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.
Friday 1/1/2021 & the Weekend: Happy New Year
/in The ForecastHappy New Year!
Here’s a recap of The Forecast for the next few days:
I’m following Beth Owl’s Daughter’s sage advice on how to get the first day of the New Year off to an excellent start. Keeping it short and sweet — with only one aptly timed news item to report. Reflecting the potential of this week’s exact square between Venus (women, arts) and Neptune (sublime, charity), it was apt to receive notice that the art collection of renowned New York philanthropist Hester Diamond would be auctioned off at the end of January. The write-up on Sotheby’s website (with a link to the catalog) begins:
Of course she was. Ms. Diamond was born on December 10, 1928. She was a high-flying Sagittarius, with a Jupiter-Neptune trine (visionary potential) and an exact Mars-Uranus square (“fearless; dynamic, unpredictable and incomparable”). Astrology is amazing. As was Ms.Diamond.
Thank you for reading this forecast. To plan your strategy for peace and prosperity in 2021, here’s the 411 on consultations and the ever-so-useful Your Year Ahead report. Cheers!
Tuesday 12/29/2020: Late Sneak Peek at the Week: Full Moon in Cancer; Mars-Pluto in the News; Venus Square Neptune
/in The ForecastAlllll-rightty then!
Only three more days and we can kick 2020 to the curb. Huzzah!
Work or play, the start of the week is driven by the Moon in Gemini, seeking to be the cleverest, wittiest, most entertaining kid in the room. Moon squared Neptune this morning (did you note your dreams?) and Venus is speedily applying to a square with Neptune, exact on Wednesday. Venus refers to social expression; it’s pushing boundaries in opinionated Sagittarius. Neptune refers to memory and nostalgia. Throw these patterns together and you will understand why everyone on Twitter is trying to one-up each other in a clever, music-themed word game.
And so on. Learn the language of astrology, dear Avid Readers, and you, too, will understand why things happen when they do — even if they make no sense at all.
The week looks like this:
Observations:
Back to the rest of the week:
And now, the news.
Last week’s square between Mars and Pluto suggested headlines involving brute or heroic force, machismo, warriors, etc. We were keeping an eye on P45 for anticipated outbursts on the 23rd and 27th.
UPDATE: on Israel, whose horoscope we’ve been following for years — written up here in Mountain Astrologer. Last week, transiting Mars opposed Israel’s Ascendant (only a few weeks after Jupiter-Pluto squared it). Translation: extreme power plays involving finances and core values. Thus we are not at all surprised to read “Israel’s government collapses, sending country back to elections for the fourth time in two years.” Transiting Pluto will be sitting at the bottom of Israel’s chart all next year, suggesting a potential tear down and rebuilding in matters of values, finances and core foundation.
Meanwhile…
I tried to stay away from the computer on Christmas, but couldn’t help notice the explosion in Nashville. The chart for the explosion — 6:29 AM ET on 12/25/2020 in Nashville — wasn’t nearly as revealing as the chart for the time the RV arrived on the scene — 1:22 AM ET. A savvy astrologer could determine the RV’s powerful destructive potential from the latter, as well as the circumstances and likely fate of the RV’s driver (isolated; apparently acting alone; self-destructive). Even the weird recording that served as an alarming wake-up call is illustrated in these charts: the woman’s voice and the wistful song (Downtown, sung by Petula Clark).
There is a birth date for suicide bomber — 1/17/1957 in Antioch, TN. The horoscope is what we’d expect, i.e., patterns active in 2020 consistent with triggered aggression, frustration, depression– and also strategy and ambition.
It occurs to me seems that whenever Saturn shifts gears, there’s an event aimed at controlling something related to the sign Saturn has just entered. When Saturn entered Sagittarius (foreigners, dogma, humor, freedom of speech/opinion), there was a terrorist attack on staff at Charlie Hebdo. When Saturn entered Capricorn, all but three women wore black to the Golden Globes, protesting sexual harassment and salary inequities perpetuated by the patriarchal Powers That Be. That movement was aptly named “Time’s Up!” (Saturn refers to the limits of time).
With Saturn now in Aquarius (technology, networks, airwaves), it was interesting that a major consequence of the Nashville explosion was the disruption of communication services provided by AT & T. There was even a rumor going around that the suicide bomber may have been paranoid about 5G technology (this has not been confirmed). But it’s interesting — given Jupiter and Saturn just entering Aquarius — that this line of thinking would be making news at this time.
I leave you with an article about Heather Cox Richardson — just interviewed in the NYT! For some bizarre reason, the reporter thought it would be appropriate to close his piece with the admission that while he subscribes to her daily Letters, he can’t be bothered to read them, even though he knows they are richly informative. Is this also a reflection of the shift of Jupiter and Saturn into airy Aquarius? What do you think?
Thank you for reading this forecast. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. Now is the time to plan a strategy for 2021 — a whole new air-a!
Monday 12/21/2020: Sneak Peek at the Week; Winter Solstice; the Great Mutation; Mars on the March
/in The ForecastAt 5:03AM ET, we say goodbye to the Sun in Sagittarius and hello to the Sun in Capricorn. Happy Winter Solstice! In the Northern Hemisphere, days will be getting longer and nights will be getting shorter. If you live south of the equator, you are celebrating the first day of summer. In any case, with Capricorn, we move from big-picture thinking (Sagittarius) to practical application. What will we build that will materially define our collective philosophy? Think corporations, governments and maybe The Junior League. Think status and ambition.
Here’s what you need to know about the first day of any season — i.e., equinoxes and solstices — from an astrological point of view. The first days of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter correspond with the first days (or first degree) of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, respectively. Got that? Good. These four signs are called cardinal signs. Cardinal signs initiate. They come up with the idea and put it into action, which leads to necessary change.
“Cardinal” suggests (from the Latin root of the word), “that on which something turns or depends.” So the first day/degree of a Cardinal sign is a turning point. In astrology, the technical term for the first degree of any Cardinal sign is the Aries Point, just to confuse people who are not professional astrologers.
Equinoxes and solstices are also prominent. We make a fuss over them, right? In Japan, the first day of each season is a national holiday. How cool is that? Thus, in a horoscope, a planet or angle at the Aries Point needs to be prominent. Off the top of my head, people with planets or angles at the Aries Point include Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Warren, Lamar Alexander, Steven Mnuchin, Andrew McCabe and Edward Snowden.
A chart for a new season suggests the game plan for the next three months. Here is the Winter Solstice chart set in Washington DC:
Observations:
After the Sun enters Capricorn, Moon sextiles Pluto (making contact with that Mars-Pluto square). The Pisces Moon goes void at 5:24 AM ET — and doesn’t enter the next sign, Aries until 5:32 PM ET. Chill, chill, chill during this long Moon void. Stick to routine concerns and give yourself permission to wander.
Meanwhile…
Here’s what the Jupiter-Saturn meet-up looks like, set in Washington, D.C.:
Observations:
Time will tell, especially when Pluto enters Aquarius on March 23, 2023. Between now and then, there’s much work to be done.
Here’s that article I wrote for an astrology research journal, explaining the mechanics of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction — and what it suggests.
Meanwhile, Avid Reader Shaunna wants to know if I’m offering a few personalized paragraphs of insights on how the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction may affect your unique horoscope. Ask and ye shall receive! Toss $46 into my Cosmic Tip Jar and send me your birth data. I’ll send you my thoughts in the next day or so. Thanks for asking!
And we’re still not done with MONDAY’s cosmic action!
Speaking of which….
With Jupiter (the Cosmic Sugar Daddy) joining Saturn in Aquarius (the masses), Avid Reader Seble made sure I did not miss this apt bit of Breaking News:
Friday 12/18/2020 & the Weekend: Jupiter-Saturn in Aquarius
/in The ForecastTGIF!
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in New York, with temperatures below freezing and snow on the ground. Here in the home office, I’ve been putting together lovely snail mail gift certificates for savvy Avid Readers. Why not delight your friends, relatives and colleagues, with one of these thoughtful offerings?
Here’s the recap for the weekend and MONDAY:
A pause, while we discuss Jupiter’s path in 2021. Next year Jupiter will expand issues related to Aquarian concerns: humanity, groupthink, friends, airwaves, technology, circulations and networks of all kinds. Aquarius needs to be unique — but also hang with like-minded souls. If you were born between the 10th and 17th of February, May, August or November, you’ll get three hits of Jupiter’s expansive boost to your Sun. Any other planet between 22 and 30 degrees of Aquarius, Leo, Taurus or Scorpio will have a similar encounter with Jupiter, a.k.a. the Great Benefic.
Jupiter rushes through Aquarius in less than five months! Its expansive drive will be egged on by supercharged contacts with Mars and Uranus. On May 12th, Jupiter advances into the early degrees of Pisces — which may be fortunate for Pisces, Geminis, Virgos and Sagittarians born in the first three days of their respective signs. Jupiter turns retrograde just before the Summer Solstice, returning to Aquarius on July 30th. When in Pisces, Jupiter expands issues of empathy, refugees, oceans and faith, to name a few. Jupiter was in Pisces in 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was passed.
Humming in the background this past week and through early next week is the last of three squares between Mars and Pluto, exact on WEDNESDAY at 9:44 AM ET. Mars refers to action, courage, assertion and anger and it functions effectively in Aries, where it is also inclined to rush. Pluto refers to extremes, and this is what we expect: extremes in machismo, warfare, courage, sports — some of which may be explosive. You are personally affected by this ruthlessly energetic pattern if you have a planet around 23 Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn — and this includes the current White House occupant. We can expect him to assert a need for executive authority, which may or may not be blocked. An example of a block might include the return of a story that first broke in May; i.e., that his neighbors in Mar-a-Lago may block this use of his private club as an official residence, or that you, too, can bid for the chance to push the button that blows up his old casino in Atlantic City.
Meanwhile…
As we’d expect, the headlines this week have perfectly reflected Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius yesterday (December 17). Before I list those stories, here’s a post from March 6th, outlining expectations for Saturn’s initial dip into Aquarius and its subsequent backtrack into Capricorn:
And now, the news.
The story of the hacking of US government agencies and other Entities We Would Rather the Russians Not Infiltrate is getting worse and worse, as Heather Cox Richardson explains. Guess what? The hack initially started in March, when Saturn was where it is right now. This is not a coincidence. It’s also a clear example of how the paradigm of power will shift as Jupiter-Saturn meet up in Air Signs for the next 200 years. Networks, data, ideas — whoever can exploit these intangible forms will prevail. Here’s how Microsoft fought back against the hacks.
This story will continue to be awful — and not just because P45 hasn’t said a single word about it. For example, the Pentagon — for some unknown reason — stopped briefing President-Elect Joe Biden today. In other news, investors in Solar Winds (the hacked company) apparently traded $280 million dollars of stock right before the breach was announced.
Ohh….last day of Jupiter in Capricorn...what other tales of rewards flowing only to those of a certain class will you tell? How about the FBI and FEC being asked to investigate Jared Kushner, who allegedly set up a shell company tied to P45’s campaign, which then funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to family members? Or how about this Big Giant Myth debunked: “a huge study of 50 years of tax cuts for the wealthy suggests trickle-down economics only makes inequality worse.” Never fear…by 2022, Karl Marx’s horoscope will be on fire. And in the meantime, Amazon workers are working on...organizing.
In other awfulness, on the day that transiting Mercury activated Monday’s total solar eclipse (suggesting news breaking in the way a genii comes out of a bottle), a ghastly memo written by one Paul Alexander, an alleged HHS science advisor and P45 appointee, was published in Politico. “We want them infected,” reads the memo –in reference to hundreds of millions of Americans.
Yes — herd immunity was the advocated strategy for defeating Covid-19 — not that we all didn’t know this from observing the P45 Administration’s response. There’s a time stamp on the memo — sent from Washington at 1:57 AM on 7/27/2020. It’s fascinating to see 8 Gemini on the Ascendant for that event chart, as that was the degree of the illuminating lunar eclipse on November 30th. Paul Alexander has certainly been eclipsed, according to Stephen Colbert. His team couldn’t find a single photo of Alexander to illustrate their segment about the memo.
Meanwhile…
Thanks to Avid Reader Jennifer for making sure I didn’t miss two stories about women in business pushing boundaries sky-high, as anticipated:
UPDATE: on Pete Buttigieg. Who remembers this forecast from early February?
Let the record show that on the day before that measurement for reward was exact, Buttigieg was nominated by Biden to serve at the next Transportation Secretary.
The full list (so far) of Biden’s cabinet picks are here. They’re diverse…but many of them are arguably more old guard than avant garde. Isn’t that interesting? Are we surprised?
Speaking of Biden, his horoscope has more than one heavy pattern over the next couple of weeks. We can now understand the upside potential (ambition, focus, structure, control) and the downside (grief, loss, isolation), given this week’s heavy news. P45 and his enablers have done their best to wreck the country. Over the next couple of years, as the U.S. has its first Pluto Return, I hope we’ll uncover the paper trails that explain why.
The President-Elect and Second Lady-in-waiting (a.k.a. Dr. Jill Biden) were interviewed by Stephen Colbert last night. Dr. Biden said she was certain her husband was elected because of his empathy. I believe she’s right. Until Covid was allowed to run amok in the U.S. by the cruelty of P45, I could not fathom how the patterns in Biden’s horoscope would enable him to prevail. They suggested scandal and fog…but that was the downside potential. The upside potential was vision and healing…and that’s how it worked out.
Here’s the 411 on personal consultations — all services available in gift certificates for your besties. Here’s the link to the Cosmic Tip Jar — with gratitude — and in the event you are a serious student or practicing astrologer in your own right, find my insights valuable for your own education and practice, and would like to give back in return.
Thank you for reading this forecast.
This is the glyph for Jupiter.
This is the glyph for Saturn.
Monday 12/14/2020: Sneak Peek at a Jam-Packed Week: New Moon in Sag; Solar Eclipse; Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius — Oh My!
/in The ForecastWriting this in the dark of the Moon and under the influence of Neptune. At 6:39 AM ET on Sunday, Mercury squared the planet of fog; at 3:15 AM ET on MONDAY, the righteously opinionated Moon in Sagittarius follows suit. Here’s to the weird and the woo-woo — as in — UFO sightings in NYC are up 283% since 2018.
The dark of the Moon is the end of the lunar cycle. It’s apt for clandestine activities and wrapping up projects from the past 30 days. The sense of restlessness typical at this time is amplified by the total solar eclipse we’ll have on MONDAY at 11:17 AM ET. It’s not the time to ship anything new, especially between 11:17 AM ET and 10:35 PM ET, when the Moon will be void of course. Take some time to contemplate your intentions — not just for the New Moon, but for the seed-planting opportunity that arrives on December 21st, as Jupiter (the Greater Benefic) and Saturn (the Greater Malefic) meet up at the very beginning of Aquarius. The technical term for the Jupiter-Saturn meet-up is Great Conjunction — and in this special case, Great Mutation — and you can read all about that here.
But about today’s total solar eclipse….
Solar eclipses act like a “bottleneck” of energy. Light flowing from the Sun is temporarily interrupted, focusing attention on that interrupted point. As light is held back, something new and possibly fragile may enter the picture and grow. And here I would be thinking of Michael, the kindhearted policeman in the storybook Make Way for Ducklings, who stopped the flow of traffic on Beacon Street so Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their brood of eight could safely make their way to the Boston Public Garden. Otherwise, they would have been roadkill. Got that?
Often the seeds planted for growth during a eclipse are hidden. Sometime later, when the eclipse is activated by a transiting planet, whatever was planted can make itself known quite suddenly and forcefully. And once it’s out, there’s no going back.
Here’s an example of an eclipse trigger. On January 10, 2020, we had an eclipse at 20 degrees of Cancer/Capricorn. It was a lunar eclipse, offering illumination and release. This is when the novel coronavirus was named and its genetic sequence released. Countries began mobilizing to deal with it. Today, Mars is at 20 Aries for the third time this year (because Mars was retrograde). 20 Aries is a square to 20 Cancer/Capricorn, thus triggering the eclipse. Today, shortly after 9 AM ET, the first Covid vaccine was administered in the U.S. The planet representing the vaccine in the chart for that event is Mars! Meanwhile, in the UK, a mutation of Covid-19 that spreads faster than the original was identified. Coincidence or conspiracy?
With respect to the vaccine, note that it’s getting started in the US on an eclipse. We are likely to see a relevant acceleration around April 12, June 1 and September 2. If you are now feeling delighted to learn something new and useful, I invite you to support the work of this Forecast via the fabulous Cosmic Tip Jar. Happy holidaze!
With the Moon in Sagittarius, the seeds planted in today’s eclipse involve matters of collective beliefs and righteous opinions. Other Sagittarius themes include publishing, film & theater, sports, foreign affairs, travel, religious dogma and judicial rulings.
Here is the New Moon/eclipse set in Washington D.C.:
We see the Sun and Moon in the area of the horoscope related to leaders of business and state and their respective corporate and government entities. That’s the focus for the U.S. with this eclipse. A debilitated Mercury (thinking and communication) has just separated from the South Node (a toxic point of release, specifically with respect to collective beliefs). Mercury and the South Node are also in the 10th House. Perhaps an example of a sloppy and toxic mindset would be Stephen Miller‘s announcement that in an alternative reality, a group of humans posing as electors will vote to confirm a second term for P45. Have I mentioned that the Sun, Moon, Mercury and South Node are all in a challenging aspect with delusional Neptune — and that all five are connected to P45’s Sun, Moon and Nodes?
Note how energized Mercury is by a trine to a high-functioning Mars (in Aries).
There is a theme of endings for the U.S. in this eclipse chart. We see 29 Aquarius on the Ascendant — the end of the sign. It’s fascinating that 29 Aquarius is P45’s Descendant (his connection with the public and significant others) and president-elect Joe Biden’s South Node.
A modern astrologer would note that the ruler of the Aquarius Ascendant is Uranus — running wild in the area related to values and money. A traditional astrologer would note that the ruler of the Aquarius Ascendant is Saturn, also at the verrrrrry end of a sign (Capricorn), quite strong and in the area of the chart that refers to hidden adversaries and the self-undoing. It is about to improve in condition when it enters Aquarius this week.
Venus is at 28 Scorpio — again with the endings! It squares the Aquarius Ascendant — and also P45’s Ascendant. It also exactly conjoins president-elect Joe Biden’s Venus — which we will see today as the Electoral College meets to formally elect him to serve as 46th President of the United States. The voting started before the Moon went void — and is expected to conclude sometime after 5 PM ET today. This is not ideal astrologically, as the Moon will still be void. It will be void during Biden’s address to the nation tonight at 7:30 PM ET, but I will watch it anyway — and think of it as routine.
Venus is minutes away from an exact harmony (a sextile) with Jupiter and Saturn. We’ll see plenty of stories about women, values, social expression and arts — some with a last-gasp, patriarchal spin. Exhibit A: a garbage op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizes Dr. Jill Biden for being known as “Dr.” Exhibit B: a garbage article in the New York Post thought it fitting to reveal that a first-responder who can’t make ends meet on her paltry salary has a side-gig in the s*x industry. Shame on both women for not staying in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. Amiright?
Astro-geeks who are Avid Readers of this forecast should pull out the chart for the August 2017 Great American Eclipse and note the connections between that chart set in DC and this one. Take a look at how the charts connect with P45 and Biden.
The Sabian Symbol for the eclipse is a hopeful “bluebird standing at the door of the house.” Sabian Sage Blain Bovee describes it as an “image of beginnings that bode happiness, and fortunate possibilities just outside the door.” It remains to be seen if those fortunate possibilities will become real. In this next lunar cycle, watch for news that reflects the challenge of stepping out into a new world; optimistic outlooks; being in the right place at the right time. Consider all things blue (says Bovee): “the blues, nostalgia, blue skies, blue blood, blue babies, lavender, blue-collar workers, blue-hair, blue moon, blue movies, out of the blue good fortune”…and of course, blue states.
You are more personally affected by this total solar eclipse if you have a planet or point around 23 Sagittarius. This includes P45 and Kamala Harris. If you’d like a few paragraphs of personal insights on this eclipse and your horoscope, toss $46 into my Cosmic Tip Jar and send me your birth data.
And now…the rest of the week…moving at warp speed:
And now, an absolute tonof news — preceded by a reminder that gift certificates for consultation, reports and Quick Questions are most definitely available. Here’s the current menu of offerings –– enough to please all your friends, colleagues and relations.
OK, the news.
More of Neptune, Neptune, Neptune — combined with Mars. Speedy and surreal — that’s what we expected.
Neptune…Mars…suggests idolization of sports heroes…and wipe outs:
Meanwhile…
We covered the astrological timing of the rush to release the vaccines. They’re coming out under the influence of Neptune and in the dark of the Moon, right before an eclipse. There’s likely to be twists to this story in the coming months, for better or worse. I’d feel better if the vaccine was deployed AFTER Mars gets out of the shadow period of this year’s retrograde. Then we wouldn’t see headlines in which the FDA chief is told he’ll be fired unless he approves the Pfizer vaccine — which he then did, in an emergency authorization. This poorly-timed rush was reflected in the utterly unsurprising headline that vaccine recipients in the UK who also have allergies have been experiencing “reactions.” In other news, president-elect Biden will have the White House disinfected before taking office.
The release of the vaccine inspired an encore performance by SNL diva Kate McKinnon as medical expert Dr. Wayne Wenowdis — enjoy! I fill these forecasts with laughs at no extra charge.
Neptune refers to conspiracy and scandals.
Neptune refers to music
This Neptune story is heavy, but I believe it’s worth two minutes of your time. As you may know, the death penalty was resurrected in the US over the summer. P45 has accelerated the pace (Mars) of putting certain inmates to death by lethal injection (Neptune) in recent days. Last week, Brandon Bernard was executed, even though five of the jurors who recommended the death penalty said they would not have done so had certain information been made available to them. I happened to see a video on Rep. Alyanna Pressley’s Twitter feed, where Mr. Bernard talked about how he stayed “motivated” to work on improving himself in his years of incarceration. Neptune refers to redemption and healing.
Meanwhile, in Heather Cox Richardson‘s latest post, she notes that two female evangelical leaders have publicly expressed regret for their Republican votes down ballot this year. They are horrified by the 126 U.S. Congresspersons who signed on to the Texas lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to overturn the November 3rd election. One wonders if it’s occurred to those 126 seditious persons that the votes they received in the last election would have to be tossed out, too. Here are their names.
Finally, an important sneak peek at Saturn (control) in Aquarius (technology):
And last, but not least…
Today is astrologer Rockie Gardiner‘s birthday. Rockie wrote the Rockie Horoscope for LA Weekly for years and years and years. From her I learned how a void of course Moon operates, and how planetary patterns are reflected in the energy of the day — no matter what’s going on in your own unique horoscope. After she passed away at 70 on Halloween 2008 at 11:11 AM PT, I missed her forecasts terribly. (Fun fact: another important mentor — Noel Tyl — also passed away at 11:11 AM).
After six rudderless months of Rockie Horoscope withdrawal, I realized I was going to have to write the forecast myself. Back in 2009, most of what was available online was Sun Sign astrology — and that’s not what this. So. A birthday toast to Rockie (my inspiration) — and to her dear friend (and my yoga teacher) Scott, through whom I got to meet Rockie in person, so many, many years ago.
Rockie’s Sun and Mercury were eclipsed today — and next year she’ll have Jupiter conjunct Jupiter three times. We see potential sudden recognition and expansion. Horoscopes live forever, doncha’ know….
Thank you for reading this forecast. Here’s the 411 on personal consultations.
The unforgettable Rockie Gardiner, today’s Birthday Queen