Is anyone feeling like Mercury is retrograde? He’s not, but the combination of Venus and Uranus turning retrograde together came with its own unique blend of frustrations, delays, and computer glitches.

I’m sorry to report that this week could be even worse in that regard, with Saturn stationing on Sunday (August 2; late Saturday night in Western time zones). Financial transactions are particularly vulnerable to snafus, so plan ahead by having cash on hand. Last weekend, when a flood of tourists arrived on little Vashon for our annual Strawberry Festival, the supermarket was running out of cash and had to limit the amount customers could get back on debit-card purchases. That’s just a small example of the kind of situation that might arise. Since this week is the end of the month, and millions of people live paycheck to paycheck, many of us could come up short, either through a budgeting oversight or due to an unexpected expense.

The latest news on the Greek debt crisis is that talks are stalled due to “logistical issues,” logistics being a Virgo attribute, and Venus is stalled at 0 degrees Virgo. Talks are scheduled to move forward on Monday, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Delays have serious consequences, because negotiations must be complete by August 20 in order for Greece to receive the €86 billion bailout for which its government sold the country’s soul.

Incidentally, it might seem as though I’m spending an inordinate amount of time on the Greek debt crisis, so I should probably explain why. First, it is indicative of the dire state of the global economy. World leaders (sic) are jumping through hoops trying to hide the true state of affairs and the role that the banks have played in aggravating the crisis. Some people think they’ve actually manufactured it, because there are billions to be made in times of crisis, especially with insider knowledge.

Second, the Syriza government has been a bellwether of leftwing and populist movements worldwide. The revolutions that erupted around the world under the Uranus-Pluto square were crushed by militarized police, and while some of them were instigated by outside influences, there clearly is massive discontent among the “99 percent.” It’s not going to go away, and it’s going to get louder once Saturn moves back into Sagittarius in mid-September.

The Iran nuclear agreement also is a game changer, and while I haven’t had time to follow it closely this week, I read an excellent article by Paul Craig Roberts, the “reformed” former assistant secretary of the Treasury Department under Ronald Reagan, who writes about the real reasons the deal went through.

For those who are following transits to the chart of the United States chart, I forgot to mention in last week’s monster forecast that Ray Merriman uses a Virgo Rising chart. The chart is one of several alternatives that have been presented over the years, but I’ve been so accustomed to working with the Sibly chart with 12 degrees Sagittarius Rising that the others barely made a blip on my radar screen. It was only in rereading Ray’s article on the Uranus-Pluto square that I realized he used a different chart. When Ray Merriman endorses something, I take it seriously.

I’ve often heard astrologers say they use a particular chart because “it works.” I cringe when I hear that argument. Charts “work” only because we project our beliefs on them. Yet, in many ways, the Sibly chart does “work.” One of the most compelling arguments for it was Mercury on the Ascendant by exact degree in the chart for the first attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Also, Sagittarius is associated with wide open spaces, freedom, and expansion. Nothing says “expansion” more than the 19th century notion of Manifest Destiny, which also is reflected in the line “from sea to shining sea” in the patriotic hymn, “America the Beautiful.” Ironically, when I was struggling to envision a Virgo image for the United States, the first thing that popped into my mind was the “amber waves of grain” line in that same song.

If the 11 degrees Virgo Rising chart is indeed valid, that puts Uranus on the Midheaven in the natal chart. Even more interesting, the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in 1965-66, which was the beginning of the current cycle, would have been in the U.S. first house, close to the Ascendant. That’s a fitting chart for what took place in this country in those years. (See how this “making a chart work” thing works?)

A few weeks ago, I cast natal and two kinds of progressed charts for Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, and Bernie Sanders, and compared them to the Sibly chart. Using the Virgo Rising chart gets very different results. I’ll discuss it in a future forecast, but for now wanted to throw it out there for anyone who wants to explore the differences. The only thing I will say for now – because it’s worrisome – is that the Virgo Rising chart puts the Moon at 22 degrees Aquarius, which is just a degree from Jeb Bush’s Sun. If you do some chart analysis and want to share, I’d be delighted, and I’m sure others would, too.

We begin this week with Venus, Uranus, and Saturn all at a standstill. Venus and Uranus went retrograde over the weekend, while Saturn turns direct on Sunday, August 2. If you seem to be stuck, whether in your career, a love relationship, or some other important aspect of life, this is the week to reflect. Did you forget something, take the easy way out, or cut corners? Shortcuts can be helpful in some situations, but in others, they can come back to bite us in the behind later on. Or maybe, like so many of us, you were just overwhelmed and couldn’t respond to a situation in the proper way. Consequences happen even when our intentions are good.

Conversely, if you did all the work and got stuck anyway – yes, it does happen – you might find that the obstacles slowly begin to clear away in a couple of weeks. For example, maybe you were told you’d get a promotion, and then your supervisors totally forgot as they set other priorities. Remember, everyone has been under a lot of stress, so even the people who seem to be in charge aren’t having an easier time than you. In some cases, a promotion or new job might have been contingent on learning new skills or passing a state exam. It’s time to take on responsibilities we might have avoided or that were being withheld until we were ready.

On Monday, Mercury forms an inconjunct with Neptune, bringing dreams that could be jarring or disturbing; not necessarily nightmares, just more of those strange emanations that seem to come of nowhere. Mercury forms another inconjunct on Wednesday, this one with the Moon and Pluto, right as the two are conjoined. Dreams that occur now are deeply personal and delve into areas of our psyche that we’d rather not go. The messages that come up may be unrecognizable at first and will require heavy translation.

Friday is the Full Moon in Aquarius, a possible “trigger” date for events manifesting from the July 25 Mars-Uranus square. On the same day, Venus returns to Leo on her retrograde path. If you’re dealing with unresolved issues in a love relationship, they’ll start coming up now.

In modern Western astrology, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, which is one of the reason that this Full Moon could provide a release for tension built up over the past couple of weeks with Mars activating the Uranus-Pluto square. However, in traditional astrology, Aquarius was ruled by Saturn, and some astrologers still use him as a co-ruler. Saturn’s return direct the day after gives this Full Moon even more of a punch.

On Sunday (August 2), Mercury forms an easy trine with Uranus, making conversation particularly stimulating and enjoyable. For the more intellectually inclined, lively conversation is as good as or better than foreplay. If you’re a writer, get thee to thy garret. Put another way, apply butt to chair. Your spark of genius is waiting for you. Even if you don’t feel particularly inspired at first, just start writing. Write anything. Once you get going, the channel will open up.

On Wednesday evening, I’ll be at a kickoff meeting for Bernie supporters, one of hundreds of meetings taking place all over the country.*  Bernie will speak to us live about what the campaign is about, and we’ll hear his plan for building a grassroots “army,” the only way to beat candidates with more money and big corporate backers. I do have my reservations about whether we can pull it off, but it won’t work at all if we don’t try. Although Bernie could be called a revolutionary, the real revolution will be “We the People” taking back our democracy. How do we do that? We have to engage, and that may entail learning to care again, which could be the hardest task of all.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

* If you’d like to attend a kickoff meeting, go to Bernie’s website, click on “find an event” (scroll all the way down to the main menu), and enter your zip code to see whether someone in your area is hosting a meeting.

© Pat Paquette, RealAstrologers.com, 2015.