Tag Archives: Jupiter in Cancer

Weekly Forecast June 16: Sun Enters Cancer, Summer Solstice

Uruk archaeological dig in Iraq. Civilization started with cities, and the Sumerian city of Uruk was among the first. The name “Iraq” is thought to be derived from “Uruk.” Photo credit: SAC Andy Holmes, Royal Air Force, 2008.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. A bit of both, I guess.

I’m getting slammed by this Mercury retrograde in the classic way, with Internet connectivity issues, cable TV interruptions, botched online orders, miscommunications, late ferries, etc. Knowing that most of these problems will subside in a couple of weeks, I’ve been more patient than usual, and I can laugh about it. Some of it, anyway.

As you might recall, I had a bad experience with an online home furnishings site that took my payment for an item that wasn’t in stock. With the Better Business Bureau involved, my case got bumped up the customer service food chain. Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast April 21: Uranus Square Pluto, Venus Trine Saturn

Frontispiece from William Blake’s Song of Los, 1795.

As we’ve approached this week’s powerful planetary alignment, pressure has been mounting – in our personal lives, in society at large, and in world affairs. This week, it reaches peak intensity.

We’ve been feeling the buildup in stages, starting with new developments in 2010 that reached a crisis point last summer. The tension intensified in late 2013, and by the end of March, it was at near-breaking point. After this week, the four-way alignment in the change-oriented cardinal signs begins to break up, and the pressure will begin to subside.

You likely know by now what area or areas of your life are under duress. You even might have had a breakthrough recently. If not, you should get Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast March 31: Sun Opposite Uranus, Sun Square Jupiter and Pluto

Tuesday is April Fool’s Day, and while this week is anything but funny, the role of the iconic fool is curiously appropriate for the epic planetary alignment of our time and the concurrent madness here on Earth.

In a Tarot reading a few days ago, I drew The Fool. The usual interpretation of The Fool involves having faith that if you’re on the right path, the universe will support you. Knowing that gives one the courage to take risks and move forward despite uncertainty.

That’s not a bad image for this week’s tumultuous aspects. The winds are picking up as we head straight into the storm, and playing it safe isn’t an option. We’re being forced into new territory where few have gone before. The world is changing – socially, culturally, technologically, and politically – and we’re all explorers and pioneers.
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Weekly Forecast March 10: Sun Trine Saturn, Full Moon in Virgo

A couple of weeks ago, I began having disturbing dreams. I do a lot of dream work and so usually have some idea of the message and what triggered the dream. However, these dreams are unlike any I’ve ever had.

The images are unfamiliar, and most of the other people in the dreams don’t resemble anyone I know. Typically, I thought it was just me. Within a few days, a friend mentioned she had experienced something similar, and another friend said the same thing. While I was in the city last week, I overheard two more conversations. In every case, there was a sense of bewilderment and disquiet, and of course they all thought it was “just me.”
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Weekly Forecast March 3: Venus Enters Aquarius, Jupiter Direct

The big question on everyone’s mind this week is whether the crisis in Ukraine is going to blow up into a major global conflict.

I’m not ready to predict one way or the other, but I can tell you that astrologically, we are in an extremely dangerous period, and it is going to get steadily worse into April and May, with the last two weeks of April being the most volatile period.

I’ve written so much about the Uranus-Pluto square that most of you know by now that it has been an unmistakable signature for the revolutions we’ve seen since 2010 and the violent response by police and military. The Uranus-Pluto square extends into 2015, but will have a “ripple effect” for several years afterward.
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Weekly Forecast February 24: Jupiter Square Uranus, New Moon in Pisces

Anti-government protests in Kiev. © Mykhaylo Palinchak/Dreamstime.com.

In preparation for writing my weekly forecast, I try to make sure that I have a good grasp of current events. This week, the task has been overwhelming.

Then yesterday I realized that astrological events are pretty overwhelming, too. “As above, so below.”

I’ve been reading news reports on the violent protests in Kiev, trying to figure out the truth of what’s going on and, even more confusing, who all the players are. But I am clear on the astrological signatures underlying these historical events.

On Wednesday, we experience the second of three exact squares between Jupiter and Uranus, both in conflicting aspect with Pluto. The first one occurred on August 21, Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast January 13: Full Moon in Cancer, Sun Enters Aquarius

Sun break. © Pat Paquette, 2014.

Although we continue to feel the tension of the cardinal configurations in the sky, this week’s Full Moon and planetary aspects are a signature for productive change – if we’re willing to endure some discomfort.

OK, maybe a lot of discomfort.

Some of the changes may feel out of our control, and they might entail giving up something first in order to clear the way for something better. Even changes that are within our control will require almost superhuman discipline. Fortunately, we will have some cosmic help, with three planets in Capricorn all sending energy to Saturn, ruler of Capricorn and master of commitment and discipline. Moreover, Saturn in Scorpio has no time for whining and procrastinating, especially where finances are concerned. This applies not only to individuals, but to nations.

Still, it’s not going to be easy to stick to your guns, and there’s a risk of playing mind games to stay in your comfort zone. We’ll be in the pull of the Full Moon in Cancer for most of the week. Cancer needs its creature comforts and fears the unknown. Jupiter also is in Cancer, retrograde, and he’s closing in on a cardinal T-square with Uranus and Pluto. He’s also square Mars and opposite Venus. If what you’re trying to eliminate involves separating from a partner or spending less time with an inconsiderate friend, the urge to go back on your commitment could be hard to resist. Likewise, if the change you’re trying to make involves sticking to a tight budget, you could find it hard to keep your resolve.

The Moon reaches peak fullness just short of midnight East Coast time on Wednesday (it will be Thursday in the Eastern Hemisphere). Typically, something begins at the New Moon – a project, a relationship, a new opportunity – and it culminates at the Full Moon, plus or minus a few days. However, the New Moon also can represent an ending, and the New Moon in Capricorn on New Year’s Day had endings written all over it. Think about what might have ended for you two weeks ago or maybe a little before. Or perhaps you knew at the New Moon that you needed to let go of something in your life that was holding you back, but you weren’t quite ready to give it up. In that case, this Full Moon could bring confirmation that eliminating what isn’t working for you is in your best interest. The evidence might come through a specific incident, or perhaps a eureka moment accompanied by a strong feeling that you’re on the right track. The process of clearing away and cleaning out will create a space for something new and better to come into your life at the New Moon in Aquarius on January 30.

Likewise, if a door closed for you at the New Moon, a new door may not open until the end of the month. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll have an opportunity to slow down and get back in tune with your feelings. You might find that you feel differently about a change than you did two weeks ago. If you didn’t react back then, or if you had to keep your emotions under wraps due to circumstances, now you’ll get a chance to release pent-up emotional energy. It’s not always a comfortable place to be, but emotional release is necessary. Give yourself permission to give in without judgment. There are no “negative” feelings. Even anger has its place, and it’s one of the feelings we most often suppress. It’s just hard to find an appropriate way to release it without hurting someone, including yourself – like the time in my late 20s when I kicked a wall, forgetting that I was wearing sandals. A vigorous workout is the best way to blow off steam. Housecleaning is good, too.

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Now, it is entirely possible that something did begin for you at the New Moon, in which case you should start seeing results in the coming week. Depending on where the New Moon fell in your chart, that “something” might have been tangible, maybe a new job or relationship. Or it could have been less visible, like a change in a belief that’s been tripping you up, perhaps a shift toward more positive self-esteem. Even when something good happens, we can feel an overflow of emotions. For example, someone who finds a new job after a long period of unemployment might be so overwhelmed with relief that they need a good cry.

Cancer represents family and the comforts of home, while Capricorn is usually associated with career and ambition. But we tend to forget that Capricorn is a feminine sign. Half goat, half fish, the mythical sea goat can scale the highest mountains and dive to the depths of the ocean. In some ancient cultures, mountains were associated with powerful goddesses. The sea, from which life on earth sprang, is associated with Cancer, the sign of mother, the womb, and birth. We think of Saturn-ruled Capricorn as father to Cancer’s mother, but it’s also the family matriarch, the grandmother who has seen and done it all and provides wise guidance to successive generations.

The cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn – represent initiating energy, and all four will be active for several months. That’s why astrologers are predicting so much change. And yet, this Full Moon has an enduring quality to it, telling me that the changes we’re seeing may be new and even a little scary, but they are part of a larger cycle. Dwarf planet Ceres is in Libra and square the Full Moon by less than half a degree. I’m still observing how Ceres functions in individual and mundane charts, but her mythology suggests something to do with cycles, like the changing seasons and life cycles of plants and animals. With our technology oriented lifestyle, we often lose touch with these natural cycles and, as a result, feel separated from nature.

A continuing “outlet” for tense cardinal energies to flow is the easy sextile from Pluto to Chiron in Pisces, which represents deep healing in our individual and collective psyches. The root for “healing” is the same as for “whole.” To be whole, we have to feel a connection with the oneness of the universe.

A second outlet at this Full Moon is the sextile from Mercury in Aquarius to Uranus in Aries on Friday (late Thursday in western time zones). Mercury and Uranus both represent the intellectual workings of the mind, and Mercury in Aquarius has some of the same spark of genius associated with Uranus, ruler of Aquarius in modern astrology. The sextile is dynamic and conducive to the firing of neurons. Pay attention to sudden flashes of brilliance. There’s a possibility of coming up with innovate and unconventional solutions to perennial problems.

Lastly, there is a positive sextile/trine from Sun and Moon to Saturn. The Sun-Saturn sextile was exact on Saturday, but it’s still active as of the Full Moon. This is the pathway along which stress transforms to productivity. I know that stress is damaging to health, and we wish we didn’t have so much of it. Yet, studies show that a certain amount of stress is good for you. The old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention” might well be adapted to our era as, “The necessity to reduce stress is the mother of invention.”

Late Sunday (in the United States), the Sun leaves staid Capricorn and enters quirky Aquarius. The eleventh sign of the zodiac is future-oriented, scientifically pioneering, unconventional, and humanistic – although it’s also a fixed sign and can stubbornly resist change, especially in its thinking. Just one of its quirky inconsistencies. Still, I think it’s a good combination with the cardinal energies, as it represents higher ideals at a time when there’s so much momentum worldwide for change. What do we want to become? What kind of future do we see for ourselves as a group, a nation, a species?

Next week we get another short breather, so if this week gets too emotional, relief will be on the way.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast December 2: New Moon in Sagittarius, Mars Enters Libra

The last couple of weeks have been fairly quiet – at least, compared to the tumultuous summer and early fall. The activity picks up this week, but the mood should be positive and upbeat.

The biggest disappointment last week was the mob out shopping on Thanksgiving evening – no big surprise, given the over-the-top indulgence of Thursday’s Venus-Jupiter opposition. I was hoping, as were several of my friends, that there would be a huge public backlash against retailers that moved Black Friday sales back a day. Alas, compulsive shopping won out, with unruly crowds, fights, and damaged merchandise. What’s next? Three-day sales starting on Wednesday? Marathon shopping week with a quick break for a McTurkey meal and deep-fried pumpkin pie in a cardboard tube?

Speaking of pie, my gluten-free, nondairy pumpkin pie turned out quite good, although it took a few failed experiments to get the ingredients right. A couple of dinner guests said they liked the crust better than regular pie dough. No one even noticed the milk substitute. Several of you have written to me suggesting that a gluten-free diet might improve my health. The New Moon is always a good time to start new ventures, so perhaps it’s time to make that switch.

The chart for Monday’s New Moon in Sagittarius is friendly overall. The Venus-Jupiter opposition remains active, but it’s waning and relatively benign. The Uranus-Pluto square is still lurking in the undercurrent, but the tension has a release valve via a trine flowing between Uranus near 9 degrees Aries and the New Moon just shy of 11 degrees Sagittarius. The Archer aims for the truth, and sometimes that means thinking beyond our belief system. Some people aren’t even aware of what they believe, because it’s so ingrained in us from an early age. Aries is the pioneer who fearlessly ventures into new territory. By questioning our beliefs, widening our perspective, and being willing to try something new, we can find creative, innovative ways to tackle problems that have defied solutions. Remedies could be surprising, and they could come totally out of left field.

Jupiter, the ruler of this New Moon, is retrograde, but he’s in Cancer, the sign of his exaltation. Moreover, Jupiter and the Moon are in mutual reception, so they work together and strengthen each other. This is a perfect time to examine how culture and national identity form our belief system. For example, many Americans believe that the United States is the most democratic country in the world and that anyone who questions our system of government is unpatriotic. I know that readers of RealAstrologers are beyond that simplistic worldview, but you get my drift.

Cancer also is associated with family, which plays a powerful role in establishing our beliefs. You probably don’t need to think too hard to come up with beliefs your family programmed into you that you later discovered weren’t entirely true. For a clue about what beliefs you might be ready to examine, look at where Jupiter is transiting your natal chart, by house and also in aspect to natal planets. For example, if Jupiter is transiting your fifth house, you might want to examine your beliefs about the proper way to raise children. With Jupiter in your second or eighth houses, beliefs about money could be an area to focus on.

Saturn and Jupiter also are in a trine (exact on December 12) – yet another aspect reinforcing productivity and practicality. Jupiter’s exuberance and tendency to do overdo everything is already somewhat tempered by his retrograde motion. With Saturn and Jupiter in a friendly trine, optimism remains, but with realistic expectations and the ability to do what it takes to meet commitments and obligations. Big ideas with a realistic strategy and discipline are much more likely to succeed.

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Mercury and Mars are both about to change signs, but in the New Moon chart, they form a sextile in Scorpio and Virgo (exact on Tuesday). This practical, productive pair reinforces problem-solving abilities by combining deep insight with no-nonsense action. I’ve often said that we can’t find lasting solutions to any problem unless we identify the source. This can be difficult, especially for those who prefer not to go beyond surface appearances. Sometimes, avoidance is out of fear that the remedy may be too difficult or uncomfortable. Mars in Virgo won’t waste time sugar-coating whatever Mercury in Scorpio dredges up and doesn’t much care whether the medicine tastes bad.

On Wednesday, Mercury enters Sagittarius, the sign of his detriment. I’ve never quite understood why Mercury isn’t happy in truth-seeking Sagittarius. It would seem like a good match. However, Mercury’s home sign of Gemini (opposite Sagittarius) is associated with minute details and knowing a little about many subjects, whereas Sagittarius is the big-picture sign, concerned with broader patterns and inherent meaning. Put another way, the truth is more than a collection of details and facts. With Mercury in Sagittarius, there’s also an element of blurting out the truth without thinking about how it might affect others. When a woman asks her husband, “Honey, do I look fat in these jeans?” … well, you know.

Mercury squares Neptune on Friday. Neptune recently turned direct and is still moving slowly (from our perspective). Take care in making agreements, as there is some risk of a lack of clarity or even intentional misleading. We may experience something like a mini Mercury retrograde, with misunderstandings, lost e-mails, and so forth. I also need to mention the usual caution about using alcohol or mind-altering drugs, as you might experience something other than your normal reaction. Mercury-Neptune contacts are good for dreams, even if they aren’t entirely comfortable. I’m a big fan of dream work, and when I have dreams that are disturbing in some way, I make special note, because there often is a “message” that’s trying to get through. Think of it as a note from yourself to yourself.

On Saturday, Mars enters Libra, the sign of his detriment. On one hand, this is a signature for the warrior for justice, especially for women and girls. On the other, negotiations could go nowhere, despite a lot of back-and-forth. Mars knows what he wants, and “compromise” is not in his vocabulary. Perhaps he can be forced to do so, but he’ll seethe quietly until he’s in a better position to get his way. In deliberative bodies such as the U.S. Congress, agreements may be more elusive than ever, and this could be the state of affairs for many months. Mars is going to be in Libra until – are you ready for this? – late July, due to his retrograde cycle.

In personal relationships, you’ll need to be mindful of who wants what. Sometimes we go along with the other person even though it’s not what we want, whether to avoid a flap or because we want to “be big about it.” However, if this happens too often, resentment can build up, and eventually it comes out in one form or another. Some people just get fed up and walk away. In relationships that really matter to you, have a talk this week and explain the potential minefield ahead. Perhaps you can make a pact to be direct and honest, even in matters that don’t seem like a big deal at the time, and agree that you won’t accuse each other of being petty or trivial when such things come up. If you’ve got a demanding partner who always insists on getting his or her way, it’s possible that you could right the balance in the next six months.

That said, be prepared for some conflict – and remember, conflict is not always bad. Just the other day, I was talking to a woman who lamented that she’d had a fight with her boyfriend over the weekend. Eventually, she added that they aired several grievances, and the relationship was strong than ever. I thought it was interesting that, when asked whether she’d had a good weekend, she focused on the fight and added the strengthening of her partnership almost as an afterthought. I concede that it does take a lot of courage to bring up contentious subjects, especially if you think it will damage the relationship. If you value the relationship, being direct and honest is the highest form of respect, both for yourself and for your partner. I know you know this, but practicing it is another matter entirely. Heavy discussions are just plain hard, and we’re heading into the party season, when we’d rather eat, drink, and be merry. Goddess knows we’ve earned it.

Before I go, I’d just like to mention Comet ISON again. It looked for a while there like it didn’t survive its close encounter with the sun, but something did survive. As I type, the latest word from astronomers is that they’re waiting until ISON gets far enough away from the sun to determine what’s left of it. I’ve been asked whether I attach any astrological significance to this event. There is definitely something symbolic about it. I have a few ideas forming but will wait until we get a better idea of its condition.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast September 23: Venus Trine Jupiter, Mercury Enters Scorpio

Signs of Fall. © Osk Ingad Alden, 2013.

If you feel like a wrung-out dishrag following last week’s tension, you’re not alone. Fortunately, we get a bit of a breather this week, and we might even witness a historic event that gives us some hope for humanity.

Given last week’s tense astrological aspects, the tragic shooting at the Washington Navy Yard wasn’t surprising, nor was it any wonder that investigators couldn’t find a motive. When someone cracks and goes off the deep end, they don’t have a “motive.” Perhaps the question investigators should be asking is why some people just quietly put a gun to their head, while others are driven to shoot randomly into a crowd.

I’ve written before about the mental health crisis in the United States (I can’t speak for other countries, but I imagine there are similar trends). The national suicide rate is increasing in the face of enormous stress. Much of it is financial. Homeless figures show that some people without homes actually have jobs, but their wages are so low that they can’t meet basic expenses. Readers outside the United States might be shocked to know that there is no state-sponsored healthcare here, many employers don’t provide health coverage, and the cost of medical care is prohibitive for those without insurance. The suicide rate is particularly high for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who don’t receive adequate support. To add insult to injury, a recent study funded by the Defense Department says there is no link between combat and military suicides, but that soldiers who take their own lives were predisposed to mental health disorders.

Against that backdrop, the Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down the government unless President Obama’s healthcare program is defunded, and they want to cut food stamps for the poor, too. It’s as though they’re itching for riots in the streets, which they’d no doubt respond to with police armed with tear gas and perhaps even lethal weapons. It’s possible this is just political theater, intended to divert public attention and divide people politically so they won’t start exercising their power. However, rioting in the streets is exactly the scenario astrologers have foreseen, given the Uranus-Pluto square and the various T-squares that form throughout the year. In fact, when last week’s shooting began, Mercury was conjunct the Ascendant, in a T-square with Uranus and Pluto. Mercury is the Messenger planet, and he’s in Libra, the sign of equality and justice. Mercury in Libra also represents mental balance.

The congressional budget fight will continue this week, and hopefully saner heads will prevail. Meanwhile, world leaders will gather at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday for a week-long debate on pressing global issues. Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, is scheduled to make his first speech, and he has declared his willingness to negotiate on Iran’s nuclear program. The United States and Israel have charged that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and to counter the perceived threat, Israel receives billions of dollars in annual U.S. military aid. If that pretext no longer exists, dynamics in the Middle East will change. It isn’t yet clear whether President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Rouhani; in the past, the U.S. delegation has walked out of speeches by Iran’s leaders. If they do meet, it could be a worthy legacy for Obama, especially given his aggressive stance on U.S. military strikes in Syria. Some observers are comparing an Obama meeting with Rouhani to Nixon’s 1972 trip to China. Speaking of Syria, it also will be a hot topic at the U.N. meeting.

Mercury remains in Libra for the rest of this week, so this is a good time for negotiating. With Venus in secretive Scorpio, there’s bound to be plenty of backroom wheeling and dealing, but it could come out quite well, as Venus forms a favorable trine with Jupiter on Thursday. Venus and Jupiter are the two key financial planets, so there’s a good chance that congressional leaders could reach a favorable agreement this week, too. Don’t count on hearing about it in the mainstream media, though. We’ll have to look elsewhere to try to find out what really happened, and even then, there’s a good chance it will remain a secret.

Depending on where Venus and Libra fall in your chart, you could stand to gain, too. Financial issues are the most likely outcome, but Venus also is the planet of love, and Jupiter is the planet of luck, so romantic relationships may blossom at this time. Again, it depends on where these planets are transiting your natal chart. As I mentioned in my mid-week post, I decided to go ahead with the StarGuide Fall 2013 forecast. I received several e-mails asking about it, and I know that many people are interested in knowing what might be in store, with two eclipses, another round of the Uranus-Pluto square, and Mercury retrograde – all within a few weeks of one another. I’m trying a new format that gives me the flexibility to provide more personal information. Because I’m writing more material from scratch, I also raised the price a little. As I said, I’m going to have to see how this goes. It’s a lot of writing, and it will take me longer to produce one report, which means I won’t be able to fulfill orders rapidly. If you want to try one of these new reports, be sure to order right away. When I get your e-mail, I’ll give you an ETA. In case you’d like to see what it looks like before you decide, I created a sample using the chart for Edward Snowden (who has a challenging time ahead).

The good feelings of Venus and Jupiter begin wearing off over the weekend, when Venus squares Mars (exact on Saturday, September 28). Still, I think the good will generated earlier in the week will carry through. The Moon is in Cancer from Thursday through Sunday, and on Saturday, she conjoins Jupiter and trines Venus, carrying forward another wave of that positive vibe. And anyway, the Venus-Mars square, while edgy, does have some welcome manifestations, primarily in romantic relationships. Sex is more urgent, raw, and primal. If that’s how you like it, plan on hooking up next Friday or Saturday night (or both!).

On Sunday (September 29), Mercury enters Scorpio, which is the sign he’ll be in when he turns retrograde on October 21. He enters the pre-retrograde shadow period on October 1, so it’s important to spend next week wrapping up paperwork, sending important correspondence, and backing up your computer data. If you’re a writer working on a major project, spend the next four weeks producing a draft, and then edit and revise while Mercury is in reverse (what it looks like from our perspective on Earth).

Some other activities are favored while Mercury is retrograde, especially when he’s in Scorpio. This is the marker for investigative research, digging into trash cans, old court cases, and other hidden places where important clues could be hiding. Back when I was a reporter in Washington, D.C., I had a reputation among government PR types as a conspiracy theorist. One wrote to my boss that I “never met a conspiracy I didn’t like.” That was mostly true, but I investigated every lead to confirm whether my theory was correct, and sometimes I found that it wasn’t – or that maybe it was, but I’d never find the proof, in which case we couldn’t go to press with it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t an astrologer back then and didn’t know that Mercury retrograde periods are great for going back over your information to find leads you might have missed. This will be all the more true with Mercury retrograde in Scorpio. It’s a good bet that we’ll discover more than one embarrassing government secret, and they could be whoppers.

Again, if you’d like to know where Mercury will be retrograde in your chart, you can find out in the new Fall 2013 edition of StarGuide.

That’s pretty much it for this week. Next week, we get another round of a cardinal T-square, so do make sure to take a bit of break this week and recharge your batteries for October.

Much love and courage to you all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast August 26: Venus Opposes Uranus, Mars Enters Leo

As I was researching the news headlines to write this post, I was reminded of the tagline for the television series, The X-Files: “Trust No One.”

It used to be that you could always trust The New York Times to deliver the facts, but those days came to an abrupt halt after it came out that its reports about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were completely untrue. Based on unnamed government sources, the articles bolstered the case for the Bush administration to invade Iraq.

Democracy is based on an informed citizenry, but where are we to get reliable information? I barely believe a word I read anymore. The corporate media can’t be trusted. Media watchers blame the failure to investigate and report government wrongdoing on post-9/11 hysteria, but that was 12 years ago. As I see it, Pluto’s entry into Capricorn in 2008 is the bigger indicator – even more so since Saturn entered Scorpio last October, putting Saturn and Pluto in mutual reception (each in the sign ruled by the other). This is Big Brother on steroids. It’s no surprise that as governments become increasingly authoritarian, they set all scruples aside and spare no expense in going after the whistleblowers. Add Uranus into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for deadly suppression of rebellion. And then along comes Jupiter and inflames situations even more.

Several events in the past week can be traced back to late 2010 and early 2011, when Uranus was moving toward the square with Pluto, and Jupiter in Aries conjoined Uranus and then “carried forward” his energy to a square with Pluto. In February and March 2011, with the square between Jupiter and Pluto close to exact, Mubarak resigned in Egypt, protests broke out in Syria, and a powerful earthquake caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. As Jupiter approached opposition to Pluto earlier this month, Egypt experienced the worst political violence in recent history. A massive underground reservoir of radioactive water began leaking from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean. In Syria, chemical weapons killed at least 350 and injured thousands more. It appears that the government is responsible, but it has officially denied it and blames the attack on anti-government rebel “terrorists.” As I type, the United States is moving an additional Navy destroyer to within target range of Syria, and the Obama administration is considering its “options.” There’s hardly a mention anywhere of the Israeli government, even though it defies credulity to think they aren’t involved big-time.

In addition to those breaking stories, Bradley Manning, who has asked to be called Chelsea from now on, received a 35-year sentence for blowing the whistle on military abuses in Iraq. The British police – apparently with the approval of the Obama administration – detained the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and confiscated his laptop and other electronic devices. A few days later, sensitive intelligence information was mysteriously leaked to another British paper, which quoted an unnamed source and said the material was contained in the files copied by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. It looks an awful lot like a government plant.

There’s so much lying going on that we don’t know what to believe. So most people believe what makes the most sense to them, given their experience, political beliefs, mental filters, and other biases. You have to wonder whether Homo sapiens has devolved into Homo dementis.

I do think we may get some clarity this week, and I also think it’s possible that political crises can be defused, at least temporarily.

Through the middle of the week, Venus transforms the cardinal T-square of Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto into a cardinal grand cross. Although this sounds kind of scary, it could turn out to be beneficial. Venus in Libra is the diplomat of the zodiac, and while a square to Pluto suggests power struggles, diplomacy may win out … this time. That won’t always be the case. Reason and clarity prevail with Mercury in his home sign of Virgo. The Sun also is in Virgo, which may help tone down some of the rhetoric and posturing. Virgo is analytical and wants “just the facts.”

Both the Sun and Mercury sextile Saturn and Jupiter this week, and they also trine Pluto – Mercury on Wednesday and the Sun on Sunday (September 1). The trine is a favorable aspect, and when it connects to a planet in a tense formation like a square or opposition – in this case, Pluto – it provides a pressure valve to release pent-up energy. Mercury is the communications planet, so I’m hopeful that the release will be in the form of the factual news and information we’ve been waiting for. Maybe there still is a news organization on the planet with the integrity to report the real news. For that matter, The New York Times might even redeem itself by working with the Guardian on the NSA story. That’s not to say it’s all going to be good news, but at this point, we just want to know what’s really going on. People are tired of the secrets and lies.

Now, before that happens, we have an opposition from the Sun and Mercury to Neptune. It will be over by Tuesday, clearing the way for the truth to come out. Matters could be somewhat obscured on Sunday and Monday, though. Or, perhaps some facts will be revealed that are so seriously disturbing that many people will prefer to remain in denial – more than usual, anyway. This is all the more likely with Venus opposing Uranus on Monday. The truth could be downright shocking.

I also need to mention that Mars enters Leo on Tuesday. Mars hasn’t been a happy camper in Cancer, and when he changes to a compatible fire sign, his entry could be dramatic. There’s also the possibility of some saber-rattling here, although, taken together, all the other aspects this week suggest that the pissing contests will be toned down for now. Next week, different story.

What I’ve written above also can apply to our personal lives. Perhaps a frank discussion about a relationship will result in information that helps you make an objective, rational decision. Or you could defuse a tense situation at work through an honest dialog that sticks to the facts. A level playing field can be restored upon the revelation of secrets intentionally kept in order to tip the balance of power. Depending on where they fall in your chart, Venus and Uranus could signal love at first sight, a sudden financial opportunity, or an unexpected social invitation.

Before I go, I want to tell you about a disturbing experience I had earlier this week and to ask for suggestions. I was doing a Google search and came across some text that looked an awful lot like my writing. Imagine my shock when I clicked on the link and found a blog displaying all of my posts since last October, in their entirety, without any attribution, and with only one faint, unidentified link back to RealAstrologers. There were posts by a couple of other astrologers as well, and the site was plastered with obnoxious Google ads. After spending more than an hour trying to find out who owned the blog and how to contact him, I wrote a terse e-mail giving him 48 hours to remove all of my content from his site. He replied that it was “completely legal” to repost RSS feeds! He did, however, comply with my request.

It is most certainly not legal to post someone else’s work and make it look like original content. However, as I investigated my options, I discovered that web scraping, as this is called, is not uncommon, and the only way to prevent it is to truncate my RSS feed.

When the Creative Commons license first came out, I supported it and attached it to all my work. The idea behind it is that sharing information enriches everyone and creates a more informed community. I also believe that the way to cope with the enormous stress we’re all facing is to band together. But when I come across people like this who feel entitled to take whatever they want, I’m not inclined to want to share freely. Moreover, Creative Commons licenses just encourage stealing. The whole thing was all the more infuriating in that I spent more than two days researching the applicable law rather than catching up my work.

Truncating my RSS feed means that all of you who have been receiving my forecasts via e-mail would get only a short paragraph and would have to visit my blog for the rest of the article. That would be my best protection, but it would be an inconvenience for my subscribers. A Facebook reader suggested adding a copyright notice to each article, so I thought I’d try that for a while and see how it goes. Meanwhile, if anyone has any other suggestions, please contact me or leave a comment. And if you come across any violations, please let me know right away.

Much love and courage to you all,
Pat