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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 10/29/2012: Full Moon in Taurus & A Peek at the Week
/in The ForecastWriting this three hours before the end of a long void-of-course Moon in proactive Aries — almost 30 hours of lunar freefall. Here on the East Coast, many of us have been proactive with a vengeance, stocking up on supplies and battening down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, a.k.a. Frankenstorm, to arrive sometime tomorrow.But even if you’re not likely to be blown all over the map, planetary patterns may still be rather dizzying. Let’s break it all down:
Mercury leaves Scorpio for high-flying Sagittarius, increasing the odds of having everyone and his/her dog need to tell you what he/she thinks — at least for the next eight days. And what a dream or vision that thought may be! Because at 1:41PM ET, Mercury is challenged by nebulous Neptune, adding a rose-colored spin to words and ideas. This is a positively awesome aspect for writers, artists and healers — and it has been in effect for a few days, hopefully sparking your imagination. On the down side, it suggests escapism, confusion and/or delusion in matters of mind, travel and communication…and Mercury is already moving rather slowly as it prepares to turn retrograde on November 6th. Translation: your brain may be moving slowly, too.
Venus moved into airy Libra yesterday at 9:04AM, which is generally a happy occasion, as the planet referring to social expression, women, art and money is well-supported by Libra’s people-pleasing need for beauty and balance. But Venus is also under duress this week, as it is about to be challenged by the intense and ruthless Uranus-Pluto square. This suggests revelations and power issues in relationships; sudden attractions, compulsions and obsessions. Could be juicy; could be “witchy-bitchy”, so mind your manners, please, if you wish to avoid the latter. We last experienced this pattern the week of August 13th — refer back to those forecasts for more on what we can expect in this next round.
Then, of course, we have the Moon waxing full in Taurus, which is quite a contrast from other more dynamic patterns. Why? Because Moon in Taurus tends to prefer stability. Generally speaking, a Taurus Moon would rather have a nice meal, glass of wine and quality time with a snuggly sweetie than tear somebody’s roof off. Perhaps if we all visualize Frankenstorm morphing from a raging bull in a china shop to a placid cow in meadow, we can diminish the potential brutality of this force of nature. Now that would be an amazing application of the visionary potential of Neptune’s challenge to Mercury mentioned at the top of this forecast.
The Moon goes void of course at 5:01PM ET on a regenerative connection to the Moon from potent Pluto; note that the Sun will also be in a regenerative connection to Pluto at 6:28AM ET on Tuesday. More news from underground?
Note that tonight’s Moon void at 5:01PM ET will last until 2:40PM ET on Wednesday. Moon will again be void from 5:21AM ET on Friday…until 3:43AM ET Saturday. Please plan to be flexible and patient all week long. Remember that Moon voids often coincide with crises that turn out to be “much ado about nothing”. Roll with the punches and note the surprise twists that may impact your efforts to move forward in a straight line. Keep calm and carry on.
And now for the Sabian Symbols of this Full Moon at 7 degrees Taurus/Scorpio. For 7 Taurus, “a woman of Samaria” (her story involves a well); for 7 Scorpio, “deep sea divers”. Must the cosmos hand us two symbols referring to water when part of the world is anticipating a hurricane & flooding? For “a woman of Samaria”, Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee calls it “an image of a moment of truth”. For deep sea divers: “plunging in over one’s head”. To paraphrase Bovee’s further musings on these symbols, we are advised to be alert to situations where we must determine the authenticity of what is presented. Is it real gold or fool’s gold? We are advised to consider matters more deeply before moving forward into unfamiliar territory. Settle for nothing less than unconditional truth.
Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 10/26/2012 & The Weekend
/in The ForecastOh man, what a day it was on Thursday — so many heavy stories in the news and from out in the field of our own personal worlds. We’ll do the recap in a bit, but let’s look at Friday (today) first.
The dreamy– and often vulnerable — Pisces Moon continues on course until 11:04AM ET, when it goes void until 3:31PM ET. Empathy and compassion for all who suffer; the the ability to see ourselves in each other; the intuition that flows from understanding this connection; and the melancholy that results when such depth of feeling can not be communicated (for lack of words or a receptive audience) — these are some Piscean possibilities. Will ye sink or will ye swim?
With the timing of today’s void-of-course Moon, suggesting a natural break in our efforts to move forward in a straight line, East Coasters could plan an especially long lunch hour. West Coasters could show up late at the office, but be prepared for the dynamic shift in tone when the Moon enters Aries at 3:31PM ET/12:31PM PT. Moon in Aries is impulsive, impatient and needs to get there first. Aries energy also moves fast, and let the record show this Moon is waxing full, suggesting a build up of energy that will find its release as we approach 3:49PM on Monday the 29th.
Late Friday/early Saturday suggests the usual jolt, disruption or emotional power play we have been experiencing in the first few hours of every Moon in Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn for the past several months.Why? Because these Moon make challenging contact with the disruptive Uranus-Pluto square that is the dominant planetary pattern from 2011-2016 (and covered extensively throughout this forecast). If you are looking for a cause, excitement or a physical release, this is good weekend for you. Not only do we have the Moon waxing full in Aries, but also aggressive Mars (which rules Aries) is in opinionated Sagittarius, about to oppose expansive Jupiter in (hot air) Gemini exact on Sunday at 8:56AM ET. This pattern, suggesting exaggeration — or boundaries pushed — in thought, words and deeds, has been keenly expressed all week in numerous headlines and — oh, look, is that a big hurricane heading our way? Yes, it is — if you live in the Caribbean or the East Coast of the United States.
On Saturday the Aries Moon goes void at 9:32PM ET and does not enter Taurus until 2:15AM ET 0n Monday. This suggests the edge may be taken off the threat of said hurricane, as actions that occur during voids tend to be of no consequence. It does not diminish the potential for much sound and fury, however; i.e., plenty of worry about a crisis that is not as dire as anticipated, albeit with surprise twists before finally blowing over. I am more concerned about Monday being a time of dealing with tangible fallout from this storm. And after typing that last sentence, I went to the National Hurricane Center’s tracking page for Hurricane Sandy (a.k.a. “Frankenstorm”), and currently Sandy is expected to land in North Carolina/Virginia around 8AM on Monday.
Too much to cover on the shifting patterns we will see going into next week, so I will save those thoughts for the next forecast. Let’s talk about the stunning headlines we saw during yesterday’s Sun-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio, which was anticipated to reflect heavy themes of focus and loss. Sex, death and money — that is the domain of Scorpio — and in our society, any of our attitudes, obsessions, fantasies and fears on these subjects are hidden away. Saturn in Scorpio suggests we are forced to confront these beliefs — and take responsibility for the consequences that follow, no matter how ghoulish they may be. Saturn in Scorpio adds fuel to the purifying fire of Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2024), which continues to expose corruption in hallowed institutions that then will likely be transformed or torn down. Add to this mix the power of one person to disrupt an entire system, suggested by rebel Uranus in me-me-me Aries, and you may conclude (correctly) that resistance is futile. We will have plenty of opportunities to confront our dark side over the next two to three years. Trick or treat!
The Sabian Symbol for yesterday’s Sun-Saturn conjunction at 2 Scorpio is “a broken bottle and spilled perfume”. Our go-to Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee has much to say about this symbol, described as “an accidental release of essence that permeates the air…in a way that is not easy to dispel”.
Two ghoulish stories hit the news yesterday, in neighborhoods that could arguably be called utterly boring and bourgeois. One involved the arrest of a 28 year old police officer — married, with a baby girl — and his alleged conspiracy so evil and twisted some are calling him the “Cannibal Cop”. The other involves the arrest of a nanny (currently in a medically induced coma) who killed two of the young children in her care before apparently attempting to kill herself.
In China, the New York Times has been blocked after it ran a story about the billions mysteriously accumulated by the family of one of China’s ruling elite in the 14 years since he rose to power. Now why would China want to hide a story like that, hmm? Meanwhile, across the Pond another scandal that “threatens to become a political crisis” is brewing, as inquiring minds demand to know why the BBC apparently did nothing to stop a popular TV host from sexually abusing boys and girls over the course of 40 years. In Brazil, corruption in its infrastructure was exposed yesterday during a power outage that left 53 million people in the dark. In Italy, judgement was pronounced on Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister. He is going to jail for tax fraud. And in Japan, a “firebrand” politician has quit his post as governor of Tokyo and vows to form a new political party. And finally, as a follow-up to an earlier story this week about Mitt Romney’s now-disputed testimony in a friend’s nasty divorce case, the court files have now been unsealed. Did I leave anything out? Why yes, I did. This baby walrus is adapting to his new life in Brooklyn after being rescued from certain death in Alaska. He is really cute. And serves as a reminder that of all that is good and light in the world, even on days when it feels like darkness has the upper hand.
Next week, by special request, I promise to write about the intriguing horoscope of Lance Armstrong.
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 10/25/2012: Sun Conjunct Saturn
/in The ForecastNo major shifts in the planetary patterns we have been experiencing all week, with the exception of two challenges to the dreamy Pisces Moon this morning. After the Sun and stern Saturn meet up in Scorpio at 4:32AM ET, Moon is squared by aggressive Mars at 7:32AM ET, suggesting a steamy or fiery response to the potentially heavy price levied by the Sun-Saturn meet-up. A few hours later, when expansive Jupiter squares Moon, an emotional response may be equally over-the-top. Please, oh please, double check the facts before you go off on a tangent — and realize that others who may be doing so could be operating under the influence of an idealistic connection between mental Mercury and arts/women/money/social graces Venus at 1:11PM ET. Stay focused and on message and get it off your desk before the Moon goes void at 11:04AM ET on Friday.
Astro-logical Forecast for Wednesday 10/24/2012: More Real and Unreal
/in The ForecastInteresting patterns today. Moon is in Pisces, as of 7AM ET, where it soon met up with nebulous Neptune, suggesting a morning tinged with themes of fantasy, illusion, delusion, spirit and other soulful escapes. The Sun and stern Saturn are together in Scorpio, suggesting a serious focus, reach for ambition, consolidation or loss (note that the markets have dropped in recent days). Mercury and Venus are linked in a pattern that suggests a need for idealism; aggressive Mars is in opinionated Sagittarius, challenging bombastic Jupiter in information-junkie Gemini, suggesting actions that may push boundaries. Looks like a memorable day — and in your own personal world, much can be accomplished if you are working consciously to give tangible form to a dream, especially if you can focus on what is essential. Do not be distracted by tangents.
As I type, Donald Trump is 45 minutes away from making a “big announcement”, allegedly about Barack Obama.Let the record show that Trump is a Gemini with Moon in Sagittarius, who therefore needs to tell you his opinion, projected to the public with all the regal entitlement that a Leo Ascendant can muster. His horoscope is currently influenced by nebulous Neptune opposing the Ascendant, suggesting potential bewilderment, confusion, fantasy or a “savior-victim” complex in matters of relationship and public outreach.
Meanwhile, The Boston Globe is allegedly asking for papers in a certain nasty divorce case to be unsealed, so it can investigate reports that Mitt Romney lied under oath about the value of certain assets, which were reportedly sold at a profit. If you’ve been reading these forecasts for a couple of months, you may recall a post noting that planetary patterns in the last few days leading up to the election are potentially “witchy-bitchy”, with plenty of dirt and elevated emotions for all. Let’s see how these stories develop over the next week…
And now, a positive story of healing accomplished when a man diagnosed with lung cancer focused on essentials. Instead of undergoing chemotherapy, he leaves the United States and goes back to his ancestral home, which just happens to be a Greek island. He does not have chemotherapy. He is fully prepared to die. But he doesn’t. And that was in 1976. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Given the real/unreal potential of a day with heavy themes of control (Saturn) and vision (Neptune), let’s work on manifesting stories like this — and leave the guttersniping to someone else.
Astro-logical Forecast for Tuesday 10/23/2012: Real and Unreal
/in The ForecastI don’t know about you, but I am definitely feeling a palpable increase in intensity, reflected by the Sun moving into Scorpio last night at 8:14PM ET. Adding to the pressure and/or heaviness is Thursday’s hook-up with stern Saturn on Thursday. Distracting us — perhaps by threatening to dissolve whatever reality we thought we could count on — is today’s trine between the Sun and nebulous Neptune, exact at 7:15AM ET. Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s forecast on what we can expect:
Keep the peace, eh? Was Mitt Romney tuning in to the cosmos in last night’s debate? Repeatedly stating a desire for “peace” was a surprise to more than one pundit, including this conservative one. Real or unreal?
Today’s Moon in Aquarius encourages a detached, friendly approach to the challenges of the day. You could even consider experimenting with the unconventional, though be aware of a potential verbal challenge to your experiment around 9:27PM ET, when Moon is squared by mental Mercury…and then goes void. Chill for the rest of the night; Moon enters Pisces at 7AM ET on Wednesday.