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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 Friday 8/2/2013 & the Weekend: Why the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
/in The ForecastMoon continues its drift in Gemini, needing to think and talk about everything. Gemini is an airy, mental sign that needs to inform and be informed. Just ask anyone with Moon in Gemini how they feel when they do not know something (on the rare occasions when that happens). Answer: insecure. And gawd forbid a Moon in Gemini should ever be perceived as boring. It needs to be seen as terribly clever and entertaining — and intensely so. How many of these smartypants-types will you encounter today?
Today’s only exact aspect is the sextile between “loving Venus and horny Mars,” as astrologer Rockie Gardiner would have said. Sextiles facilitate cooperation in relationships — as noted yesterday — and we’ve had a lot of them all week. The Gemini Moon is highly flexible, so you could use this day to work out a kink in a relationship, assuming you can’t plan a full-day Moon void escape. For inspiration, here’s a provocative new study that argues that selfish people are doomed to extinction; it’s the people who know how to be selfless, communicative and cooperative that will one day rule the world. Scientific proof that “the meek shall inherit the Earth”? Well, whaddaya know! Here is the Cliff Notes version of the article…and here is the paper written by the actual scientists, complete with charts and mind-boggling mathematical equations. Moon in Gemini NEEDS you to have access to ALL of this information!
Supporting that study is another study arguing that selfless people have stronger immune systems than self-indulgent hedonists…while this study argues that emotional experiences and states are passed down genetically, generation to generation. So now you know where your irrational fears might have come from. Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma was simply being carried off by a Hun.
Horoscopes, by the way, can reveal much about one’s parents and grandparents, their personalities and the quality of the relationship you likely had with them. One day those scientists will catch up with us astrologers… ; )
There’s enough food for thought in those studies to carry you into the weekend, when the Moon will be in Cancer, shifting the focus to home, family and other core foundations. There are no Moon voids to deter your weekend shopping sprees . It’s all looking pretty lovely, with the usual caveats for upsets and power plays when the Cancer Moon is provoked by contact with the Pluto-Uranus square. That happens at 7:47PM ET Saturday and 1:37AM ET Sunday, respectively….which is when the emotionally-security focused U.S. will be closing its embassies in parts of the world. Sunday is also President Obama’s birthday.
In your own personal world, a brilliant, liberating, independent and playful connection between the Leo Sun and rebel Uranus at 11:05AM ET Sunday puts its stamp on the entire weekend. Aim for new heights…including heights of awareness, consciousness and expression.
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 8/1/2013: Breakouts, Breakthroughs & the Next Few Days
/in The ForecastBuzz, buzz, buzz…the information buzz of a stimulated Gemini Moon continues today. A self-indulgent challenge to Venus (women, money, beauty) and a harmonious connection with the proud Leo Sun are two reasons why you could wake up with a big smile on your face. I don’t know about you, but on my morning commute I noted hardly any horn honking and no jams at all. I hope your travels were equally pleasant.
Also adding to the cooperative spirit, especially among normally warring factions, is a lovely connection between Venus (women, social expression) and Mars (men, action/aggression), exact on Friday at 4:35PM ET. How fortunate for those of you with dates and other social engagements this weekend, as making love and peace becomes — for a brief moment — more important than making war. Why, even the warring factions in Congress managed to get something done yesterday, when they voted to reset and cap rates on student loans. Meanwhile, a debate on chivalry and other social graces was posted on the NYT homepage….and not a moment too soon.
We are in the balsamic phase of the lunar cycle. This is a time to wrap up projects from your New Moon agenda; the next New Moon happens Tuesday evening (ET). Ship it if you can by 12:48PM ET, when the Moon goes void-of-course until just after midnight on Saturday. Otherwise, be prepared for a restless lull best suited to chilling out, creative brainstorming and drafting (but not signing or sealing) and contemplating the stunning breakthroughs and breakouts we’ve witnessed in the past several days. You really know what I’m talking about in your own personal world if you have a planet or point around 9-13 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn…or if you have a significant planet or point at around 4-7 degrees of Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo and Taurus. Been busy, have you?
With yesterday’s challenge between action-hero Mars and rebel Uranus, exact last night around 11PM ET, we expected breakouts, breakthroughs and a bit of bad (rash, reckless) behavior. How fascinating to wake up this morning and read that Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, releasing him from the confines of the Moscow airport transit zone. In a related story, details of the XKeystore program were also released. This is the genius bit of technology that allows an entity such as the NSA to collect “nearly everything a user does on the Internet”. Also in technology: a “milestone” is reached by a company that converts waste matter into fuel — potentially way cool. Another breakout making headlines: convicted felon OJ Simpson was granted partial parole — but he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Also going “nowhere”, but still making breakout headlines: in Texas, George Zimmerman was pulled over for speeding — and yes, he had his gun with him (students of astrology will note the position of Saturn and Uranus to the angles of the chart for traffic stop: 12:54PM CT 7/31/13 in Forney, Texas). Reckless behavior headed for a full stop?
Last, but not least — this just in from outer space (also a Mars-Uranus concern) or at least some outer dimension. Sound healer Tom Kenyon posted the latest missive from a group of disembodied entities who call themselves The Hathors. Someone turned me on to Kenyon’s website ten years ago, and what I found fascinating was that whatever the Hathors had to say was always in tune with planetary patterns. What they talk about in terms of climate change, government/institutional breakdowns & breakthroughs — and especially the crisis in spiritual evolution and consciousness that we face collectively on Planet Earth — is mirrored by the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square and other significant alignments, etc., etc. What they als0 offer (via Kenyon) is a number of practical meditation techniques to keep you grounded and clear in these challenging times. That is why I find their posts relevant and helpful. If you decide to check out the The Hathors, I recommend starting with the first posts on Kenyon’s site. Their recent posts explaining how they see the true nature of physical reality and how human souls are connected energetically to that which we do not ordinarily perceive, may be daunting. However, the latest post is pretty self-contained. You’ll have plenty of material to explore and maybe try a meditation over the next two days, during this verrrrrry long Moon-void. Enjoy whatever twists and surprises crop up in your journey…
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 7/31/2013: The Restless Rest
/in The ForecastThe Moon is still in Taurus and still void of course, suggesting a languid start to your day, coupled with twists and flakes. And that challenging connection between rebel Uranus and aggressive Mars isn’t exact until 11:08PM, which accounts for the restless buzz or irritability you may be feeling or may witness in others. Reckless outbursts are not uncommon under this pattern, as in the case of a aide on Anthony Weiner’s embattled mayoral campaign who went ballistic in an interview last night…and there it is on the NYT home page this morning. Breakouts and breakthroughs in action and technology can also be expected; here’s an example of the former: a prison break in Pakistan in which hundreds escaped.
At 11:42AM ET the energy shifts noticeably as the Moon engages in Gemini, needing to inform and be informed. This swirling airy mental sign quickens the pace and the exchange of ideas. As the evening progresses and the Mars-Uranus challenge approaches, such ideas may have a decidedly rose-colored hue, courtesy of nebulous Neptune squaring the Moon at 9:04PM ET. On the plus side, the potential for spiritual and/or artistic revelations. On the downside, the potential for rash behavior based on delusion. Get it off your desk between 11:42AM ET today and 12:48PM ET tomorrow, if you can. Moon goes void again…not to engage in the next sign, Cancer, until 12:30AM ET on SATURDAY. But that doesn’t mean Friday can’t be very, very pleasant. More on that tomorrow…
In the news, the judge’s ruling in the case of Bradley Manning was delivered yesterday at 1PM, during the Taurus Moon void. It was a small victory for the underdog in that in the most serious charge against him — that of aiding and abetting the enemy — Manning was found not guilty. It could also be argued that the ruling was of no real consequence, as Manning was found guilty of most of the 22 charges against him. We don’t have an exact birth time for Manning, so analysis of the horoscope is limited, but it is interesting to note that the ruling is coming down with transiting Jupiter (law, groupthink, religion) exactly opposing his natal Neptune (vision, dream, sacrifice, faith). This suggests an extremely idealistic period in one’s life, as noted by those who see him as a martyr for the cause of truth, as well as those who see him as a traitor to his country. He has become larger than life. Whatever sentence is handed down, it will be interesting to compare Manning’s fate with others who have been court-martialled for offenses such as murder and multiple acts of abuse and torture. Here’s a list of such cases — note that most sentences given were well under a year.
Also during yesterday’s void, an unexpected twist for readers of the Chicago Tribune appeared in the form of a fluffy grey kitten on the paper’s home page. This molehill of an event was quickly turned into a mountain, including a formal interview with the editors of the Chicago Tribune, in which they explained how this could happen. Meanwhile, I regret the delay in reporting a story that happened on Sunday’s oh-so-sweet connection between Venus (desserts) and expansive Jupiter. I’m sure the editors had no idea how in tune they were with planetary patterns when they published The Jupiter Cakewalk — coincidence or conspiracy?
Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 7/30/2013: War & Peace
/in The ForecastI trust this forecast finds you all getting wherever you need to go without traffic snarls or other upsets. After posting yesterday’s forecast, my walk to the subway was marked by more than the usual horn honking by impatient drivers. This morning’s commute included a driver almost buying the farm a few hundred feet away from me; I still have the scent of burning rubber in my nostrils. So much for that immovable Taurus Moon seeking stability. Last Saturday’s potentially murderous Pluto-Mars opposition, combined with the nervous tension and disruptive potential of Wednesday’s Mars-Uranus square is clearly pulling focus.
Depth of passion and resources is also in focus today, courtesy of a harmonious connection between Venus (money, art, women, beauty) and Pluto (power, transformation, news from underground), exact at 8:50AM ET. Venus also rules copper, and here’s a story posted this AM about how theft of copper has become an epidemic. Coincidence or conspiracy? You’ll have plenty of time to talk and think about it as of 11:58AM ET as Moon sextiles (you should have learned that word in yesterday’s forecast) mental Mercury and then goes void….with a long sigh….until 11:42AM ET tomorrow (Wednesday).
You know the drill with voids: take care of routine tasks, but be prepared to roll with whatever twists arise in your efforts to move forward in a straight line. There may be a total “meh” feeling to the rest of the day, or it may feel like people are not really focused on the task at hand. Crises that crop up are often much ado about nothing…and with added tension, combustion and “wild card” flavor of tomorrow’s Mars-Uranus challenge, there is greater potential for flying off the handle over a molehill. Yes, Moon in Taurus is patience personified, but have you ever heard the expression “bull in a china shop”? Those most affected by the Mars-Uranus tension are those with a point or planet at around 12 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
Stories of resources and rebellion continue. Fast-food workers in NY are on a one-day strike, demanding a liveable wage. You did see the recent controversy over the McDonalds website, offering helpful financial planning advice to its workers, didn’t you? Sample helpful advice: “Get a second job”. Food service workers are striking in other cities, too. Meanwhile, unpaid interns are also suing for wages and benefits — and they are winning their cases. A report released a few days ago notes that 80% percent of all Americans are likely to struggle with joblessness and/or poverty at some point in their lives. Even President Obama is starting to talk about how income inequality is “fraying the social fabric”; today he offered to reduce the corporate tax rate if Congress would do something proactive about jobs. Meanwhile, in bankrupt Detroit, a greenlight has been given on the construction of a $650 million hockey arena, half of which will be paid for with public funds. WTF? JP Morgan is agreeing to pay a 410 million dollar fine to “settle” allegations that it manipulated the electricity markets in Michigan and California. Halliburton is paying $200,000 for destroying evidence regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. And so it goes.
These stories are what we would expect to see, given the upheaval and exposure of corruption in hallowed institutions, suggested by planetary patterns. That is why I bring them to your attention. Astrologers who have been blogging long before me have been writing about the tremendous shifts likely to happen in this decade. It is fascinating to see these shifts occurring, as anticipated. We are halfway through the Uranus-Pluto square; the next exact hit happens the first week of November. Issues of income inequality were front and center during the last Uranus-Pluto square, which occurred in the early 30s. Does anyone remember what was going on then, not just in the U.S., but all around the world? Do we have to repeat the choices made back then? Of course not. As my teacher loves to say, “Planets don’t do anything. People do.”
So let’s look at some good news. Pope Francis made a stunning statement yesterday regarding gay priests, “Who am I to judge”? That’s a disruption of the status quo, is it not? Currently on the NYT home page is another story of a maverick who appears to actually be getting things done. Patricia DiMango is a NY State Supreme Court Justice on temporary assignment in the Bronx, where she is striving to clear up a scandalous backlog of cases. Her style embodies the independent, unsettling, unpredictable, but ultimately liberating energy of tomorrow’s Mars-Uranus square — and it’s not the first time she’s made headlines — here’s another story. Can you imagine her on a Congressional committee?
More good news: reflecting the “hopeful union” potential of yesterday’s Grand Sextile, Israel-Palestinian peace talks are set to begin again. And would you believe the Swedes are so good at recycling, that they’ve run out of garbage? It’s all here on the Good News Network — another bookmark page to add to your collection.
Thank you for reading this forecast — now please chill, meditate and find a beautiful, sensual way to enjoy this Moon in Taurus day (with a little lightning bolt from Mars & Uranus).
Astro-logical Forecast for Monday 7/29/2013: Carpe Diem; The Grand Sextile
/in The ForecastAfter another loooong void period (Saturday 10:19PM ET – Monday 12:43PM ET), during which you should have taken an equally long break, Moon is now firmly planted in Taurus, needing to build and maintain material comfort and security. This day is jam-packed with planetary patterns that may well support your plans for world domination, especially if you have significant planets and/or angles at 4- 11 degrees of just about any sign.
First, we’ve got the Grand Water Trine among Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. This is the pattern talked about throughout July. The planets are moving out of the Grand Trine (the technical term is “separating”), but the influence is still there. It suggests emotional self-sufficiency and dreams made real. Late this afternoon and early evening we’ll have another Grand Trine in effect — this one among the Taurus Moon, Venus in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn — all Earth signs. A Grand Earth Trine suggests self-sufficiency and/or a projected aura of abundance in material resources. Let the record show that the markets have been doing very well this month…and they also did well in March of 2012, under another Grand Earth Trine.
Drawn on a piece of paper, the two Grand Trines look like a Star of David, and the technical term for this configuration is “Grand Sextile”. The distance between each planet in the configuration is 60 degrees — a sextile. Planets in a sextile relationship with one another communicate very well. On its own, the Grand Sextile suggests a stellar opportunity, balance and harmony — and at the very least, a meditation, however brief, on world peace. And isn’t it amazing that today at 5:30AM ET, the New York Times has posted an obituary for Garry Davis, a peace activist who renounced his American citizenship and declared himself a world citizen. He believed, reads the obit, “that if there were no nation-states, there would be no wars.”
He had a fascinating life, well worth reading about, starting with his birth in Bar Harbor, Maine. According to the Times, last month he sent a world passport to Edward Snowden, whose U.S. passport was revoked. Cue John Lennon singing “Imagine” now.
But wait, there’s more. Countering the need for stability suggested by this Grand Sextile are two T-squares. This is a pattern that is inherently unstable, challenging us to take action. First, there is the volatile T-square among aggressive Mars, rebel Uranus and power mongering Pluto, exact last Saturday through this Wednesday. This suggests technological breakthroughs, accidents, increased violence and continued awareness of the breakdown of the structures of the world as we know it.
The second T-square is comprised of an ambitious/controlling Saturn opposition to the Moon (10:41 AM ET), squared by the Leo Sun (1:43PM ET). Having stern Saturn strongly connected to the 3rd Quarter Moon suggesting a serious move on the New Moon agenda set three weeks ago — either a major strategic reach or restriction.
Make the most of this day of extraordinary potential. And get it off your desk before the Moon goes void tomorrow — Tuesday — at 11:58AM ET for almost 24 hours until Wednesday at 11:42AM ET. On Thursday, Moon will be void again as of 12:48PM ET…until just after midnight on Saturday. Start the weekend early!
And now, a few headlines reflecting planetary patterns worth sharing.
Mick Jagger turned 70 on Friday, just before Saturn (Father Time) square the Sun (it’s later than you think). Here’s a piece by Gail Collins about Mr. Jagger and other aging rock stars from the 60s, marveling that they are still performing. Of course they are still performing; they all have Pluto in Leo, and this is a generation of perpetual teenagers. They will never grow old.
For war, with a decidedly tech spin — suggested by aggressive Mars triggering Uranus and Pluto — here’s a piece about a film commissioned by the Imperial War Museum, featuring U.S. drone operators. These are the guys who sit in front of video screens in Nevada and kill people living thousands of miles away — at least 4700 real live people so far, according to Senator Lindsey Graham.
For tech breakthroughs and expanding consciousness, as we realize the world is much more than we imagine it, here’s a piece expounding on the statistic that one out of seven stars in the universe probably has a planet similar in size to Earth. And here’s a recent picture of Earth and the Moon as seen from Saturn — with thanks to NASA and our tax dollars.
Enjoy this glorious day!