Category Archives: Forecasts

Weekly Forecast September 24: Venus Square Mars, Full Moon in Aries

Shadows of a fallen empire. © Claudio Balducelli for Dreamstime.com

This week is all about the build-up to the Full Moon on Saturday (Sunday if you’re in Europe). There’s no question that it’s worrisome, if not a little scary.

At 7 degrees Aries, the Moon is in a very close conjunction with Uranus. Yeah, OK, he’s the “Awakener,” and maybe the big surprise is that we’ll all wake up with lotus flowers springing out of our third eye. However, Uranus is still in a close square with Pluto – which means that the Full Moon itself is square Pluto, and that’s why astrologers are looking at this one with some concern. What we have is a cardinal T-square (very easy to see in the chart, below), not too different from the one we experienced over the summer of 2010. And, actually, we might get some idea of what to expect with this Full Moon by looking back to that time.

The correlations of the Uranus-Pluto square are plain to see, and astrologers actually did foresee the coming social upheaval and government backlash. No one was able to predict exactly how or where, but the proverbial handwriting was on the wall for those who could read the language of the sky. My read is that we’ve barely seen the beginning. The protest and rebellion is going to get worse, and that means the backlash will get worse, too.

This past week, police in riot gear were waiting for the Occupy protesters on Wall Street. According to some reports, there were so many cops that they were blocking traffic. Protesters who never left the sidewalk were arrested, handcuffed, and thrown in jail. Their offense? Blocking traffic. The authorities know that people are getting restless, and they’re ready. This is just one manifestation of the Uranus-Pluto square, but it’s definitely one of the most visible.

The Full Moon amplifies these energies. As I mentioned in last week’s forecast, the Uranus-Pluto square is a long-term aspect, and so we don’t necessarily see immediately events on the days when the square is exact, as it was last week. However, outbursts can occur when the movement of another planet acts as a trigger. Often, the trigger is Mars – planet of action – and there will be a Mars-Pluto conjunction on November 27, the day after Mercury returns direct. Astrologers are eyeing the U.S. presidential election, which occurs the day Mercury turns retrograde. We can expect irregularity in polling – possibly something similar to the 2000 race in which former Vice President Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the election. If something like that were to happen in 2012, there could be rioting in the streets or worse.

Click on image to enlarge

In the meantime, we have this Full Moon, which falls on the Uranus side of the Uranus-Pluto square. With Uranus retrograde, we can expect to see a lot of repressed anger released, and explosively. There’s also an urge to be free of oppressive conditions … or just to be free of whatever. If you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of anger right now, and people are looking to blame anyone they can for it.

Now, despite my concern, I do believe this Full Moon could bring some positive developments, relatively speaking. In the second half of 2010, many of us suddenly switched gears and took a new direction, one more in line with who we are and what we’re here to accomplish. The “right path” nonetheless has been a bumpy road – hardly surprising, since we’re pioneering new territory. We’re making progress, but I don’t know of anyone who’s been having an easy time of it.

I can’t help thinking about the former Kate Middleton, now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. This is someone with predominantly cardinal energy in her chart. Her husband, Prince William, has both Sun and Moon in early Cancer. Their wedding spectacle took place during a cardinal T-square. She married into royalty and may be the queen of England some day, but last week, she had to suffer the indignation of topless photos splashed all over the tabloids. On top of that, many are blaming her for being stupid enough to remove her bikini top outside. Several clients have asked me how the Uranus-Pluto square might affect them personally. There’s an example, albeit with the caveat that we don’t know where Uranus and Pluto are transiting Kate’s chart, because her birth time is unknown. We do know where it’s falling in William’s chart, though. This can’t be easy for him, either.

Another possibility with the Full Moon is an environmental disaster or “earth event,” such as an earthquake, violent electrical storms, volcanic eruption, etc. I’ve never been good at predicting weather events through astrology, but I see the build-up of tectonic pressure as something akin to repressed emotions. The Earth needs her release, too. Interestingly, the “out” for this T-square is the early degrees of Cancer, and Ceres enters Cancer this week. Although her position is wide to the T-square, her presence likely will be felt. Astrologers are still working to understand the role of Ceres in personal and mundane astrology, but there does appear to be a strong correlation between Ceres and the environment, especially as it pertains to the food chain.

Another theme as this Full Moon is the wrap-up of relationship issues and the degree to which we will commit to working through challenges. With Saturn in the final degree of Libra, the relationship sign, we’re finally gaining some clarity. This week, Venus and Mars form a square (exact on Thursday), highlighting issues of sex and control. Issues may come to a head at the Full Moon, although I think it’s more likely that we’ll continue to waffle until after Saturn enters Scorpio on October 5.

Just as a reminder, my StarGuide Fall forecast is available and can help you determine where these aspects are falling in your chart. I’m happy to say that everyone who ordered before September 22 received their forecast in time for the new season. I’ve still got a backlog of other reports and have a longer-than-usual turnaround time (about a week), so if you order now, I probably won’t be able to get your report to you by September 29. But there’s a lot of other information in the forecast, including my interpretation of the eclipses coming up in November.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast September 17: Uranus Square Pluto, Sun Enters Libra

Pluto in Capricorn, 1776. Not far from where the Occupy Wall Street Movement was launched in 2011, protesters in 1776 responded to the Declaration of Independence by pulling down the statue of King George III. Painting by Johannes Adam Simon Oertel, c. 1859.

The pressure continues to mount this week as Uranus forms another square to Pluto – this time, right as the former planet comes out of his annual five-month retrograde.

This is a long-term aspect that will continue into 2015, so I don’t expect that we’re going to see sudden explosions and violence when the square is exact on Wednesday. Outer planetary cycles don’t work that way. Indeed, we’re already seeing possible manifestations, including the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and the Chicago teacher’s strike. It’s worth noting that the Occupy movement is planning demonstrations on Wall Street this week to commemorate its first anniversary. Police already have made arrests, and it’s a safe bet that cops in riot gear – the quintessential image of Pluto in Capricorn – will be at the ready.

All of the above notwithstanding, we may see sudden “outbursts” of Uranus-Pluto energy on days when another aspect triggers an event – sort of like a dry field waiting for one errant driver to toss a cigarette out the window at just the right moment in just the right wind conditions. For astrologers and serious astrology students, there’s a valuable opportunity to learn how these aspects correlate to events – a study known as “mundane astrology.”

As it so happens, Mercury in Libra opposes Uranus and squares Pluto on Thursday, which means that we’ll have a temporary cardinal T-square. You’ll remember the T-square from the summer of 2010, when it dominated the astrological charts. Mercury in Libra represents justice (at least in theory), balanced thinking, and diplomacy, but the Messenger is up against two warring heavyweights, and his voice is likely to be drowned out by inflammatory rhetoric. Put another way, the tension is too great to be eased by soothing words and promises. There’s something visceral going on with Uranus in Aries conflicting with Pluto in Capricorn. Repressed anger can’t be talked out, especially when it has been accumulating for centuries.

The Sun enters Libra on Saturday, which is the fall equinox (spring in the Southern Hemisphere). Next week’s Full Moon will be in a close T-square with Uranus and Pluto. If there is to be any immediate fallout, I would expect it to happen within a few days of the Full Moon on September 29. Incidentally, this is a potentially challenging Full Moon for everyone. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to order your StarGuide Fall forecast. I’ve been getting a lot of orders for this report, so my turnaround time is now a week to ten days on new report orders. I’ve posted a notice on the order page indicating that I’ll give priority to Fall forecast orders, but there’s still a possibility that I won’t be able to get it to you before the September 22. Those of you who have ordered Starguide but still haven’t received it will get it before Friday.

The only other aspect of note this week is a sextile from Venus in Leo to retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. This could be helpful for finances, depending on where these two fall in your chart. Romance may get a little spark, too, but I wouldn’t expect major developments unless either of these planets is in a sensitive position in your chart.

Speaking of relationships, we’re in the final countdown of Saturn in Libra, which I wrote about in last week’s forecast. I didn’t mention, however, that as he approaches the first degree of Scorpio, Saturn forms an applying trine to Neptune in Pisces. These two have very different energies, but combined in a positive way can be a real tour-de-force. I expect we will have more “past-life” revelations, some of which may help us grow past the stuck places we’ve been and finally attain some peace of mind regarding difficult relationships. Compassion and sacrifice also play a role. Ask yourself what you’re willing to do for true love.

Love and courage to all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast September 10: New Moon in Virgo, Mercury Enters Libra

The pathway up. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

Relationships are in the transformation stage, no doubt about it. We’ve seen it coming, as Saturn approaches the final degree of Libra and is finally ready to move on.

Many of us are going to be finally ready to move on, too. Like, final finally. We’ve been ready. We’ve tried. But something has held us back for one more lesson, one more bit of convincing, and one last hope that maybe we were missing something, the golden bit of light that will wake us up to what’s really going so that we can remain more comfortably in an uncomfortable place. After all, we’re told that we can’t change others, only ourselves. So many of us have been busily working at changing ourselves, like burning the candle at both ends into the wee hours preparing for the final exam.

Four stories came to me last week about difficult relationships, how they’d been ended once or twice already only to be resurrected for another go. Until the Full Moon in Pisces on August 31, they were all doing pretty well, in a place that was more compassionate, accepting, and serene. And all four people, within a few days last week, experienced an unexpected event with their partners that threw them for a loop. One of them, a woman who after a year of struggling finally came to grips with her partner’s Asperger’s, was on her way home from work and saw him going out to dinner with another woman.

I wrote in last week’s forecast that the Full Moon would continue to unfold right up to Friday. Did it ever, and how. Last Tuesday, I came across Michael Lutin’s article on the Full Moon in Pisces, and it suddenly all made sense. We’re heading into the final three degrees of Saturn in Libra. Right. Mikey commented that something drastic will take place. I assume he’s talking about Saturn’s entry in Scorpio, which will place him in mutual reception with Pluto. Those of us who have been up all night studying will go through the final exam and emerge ready to transform. I say “ready to transform” rather than “transformed,” because I believe the process will continue. Evolution doesn’t stop.

I know, it sounds kind of scary, but we’ve known for some time that this wasn’t going to be a period of snuggling into our comfort zones. We’re out of the nest, learning to fly. This is what it feels like.

I’m going to spend the rest of the forecast looking at Saturday’s New Moon in Virgo, which begins unfolding on Monday and will continue to be felt through the weekend. The bigger event, of course, is the Uranus-Pluto square, which will be exact on September 18, the same day Pluto turns direct. Uranus says, “Evolution isn’t fast enough. Mutate!”

Click on image to enlarge

This New Moon is ruled by Mercury, who conjoins the Sun on Monday and then swiftly moves through the end of Virgo to enter Libra on Sunday. In my world, Virgo is co-ruled by Ceres, who is moving through the end of Gemini – in a near perfect square with Mercury and the New Moon and a perfect trine with Saturn.

Mercury in his own sign of Virgo wants to pay attention to the details – who did what to whom, when, who owes whom money, and so forth. This is fine for professional relationships, and directly addressing details may be just the solution for moving through issues with co-workers and supervisors. If this is your situation, make sure you have all your ducks in a row and that your arguments are based on sound logic. There’s still room for compromise (especially the following week, with Mercury in Libra), but concessions will be made on logic, not feelings.

Ceres has a different agenda. Feelings count, and so does the physical and emotional well-being of everyone involved. There may be a pecking order, but if someone lower down the food chain has the goods, they stand on equal footing with the higher-ups. Her method of compromise is more like Libra: you get half, I get half. If your relationship is ending, this may be a practical matter, and it’s where I see the possibility of a split that, while not necessarily amicable, at least will be civil. I think this is also where we may be able to release some karma, especially if you’ve got ties with someone over several incarnations.

Interestingly, in the New Moon chart, Juno is on the lunar North Node at 29 degrees Scorpio. In Roman mythology, Juno was the wife of Jupiter, the king of the gods. The Greek equivalents are Zeus and Hera. Greek mythology unfortunately stripped Hera of her power by making her the angry and vengeful wife of a philanderer. Her actual history is much older (like Nemesis, about whom I wrote last week). The evolution of the goddess might as well be a story about how male and female energies became imbalanced in the world. We’re on the threshold of righting the balance. In the last degree of Scorpio, Juno is drawing upon all of her power before entering Sagittarius, the sign ruled by Jupiter.

Lastly, Venus trines Uranus (the aspect is exact on Thursday). Here’s the big surprise, an event that causes a mutation of thought that leads to a transformation in your external world. This event may concern love or money, two domains ruled by Venus. Because the trine is harmonious, I’m hopeful that this will be a happy surprise. Goddess knows we’ve had enough of the other kind.

Mikey suggested reading the Robert Frost poem, commonly referred to as “The Road Less Travelled.” The actual title is “The Road Not Taken.” Think about that for a minute. Frost was writing about one road, but the collective perception was the opposite. There’s a lot to contemplate in the few weeks left of Saturn in Libra. Come to think of it, this is a perfect poem for Libra. Who else could stand so long at a fork in the road, trying to decide which way to go?

Regardless of which road you take, it’s going to be bumpy for the next several weeks. To help you on your way, I just set up the StarGuide Fall forecast, which is now available. I’ve taken some pre-orders already, so if you order now, expect it to take 3-4 days for delivery. I also highly recommend that if you want your report by the first day of fall (September 22) that you order this week. This is my most popular report, and I’m always swamped at the beginning of the new season.

Wishing you all much love and courage on your journey,
Pat

When You Can’t Do It Anymore … Repost of Michael Lutin’s Where’s the Moon

It’s not often that I send you to another site for a forecast (with the exception of Ray Merriman, whose financial updates are priceless) but I just had to repost this insight from Michael Lutin! I’ve sensed the energy of Saturn in the final degrees of Libra, but Mikey has it summed up better than I ever could. I know that many of you will be able to relate. For me, it was one of those “OMFG” moments.

Michael Lutin’s Where’s the Moon

Just what are you supposed to do when you know you just can’t do it anymore? When you’ve run out steam. You’ve done your level best. You’ve given all you’ve got. You did the commitment as far as any human being should be asked to do. You know it’s got to change. It’s just got to. It’s just got to. But it seems like it’s taking forever. Don’t be in such a hurry. This one will be drastic. Doesn’t it seem like everything is going in slow motion?

The Full Moon on Chiron has turned a harsh spotlight on all your deepest fantasies. If you can embrace them proudly, you will be free of anxiety. The problem with Chiron, however, is that if you feel shame for the feelings and fantasies you have, it’s the shame that causes you to push people away, feel alone and alienated and shrink away from intimacy. That is when relationships suffer.

So much soul-searching going on right now. All relationships, business and personal, are being put under the microscope and evaluated. In order to deepen and grow stronger and not shrivel up wither away, you have to surrender your innocence, and be completely and totally honest about what you want and need on the most primitive level. You have to reveal yourself, but even scarier,
you have to hear what the other person is really into. Relationships survive when both parties can surrender up the truth of their most primitive desires, and not freak out to hear somebody else’s.

Nobody knows what the next step is. They just know there has to be one.

IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT YOU CAN TAKE

Gee! IT’S GETTING LATE … The last three degrees of this transit of Saturn will give you a a chance to finish what you started and accept the consequences of the commitments you made …

READ THE REST at www.michaellutin.com. Read it NOW!

Weekly Forecast September 3: Mars Sextile Pluto, Venus enters Leo

Angels with a vengeance. Double-teaming goddesses Themis and Nemesis work to keep the world free of scumbags. Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, 1806.

In many ways, this week continues themes of last Friday’s Full Moon in Pisces. So even though the normal period of influence for the Full Moon is plus or minus three days, events continue to unfold through the last quarter Moon on September 8.

Due to his recent retrograde, Mercury is following the Sun until the two conjoin next week. In the meantime, the Messenger is revisiting the aspects in the Full Moon chart between the Sun, Uranus, and Pluto. Whereas the Sun’s aspects may have been related to new developments in your life, the same aspects with Mercury correspond to working out the details. Put another way, a deal isn’t done until the contract is signed and the check is in hand. Mars aspects the same set of planets on Monday, and then Mercury and Mars from a sextile on Wednesday.

I don’t think you’d find it useful for me to break these aspects down individually, since they all tie in together and act in synergy. And while it’s hard to say precisely how a multiple-planet configuration such as this will manifest, I do see some major themes.

Underlying the entire set of aspects is the Uranus-Pluto square. Uranus represents revolution, while Pluto represents evolution. Put them together, and you have chaos preceding a new order. Mars in Scorpio adds activating energy into the mix, while Mercury represents insight into the process and the emergence of new information and ideas, as if out of thin air.

We are indeed asking the “big questions” right now, as Pip noted in her second comment to last week’s forecast. How much is “fate,” and how much control do we have over the direction of our lives individually and as the collective human species on earth? These are questions that philosophers have been asking for millennia.

A couple of days ago, I decided to look at the lesser asteroids in my chart. I knew I had Hygeia at a critical point and that there was likely some significance to this placement, especially since I wrote about the mythological Hygeia in my long article on Ophiuchus that appeared in the December/January issue of The Mountain Astrologer. My astrology software has a listing of nearly 50 additional asteroids, few of which I’ve heard of and none of which I’ve ever worked with in a chart. In addition to Hygeia, I discovered that I have Nemesis within a degree of my lunar North Node, which itself is very close to the Ascendant.

Most people know the word “nemesis” and consider it to be a very bad thing. The few astrological references to Nemesis indeed consider it to be a bad omen of sorts. I don’t buy it. First, we haven’t had even remotely enough experience with any of these minor asteroids to start making proclamations of their significance in a chart. Second, the use of minor asteroids isn’t itself a technique that has been put to the test and validated. From what I’ve seen, most of the astrological work has been intuitive free-associating, and not with any standard interpretation of what these bodies represent. That alone is grounds for caution. That said, having one of the “scary” asteroids on the North Node was a bit disconcerting, so I set out to learn more about Nemesis.

Nemesis is commonly called the goddess of retribution or revenge. According to some of the Greek philosophers, she stepped in to check excessive pride, undeserved happiness, and unearned good fortune. Clearly, this was an attempt by the ancients to explain fate. Put in modern terms, why do bad things happen to good people, and vice versa?

Digging a little deeper, we find that Nemesis actually was the remnant of a much older goddess – older than Zeus and the Olympians – who dates back into prehistoric times (remember, history began when writing was invented around 3,000 B.C.), when people first began asking the big questions. One of the biggest mysteries concerned fate. What was it? How did it work? Could you escape it? The concept of fate was assigned to a goddess, who was neither good nor bad. She just apportioned lots.

When I did a search for Nemesis, I discovered that she often was paired with Themis, a goddess representing divine law – the natural order of things. When someone disturbed the natural order, thereby creating an imbalance, Nemesis restored the equilibrium. I suppose that if you were on the receiving end of such an action, you might consider it negative (ask Bernie Madoff). And to anyone else, it would have appeared as divine retribution for arrogance.

Themis and Nemesis were two sides of divine justice, and the Greeks also saw Themis as an oracle who could predict the future. According to some myths, Themis was Zeus’s wife before Hera. It’s not hard to understand how this story came about; it gave legitimacy to the Father God (that is what “Zeus” means). Zeus, ever the philanderer, also was said to have raped Nemesis. The child of the union was Helen of Troy. Talk about revenge!

I’m fascinated by how human thought over the millennia shaped and distorted fundamental truths. Once writing was invented, the distortions literally became “written in stone,” to the point that humanity has lost touch with natural law. Understanding natural law is a prerequisite to any meaningful discussion of fate and free will.

Now, here comes the really interesting part. After looking up the asteroids in my own chart, I did an asteroid chart for Friday’s Full Moon in Pisces. Asteroid Nemesis was at 12 degrees Sagittarius (conjunct my natal Saturn), directly opposite asteroid Themis at 11 degrees Gemini! Jupiter was at 14 Gemini. It’s hard not to jump to a conclusion that the minor asteroids just might have some significance in astrological analysis. It’s certainly something I’ll be looking at from now on.

Back to this week, the configuration of Mercury, Mars, and the outer planets also includes Chiron, who currently is sitting at about 7 degrees Pisces, putting him in a close sextile with Pluto. My take on this is that the breakdowns and breakthroughs occurring under the Uranus-Pluto square also have a healing element to them. Healing in and of itself can trigger major changes in one’s life. As you heal old wounds, your energy changes, which in turn may attract different kinds of people and experiences in to your life.

Also this week, Venus squares Saturn on Monday and then enters Leo on Thursday. On Friday, the Sun squares Jupiter, followed by a Mercury-Jupiter square on Saturday.

The most recent contact between Venus and Saturn was barely a month ago, when they formed a trine on July 31. In general, trines are easier than squares. The conventional interpretation of a Venus-Saturn square is a lack of connection, feelings of loneliness and isolation, or difficult commitments. Some or all of that could be true this week, but with Saturn still in Venus-ruled Libra, “difficult” may be relative, and it’s not “impossible.” If you run up against an inability to get through to someone or to make the connection you’re looking for, try not to be dismayed. This really is transitory.

Venus in Leo is the party girl with golden hair and loads of bling. She needs to be seen, and she thrives on compliments and positive strokes. Her first order of business is a quincunx on Friday with Neptune, her Higher Self. Friday dates may go awry when selfish desires get in the way of compassion and understanding. You’ll fare best if you can fight the urge for instant gratification.

The Sun-Jupiter square, with Mercury and Jupiter in a square the next day, could turn out to be quite helpful, as these energies can work well together even in a square, which we normally consider as conflict. This is a strong aspect for getting a lot of work done – indeed, for moving mountains. The pitfalls are biting off more than you can chew and getting bogged down in details. Here is one instance where free will definitely can come into play. Do your best to stay on task, and resist getting in a pissing contest. Arguing over details is a risk, especially if you’re negotiating a contract. It will help if you know in advance what you’re willing to compromise on and what’s non-negotiable.

I’ll be working this week on the StarGuide Fall 2012 forecasts and will post a notice when they’re available. I also owe some of you reports and follow-up e-mails. Rest assured that I haven’t forgotten you.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast August 27: Full Moon in Pisces, North Node Enters Scorpio

Crossing the drylands. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2012.

Where did August go? I’m reminded of the bumper sticker I saw long ago (or maybe it wasn’t): Time flies, whether you’re having fun or not.

I find myself wondering how children are experiencing time right now. I have a feeling it may be different than the adult concept of time. For us, opening up to an expanded view of time and space is harder. Not only have we been conditioned to view time a certain way, but we have to grow new neural pathways in our brains.

There are lots of theories out there on how to do this. Personally, my experience is that certain activities promote the growth of new neural pathways, including learning a musical instrument and studying the Tarot. During my interview with Laura Nalbandian for The New Astrologers, she told me that she believes learning astrology is another way to do it. I have to agree. Maybe that’s why readers of RealAstrologers are such a smart bunch.

Speaking of The New Astrologers, I worked with three different templates this week to create a new website. The first was a free WordPress theme, just to get something online. But you really have to have the bells and whistles these days to make an impression, so I bought a theme I thought would work, only to discover that basic functions were supposed to have been built in required additional programming. Maybe if I’d waited until Mercury goes into Virgo this week, I wouldn’t have blinked. But he’s been in Leo, so I was a little more demanding and bought a lovely new theme with a flashy full-screen video homepage. The site is still a work in progress, but let me know what you think and whether you like it better than last week’s version.

In other news this week, I finally got time to see my doctor, who says I’m suffering from adrenal fatigue – hardly a surprise, she said, given that I’ve been doing the work of three people with almost no rest. Moreover, she told me that everyone who comes to see her right now is completely stressed out. It’s not an easy time for the human species, and the stress isn’t going to be alleviated anytime soon, not with Uranus and Pluto in a conflicting square through 2015. The doctor’s advice was to prop myself up the best I can and get through this period, keeping in mind that the more I try to do in a depleted state, the longer it’s going to take to recover. I mention this not for sympathy, but because I suspect many of you are in a similar state.

Click on image to enlarge

Looking at this week, Friday is the Full Moon in Pisces, with the Sun and Moon in close positive aspect with Pluto. This also means the Sun and Uranus are inconjunct. This is a classic “breakdown to breakthrough” configuration. If you’re frustrated with a particular situation, person, or relationship, rather than trying to force your own will on everyone and make things go the way you think they should, step back and see how a change might actually be to your advantage. With a better grasp of the underlying source of the issue, you will have more power to advance your own cause – although with the usual caveat that when Pluto is involved in an aspect, attempts at power and control for selfish reasons will backfire big-time. Before you can take full advantage of Pluto’s power, you need to know the difference between selfishness and enlightened self-interest, and you need to be honest about your motivation.

The Sun and Moon also are in positive aspect to Mars in Scorpio. Before Pluto was discovered in 1930, Mars was considered the ruler of Scorpio, so there is reinforcement here not only for a breakdown and breakthrough, but the means for you to take action. The trick with Mars, of course, is that he’s the ego planet. When you put ego and power together, you have to be quite careful to make sure you’re acting for the “highest good” and not just to further your own selfish goals. I would add (as I often do) that you may need to stretch beyond your current beliefs, including your political and religious beliefs. This is going to be an increasing theme over the next three years.

The Moon also conjoins Chiron, which recently completed a conjunction of several years with Neptune. It’s becoming more evident to me that for some people, healing requires delving into what I call “other lives.” That’s why it’s so important that we learn to see into other dimensions. Many of the wounds we carry in our energy fields extend beyond this incarnation, and before we can heal, we need to understand what’s going on outside what we deem to be “reality.” This is the watery realm of Neptune and Pisces, along with the shadow world of Pluto and Scorpio. It can be scary territory, to be sure; it’s also what the age-old story of the journey to the underworld is all about.

Adding to the intensity and the theme of transformation, the lunar North Node leaves Sagittarius on Thursday and sits at 29 degrees Scorpio as of the Full Moon. The North Node will be in Scorpio until early 2014, covering much of the period of the Uranus-Pluto square. There’s a scientific theory that stress can cause genetic mutations almost immediately, as opposed to the long-term evolutionary process. When we think of Pluto and Scorpio, we usually think of a lengthy transformation process. But Uranus is all about sudden change. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine that the pressure we’re under now could indeed create genetic mutations. Of course, you never know what you’re going to get.

As of the Full Moon, Mercury is in late Leo, about to enter Virgo. If, like me, you’re working on a project involving programming or detail-oriented computer work of any kind, this is your chance to speed through lines of code. However, Mercury opposes Neptune on Saturday, which according to conventional interpretations is supposed to be a day of confusion and aversion to detailed work. This could go either way. On one hand, you might find that you get into a zone and can write until the wee hours without realizing you’ve been sitting in the chair all that time. On the other, it might be better to go to bed early on Saturday and keep your dream journal handy to see what comes up. For some people, dreams are the way to access those other dimensions I’ve been writing so much about. The trick – and there’s often one when Mercury is involved – to separate the bits of divine inspiration from the space junk. When we’re in unfamiliar territory, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s the product of an overly active imagination.

Wishing you all much love and courage – and some rest, too, if you can get it,
Pat

Weekly Forecast August 20: Sun Enters Virgo, Mars Enters Scorpio

Edge of nowhwere. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

We didn’t have a summer to speak of here in the Pacific Northwest and now it feels like fall already – although goddess knows I’m not complaining, given what everyone else has suffered this year. I’m sure you’d all love nice fall weather, and maybe even a few months of arctic winter.

I had another opportunity to go to the coast this past week, bringing my official days off to a whopping three in the past year. I feel downright lazy. We arrived just as the fog had rolled in, accompanied by a temperature drop of nearly 30 degrees in less than half an hour. But the sand was still warm beneath my bare feet, and standing in the fog, in low tide, not on land and not on water, I felt like I wasn’t in this world at all. It was the most effective mental reboot I’ve ever had.

There are two major shifts this week that will make it feel even more like fall, even though the first day of autumn is still a month away. On Wednesday, the Sun enters earthy Virgo, sign of the harvest and other practical considerations. On Thursday, Mars enters Scorpio, the sign of the underworld and what I like to call the “compost sign.” In Scorpio, the old and wilted rots away and provides the energy for new life to form in the spring.

Before Pluto was discovered, Mars was the ruler of Scorpio, which also is the sign of desire and passion. I’m curious to see whether a new trend forms in relationships. Saturn, as you know, has been in Libra since early 2010 and is about to enter Scorpio in October. During the years that Saturn was in Libra, I witnessed deep changes in many relationships, including my own. I was talking with a friend the other day who is in a relationship with man with Asperger’s syndrome. Friends who don’t understand the complexities of the disorder believe she is cheating herself, that she should find someone more social (my friend is a Leo party girl) and more “normal.” But she told me that she is happier with herself than ever in her life, because she has learned true compassion. I know what she means. This, I believe, was one of the lessons we had to go back and relearn after Saturn went retrograde at 29 degrees Libra in February. We thought we had it all figured out, only to learn that there was a whole lot more to the story.

Mars conjoined Saturn last week, and I think we may get a hint of what’s to come when Saturn finally leaves Libra on October 5. Amplifying this “carrying forward” of energy, the Moon conjoins Saturn and Mars on Tuesday and enters Scorpio on Wednesday. Are we seeing a pattern here?

Both the Sun and Mars aspect Neptune this week. The Sun opposes the planet of idealism and delusion on Friday, while Mars makes a harmonious trine on Saturday. My fog experience is probably a good metaphor for these aspects. Not on land, not in water, but somewhere in an indescribable “in-between,” like being in another dimension of reality. I was totally disoriented, literally “in a fog,” and yet I was OK with the uncertainty and didn’t panic, even though I couldn’t see the shore or the ocean and had no point of reference. The Sun in Virgo is fully grounded and able to stay steady so that we can have the ultimate Neptune in Pisces experience without going over the edge.

Otherwise, Virgo is the yummiest time in the Northern Hemisphere, when the full bounty of the summer harvest is in and we have fresh choices fit for a goddess.

There are a couple of other aspects this week, but those are the major ones, so I’m going to stop here and get back to work on reports. After all, I had my one day of rest this week.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast August 13: Mars Conjunct Saturn, New Moon in Leo

With Mercury direct and gathering speed, life is returning to some semblance of normalcy – whatever normal is. Insofar as the “new normal” is fast, unpredictable, and crazy, we’re now back in the groove.

My astrology software is working again, after the fourth reinstall. According to the conventional interpretation of Mercury retrograde, anything you have to re-do is supposed to go faster and better while the communications planet is moving in reverse (what it looks like from down here).

This most definitely was not the case for re-installing my astrology software – which, you have to admit, is a very fine joke by the Trickster. Too bad I’m not laughing. In fact, I was close to tears when the program kept crashing every time I tried to reinstall my customization files. Maybe the order mattered. Whatever the mystery was, it was solved after Mercury returned direct. Some of my customization work was lost for good, but the most time-consuming modifications have all been restored and I can begin fulfilling the backlog of reports.

As I mentioned in last week’s forecast, I also succeeded in reconstructing my astrology documentary pitch. The work itself actually did move along fairly quickly, but Mercury had to have his due, and he got it in spades through all the accompanying tasks, such as downloading software from Apple. The company advertises that you can get apps with one click of the mouse. It took me three days and hundreds of clicks – not to mention hours on the phone with tech support – to get a 20-minute download. The whole experience was interesting in that it reaffirmed the conventional wisdom that if you absolutely can’t wait and have to do something not advised during Mercury retrograde, you can get it done. It just will take a lot longer and deduct a few years from your life.

We also now have a complete Republican presidential ticket, with the announcement Saturday morning of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s VP. I had to wonder whether they timed the announcement with the help of an astrologer (after all, Ronald Reagan had one). The Romney team created a phone app especially for the announcement. The move obviously was intended to draw in younger voters, but it’s also interesting to note that it was an appropriate way to announce the pick of Ryan, an Aquarius.

The announcement was made at 7:08 a.m. on Saturday, with the Moon at 7°22′ Gemini. They might have been thinking that Saturday is typically a slow news day and the announcement would be sure to make headlines. But if they’d revealed the information the previous Saturday, it could have been disastrous, with Mercury retrograde. The Moon in the sign of communications not only was a good choice for a news announcement, but later in the day, the Moon conjoined Jupiter in Gemini, which currently is in Romney’s first house. Moreover, the Moon makes a grand trine to planets in both politicians’ natal charts. It’s hard to believe this was an accident, unless you view it as a cosmic message. I’ll leave it to you to determine what that might be, as I vowed to leave politics alone after getting flamed for writing that the 2009 Inauguration Day chart suggested McCain and Palin might win.

Incidentally, the birth time being used for Ryan was first reported by The Political Astrology Blog in mid-June. The post says only that the time was found on an uncertified copy of Ryan’s birth certificate, without saying who saw it and under what circumstances. The reporter in me needs to know sources, so I have to issue a word of caution that this birth time is unconfirmed. If anyone has additional information, it would be helpful for the astrology community.

Looking at this week, there are three standouts: the Mars-Saturn conjunction on Wednesday, the cardinal T-square with Venus on Wednesday and Thursday, and the New Moon in Leo on Friday.

Mars and Saturn in ancient times were considered the malefics, and this combination for sure doesn’t inspire images of rainbows and unicorns. But have a look at the New Moon chart, and you’ll see that the Sun and Moon make quite a nice trine with both Saturn and Mars, and it’s nearly exact. Although I don’t advise running with scissors, I do think you can get a lot of work done, be it relocating your office or making headway in a key relationship. Rather than trying to hash out details over the phone or even over a glass of wine, you may have much better success by doing something fun together, like mountain biking or taking the kids on a trip. The challenge here is to resist sitting on repressed anger, which can come out in hurtful ways.

Click on image to enlarge

Another possibility that I see in this configuration is addressing wounded male energy. For the past couple of decades, we’ve focused a lot of attention on the return of the goddess and healing our wounded feminine side. That has applied to men and women both, and it’s clear that the balance must be restored between the sacred masculine and feminine. However, we also need to acknowledge that the divine masculine is wounded and needs healing. With a flowing trine from Mars and Saturn in the sign of balance to the Sun and Moon in the sign of the heart, there’s a unique opportunity here to open our hearts to a deeper truth.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Venus in Cancer forms an opposition with Pluto in Capricorn and a square with Uranus in Aries. In the midst of nothing less than a breakdown of society as we know it, staying in our comfort zone is next to impossible. That’s the bad news and the good news. Breaking through to new ground by definition means stretching beyond what’s familiar and easy. The quincunx from Mercury to Pluto further suggests discomfort when we discover facts and insights that make it impossible to stay in a state of denial.

The “out” in all of this is Mercury in Leo, representing humor and play. It’s hard, when so much seems to be at stake, to not take ourselves so seriously.

As for me, I’ve got a hair appointment scheduled for Friday. Only a miracle could transform my baby fine hair into a Leo mane, but I expect to come out of the salon looking gorgeous.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast August 6: Mercury Direct

Having been pummeled thoroughly by Mercury retrograde over the past week, I am duly humbled and contrite. But I got the work done, by goddess, despite every obstacle that the trickster threw in my path – literally hundreds, if you count every computer bug, output glitch, and customer service issue separately.

My work is now online as a pitch piece to raise funding for a full-length documentary about professional astrologers.

The New Astrologers from Pat Paquette on Vimeo.

This is what I have been working on day and night for the past four months. It began as a second-quarter class project for film and video school. The day before the final cut was due in mid-June, my backup hard drive crashed to the floor and knocked the main drive just enough to cause irreparable damage. I lost all the contents, including all the original source material. Fortunately, my cameraman had all the interview footage backed up on his computer at home. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had to synch the video and sound all over again, and of course the entire piece had to be reconstructed. That seemed like a good Mercury retrograde project – and I suppose it was, given that the pitch piece is now online. But the entire process was definitely a lesson in Mercury retrograde dynamics.

The next step is applying for grants and raising donations, so please help me get the word out! If you’d like to make a donation, please feel free to do so now. However, I’ll be launching an official donation campaign later this month, with a Facebook page and possibly its own website.

I’m relieved I got the work done and uploaded this weekend, because Mercury stations direct on Wednesday. As the station approaches, we’ll likely experience Mercury retrograde gridlock, not just in traffic, but in Internet and telecommunications as well. My computer is slow today, for no apparent reason.

That said, I managed to begin reconstructing my astrology program. I’ve relocated all the custom settings for my chart wheels. The bigger task is to find out where the settings for my forecast graphs live so that I can begin working on the Fall 2012 edition of StarGuide. I’m determined to make it available around the first of September so that you can order it well ahead of the season change.

As for this week, it’s worth mentioning again that the most-recent New Moon and Full Moon both occurred while Mercury was retrograde, so any developments related to those lunations may have been delayed. Once Mercury returns direct, you may experience sudden events that normally you would have expected around the New Moon and Full Moon. For clues about what those developments might be, check the house position in your birth chart and aspects from the Moon to your natal planets. Also check to see where Mercury has been retrograde (12°33′ to 1°26′ Leo).

Mercury stations fairly close to the inconjunct with Neptune that I wrote about last week. I’ve had some odd dreams, but they actually have had a point. One of them revealed yet another detail in “other-life” memories that have been slowly rising to the surface since last summer. But I’ve also had some dreams that were just noise, like static between channels on the radio.

It’s also possible that as we begin to see more and more clearly into other dimensions of reality, we don’t entirely understand what we’re seeing and feeling, and the result is some disorientation or confusion. I’ve been getting some great reports of progress from friends, family, and clients. The influence of the Mercury-Neptune quincunx will last throughout the week, until after Mercury makes a third and final alignment to Neptune on Saturday.

Otherwise, we have only two other major planetary transits this week, both involving Venus. On Tuesday, she enters Cancer. Her sign change is especially significant, because she has been in Gemini since early April due to her own retrograde phase. Normally, Venus spends only about four weeks in a sign. It’s also significant that her movement through the final degrees of Gemini has occurred with Mercury, Gemini’s ruler, retrograde. Revisiting unresolved relationship issues has been important. At the very least, you’ve probably become aware of issues that you didn’t see before, or you may be seeing them in a new light that allows you to take a different approach. It’s possible there’s still some clarification needed.

Once Venus enters Cancer on Tuesday, talking out issues becomes less important than demonstrating affection and caring, and actions will speak louder than words. If you’re one of those people who need to hear the words “I love you” or who insists on open communications, try watching your partner and other loved ones for how they show you they care in other ways. Stopping by the grocery store for you, picking up the kids when it’s your turn so that you can get a much-need break, fixing your car or computer, or just quietly holding your hand are all very loud communications that say “I care about you.” Not everyone is a good verbal communicator, and although ideally we want partners who can be direct and tell us what’s going on with them, sometimes they are better at communicating nonverbally. It can be hard for these quiet souls, because others don’t always recognize and appreciate their language.

Some people are able to communicate with each other telepathically, especially when they are in an intimate relationship. I’m betting that most of you know what I mean, since I have a high proportion of readers who are psychically sensitive. Even if you’re not, you may get a glimpse of this phenomenon this week, when Venus forms a dreamy trine with Neptune in Pisces. Connecting on a soul level can be a powerful experience under this influence.

So, hang in there for a few more days. You’ll feel a noticeable shift in the middle of this week. Overall, it should feel pretty good – keeping in mind that the Uranus-Pluto square is the elephant in the room, and more-sweeping changes are taking place on a collective level.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast July 30: Full Moon in Aquarius

This certainly is turning out to be a classic Mercury retrograde. I’ve lost more than half of the past week addressing corrupted files, lost data, and long waits getting through to tech support – just when I’m under a huge deadline for a film project. Of course.

It’s particularly ironic that my astrology software got corrupted. The good news is that I had my client data backed up, so for anyone who has ordered a report, I still have you in my database. The bad news is that, in reinstalling the program, I lost all of my custom settings, including weeks’ worth of programming charts and the cool graphs that are included in my StarGuide forecasts. In backing up my system, I never thought to back up all of the program files. It’s a painful lesson. It also means that it will be a week or so before I can fulfill new report orders. As I said … classic Mercury retrograde.

Then, I’ve been extremely unhappy with this program, so perhaps this is a “hint” that it’s time to upgrade to Solar Fire, the gold standard in astrology software. I chose another brand on the advice of a consultant and have put hundreds of dollars into add-ons, but I’ve been tearing my hair out over the unfriendly user interface and even unfriendlier customer support. I’ve been putting off switching to a different program, not only because of the expense, but because once I buy new software, I’ll likely have to revise my report offerings – typical excuses for avoiding making changes that ultimately will improve our lives. Mercury retrograde is so good at planting these pies in our faces, with extra whipped cream.

In the meantime, I’m madly pushing to edit a pitch piece to get funding for a documentary about professional astrologers. It’s actually a reconstruction, since I lost the final cut in a hard drive accident in mid-June (Mercury wasn’t even retrograde, go figure). Recreating the work has been the one thing that has gone relatively well during this retrograde cycle, as I expected it would. The challenge is dealing with all of the other problems, which has eaten up precious time that I could have spent in the editing room.

Everywhere I go, I’ve been hearing similar stories, and I’m sure you all have plenty of your own. It seems like no matter how much you try to be prepared, something unexpected goes wrong. It’s living proof that there are “bad” transits. I’m not one of the New Age-y astrologers who believe there’s no such thing as a bad transit, that it’s what you make of it, blahblah. Shit happens, and it tends to happen more during certain planetary configurations. Sure, we can use Mercury retrograde to our advantage (as with my film reconstruction), but we also need to be aware that delays, obstacles, and extremely inconvenient situations are likely to happen more frequently and without warning. The one thing we do have control over is how we communicate. Although we can’t help it if someone misunderstands us, we can give them some leeway and not blame them for the miscommunication.

We’ve got another week and half to go before Mercury returns direct, so just hang in there and do the best you can. In the meantime, Wednesday’s Full Moon in Aquarius promises to throw some good energy into the mix, further building on the positive vibe of the recent sextile from Jupiter to Uranus. At its peak, the Full Moon makes positive connections to both Uranus and Jupiter. Together, these giants make big sparks. This could be literal – as in more giant thunderstorms – or it could be symbolic, bringing sparks of excitement into your life. As surprising as events have been lately, it looks like there’s more in store for us.

I don’t know about you, but my life has been fast and furious with opportunities over the past couple of weeks – so many that I’m overstretched, exhausted, and stressed out by the possibility that passing on an invitation could cost me connections and work down the road. Normally, I’d gauge which opportunities to take based on the potential material returns, but this time I also considered which ones were the most fun and most in line with what I want to do, whether or not it’s financially sound. It seems like more and more people are making decisions based on what’s in their heart and not on what they think they should do or what others think they should do.

The Sun forms an exact trine with Uranus on Tuesday and an exact sextile with Jupiter on Thursday, so the excitement should last for much of the week.

Click on image to enlarge

Of course, the Uranus-Pluto square is also active in this Full Moon chart. It almost feels like old news by now, but with Uranus, surprises happen. As the ruler of Aquarius, Uranus rules this Full Moon, so it’s quite possible that we’ll get a Uranus-Pluto “jolt” out of the blue.

Venus remains in a trine with Saturn. Although it’s waning, it’s still close enough to use its energy for improving communications and commitment in relationships, be they personal or professional. And with Saturn heading into the final degrees of Libra, we’re finally wrapping up the lesson we thought we learned earlier this year. For me, personally, it has been painful, but there have been very noticeable improvements, mostly in my understanding and acceptance.

On Friday, Mercury and Neptune are inconjunct (technically, quincunx, but I hate that word because it’s too hard to say). Dreams could be jarring or totally incomprehensible. If you can’t figure out a particularly bizarre or disturbing dream, don’t worry about it. It’s possible that it has nothing to do with you.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat