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I am a reporter with a unique beat. I use my understanding of planetary cycles to provide advance notice and analysis on the Zeitgeist of the day. If you have ever wondered “why is this happening now,” my insights will transform your experience of the headlines, adding new meaning and understanding. Call it Astrology for News Junkies. If you’re curious to know why the Impossible Burger is trending…or why the outcome of the 2019 Israeli elections was likely to be a shocker …or why “Woodrow Wilson, Stud Muffin” was a New York Times headline in December 2013, you will find it here, in over a decade’s worth of historical research and reporting.
Note that I do use astrological jargon in The Forecast in my effort to show how the planetary patterns are reflected in mundane events. I explain what the jargon symbolizes, so that all who want to understand the connections between astrology and the news may do so. However, I do not use astrological jargon in personal consultations, just plain English.
Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 9/8/2015: Sneak Peek at the Week; Stephen Colbert, Briefly
/in The ForecastGood Morning!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend — and perhaps you are still on holiday even as I type. The Moon is in Cancer, driving the energy of the day with a need for emotional security and a focus on home(land) concerns, Mom and apple pie. The Moon travels without conflict until 9:28PM ET, when it goes void for just over an hour on a stabilizing connection with Saturn.
Moon enters Leo at 10:36PM ET, trading the emotional sensitivity of Cancer for emotional drama and need to shine, play and put on a show. The Moon will cruise through Leo without input from other planets all day on Wednesday, and pretty much all day on Thursday. So is there anything of note happening in the cosmos this week? Sure!
Today at 3:53PM ET, action hero Mars (in Leo) makes an easy alignment with technogeek Uranus (in Aries), facilitating innovative action and perhaps militant/rebellious action, too. Mars refers to war and crusades; Uranus just has to break the mold. Tomorrow, mental Mercury is squared by Pluto at 3:23PM ET, suggesting a sharp perspective that can either be cutting in ways some might find hurtful, or can be aces at digging up buried facts. Regardless, this pattern suggests no need to mince words. It facilitates persuasive efforts.
So lets’s see…these two aspects, driven by the Moon in Leo tonight…sounds like a good time for quirky rebel geek Stephen Colbert to step into David Letterman’s shoes as the host of Late Night on CBS. More on Mr. Colbert in a minute.
By the time the Virgo Moon kicks in on Friday at 9:56AM, we will be well into the dark side of the Moon, a time to be wrapping up projects from this past cycle and preparing for the New Moon on Sunday at 2:41AM ET. As you may have heard, this New Moon is the first of two eclipses this month; the second will be on the Full Moon on September 27th.
I will write more about the particulars of Sunday’s eclipse later this week; for now, just know that an eclipse in Virgo is likely to add to Jupiter in Virgo’s expansive focus on Virgo concerns, including work routines, healthcare, service, diet, food production and labor in excruciating detail. Wherever 20 degrees of Virgo falls in your horoscope is the area of your life that will be affected. If you have a planet or angle at around 20 degrees of Virgo, the matters referring to that planet will be of exceptional significance, especially in the last week of October and November. Consult your local astrologer for details. Schedule a personal consultation. There is only so much that can be covered in a general forecast (even though I could go on for days and days about astrology…)
And now, the news.
Stephen Colbert. There was a big article about his Late Night debut last week in the New York Times. Two colleagues are quoted thusly:
How interesting to see a remark about Sun Signs casually quoted — as if of course everyone would understand what Ms. Sedaris was talking about — in the NYT. And someday maybe everyone will get the reference, when the practical insights astrology can provide are valued by more people.
Elsewhere in the piece, Mr. Colbert is described as
Why was he tapped by CBS to replace Mr. Letterman?
And by this point I’m thinking, “Mr. Colbert may well be a Taurus, but my money says his horoscope is driven by a Moon in Gemini”. And as it turns out, it is –(even without an exact birth time). His horoscope also has four planets in Taurus – Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars — and the last three are trine Uranus and Pluto, suggesting innovation and persuasion in matters of mindset and action — big time. Makes senses he’d be a huge fan of rocket science and science fiction. Break a leg, Mr. Colbert!
UPDATE: On the subject of “news from underground,” suggested by the Sun’s contact with Pluto over the weekend, rumor has it that the whereabouts of the mythical Nazi gold train we were tracking during last week’s equally mythic Sun-Neptune opposition have been determined — and have been sealed off by the Polish army. Meanwhile, “archaelogy on steroids” made news near Stonehenge.
UPDATE: The murder of Cecil the Lion by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer made headlines days after Venus turned retrograde on July 25th. Palmer’s dental practice was closed for several weeks. Now that Venus is direct (as of Sunday), Palmer’s practice has re-opened for business…but no sign of Dr. Palmer yet…
Thank you for reading this forecast.
Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 9/4/2015 & the Weekend: Venus Turns Direct; Mercury Retrograde Alert
/in The ForecastTGIF!
Summer’s last hurrah — a long holiday weekend for those in the U.S. — kicks off with the Moon in chatty, versatile Gemini at 7:48AM ET. What’s there to talk about? Whatever wet blanket or authoritative advance happened while you were sleeping, suggested by a face-off between the Moon and Saturn at 6:20AM ET. As the day progresses, boundaries may be pushed as the Moon squares expansive Jupiter at 5:04PM ET…and perhaps dissolve altogether as the Moon next squares wiggy Neptune at 10:23PM ET. Some enchanted evening?
Saturday morning starts with the Third Quarter Moon at 5:54PM ET, offering another potential revelation on the agenda you set for yourself on last month’s New Moon. The rest of the day looks good for being a social butterfly, as the Gemini Moon makes contact with Venus and Mars, before going void with a sigh on a hit to rebel Uranus at 7:04PM ET. Take a loonnnnng chill, as the Moon won’t enter the next sign — Cancer — until 1:40PM ET on Sunday.
Not that there won’t be plenty going on in the cosmos. At 7:08PM ET on Saturday the Sun aligns with Pluto. This is a potent and resourceful mix, quite different from the intangible vibe of the Sun-Neptune face-off that started the week. Meanwhile, at 4:29AM ET on Sunday, Venus finally turns direct — huzzah, huzzah! It will take until October 9th for it to reach 0 Virgo, the degree at which it turned retrograde on July 25th. How many summer flings will fizzle out between now and then?
Important Safety Tip: while Venus may soon be moving direct, mental Mercury will be turning retrograde on September 17th. Take this time now to BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS and other gizmos…and NO WHINGEING about Mercury retrograde! There are plenty of productive things that can be accomplished during this necessary period of REview, and you can read about them here.
And now, the news.
Everywhere I look, I see fallout from last weekend’s bewildering Full Moon and Sun-Neptune face-off (fish, refugees, oceans, spirit, deception, etc.).
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension was overturned by a federal judge. This made me smile — not because I am fan of Tom Brady, but because my sense was that the Deflategate scandal was not likely to have serious consequences. Elsewhere, however, there have been serious consequences for the president of Guatemala, who resigned today in a swirl of scandal involving an alleged customs fraud. He was promptly jailed.
Around the world, the plight of refugees made disturbing headlines — in Turkey, Canada, Germany, Australia and Hungary.
Meanwhile, Kim Davis, the rebellious Kentucky county clerk who refused to follow an order from the Supreme Court to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, has been found in contempt and sent to jail. Since my last forecast, Wikipedia has published Ms. Davis’s birth date, and I appreciate the Avid Reader who let me know. Ms. Davis was born September 17, 1965. Service-oriented Virgo Sun square expansive Jupiter. Moon in Gemini, suggesting a need to be the smartest kid in the room. Even without an exact birth time, we can see how her mindset would be unconventional and intense, with her Mercury conjunct Uranus and Pluto — all in Virgo. And all three planets are opposed by a retrograde Saturn in Pisces, suggesting any number of necessary controls, a challenging relationship with the father and no small amount of soul-searching.
To understand her potential spiritual zeal, charisma and/or proclivity for deception or scandal, look no further than a meet-up between Mars and Neptune in Scorpio. Yea verily, my head spins when reading about her complicated marital history. Her Venus is also in Scorpio, in a loose Grand Trine with Jupiter and Saturn. A Grand Trine is traditionally seen as a lucky pattern in a horoscope, but I learned from Noel Tyl that it also suggests one who may see herself as a “law unto oneself”. Ya think? There’s more….but you get the idea.
OK, I promised you fish. As in “An Ancient Fish is Running Out of Time,” as seen in today’s NYT op-ed pages. And this fish tale involving President Obama today in Alaska. Still at the top of his game, btw, as he now has enough support in Congress to move forward on the accord negotiated with Iran.
Thank you for reading this forecast and sharing it with the rest of the Free World. And thanks especially to Avid Reader Jerry, who was kind enough to make a $10 donation in support of my efforts to keep you entertained and informed on planetary patterns. Jerry, you made my day. This forecast was written especially for you.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday & Thursday 9/2-3/2015: Steady Freddie with Moooooon in Taurus
/in The ForecastToday the Moon is in Taurus — as of 5:02AM ET, no doubt ready to methodically organize and consolidate the impassioned idealism or bewilderment that may have captured your attention during yesterday’s long Moon void. Whatever it takes to maintain a sense of comfort and security, have at it, as this sensual Taurus energy is well-supported by expansive Jupiter at 1:01PM ET (a luxurious lunch?), visionary Neptune at 6:54PM ET (catch a concert or a show?) and by the Sun at 10:06PM ET (a snuggle with your sweetie?). Works for me.
The markets were bewildered on Tuesday. Efforts to maintain material security would no doubt be appreciated today.
Overnight, a depth of senses is intensified by an alignment between the Moon and Pluto at 2:50AM ET. If you’re working out some power play or catharsis in your dreams, you may notice a bit of crankiness on Thursday morning, as the immovable Taurus Moon is challenged by the double drama queen potential of Venus and Mars in Leo, at 5:19AM and 8:24AM ET. Those born with planets around 14 degrees of Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius are more likely to be subjected to that display. For the rest of Thursday, the Moon cruises without impediment in a sign especially designed for practical application of constructive energy. Use it well between now and Friday!
And now, the news.
From the sublime to the ridiculous — as expected, under the influence of Monday’s face-off between Neptune and the Virgo Sun. Neptune suggests bewilderment, rose-colored glasses, vision, healing, spaciness, delusion, refuge and refugees. Throw in yesterday’s hook-up between in-your-face Venus retrograde and Mars in regal Leo, and we could have some surreal drama. Or a major heart-centered (Leo) act of forgiveness (Neptune).
In the case of the latter, Pope Francis instructed priests to forgive women who expressed regret over having an abortion. With this story, we need to consider the added energy of karma cop Saturn, now at the last degree of Scorpio (sex, death, money) until September 17th.
In the case of the former, consider the impassioned woman of faith (Neptune) who has absolutely, positively refused to issue marriage licenses (Venus conjunct Mars) to same-sex couples in Kentucky, despite being expressly ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court to do so. This woman has been married four times — twice to the same man. It’s bewildering, isn’t it? She has been ordered to appear in court on Thursday, with her entire staff. All I know about her is that she is 49 — and thus was born with the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto conjunction in her horoscope. Well, she certainly is a rebel. This case may well be the first of many more challenges we’ll see over the next 12 months of getting real and/or surreal about faith and its role in the law, brought to you by Saturn in (opinionated dogma) Sagittarius (square Neptune and Jupiter).
Neptune refers to fish — including gefilte fish. An email about said stinky fish was one of the biggest highlights in a truckload of emails released this week from Hillary Clinton’s secret stash. Mrs. Clinton is such a Secret Squirrel that we do not even have a confirmed birth time so as to calculate her complete horoscope, but still we can see that the Venus-Mars conjunction at 14 Leo is sitting right on top of her Leo Mars-Pluto conjunction and square her Venus in Scorpio. So we could expect some action in areas related to social expression, provocation and perhaps the exposure of things previously kept under wraps.
Meanwhile, with transiting Saturn still at the top of his horoscope, President Obama is still at the top of his game, as anticipated years ago. Renaming a mountain, declaring climate change an urgent priority and moving in on the Arctic are just a few of the items on his To-Do List this week, as he builds his legacy. How fascinating that “Denali” means “The Great One”.
Elsewhere, Dick Cheney — who is currently experiencing transiting Saturn at the bottom of his chart — is getting press for his new book. Saturn at the bottom of the horoscope suggests a need to shore up one’s foundation. “Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America,” is the title of Mr. Cheney’s opus, in which he “makes the case for a strong national defense”. Or so the book is presented in The Washington Times, one of Justice Antonin Scalia’s two favorite newspapers (the other is the Wall Street Journal). But if you read The Guardian, you’ll be informed that the foundation being shored up is the justification for the use of torture. Which reality do you live in? Where do you get your news?
Let’s see…oh this headline is also in synch with Jupiter in Virgo (workers, union) opposing Neptune (betrayal) mixed with party-hearty Venus-Mars in Leo: Union Accused of Betraying Migrant Carnival Workers. Finally, a carnival of the musical and surreal kind will hit Broadway next year in Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical. With songs by David Bowie, Steven Tyler and Cyndi Lauper — just for starters. I like to end on stories that might make you smile.
Thank you for reading this forecast. Should you wish to express appreciation for the time and energy I put into to making this missive a delight to read, there is a big gold DONATE button on the left hand side of this page, the use of which will help me maintain my stock of midnight oil — yippee!
Astro-logical Forecast for Monday & Tuesday 8/31-9/1/2015: Passions — Sublime & Surreal; Sneak Peek at the Week
/in The ForecastGood Morning!
The start of the work week begins with the Moon in me-me-me Aries as of 4:33AM ET. Aries needs to get things started, and at its best it does so with a pioneering spirit that inspires. Aries can be quite idealistic, and has been known to accomplish the impossible. In fact, often that is the best way to get an Aries to do something: tell them they can’t, and watch them prove you wrong. Aries often falls downstairs because it’s faster than walking.
Add to this fiery charge another dose of fire, exact at 1:04AM ET on Tuesday. And this would be a meet-up between Mars (action; yang; aggression) with Venus (social expression; yin) in regal Leo. This meet-up is likely to facilitate passion — big time — especially when you consider that thirty minutes later (1:33AM ET), the Aries Moon will be challenged by Pluto, suggesting a power play or emotional catharsis.
But wait — there’s more. On Tuesday at 12:37PM ET, Moon will meet up with Uranus, suggesting a sudden insight, outburst or other disruption of the status quo. Then the Moon goes void until 5:02AM ET on Wednesday — a long chill period in which we have a higher probability of twists and flakes delaying our efforts to move forward in a straight line. Remember that crises that crop up during Moon voids are often much ado about nothing. Chill and focus on routine matters if you have to be at the office.
The driving passions of these next two days are colored by two other patterns of significance. First is the fact that Venus is STILL retrograde, which is traditionally a caution against consummating and/or otherwise committing to that hot new thing. Second is the fact that there’s a dreamy fog suggested by a face-off between the Sun and Neptune at 11:39PM ET. Once the fog lifts and Venus is finally moving forward again, your ideal might not look so dreamy. Venus will turn direct on Sunday at 4:29AM ET. Then we’ll have an opportunity to review and possibly regret some of the aesthetic choices we made over the past six weeks. Will that summer love last? Whose poll numbers might slip, hmm?
So for now, we have patterns of fiery passion coupled with the dreaminess of the normally discerning Virgo Sun with Neptune. You could use this energy productively by paying attention to your intuition. With Venus retrograde meeting up with Mars in Leo, tune in to your heart’s desire. Take stock and review your values, including the value you accord yourself. Are your feelings of frustration and/or lack really caused by That Other Person?
You are more personally impacted by the Venus-Mars meet-up if you have a planet or an angle around 14 degrees of Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. 14 degrees, btw, is where Venus will be on Sunday when it turns direct. You are morn personally affected by the Sun-Neptune face-off if you have a planet or angle around 8 degrees of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini and Sagittarius. Consult your local astrologer for details.
No other really long voids for the rest of the work week, other than the one that begins on Tuesday.
And now, the news.
Leo refers to gold; Neptune refers to a dream come true and that the Nazi gold train story is still in the news. This Saturday at 7:06PM ET, the Sun will be in alignment with Pluto, which often correlates with headlines about “news from underground”. Will that train be found? We’ll see.
On Friday, I wrote:
So here’s what hit the wires. “Seeing Freedom in Their Future, Psychics Reveal All: ‘It’s a Scam, Sir'”. Well, that certainly meets expectations — and by “psychics,” I’m referring to people who tell you that you are possessed by an evil spirit, but if you give them a Ferrari, they’ll make that spirit disappear. These kinds of people give authentic intuitive counselors a bad name. But still — what timing for a story like this to be published!
Meanwhile, the Sunday NYT magazine did a story about Anwar-al-Awlaki, the American who was martyred (Neptune) when he was killed in a drone strike 2011, and whose charisma (Neptune), writings and videos about religion (ditto) have allegedly inspired a number of jihadists (ditto). The article alleges that a thorough review of his past encounters with women (Venus retrograde) reveals that he was leading “a complicated secret life” that was not in synch with the his image (Neptune).
In other news, dramatic fashion statements are all the rage at the rose-colored escape known as Burning Man. There was more drama and fashion at the MTV Video Awards, including “celebrity feuds” (thank you, Venus Rx) and a notable appearance by Kanye West, as “he floated through an extemporaneous speech”. Floating through an unstructured oratory — sounds pretty Neptunian, especially if presented while under a certain influence.
In China, nearly 200 have been “punished over rumors about stocks, blast and a parade” — that story just hit the NYT. On Mars, certain UFO buffs are convinced they’ve seen photos that prove there is alien life.
Notable obituaries: master of illusion and fantasy Wes Craven; Dr. Oliver Sacks, whose research documented bewildering stories about the brain and self-help guru Wayne Dyer.
Finally, you may recall that Jupiter’s recent ingress into Virgo suggests an expansive focus on matters referring to workers. I haven’t cited them here, but I’ve been noticing an uptick in headlines referring to improving conditions for the service and labor sector. Much of these changes — e.g., raising the minimum wage — are what we would expect in the wake(-up call) of the Uranus-Pluto square, but Jupiter now adds further support to that agenda. No surprise to see that President Obama is now making that agenda a priority, as a “champion of workers’ rights”.
What’s going on in your horoscope? Many are on vacation this week, but I am not one of those people. Thus, if you are finally taking time in your busy schedule for some productive introspection, I invite you to schedule a personal astro-logical consultation. We will have an excellent discussion together.
Thank you for reading this forecast.
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday & Friday 8/27-28/2015: Sun-Jupiter in the News; Sneak Peek at the Full Moon
/in The ForecastAlllll- righty then!
Moon entered Aquarius at 4:03AM ET, driving the day with a wonky, friendly energy that seeks to be of social significance. It can aid your humanitarian cause or hook you up with a fresh group of contacts, the more unconventional the better. Aquarius has been known to be quite stubborn and does tend to be on the fringe side of things, FYI. But today its energy flows without much of a hiccup until the hours leading up to 12:24AM ET, when we may see a clash of wills suggested by the Moon’s face-off with Mars.
Friday morning we have the potential for another clash — this one in matters of social expression, as the Moon is challenged by Venus at 6:18AM ET. Innovation and tech savvy are favored around lunch on Friday, courtesy of a cooperative alignment with Uranus at 12:55PM ET. Note that emotions are on the rise until 2:35PM ET on Saturday, courtesy of the Full Moon, which by then will have moved into Pisces. This Full Moon weekend looks potentially lush and dreamy for some; bewildering or otherwise delusional for others. Neptune is heavily involved, as you might surmise. More on that tomorrow, but here’s an example of an apt Neptune/Venus retrograde/Full Moon headline. Thanks to an intrepid reporter who analyzed a boatload of Virgo data, we now know that only a fraction of the women who had profiles on Ashley Madison were actually real.
Back to today. At 11:45AM ET mental Mercury leaves Virgo for Libra. The change of signs suggests our mindset and communication may experience a bit of a “wobble” for a day or so, as we adjust to the new flow. Virgo is analytical and discerning, easily sorting the wheat from the chaff. Libra sees both sides of a situation and cringes at the thought of the confrontation that might ensue if one side were chosen over the other. Many with strong Libra signatures in their horoscopes are masters of avoidance.
And now, the news.
So how did yesterday’s expansive Sun-Jupiter meet-up in Virgo work out for you? As anticipated, the markets did bounce back — with the biggest single-day gain since 2011. As of midday today, optimism continues, with the U.S. reporting economic growth of 3.7% — more than was expected in the world of economics. Elsewhere, let the record show that Jupiter refers to the liver, and it was thus no surprise to see a front-page story about expanding access to a (very expensive) drug used to treat hepatitis C.
The Sun refers to the ego. A Sun-Jupiter conjunction suggests an expansive ego. Throw in a retrograde Venus in Leo, which likely lives to regret the consequences of acting on sudden attraction, and you might find a story about how to divorce a narcissist being one of the most popular items on your favorite newspaper’s homepage.
This Sun-Jupiter conjunction was exactly on the Ascendant of the chart for yesterday morning’s shocking upset in Virginia, in which two journalists were murdered during a live broadcast. That is a symbol of an ego energy that is impossible to ignore. Brutal Saturn in Scorpio was on a second angle; bewildering Neptune was on a third. I am sure you saw the story in the news.
I mention this only because the potential for an upset was noted in the last forecast. I wish people would stop being so horrible to each other. Don’t you? I wish the United States did not have a Mars-Neptune square in it. Sure, it gives our nation charisma, but it also suggests a potentially delusional (Neptune) view on warfare and weaponry (Mars).
Speaking of horrible, as well as overly optimistic and delusional, it was reported on Tuesday that an investigation has been launched to determine if the intelligence gathered on the entity known as the Islamic State has been skewed. Whatever the investigation concludes, it probably won’t consider the chart for the establishment of that entity.
Speaking of skewed, another investigation has concluded that those controversial Planned Parenthood videos were in fact altered.
Here is a story that reflects the hardcore reality of life and death (Saturn at the very end of Scorpio), along with the eco-consciousness of Sun-Jupiter in Virgo and the toxic potential of Neptune (which rules chemicals). These four planets are all connected now in a loose, but still tense T-square pattern, so we can expect much activity in matters symbolized by these planets. The story is about how vultures, which are critical to the Virgo clean-up portion of the circle of life (when animals meet their Saturn-in-Scorpio death), are being poisoned.
As we move through this weekend, I expect we’ll see more stories along Neptunian themes: e.g., these about oceans, refugees, fraud and possible delusion, like this one: Polish Official Convinced Mystery Nazi Train Exists. We’re also likely to see stories of rose-colored escapes, music, spirit(s) and healing. I’ll share them when I see them in my rose-colored world.
Thank you for reading this forecast.