Weekly Forecast April 20: Sun Enters Taurus, Mars Trine Pluto

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

This week we get to slow down and smell the roses, and there’s even some levity to compensate for the unrelenting stress we’ve been under.

We’re still in the wake of Saturday’s New Moon when the Sun enters Taurus early Monday morning. Many of us are starting new ventures or entering a new phase in our lives, while still contending with unfinished business from previous cycles. The slower pace this week will help us catch up, and we’ll also have some space to confirm new priorities and formulate a plan for wrapping up old projects. The planning part is important, because it simply isn’t possible to complete the entire “to-do” list, and certainly not in a few days or a few weeks. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast April 13: Pluto Retrograde, New Moon in Aries

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Aries Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

It’s said that in every ending there’s a new beginning, but we’re in a strange lunar cycle in which the beginning is likely to come first.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Endings can be extremely painful, all the more so when the new beginning isn’t yet in sight. Most of us have experienced this anguish in the context of relationships. When your heart is broken, it’s hard to imagine the new person who might come along in a month or a year or maybe never. Sometimes the pain is so bad that we swear off relationships entirely, however temporary the sentiment may be. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast April 6: Jupiter Direct, Venus Enters Gemini

Spring smiles. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Spring smiles. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Image for this week: You’re driving on an eight-lane highway in the pouring rain, with a semi-truck passing on your left, buffeting your car in his draft. It seems like he’s been there forever, but thankfully he moves on.

And then the spray from his tires hits your windshield with a big splat. It’s not like you didn’t see it coming, but you can’t prevent being blinded for a second or two. Still, that’s no big deal, as long as you’ve been paying attention and know what’s in front of you.

As the week begins, we’re still in the draft of Saturday’s lunar eclipse, and the Uranus-Pluto square is activated by the Sun and Mercury. Nonetheless, Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 30: Mars Enters Taurus, Full Moon Eclipse in Libra

Image courtesy NASA, Fred Espenak.

Image courtesy NASA, Fred Espenak.

I probably don’t need to tell you that we’re in volatile, dangerous astrological territory.

This week, there is a total lunar eclipse, the third of four in a row, known as a “tetrad.” It comes on the heels of a total eclipse of the Sun two weeks earlier, which occurred just hours before the Aries equinox, one of the most powerful points in the zodiac. At the peak of this week’s lunar eclipse, the Sun in Aries is in close alignment with Uranus and in a square with Pluto.

Even though Uranus is moving away from the square with Pluto, it will be close for several weeks and thus will remain a major underlying signature in world events. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 23: Sun Trine Saturn, Venus Square Jupiter

The Structure Beneath. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

The Structure Beneath. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

This week is a mixed bag astrologically, but it could turn out quite well for many of us.

The bad news is that the Uranus-Pluto square remains close until the end of April, and we’re coming up on a total lunar eclipse that reinforces its explosive, destructive nature. Also, the period between eclipses can feel just plain weird. I usually feel like I’m in some kind of a twilight zone, not all “here” and but not all “there.”

The good news is that this week’s aspects are all largely positive. The Sun in Aries is more upbeat and active than it was in Pisces, and the trine from the Sun to Saturn is a good combination Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 16: Uranus Square Pluto, New Moon Solar Eclipse in Pisces

Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

We’re in one of the most stressful astrological periods of the year, and it will continue through the first week in April.

On the world stage, the biggest news is the seventh and final pass of the Uranus-Pluto square, which began in 2012 and ends on Monday (Tuesday in the Eastern Hemisphere). We began seeing events related to this long-range outer planetary cycle toward the end of 2010, with the first stirrings of the so-called Arab Spring. Since then, full-blown revolutions around the world have devolved into civil war, most notably in Syria and Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 9: Mars Conjunct Uranus, Saturn Retrograde

Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 liftoff, July 1969.

Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 liftoff, July 1969.

This is a potentially explosive week. Whether that’s good or bad news depends on where you are.

If you’re in your space capsule, buckled in and waiting for ignition and liftoff, the explosion beneath you is a good thing. Not so good if life with a partner or family member has felt like a bomb waiting to go off. Even controlled demolition gets out of control under this week’s highly explosive astrological aspects.

We’re just a week away from the seventh and final pass of the 2012-2015 Uranus-Pluto square. Outer-planetary aspects such as this take place over time, so the day of the exact aspect often passes without Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 2: Jupiter Trine Uranus, Full Moon in Virgo

The Sky Is Not Blue. © Pat Paquette, 2015.

White Sky, Gold Trees. © Pat Paquette, 2015.

Right on cue, the whole world seems to be going crazy as we enter the most astrologically tumultuous period of 2015.

Amid so much chaos and confusion, how do you find out what’s really going on? There’s no such thing as objective, unbiased media anymore. Comment sections are filled with the ranting of paid trolls intent on shutting down any meaningful debate. Hell, we can’t even trust our own eyes. Is that dress blue and black, or white and gold? Maybe the sky isn’t blue?

The Full Moon in Virgo on Thursday brings some much-needed discernment, critical thinking, and rational analysis. It’s hard to Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast February 23: Venus and Mars Trine Saturn

Apalachicola Fog. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Apalachicola Fog. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

This week starts out on a somewhat difficult note, but otherwise there are several positive planetary aspects, for individuals and the world in general.

We’re heading into the most intense month of the year, with stress that can feel overwhelming. That makes this week’s positive aspects all the more welcome. We might feel adrift in the fog, without a physical anchor, but there are ways to stay mentally and spiritually balanced. For some, supportive relationships have a steadying effect. Others feel a sense of continuity in creative projects, exercise routines, or spiritual practices Continue reading →