THE
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 12/5/2011: Work Together, Play Together
/in The ForecastThe week begins with the fire and verve from Sunday continuing into Monday, as Moon continues through pioneering me-me-me Aries. Your work, especially if it involves collaborating with others, may be especially sparkly today, as Mars (action, the masculine principle) in Virgo makes a lovely connection with Venus (the feminine) in enterprising Capricorn at 10:08AM ET. You could actually be eager to jump out of bed in the morning…and fall into bed with a partner at night. And on the East Coast…oh lucky you…Moon will be void of course Tuesday between 6:13AM and 9:34AM, suggesting you could sleep in without consequence.
And now, the headlines. I’ve been anticipating significant news on the Fukushima nuclear plant as disruptive Uranus, now retrograde, gets closer and closer to where it was on March 11th (0 Aries). And frankly, it’s close enough right now (1 Aries). And over the past few days there have been a flurry of articles reassessing the damage to the reactor — and it’s disturbing, to say the least. Uranus turns direct on December 10th, suggesting the possibility of more news on this subject and other subjects related to shake-ups, independence and other disruptions to the status quo. This will coincide with a Full Moon and lunar eclipse ripe with potential for positive manifestation. Stay tuned…
Next topic: Herman Cain. Here’s a re-cap of what was written about his horoscope on November 3rd: He is a Sagittarius with Moon in me-me-me Aries who needs to be “Number One” and tell the world what he thinks, with an idealistic spin. There is a strong need for independence and the unusual in relationships, along with a likely defense mechanism that insists on self-sufficiency. There’s a militancy suggested here — likely stemming from an experience of harshness in his youth that everyone else must experience, too. Faith — real and unreal — likely play a huge part in his life. Cain also has Mars (action, sex drive) in regal Leo — suggesting a need to “get away with murder”.
Right now, he has transits that suggest: 1) “Criticism with a passion; knowing just what’s wrong with the world; big arguments (this has been going on for a year; 2) “dreaminess about love potential; overindulgences of all kinds for ego gratification or defense;self-deception” (going on for some months, but exact Nov 17); and finally, exact on Nov 25, “powerful sex drive; the conquest”. On December 1st, sexy rascal Mars challenged Cain’s Venus, suggesting dealing with still more on issues of “passion, sex drive and excitement”. And on December 4th, his run for the White House was history. However, I would not be surprised if he were to come back this summer with something else resembling a weird, wacky book tour.
Astro-logical Forecast for Friday 12/2/2011: The Joys of Mars in Virgo
/in The ForecastHopefully you’ll get it off your desk early today. Moon in Pisces goes void at 1:06PM ET…not to enter Aries until 8:51PM ET on Saturday. You know what that means: the rest of the day is likely a bust for initiating action, as the potential for twists and turns crop up unexpectedly whilst trying to move in a straight line. This is not necessarily bad thing; it’s something to be aware of when your client calls with a sudden crisis…or colleagues flake out at a scheduled meeting…or staying focused seems more challenging than usual. Try going with the flow, brainstorming, resting, meditating — and avoiding big impulse purchases. I need to go to Costco tomorrow and it’ll require every ounce of self-control to keep me from bringing home all sorts of “bargains”.
In other news, this morning’s First Quarter Moon may have brought you a challenge to your New Moon agenda. Restless, physical energy abounds today — do something constructive with it. Mars is in Virgo, a sign which refers to the body, health, routine, diet and cooperation. It challenged both the Sun and Moon this morning. Virgo needs to be perfect, to be correct, to be discriminating and organized. I applied this physical drive for perfection and organization productively in a session with the lovely and talented Aimee Kolsby, a skilled Hellerwork Structural Integration practitioner. This is deep-tissue bodywork: a “‘hands on’ process working with the connective tissue to realign the entire musculoskeletal structure, restoring balance and ease to the body” www.hellerwork.com
Physical Mars will be in Virgo until June 2012. Getting your work habits, diet and body organized and perfected are excellent goals to have during this time.
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday 12/1/2011: What’s the Big Deal?
/in The ForecastHope you noted your dreams this AM, on the heels of a hook-up between Moon (void of course) and nebulous Neptune, which could have taken you on a fantastic – -or confusing — ride. The Moon void suggests a slow start or twist to the morning routine, especially on the East Coast. I got on the wrong subway train — how about you? Fortunately, I realized the error before getting too far off track…and at the end of my journey I was delightfully surprised by happy-faced workers at Wendy’s giving away free coffee and coupons for artisanal breakfast sandwiches. Yes, artisanal. At Wendy’s. Definitely not a routine commute.
At 9:45AM ET Moon entered soulful Pisces, yearning to merge with the intangible and go with the flow. You can plumb the depths of emotion today; the Pisces Moon is working with an intense, sometimes wretchedly overwrought or excessive emotional release, suggested by the hook-up between “take no prisoners” Pluto and Venus, planet of money, love, art, beauty and women. If you look hard in the mirror, you just might see the light. Which leads into my next pithy statement, “If you want to know where you’re at, look at who — or whom — you’re with”. Point is, a little introspection and honesty can deliver big results, if you’re brave enough to go there. Note that there is a difference between brutal honesty and just being a brute. With the surge of energy in the air today and tomorrow, try to temper your quest with some kindness — to yourself and others.
It occurred to me yesterday that this Venus-Pluto conjunction at 6 degrees of Capricorn is significant in the horoscope of the United States. Why? Because Jupiter, the cosmic sugardaddy, sits at 5-6 degrees of Cancer in the US chart — and it’s in the second house of the chart, which relates to worth, value, assets and money. Does the United States seek its reward by acquiring more and more and MORE? Well, according to the US horoscope, it certainly does…in fact, it needs to do so, in order to feel secure.
Pluto-Jupiter connections refer to resources, often with a feeling of regeneration. Venus-Jupiter connections refer to sugar, good cheer and indulgence, sometimes excessive. Remember how over the weekend shoppers gave retailers a record-breaking spending spree? Not only was Venus in a lovely aspect with Jupiter in the horoscope of the day, but Pluto AND Venus were both in aspect to Jupiter in the chart of the United States. So it makes perfect sense that Americans would be feeling expansive and indulgent…as evidenced by the weekend shopping mania….AND….yesterday’s 482 point gain on the Dow! Coincidence or conspiracy? Anyone have any questions?
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve gets some credit for yesterday’s surge in the markets — and this is also reflected in the horoscope…of the Federal Reserve! If you haven’t been following the news, yesterday the stress in the continuing European financial boondoggle (scheduled to hit a critical mass next summer), was temporarily eased when the European Central Bank, backed by the Federal Reserve, bought up a bunch of bad debt — or so it was explained by Fed nemesis Ron Paul (R-TX) in this provocative and feisty exchange: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000059877 …and the markets rallied through the day. Huzzah! The horoscope of the Fed — it was born on December 23, 1913 — features the Sun at — ZERO degrees of Capricorn — opposed by Pluto (resources, empowerment, underground, corruption, regeneration, subversion) at ZERO degrees of Cancer. Regular readers of this forecast know that ZERO degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are especially powerful points (as reflected in real life as the first day of each of the four seasons), that command attention. Regular readers also know that rebel Uranus has been been making a lot of noise at ZERO Aries off and on throughout the year — and it’s back at ZERO Aries right now. Translation: the Fed is in the spotlight all year long. Got that? But wait…there’s MORE…
Yesterday, Congressman Dennis Kucinich released this video explaining how the Fed reportedly created a staggering sum of money in 2008, using the regenerative power of Pluto, which was then at ZERO Capricorn (making a potent connection to the Fed’s natal Sun). Watch this video http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385×639040 and you may begin to understand how issues of resources in the US are being reflected in the planetary patterns then…and now.
Astro-logical Forecast for Saturday & Sunday 11/26-27/2011: Venus Pulls Focus
/in The ForecastMoon continues its sojourn through opinionated, high-flying Sagittarius, suggesting a need to ramble — in action and in words. Take it slow and choose your words carefully, as you adjust to Mercury (mind, communication, travel), now retrograde. Gossip is a good thing to avoid during this time, as information that crosses the wires is more likely to be off than usual.
Over the next two days Venus, planet of love, money, beauty and social expression pulls focus. At 7:36AM ET Venus enters the practical, status-oriented sign of Capricorn, where it is promptly challenged by eccentric, erratic Uranus. New associations made now might be found way off the beaten path. You may find yourself attracted to the weirdly wonderful or technological; you may find yourself pulling in a new flame that flares up and fades as suddenly as it arrived. Keep an open mind.
Take a break from 7:06PM – 10:04PM ET, while the Moon is void of course. Moon joins Venus in Capricorn for the remainder of the evening, hooking up with Venus shortly thereafter — and that’s just lovely. On Sunday, you can apply the make-it-happen energy of the Capricorn Moon to just about anything — with this caveat: a delicious connection between Venus and Jupiter, the planet of reward, suggests a high probability of indulgence. Watch your wallet; otherwise let the good times roll.
Astro-logical Forecast for Thursday & Friday 11/24-25/2011: New Moon in Sagittarius; Mercury Retrograde
/in The ForecastAnd a very happy Thanksgiving holiday weekend to you! Even with the potential for travel and communication snafus, courtesy of Mercury turning retrograde until December 13th, this suggestion for the day was to enjoy the rose-tinted emotional depth offered by Moon in substantive Scorpio and a peaceful, beautiful connection between loving Venus and nebulous Neptune, which at its best, can take us into the sublime. After a brief Moon void between 6:05PM and 8:57PM ET, suggesting a nap after all that turkey, Moon entered the high-flying, opinionated sign of Sagittarius, where it will roam until 10:04PM ET on Saturday. Already you may be feeling inspired to set an agenda for the New Moon, exact Friday at 1:10AM ET, that broadens your horizons. So let’s talk about the New Moon, which is especially potent because it coincides with a solar eclipse.
Eclipses halt the normal flow of traffic, so that something new can be born. The friendly policeman who stops cars so that Mrs. Mallard and her fluffy brood can make their way to the Boston Public Garden in the children’s classic Make Way for Ducklings is one way to look at an eclipse. Of course while traffic is stopped, it’s also backing up…and when it flows again, it’s possible that some cars may hit the gas a little too hard. So if you have a planet or point at 3 degrees of Sagittarius (the degree of the Sun and New Moon), you may feel the effects of the release of the bottleneck some months afterward — and it can feel like being blindsided. 3 degrees of Gemini, Pisces and Virgo are also sensitive to this cosmic event (many of the folks making news over the summer and early fall had major planets at 11-12 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces — impacted by the solar eclipse at 11 Gemini on June1st — Rupert Murdoch is one example). Where does 3 degrees of Sagittarius fall in your horoscope? That’s the area of your life most likely to be affected.
This New Moon challenges us to review — especially with Mercury being retrograde — our collective philosophy. Law, religion, mass media, higher education and the philosophical foundation of political systems. The Sabian Symbol for 3 Sagittarius is intriguing: “Two men playing chess” a.k.a. “the game of kings,” as Sabian Symbol guru Blain Bovee points out in his must-have book on the subject (I encourage you to acquire this book if you are seriously interested in astrology — it’s on Kindle). What are the rules of chess, a game that requires intelligence, creativity and strategy? There are very specific rules for restricting movement of each piece on the board. So long as the pieces move within those limits, the game works. So what happens if the rules are tossed out the window and the chess pieces decide to roam wherever they please? Hmmmmm…. Think about the objective in chess, which is to check (immobilize, neutralize, paralyze) the leader/king of the opposing side. Why play this sort of game? I’m not saying it’s a bad game, I’m saying this New Moon suggests looking at why we play the games we play — and what the rules are. Do we need a new game? Do we need new rules? Consider how games and rules apply in your own personal world. Do you need to break a few?Make a few? Stop playing? Start playing?
A few reminders for Mercury retrograde — even for regular readers. Mercury gets such a bad rap because we are geared, in this crazy modern age, to always be thinking, doing, moving FORWARD. You know what that gets you? BURN OUT. We need our down times, and Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to give our minds a rest from the pressure of moving forward. Why else would your computer, phone and/or car choose THIS time to malfunction? Because you are supposed to be slowing down!
When Mercury is retrograde, be prepared for travel delays, scheduling screw-ups, mechanical breakdowns, computer crashes, having to repeat what you’ve just said, misunderstandings, people from your past turning up out of nowhere and having to repeat what you’ve just said. Avoid signing contracts, making major purchases (especially mechanical ones) and losing patience. I’d wait before acting on the sensational idea that hits you during Mercury retrograde periods. During the last Mercury retrograde, Warren Buffett claimed he was inspired — on a particularly hazy Neptune day, no less — to invest five billion dollars in Bank of America — signed, sealed and delivered — within 24 hours. If you have five billion dollars to invest and Mercury is retrograde, I recommend a more conservative, less impulsive strategy. Do your due diligence.
When Mercury is retrograde, do also plan on RElaxing, REviewing, REsearching, REorganizing, REgenerating, REconnecting and REcreating. Also consider REviewing your life — with your local astrologer. Introspection and planning are highly favored at this time…and besides, I’d love to hear from you.