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Friday 1/24/2020 & the Weekend: New Moon in Aquarius, Sublime & Surreal

Oh what a week. Here’s a recap of the forecast for Friday  and the weekend:

  • FRIDAY — Moon enters Aquarius at 8:20 AM ET, after a long overnight void. Spend the morning wrapping up projects from the past month’s lunar cycle. Note the potential jolt or other disruption around 1:34 PM ET, when the Moon squares Uranus. At 4:42 PM ET you can light your ritual candle and set your intentions for the New Moon in Aquarius.

Aquarius is a airy (mental), fixed (organizing) energy. Whereas Leo, its opposing sign, is concerned with personal creative expression and recognition, Aquarius needs to focus on the expression needs of a particular group or group consciousness. For some reason John Stuart Mill and his idea of doing “the greatest good for the greatest number” pops into my head, even though Mr. Mill had no planets in Aquarius. He was a practical yet visionary Taurus, with Mercury and Mars in easy alignment with Jupiter in earthy Capricorn. We’d expect him to walk his talk, and he had plenty of provocative things to say, still relevant nearly 200 years year later.  We humans are slow learners, in spite of our whiz-bang technology. Speaking of walking and talking…

  • SATURDAY — walking and talking are facilitated by an 8:10 AM ET harmony between Mars (walking) and Mercury (talking) — but the words and actions are under the influence of patterns that are exact on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  Thus, the P45 defense presented in the Senate is likely to lean heavily on a feeling of being victimized.  Meanwhile, the Aquarius Moon is apt for getting together with your besties and celebrating the Chinese New Year. Happy Year of the Rat! Moon goes void at 2:06 PM ET….and doesn’t enter the next sign until…..
  • SUNDAY — at 6:44 PM ET!!!! Chill, chill, chill — and avoid impulse shopping, as purchases made during voids are more likely not to deliver as hoped. Once the Moon enters Pisces in the evening, the focus shifts to feelings, ideals and other intangibles.  Meanwhile, Venus and Mars square off at 8:37 PM ET. Pay attention to the Grammys around this time — see if there’s a clash on stage. Venus refers to yin; Mars refers to yang. Mars is in Sagittarius, seeking to push boundaries. Venus is in Pisces, where its soulful sensitivity may be sublimely experienced or exploited.  If there’s no clash, a fantasy escape may be yours, especially if you have planets halfway through Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces (that includes you, Mike Pompeo). The fantasy comes courtesy of…
  • MONDAY…when the Moon continues its sojourn in Pisces. Note your dreams upon waking and put on your rose-colored glasses. Neptune cozies up to Venus on at 3:01 PM ET — planting seeds of pixie-dust and fog. Keep that aspect in mind, as well as…
  • TUESDAY…when Neptune challenges Mars at 5: 35 AM.  In the headlines, we anticipate stories of fanatics, sublime spirituality, religion, sexy scandal, razzle-dazzle; assertions involving chemicals, oceans, weapons of war. Upside potential: peaceful initiatives.

The patterns above are integral to the seed-planting opportunity for Friday’s New Moon — especially when we consider its Sabian Symbol of 5  degrees of Aquarius: “a council of ancestors.” We last encountered this Symbol on the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse of July 2018 — and here’s what was written back then:

For the Moon, Sabian Symbol Guru Blain Bovee notes“a council of ancestors called to guide.”  Here is his curious interpretation: “Where do you go when you fall asleep? Into the arms of our ancestors.” Lynda Hill, another Sabian Symbol expert, notes the dichotomy between the material and the spiritual (wisdom of the ancestors/those who have gone before). Hmm. So in order to get out of a current material predicament  — i.e., of teetering on the brink  — I reckon we need to tune in to the spiritual….

…which seems to be echoed by the current planetary patterns involving Venus, Mars and Neptune.

I wish you an inspired seed-planting meditation on this New Moon…and a dreamy weekend escape. You’ll likely feel the inspiration more personally if you have a planet or angle around 4 degrees of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio. Consult your local astrologer for details. 

And now, the news.

With the Sun square Uranus, I anticipated a piece about astrology, and once again — as it has done for at least the past 12 months (glancing at my archives) — the New York Times delivers. “Where should a Scorpio live? Ask an astrocartographer.” It’s a silly headline, as astrocartography has nothing to do with your Sun Sign, but we commend the NYT for once again proving the astonishing synchronicity of planetary patterns and the news. If you’re curious to learn more about astrocartography, it is one of the consultation services I offer.

Meanwhile…

The impeachment trial is going as anticipated. The plaintiffs are living up to the promise of being wonky Mercury in Aquarius (in the chart for the start of the trial). The Democratic house managers did their homework and presented hours of arguments for each of the impeachment articles, supported by the PowerPoint to end all PowerPoints. Adam Schiff’s closing statement on Thursday night came just hours after the Sun-Uranus square — and during the Moon void — suggesting a jolt or twist. And indeed, Schiff’s statement reflected that potential, declaring the Awful Truth: “You can’t trust this president will do what’s right for the country” and “if right doesn’t matter, we’re lost.” It lit up the internets — and  here’s the tape.

A pause, while I put aside the writing for this forecast.

Many hours later:

It’s Saturday, and P45’s lawyers have made their arguments in the Senate, where they complained about a lack of due process, evidence withheld, and “burden sharing” (with respect to the amount of aid the U.S. gives to Ukraine compared to everyone else). Fascinating, now? Victimization is a major challenge for P45 in this lifetime, clearly articulated in his horoscope.  We see the potential for him to be born into an environment where he is swept up in a whirlwind of circumstance beyond his control. The remedy for such a pattern in to develop a solid anchor in life — and by learning to take responsibility.

Here are a ton of headlines reflecting the Sun-Moon’s square to Uranus, and Venus-Neptune square Mars:

We actually have a birth time for Mike Pompeo — so we can clearly see how yesterday’s nasty outburst could be anticipated. Mars (anger!) squared his Pluto (power, extremes) on the 24th; Venus opposes it today, suggesting emotional overkill.  Outbursts of temper are hard-wired in the chart, with Mars opposing his Cancer Moon. Take a quick look at Pompeo’s horoscope and you’ll notice Neptune opposing the Ascendant. That’s a caution against giving the self away in relationship; it also suggests that the way he needs to be seen — i.e, as someone who is stable and materially secure — may be colored in several shades of rose. We can appreciate the need for vision and longings of faith, with Neptune so well-supported by other planets in the chart.  I wonder about the need for control, though — suggested by Saturn square the Ascendant — and how he manages to find a balance. I’m not convinced it’s a healthy connection to that Pompeo’s Capricorn Sun is conjunct the fixed star Facies and P45′s natal South Node (a point of toxic release). This is a potentially fated connection, hard to break — and Pompeo could become an enabler for P45’s worst impulses.

Back to the headlines…

Finally, a moment of appreciation for Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame —  in this tribute on BBC Radio. Jones passed away on Tuesday from complications related to dementia. He was diagnosed several years ago, eventually becoming aphasic and losing his ability to communicate. It’s fascinating to see his horoscope and note that he was born just two weeks  before Mike Bloomberg and three weeks before Moscow Mitch McConnell.

I’ve written about Moscow Mitch and Mike for Mountain Astrologer — and they, along with Jones, share striking patterns. For example, all three have Uranus conjunct the fixed star Algol, suggesting the potential of “losing one’s head.” For Jones, Uranus rules the area of the horoscope related to critical illness.  For Bloomberg, Uranus rules the area related to other people’s resources, alternative healing and shared financial investments. We don’t have a birth time for Moscow Mitch, so we can’t make a determination.

All three have Neptune unaspected at the Aries Point, suggesting that Neptune themes are likely to be prominent – and may run away with the whole persona. For Moscow Mitch, scandal and suppression seem to be a Neptune theme prominent in his life  — and so is shipping (his wife’s family owns a shipping business). For Bloomberg, Neptune refers to his media networks and philanthropy. For Jones, Neptune is the 6th house, suggesting body sensitivity and health issues that may be difficult to understand.

Neptune also refers to fairy tales and fantasy — and that’s what I think of when I think of Terry Jones. He co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail and directed the Life of Brian. He also wrote numerous books of quite sophisticated fairy tales. I got to hear him read one at a lecture he gave on my college campus, decades ago. It’s called Dr. Bonocolos’s Devil — and — true to the potential of Neptune at the Aries Point — I’ve never forgotten it.

Dr. Bonocolos is a clever, clever man. He decides to sell his soul to the Devil. Instantly a nerdy little agent of the Devil shows up to broker the deal. Dr. Bonocolos will have 30 years of unlimited power, wealth and intellect. Then he must spend eternity playing backgammon with the Devil. The nerdy agent warns Dr. Bonocolos that this eternal punishment will be horrifying beyond anything he can imagine. But Dr. Bonocolos imagines differently. He envisions a partnership with the Devil, where the two of them can conspire on brilliant evil schemes for world domination. He does the deal.

Thirty years later, Dr. Bonoculos is taken to Hell. He’s feeling confident…until he finally meets the Devil face-to-face…and realizes to his horror….that the Devil is “clearly stupid.” 

And this is how the story ends:

“‘Of course!’ cried Dr. Bonocolos. ‘It’s so obvious!’ But it was too late. The cleverest man in the world had sold his soul to a fool.”

It was fascinating to be reminded of Terry Jones and his memorable fairy tale on the day the impeachment trial began. I couldn’t help wondering how many in the Senate chamber could empathize with Dr. Bonocolos.

Thank you for reading this forecast — and special thanks to cherished Avid Readers who support The Forecast as appreciative paid subscribers. You are helping me cover the cost of last year’s website renovation, which benefits everyone. Funds are also being used to license inspiring stock photos like this:

Statue of King Neptune in Virginia Beach, VA.