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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 Monday 6/3/2013: Attitude Dancing
/in The ForecastToday’s Aries Moon suggests no dilly-dallying at the start of the work week. Get up and boldly go — where no one has gone before (that’s the Aries pioneering fearless thing). And just where might that be? Into the higher mind, perhaps? Your dreams or the subconscious? I was definitely going somewhere in mine this morning, and I chalk that up to mental Mercury in the sensitive, watery sign of Cancer, now forming a Grand Trine to structuring Saturn in Scorpio and dissolving Neptune in Pisces. Grand Trines are a relatively rare planetary pattern, and a lot of people get all excited when they happen. Why?
First, many people think of Grand Trines as lucky and stable. Thus they buy lottery tickets and we often see a positive trend in the markets. We saw this trend reflected by a Grand Trine in Earth Signs in March of 2012. This feeling of ease and self-sufficiency is good, right? Well it can be. Astrologer Jeff Jawer suggests this is an excellent time to broach a delicate subject requiring diplomacy and sensitivity in communication. You can also download a major creative hit right about now — the seeds of which you can seriously plant after the weekend’s New Moon.
There are a few pitfalls, however. If everyone is feeling so self-sufficient, they may act as if they don’t need anything from anyone else — and this can be challenging for relationships. I learned this from astrologer Noel Tyl, who notes that a Grand Trine in a natal horoscope often conveys a “I am a law unto myself” attitude. Plus, as astrologer Bill Herbst observed several months ago, the stability suggested by the Grand Trines we’ll see in this month may resist the need for change suggested by the ongoing square between rebel Uranus and ruthless Pluto. Thus those that have, may hold on and hold out.
If you have to ship this week, today and part of tomorrow would be the days to do it. Moon goes void at 2:09AM ET on Tuesday and enters Taurus at 11:53AM ET — ship it after 12PM ET. Moon will be void on Wednesday at 9:25 AM ET until late Thursday — 11:32PM ET, suggesting two days’ of listless wandering, augmented by the last few days of the lunar cycle. This is the time to be wrapping up projects you initiated a few weeks ago, and get ready for the New Moon that begins on Saturday at 11:56AM ET. The closer we get to the end of the work week, the greater the potential we will see for some ground-breaking, out-of-this-world ideas to hit the headlines. Some of them will be driven by pure pixie dust — from the sublime to the truly ridiculous.
Here’s an example of the power of the self-contained, self-sufficient Grand Water Trine working well with the potential of the disruptive Uranus-Pluto square. What could be more mundane than a box of cereal and two parents with an adorable young daughter? And yet this charming commercial for Cheerios is freaking some people out. I suppose they just can’t handle a new (to them) reality, now concretely expressed in our collective mindset and communication.
Also reflecting reality (Saturn), this one of the comparative cost of healing (Neptune): a thorough piece comparing the cost of a colonscopy (with Saturn in nitty-gritty Scorpio, of course we’re going there) in hospitals around the country with the cost of the same procedure in other countries. Read this and tell me if you fling a shoe at the television next time you hear a Congressperson demanding another hearing on Benghazi instead of this scandal. And consider that the 2014 Congressional elections may offer a serious opportunity to change the political agenda. I’m just sayin’. Take it away, Carly Simon.
Astro-logical Forecast for Saturday & Sunday 6/1-6/2
/in The ForecastI can’t believe it’s the first day of June!
Briefly: yesterday’s Moon in Pisces was challenged by the Sun around 3PM ET, but somehow that tension generated between a need to connect intuitively and a need to be informed (just the facts, ma’am) was not great enough to send the 1998 QE2 asteroid crashing into Earth. Two planetary shifts that may have made yesterday a little “wobbly” included mental Mercury leaving Gemini for Cancer and assertive Mars leaving Taurus for Gemini.
For the former, Mercury in Cancer will soon connect with the Saturn-Neptune trine discussed in the last forecast, suggesting thoughts and communication focusing on spiritual and other intangible concerns, like this. For the latter, Mars is only too happy to be out of pokey Taurus and into the zippy, airy, multitasking realm of Gemini. Expect activity to happen in veritable flurries over the next few weeks as the pace noticeably picks up.
For today — Moon continues its dreamy sojourn in Pisces, buoyed by an expansive and expensive connection to Jupiter. If you’re hitting the stores today, your wallet may feel less expansive by the time you’re done — but not as much as if you did your shopping last weekend, under even more indulgent and pleasant patterns. Meanwhile, a communicative connection between the Gemini Sun and wonky Uranus in pioneering Aries suggests you try something innovative today — and be open to a startling revelation from a far-out source. Hey, that asteroid story fits this category of news we can expect to see hitting the headlines.
On Sunday, Moon enters Aries at 2:33AM ET. If Saturday was hot; Sunday could be even hotter with this me-me-me Moon falling down stairs because it’s faster than walking. A snippy challenge to the Moon from Mercury could create a kerfuffle in the early morning hours; a greater clash or jolt may hit by midnight, when the Moon is challenged by ruthless Pluto and rebel Uranus.
Other news of note on Sunday is Venus leaving fickle Gemini for Cancer, where it is very much at home. Put a shrimp on the barbie and let’s feed the world now, shall we? Venus in Cancer suggests a more nurturing, sensitive approach in social expression and a greater concern for emotional security. Look for women, relationships, motherhood, money, art and any other number of Venus-ruled concerns to make the news now, as Venus will be at the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn).
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 5/30/2013: The Impossible Dream
/in The ForecastMoon continues its sojourn in humanitarian, cerebral and quirky Aquarius, seeking to be seen as socially significant, even as it comfortably operates within the group. Most of that energy is delightfully supported by easy connections from that lovely pile-up of planets — mental Mercury, loving Venus, jolly Jupiter — in Gemini (if you have a planet or angle between 23 -28 degrees of any Fire or Air sign, you’re feeling this sense of ease more than most). As we get closer to 7:57PM ET, when the Moon’s need to be unique is challenged by assertive Mars in stubborn Taurus, then we have the potential for a feisty clash of wills or display of intractable resolve.
After a Moon void so brief you’ll hardly notice it, Moon enters the dreamy sign of Pisces, shifting the focus from the cerebral Air realm to watery depths of intuition and feeling. Music, faith, dreams and other beautiful escapes may be on your agenda.
And speaking of dreams, there is another planetary pattern going on — exact on June 11th — that we really need to talk about. It addresses a question raised by my Pisces (intuitive, sensitive) friend Lisa, who asked me yesterday what was going on in the stars that felt so weird — and the dynamics of the disruptive Uranus-Pluto square did not fit the bill. What’s going on is another relatively rare pattern: a trine betwteen stern Saturn, which structures and limits reality and nebulous Neptune, which dissolves whatever it touches. Immediately you see the potential for bewilderment when structures are dissolving beneath your feet, yes? And yet you can also appreciate the potential for the sublime to materialize when dreams are backed by enough substance. Which will it be for you? Maybe a little of both, and you are feeling it more than most if you were born around the 23rd of just about any month — or have a planet or angle around 5 degrees of any sign.
This dance between Saturn and Neptune has been going off and on since the middle of October, and the exact hit on June 11th will be the 3rd in the cycle, and thus especially potent. FYI, the last time we experienced this pattern (prior to 2012) was after the Summer Solstice of 2001 — and didn’t the world seem dreamy back then, in comparison to the rude awakening we experienced on September 11th? Hmmmm.
What does the trine between Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces hold for us as individuals and collectively? I have no idea. One headline that seems to reflect this unfamiliar pattern, combined with the disruption of Uranus and Pluto jumped out at me this morning. It’s a story about glaciers melting in Switzerland, affecting other structures that were once reliable. How are we supposed to navigate in a situation like this? Where is the map? That’s the point. There isn’t a map. We’ve never been here before — or so it feels. We will muddle through as best we can, and presumably intuition and creativity will be the best tools to help us on the way. Left-brained thinking may be overwhelmed by nebulous Neptunian fog. Right-brained approaches — as well as your dreams — may provide more clarity and guidance during this period.
To be continued….
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 5/29/2013
/in The ForecastMoon in humanitarian, friendly Aquarius coasts through the day, boosted by a balanced connection from the Gemini Sun and a communicative connection from innovative Uranus. Take advantage of the easy flow and a receptivity to that which may be unconventional and/or on the fringe.
The airy, frothy excess of yesterday’s hook-up between Venus (money, women, art, social expression) and expansive Jupiter is still in effect (and duly noted in yet another market high at the close of business on Tuesday), even if the hook-up is on the wane.
Meanwhile, a bit of leftover news from the weekend. Regular readers know that the needs of Saturn in Scorpio suggest a focus on the nitty-gritty in issues involving sex, no matter how disturbing, including stories of rape, abortion rights and yesterday, a baby rescued from a sewer line (!). Here’s a lengthy piece about the female sex drive that graced the cover of the NYT Sunday Magazine. Did you know that there’s a pill in the works that aims to do for women what Viagra does for men?
Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 5/28/2013: “Too Much of a Good Thing Is…”
/in The Forecast…and we’re back. Did you have a good holiday break, dear Readers who live in the U.S.? I followed my own advice and shopped ’til I dropped on Saturday and chilled out on Sunday. On Monday, I improvised. And you?
Wherever you live, you may be feeling quite bubbly this morning and driven by the Moon in proactive Capricorn to make things happen. In fact, there’s enough optimism in the air from yesterday and today to carry you through the whole week — and with hardly any Moon voids to derail or delay your efforts to move forward in a straight line. If you’re new to this forecast and do not know what a Moon void is — here’s the 411.
Suffice it to say, the longest void of the week — a natural rest period, if you know what’s good for you — happens from 2:40PM ET – 5:48PM ET. East Coasters, you’ll want to be taking care of what’s important in the morning; West Coasters may want to wait until mid-afternoon to focus on projects you wish to be of consequence. Use the three-hour void to chill, wander and/or take care of the routine and the mundane. At 5:48PM ET, Moon will enter the networking sign of Aquarius, seeking to be of social significance and facilitating encounters with the avant-garde. Get out and mingle tonight if you can.
The highlight of the day is an exact hook-up between Venus (social expression, money, women, beauty) and expansive Jupiter in oh-so-charming and clever Gemini (23 degrees). And oh-how-sweet — and indulgent — this hook-up can be. It’s the pink frosting on the cake of Monday’s equally expansive and optimistic hook-up between Jupiter and mental Mercury, suggesting an overload of information and stimulation (which is not necessarily a bad thing).
This follows on the heels of Sunday’s bedazzling and sometimes bewildering challenge between the glib Gemini Sun and nebulous Neptune in sacrificial, soulful Pisces. This combination of patterns sounds like a perfect backdrop for the premiere of HBO’s latest original film, Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as “Mr. Showmanship” himself — Liberace. The furs, the ruffles, the bling; the enormous appetite for all things sensual…which is how co-star Matt Damon, playing Liberace’s much younger lover, Scott Thorson, enters the scene. And what was Liberace’s most famous quote? “Too much of a good thing is…wonderful”. Coincidence or conspiracy?
In other news — and also perfectly in synch with planetary patterns — here’s a piece — on the front page of the NYT business section, no less — about the empire of Amma, the Indian guru also known as “the hugging saint”. She’s just started a two-month tour in North America, in case you’d like to meet her…
Make the most of the opportunities for beauty, creativity and expansion that may come your way today. If you have a planet or angle at 23 degrees of any sign, but especially Aries, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces, this especially applies to you. Follow your bliss!