiter and then goes void. The Moon-Jupiter opposition suggests a possible early morning spending spree, especially for gifts that enable others to shine (Leo Moon), and may involve technology — and hey, even astrology (Jupiter is in Aquarius, doncha know). If you’re racking your brain for a gift that screams “it’s all about YOU!” I would be delighted to prepare an astrological report for your special someone or send them a handcrafted gift certificate for a consultation.
Please note that I will be raising rates for all services on January 1, 2022. I have not raised rates in over three years, but PayPal’s processing fees have increased, etc., etc. If you know you’d like to schedule a consultation in 2022, you may pay for it now — and schedule it later. Thank you for your understanding.
- FRIDAY: at 9:11 PM ET, Moon enters Virgo to clean up the confetti from the Leo’s Moon’s extravaganza.
- SATURDAY: Use the insights reflected by the Virgo Moon to get organized and make things right. The early morning offers a challenge to someone’s need for perfection in every detail, as the Moon squares Sun-Mercury in Sagittarius’ need for broader brushstrokes. At 7:18 PM ET, Moon trines Uranus. Time to hang with your besties…or perhaps an unconventional date that may continue through…
- SUNDAY:…benefitting from the easy flow of energy among the Moon, Venus, and Mars, exact at 8:14 AM ET and 9:36 AM ET. A dreamy romanticism could be yours as Moon opposes Neptune at 10:49 AM ET (at the very least, note your dreams). Depth of analysis is supported by Moon’s trine to Pluto at 7:02 PM ET. Chill during the nearly nine-hour Moon void. By now we’ll be feeling the spell of two patterns noted at the beginning of this forecast. First, Sun meets up with Mercury at 11:39 PM ET, suggesting idealism. Second (and more compelling) is a trine between Mars and Neptune (exact on Monday) which facilitates seduction. Perhaps this Sunday evening will carry you away…
And now, the news — two weeks’ worth — and much of it reflecting the militant discipline of November 10th’s trifecta: Mercury conjunct Mars in Scorpio, square Saturn in Aquarius, followed by Mars opposing Uranus on November 17th. Was it just a coincidence that three trials grabbing the media’s attention involved ruthless — and arguably reckless — expressions of aggression and firepower?
Exhibit A: on Friday, the day after the lunar eclipse at 27 Taurus-Scorpio, a jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of murdering two men he killed with an AR-15, nor was he found guilty of the attempted murder of a third man he severely wounded. In coming to terms with what seems to me a horrible miscarriage of justice, I appreciated reporter Kurt Eichenwald’s analysis of how, according to current laws in Wisconsin, a jury would arrive at such a verdict. Who wants to run for office in Wisconsin and change these laws? And how about this law in Missouri, which is interfering with law enforcement officers’ ability to conduct criminal investigations? From an astrological perspective, note that Rittenhouse and Greta Thunberg were born on the same day (we don’t have birth times), and here’s an analysis of Thunberg’s. We can certainly see how the midpoint pictures noted apply to both of them. Also of note: last week’s eclipse fell on their square between Venus at 26 Scorpio and Uranus at 26 Aquarius, to eclipsed again in May 2022. At that time, transiting Pluto will be sitting on their respective Mercury at 28 Capricorn, suggesting a persuasive and empowering mindset and communication.
Exhibit B: the trial of the three men who pursued and killed Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through their neighborhood in Georgia. Closing arguments are expected to begin this week.
Exhibit C: Sines v. Kessler (happening in Charlottesville) is the civil trial of two dozen white nationalists who are accused of violating the civil rights of peaceful protesters by conspiring to commit racially-motivated violence, in violation of the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. The jury in this trial is in deliberations.
Still, I anticipated a Really Big Military Story on that November 10th Mercury-Mars square Saturn, and I was surprised not to see one trending in the U.S. lamestream media. Thank goodness Heather Cox Richardson was on the case so that we could be told in her nightly Letter of the “unusual military activity” on the Russian-Ukraine border. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is concerned that Russia may invade Ukraine again as it did in 2014 — and now, a week later, the story is getting mainstream attention.
HCR also told us that the authoritarian leader of Belarus has been flying in immigrants from the Middle East and busing them to the Polish border (after apparently making the immigrants believe that Poland and other EU countries would take them in). HCR points out that this strategy of encouraging an “Us vs. Them” conflict in a democratic society is an attempt to destabilize it. A destabilized democracy (i.e., where people are fighting against each other for resources) is vulnerable to authoritarianism, which is one of the anticipated potentials in the aftermath of the 2012 – 2016 Uranus-Pluto square.
Other stories that fit these patterns involving Mars in Scorpio:
- “China Builds Missile Targets Shaped Like U.S. Aircraft Carrier”.
- Russia “recklessly” destroys one of its satellites; endangers astronauts on the International Space Station
- “Tech mogul who flew with William Shatner on Blue Origin flight killed in plane crash” That happened within hours of the Mars-Uranus opposition, aptly reflecting themes of aviation, shocks, accidents, and technology.
- Stephen K. Bannon was indicted on contempt of Congress charges and appeared in court last week. Outside the courthouse, rebel Bannon stated that he and his followers would “take down the Biden regime” (which wants to cap your monthly insulin costs at $35 and make sure you have paid family medical and parental leave, so you better watch out). There is no public record of Bannon’s birth time, though we clearly see a pattern similar to one the former guy had throughout 2020, suggesting an anguished effort against the threat of loss, exact next month. Other patterns suggest he is at a peak recognition point in his career right about now, collecting his just deserts, for better or for worse. It is possible that other patterns in 2022 will reflect themes associated with visionary zeal, martyrdom, massive amounts of pixie dust, or possibly a disappearing act.
- The House voted to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) after he Tweeted a video of him as an anime character killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and slashing at President Biden with swords. An employee in any other company would be fired immediately for creating a hostile work environment, but Congress apparently lacks a functional HR department. Only two Republican members of Congress — Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — voted with the Democrats to condemn Gosar’s hostile actions and strip him of his committee assignments. Yes, you read that correctly: only two. Gosar’s response was to re-Tweet the video, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy vowed that Gosar would have even better committee assignments when the Republicans took back the House in January 2023, which they may well do if Congress does nothing to stop the current wave of brazen gerrymandering that is going on in so many states — all explained here in the same HCR post (what would we do without her?)
- Here’s a surprise: even though federal pandemic unemployment benefits ended in September, millions more Americans continue to resign from their jobs. This runs contrary to certain politicians who predicted that once the benefits ended, Americans would return to work in droves. But hey — there’s lots of upbeat news to report re: the economy, including that even with millions of Americans not returning to the traditional hamster wheel, many more jobs were created in recent months than initially reported. Supply chain blockages appear to be getting unblocked, and President Biden has moved to replace two hangers-on at the USPS, including the board chair. That means we’re getting one step closer to getting rid of current US Postmaster Louis DeJoy, who had made no secret of his mission to raise costs, slow service, and destroy taxpayer-funded machinery.
The optimistic Big News involving mail delivery, documents, and words aptly reflect last week’s Sun-Mercury square to Jupiter, sextile Pluto. Add these stories to the mix:
- Hedge fund manager buys first-edition of U.S. Constitution for $43 million, setting a record for most-ever paid for a written document
- On the eve of Friday’s eclipse, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy strung words together for over eight hours, breaking a record for the longest string of words uttered on the House floor. McCarthy’s grandstanding delayed the vote on President Biden’s Build Back Better bill…but we knew Speaker Pelosi had the votes, given the trine between Venus and Uranus, exact at 1:07 AM ET. After the eclipse at 3:57 AM ET, McCarthy was still at it, and the Moon went void until 9:32 AM ET. The House passed the Build Back Better bill at 9:46 AM ET. Now it must be passed — in some form — by the Senate, and thus may look more the Build Back Kinda Better bill by the time that happens, only not as kind as originally hoped for.
UPDATE: on President Biden, whose horoscope was personally impacted by the eclipse. This is super-important since he is the leader of a country. Remember how we said that lunar eclipses are apt for illumination and release of what no longer serves? Turns out that what Biden was doing on the eve of the eclipse was prepping for a colonoscopy, which –as you may know — involves a total purge of the intestines. The actual procedure involved anesthesia, and right before Biden was knocked out, he transferred presidential powers to VP Kamala Harris (our Moon in Aries VP can add another “me-first” accomplishment to her resume, as she was our first woman Commander-in-Chief, if only for 85 minutes). Transiting Mars will trigger the lunar eclipse when it conjoins Biden’s Sun-Venus on December 9th and 11th, so we’ll be watching for an energetic surge.
UPDATE: on LeVar Burton, whose horoscope continues to function as designed, with 2021 being a year of expansion. Even though he did not get that “Jeopardy!” gig, turns out that there was something better in store. He’s been tapped to host a “Trivial Pursuit” game show, and though the show doesn’t have a network, if a deal with one does happen by mid-December, that will be in sync with the third and final hit of transiting Jupiter to Burton’s Sun. Astrology is amazing.
And finally…
Reflecting the daring and shocking potential of the recent Mercury-Mars oppositions to Uranus, coupled with the escapist fantasy potential of the November 12th Sun-Neptune trine, let the record show that on the 12th, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired a segment in which Bootsie Plunkett (the show’s Uninformed Correspondent), investigated whether or not s*x clubs exist. Colbert has expressed skepticism, you see…just as he is skeptical of astrology. Who wants to tell him that Bootsie’s latest assignment was perfectly in sync with planetary patterns?
What’s going on in your horoscope? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
Thank you for reading this forecast.