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.
Monday 1/24/2022: Sneak Peek at the Week; Mars, Mars, Mars; Venus Direct; Mercury is Still Retrograde
/in The ForecastAlll–righty then!
It’s Sunday night as I type, and there are only 12 more hours with Mars, planet of action and aggression, at the verrrrrry end of Sagittarius. Have we seen boundary-pushing action on the field that demands prominence this weekend? We have, according to my Twitter feed. The LA Rams just trounced Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers “at death,” and will now take on their neighbors to the north — the SF 49ers. And yesterday those same 49ers sent Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers packing.
Planetary patterns driving the week are as follows:
Here’s how it goes:
OMG, the VIPs on Twitter just flipped out again over the “wild finish” as the KC Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in a “thriller” in overtime. The VIPs are marveling over the “best weekend of football ever,” not appreciating that Mars is not only at the verry end of Sagittarius (action that can feel “down to the wire”), but Mars is also out-of-bounds and unaspected (and thus running wild) AND at the Aries Point. Who wants to tell them?
Anyhoo.
What do all of these planetary patterns mean for you? Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
And now, the news.
I think we covered football, yes? But Mars at the end of Sagittarius, pushing boundaries with prominence was reflected in other stories involving action, aggression and “macho” energy in general:
Mars at the end of Sagittarius activated all the angles of Alexei Navalny’s horoscope, and as anticipated, he was prominently featured in the news — on the cover of a double-issue of Time magazine. Meanwhile, I had forgotten that in what we know of Vladimir Putin’s horoscope, his Mars is at 26 Sagittarius, and thus he would be planting seeds for a new two-year cycle of action and assertion in recent days. Politics Girl posted a brief video with a general overview of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Sigh.
Meanwhile…
Republican senators, joined by Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, used the filibuster to block the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act from advancing to a final passage. No surprise there from an astrological perspective. Last Wednesday began with a chilly opposition between the Leo Moon and Saturn in Aquarius and that’s about it. Lots of grand speeches — but no forward momentum. After the vote, all the Republicans lined up to shake Sinema’s hand, as Mitch McConnell assured reporters that “African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,” as Heather Cox Richardson reported.
The Republican party line seems to be that the voting rights bill gives control of federal elections to the federal government, and this is bad.
In other news, the Supreme Court voted 8-1 to deny TFG’s request to block the National Archives from handing over a truckload of documents to the 1/6 Committee. Thanks to Politico, we all got to read one of the documents. It was a draft of an executive order dated December 16, 2020, in which TFG authorized the Department of Defense to seize the voting machines in seven states that did not vote the way TFG wanted them to. You absolutely must read this draft of this executive order — because it must be read to be believed. I don’t care who’s guesting on Drew Barrymore’s talk show. This is more important!
The lone dissenter on the SCOTUS ruling releasing the National Archive documents was Clarence Thomas, whose horoscope suggests he may be in for a change of status around mid-April — and if not, then we keep an eye on further developments in May and June 2023. We may see some provocation in the headlines in a few days, too. His spouse has been getting a lot of attention — again.
Now would be a good time to check your voter registration status — to make sure you’re still on the roster — and update your information if you’ve moved or changed your name. The planetary patterns on Election Day are frustrating, with Mars retrograde and way too many challenging patterns among planets in signs that are simply stubborn.
Finally, here are a few deep articles reflecting the Great Mutation of 2020, a.k.a., a shift from 200 years of earth calling the shot into a new 200-year-period dominated by AIR; i.e., airwaves and brainwaves:
And here is Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card of the Week. She’s teaching her world-famous “Tarot Without Tears” course soon — check it out!
Thank you for reading this forecast — and sharing it with friends.
Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Here’s the link to the Cosmic Tip Jar, which always appreciates a visit.
Monday 1/17/2022: Sneak Peek at Short Work Week; Full Moon in Cancer; Uranus Direct; the US Pluto Return
/in The ForecastA warm welcome to Avid Readers who have just discovered this Forecast. I hope you will always find it fun and informative.
Here’s a recap of what was anticipated for the weekend, posted last Monday:
As it turned out, the Mercury retrograde coincided with a postponement of the planned debate on the crucial voting rights bill, thanks to stormy weather, a case of Covid and other things. The Senate will take the matter up on Tuesday and will be in session that week instead of being in recess. Another pattern apt for disruption — which I neglected to share last week — is that Mercury turned retrograde oh-so-close to an exact square with Uranus. BUT — the square won’t actually be exact until February 24th — and this is a date to watch for a possible resolution to the shocks in mindset and communication that grabbed our attention a few days ago. Meanwhile, as I type on Sunday night, the Cancer Moon is waxing full and will be exact on…
Observations:
As for Pocahontas, Bovee writes:
Of these two Symbols together, Bovee suggests:
If you like Bovee’s take on the Sabian Symbols, here’s the link to his book.
And speaking of choices, 2022 is apparently the Year of Choices, according to Beth Owl’s Daughter’s fascinating analysis of the Tarot Card for 2022: The Lovers.
You are more personally affected by the illumination and release potential of this Full Moon if you have planets or angles around 27 degrees of Cancer, Aries, Capricorn and Libra. This includes the United States, which has its Pluto at 27 Capricorn. It also includes VP Kamala Harris, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Susan Collins. Not only that, but the Full Moon activates MLK’s 25 Capricorn Sun and 28 Capricorn Midheaven.
With transiting Pluto on MLK’s Sun all year — and on his MC for the next two years, he is in for a powerful transformation, for better or worse. The first exact hit of Pluto to his MC is on March 19. Looking at his horoscope, we also note that his Mercury is at 11 Aquarius — activated by transiting Uranus on March 6th. This is a critical time in MLK’s life development — and it doesn’t matter that he no longer walks the Earth. The horoscope lives forever — as this article explains. It’s interesting to see that MLK has a rare solar arc (another way astrologers measure time) between the Sun and the Midheaven, exact on January 15th. This usually suggests fulfillment, success, recognition and reward. Gosh, I hope so — because if MLK’s dream is not fulfilled, our democracy is toast. And speaking of dreams, transiting Neptune is currently squaring MLK’s Mars — which can really put a damper on one’s assertive energy.
A pause, while we pay homage to the Sun’s ingress into Aquarius, which happens at 9:39 PM ET. Aquarius is an airy (mental), fixed (organizing) sign. Keywords for Aquarius include innovation, eccentricity, friendship, humanitarian, unconventional, rocket scientist and/or mad genius. If you were born with the Sun in Aquarius, you have the energy to innovate and intellectualize with others. If your Moon is in Aquarius, you need to be socially significant — and dare I say appreciated for it. You probably need to be unusual, too. I look forward to your empowerment when Pluto enters Aquarius in 2023.
And now, the news.
First, a few words about the US Pluto Return, which astrologers have been anticipating since forever. It’s taken 245 years for Pluto to make a complete circle around the U.S. horoscope. It will return to the place it was on July 4, 1776, on February 20, July 11 and December 28. Note that we will have a solar arc between Pluto and the US Midheaven on March 2. That first week of March looks like yet another week to watch — and note that March 1 is when President Biden is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union address.
Anyhoo…Pluto refers to extremes, as well as power and resources. In Capricorn, power and resources are easily vested in the Establishment. A Pluto Return is a conjunction — and a conjunction is like a New Moon. So, this is a seed-planting opportunity for the US. What are we going to build on in terms of our power structures in the next cycle? Who gets to decide?
We do have a reference point for our Pluto Return. How so? Well, astrologers can track Pluto’s challenging aspects to its natal Pluto since July 4, 1776 — and what we find is fascinating. Transiting Pluto squared the US Pluto for the first time between 1848 and 1850, followed by the solar arc by square in 1869. If you’ve been reading Heather Cox Richardson’s essential Letters from an American, you know that in 1870 is the year Congress passed the 15th Amendment, (and here is a bit from 1850) Note that transiting Pluto opposed the U.S. Pluto in 1936 and 1937 — in which FDR was re-elected after four years of New Deal policies expanded the role of the federal government and its social safety nets. Another Pluto-Pluto solar arc happened in 1958.
We had another square of transiting Pluto to the U.S. Pluto in 1982 and 1983. Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 and said in his 1981 inaugural address that “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Taxes were cut; safety nets were slashed. Fun fact: in 1983 — for the first time ever — Economics — not English — was the most popular major among seniors graduating from Wellesley College. And those econ majors all went on to work in consulting firms, investment banks and then get their MBAs. I remember one of my English professors remarking that if Wellesley graduates actually applied what they’d been taught in a college whose motto is non ministrari; sed ministrare (not to be served, but to serve), they would tear those institutions apart. Obviously, that did not happen. So here we are now, in 2022 — with Pluto returning to its original place in the US horoscope. Who will end up with the power and the resources?
Astrology is amazing.
In other news…
With the Sun conjunct Pluto (news from underground) and Uranus at a virtual standstill as it prepares to turn direct (a focus on upsets, including seismic activity), the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga and subsequent global tsunami should come as no surprise.
Other disruptive items — for better or for worse:
Gah! Nothing light in the news today. The best I can do is offer a conversation about Saturn transits in the horoscope. Saturn is not thought of as a fun influence, but astrologer Kathy Rose and I had a ton of fun dishing about it — in the latest episode of her Maverick podcast. Here it is on YouTube — enjoy!
Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. We will have a fine discussion together. Here is the link to the Cosmic Tip Jar — where you can make it undoubtably clear that you find these forecasts worthwhile. Support from astrology students and professionals whose study and practice benefit from these missives is especially appreciated.
Thank you for reading this forecast.
Monday 1/10/2022: Sneak Peek at the Week; Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide
/in The ForecastAlll-righty then!
East Coasters can take it slow on this Monday morning, as the Aries Moon went void at 2:23 AM ET. Now is your chance to sleep through your alarm and note your dreams upon waking (courtesy of Neptune, ruler of dreams, being hot in the heavens over the weekend). Moon enters Taurus at 9:46 AM ET, determined to build something materially comfortable and secure. That quest is supported by a sextile to Jupiter at 2:47 PM ET, infusing the afternoon with the energy of buoyant cooperation. At 10:27 PM ET, the Capricorn Sun sextiles Neptune. What visions involving leaders will make headlines, hm? Will they be inspired, deceptive or delusional? Will peace be given a chance?
Here is what you need to know about surviving the Messenger Planet’s apparent backward motion through the sky:
Mercury turns retrograde at 10 degrees of Aquarius…and retraces its steps all the way back to 24 degrees of Capricorn. It turns direct on February 3rd and arrives at 10 Aquarius again on the February 24th.
Astrologer Robert Wilkinson (who wrote the book on Mercury retrograde) sees Mercury Rx in Aquarius as an opportunity to review old ideals with a mind to fresh application, “furthering the work that was done before by another,” especially in social service. It’s an apt time to review friendships and groups of like-minded souls.
The Sabian Symbol for this Mercury retrograde is “a man tete a tete with his inspiration.” We last wrote about this Symbol on the Full Moon in Aquarius in August 2012. Having it show up at this time feels like a reinforcement of the visionary seed potential of last week’s New Moon in Capricorn. Here is what Sabian expert Lynda Hill has to say about Mercury on this particular Symbol.
Back to the forecast for the week:
To find out how these planetary patterns are likely to be reflected in your own personal world, here’s the 411 on consultations. Avid Readers of this forecast are invited to support the work here.
And now, the news.
Avid Readers may recall that at the end of December, Mars was at 12 degrees of Sagittarius, which is the same degree as the December 4th solar eclipse. A surge of assertive action and/or aggression was likely to make news, especially for entities with key measurements at 12 Sagittarius. Avid Readers may recall that the United States has a 12 Sagittarius Ascendant.
When an eclipse is triggered by a transiting planet, the surge of energy is like a genie escaping from a bottle. It can’t be put back. Often what is released on an eclipse trigger has been going on for quite some time, but now it can’t be denied. This eclipse trigger would be one apt reflection of Rep Liz Cheney being all over the news on January 2nd, stating that the 1/6 Committee had firsthand testimony that TFG sat and stared at the TeeVee in response to his supporters ransacking the Capitol. It reflects President Biden’s no-holds barred speech — in which he labeled TFG a loser and called out the attempted coup as an assault on our democracy by would-be authoritarians. If you don’t have 30 minutes and would like a dose of comedy with our dire predicament (comedy is a coping strategy for pain), here is Stephen Colbert’s recap. And here is Heather Cox Richardson‘s reportage.
President Biden’s assertive drive is reflected by his horoscope’s experience of the third Saturn-Uranus square on December 24th, which activated his Mars in ruthless Scorpio. Saturn exactly squared his Mars just after midnight on January 7th; Uranus will oppose his Mars on March 25th. The latter suggests potential daring or innovation in action.
Another reflection of a genie that can’t be put back in the bottle was the stunning moment of silence held on January 6th in Congress — in honor of Capitol police and other law enforcement officers who had put their lives on the line to protect every member of the House and Senate on the January 6th attack. Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former VP Dick Cheney, were the only two Republicans who attended. This is where we are:
In other news, the inscrutable US Attorney General Merrick Garland gave a speech on January 5th, in which he vowed to hold all perpetrators of the January 6th coup accountable. I wish we had a birth time, because last year, there just wasn’t much going on in what we know of his Scorpio Sun, Libra Moon horoscope, other than his roughly 13 Sagittarius Mercury being eclipsed in December…so…yes, he should have finally said something last week! Transiting Jupiter will square his Mercury around February 28th, so maybe he’ll expand on last week’s speech then. Heather Cox Richardson’s post about Garland’s speech includes a recap of the very important developments in Kazakhstan, where thousands have since been arrested and scores killed after protesting its authoritarian government.
Also out of the bottle: the involvement of Fox “News” personalities in various communications leading up to — and on — the attempted coup. Exhibit A: Sean Hannity, who received an invitation to speak with the 1/6 Committee right around his last birthday on December 30th. It’s interesting that Mercury will turn retrograde almost exactly on Hannity’s Jupiter — ruler of his Midheaven. We can anticipate revelations and communications about his professional status and reputation over the next week.
In other news…
The current Venus retrograde in Capricorn is an apt time for a review of finances, worth and aesthetics — and women are likely to figure prominently:
Finally…
…two fun stories reflecting Jupiter (expansion) in Pisces (fish, oceans & more):
Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Here’s the link to the Cosmic Tip Jar.
Thank you for reading this forecast.
What does the future hold?
Sunday 1/2/2022: Sneak Peek at the Week; New Moon in Capricorn
/in The ForecastHappy New Year !
Planetary patterns driving the day are as follows:
A pause, while I share how things unfolded in my own personal world — in sync with planetary patterns and thus not wholly unexpected. Avid Readers may recall that transiting Mars has just activated the December 4th solar eclipse at 12 Sagittarius. We expected a released of bottlenecked aggression/assertion, including a specific expectation (noted in an earlier forecast) that tension involving the U.S. and Russia (over the latter’s military activity on the Ukraine border) would make news. And in fact, it did — in the form of a phone call requested by Vladimir Putin with President Biden. Both leaders reportedly lobbed warnings at each other, and no tension appears to have been resolved. However, astrology is still amazing.
Meanwhile, in my little town there was an incident involving two men, an argument and a firearm, which led to one of the men being injured and the incident made the local newspaper. This incident was unusual, but certainly reflects the anticipated aggression. Even closer to home, on Thursday night, just as the 29 Scorpio Moon hooked up with the destructive South Node, Windows 10 crashed and locked me out of my computer. Hours of time with Windows tech support could not fix the corrupted OS. Fortunately, all files were recovered — thanks to the most excellent staff at MicroCenter, which is where I was for most of yesterday. I will be spending the next few days getting back up to speed on my new HP Omen with its 17″ screen and keyboard that is backlit with rainbow-colored lights. It came with Windows 11, which does not behave the way Windows 10 did — especially with respect to printers (caveat emptor). Buying a computer on a day with the Moon in Sagittarius and the Sun trine technogeek Uranus was clearly the Thing To Do. And yes, I do have a planet close to 12 Sagittarius that was activated in recent days by transiting Mars! How do these events compare to what went down in your world?
Observations:
The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon is “a fire worshipper,” which last appeared in this Forecast on the Full Moon of July 2012 — imagine that. Blain Bovee notes that fire is “the active phase of combustion of passion and spirit,” along with some other things here. I think of flames of desire…which is another expression of willpower, which means the ability to transform what one envisions/desires into manifestation — right? Back in 2012, I went off on a tangent about this Symbol — and since the Moon is void as I type, another tangent feels apt:
This New Moon suggests an opportunity to attend to the fire/visions/desires we may worship. Bovee notes that “worship” means to pay homage; it also suggests devotion. If we aren’t tending to our passions carefully, they may die out or run wild, and in the latter event, we may get burned. Careful attention — devotional, perhaps — can produce magical results, especially when the beliefs of a collective are behind them.
As for the rest of the week…
And now, the news.
We’re looking at headlines since December 24th — the last Saturn-Uranus square. An event with so much astrological buzz darn well better have coincided with big headlines in its aftermath, right?
An almost-exact triple conjunction among Mercury, Venus and Pluto in Capricorn suggested a banner time for investigative reporters and others digging up news from underground.
Meanwhile…
Jupiter’s ingress into Pisces suggested hopeful news regarding Covid. Avid Readers will recall that Jupiter is very much at home in Pisces, one of the signs it rules (in traditional astrology). When Jupiter was in Aquarius, it was under the eye of Saturn — which is the traditional ruler of Aquarius. In other words, Jupiter’s natural need for expansion was subject to the authoritarian controls of Saturn. Now, Jupiter in Pisces is its own boss. In any case, we are seeing some hopeful news about Omicron. While it continues to spread, it appears to be “milder” — because it doesn’t do so much harm to the lungs, according to this report. Other reports suggest a peak in the current surge around mid-January — just past the January 11th square between Mars (action; attack) and Neptune (infection; viruses). So…we’ll see.
It’s worth noting that the keyword for Pisces is I BELIEVE. Jupiter in Pisces will expand on that statement, and as it moves closer and closer to its meet-up with Neptune in April, we may anticipate expansion of beliefs that is boundless, sublime or surreal. How will this potential impact airwaves and other channels of information transmission? What will we choose to believe, regardless of what is transmitted?
In other news, an assortment of fiery headlines — in sync with Mars in fiery Sagittarius activating the December 4th eclipse:
Meanwhile…
I’m sorry to say that the obituaries in recent days include several whose lives on Earth influenced more than one generation:
Finally…
In honor of the current Venus retrograde, Pope Francis offered sage advice on Boxing Day: the three words that are key to a successful marriage.
Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Here’s the link to the Cosmic Tip Jar if you would like to support this effort to keep you informed and entertained, with gratitude.
Thank you for reading this forecast.
Monday 12/27/2021: Sneak Peek at the Week; Jupiter Enters Pisces; Mercury in Focus
/in The ForecastAnd here we are, at the very end of 2021. I love this time between Christmas and New Year. Most of us can benefit from the lull in the action in the busy-ness world, catch our breath, and tend to more personal pursuits — including much-needed sleep!
Another pause, while we discuss Jupiter’s progress in 2022. When in Pisces, Jupiter is likely to expand matters involving all Piscean themes: empathy, refugees, oceans, feet, and faith, to name a few. Jupiter was in Pisces in 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was passed. That was a big statement of empathy and healing, was it not? Jupiter will be in Pisces until May 25th and then dips into Aries. On July 28th, Jupiter turns retrograde at 8 Aries and will stay in Aries until October 28th.
With Jupiter in Aries for the summer, I expect an excess of heat — and an expansion of all matters related to Aries, e.g., initiative, pioneers, war, steel, iron, crusades, cars, the color red, courage, and Mars. Jupiter turns direct on November 24th at 28 Pisces and returns to Aries on December 20th — right before the Winter Solstice. Anyone born with planets between 28 Pisces and 8 Aries gets a triple hit of expansion potential in 2022 — and we can expect to see a lot of them in the headlines.
We can also expect that all matters ruled by Jupiter will be colored by the energy of either Pisces or Aries next year. So if Jupiter refers to horses (which it does), we will see matters involving horses reflecting Pisces themes of empathy, victims, faith, etc. When Jupiter enters Aries, perhaps the word “warhorse” will capture our attention. Other Jupiter keywords include law, religious dogma, growth, generosity, the liver, the lungs, blood, hubris, reward, aspirations, counselors, and the all-important asparagus.
Jupiter is involved in the biggest pattern we’ll have in 2022, which is the conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune on April 12th. Again, Jupiter expands whatever it touches. Neptune is the ruler of Pisces in modern astrology; Jupiter is the ruler of Pisces in traditional astrology. What this means is that this meet-up of Jupiter and Neptune is happening in a sign (Pisces) in which both planets are highly effective. And for those not familiar with the difference between “modern” and “traditional” astrology, the latter refers to astrology as it was observed and practiced before the invention of telescopes. Traditional astrologers did not use the outer planets — Uranus, Neptune, Pluto & boatloads of asteroids, and minor planets — because they did not know they were there. Got that?
The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of 2022 is likely to plant highly potent seeds for expansion in matters involving Neptune — some of which are echoed by Jupiter being in Pisces. Keywords for Neptune: illusion, scams, ideals, drugs, FAITH (not dogma, which is Jupiter-ruled), fish, film, intangibles, undefined forms, delusion, faith, healing, oceans, victims, poisons, plastic, oil, etc., etc., You are personally affected by this potent seed-planting if you have a planet or angle around 24 Pisces. This includes our VP Kamala Harris, as the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction will square her 24 Gemini Ascendant.
I am hoping this ingress of Jupiter into Pisces will have a calming effect on the Covid pandemic. This is exactly what happened when Jupiter dipped into Pisces on May 14th — take a look at posts from late May and early June. It’s useful to remember that Jupiter in Aquarius expands the element of Air (because Aquarius is of that element). Pisces represents the element of Water.
Back to the forecast for the week:
SUNDAY: Mercury enters Aquarius at 2:09 AM ET. The New Moon in Capricorn is at 1:33 PM ET, and if I take time to tell you about that now, I’ll miss my Zoom yoga class and my appointment for my Covid booster.
Regarding the news, I do have time to share this Fun Fact. As Avid Readers know, Greta Thunberg and Kyle Rittenhouse share a birthday — but probably not a birthtime and definitely not a birthplace. Thus we expect different expressions of potential as they live out their horoscopes –and of course, they grew up in wildly different environments –a major factor in life development and astrology, right? Anyhoo, I told you about this shared birthday in November, right after the November 19 lunar eclipse, which affected their horoscopes. When that eclipse was triggered by transiting Mars earlier this month, guess what happened? “Suddenly” social media people became aware of the similarity — and now everyone in Social Media Land knows about it. Astrology is amazing.
Oh — and Don’t Look Up is the perfect film for the emotional extremes and REview of who, what and how we need to love that is demanded by Venus retrograde conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. Here is Slate’s sizzling synopsis.
Stay tuned to this channel for continuing updates.
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