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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.
Astrological Forecast for Tuesday 6/10/2014: Mars Square Pluto; Uranus in Aries (square Pluto); A New Moon in Action
/in The ForecastMore of the same from yesterday. The Moon is still in Scorpio, seeking depth, substance and knowledge for the sake of power and control. You may feel an especially serious focus around 2:30PM ET, when the Moon hooks up with stern Saturn, suggesting a reach for ambition or someone raining on someone’s parade. At 10:21PM ET, Moon goes void until 11:23AM ET on Wednesday, suggesting a natural break in the action — and if you happen to sleep through your alarm tomorrow morning, chances are good that it will be without consequence, so long as you do not freak out about it.
Emotions are building now to the Full Moon in Sagittarius at 12:11AM ET on Friday. We are also building to an exact square between Mars and Pluto (Saturday at 8:34AM ET). We had one of these on April 23rd, as part of the dynamic Cardinal Grand Cross that everyone was talking about. Mars-Pluto squares suggest more than the usual share of “if it bleeds, it leads” headlines, and that’s in line with what I’ve been seeing on the NYT homepage. In your own personal world, you may witness more than the usual outbursts of energy. I’ve noticed an increase of sirens in my ‘hood in recent days. Plus the potential for accidents caused by a lack of focus is greater, suggested by mental Mercury and nebulous Neptune just turning retrograde. “Friendly Fire Strike Kills 5 Special Ops Soldiers in Afghanistan” is the biggest story on the NYT right now. So please stay FOCUSED this month, OK?
A couple of other Mars-Pluto militant stories of note, with input from often eccentric and extreme — and nearly always rebel Uranus in warrior/solider Aries square Pluto in “the Establishment” Capricorn. First, you may have heard about the couple in Las Vegas who killed two police officers and a WalMart shopper over the weekend, before killing themselves. Police say “they equated law enforcement with fascism,” according to this report. One of the shooters shouted “this is a revolution!” (Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn), and then draped a “Don’t Tread On Me” (more Aries) flag and a Nazi swastika over the carnage, perhaps not fully comprehending, as blogger Lee Papa pointed out, that “the Nazis were all about centralized government control.”
Second, is this item: “War Gear Flows to Police Departments”. Apparently a lot of high-tech (Uranus) combat (Aries) gear that might have gone to “an overseas battlefield” is sitting in the municipal garage of Neenah, Wisconsin (and other places), not likely to be beaten into ploughshares anytime soon — but now available for use by local law enforcement (Pluto in Capricorn in a cooperative alignment with Saturn in Scorpio). Of course, whether this “war gear” is ever used by local law enforcement is up to the local law enforcers — with the point being, as my mentor loves to say, “Planets don’t DO anything. PEOPLE do.” Planetary patterns suggest POTENTIAL — for better or for worse. Which will you choose?
Uranus leaves Aries for the rest of our lifetimes in 2019. Its last journey through Aries was April 1927 through May 1935, making squares to Pluto in Cancer between 1931 – 1934. History buffs, feel free to look for similar themes in events happening now with events happening then. You will find them.
The potential for fiery combustion suggested by the aforementioned planets can also be seen in this amazing wedding photo” — taken on Saturday in Oregon, the day Mercury turned retrograde (what could go wrong?), and set against the backdrop of — a raging wildfire. It’s pretty amazing, as are these explosive, allegedly world record-setting fireworks in Dubai.
Also amazing and making news yesterday, when Neptune turned retrograde: a experimental procedure in which surgeons will drain the blood (Neptune) of certain trauma patients; replace it with freezing salt water (Neptune), and then try to save their lives. Finally, reflecting Sunday’s potentially healing connection between Venus (women) and Pluto: an update on less-invasive/destructive therapies for treating breast cancer.
You may recall yesterday’s item about how the last New Moon was likely to impact events involving Flight MH370. How might a New Moon impact the horoscope of an individual? I’ll give you an example from my horoscope, in which the ruler of my 7th house was conjoined by the New Moon in Gemini on May 28th. The 7th house refers to reaching out to others, either one-on-one or the public in general. The Gemini New Moon refers to information and communication. And in this cycle I’ve had one request for an interview (happening in July), another request to contribute an article to a webzine with a mainstream audience, and last, but not least, an excerpt from the forecast written on that New Moon was “discovered” and published on the website of The Mountain Astrologer. Coincidence or conspiracy?
What’s going on in your horoscope? Mercury retrogrades are excellent times for reviewing your life with an astrologer. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 6/9/2014: Mercury and Neptune Retrograde; MH370, Among Other Matters…
/in The ForecastBack to work!
Moon entered the watery depths of Scorpio at 6:38AM ET, offering plenty of energy to acquire, organize and control knowledge in its quest for world domination. It’s aided by an easy connection to mental Mercury around noon ET; intuitive faculties may be heightened around 8:30PM ET, courtesy of a lift from dreamy Neptune. And speaking of Neptune, it turns retrograde at 3:51PM ET today until November 15/16, depending on your time zone. When a planet is retrograde, the suggestion is to turn inward on issues involving that planet, as opposed to looking outside the self. Neptune refers to vision, intuition, healing and other intangibles. In the mundane world, Neptune refers to water, oceans, oil, toxins, snake oil, fantasy and fanatics and spirits of all kinds.
With Neptune at its station (apparently standing still, about to move backwards), it was interesting to see this hopeful item on Facebook and the news. A 19-year-old man says he knows how to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 10 years. The story is not new; it was referenced in this forecast last year, but planetary patterns seem to support it making the rounds again.
Neptune refers to deception and scandal, and also to suffering, compassion and charity. With Neptune, things may not be as they seem, as suggested in this story about a Virginia state senator who is resigning from office and what he gains by doing so (and also what’s at stake for the rest of the Virginia). What’s at stake may be the expansion of Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded program that offers healing (Neptune) to those suffering at the bottom of the income ladder (Neptune). Interesting to see this report on the NYT homepage about the residents of Texarkana, a town that straddles two states. One state has expanded Medicaid, made possible under the Affordable Healthcare Act; the other state has not. Thus we can learn, for example, about a woman who works the night shift at WalMart in Arkansas, but lives in a homeless shelter in Texas, “the wrong side of town.” If she lived in an Arkansas shelter, she would have access to affordable healthcare, which is not offered by her employer. Bewildering.
Equally bewildering is why anyone who has a job — even at WalMart — can not afford to rent a place to live in Texarkana, where housing costs are nowhere near as prohibitive as, say — New York. Fortunately for many, current planetary patterns strongly suggest that work — and the resources earned as a result — are under pressure to change. Last week, Seattle followed through and raised its minimum wage to $15/hour. Others will follow.
Your Moon voids for the week: Tuesday 10:21PM ET until Wednesday 11:23AM ET; Friday at 12:11AM ET until 1:04pM ET. Not much of a factor for those doing business in the Americas; this should help you stay FOCUSED, which is what is especially required when doing business while Mercury is retrograde.
Speaking of Mercury retrograde, it was notable that one of Saturday morning’s big headlines was about a fatal six-car accident involving actor Tracy Morgan. Investigators are seeking to determine if the driver of a WalMart big rig fell asleep at the wheel. Interesting to see that the chart for the time of the accident: around 1AM on 6/7/2014 in Cranbury, NJ has Neptune right on the Ascendant, suggesting a bewildering fog! Please stay focused while moving from place to place this week — not only because of the greater need for focus, but also because of a supercharged connection Mars (action/aggression) will make to potent/ruthless Pluto on the 14th, just after the Full Moon. Now that you are informed, you can consciously use this energy surge to your advantage. More about Mars-Pluto connections later this week.
Finally, speaking of planetary patterns at the time of accidents, in the chart for flight MH370’s departure, the Moon was at 8 Gemini, and it exactly opposed the chart’s Ascendant. Who remembers that last week’s New Moon was 8 Gemini? Who remembers that when a New Moon makes direct contact with your unique horoscope, you can expect action during that lunar cycle? With MH370, we could expect increased public awareness/outreach (Moon opposing the Ascendant), involving information (Gemini Moon) and possibly involving other people’s money (Moon rules the 8th house). Here’s the first line of the latest from CNN on MH370:
Coincidence or conspiracy? What’s going on in YOUR horoscope? To find out, feel free to contact me for a personal astro-logical consultation.
P.S. A note on the phenomenon of retrograde planets. They do not actually slow down to a halt, move backward and then forward. It just appears that they do from our point of view on spaceship Earth. Here is a nifty animation which explains it all for you. Any questions?
Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 6/6/2014 and the Weekend: Mercury Turns Retrograde
/in The ForecastGenius at work. The perfection-seeking Moon goes void at 5:13AM ET until 10:13PM ET. So be aware of the POTENTIAL for twists and or odd delays in your efforts to move forward. This will help you chill out, should your day feel like you’re herding cats. Otherwise keep calm and carry on, and pay attention to particularly inventive thoughts — your own or from others, as technogeek breakthrough could be yours — or in the news. Like this item about a medical first: a DNA test is used to diagnose an illness. At 10:01PM ET on Friday, Moon engages in people-pleasing Libra, where it will be for the rest of the weekend. Go forth, be social, fair and balanced. Would it surprise you to know that Fox News was launched when the Sun was it Libra (its slogan is “fair and balanced”). CNBC’s slogan is “FIRST in business worldwide” — and CNBC was launched in pioneering Aries. Isn’t that interesting?
Anyhoo…
Saturday’s big news is Mercury turning retrograde — and this was covered in Monday’s forecast. Between 7:31PM and 4:13AM ET on Sunday, the peace-seeking Libra Moon may be rattled by its weekly contact with Mars, Pluto and Uranus, suggesting the potential for power plays, emotional catharses and sudden disruptions of the status quo. These contacts are fleeting, mind you — but if you work in an ER, it could make for a busy evening.
Sunday’s aspects are more harmonious — and they build to a buoyant connection between jolly Jupiter and the Moon at 3:47PM ET…at which point the Moon goes void again until Monday at 6:38AM ET. So get your Sunday shopping done early…so you can focus on a harmonious connection between Venus (love, money, women, beauty, social expression) and depth-seeking, regenerative Pluto. Meaningful emotional connections that heal and strengthen bonds can be yours if you’re tuned in…
Mercury retrogrades are excellent for RE-viewing your life with an astrologer. Contact me to schedule a personal consultation by phone or in-person. It’s a wonderful way to understand why you are the way you are…
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 6/5/2014: And the Winners Are…
/in The ForecastRefine, analyze, organize; make it right or perfect — with the innovative spin and rosy glow that sums up the week’s palette of planetary patterns. Keep calm and carry on! The Moon is still in Virgo, and the highlight of the day happens at 4:39PM ET when the Moon squares the Gemini Sun.
The First Quarter of a planetary cycle is a square. In this case, the planets involved are the Sun and the Moon. The square is a tense aspect, suggesting a push forward on the agenda that was set at the New Moon. The First Quarter may also bring up obstacles to that agenda.
The New Moon agenda was symbolized by “an industrial strike” — e.g., striking a blow; striking out; striking a balance, etc. The Sabian Symbols for the First Quarter Moon are as follows: for the Sun at 16 Gemini “a woman suffragist orating”, suggesting, as Sabian Symbol Blaine Bovee writes, “sensing the right time to have one’s words heard and believed…feeling one has to shout to have an equal say; a tendency to led by the loudest social voice”. For the Moon at 16 Virgo we find: “In the zoo, children are brought face to face with an orangutan”. Bovee helpfully tells us that “orangutan” means “wild man”, and that one of the origins of the word “orange” is “aur”, which means “gold”. I’m not sure how that will play out, but if you witness any challenges around 4:39PM ET that seem like a confrontation between an orating suffragette and a wild man somehow connected to gold, it’s reflecting the symbols of the First Quarter Moon. How about this item about “Walmart Moms” who went on strike in 20 cities on Wednesday?
In other news, there were a bunch of primary elections in various states — and NYT columnist Gail Collins may be the only person in New York who’s been paying attention. Here’s her latest, about a surprise upset in Mississippi with low voter turnout. Interesting to note that the Moon was void for most of the day on Tuesday, when the flake factor is usually higher and the chances of upsets favoring the underdog are greater. More surprise upsets happened last Tuesday in a Texas primary run-off, during another all-day Moon void. In Iowa, “mother, soldier, conservative” and former hog castration specialist Joni Ernst emerged victorious in a five-way primary race and will now campaign as the Republican party’s nominee for Senate. In California, turnout was also wretchedly low. Marianne Williamson, who was running for Congress in the 33rd district, did not make the cut. Sandra Fluke, whose trashing by Rush Limbaugh inspired this slutty song, has made it onto the general election ballot as a state senate candidate.
And how is YOUR week going?
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 6/4/2014: Venus Sextile Neptune in the News
/in The ForecastA slow start or twist to your morning, suggested by the Moon still adrift in “love me do” Leo. That could be a beautiful thing, given a harmonious aspect between Venus and Neptune at 9:16AM ET. Have you been keeping track of your dreams?
As of 10:20AM ET, Moon gets into gear in earthy, discerning Virgo, an excellent placement for getting perfectly organized and refined. Not only that, but there’s an innovative connection between the Gemini Sun and techno-geek Uranus that’s in effect for the next few days — great for thinking outside of the box. So forge ahead today and tomorrow — and remember to BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS NOW, given that Mercury will be retrograde as of 7:57AM ET Saturday until July 1st.
And now, the news.
I’m seeing plenty of headlines reflecting the beautiful ideal and/or escape suggested by the aforementioned aspect between Venus (women, art, money, beauty) and Neptune (faith, illusion, salvation, drugs). Here’s a story about a tattoo artist who helps women who have had a mastectomy recreate the illusion of a normal breast. Here’s a techno-geek story about one of America’s greatest illusions: Marilyn Monroe, who would have been 88 on Monday. Here’s a kaleidoscopic image of the universe — in colors never seen before — courtesy of the good folks who work with the Hubble Space Telescope. And speaking of kaleidoscopic bliss, Alexander Shulgin, known for creating over “200 psychedelic compounds,” including Ecstasy, passed away yesterday. No birth time available, but I’d bet fifty cents that his Taurus Moon is squared by Neptune in Leo.
Fascinating to note that Mr. Shulgin was 88 — which is the third time that number has come up in this forecast in three days. Here’s what 88 suggests, according to those who know something about Angel Numbers.
Meanwhile, Neptune also refers to music, so it makes sense to see a feature story on a prominent woman in music on the NYT home page. This would be Beyonce, who just happens to have Venus sextile Neptune in her natal chart — and that’s the aspect exact today. Interesting to see the word “vanishing” twice on today’s NYT homepage. That’s a very Neptunian word. Here’s story about a vanishing island in Louisiana. It’s vanishing because of rising sea levels (Neptune refers to water, oceans and toxins, too). The “vanishing” of recently-freed POW Bowe Bergdahl (before he was captured by the Taliban) is another headline with Neptunian themes, including salvation and bewilderment.
Finally, a few other items involving ginormous quantities of water. First, a companion story to the vanishing island is this hard-headed look at how Norfolk, Virginia is responding to the fact that 1) the land it sits on is sinking; and 2) oceans are rising. Equally fascinating is that Norfolk is the site of our largest military base, and that a recent vote by the House “Science” Committee would “prohibit defense spending on climate change research and the social cost of carbon analysis,” i.e., as the linked article notes, “the Pentagon is being ordered to ignore climate science.” Maybe no one on the House Science Committee has ever been to Norfolk…
…which leads me to the last fun fact of the day involving water — in the form of hurricanes. The headline was quite provocative: “Female-named Hurricanes Kill More Than Male Hurricanes Because People Don’t Respect Them, Study Finds”. Predictably, this story has sparked much debate and disbelief….to be continued at a water cooler near you.
…though I’d much rather talk about you and what’s going on your horoscope. Or about your child’s horoscope, which provides insight on helping you understand his or her needs (which are likely different from yours). Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.