Category Archives: Forecasts

Weekly Forecast June 7: Mars in Virgo, Jupiter Conjunct Uranus

© Albo, Dreamstime.

Mars finally gets the [expletive deleted] out of Leo this week. That alone would indicate a major shift, but as those television commercials for knives always say, “Wait, there’s more!”

So much more.

Knives, incidentally, fall within the domain of Mars, who also rules the blood, muscles, and physical energy, along with testosterone and the male libido. That’s why, in his more extreme expressions, he can get a tad aggressive.

Mars normally moves through a sign in about six weeks, but he’s been in Leo since October 16, more than two months of which he spent retrograde. It’s always interesting to observe what happens in our lives when a planet changes signs, especially one that resonates so strongly in our day-to-day existence.

Unfortunately, the first thing Mars in Virgo will do is to form an edgy inconjunct with Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, just as they’re nearing conjunction, which is exact on Tuesday. Mars rules Aries, so we can’t dismiss the potential for complications in global finances and international tensions. That said, Mars in Virgo favors actively seeking solutions, and perhaps he’ll apply the brakes, however temporarily, to the wild and uncontrollable nature of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction.

What I can say with absolute certainty is that we will observe major changes this week, and we won’t have to squint and strain to see them. The effects will be abundantly evident in the news headlines and possibly in our own lives.

I should warn you, though, that while the changes happening now are irreversible, the solutions we come up with to address the problems exposed by these events will not be permanent, stable, or reliable. That’s because Jupiter and Uranus will barely dip their toes into Aries before turning retrograde this summer and going back to Pisces, which is where they will meet for a second and third time. Actions taken now — for example, to contain the BP oil spew — may not be effective, for whatever reason.

In my recent post on Uranus in Aries, I discussed the 29th degree of Pisces, also known as the “weeping degree.” Jupiter and Uranus will make two more passes over this degree between now and mid-March, and Mars crosses 29 degrees Pisces the first two days of April before blasting into his own sign. This will be just after the next spring equinox, also called the Aries ingress. Moreover, Mercury will be retrograde, so I suspect that’s when we’ll really experience the full-blown implications of events in play now.

The New Moon in Aries on April 3, 2011, will be especially symbolic of new beginnings. Even though it’s a ways off, I thought it was worth mentioning now, because this may be when we’re forced to leave our old ways behind once and for all.

Although we have no idea what’s in store for us this summer, it’s hard not to think that the BP oil disaster will feed into it somehow. Among the news sites I’ve been visiting daily is The Oil Drum, a newsletter dedicated to serious debate about the impact of declining world oil reserves. Nathan Hagens, an ecology economics research fellow at the University of Vermont, posted an analysis this morning that puts the issue into stark perspective. Rather than demanding a pound of flesh from the purveyors of evil corporate greed, we need to be asking ourselves the questions he raises.

S&@!, all of that, and I’m not even done writing about Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Mercury trines Saturn, an aspect that can yield very productive discussions. Later in the day, Mars opposes Chiron. I touched on this in my Saturday Extra! post.

On Thursday (Wednesday in some parts of the world), Mercury enters his home sign of Gemini, where he’ll sextile Jupiter and Uranus right away and then square Mars on Friday. The Moon also enters Gemini on Thursday, adding an exclamation point to all of Mercury’s declarations. We’ll be in the world of ideas for the next couple of weeks, and that’s a good thing, in my book. Of course, the square between Mercury and Mars suggests a war of words, but that’s hardly surprising. The problems we face seem insurmountable. You don’t need an astrologer to tell you that there will be acrimonious disagreements over proposed solutions.

In your personal affairs, you may want to tread a little more gently and take care not to be overly critical, lest you end up in needless conflicts with your loved ones. Know where to draw the line.

Saturday is the New Moon in Gemini. I’ll have a separate post on Tuesday or Wednesday. For now, let me just point out that we’ll be heading toward eclipse territory after the New Moon. The next lunation, at the end of this month, will be a lunar eclipse in tight conjunction with Pluto.

We’re wandering deeper into cardinal T-square territory, and whenever we step into a new world, it’s exhilarating and dangerous at the same time.

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

Extra! Love in the Time of the T-Square

Breakthrough. © James A. Weythman.

I’ve spent so much time lately writing about this summer’s cardinal T-square that I’ve barely given much thought to Neptune and Chiron, both of which turned retrograde this past week.

Those of you who followed me over from The Pisces Chronicles may recall my posts about the Neptune-Chiron conjunction of the past few years and the opportunity for healing deep wounds, both collective and individual. In my observation, that window is a bit wider during times when one or both planets are changing directions.

In November 2008, I wrote:

Culturally, we are taught that giving up is a bad thing, that it shows we are weak. Don’t go down without a fight, we’re told. But sometimes, giving up and giving in is exactly what we need to do, and there’s nothing like extreme pain to force us to let go of everything we are, everything we believe, and to open ourselves up to something else.

Neptune dissolves the ego and allows us to open up to that “something else.” We’ve got some extra help from Mars, the surgeon. Mars is opposite Neptune and will oppose Chiron on Tuesday. Re-opening old wounds can hurt like hell, but sometimes it’s necessary before true healing can take place.

Most of us have some idea of our individual wounds, but we’re at the point at which we have to address our collective dis-ease. This wound is millennia old, and I believe its origins lie in the separation of male and female energies. Many of my old PiChron posts were devoted to the coming planetary shift and what it means for healing the imbalance between feminine and masculine energies — yin and yang, if you will.

Given the building intensity of the cardinal T-square, it may seem like Neptune is a minor influence at this point. And besides, now that Uranus is in Aries, they’re no longer are in mutual reception. But Neptune is still a player in this lineup, albeit in a more subtle, Neptunian way.

Within the cardinal T-square is polarization and extreme tension. Polarization is at the root of every conflict on the planet right now, and it all goes back to the separation of the fundamental masculine-feminine energies. We’re stuck, and the only way out of it is going to be a major breakthrough in consciousness — if we don’t kill each other first. Breakthroughs are not possible without first having a breakdown, and that happens when the ego gives up and stops fighting.

The ego is invested in hanging on tightly to old wounds. Experienced for long enough, our fears, insecurities and paranoia become so much a part of us that we may take them for granted and not even realize how much they’re affecting us. If we do manage to release them, we feel an odd emptiness, like something is missing.

I believe that an increase in consciousness will come simultaneously with the opening of our hearts, individually and collectively. We have to open our hearts and keep them open despite repeated hurt, and we have to work to clear out the energies that prevent love from taking root. Love makes us whole, but it can’t descend on us and bestow its light unless we clear a space for it in our hearts.

For those of you who are working on making the world safe for love, I want to encourage you to keep going. I am optimistic that we’re about to turn a corner, even though it seems like we’re in the darkest hour, and the in the outside world, it’s feeling a lot like war and the seven plagues.

I leave with you with a video called “Soldier of Love,” from the first album in 10 years by Sade. A Capricorn (ruler of the military), she’s back just in time for the cardinal T-square. And what about those Mayan ruins on the album cover? Just a coincidence?

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast May 31: Jupiter Enters Aries

Devils Tower, Wyo. Native tribes associated this imposing rock formation with the Big Dipper. Its energy, like that of the coming cardinal T-square, is unnerving and extremely powerful. © Pat Paquette.

If you’re asking yourself how much more could possibly happen in the next few months, the answer is, “a lot!”

And it could happen very fast, too, once Jupiter enters Aries on Sunday (June 6). Jupiter is the planet of “big,” and he combines forces next week with erratic, explosive Uranus. I might have thought something like an oil well blowing up and gushing millions of barrels of oil into the sea would occur under such an influence, but I would have been wrong.

We’re still in the early stages of the buildup toward this summer’s cardinal T-square, and that could mean we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Traditionally, Jupiter is considered to be one of the luckiest influences in astrology. He is an indicator of growth, expansion, and abundance. And perhaps that will be true this summer. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that his presence in this complicated and volatile configuration of planets will bring some favorable outcomes to situations that currently look catastrophic and scary. Let’s just hope …

In Aries, Jupiter may help us maintain our optimism despite the challenges that are coming at us faster and harder every day. For some, there may be an element of adventure in these challenges. Others could find ways to turn hardship into opportunities for growth and positive change, while still others may find ways to provide services that many people will need in tough times. In Aries, Jupiter is the “can-do” man.

Conjunct Uranus, Jupiter unfortunately could take his enthusiasm to an extreme, and we may see many instances of speculative and risky behavior, especially in politics and finance. Should this happen, the backlash will be swift and severe. Everyone’s on a short fuse these days, and there is so much anger and polarization everywhere.

I’m waiting, along with everyone else, to see how these unprecedented energies play out. At the same time, I’m trying to stay mindful of how I can work with them rather than waiting around for something to happen to me.

As for the rest of this week, Neptune turns retrograde on Monday and will stay in “reverse” until November 7. Because his orbit is so far from the Sun, Neptune moves through the signs slowly and spends a good part of every year retrograde (as do Uranus and Pluto). We aren’t likely to see sudden events related to this transit, although I’ve often felt very sleepy for a week or so when Neptune stations. This may be very apparent on Thursday and Friday, when Neptune is conjoined by the Moon and opposed by Mars, ruler of physical energy.

Hard aspects between Mars and Neptune also can indicate deception of some kind. Well, does it take an astrologer to tell you that somebody’s lying to us? Mars symbolizes confrontation, so those perpetrating the lies might want to make sure their blowout preventers are working.

Also on Friday, Chiron turns retrograde. Chiron, often referred to as the Wounded Healer, speaks to our individual and collective wounds. He recently entered Pisces, but will return to Aquarius in late July and continue to move close to Neptune for another six months. I’ve been writing about this conjunction for several years, mostly in regard to healing the collective mind.

Sometimes, our wounds are so deeply buried that a part of us needs to break down completely before we can repair the damage and put ourselves back together in a way that is more healthy and whole. Perhaps this is even part of the message of the BP oil “spill,” which we might view as a physical wound deep within the Earth.

On Sunday (Saturday night in some parts of the world), the Moon in Pisces conjoins Jupiter and then moves into Aries, where she immediately conjoins Uranus. Less than ten minutes later, Jupiter enters Aries, and then the Moon carries that energy forward to a square with Pluto.

Still, it’s not a cardinal T-square yet. Saturn is still in Virgo, and while Venus is in Cancer, she has advanced too far to be included in a T-square.

As I wrote above, we’ve got a way to go before we hit the peak power of this cardinal T-square. I truly hope that you are all able to find ways to put these forces to work for you, even though it’s probably too much to expect that each of us won’t be adversely affected in some way, however small.

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

Uranus in Aries: Acting To Change the World

Uranus, ruler of electricity. Power lines extend from Grand Coulee Dam into the far distance. ©Pat Paquette.

Uranus, the planet we associate with rebellion, innovation, and change, is in Aries as of Thursday, May 27. We won’t get far into pioneering territory before he turns retrograde and returns to Pisces for several months, but we’ll have a chance to explore and experiment.

Simply put, Pisces is about dreaming, imagining, and reflecting. Aries is about doing. We’ve had seven years to reflect on our dreams and visions for the future, how we want our world to be. Uranus in Aries now asks, “So what are you going to do about it?”

Pisces is, among other things, about our beliefs. Ruled by Neptune, Pisces can be wonderfully imaginative and spiritual or totally delusional. Blind faith falls within this category. There are many forms of blind faith. Usually we think of it in terms of organized religion, but it can apply equally to blind faith in our government, blind faith in our societal values, and blind faith in our political and economic system.

How many people do you know who say they have faith in the system, just not the current elected officials who are running it? At some point, we’re going to need to realize that it just isn’t working, and then what?

The 29th degree of every sign is sensitive, but this is particularly true for the 29th degree of Pisces, the last degree of the zodiac and known as the “weeping degree.” Venus stationed there last year after a retrograde period in Aries, sensitizing this degree even further. It was a special moment in time, when Susan Boyle created an overnight sensation with a song about a broken dream.

As Uranus crossed 29 degrees Pisces, protests were rampant in the euro zone, and oil gushed unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico from BP’s well a mile under the surface. What beliefs are we being asked to sacrifice? If you don’t have an answer yet, you’ll know by March 11, 2011, when Uranus re-enters Aries for a seven-year stint, much of which will be in a politically volatile square with Pluto in Capricorn.

In the ingress chart set for Washington D.C., Ceres is rising, conjunct Pluto and square Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn. This suggests that the biggest issue for the United States will involve the environment. Set for Brussels, the ingress chart has 13 Aries on the Ascendant, with Ceres and Pluto on the Midheaven. This also suggests issues of food supply and an impending environmental crisis.

As much as we’d like to blame BP for this disaster and force them to pay, that will not solve the underlying problem. The way the scenario is playing out, BP may be sacrificed (but more likely not) so that oil drilling and the obscene profits being reaped by oil companies at the expense of the environment can go forward unimpeded. If you watched President Obama’s press conference on May 27, you know this to be true. He said BP would pay, but offshore oil drilling would continue.

We are dependent on fossil fuels, period. And exploiting fossil fuels has dire environmental consequences. That is a fact. We are addicted and disempowered. How will we reclaim that power and remake the world according to our vision of love, joy, and abundance? Is it even possible? Should we even try? Or should we adjust our beliefs to be more “realistic?” Should we accept that we can’t meet our material needs without lasting, long-term damage to our food chain and life-support system? Will we keep searching for some technological fix (also the realm of Uranus) to make it possible to have all of this and a clean environment, too? When, exactly, can we expect that to happen?

Uranus in Aries requires us to act, and I would add that we’re at a point in the evolution of human consciousness when it’s imperative that we act in accordance with our values. Some people will take this as their cue to participate in mass demonstrations. That’s not inappropriate, and it’s probably inevitable. For the next five years, Uranus will remain in a close square with Pluto, suggesting massive political unrest. As I mentioned above, this unrest is likely to be related to the breakdown of the environment and food supply chain.

However, limiting your actions to political protests is a bit like going to church on Sunday and then acting wantonly the rest of the week, without regard to whether you’re being kind and maintaining your integrity. Acting must include changing our fundamental beliefs to shift into a different way of living and being.

This can’t happen overnight. But it’s something to start working on while we’re working to change the world.

Top Kill: Ceres Doesn’t Make Idle Threats

A dead Northern Gannet on Grand Isle Beach, Louisiana. Photo by Sean Gardner for REUTERS.

As thousands of gallons of oil a day gush from BP’s well in the Gulf of Mexico, astrologers predictably are linking the disaster with the approach of this summer’s cardinal T-square.

I agree — it’s a no-brainer — but there is another planet involved here, and no one seems to be paying much attention to her.

I will admit that I have not routinely mentioned Ceres in all of my reports of the cardinal T-square, although I’ve at least acknowledged the conjunction of Ceres and Pluto and have made some initial guesses about how her inclusion in this extraordinary planetary configuration might play out.

In a post on April 24, I suggested that something would happen “to force governments to take responsibility for bad public policy, especially regarding the environment.” I wrote that post on April 14, a week before BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers and blowing out a deep undersea well, which has been gushing anywhere from 5,000 to 100,000 barrels of oil a day into the gulf, depending on whom you believe.

A week earlier, in a post on the cardinal T-square of 2010, I noted that the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred during a cardinal build-up in 1989, and I predicted that similar environmental disasters would be likely this year.

According to classical mythology, Ceres dared to confront Jupiter and Pluto over the disappearance of her daughter, Proserpina (better known as the Greek Persephone), whom Pluto kidnapped and stole off to the underworld. Ceres appealed to Jupiter, who disclaimed knowledge of the incident. She later discovered that Jupiter not only knew about the kidnapping but gave Pluto his express permission to take Proserpina for his wife against her will.

In her anger and grief, Ceres cut off the food supply and threatened to kill the entire human race. She didn’t make idle threats or set a deadline. Jupiter was forced to send a message to Pluto to return Proserpina to her mother. However, before Pluto sent her home, he fed her pomegranate seeds. No one who eats in the underworld may return to the world of the living. We also may assume that he had his way with her, taking what he wanted much in the same way that energy companies pillage the earth.

Jupiter sent Mercury to negotiate a compromise in which Proserpina was to spend half the year with her mother and half the year as Pluto’s queen in the underworld. During the half year when she was away, plant life on earth died. This myth ostensibly is an “explanation” for winter, but we might also read into it a dire warning of what happens when the environment is so callously disregarded.

As astrologers and students of astrology, we might also want to consider what happens when we ignore Ceres.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union created a class of “dwarf planets,” in which they included Pluto and Ceres. Pluto was in effect demoted, while Ceres was given equal status to Pluto. Yet, Pluto got all of the attention, including indignant rants from astrologers everywhere about Pluto’s power. Even though Ceres was discovered 130 years before Pluto and is closer to the Earth, she is relegated to a minor role in astrology. Many astrologers consider her primary influence to be felt in mother-daughter relationships — in other words, “women’s issues” and not power politics. That’s still for the big boys.

In mundane astrology, Jupiter and Pluto represent government and corporate powers, which clearly must share the blame for what is fast becoming the worst environmental disaster in North American history. A report just came out about the cozy relationship between the oil industry and government regulators, who illegally accepted gifts from the people they were supposed to be monitoring and, by some accounts, were viewing Internet porn instead of doing their jobs.

And, just as Jupiter thought he could blow off Ceres with a lie, the powers that be don’t appear to be taking the implications very seriously. While the goo floating in the water and oozing up on the shore threatens an extensive ecosystem, government and industry officials are moving ahead with plans to continue offshore oil drilling, some of it in areas even more sensitive that the Gulf of Mexico.

To add insult to injury, the U.S. Department of the Interior has continued granting controversial environmental waivers, despite President Barack Obama’s announcement of a moratorium on drilling new wells in the gulf.

Ironically, BP is launching a procedure called “top kill” (how Plutonian is that?), possibly as early as Wednesday, in an attempt to shut down the gusher. BP officials caution that they have no idea whether it will work, because no one ever has attempted this procedure in a well this deep. The operation will take place just as Uranus is entering Aries, with Jupiter hot on his heels. The ingress chart set for Venice, La. (the nearest town to the BP oil rig), has Ceres exactly on the Ascendant at 2 degrees Capricorn.

Now that Ceres is part of the cardinal T-square, she’s solidly within the good ol’ boys club. Moreover, it’s likely to be the wisdom and maturity of Ceres that gets us out of this mess. In caring for the environment, we will have to make some compromises, and unfortunately they aren’t going to be a bed of roses. Although we can demand more oversight from our government, the energy industry thrives because we rely on their products in just about every aspect of our lives, from gasoline for our cars and food production, to the plastics used in our computers.

We still do not know the extent of the fallout from this disaster, and we may not know for several years. The consequences likely will be far greater than oiled birds and dead fisheries.

In the meantime, we can expect massive public protests and outrage against BP and the Obama administration. The demonstrations will be all the more vehement because starry eyed voters feel betrayed and need a target to vent their anger. Uranus in Aries will happily supply the fuel … a veritable uncontrolled gusher.

Then, these protests could pale compared to the political unrest that will occur when we’re forced to pay higher prices for gasoline, food, and other petroleum-based products. You can bet that our political leaders know this.

As I suggested in my previous post, the inclusion of Ceres in the T-square may have implications in our private lives, too.

“At the very least, we may need to reflect on how past decisions or behavior are affecting us in the present. It’s never too late to change!”

Our first responsibility in this crisis is to be informed citizens and search for real information, not what we’re being fed by BP, the U.S. government, and the corporate media.

Second, we have to confront the reality that our daily consumption habits contributed to this disaster. We pay lip service to environmentalism and point the finger at Big Bad Oil, and without missing a beat jump into our cars to run to the supermarket for a garden burger produced in a factory thousands of miles away. Healing ourselves and thus the planet requires that our words and our actions are in synch. Put another way, we must never quit striving to live with absolute integrity.

That, too, is a no-brainer.

I’ll have more on Uranus in Aries in this week’s Saturday Extra! post.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast May 24: Uranus Enters Aries, Full Moon in Sagittarius

Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia, by Charles Marion Russell, 1905.

The preparation phase is over. As of this week, the wagons are loaded, and we begin our journey to somewhere else. We’ve heard about it and read about it, but until we actually make our way to this new and mysterious place, we won’t know what’s in store for us.

Uranus enters pioneering Aries just after the Full Moon on Wednesday. This is a major milestone in the building cardinal T-square. Jupiter enters Aries next week, and the two will form a conjunction on June 8.

We can imagine our pioneering ancestors leaving the comfort of the familiar and venturing into the unknown, lured by a better life, wide-open spaces, land of their own, and the bounty of nature. Some of them just wanted adventure or were called by a primal human need to go beyond the limits of the known world. Those who survived the hardship of the journey paved the way for others behind them, as explorers and immigrants have been doing since time immemorial.

For this week’s image, I chose a painting of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Charles Marion Russell. Not only does this historical event represent the spirit of Uranus in Aries, but it also took place during a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. Jupiter, Uranus, and Mars all were conjunct in Libra when the party left Pittsburg on August 31, 1803 — which, incidentally, was a rare six-eclipse year. Lewis and Clark were dispatched by President Thomas Jefferson to cross the Louisiana Purchase, which had been acquired from France earlier that year, effectively doubling the size of U.S. territory.

Expansion, of course, is the realm of Jupiter. Although the Big Guy currently is conjunct wild, unpredictable Uranus, which might lead to explosive growth in all things, he’s also opposed to Saturn, which limits and constrains. Jupiter opposed Saturn yesterday (May 23), in the first of three oppositions between now and the end of the March 2011.

All activities this week are very much still under the power of this influence, which I wrote about in last week’s forecast. From Monday to Wednesday, we can expect a lot of financial developments, including news of regulatory bills before the U.S. Congress. The legislation ostensibly is aimed at preventing another banking crisis like the one that occurred in 2008. However, it’s hard to believe much is going to be fixed. The astrological signature of that meltdown, the Saturn-Uranus opposition, isn’t over yet and is about to be complicated by a tight square to Pluto in late July. Moreover, the square between Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries will continue into mid-2015.

On Thursday, we have the Full Moon in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, briefly emphasizing mutable rather than cardinal energies. Although a lot of change can happen during mutable periods, mutable signs also are adaptable, so this could present us with a short window to adjust to recent shifts before more change comes piling on.

And so it will, with Uranus entering action-oriented Aries less than three hours after the Full Moon. I’ll have more on Uranus in Aries in a post later this week.

Neither Uranus nor Jupiter will remain in Aries for very long. Both turn retrograde this summer and return to Pisces until next year. But they will be in Aries in late July and early August, when the cardinal T-square will be at peak power.

While these noisy transits are occurring, Saturn quietly returns direct in Virgo on Sunday. His first order of business is to put severe obstacles in the path of Jupiter and Uranus, who would leap into anything without so much as a cursory look. This will apply to everything from natural disasters to political unrest and financial activities. We actually may thank our lucky stars that Saturn is such a stick in the mud, as it may be he, in the end, who prevents all hell from breaking loose.

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

Weekly Forecast May 17: Sun in Gemini, Jupiter Opposite Saturn

As above, so below. Detail of Fall of the Titans, by Dutch painter Cornelis van Haarlem, 1588.

There will be plenty of action this week, although it may seem somewhat chaotic and directionless much of the time.

The week begins on solid ground, with the Sun in the last degrees of Taurus making positive contacts with Jupiter in Pisces on Monday and Saturn in Virgo on Tuesday. These aspects favor material results. While the building opposition between Jupiter and Saturn will be felt as conflict between expanding our options and playing it safe, the tension between these two finds a creative outlet in the Sun. Wherever the last degrees of Taurus are in your chart is where you will find your biggest inspiration.

Also on Monday, Venus squares Jupiter, and then over the next two days trines Neptune and squares Saturn and Uranus. This could be a recipe for going overboard with marathon texting, too much junk food (or worse), and unrestrained impulse shopping, which you will regret sorely the next day.

Or, it could bring a totally unexpected opportunity to make an investment in your future. If you’re in the market for something in particular and stick to buying only what’s on your list, you could do very well early in the week.

After all that activity, Venus glides into watery Cancer on Wednesday, and her first order of business will be to oppose Ceres and Pluto this weekend. The Moon will be in Libra, which means we’ll have a cardinal T-square for a few hours.

Normally I wouldn’t rank a T-square with the Moon as much of an influence, but with the bigger configuration looming in the next two months, this one bears watching. The Moon will be at the apex of the T-square, in mutual reception with Venus. Hard aspects between Venus and Pluto typically translate to sexual tension and passion. In Cancer and Capricorn, the desire to possess and control could be overwhelming, and this makes Moon in Libra extremely uncomfortable. Be prepared to get called out on hidden motives. We all have them, but most of us would rather not admit it.

Mercury makes the last of a three-part trine with Pluto on Wednesday, which will help us access the secret recesses of our minds and the deep truths buried there. We may not like what we hear, but self-knowledge is self-empowerment. We all have a shadow side.

On Thursday, the Sun enters Gemini, and then we’ll be in mutable territory for the next two weeks. I started to write “solidly in mutable territory,” but nothing is solid or firm about the mutable signs. Think of trying to pour a bowl of warm Jell-O onto a plate, and you get the idea. Or like a symphony tuning their instruments. There’s no theme or focus. We’re all over the map and mixing our metaphors.

Chiron, which recently entered Pisces, is part of the mutable trend and represents deep spiritual wounds in the collective caused by millennia of man’s inhumanity to man. As we wind up the Age of Pisces and head into the Age of Aquarius, we need to reclaim our interconnectedness, not just with each other but with the invisible forces of the cosmos, which some call “higher realms.”

The Moon enters Virgo on Friday and makes contact on Saturday with Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, all in mutable signs. On Sunday, Jupiter opposes Saturn, the first of three passes of this opposition. Only the first will be in mutable signs. The next two, on Aug. 16, 2010, and March 28, 2011, will be in Libra and Aries and will play a key role in the cardinal T-square we’ve been hearing so much about.

It’s hard to overemphasize the influence of this opposition and its role in intensifying the power of the cardinal T-square. Political and economic unrest is almost certain and, in fact, has started already, well in advance of the peak period of the T-square in July and August. We’re seeing it most prominently in financial markets. The opposition is magnified by the conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus, which is taking place concurrently with the Jupiter-Saturn opposition, and by the square of all three to powerful Pluto in Capricorn.

These are extraordinary times, and no matter where this planetary configuration falls in your chart, you will feel the pressure. For some, it will manifest as unbearable tension that forces you to grow and change. For others, it could bring unimaginable opportunities, totally out of the blue, but these will hold their own set of challenges. Sweeping change is, by definition, disruptive, and humans are wired to stick to the safe and familiar. That simply will not be possible in the months to come.

That is the main reason why I sign off my weekly forecasts with a wish for much love and courage. We’re all going to need it.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast May 10: Mercury Direct, New Moon in Taurus

Work Interrupted, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1891

Although there aren’t many major planetary aspects this week, what we’ve got promises to bring a flurry of activity.

Mercury has been retrograde since April 18. On Tuesday, the Messenger stations direct at 2°39′ Taurus, in an applying conjunction with the Moon and tight trine with Pluto in Capricorn. The Moon is still in the waning phase, so it would be smart to wait until after Thursday before moving forward with activities put on hold during Mercury’s retrograde phase.

With the Moon and Mercury conjoined in a trine to Pluto, we have an opportunity to get deep insight into the transformational processes that are occurring in our individual lives and for the planet as a whole. This is where we may get a glimpse of what the future holds for us, if only for a fleeting moment. Pay close attention to dreams, psychic flashes, or unusual events that happen on Wednesday.

Your message from the universe could come through another person, too. I call these events angels. Think about it. The image of angels as winged beings goes back millennia, before Christianity and Judaism, even before Greek mythology. The wings symbolize air, and air represents thoughts or ideas.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Athena, goddess of wisdom, appears to Odysseus’s son Telemachus in the form of Mentor, a trusted friend that Odysseus leaves in charge of his household while he’s off fighting in the Trojan War. Athena, you’ll recall from Mythology 101, sprang from the head of her father, Zeus, fully formed. This image gives us more clues about her identity as a thought form or mental energy. The name “Mentor” stems from the Indo-European word for mind or thinking. Minerva, Athena’s Roman counterpart, gets her name from the same root.

So, when someone gives you important information, you are being visited by an angel, and the message is a valuable gift. I unabashedly predict that angels will be flitting all about on Wednesday!

Traffic and communications typically move slowly a day or two on either side of a Mercury station, but events will begin to unfold rapidly after the Mew Moon, which peaks at 9:04 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday. The Moon will carry forward the energy released by Mercury’s return direct, so be prepared to hit the ground running.

After Thursday, we’ll be so busy that we may not have time to breathe, let alone think. Do essential chores early in the week, and clear your schedule, to the extent possible. It wouldn’t hurt, either, to think about what you’d do if the opportunity of a lifetime came through. This will be the reality for many of us. Trouble is, all opportunities that come to us now will have a hitch. It could be quite a big one. So you’ll need to know what you can live with and what would be a deal-breaker.

The Moon in Gemini on Friday and Saturday favors communications and is great for signing contracts, too. Perfect timing, because those were activities that didn’t go so well while Mercury was in reverse mode.

Sunday’s Cancer Moon favors tending to family matters. Enjoy a good, home-cooked meal or at least a cup of your favorite tea. Despite the flurry of activity on Thursday and Friday, you should be able to find some time to wind down. Practice your favorite stress-reduction technique.

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

Weekly Forecast May 3: Sun Square Mars

Peaceful reflection. © James A. Weythman.

Most of this week’s aspects are fairly low-key, given what we’ve been dealing with over the past several months. It’s a great time to take a short vacation.

Mercury is still retrograde and making mischief with travel plans, especially if you’re on a business trip. But now that he’s speeding along in reverse, the logjams are clearing. Travelers waylaid by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland are making their way home, and at least one airline that refused to reimburse passengers the cost of meals and lodging was forced to recant.

Still, there are a lot of mix-ups over airline policies to sell tickets to new passengers, while stranded customers are being told they have to wait for an available seat. It may take until the next Mercury retrograde, which begins on August 20, for everyone to get due compensation.

We also are still very much in the shadow of the Saturn-Uranus opposition. I wrote a post some time ago on what you might expect in your personal life during this transit, and that still applies. These themes will continue to play out in your life until this fall.

Otherwise, this week’s aspects are fleeting and won’t last more than a few days. Taking the week chronologically, retrograde Mercury trines Pluto on Monday. Watch for headlines for more news of violations in the banking industry and other embarrassing revelations for global financial institutions. Personal revelations could be humbling, too, particularly if you’ve got skeletons in your closet.

On Tuesday, the Sun in Taurus squares Mars in Leo. With the “ego” planets in conflict, there’s a risk that what starts as a simple disagreement will end in a defensive standoff. Some of us will express ourselves loudly and angrily, while others will make their feelings known in a passive-aggressive manner. The silent treatment is every bit as loud and angry as yelling obscenities at someone, and it can provoke serious backlash. The Moon adds more fuel to the fire when she enters Aquarius on Wednesday.

Things calm down after the middle of the week, and we can relax for a bit. Venus forms an easygoing sextile to Mars on Friday. Too bad this influence doesn’t last longer, because it converts to more-harmonious relationships of all kinds. If you’re feeling more creative than usual, do something with your ideas. At the very least, write them out in detail. Likewise, if you find a good financial opportunity, do some research. With Mercury retrograde, now isn’t the time to act, but you could stumble on some extremely valuable information that will be your ace in the hole next week.

The Moon is in gentle Pisces from Friday to Sunday, making this a weekend to rest, recuperate, and reflect. The Moon conjoins Jupiter and Uranus and then a few hours later opposes Saturn, so if you’re celebrating Mother’s Day, breakfast or brunch are the best alternatives for fun and surprises.

I’m taking my own advice and going out of town this week. I’ve left several posts scheduled, so you won’t miss me.

Wishing you a joyful week of love and abundance,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Saturday Extra: The Cardinal T-Square and Immigration Law

Riot police at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Photo by Ross D. Franklin for The Associated Press.

Arizona’s new illegal-immigration law and the protests it unleashed stand out as an early indicator of how events will unfold during the cardinal T-square of 2010 and 2011.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law on April 23, just as Saturn and Uranus were approaching exact opposition in Virgo and Pisces, the fourth contact since November 2008. It is scheduled to go into effect in late July or early August, right around the fifth and last opposition of Saturn and Uranus on July 26.

By that time, both planets will be in early cardinal signs, in a tight square with Pluto. We can expect more protests, possibly more violent, and the federal government likely will intervene as well.

Of course, Mercury also was retrograde at the signing, and that makes it more likely that there will be changes, if the law isn’t repealed altogether. But even if it is, powerful forces have been set in motion that will continue to play out until 2012 and beyond.

The new law makes it a punishable crime to be in the United States illegally and gives police in Arizona the power to stop and question people they suspect of being illegal immigrants. The backlash was swift and severe. According to news reports, protestors stormed the state capitol and drew comparisons with Nazi Germany.

Gov. Brewer, a Republican in a historically conservative state, said the law was needed because the federal government wasn’t doing enough to fight illegal immigration and lawlessness along the border with Mexico. Other states are considering similar measures.

The Obama administration reportedly is considering a legal challenge. Many civil rights groups also are threatening to sue, saying that the law will lead to racial profiling and harassment of Hispanics and anyone who looks like one. From there, it’s only one step to legal authority to stop anyone, for any reason or no reason at all. If it seems like we’re on a slippery slope toward a police state (many people argue that we’re already there), it’s not just paranoia.

Once Saturn and Uranus move into action-oriented cardinal signs this summer and form a close square with Pluto, the playing field will expand. It’s likely that the federal government will intervene at that time. In a T-square, the planet at the apex takes the “heat.” Pluto will be squared not just by Saturn and Uranus, but simultaneously by Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. Immigration and legal issues fall under the provenance of Jupiter, which was approaching conjunction with Uranus when the law was signed.

But what does Pluto in Capricorn represent? The “conventional” interpretation is that it’s about Big Government and Big Business. If so, the situation in Arizona — as well as other protests breaking out around the world — may be an early test of this power.

That said, we must take care in connecting the various astrological players in this unfolding celestial drama to earthly counterparts. For example, it’s tempting to assign Uranus to the Democrats and Saturn to the Republicans, but that would be an error in our thinking. The planets in signs represent forces of nature, which express themselves through humans and through the Earth herself.

Here’s something else to think about: As long as Pluto is checked by Saturn in Libra and Uranus in Aries, we may be under surveillance but not under totalitarian control. That could well change in 2012, when Saturn enters Scorpio and begins to “cooperate” with Pluto, through both a friendly sextile and mutual reception.

At that point, the people may be on their own to battle the combined forces of business and government, and our definitions of “conservative” and “liberal” may become totally meaningless.

Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat