THE
FORECAST

In case you hadn’t noticed, Moon entered fun-loving and/or regal Leo at 6:18PM ET on Sunday, increasing the potential for drama and drama kings and queens everywhere. Most all of today’s exact planetary activity happens while you are sleeping (at least in the United States); however, effects will linger through the day. First, a friendly connection between Moon and Uranus, suggests receptivity to what is innovative and unconventional, followed by a potentially brilliant hook-up between mental Mercury and rocket scientist Uranus, suggesting flashes of insight, technological breakthroughs, maybe even some news of astrology (ruled by Uranus).  Third, an expansive connection between that drama queen Moon and Jupiter in tactile Taurus offers the potential for indulgence before you even get out of bed. Note your dreams, btw. I did and I’m still trying to figure it out…

At 5:25 AM Venus leaves fiery Aries for earthy Taurus, adding to the potency already presented by a grand trine among resourceful Pluto in enterprising Capricorn, expansive Jupiter in security-seeking Taurus and proactive Mars in discerning Virgo. Let three weeks of sensuality and auras of abundance and practical self-sufficiency begin! Or so you’d think from all the buzz this configuration appears to be getting on search engines. OK, so what exactly is a grand trine?

Picture a triangle — the same shape as a triangle that is played in symphony orchestras. Now imagine a planet at each of the three points of the triangle. That’s what a grand trine looks like. If there were a person in the middle of that triangle, you might say it looked like a castle surrounded by a moat, and that is often how a grand trine functions. Grand trines — like moats — are most excellent protective structures and they suggest great potential for self-sufficiency. In Earth signs — which is what the March 2012 grand trine is in — it suggests material self-sufficiency. A person with an Earth grand trine can easily put out an aura of not needing practical resources from anyone else. And since they seem to not need anything from anyone, they seem to manifest much on the material plane on their own — and in a way that may go outside the normal conventions of society. They can act as “a law unto themselves,” as astrologer Noel Tyl describes it. I read once — I can’t remember where — that grand trines are commonly seen in the horoscopes of career criminals — a worst-case scenario of not needing anything from anyone and living according to one’s own constructs. A grand trine can also function as a defense in relationship. Intimacy may be challenging for a person born with a strong moat around his or her castle.

The March 2012 grand trine will be exact at 9 degrees of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn on March 13th and 14th — but we are feeling the pattern now. And, yes,  it is rare that we see the “lucky” planets: Venus (money, art, love, women) and Jupiter (the cosmic sugardaddy) getting along so smoothly AND empowered by Pluto AND making nice with Mars (action, the drive to procreate, men, warriors).  On the plus side, we can anticipate a few weeks of feeling like things are going pretty darn well — a sense of stability or expansion in financial markets. Certainly if you have planets at 9 degrees any sign you may feel the potential blessings of this pattern — and perhaps more so if you have a significant point or planet at 9 degrees of Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn. By all means, buy some lottery tickets. In the headlines, we can expect confident stories of resources, such as this one about Deepwater Horizon up and running again http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/business/deepwater-oil-drilling-accelerates-as-bp-disaster-fades.html?_r=1&hp more “news from underground”, lucky breaks and plenty about juicy creativity and/or sexuality between the masculine and the feminine. I would not be surprised to see diabetes pull focus in the headlines the week of the 12th. And I hope we will not see headlines about people or nations who, out of supreme self-confidence, choose to do something harmful while acting as “a law unto themselves”. With planetary patterns, the energy can go either way. We decide how to use it. We shall see…

As for recent headlines, as anticipated on Friday, there were plenty on the subject of the “war on women”, including an escalation of Rush Limbaugh’s latest rant; heated debates and legislative assaults on women and their most private parts. I mention this because of an aspect in February’s New Moon chart suggesting that issues related to women would likely run wild during this lunar cycle, and in an especially patriarchal, obsessive, controlling way. And they have (the aspect, for serious astrology buffs: Saturn in Libra quindecile Venus in Aries peregrine).  Here’s my favorite headline, so far, “Wilmington City Council Passes Resolution Urging Personhood Rights for Sperm”  http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002376575  Saturn in Libra, demanding fairness and equality in the law…

Happy Monday!