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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 Wednesday 12/4/2013: Mercury in Sagittarius; Pie in the Sky
/in The ForecastAn enterprising Moon in Capricorn means business this morning, but you’ll be forgiven if you take time to note your dreams upon waking, courtesy of a cooperative connection between the Moon and nebulous Neptune. Go about your business with earthy practicality. Note the potential for an upset as we get close to 3:38PM ET, when that proactive Moon is challenged by rebel Uranus. A few hours later, the need to make things happen can be intense, resulting in an emotional catharsis or power play. You’ll feel it more personally if you have a planet or angle around 8-11 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Capricorn and Libra….or if you were born around the 30th of March, June, September or December.
At 9:42PM ET mindset and communication gets lighter, as mental Mercury fiiiiiinallly ditches intense and controlling Scorpio for the philosophical, pie-in-the-sky world of Sagittarius. Give yourself a day or so to adjust to the shift in gears, especially with Sagittarius (world-famous for its vulnerability to foot-in-mouth disease). Not only that, but Mercury is fast-approaching an exact square to nebulous Neptune, suggesting exceptionally rose-colored thinking through the weekend. Cue The 5th Dimension now, please. Or The Beatles, if you prefer. And do pay attention when you are in motion over the next few days. Your head may be in the clouds, but keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, lest ye trip and fall.
Speaking of a head in the clouds…you may recall it was no surprise to hear “speed” cited as a possible cause of the Metro North train that derailed in The Bronx on Sunday, killing four people. The chart for the approximate time of the accident — 7:20AM ET — has aggressive Mars prominently placed. And yesterday it was reported that the train was doing 82mph in a 30mph zone. With nebulous Neptune in the area of that chart referring to mindset, I have been waiting for the papers to report that the train engineer’s mental state was seriously befuddled — and here is that headline.
Also in the air — reflecting the aerospace breakthrough suggested by the Monday’s New Moon and the weekend’s harmonious alignment between the high-flying Sagittarius Sun and rocket scientist Uranus in pioneering Aries: have you heard that Amazon can hardly wait to start delivering its wares by air –as in thousands of cute little drones flying right to your front door? Call me a Luddite, but I’m with Maureen Dowd on this one — especially when she tells us how other cute little drones are already being used in so many ways.
Finally, as anticipated in Monday’s forecast — two “good-for-business” headlines reflecting next week’s alignment between expansive Jupiter and authoritarian Saturn: 1) Detroit may file for bankruptcy, rules a federal judge; and 2) Illinois just passed a bill to overhaul its pension system for state workers.
Need another dreamy fix of The 5th Dimension? Here’s “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” — written in 1969, three years after the exact three hits of the Uranus and Pluto conjunction in Virgo. I wonder what kind of music we’ll be hearing in 2018, three years after the exact seven hits of the current Uranus-Pluto square…
Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 12/3/2013: Walk the Talk
/in The ForecastNew Moon energy in opinionated Sagittarius fuels an energetic synchronicity of thought and action. It’s all yours for the taking, aided by a cooperative flow between mental Mercury and willful Mars, exact at 11:35AM ET. Brainstorm away — and have those heavy discussions early in the day, because as the day progresses — oh, say — after suppertime on the East Coast, there’s less cooperation suggested by a righteous clash between Mars (in perfectionist Virgo) and the Moon (exact at 10:45PM ET). Chill for the next three hours, as Moon will be void until 1:49AM ET on Wednesday…
If you missed yesterday’s forecast, you missed the whole New Moon enchilada and a sneak peek at the rest of the month — check it out…
Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 12/2/2013: New Moon in Sagittarius; Sneak Peek at December
/in The ForecastMoon entered high-flying Sagittarius at 1:31AM ET, offering the opportunity to lighten up as it joins the equally high-flying Sagittarius Sun. Did you note your dreams upon waking? I know I was somewhere quite fantastic, no doubt courtesy of a rose-colored challenge to the Moon from (dreamy) Neptune at 5:54AM ET. That aspect, and a tech and people-friendly connection between Moon and innovative Uranus (Happy Cyber Monday!) are driving this dead-Moon day, until finally….the moment we’ve all been waiting for…the New Moon and a new cycle early this evening. Until then, use this work day to wrap up projects from the old lunar cycle.
The New Moon in Sagittarius officially begins tonight at 7:22PM ET, offering us an opportunity to re-set intentions and goals for the next lunar cycle. Around the 9th, on the First Quarter Moon, we can expect a challenge to those goals, with appropriate adjustments made. At the time of the Full Moon on the 17th, we can expect illumination on the success or failure of our goals for the cycle. If we succeeded, we can consciously release our success into our reality; if we failed, we let go of whatever did not work. After the Third Quarter Moon on the 25th, we can review our achievements, tie up loose ends and get ready to begin another New Moon on January 1st.
Sagittarius refers to collective belief systems — e.g. law, religion and the philosophical foundations of political inclinations, as well as “big picture” avenues of communicating these beliefs, e.g., publishing, broadcasting and academia. Belief systems are not always factual, yet they’re used to create all sorts of constructs that control how we live in the “real world.” Ooh, deep thought. I had to share it. And needing to share deep thoughts and opinions is very Sagittarian indeed. You don’t have to ask a Sagittarius for input on anything; they’re sure to tell you — bluntly and righteously. So there.
OK, so. This New Moon. With Sagittarius, the sky’s the limit. Patterns in this New Moon chart are quite optimistic. Mental Mercury (mindset, communication) is under a rose-colored spell cast by nebulous Neptune and in a cooperative alignment with action hero Mars, suggesting an inclination to walk that idealistic talk. You can brainstorm away, and even take a few wobbly steps. Expansive Jupiter is not quite as expansive now, given that it is retrograde, but it is in a harmonious alignment with disciplined Saturn and that’s good for business. Is that good for everyone else? Well, that’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?
If you’re one who thrives on disruptions of the status quo, you won’t be disappointed by the headlines as this month progresses. On December 7th, Mars, planet of action, enters Libra, and assertive actions are sure to be noticed. Libra is a partnership-oriented energy, concerned with harmony and balance. Mars is an ego-oriented energy, concerned with exerting will. It’s a challenging placement, unless you’re a warrior for peace. I’ll write more about this later in the week.
On December 17th, we’ll have a Full Moon in Gemini and rebel Uranus turning direct, suggesting more shake-ups as actual facts are revealed. On the 21st, we’ll have the Winter Solstice (a turning point), and Venus (social expression, women, money, beauty) going retrograde in status-conscious Capricorn thru January. That will add to the relationship challenges suggested by Mars in Libra, which will become more prominent through these last days of December. How so? Because Mars — and also the Sun — will make contact with the never-ending Uranus-Pluto square (exact 12/25, 12/30 & 1/1/14), suggesting news from underground, technological breakthroughs, accidents and acts of aggression/rebellion that demand our focus. Stay tuned to this channel for further details.
You will be more personally affected by the intensity of that Mars-Uranus-Pluto challenge if you have a planet or angle between 8-11 degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn…or if you were born around the 1st of April, July, October or January. You would benefit strongly from a personal astro-logical consultation at this time.
The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is “the lamp of physical enlightenment in the left temple,” and thank goodness Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee has some helpful thoughts on this cryptic image.
Sounds like a wake-up call to me. Nothing like getting smacked in the head to effect a change of course — or perhaps get real about a dream. How interesting that this one Symbol captures the start and finish of this lunar cycle, yes?
But why the “left temple?” Bovee writes: “the left temple of the head may refer to the rational, analytical function of the brain, although the left side ever refers to the feminine, creative, receptive capacities of the mind and body.” So fascinating! I can’t quote all five paragraphs of Bovee musing here — just get his book already, won’t you? Bottom line, heed Bovee and be on the watch for physical experiences that “evoke empathy and insight,” including new ways of understanding physical reality. We may be hearing a lot more from “the left” during this cycle, too — and it will likely be more than talk.
You will be more personally affected by the New Moon if you have a planet or angle around 10-11 degrees of Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces or Virgo…or if you were born around the 1st of December, June, March or September.
And now, the news.
An initial report cites speed as a possible cause of the commuter rail crash that killed four people in the Bronx on Sunday. Yeah, no kidding: the chart for the crash around 7:20AM 12/1/13 has Mars on an angle. Same thing for the 65-car pile-up that happened about 20 minutes earlier in Western Massachusetts. Coincidence or conspiracy?
Following up on the themes suggested by tonight’s New Moon, here’s an intriguing article that argues that America is not one nation united but actually eleven nations thrown together, each with decidedly different belief systems that define decidedly different realities. How the heck does our federal government get anything done, indeed. Here’s the NYT’s Gail Collins with a fabulously entertaining quiz about some things that have been recently accomplished. Here’s a little test that can tell you if you are left-brained or right-brained. And here’s a little song from The Book of Mormon about the amazing things that people can believe — and how they are inspired to take action.
Oh — Moon voids this week — not many. Tuesday 10:45PM ET – Wednesday 1:49AM ET; Friday 12:31AM ET – 1:53AM ET. Get to work!
Astro-logical Forecast for Saturday & Sunday 11/30-12/1/2013: Nitty-Gritty Scorpio
/in The ForecastHappy post-Thanksgiving! I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend…
Moon entered Scorpio as of 11:03PM ET on Friday, seeking emotional depth and substance, not to mention power and control. We are in the dark side of the lunar cycle, which is a time to be wrapping up items from the New Moon agenda you set last month. During these times of literally “being in the dark,” we may feel listless and/or restless. Somehow we sense something new is on the way, but we are not sure what — and that is perfectly OK.
Moon goes void of course on Sunday at 8:34PM ET, giving us an even greater excuse to intensely chill and contemplate goals for the next lunar cycle. That New Moon occurs on Monday at 7:22PM ET — in the much lighter sign of Sagittarius. Stay tuned…
The most significant exact planetary pattern happening today is a harmonious connection between the Sun in high-flying, opinionated Sagittarius and rebel Uranus in pioneering Aries. Some Uranian topics: freedom, revolution, mutations, humanitarianism, accidents, aerospace, technology and outer space (though Neptune can also be spacey). How interesting to see news of a comet dropping in on the Sun for coffee this week — in an apparent death-defying visit. Also of note: China unilaterally laying claim to airspace around islands involved in a territorial dispute with Japan — then scrambling fighter jets in said airspace. Watch for developments on this story when aggressive Mars enters Libra on Dec. 7th and then engages with the never-ending Uranus-Pluto square (not to mention China’s Libra Sun) the week of Dec 23rd. Also noting a surprising number of accidents involving aircraft — here are two of them — in Glasgow and Namibia. And hey! – those promised fixes to the new federal health exchange website are on track to be finished by Sunday’s deadlines
Meanwhile, also as promised, some headlines reflecting stern Saturn’s passage through Scorpio (see this earlier post for more details) — which hit the halfway point — 15 degrees — on November 13th. Saturn in Scorpio suggests an in-your-face reckoning in matters we might prefer to keep hidden away involving sex (and all of its consequences), death and money (especially other peoples’ money and the debts we incur). For example, don’t you find the number of headlines we’ve seen in the past year involving rape, abortion, contraception rather striking? (OK, sure, we also must consider that contraception and abortion were hot topics in the mid-60s, during the Uranus-Pluto conjunction, and that under the current Uranus-Pluto square we’d expect those issues to be back on the table — so add that to Saturn in Scorpio).
But really. The headlines in question. Here’s a piece on the consequences of lustful thinking in today’s NYT, as well as a tour of Dr. Ruth’s (the famous sex therapist) apartment; there’s even a play about Dr. Ruth that finally made it to New York last month. More headlines of note: the Supreme Court is going to hear a couple of a cases involving contraception — the outcome is going to be a very big deal. And it appears that cases like these are what motivated the Senate Democrats to eliminate the use of the filibuster in confirmation hearings for most judicial nominees — that happened last week, as you may recall. And on November 13th, at Saturn’s halfway point, I noted this intriguing bill allegedly to be introduced in the House, which would “make it illegal for states to chip away at women’s reproductive health rights,” says The Huffington Post. For a provocative tale of what it might be like if laws were to go in the other direction — i.e., if Roe v. Wade were overturned, here’s a link to When She Woke –a novel that was sitting next to the cash register on a recent visit to the Wellesley College bookstore — written by a fellow Wellesley alum, natch…
No Moon void on Monday means no sleeping in. Get your extra zzzzz’s in now…
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday – Friday 11/27-29/2013: Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving, Hannukah & The Pope’s Perfect Timing
/in The ForecastAlllll– riighty, then.
A fierce wind howling woke me up in the middle of the night — and kept me up long enough to make sleeping in this morning a must-do. Oh, happy void-of-course Moon in Virgo, as of 6:44AM ET, during which indulgences such as sleeping in may often be excused. How about you? The Moon won’t enter the next sign, Libra, until 5PM, when the needs of the day shift from detailed correctness to appreciation in relationship.
Today’s Moon went void on an energetic alignment with Mars, also in perfectionist Virgo, so many may experience intense expressions of will and demands for perfection carried through the day. We can also expect the usual twists and detours in efforts to move forward in straight line, much to the dismay of many traveling on this traditionally insane traveling day. Go with the flow & try on your best Pollyanna attitude, which is supported quite well by other planetary patterns. Such as? How about an idealistic alignment between mental Mercury and Venus (money, women, social expression, aesthetics) that facilitates a need to see things in the best possible light? That pattern is exact tonight at 9:45PM ET.
But wait, there’s more: an expansive and nurturing mindset — and writing all about it — is suggested by a lovely alignment between Mercury and jolly Jupiter (exact tomorrow at 2:24AM ET). An indulgent and exuberant face-off between Jupiter and Venus gets Thanksgiving off to a likely festive start. Upsets and intense emotions may be felt for some before noon ET on Thanksgiving, however, as the balance-seeking Libra Moon is challenged by the disruptive, illuminating Uranus-Pluto square. This challenge is likely to be felt more personally by those with 8-12 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn prominent in their horoscope. Consult your local astrologer for details.
Friday is a bust: another long day of Moon voidness, starting at 6:14AM ET…until 11:03PM ET. This suggests that whatever Black Friday bargains you think you’ve scored are likely to prove far less useful than you imagined, but given that the Moon void starts on two indulgent aspects to the Moon and Venus, chances are that people will spend-spend-spend anyway (pity the fools) — likely on things that are techie and reflective of the latest eclectic innovation. Why techie and innovative? This whole week has been under the influence of a harmonious alignment between the high-flying Sagittarius Sun and rebel rocket scientist Uranus in pioneering Aries (exact on Saturday at 1:25.PM ET — this just in as I type: big, fat airline merger clears last obstacle) The Moon void should make for some interesting upsets in the world of football and — as with today (Wednesday) — for those who may be traveling. Otherwise, chill!
And now, the news.
Let’s talk about rebel Uranus and ruthless Pluto. You know these two heavyweights are in an historic, challenging relationship from 2011-2016, because you’ve read about it here a zillion times. My mentor, Noel Tyl, uses this imagery to describe the potential of Uranus-Pluto connections: Jesus overturning the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. How fascinating, in light of this week’s planetary patterns (described above and in Monday’s forecast) AND at the halfway point of the Uranus-Pluto square, to see Pope Francis taking such a strong and disruptive stance against capitalism. Here are eleven worthy excerpts from the 84-page apostolic exhortation published this week (84 is the number of years it takes rebel Uranus to revolve around the Sun — how cool is that); here is how the New York Times covered the story (the prior link is from Gawker — don’t miss it); and here is what you can find about the Pope and the Vatican right now at the Washington Times. Note that the WT conveniently omits the other half of the Pope’s remarks on the particular subject discussed in the link immediately preceding; you will find that other half in paragraph 11 of the NYT article. Also in the WT: the Pope shaking hands with Vladimir Putin; and Obama delivering “a slap in the face of Roman Catholics” by “closing down the American Embassy in the Holy See” (you have to read the article before learning that the Holy See office is being moved to the US Embassy in Rome (i.e., right next door), and will probably save U.S. taxpayers a boatload of dough — which you’d think would make readers of the WT very happy (if there were other articles covering Pope Francis in the WT and WSJ that I did not link, it is because I did not see them).
Now why am I going off on a Moon void wandering adventure about what the Washington Times is spewing forth vs. other esteemed media outlets? Because six of the Supreme Court Justices are Catholic. And they write intriguing influential opinions about corporate/capitalist interests, and so forth. And I wondered how closely they would mind the opinions of the leader of their Church? Will their decisions change? Just for fun, I did some research on one of the Catholic Justices — Antonin Scalia — and found a recent interview in which he stated that he only reads the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times. Here’s what he’ll read about this story, as reported by the WSJ online.
Well, alll-riiighty then. We’ll save the recent headlines reflecting Saturn reaching the halfway point of its sojourn through nitty-gritty, matters of life and death Scorpio for next time.
When you need astro-logical on your own unique horoscope, here’s how to reach me. I look forward to a most excellent discussion with you soon!
Happy Hannukah! Happy Thanksgiving!
And thank you for reading this forecast :)