Allll-righty then!

It’s Juneteenth — now a federal holiday, the celebration of the announcement in Texas on June 19th, 1865, that enslaved Americans were free, as historian Heather Cox Richardson explains. When Election Day becomes a national holiday, that is when I will break out the champagne.

Highlights this week include:

• Jupiter sextile Saturn on Monday
• Summer Solstice on Wednesday
• Mercury sextiles Mars on Wednesday
• Mercury squares Neptune on Sunday
• Mars squares Uranus on Monday — in effect over the weekend

It goes like this:

• MONDAY: Moon in Cancer drives the next two days with a need to focus on emotional, home/homeland, and family concerns. Moon travels without interference all day, possibly suspending our sense of time. The only exact aspect is the sextile between Jupiter and Saturn, at 11:53 AM ET. This is an uncommon pattern, as the last one happened on August 27, 2017, and the next one won’t happen until May 4, 2037. Wow! Cooperation between Jupiter and Saturn suggests a balance between necessary controls and expansion, and we have several days to make the most of it. Where does 7 degrees of every sign fall in your horoscope? That’s where the seeds for solid structure may be planted, especially if you have something around 7 degrees of Pisces and Taurus. Pay close attention to anything happening in the headlines that has set it sights on the future. I will explain why I say this when we get to the news — especially the items on what was all over Twitter over the weekend.
• TUESDAY: A proactive, security-oriented agenda is supported by the Cancer Moon’s sextile with Uranus at 12:33 AM ET, followed by a trine to Neptune at 1:23 PM ET. Our weekly power play or emotional catharsis occurs around 5:43 PM ET, as Moon opposes Pluto. Twenty-one minutes later, Moon enters Leo, looking for the nearest party, stage or throne upon which to shine. Now is the time to shower the people you love with compliments. By now, leaders of state and business will be demanding our attention as they work overtime to get their message to the masses. Why? Because the Sun is at the verrrrrry end of Gemini, on the Aries Point.
• WEDNESDAY: A generous boost or overconfidence starts the morning, perhaps, as the regal Leo Moon squares Jupiter at 9:14 AM ET. At 10:57 AM ET, say goodbye to Spring and hello to Summer, as the Sun enters Cancer, and everyone wants to head for the nearest body of water. I know I do. Don’t you?

A pause, while we discuss the Summer Solstice.

Here’s what you need to know about the first day of any season  — i.e., equinoxes and solstices — from an astrological point of view. The first days of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter correspond with the first day (or first degree) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively (there are thirty degrees in each sign of the zodiac). Got that? Good. (This is for the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere has different rules).

These four signs are called cardinal signs. Cardinal signs initiate. They come up with the idea and put it into action, which leads to necessary change. “Cardinal” suggests (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.”  So the first day/degree of a Cardinal sign is a turning point. In astrology, the technical term for the first degree of any Cardinal sign is the “Aries Point,” just to confuse people who are not professional astrologers. In other words, the first day of Cancer, Libra, Capricorn and Aries is the Aries Point. The first day of Taurus (and the rest of the signs) is NOT at the Aries Point). Clear?

Equinoxes and solstices are also prominent. We make a fuss over them, right? In Japan, the first day of each season is actually a national holiday. How cool is that? Thus, in a horoscope, a planet or angle at the Aries Point needs to be prominent.

A person born with the Sun in Cancer is here to create and maintain emotional security. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which changes signs faster than any other celestial body. Moon refers to emotional response; thus, Cancers have a rep for being moody. The keywords for Cancer are: I FEEL. If you are a Cancer born in the last few days of the sign, my money says you’ve been feeling a lot over the past year, especially a pressure to breakdown and transform. Maybe you’d like to talk about it with your astrologer.

Here is the chart for the Summer Solstice, set in Washington, D.C. We can use it to assess potential happenings in the U.S. for the next three months:

Observations:

• Ascendant ruler Mercury (in Gemini) is the strongest planet in the chart. Mercury is minutes away from an exact sextile with Mars in Leo (which may get away with murder). Mars is in the 12th house — of behind-the-scenes action, ginormous institutions of confinement,  and/or hidden enemies, including the self-undoing. Translation: high-functioning walking and talking  — reaching out to the house Mars rules in this chart, which is the 9th. The 9th house refers to foreign affairs, the media, court opinions, higher education, and other collective belief systems. Mercury is thought of as the Messenger planet, and in this chart, note that Mercury sextiles Mars after just sextiling Venus (money, art, women, social expression).
• This is interesting, because — as noted last week — Venus and Mars are both in Leo, and Venus is moving to a meet-up with Mars. But this meet-up is not going to happen, because Venus goes retrograde next month. But still, whatever Venus represents and whatever Mars represents in this chart, they can connect through the efforts of Mercury, which has what it takes to get the message across. Whatever the behind-the-scenes maneuvers may be, I anticipate we will have some clarity around February 22, 2024, when Venus and Mars do meet up…at 6 degrees of Aquarius. That date — and a couple of weeks beforehand — is likely to be quite an active period for the United States, especially with respect to the executive branch of the government.
• Moon in Leo is also in the 12th house — behind the scenes.
• Pluto at the verrry end of Capricorn is obsessively fixated on matters of money, women, creativity, social expression, and values. Pluto at the last degree of Capricorn represents the existing Powers That Be at a crisis point, determined to hang on to their status quo, whilst corruption of rotting structures is exposed and broken down.

Back to the daily Forecast:

• WEDNESDAY: Leo Moon meets up with Venus at 11:08 PM ET, facilitating a festive — albeit intense — evening.
• THURSDAY: Moon meets up with Mars at 8:41 AM ET — there’s your focused “get up and go!” Get the word out around 11:51 AM ET, as Mercury sextiles Mars. A disruption to the status quo arrives around 1 PM ET, as Moon squares rebel Uranus. And then….CHILL during the over 17-hour Moon void! Avid Readers know that Moon voids suggest a time to focus on routine concerns and roll with any twists or flakes that may disrupt your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Example: we had a super-long Moon void in Leo on May 26th. I was traveling by train from NYC to Boston. A friend picked me up at the train station, and promptly got on the freeway — traveling AWAY from our intended destination! We had to travel several miles before we could turn around. The intention was to find a place for lunch, and we ended up at a Thai restaurant with no tables set up for service…because they were still under Covid protocols and only doing take out. For some reason, we didn’t pick up on this, so we sat down at a table. And for some reason, they decided to serve us anyway…and the food arrived in take-out containers and plastic forks and knives. Eh. No worries!  Point is, with the Moon void in Leo for another long spell, a fine time can be had by all — but if a drama king or queen tries to carry the day away, do not freak out over a perceived crisis. Actions taken during Moon voids are often of little consequence., and there are plenty of examples in the archives of this Forecast. CHILL!!
• FRIDAY: Moon enters Virgo at 6:35 AM ET, ready to clean up the confetti from Leo Moon’s party. Moon sextiles Sun at 10:24 AM ET, supporting communication and cooperation. The evening offers a mixed message, as Moon opposes Saturn at 9:07 PM ET, and then trines Jupiter at 10:53 PM ET. Saturn on the Moon can be cutting; Jupiter trine Moon can be expansive. Perhaps the latter suggests a silver lining to whatever gravitas hits the headlines.
• SATURDAY: The Virgo Moon travels without interference all day. Humming in the background are two patterns of note. First is a square between Mercury (how we need to think) and Neptune (dreams, visions and/or delusions; things may not be as they seem). This pattern is similar to what we experienced with last weekend’s square between the Sun and Neptune (you’ll see what I mean when I recap the news). The Mercury-Neptune square will be exact at 6:35 PM ET on..
• SUNDAY.  Before then, however, the Virgo Moon’s trine to Uranus at 1:52 AM ET suggests a Saturday night with like-minded souls in a dreamy quest for perfection. A bewildering clash of opinion may crop up around 1:25 PM ET, as Moon squares Mercury and then opposes Neptune at 2:20 PM ET. Depth of perspective is added to the mix, as Moon trines Pluto at 6:24 PM ET — and then goes void for 30 minutes.  At 6:57 PM ET, Moon enters Libra, now seeking fairness, balance and harmony in relationship. By now, we may all be feeling the buzz of the other patterns humming in the background — exact on Monday. This is a square between Mars and Uranus, and it suggests technological breakthroughs, daring, explosive or reckless action. Mars is in Leo, so if it’s a human doing the acting on this transit, a sense of regal entitlement or dramatic flair would not be unsurprising…even though surprises are not uncommon whenever Uranus is involved. If you’re on the road this weekend, pay attention.

And now, the news.

If you’d like to know how 1) astrology was used to accurately anticipate how the former guy would be treated by the judge at his arraignment last week (not to mention the judge who was assigned the case); 2) why the State of Montana is making headlines, and how the next two years are likely to go for Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, commanding national headlines; 3) other fun astro-logical insights that aren’t in this written forecast, you’ll find them in Episode 40 of Off the Charts: A Stellar Newscast — check it out — and thanks for listening!

Meanwhile…

Patterns driving the news last week included 1) Saturn turning retrograde; and 2) Sun square Neptune. Reflecting the former, which suggested a focus on cuts, reality checks, blocks, and losses:

• “In New England, time stands still — at least if you look at the clocks.” Thanks to Avid Reader Jeri for making sure I didn’t miss that one (it’s behind a paywall; but basically notes how many clocks in New England’s public spaces aren’t working).
• “Government shutdown warnings rise as Republicans seek deeper cuts in budget battle”
• “Everyone knows that work is miserable. Can Thoreau help fix it?”
• “When Queen Elizabeth left, she took the happiness with her”
• “Minneapolis Police Department engaged in a pattern of discrimination against black and Native American people and routinely resorted to “excessive force“, a DOJ report has found
• “Finland’s ‘most right-wing government ever’ to cut spending and immigration”.  Fun fact: Finland was declared the happiest country in the world for six years in a row. Let’s see if they win in 2024.
• “Greg Abbott signs Texas law banning diversity offices in higher education.”
• “Shocking closure at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum reflects a crisis at regional theaters nationwide”
• “How a toilet plunger improved CPR”
• Factor in the depressing news potential of last Thursday’s Mercury-Saturn square: “Every Lousiana driver’s license holder was exposed in colossal cyber attack“
• Saturn turned retrograde in Pisces, and Avid Readers will recall last year that Saturn’s ingress into Pisces was likely to be reflected in serious headlines about mental health. “Inside the war tearing psychologists apart“ would be one of them.
• “The Crowded Room” – a psychological thriller that debuted on Apple TV last week — drags on and on…say the critics.

Add in the Sun-Neptune square and its potential for dreams, delusions, oceans, healing, scandal, faith, etc. etc….

• “Inside a conservative confab for women, where feminism is a lie”

• Massive marlin almost won crew millions — then it was disqualified

• Scientists made a frightening discovery when they measured sharks worldwide  (they’re in decline)
  

• United Nations adopts  high seas treaty; first-ever pact to protect international waters
• “Search underway for submersible gone missing on dive to Titanic wreck”
• Daniel Ellsberg — who sparked a big reality check (Saturn) on the U.S. government’s lies (Neptune) about the Vietnam War — passed away. Here is his horoscope.

…and note that every story in the NYT Sunday Magazine reflected that pattern, combined with Saturn retrograde:

• “Dreaming of a New Iran: Diaries from Three Young Women” — that was the cover story, and let’s add the idealism suggested by the weekend’s Mercury-Venus sextile.
• “The Moral Crisis of America’s Doctors” — looks at the damage Pluto in Capricorn & the corporatization of health care has done.
• “How Mr. Beast became the Willy Wonka of altruism” (yeah, his “absurd acts of altruism are a viral sensation”, but some say he’s “evil”)
• “Samantha Irby says it’s OK to hate your body”

In other news…

A couple of stories were all over the Twitter over the weekend. One involved Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an anti-vaxxer who is running as a Democrat in a presidential bid, reportedly cheered on by Alex Jones, as well as January 6th attempted coup insider Stephen K. Bannon. In an aptly surreal reflection of the Sun-Neptune square, Spotify personality Joe Rogan tried to get vaccine researcher Dr. Peter Hotez to agree to a debate with RFK.  Another story involved the so-called “No Labels” would-be third political party…which is rumored to be floating the idea of running Joe Manchin as a presidential candidate.  Who is financially backing No Labels? That is the question this Mother Jones article investigates.

What do these Twitter flurries have to do with astrology? I’ll tell you. Looking ahead to the fall of 2024, we see that Jupiter will be about to turn retrograde in Gemini. Jupiter expands whatever it touches; Gemini can talk out of both sides of its mouth. Jupiter is not at its best in Gemini, where it blows up the trivial at the expense of the essential. Jupiter in Gemini is likely to expand the number of choices available…and frankly, having so many choices is NOT conducive to happiness. Jupiter in Gemini looks like Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card for last week — the Seven of Cups. Jupiter in Gemini is likely to expand on the diversification of information channels that began when Mars was in Gemini last fall…and not only that, activated the U.S Mars-Neptune square three times. Translation: it’s hard to know what to believe. And the message may be diluted because there are too many channels.

Finally — I have no idea what to file this story under. The mythical, magical potential of the Sun-Neptune square? I dunno — but it’s a cool item — and made me think of Excalibur, King Arthur’s mythical, magical sword:

• “Almost still shines: 3000 year old sword unearthed in Germany“

To find out what all these patterns suggest in your own personal world, here’s the 411 on personal consultations.

Thank you for reading this Forecast — and sharing it with your friends.