Monday 1/22/2024: Sneak Peek at the Week; Full Moon in Leo; Uranus Turns Direct

Alllllrighty then!

It’s official. Pluto has returned for its second dip into Aquarius, a sign it hasn’t traveled through since the time of the French Revolution and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. Power to the people…equality for all…and/or…in this New Age of Technology, Big Brother is very likely watching you. Pluto refers to extremes; Aquarius refers to networks, circulation, and aviation. Watch for extremes, breakdown, transformation, and empowerment in those areas…and more.

Highlights this week are:

• Venus enters Capricorn on Tuesday
• Full Moon in Leo on Thursday
• Sun squares Jupiter on Saturday
• Uranus turns direct on Saturday
• Mercury meets up with Mars on Saturday
• Venus sextiles Saturn on Sunday
• Mercury trines Uranus on Sunday
• Venus trines Jupiter on Sunday

So…grand emotions build to a release on Thursday, with more grandiosity (for better or worse) over the weekend. Humming in the background is Uranus, slowing to a virtual standstill as it prepares to turn direct in Taurus. Uranus refers to disruption, innovation, lightning bolts and seismic activity; Taurus refers to Earth, real estate, banking, retail, food, the body and sensual pleasures, and the proverbial bull. Watch the headlines.

It goes like this:

• MONDAY: Did you note your dreams? The info-seeking Gemini Moon squared Neptune at 8:21 AM ET. I had a tough time getting focused this morning. You? At 3:39 PM ET, Moon opposes Venus (women, money, values, art) suggesting a prominent revelation related to facts vs. opinions in Venusian concerns. I say “prominent” because Venus is now at the verry end of boundary-pushing Sagittarius, and thus at the Aries Point (prominence!). Will we hear from Alexei Navalny, Elizabeth Warren, Liz Cheney, Ronna Mc Daniel and/or Ted Cruz over the next two days? That would be astro-logical. UPDATE: as I’m about to post this forecast 8 hours later, here’s the latest from Navalny.
• MONDAY: Moon goes void for one hour and eleven minutes. It enters Cancer at 4:50 PM ET, driving the next two and a half days with a need to focus on emotional and home/homeland security concerns. Here’s to a home-cooked meal — whatever nourishes the soul and the tummy. Could be productive  time for the U.S. Congress (Moon in Cancer usually is).
• TUESDAY: At 3:14 AM ET, Moon trines Saturn. Hopefully you applied its easy-flowing energy to your plans for world domination yesterday. At 3:50 AM ET, Venus exits Sagittarius and enters Capricorn, demanding decorum and a pedigree in social expression. Venus in Capricorn knows exactly how to use its connections to climb up a ladder (preferably corporate), and until February 16th, so could you. [UPDATE: Energies run high in the evening, as Moon opposes Mars at 8:44 PM ET.]
• WEDNESDAY: Reach across the aisle this morning; a sextile between the Moon and Uranus aids innovation. Go with the flow in the evening hours, as Moon trines Neptune at 5:58 PM ET…and the goes void for almost nine hours. Avoid impulse purchases during Moon voids; roll with the twists and flakes. Chill
• THURSDAY: Moon enters rip, roarin’ Leo at 2:36 AM ET and promptly gets into a face-off with Pluto at 2:52 AM ET. That’s the way its going to go from now until September whenever the Moon (or any planet) enters Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. The power plays and catharses will have less to do with action, and more to do with challenging how things/ideas are organized for the sake or structure, power, and control. At 12:53 PM ET, the Leo Moon opposes the Aquarius Sun, illuminating a conflict between the need for personal recognition and truckloads of love (demanded by the Leo Moon) vs. the impersonal, intellectual, executive approach of the Aquarius Sun.

A pause, while we look at the chart for the Full Moon in Leo, set in Washington, D.C.:

Observations:

• The Full Moon at 6 Leo activates the October 28 lunar eclipse at 6 Taurus. What will be accelerated now that was illuminated back then?
• It’s fascinating that the October chart and this chart both have a tight conjunction between Mercury and a high-functioning Mars. Them’s fightin’ words, with action to follow? Check out the October chart here.
• The illumination of this Full Moon centers around 3rd House vs. 9th House concerns (with Moon in the 3rd; Sun in the 9th). Translation: mindset, communication, courts, foreign affairs, sports, publishing, etc.
• The Sabian Symbols for this lunation are “an old-fashioned woman and a flapper” (for the Moon) and “a performance of a mystery play” (for the Sun). With respect to the former, it is apt for the tug-of-war we are likely to experience between different generations as Pluto marches forward into Aquarius (the new), changing the power paradigm of the last 14 years of Pluto in Capricorn. (the old). Astrologer James Burgess offers more on this interpretation.
• There is a lovely harmony among Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Should be good for the economy. A caveat would be the potential for someone to push their luck.
• Saturn is squaring the Gemini Ascendant, perhaps squeezing Gemini’s projection of diversity, cleverness and chit-chat.
• The South Node on the cusp of the 6th house suggests a need to focus on matters of labor and health (e.g., Covid).
• You are more personally affected by this Full Moon if you have planets around 6 degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Off the top of my head that includes Bill Ackman, Liz Cheney, John Roberts, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Back to the forecast:

• THURSDAY (CONT): Moon squares Jupiter at 3:46 PM ET, and this is the pattern alerting us to a possible push of luck. Given the Moon is in regal Leo and Jupiter is in Taurus, one potential could be a royal tantrum against the status quo. Another could simply be overindulgence in a feel-good activity. For that, there is always Alka-Seltzer. Meanwhile, there are no exact aspects to the Moon between now and 4:19 PM ET on…
• FRIDAY. Potentials include a “Party on, Dude!” attitude…or more royal drama and/or pageantry until Moon squares Uranus (at 4:19 PM ET), accompanied by a surprise twist. Chill, chill, CHILL during the ensuing 21-hour Moon void. You know the Moon void drill: don’t make a mountain out of a molehill, as crises that crop up during Moon void are often much ado about nothing. Avoid impulse purchases, especially large ones (i.e., anything you need to perform as intended). There is likely to be a big festive buzz in the air, and ain’t life grand, given that on…
• SATURDAY: …at 2:18 AM ET, the Sun squares Jupiter (big news from big leaders of business and state)…AND…at 2:35 AM ET, Uranus turns direct. Start the revolution now, please; there’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on. Watch for tech breakthroughs, news in aviation and astrology. At 9:58 AM ET, those fightin’ words noted in the chart for the Full Moon are at a crest, as Mercury and Mars come together in Capricorn. This is potentially practical, effective, deployment of resources for the sake of Making Things Happen. Finally, at 2:11 PM ET, Moon enters Virgo to clean up the confetti from the Leo Moon’s parade. If you are working over the weekend, good for you — because there’s a ton of productive energy flow you can put to good use.
• SUNDAY: For instance, a sextile between Venus (money, women, arts) and Saturn (authority, structure) means good business, with one adjustment required as Moon opposes Saturn at 2:20 AM ET. But then, two trines (easy flows) among the Moon, Venus and Jupiter at 2:28 AM ET and 4:10 AM ET support the creative endeavors of night owls. The Virgo Moon travels without interference for the rest of the day, supported by two other rare harmonies. First, at 4:06 PM ET, Mercury trines Uranus, suggesting innovative thought and then some. At 8:01 PM ET, Venus and Jupiter — two planets associated with good fortune — are similarly aligned. If you have planets around 6 degrees of any sign, you could try your luck on a few lottery tickets.

The last time I mentioned the Your Year Ahead report that many clients purchase as a useful timing tool to supplement their consultations, I neglected to include a link. Oy! So here is that link — scroll down to the REPORTS section.

And now, the news.

Saturday morning Pluto met up with the Sun at the verrrry end of Capricorn, and by the end of the day, both were in Aquarius, activating the 2020 Great Conjunction of Jupiter-Saturn at 0 Aquarius. We expected dramatic power plays involving leaders of business and state. Aquarius is an air sign, thus potentially breaking down and/or empowering matters related to that element, including how we think about science and stuff. Aquarius is the sign of “I love you, but don’t take it personally.”

A sampling of headlines from mainstream media homepages:

• “Scientists discover ultra-large structure in space that shouldn’t exist”
• President Biden signed a bipartisan resolution to keep the government funded until March, reflecting the potent, easy flow of last week’s patterns.
• “”I’m not ready, bro.” U.S. inmate to be put to death (Pluto) months after botched execution”...using an untested method involving nitrogen gas (Aquarius)“
• “When states try to take away Americans’ freedom of thought“ — Sunday NYT op-ed
• “JetBlue and Spirit to appeal last week’s ruling blocking merger” of these two airlines
• “FAA tells airlines to check panels on a second Boeing plane”
• “A software engineer wants to empower players to develop their own games“

Speaking of politics…

In the U.S., after a fraction of Iowa’s registered Republicans gave the former guy just over 51% of their votes in the Iowa Caucus. all of his Republican challengers except Nikki Haley had ended their campaigns. It’s interesting to read differing perspectives on what this suggests, with pundits like Steve Schmidt seeing it as an alarming victory,  and others, like Heather Cox Richardson noting that this 51% represented only 55,000 people in a state with 3 million people.

After tossing in the towel, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, and Tim Scott then threw their support behind the former guy. You may recall that Scott has been operating under the influence of dreamy/foggy Neptune for many months, as the planet of Things Not Being As They Seem opposes Scott’s Virgo Sun. The 58-year-old senator and seemingly lifelong bachelor’s Venus (who, what and how he needs to love) was impacted by last October’s lunar eclipse, reflected by the surprising news a few weeks ago that he has a girlfriend, who as of last weekend — is now his fiancee.

Meanwhile, at the annual gathering of the Powers That Be at the World Economic Forum in Davos (aptly timed for a week with the Sun conjunct Pluto at the verrrrry end of PTB Capricorn), the CEO of JPMorgan Chase — Jamie Dimon — could have been auditioning to be the former guy‘s pick for Secretary of Commerce, given how much praise he heaped on TFG’s “policies”.  Dimon’s horoscope was a frequent topic of discussion in this forecast some years ago, and before I pulled it up on the computer (3/13/56 in NYC — birth time unknown), I figured I’d see a whole lot of Neptune fogging up the windshield. And in fact, Dimon’s horoscope is receiving multiple hits to his Neptune (from Jupiter and Pluto), and it’s likely that his me-me-me first Aries Moon is receiving a hit from Neptune. Translation: the memory hole may be in high gear; rose-colored glasses are a daily fashion accessory. Either that, or Dimon is really upset that the Biden Adminstration — via the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — is seeking to limit the amount banks can charge for overdraft fees…power to the people, as Pluto in Aquarius might say. 

And this is where I was at in the forecast when I learned that Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Tarot Card of the Week is the Devil. This suggests enthrallment…meaning, people surrender themselves to the will of another, when in fact they are free to walk away at any time. Here is Beth’s take…and see how it builds on last week’s card of blindfolded inertia, the Eight of Swords.

Speaking of the Devil…

Today I wish this forecast was posted on a platform like Substack, where Avid Readers could post comments on the stories and observations presented here. Would you like that? Please email me with your thoughts — or hit reply and start typing.

I’m wishing this now because of Avid Reader Dave who emailed me some days ago, asking me to “please reconsider demonizing any particular individual,” pointing out that many do not see, for example, the former guy as a wannabe dictator, and perhaps think of him fondly because when they bought their home in 2019, mortgage rates were around 3% or less. Dave has a point, and it made me think about Debbie, whom I met last summer in Maine.

Debbie is a 60-something firecracker — a widow with a really cool speedboat and a baby carrier strapped in the back seat of her SUV (for her adorable grandchild). I was her guest — in a party of five — for a joyful day spent zooming all over Great Pond, one of the most gorgeous lakes you will ever see. When Debbie’s husband died several years ago, she had learn to do many things she’d always relied on her husband to do. She learned to trade cryptocurrency, and thanks to her successful instincts, she made enough to buy the boat. How cool is that? Pot is another pastime, and there were many joints passed around that afternoon (I opted for white wine). Boats…pot…cryptocurrency…we’d see a lot of Neptune if we looked at her horoscope.

The boating party was in awe of my past life in Hollywood — film, TV (especially the network that gave America “The Apprentice”), and news. As we were conversing, Debbie leaned over and whispered — so only I could hear — “…but those boxes…are those really for REAL?” She was talking about the boxes of stolen classified documents that were found in the loo and other places by the FBI when they got a warrant to search Mar-a-Lago. She had to whisper because other members of the party got their news from Fox and NewsMax, and had already told her in no uncertain terms that the photos were fake.

What does one say to a question like that?

I never got to figure it out, because her cousin leaned in and handed her the communal joint. The conversation turned to cryptocurrency trading tips. The day ended with a magical sunset and much gratitude for the convivial, beautiful escape.

Meanwhile…

I highly recommend this Twitter thread from Inner City Press, live tweeting the voir dire  of the 80 random New Yorkers called for jury duty in the latest trial in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit against the former guy. Where do these random 80 people get their news? How do they spend their time? You’ll find out. Truly it is helpful to appreciate the differing perspectives of our fellow voyagers on Spaceship Earth.

Anyhoo…

Planetary patterns in 2024 suggest it will become increasingly more difficult to determine what’s real and what’s not:

• “OpenAI bans bot impersonating US presidential candidate Dean Phillips“
• “We’re entering a new era of robocalls and deep fakes because of AI”
• “AI is destabilizing the concept of truth itself in the 2024 election” –– eh, told ya that a year ago :)

Writer/academic Sarah Kendzior, who correctly predicted the outcome of the 2016 election, observes that the drama unfolding — with respect to the former guy’s trials — is much like the afternoon soap operas she watched with her grandmother. Tune out for a few months, and you can easily pick up the narrative when you come back. That’s how slowly it progresses — intentionally.

Food for thought this week.

What would you, dear Avid Reader, like me to write about? And how often? If you look back a few years ago, you’ll see I used to write shorter tidbits, five days a week. Some complained that that was too many. What do you think?

Aside from politics, it’s notable that actor Christopher Reeve is due for a wealth of recognition this year, according to his horoscope. A documentary about his life reduced the audience at Sundance to tears last week.  Reeve died in 2004, but his horoscope lives forever.

Astrology is amazing.

You know how I like to end these musings with something uplifting and empowering.

• Will “micro-acts of joy” really will make you happier? One reporter decided to find out.

Here’s the 411 on personal consultations. 

Thank you for reading this forecast and sharing it with friends.

Zeus holding a thunderbolt is apt for a week

with Uranus turning direct the same day

as Jupiter squares the Sun.