Category Archives: Forecasts

Weekly Forecast March 21: Sun Conjunct Uranus, Venus Enters Pisces

Grand Coulee Dam. The first concrete was poured on Dec. 6, 1935, with Saturn (structure) in Pisces (water), and Uranus square Mars and Pluto. © Pat Paquette 2011.

This promises to be an exciting week, starting right out with an electrifying conjunction of the Sun and Uranus in Aries. I just hope my circuits can stand it.

If I had to describe this transit in one word, it would be “revolution.” Not that you need astrology to tell you that movements around the world for freedom from oppression will continue to build. I am somewhat concerned about what will happen next week, when Mars enters Aries and Mercury turns retrograde. Mars is the planet of war and conflict, and he’ll be on the side of the revolutionaries. Eventually – by the second week in April – they’ll provoke authoritarian governments and their corporate backers to take extreme action against them. It will be very interesting to see which side the United States supports in individual countries in the Middle East.

In our individual lives, the Sun-Uranus conjunction brings surprises and a break from our normal routine. At its best, it can help us blast through blocks that are holding us back. That’s the good side of this transit. The danger is that you may feel an urge to do extreme things like telling your boss to go to hell, without considering the consequences. For an idea of how this might manifest in your life, look at where Uranus currently is transiting your chart. Most of you have enough of an understanding of astrology that you probably know this already. If you’re in your early 20s or early 40s, be extra mindful not to act on selfish impulse.

There are no other major planetary aspects until Saturday, when Venus conjoins Neptune at 29 degrees Aquarius. The following day, she enters Pisces, sign of her exaltation. Venus is a lower vibration of Neptune, so her entrance into Pisces right after their conjunction should provide us with some early insight into what will happen when Neptune himself enters Pisces on April 4. Neptune’s counterpart in ancient Greece was Poseidon, who ruled over the sea, fresh water and earthquakes.

Venus is happy in Pisces, the sign of mystical union and merging into the underlying source of all things. She doesn’t seek love for physical gratification, adoration or financial rewards, but to merge into oneness with her partner.

Speaking of which, Mars remains in Pisces until April 1, and he’s being “fed” by planets in Aries, the sign he rules. Although Mars in Pisces can be a warrior for the poor and underprivileged, he also will fight on the behalf of religious beliefs. Let’s hope his energy is channeled into helping the thousands left homeless by the earthquake in Japan and not fanning the flames of religious conflict in the Middle East.

Overall, we’re a step farther into Aries territory and a Brave New World. However, with Mars still in Pisces, one foot remains in the past. This week, we continue to evaluate our past and decide what to keep and what to leave behind. It’s never too late to throw unneeded baggage overboard, especially if it has been weighing you down and preventing you from moving forward.

There is one other interesting astrological event this week that I’d like to discuss, and that’s the conjunction of the lunar North Node and the Galactic Center. Indeed, this may be the most important transit of the week, if not the entire month, as it portends the opening of a portal into higher consciousness. The conjunction isn’t exact until March 31, but the North Node is now at the same degree as the Galactic Center at 27 degrees Sagittarius and will remain there until the end of the month.

What’s really intriguing is that the North Node turns direct for a few hours on Friday, March 25. The lunar nodes normally are retrograde in motion, but every now and then, they turn direct. It’s like the opening of a doorway, and when this occurs in conjunction with the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy – the source of powerful radio waves – it’s hugely significant.

As if that’s not enough, the Moon conjoins the North Node a few minutes after it turns direct! Keep a notebook with you on Friday, and write down any dreams you have Friday night. The nodes are direct from 1:57 p.m. PDT on Friday to 5:30 a.m. PDT on Saturday.

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that there’s just one more week to go before Mercury turns retrograde. Even though Mercury is in pre-retrograde shadow, he’s not officially retrograde yet, so there’s still time to sign papers, close accounts, and take care of anything else of that nature. Wrap up as much business as you can this week.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Right on Cue, Mercury Starts Acting Out

© Teodor Ostojic for Dreamstime.com

Right on cue, Mercury entered his pre-retrograde shadow period and immediately started wreaking havoc.

Between 6 and 7 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, just as Mercury hit the degree where his retrograde will end, a message appeared in my WordPress dashboard that there was an update for a plugin. These are fairly routine. Whenever they pop up, I select the automatic update option, which never takes more than a few seconds. This particular one was for Amazon widgets short code. I haven’t a clue what that means or what it does, but I went ahead with the update.

If you tried to access the RealAstrologers website from that moment right up until midnight, all you got was some funny looking code with error messages on a white screen. I’d swear Mercury himself wrote it; either that, or he was channeling through the programmer who authored it. I’d also swear I heard the mischievous laughter.

Fortunately, my web host does a complete backup once a day, so they were able to restore everything up to the point of the last save. It took a few hours, but at least I didn’t lose any content. Until the process was complete, I was totally shut out of the control panel and couldn’t even post a message saying we were temporarily down.

I was telling a friend about it this evening, and he said his Internet browser froze up right around 6 p.m. He had to reboot his computer. Did anyone else experience glitches yesterday with their computers, e-mail, or electronics?

If incidents like this are happening when Mercury is barely into his shadow period, what’s going to happen when he officially turns retrograde on March 30? Let’s consider ourselves forewarned and start now to take all of the necessary steps to ensure a safe and happy Mercury retrograde. Above all, get your backup plan in place!

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast March 14: Full Moon in Virgo, Sun Enters Aries

There's nothing like late-winter rain to clear the way for new growth in spring. © Pat Paquette 2011.


In light of the unimaginable devastation in Japan, it’s hard to write a forecast about the intensity of the next couple of weeks. One wonders how things could get any worse.

The one thing I find reassuring is that, as we saw during last year’s peak cardinal T-square period, events usually don’t happen on the dates when astrological aspects are exact. Often there’s a “trigger,” such as Mars passing over a critical degree, and events even can happen before the corresponding astrological signature. You’ll recall that I linked the mega-quake in Chile last February to an eclipse that hadn’t happened yet.

Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about what’s coming up, starting with this week’s Full Moon. At 29 degrees Virgo, this Full Moon is in a close square to the powerful lunar eclipse on December 21, 2010. Eclipse-related events can happen within a couple days but often are delayed by 30, 60 or 90 days. The 90-day mark is the square, 90 degrees.

A few hours after the December eclipse, the Sun entered Capricorn, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Likewise, the Sun enters Aries a day after this Full Moon, marking the spring equinox and the beginning of the astrological year. The transition from the last degree of a mutable sign to the first degree of a cardinal sign signals clearing away the old, outdated and unsustainable in order to begin a new growth cycle. This is especially true with Jupiter, planet of growth and expansion, in cardinal Aries.

Taking the week in chronological order, we begin Monday with the Moon in cardinal Cancer, the sign she rules. As she forms squares with Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn throughout the day, you may get a further glimpse into a new chapter in your life that began to unfold during last summer’s T-square.

Also on Monday, Venus and Saturn form a trine in air signs Aquarius and Libra. This combination favors coming up with solutions to old problems that are innovative – perhaps even radical – and yet balanced and realistic. If you’re facing a particular challenge in need of sound thinking and strategizing, this is your moment.

On Tuesday, Mercury conjoins Jupiter in Aries, bringing the message home that change not only is necessary but inevitable. However, it won’t come without some stops and starts, as Mercury enters his pre-retrograde shadow period on Wednesday in preparation to reverse motion on March 30. This means he’ll make two more conjunctions with Jupiter, on April 11 and then again on May 11. I don’t expect that issues you encounter on Tuesday will be new, but you may suddenly realize you have to change your approach.

On Friday, Mercury opposes Saturn, which injects a dose of reality into your thinking. Although this can be discouraging, it’s better to know what you’re dealing with so that you can plan accordingly. A solid plan might even help you get through the fits and starts of Mercury retrograde.

Saturday is the Full Moon in Virgo, which is going to be heavily laden with messages of letting go, cleaning up, leaving the past behind, and preparing for a new way of living, being, and doing. There won’t be time for long good-byes. The Sun enters Aries the following day, and again we head out on the next leg of our journey into new and unfamiliar territory.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast March 7: Uranus Enters Aries

These babes have it right. The farmer rotates them about the neighborhood, where they mow overgrown grass for free and leave top-rate fertilizer. © Pat Paquette 2011.

The past three days have been a blur. A lot is happening, and it seems as though it’s not in chronological order – like reading an article on the Internet and clicking on links to other places. Everything’s connected, but trying to experience it all at once makes your head spin.

“Everything’s connected” is a very Piscean message, and feeling that connection is a very Piscean experience. More and more people are getting it, and it is changing the energy of the planet. We finally are starting to understand that we live in a participatory universe. Our interaction with the cosmos is a continual cycle of uploading and downloading. It’s no accident that the Internet evolved as it did. It simply mirrors larger energy patterns, what some call the “mind of God.” Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast February 28: Venus Enters Aquarius, New Moon in Pisces

The violent side of Pisces. © Verners Verzbilovskis for Dreamstime.com

We knew we were in for another round of the cardinal T-square this year, but I didn’t think we’d start seeing any real effects until Uranus entered Aries in mid-March.

So, it would seem like all hell is breaking loose again, with a strong pattern of authoritarian rule (Pluto) suppressing rebellion. The Jupiter-Pluto square is implicated, but only if you put it in the context of the ongoing T-square.

We also need to remember the rare lunar eclipse that occurred on December 21, 2010, just hours before the Sun entered Capricorn. With the Sun at 29 degrees Sagittarius, the eclipse was close enough to 0 degrees Capricorn to be included in this power game. Jupiter and Uranus were both back in late Pisces at the time, having dipped briefly into Aries over the summer before turning retrograde. Jupiter is now well beyond his retrograde point, and Uranus is sitting at 29 Pisces, the final degree of the zodiac, ready to enter Aries on March 11. Although he’s not in Aries yet, he is in a near-exact square with the solstice eclipse, so we’re feeling this forceful energy.

Often, earth events correspond to eclipses, although not necessarily at the time. I tied last year’s mega-quake in Chili to an eclipse that hadn’t happened yet. So last week’s tragic earthquake in New Zealand can’t be attributed to the Jupiter-Pluto square.

Other events, however, can. The two that come immediately to mind are the civil war in Libya and the showdown in Madison, Wis., over workers’ rights. In both cases, an authoritarian ruler is suppressing opposition. It doesn’t seem to me that there’s much difference in principle between Moammar Gadhafi’s vow to fight to the last bullet and Gov. Scott Walker’s vow to bust the unions regardless of massive protests at the Wisconsin Capitol and other cities across the country. Tyranny has many faces.

I’m encouraged by the protests, as people finally are willing to fight for their rights. A while back, I lamented in a post that I didn’t know what it would take to get Americans out in the streets, the way citizens in Europe and other countries do. Well, now we know, and I’m gratified the trigger is as substantial as workers’ rights. Unionized labor has a long history in this country. Assaulting these basic rights is a hostile act, the first shot in a class war that has been brewing for years.

In an article for CounterPunch, author Andrew Levine writes, “The problem, in short, is that to survive, capitalism must expand – and, with so few areas left for expansion, the public sphere has become a target too tempting to resist. What is under attack is the public sphere itself. Public unions are its first (and last?) line of defense.”

Another headline grabbed my attention this past week, about a landmark decision handed down in a class action suit against Chevron in Ecuador. What struck me most was the name leading the list of plaintiffs. Maria Aguinda is a grandmother, an indigenous villager fighting a giant multinational oil company. I immediately looked for Ceres in the chart. Sure enough, Ceres was in Aries opposite Jupiter when the first version of the lawsuit was filed in November 1993. Ceres was conjunct Pluto in Capricorn at the peak of last year’s T-square.

This week, there are yet more shifts. On Tuesday, Venus enters Aquarius, sign of rebellion and human rights. Just before making her move, she sextiles Uranus, ruler of Aquarius. I’m hopeful that this transit will bring some resolution into conflicts worldwide. It may be too late in Libya, where so much blood has been shed already, but there’s still an opportunity for legislators in Wisconsin to do the right thing by compromising.

On Thursday, the lunar North Node leaves Capricorn and enters Sagittarius. At 29 degrees Sagittarius/Gemini, the nodes will be at the degree of the solstice eclipse, further activating this critical degree. The North Node also will begin approaching conjunction with the Galactic Center, which will be exact at the end of March. I’ll have more on this development, which I believe will create another portal for mass awakening.

Also on Thursday, Mars forms a compatible sextile with Pluto. This pair offers yet another possibility for working hard to reach a compromise or, if that’s not possible, for the losing side to accept defeat and regroup to form a new strategy.

Friday is the New Moon in Pisces. The planets are all bunched on one side of the chart, with Saturn on the other side (view chart here). As the singleton planet, Saturn has a powerful influence, and he’s at an irritating inconjunct with the Sun and Moon. Even though he’s retrograde, Saturn is exalted in Libra, the sign of fairness and balance. As much as we may wish to have things our way or fantasize about how we would like them to be, we’re going to have to get real, act on our own behalf, and do what’s necessary to maintain our integrity.

Speaking of which, I’m still working to catch up with my backlog of consultations, so I won’t have a New Moon post this week. I know many of you have been searching for them, but I’ve had to set priorities, and my first duty is to my paying clients. If I were independently wealthy or won the lottery, there’s nothing I’d love better than to write blog posts every day. Unfortunately, that’s not my reality, and so I will post as I can, between writing reports and meeting life’s demands.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast February 21: Mars Enters Pisces, Jupiter Square Pluto

Reader Osk Ingad Alden sent this photo, with the following explanation: My Pisces had his fifth birthday so we went downtown to the aquarium in Denver. It almost looks like the fish is swimming in the starry universe. Good fish!

Forget “the new paradigm.” Everything is in such flux that we’re getting a new paradigm several times a month.

First it was Egypt and revolution in the Middle East. Now it’s bloody suppression of revolution in the Middle East. The next shift could be civil war in Libya, and who knows where that might lead?

Meanwhile, closer to home, the Republican governor of Wisconsin moved to bust the unions representing state employees, prompting a showdown in the legislature and a march on the Capitol by thousands of protestors. It worked in Egypt. But it won’t persuade Gov. Scott Walker, who says he’s going to go ahead with his plan anyway, with the backing of the newly elected Republican majority. Can you spell Khadafy Qadhdhafi Gaddafi?

Things may quiet down a little this week, when Mercury and Mars join the Sun in tender Pisces. But it won’t be for long. Next month, rebellion planet Uranus enters Aries, sign of the warrior, with several planets following shortly afterward. By the New Moon in Aries on April 3, eight out of ten planets will be in cardinal signs, with six in Aries. Hopefully I’ll be caught up with my backlog of consultations by then so I can write a proper New Moon post.

This week, Mercury enters the sign of the Fishes on Monday followed by Mars on Tuesday. That is “Fishes,” by the way – plural. Pisces is two fish, each swimming in a different direction but tied together with a knotted cord. If you want to know what this symbolism means, watch a Pisces in front of a supermarket shelf trying to choose among 27 different kinds of peanut butter.

Seriously, now … It’s said that there are two kinds of Pisces, the “good fish” and the “bad fish.” One of them believes in the power of the Universe and can swim with the flow. The other puts blind faith in religious dogma and superstition and beats its scaly little head against the wall. This good-fish, bad-fish analogy is reflected in Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces, which on one hand is highly intuitive and can merge into higher realms of consciousness, and on the other is permanently out to lunch (McFish anyone?)

So let’s hope the Sun, Mercury and Mars inspire us to be the good fish and not the bad one … although you will find plenty of examples of bad fish in the headlines this week. Unfortunately, giving a sword (Mars) to a bad fish isn’t a good idea. They tend to do things like killing in the name of the Lord.

The big day this week is Friday, when Jupiter in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn. Although the planetary signature under all the unrest in the world is complex, Jupiter squaring Pluto is a major factor, especially with Jupiter in Mars-ruled Aries. This aspect repeats a pattern from the peak of the cardinal T-square last summer, and it’s mostly about who has the money versus who has the power.

Then something shifts this week, when Mars enters Pisces. With Mars no longer in Aquarius, the sign of revolution, political unrest gives way to fighting on behalf of religious ideals. Moreover, Mars and Jupiter will be in mutual reception (Jupiter was the sole ruler of Pisces before Neptune was discovered in 1846). I’m somewhat concerned the focus will shift from demands for freedom and individual rights to religious extremism – if not religious, then political.

However, there’s another set of aspects on Friday that could help turn conflict into a constructive dialog for growth and positive change. These occur right before and after the Jupiter-Pluto square, starting with a conjunction of the Sun and Mercury, followed by a sextile from both to Pluto.

This is where it gets really interesting, because all of that pent-up energy from the Jupiter-Pluto square has a path of release. Sextiles are open channels that allow energy to flow freely. Confrontation can be constructive or destructive. This planetary alignment favors a positive outcome – at least, for those who want it. Some factions profit by stirring up conflict and so aren’t inclined to seek resolution. These fishes aren’t just bad, they’re rotten.

On Sunday, the Moon in Capricorn goes through a quick review of the week’s aspects, starting with a conjunction with Pluto, then moving on to a square with Jupiter, a sextile to the Sun and Mercury, and a square to Saturn just so the taskmaster doesn’t feel left out of the T-square party. He’ll get his turn in a few weeks, though, and if you pay attention on Sunday, you may get a big hint about how it’s all going to go down.

Keep the faith!
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast February 14: Full Moon in Leo, Sun Enters Pisces

Winter light in Seattle. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

It’s a different world this week, in more ways than one.

The big news, of course, is the revolution in Egypt. They have a long way to go – goddess help them – but the event created a “disturbance in the Force,” and it will have ripples into the collective consciousness for years, if not decades.

Whenever something this momentous happens, we have to look at what the outer planets are doing. I’ve written before and continue to believe that this public rebellion against a dictator is a manifestation of the Uranus-Pluto square. The trouble with this theory is that Uranus is still several degrees shy of an active square, so how can we explain this?

I see two possibilities. First, Jupiter in Aries is within striking distance of a square with Pluto, and he’s “carrying forward” the energy of Uranus. The two danced back and forth in conjunction for the second half of 2010. The first pass occurred at 0 degrees Aries on June 8. Then both planets went retrograde. The third and final meeting was on January 4, in Pisces.

What’s more, when Mubarak stepped down last week, Jupiter had just passed the degree at which he went retrograde last summer. In other words, we entered new territory. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, the sign of the explorer, and Aries is the pioneer. We might think of him as the scout for Uranus, who follows him into Aries on March 11. Uranus will pass last year’s station on March 22, and then we’ll be even deeper into new territory, with all of our bridges burned.

Another possible explanation – and the two aren’t mutually exclusive – has to do with the lunar nodes. The nodes, which are mathematical points in space, move retrograde, counter to the movement of the planets. However, they are direct from time to time. There seems to be something special and fated about these periods, which can last a few hours to a few days. At the moment of Mubarak’s resignation, the nodes were direct, at 1 degree Capricorn and Cancer. Again, these degrees are “hot spots” following last summer’s cardinal T-square.

If you think of what was happening in your own life last Friday, you may discover that there were connections to events during the peak of the T-square last July and August.

On to this week, the Moon in cardinal Cancer on Monday sends another little ripple into the early cardinal degrees. At the same time, mentally sharp Mercury in Aquarius trines Saturn in Libra. With both planets in the sign of their exaltation, this is a great day for mental activity. If your job requires a lot of concentration, this should be a nicely productive day for you.

On Thursday, the Sun conjoins Neptune as he moves through the final degrees of Aquarius. Friday is the big day, when Sun and Moon oppose each other in the final degree of Aquarius and Leo. Because of my full schedule, I’m limiting my blogging to one post a week (the weekly forecast), which means I won’t be doing the new and full moon reports until I get caught up. In the meantime, here’s a quote from Stephanie Austin, who sets the standard for interpreting lunations in her column for The Mountain Astrologer:

[callout]The Sun’s placement between the ongoing Neptune-Chiron conjunction highlights the need for a spiritual revolution – a change of heart, as well as a change of mind. Einstein noted that a problem cannot be solved at the level at which it was created. Our current social, economic, and environmental crises cannot be resolved from the mindset that generated them. We are being forced to think and live out of the box, as the centuries-old structures supporting patriarchy, materialism, and “might makes right” topple around us. There is no going back. We have passed the eleventh hour, and this Full Moon, with five planets in the eleventh sign, illuminates where each of us is being called to make a difference.[/callout]

I certainly couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Lost in all that boisterous Aquarius energy on Friday is a quiet Venus-Saturn square. Hard Venus-Saturn aspects usually don’t bode well, and yet I like this one, because the two planets are in mutual reception. Venus is in Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn, and Saturn is in Libra, the sign ruled by Venus. Love isn’t always easy. Committed relationships are hard work. Compromises are necessary, and yet it’s hard to judge just how much we can give up without losing our integrity. These two know how to negotiate and to do so fairly. Look at where they fall in your chart for clues about how you might use this energy to so some heavy lifting in your relationships.

Later on Friday, the Sun enters Pisces and conjoins Chiron the following day. Healing requires shedding light on internal wounds, some of which may be quite old and not even inflicted in this lifetime.

Sunday brings a triple conjunction of Mercury, Mars, and Neptune in Aquarius. If you’re fighting for freedom and higher ideals, go for it. Carry your picket signs and shout slogans: “Down with the Tyrant!” “Workers of the World, Unite!” United, We Stand!” Otherwise, this aspect requires delicate handling. Needless to say, stay away from politics at Sunday dinner … unless you want to end up wearing it.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast February 7: Chiron Enters Pisces, Venus Conjunct Pluto

Puget Sound in late January. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

Chiron moves into Pisces this week, launching us into a decade of deep healing on a soul level.

Chiron is peculiar celestial body, a planetoid in a class of objects discovered in the 1970s that eventually were called “centaurs.” In the beginning, no one knew what they were. Sometimes they behaved like comets, other times they were more like asteroids. Thus the name of the mythological half-man, half-horse.

In Greek mythology, Chiron became a powerful healer as a result of his tortured past. Astrologers often refer to him as the Wounded Healer and, as far as we’re concerned, it’s no coincidence that alternative medicine began to blossom in the West right around the time of his discovery.

Chiron also is special in that he has an erratic orbit. At his closest to the Sun, he is just inside the orbit of Saturn. At his farthest, he orbits just beyond Uranus. His path is highly symbolic, as he travels between the last of the planets visible on earth and the first of the outer planets that can’t be seen without a telescope. He is therefore seen as a sort of “bridge” between the known and the unknown, what can be seen and what is hidden. Astronomers believe he may have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune.

Chiron ventured into Pisces last spring, then went retrograde and returned to Aquarius in July. When he returns to Pisces this Tuesday, he’ll remain there until February 2019.

In many ways, Chiron in Pisces won’t be new. I say that because he has been tracking for the past several years with Neptune, the planetary ruler of Pisces. I see Chiron’s movement into Pisces territory as the next step in the collective healing begun under the Neptune-Chiron conjunction, about which I have written quite a bit.

Neptune and Pisces are associated with the deep psyche, the collective unconscious, and the mind of God. Like Cancer and Scorpio, Pisces is a water sign, but it has no “container.” There are no boundaries. It is where illusions of separateness disappear and we become one with the All, manifest and unmanifest. As a result, we’re in vague and constantly shifting territory – if you can even call it that. It defies description and can only be sensed through feelings and images. Of course, that’s what makes it such a dangerous place, and it’s why many people lose their sanity if they hang out there too long.

The last time Chiron was in Pisces, from 1960 to 1969, a whole generation turned on, tuned in, and dropped out. For many, using psychedelic drugs brought about a level of awareness they might never have achieved without the pharmacological aid. Of course, they many had bad trips, too.

This time around, we’ll be able to reach those levels of awareness without the use of drugs. It’s likely we’ll see the rise of new forms of psychic and spiritual healing that bring about deep shifts in awareness, allowing us to integrate the parts of ourselves that we’ve closed off. These processes can be painful. Like Pluto, Chiron represents releasing and healing, but first you have to dig into the old wounds and dredge up a lot of messy feelings.

Then, perhaps new techniques in the next ten years will find a way to circumvent these difficult processes and heal instantly. Sounds kind of far-fetched, but why not? In the beginning, few believed alternative medicine would work, either. Perhaps these new spiritual healing techniques even will replace psychiatry and an over-reliance on psychoactive drugs.

Maybe we’ll also see new generations of drugs that are gentler and don’t have so many unwanted side effects. That could end up being a double-edged sword, however. Once Neptune enters Pisces next year, we will be in murky psycho-spiritual territory where it’s difficult to tell the difference between reality and illusion. Mass escapism through drugs and other addictions may become too tempting to resist. Rather than waking up, many people may tune out completely.

Whatever comes to pass, we are on a crash course in healing, and Chiron in Pisces is a major indicator that human consciousness is about to play a part once again in socio-political movements.

Back to this week, there are only two other days I want to alert you to. First, the Moon on Monday zips through the early degrees of Aries, possibly triggering events related to the 2010 cardinal T-square and its 2011 sequel, which hasn’t happened yet. Be on the lookout for clues and perhaps even concrete developments related to those larger trends. You should know by now where it’s hitting your chart.

Also, Venus conjoins Pluto on Wednesday. This is supposed to be one of the passionate, sexy aspects, but I don’t see it in this pairing, unless you’re into bondage. It may relate to the other kind of bonds, though. Pluto is about money and power, and Venus is associated with finances, especially in Capricorn.

Still another possibility is that many of you will become more aware of the karmic bonds between you and another person. These ties sometimes feel more like handcuffs or chains. This is one area I didn’t mention above in my interpretation of Chiron in Pisces, but it’s something I’ll explore more in future posts. As more people open up to higher dimensions of reality, we’ll be more aware of “other-life” connections. Severing those ties may be necessary to heal age-old wounds, and there’s no doubt it will be a painful process.

Moon in Taurus from Wednesday through Friday brings us a brief respite, topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. The weekend’s Gemini Moon is sociable and light-hearted, especially on Sunday. Make a date for brunch with friends or siblings.

Wishing you all love, courage, and deep healing,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. This is just a reminder that I’m on hiatus for a while so that I can catch up with my backlog of client work. I’ll continue to write the weekly forecast and will publish guest posts periodically. If you want to get posts as they’re published, I suggest subscribing to my feed.

Weekly Forecast January 31:New Moon in Aquarius, Sun Conjunct Mars

Signs of spring. Cherry blossoms at the Ballard Locks in Seattle. © James A. Weythman.

This week promises to be fast-moving, highly productive, and not without a surprise or two. I know, I know – some surprises we could do without.

The main event this week is the New Moon in Aquarius on February 2 (February 3 in the Eastern Hemisphere), in close conjunction with Mars and Ceres. Aquarius is future-oriented, rebellious, and innovative, with a spark of genius. Mars is about action, and Ceres is associated with the environment and the cyclical nature of life. That’s quite a combination!

The New Moon represents new beginnings, and with Ceres in conjunction, we can expect the start of a new cycle, whether it’s a new way of interacting with the world around us or a personal rebirth – perhaps both. Mars, meanwhile, gives us the energy and motivation to carry out our novel ideas. If you’re starting a new project, this would be a great week for it. Do wait until after the New Moon, though.

Rebellion does seem to be the order of the day – or, more precisely, disorder – with Egypt in total chaos. This is exactly the type of social unrest we would correlate to the Uranus-Pluto square, which actually is quite wide at the moment but approaching a closer angle. Further, the rebellious nature of Uranus is being “fed” by all the planets in Aquarius, the sign Uranus rules in modern astrology.

The involvement of Ceres in this New Moon tells me that rebellions that occur now – whether globally or inside ourselves – are part of a greater cycle. There is a deep need for change in order to free ourselves from the constraints that limit our creativity and authentic self-expression. One of the key components of a repressed society is the suppression of free speech.

Even more telling, the Sun, Moon, Mars, and Ceres all are at a close positive angle with Saturn in Libra. The exact trines will take place throughout the week and are all indicative of productive changes that result in greater equality and more balance. Again, we can apply this globally and individually.

Venus, the planet of love and money, forms an exact square to Uranus just before the New Moon. Squares and oppositions involving Venus can be disruptive, but they’re usually not bad overall. This square definitely will make for an interesting day! Watch for events totally out of the ordinary. Right before squaring Uranus, Venus sextiles Neptune, injecting some beauty and romance into all this chaos. If you’ve got half a second, stop and smell the roses.

On Thursday, Venus sextiles Chiron just as both bodies are about to change signs. The collective can’t heal unless individuals within it heal, but the reverse is also true: it’s impossible to make that last leap toward becoming whole when we live in a sick society. Healing has to take place simultaneously, and I believe it is. However, in both cases, the dis-ease often has to become worse before it gets better, and whole systems may need to break down in order to be rebuilt in a more balanced, sustainable model.

After her sextile to Chiron, Venus enters Capricorn, where she is more excited by cold cash than a hot kiss. Look for signs of money and power coming together for control, be it to force a rebellious population into submission or to control another person in an individual relationship. On Sunday, Venus squares Jupiter in Aries, and thus a new cycle of the cardinal T-square begins unfolding.

It’s interesting to note that the three asteroid goddesses – Vesta, Juno, and Pallas – all are involved in this New Moon. Juno, named for the mythological wife of Jupiter and thus associated with marriage, is particularly strong in the New Moon chart, as she forms an opposition with Uranus by exact degree, and she’s also opposed to Jupiter. What we have, then, is a close mutable T-square with Juno, Venus, and Uranus.

Meanwhile, Vesta is conjunct Pluto, and Pallas is tightly square Saturn. What this tells me is that women and feminine energy are a crucial factor in the shifts taking place. Not that you need to be an astrologer to see it; the charts just confirm what we’re already observing in real life.

On Friday, the Sun and Mars formally conjoin. This is the day that I expect we’ll see the release of the New Moon energy. It’s a great day to start a new endeavor, whatever that may be.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 13°54′ Aquarius is a train entering a tunnel, with the keyword PENETRATION. It’s a lot quicker to go through the mountain than to climb over the top – which, in many cases, is impossible anyway. So, we have to put on our thinking caps and figure out how to penetrate what seems impenetrable. That’s going to require creativity and innovation – keywords for Aquarius.

The New Moon in Aquarius is the Chinese New Year, heralding the Year of the Metal Rabbit. February 2 also is the Celtic cross-quarter day of Imbolc, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, and it’s Ground Hog Day. Catholics celebrate this day as Candlemas, but its pagan roots are undeniable. In France, they celebrate the festival by eating crèpes. Miam-miam.

This New Moon is extra special for me, as it falls on my Sun – which, of course, means that it’s my birthday. In astrology, we call it the Solar Return.

My “new project” is going to be devoting my full attention to reports and readings for my clients. As some of you know, I’m still recuperating from a serious back injury I suffered two years ago. My energy is limited, and I’ve been struggling to write for the RealAstrologers blog three or four times a week and stay on top of work for my clients – whom, by the way, have been so patient and understanding that it almost makes me want to cry. If you are among those on the wait list, take heart in knowing that I’m making these changes in order to get to your requests sooner.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to write the weekly forecast and to publish guest posts from my associates. If you don’t want to have to keep checking back to see if there’s a new post, subscribe to my feed, and you’ll get the new posts directly into your inbox.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. As part of your new endeavors, don’t forget to write your abundance check!

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in 1925 with the help of Elsie Wheeler, a gifted psychic. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

Weekly Forecast January 24: Saturn Retrograde

Magnolia. No time for sitting when there's so much going on in the background. © Pat Paquette 2011

Cardinal energies dominate this week as Saturn turns retrograde in Libra, setting the stage for the 2011 cardinal T-square.

The cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn – are active and initiate change. Even when Saturn slows down and turns around (what it looks like from down here, anyway), we have opportunities to state intentions and make changes.

Wherever Saturn is transiting your chart, you’ll have opportunities to balance your inner world and your outer reality through actively making changes to support your goals. In terms of the collective, we’ll have to take another look at the fairness of certain laws and policies. If they need correction and revision, doing so while Saturn is retrograde will be very effective.

In the United States, the newly elected Congress will work to revise laws passed in the previous session. How successful they’ll be remains to be seen. With Saturn retrograde in Libra, I’m hoping that any revisions will be fair and equitable, and that they won’t pander to a small number of corporate interests and neglect to take the real needs of the broader public into consideration.

Saturn turns retrograde on Wednesday at 17°13′ Libra (late Tuesday night in Western time zones). That’s just a few hours before Mercury in Saturn-ruled Capricorn forms an exact square to Saturn. My take on this is that the initial recognition that something needs to change will be irritating and uncomfortable, and we may not want to face it. Mercury in Capricorn is very good at thinking in practical terms, however, and so a little discomfort is a small price to pay for correcting major deficiencies, especially if they’ve been holding us back.

If you’ve got business negotiations scheduled for Wednesday, they will be tough, but ultimately they should be very productive. Normally I wouldn’t interpret a Mercury-Saturn square this way, but with Mercury in Saturn’s sign and Saturn in the sign of his exaltation, I do believe that challenges will be a good thing. I’ve often written on this site that all confrontation isn’t bad. How else would people debate polarized issues and find middle ground?

Saturn will be retrograde until June 12 and will turn direct at the peak of this year’s cardinal activity. By then, he’ll be back at 10 degrees Libra and in closer aspect to other planets in the T-square. For clues of how this might shake out, keep an eye on events in your life this Monday, when the Moon in Libra squares Pluto and conjoins Saturn, and also on Friday, when the Moon in Capricorn squares Jupiter in Aries and conjoins Pluto. Since we’re only talking about lunar aspects, the clues will be small, so you may miss them if you blink.

Otherwise, there are no major planetary aspects this week. Jupiter is moving swiftly along in Aries, though, so it doesn’t look like there will be any rest for the weary.

I did get a chance to watch a movie Saturday night and thought it was pretty funny that the two female stars were cardinal signs, and both of them even had cardinal references in their names. The movie was the original Pink Panther, now out on Blu-ray, with Peter Sellers as clumsy Inspector Clouseau. One of his female co-stars was a 60s model and actress known as Capucine, which is French for nasturtium. Her nickname was “Cap” or “Cappy,” and in fact she was a Capricorn. She looked every bit like one, too – coldly beautiful and dressed very expensively. The other female co-star was Claudia Cardinale, an Aries.

How’s that for synchronicity?

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

P.S. The movie is dated but still very funny and entertaining. If nothing else, watch it for the 60s fashions.

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