Tag Archives: Uranus-Pluto square

Weekly Forecast March 11: New Moon in Pisces, Mars Enters Aries

Over the edge. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

We’ve got a schizophrenic week ahead, with Mars entering his own sign of Aries right after the New Moon in Pisces and Mercury still retrograde in the foggy sign of the Fishes.

As of the New Moon on Monday, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Chiron, and Neptune are all in Pisces. Mars, however, is at the final degree of Pisces, which, as the final degree of the zodiac, is called the “weeping degree.” It is where all things must end to clear the way for a new beginning, and it represents the point at which we see that hanging onto the past is no longer possible. Among its many qualities, Pisces is the sign of escapism and delusion. It’s only human to try to imagine that everything will continue along as it is, even when we know inside that change is inevitable. And change, by definition, is destabilizing.

The New Moon typically represents new beginnings, but sometimes it can bring endings, too – again, in order to start with a clean slate. This is all the more possible with Mercury in “reverse,” but I have to remind you that we may not experience any significant movement until the following Monday, after Mercury is direct. Officially, he stations on March 17, but it can take a day or two for him to get moving again (what it looks like here on Earth). By then, Mars also will be approaching a conjunction with Uranus – an aspect that can be literally explosive, but that can translate to explosive change in our lives as well. Of course, if you’ve been looking for a change, the fast movement may be just what you’ve been waiting for, even though it could bring its own “upsets” in the sense that life can turn on its head. To get an idea of how this energy might manifest for you, look for where these planets are transiting your natal chart. If you need some help with that, I’m preparing the StarGuide Spring 2013 forecast (the start date is March 20, but you’ll get useful insight for Mars and Uranus in Aries). I still have some formatting to do, but you can pre-order anytime.

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The Sun and Moon don’t make any close aspects with other planets, but there are some additional aspects in the New Moon chart to consider. The Uranus-Pluto square is ever-present, setting the overall tone for this turbulent period in human history, much as we experienced in the mid-1960s. Society as a whole is in a breakdown phase, and whether you’re benefiting from these sweeping changes or being swept along on an uncontrollable tide, your personal life is impacted in some way. Perhaps you’ve sold your car and are using public transportation to reduce your carbon footprint, or you may have decided to switch to a diet that is more sustainable for the planet or healthcare products that are free of harmful ingredients. One of my best moves so far was to close my account when my bank got taken over by Chase and to switch to our local credit union. These may seem like small moves, but when millions of people do it, they become major trends with huge implications for human history.

Which brings me to the second aspect, which is the sextile between Saturn and Pluto, which also are in mutual reception. I wrote about this last week and don’t have a lot more to say, except that this positive contact represents a window of opportunity to demolish what isn’t working and rebuild more sustainable structures, be they in our personal lives or in society as a whole. Mercury and Saturn are trine, as well, which bodes well for new ideas – some of which may be old ideas that were thrown out as impractical but that, due to changing circumstances, deserve another look. Mercury also has been in an ongoing square and mutual reception with Jupiter. On one hand, this can signify getting lost in details to the detriment of the big picture, but with awareness, it can be used to coordinate the details and the big picture in a compelling way.

Jupiter and Uranus, meanwhile, remain in a sextile, and when Mars conjoins Uranus on March 22, he’ll also be in a sextile with Jupiter. Although it’s true that Jupiter can be a magnifier, with obvious implications for the explosive combination of Mars and Uranus, he also confers some benefits and even good luck. The actual outcome remains to be seen, of course.

So, this week may be fast or it may be slow, and “fast” may be spinning wheels or it may be a fast ending. Hang in there, because Mercury returns direct on Sunday, and next week will look a whole lot different. If by chance you do have an opportunity this week to hang out on the beach or in front of the TV, do it now! Rest up, because we’ll soon be heading into a period of dramatic action.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast February 11: Mercury and Mars Trine Saturn

We’re in a surreal, watery world this week, but don’t be deceived. Planetary aspects are excellent for major accomplishments and getting tangible results.

More importantly, this is the last week we have so much positive energy going for us, so make it count! If you can get all your ducks in a row now, it will be easier to navigate the stormy seas in the following weeks. Now is the time to finalize your trip plan, make upgrades to your boat, get all your supplies onboard, set sail, and get as far as you can. Since we’re mixing metaphors, make sure all your ducks are onboard, too.

We start out the week in something of a fog, with the Moon moving through Pisces and conjoining Mars, Chiron, and Mercury. She also makes aspects to Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn. But the ducks are lining up nonetheless, and you may find that events on Monday form a clear outline for the rest of your week. Quack, quack. Monday’s Venus-Saturn square isn’t cheerful, but it favors commitment to staying the course, no matter what.

Tuesday is busy, with Mercury in a sextile with Pluto and trine with Saturn. As I’ve mentioned before, Saturn and Pluto are in mutual reception, which correlates to accelerated breakdown in whatever is useless and outdated – in our lives, in society, and in global systems. I just started reading Al Gore’s new book, The Future, in which he discusses the massive global changes about to take place. Unfortunately, I don’t think he goes far enough, perhaps due to an ossified imagination and failure to see that his worldview reflects his privileged class more than he thinks it does. But, in fairness, he gets credit for understanding that we’re on the edge of a shift that promises to be unlike anything humanity has ever experienced. As an astrologer, I translate that to the Uranus-Pluto square, with Pluto and Saturn in mutual reception for the next two years.

Aspects with Saturn this week are especially powerful, as Saturn is stationed to go retrograde on February 18 (there’s got to be a “sitting duck” line somewhere in there, but I just can’t think of it). Saturn is the planet of structure, but in Scorpio it’s about breaking down structures that are decaying and weak and using the materials to rebuild forms that are stronger and more sustainable. What can you tear apart and rebuild to be stronger and more durable?

Also on Tuesday, Mars conjoins Chiron. Some of our deepest wounds aren’t physical but in our energy field, where they’re often much harder to identify and treat than injuries to the body. Not only are they invisible, but some people deny they exist at all. Mars is the surgeon, and he can cut straight to the source. Just be forewarned that it may feel like the dentist sticking a pick in your teeth to find the cavity. When you jump out of your chair and howl in pain, you know you found the problem. Resist the temptation to slug the dentist.

Thursday is Valentine’s Day, and while the Moon makes lovely aspects to the Sun and Venus, the Moon is in Aries, the “me-first” sign. Be prepared to lavish attention on anyone who gives you chocolate or flowers. If you don’t, they will feel unappreciated and resentful. But with Mars in Pisces, you probably won’t hear about it until Christmas, at least not directly.

Friday and Saturday are the power days, with Mars sextile Pluto and trine Saturn. Action is the order of the day, and it’s a highly transformative energy. Here is where you can make the most progress in changing what isn’t working in your life. The key is that there has to be common good in your plan. Whenever Pluto is involved in an aspect, selfish goals backfire, as do any plans that include manipulating others to do your bidding.

As I mentioned in last week’s forecast, one way that all this Pisces energy could manifest is a lifting of the “veil” between worlds that forms boundaries between dimensions of time and space. As a result, some of you may feel light-headed and disoriented, or you may have bizarre or disturbing dreams. Take extra care with alcohol and recreational drugs. You may find that you can’t tolerate as much as usual or that it affects you in unpredictable ways.

Time to get back to my ducks.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast February 4: Mercury Enters Pisces, New Moon in Aquarius

May your happiness be without limit. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

The most significant astrological event this week is the New Moon in Aquarius, which also happens to be the Chinese New Year. But the flavor of the week is definitely fish.

Starting this week, we’re approaching a stellium of planets in Pisces that will culminate in an emotionally volatile New Moon in March. In the meantime, Mercury will turn retrograde in Pisces and conjoin Mars twice. My read on this is that we’re about to go through a collective release of accumulated anger, frustration, grief, and past-life trauma. Not that this hasn’t been happening in a big way already, but I think it’s about to get even bigger.

Over the past week, I’ve been following comments on a few news stories, and I’ve been struck by how stupid, mean, and argumentative people can be. And I don’t know if it’s just my imagination or if reading comprehension is at an all-time low. Don’t they teach that in school anymore? Or could it be that Jupiter stationed in Gemini is translating to a fixation on details without understanding the overall point of the article? Regardless, I see this as the collective venting of a high level of frustration and anger. The real source of public frustration – the corporate thieves who plundered the economy, drove up the unemployment rate, and got off scot-free, along with their political accomplices – are protected behind gated communities and armed guards. And they are no doubt pleased that, instead of plotting to storm the Bastille, the “little people” are either fighting among themselves or dousing their pain through addictive and escapist behaviors.

Ah, but the plotting thickens, in however small a way. It’s heartening to see people rallying in support of a waitress in St. Louis who was fired from Applebee’s last week for posting a customer’s rude note online. Many of the comments on news stories display an appalling lack of comprehension of the facts, but the response was visceral, and in this case, channeled in the right direction. Although there were some unbelievably rude and bigoted comments about the customer, the majority response was to call for a boycott of Applebee’s and its parent company, IHOP. For its part, Applebee’s showed its true colors by totally failing to grasp the extent of the public outrage. In its official “explanation,” you can almost hear the collapse of a decaying corporate structure.

This is all just a long way of saying that a revolution is indeed in the works – not that we haven’t known for years that it was coming, given the Uranus-Pluto square with reinforcement from Saturn in Scorpio. I always maintained that the rebellion would be a class war. With Mars in Pisces, the collective anger is going to make itself felt – all the more so when retrograde Mercury conjoins Mars later this month. It’s critical in the next six to eight weeks that you look for ways to channel any anger and frustration into appropriate action.

Now, there’s another way that all this Pisces energy could manifest, and that’s the thinning of the “veil” between worlds, sometimes called the “Veil of Isis.” More and more people are beginning to have memories, dreams, and visions of incarnations in other dimensions of time and space. This is very definitely the realm of Neptune, and confusion and disorientation are key attributes of the ninth planet. These memories can be distressing. Depending on what happened and how vividly you recall the event, the force of the emotional release could be explosive. This is especially true of karmic relationships. It’s my observation that merely knowing what happened in another lifetime usually isn’t enough to overcome a negative pattern or obsession with someone. The emotional charge has to be released, and then something changes internally that allows you to move on. Anyone who has gone through this process knows that it can be upsetting.

Mars conjoins Neptune on Monday, but we’re already feeling it. On Tuesday, Mercury enters Pisces, where he’ll turn retrograde on February 23. In all, Mercury will remain in Pisces for more than two months, when he normally breezes through a sign in three weeks. I mention this now, because Mercury enters pre-retrograde shadow on Friday, making it all the more important that you take action in the next two weeks to establish your course for the rest of the year. Even though we’ll be sailing through patchy fog, all of the planets are now direct and giving us a huge green light until February 18, when Saturn turns retrograde. This is the only period in 2013 with all ten planets direct – actually, all the asteroids, too – and we won’t have one in 2014 at all.

Of course, the biggest news this week is the New Moon in Aquarius on February 10, which is also the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Water Snake (more water!). Since the rest of this week’s aspects are contained in the New Moon chart, I’ll discuss them in that context.

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This is a bowl chart with an odd sort of symmetry. The Sun and Moon are at the bottom at 21 degrees Aquarius, not in aspect with any other planets but in a square with the lunar nodes by exact degree. And, of course, all of the planets are direct, making this a remarkable New Moon chart filled with the promise of a head-spinning fast-forward.

Mercury and Mars are conjunct (the alignment is exact on Friday), providing a glimpse of what will come later this month, after Mercury turns retrograde and the two planets are conjunct for a second time. Communication is key here, because otherwise the combined energy of this pair is passive aggressive. That’s what the Applebee’s customer did, and it came back to bite her in the behind. Her beef was with management, and the whole incident could have been avoided had she communicated directly.

Mercury and Mars are both square Jupiter in Gemini at the New Moon, and Mars is still in conjunction with Neptune, so it will take some effort to communicate clearly and effectively, and failure to do so could have exaggerated consequences. Chiron is in on this alignment, too, so there is an increased risk that someone is going to end up with hurt feelings. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jupiter and Uranus are sextile by exact degree and Mars and Mercury are approaching a trine with Saturn – all indicating positive ways to redirect anger and irritation. If you can summon up the courage to be candid and direct, you can shift the level of the discussion to higher ground and build new ties in your personal and professional relationships.

Venus sextiles Uranus on Wednesday and trines Jupiter on Thursday. These combined energies suggest unexpected opportunities and a stroke of brilliant luck, most likely in the areas of career and financial deals. Thursday is a great day for signing contracts. However, at the New Moon, Venus is in a close square with Saturn, suggesting cold water thrown on plans that looked so good only a few days earlier. At the very least, you may have some version of buyer’s remorse, that “What could I possibly have been thinking?” feeling. Well that’s what Mercury retrograde is for. You’ll have a couple of weeks to do some additional research, and if you want to change your mind, you’ll probably get an opportunity to do so.

The square from the Sun and Moon to the lunar nodes suggests that whatever takes place at this New Moon could have a feeling of fate or destiny about it, at least collectively. It may apply in individual cases, too, depending on where the Sun, Moon, and nodes currently are transiting your chart. It’s also intriguing to note that the Uranus-Pluto midpoint and the Venus-Mars midpoint are both 23 degrees Aquarius, with the Sun and Moon just two degrees away. This further suggests events that are fated and part of the overall evolution/revolution of Uranus and Pluto. Gender relations are part of this scenario as the struggle continues for women’s rights and an end to violence against women and girls.

Frankly, I’d like to see an end to violence against women, girls, boys, men, cats, and dogs. The collective release of accumulated anger, pain, and trauma – whether from this lifetime or other incarnations – will go a long way toward that end. Just be prepared for a really big mess.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast January 14: Venus Conjunct Pluto, Sun Enters Aquarius

Frosty Fingers of Saturn. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

There was a noticeable shift at the New Moon on Friday. A lot of ickiness dissipated, leaving emptiness in its wake. But nature abhors a vacuum.

I’ve been working purposefully to draw what I want into that space, and I hope you are, too. If you’re following RealAstrologers on Facebook, you saw that I posted a reminder to write your New Moon abundance checks – which I unfortunately neglected to mention in last week’s post. Things are piling up here, too, and sometimes I feel like I need two of me to keep track of everything. On second thought, make that three – two to get it all done while “one of me” takes a vacation on a sunny beach sipping drinks with little umbrellas in them.

I did mention last week that I was about to put the StarGuide Winter 2013 forecast on sale, which I did mid-week. One of the features of this report is my interpretation of each New Moon and Full Moon of the season – where it falls in your chart and what types of activities are favored for you. So, for example, if this recent New Moon fell in your second, tenth, or sixth house, you’ve got the wind at your back to ask for a raise, find a new job, or improve your working conditions. Because we’re in an astrological period suggesting overall belt-tightening, improvements could come through cutting out things you really don’t need or finding cheaper alternatives. Working with the cycles of the Moon is an age-old technique, once considered “magic.” Now, we view it as simply a way to work with available energies, much as you’d work with weather conditions to plant, nurture, and harvest crops.

Of course, we also work with larger planetary cycles, both individually and collectively. If you watched my 2013 video, you know about two very big cycles coming up this year: the grand water trine with Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, and the Uranus-Pluto square. I just love what Ray Merriman had to say about them in his forecast for this week:

…[I]t won’t hurt for our leaders to choose a path that believes in miracles as opposed to grievances. It will hurt if leaders give up the role of being kind and compassionate. It’s a choice astrologically between the Jupiter-Neptune-Saturn grand trine, and the Uranus-Jupiter-Pluto T-square, with Mars making it a grand square [in 2014]. One is compassion and working together, while the other is war and divisiveness. The leaders have a choice to make.

Everything he writes about our leaders is true for us individually as well. You’ll have a choice between working to release blocks, however painful and disorienting that process might be, or blaming everyone else for the world’s problems, thus allowing yourself to stay stuck. One common situation where we see this dynamic is within relationships. It’s always the other person who needs to grow, get enlightened, or whatever. Taking responsibility for ourselves is an important underlying theme in the mutual reception between Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Scorpio. Those who tend to take more responsibility than they own – and there are more than a few of you – will need to work in the reverse, releasing whatever it is in your energy field that keeps you bogged down with problems that aren’t yours.

We’ll get several opportunities in the coming week to visit these issues, with Venus aspecting Chiron, Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn from Monday through Thursday (Jupiter squares Chiron on Tuesday). Are you clear about what you want? When what you want involves an exchange with another person, are you clear up front, or do you find clever ways to manipulate the other person to give it to you? Sometimes you need to say “no” to requests from others, and sometimes they need to say “no” to you. Underhanded manipulation robs others of their choice. This may be appropriate in certain professional circumstances, but it can kill trust in an intimate relationship, and when trust is gone, the foundation crumbles. Even in casual friendships or in a work environment, withholding information that would allow others the right to choose how they want to interact with you is a subtle but serious form of disrespect. I understand that it takes a lot of courage to open up and speak your heart, and it does leave you open to the pain of rejection. The reward is that you when you make a connection based on truth and honesty, it’s stronger and far more gratifying.

I’m sure you can think of a gazillion variations on this theme, and it’s likely you’ll find yourself in one or more of them this week that will require you to make a choice. If you act with courage and conviction, then a payoff late in the week could be very sweet.

On Friday, the Sun conjoins Mercury at 28 degrees Capricorn, and then they both enter Aquarius on Saturday, marking a radical shift. Mars has been Aquarius since Christmas Day, in mutual reception with Uranus in Aries. If you don’t feel the buzz over the weekend, I’ll eat my bootleg yoga pants (too cold for shorts). Whereas Capricorn represents hyper-responsibility, Aquarius is the ultimate commitment-phobe who hates anything that even remotely smells like obligation. That’s why it’s known as the sign of the future, of thinking out of the box, walking to the beat of a different drummer. It can all be a bit much for those who need stability and familiarity, but with that kind of thinking, we’d have never put a man on the Moon – space travel being one of the activities associated with Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius.

Spend this week tending to practical concerns, especially anything to do with your financial bottom line or your closest relationships, because the following week is going to be wide open, with “anything goes” and “goddess only knows what.”

Sunday, incidentally, also is officially Inauguration Day in the United States, although the formal celebration will take place on Monday, January 21. The stage is set for change, and we can help it along by making sure our actions – and interactions – are consistent with the type of world we want to create.

Wishing you much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast January 7: Mars Square Saturn, New Moon in Capricorn

This sure has been the strangest week, and the weirdness likely will continue right up to the New Moon on Friday.

I’ve had several clients with some sort of crisis this week, which has meant time away from writing reports. If I still owe you a written report, please be assured that I’m working as diligently as possible. On top of everything else, I’ve had my own crises.

The pattern I’m seeing is conflict in relationships, many of them regarding family, whether in this lifetime or another. Since we just had a fully loaded Full Moon in Cancer, the sign of family, I’d say that is the astrological signature behind most of the turmoil. There may be complicating factors, depending on where the Moon fell in your chart and aspects to your personal planets.

Fortunately, I’m also seeing some evidence that conflict presents an opportunity for healing and reconciliation – or, at the very least, an agreement to disagree. Emotional outbursts can be part of the healing, too. We who value peace often mistake repressing anger for being virtuous, when sometimes, the opposite is true. If you truly can let a slight go and be done with it, that’s fine. But more often, we tell ourselves that these little offenses are “no big deal,” and we fear that if we speak up, we’ll look childish for making a mountain out of a molehill. And often that is the response we get, even when we use the correct “I” statements that avoid blame or accusation. You don’t need to get that response too many times before you just clam up and stuff down your feelings.

This past week, it seems like the lid has been blown off, and it’s all coming up. That would be the conjunction of Sun and Pluto, with an easy outflow to Saturn in Scorpio. The waning Moon is a good time to get rid of anything we don’t want, so I encourage you to open up and accept the release.

The pressure mounts as we approach Monday’s Mars-Saturn square, which occurs early in the morning in the United States. However, Mars remains in favorable contact with Jupiter, and while that aspect is separating, it suggests that some good can still come out of conflict. Saturn also is in favorable contact with Pluto and Mercury, indicating that it’s possible to get to the bottom of the source of tension and talk it out. I’m not saying it will be easy, but it’s possible.

On Tuesday, Venus enters Capricorn, bringing a more somber air to discussions but favoring long-term commitment. When the going gets tough, the tough can’t jet off to Europe but have to stay and do the hard work. This past week, I stumbled on a couple of old articles from Oprah about the positive role of conflict in relationships and ways to avoid fighting like a jerk. I just love the phrase “virtue of discipline.” A friend of mine who does couples counseling says relationships are one of the fastest paths to personal growth, for the very reason that calling out someone else on their shit requires that you take responsibility for yourself – which is very different from taking all the blame. It’s a fine line, and in fact it does require a lot of self-discipline. A fitting message for Venus in Capricorn.

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If that doesn’t sound like very much fun, we get some sweetness on Thursday, when Venus sextiles dreamy Neptune in Pisces. Mergers and acquisitions don’t have to be hostile.

Friday is the New Moon, with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Pluto, and Juno all in Capricorn. That’s a load of Cap! Ambitious, goal-oriented, disciplined, and all business … yet not without a heart. The Uranus-Pluto square is fairly wide, but Venus is in close contact with the planet of upsets and surprises, so there are opportunities for startling breakthroughs. Just be prepared to endure some discomfort to get to new heights.

I’ll be putting the StarGuide Winter 2013 forecast on sale shortly, so if you’ve been thinking about it, check back in a day or so. Please just keep in mind that I’m behind on existing orders, so I won’t be able to complete your report right away.

Wishing you much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast December 24: Mars Enters Aquarius, Full Moon in Cancer

Well, we’re still here – as most of us knew we would be. I’m so glad all the silliness is over.

Aside from the doomsday stuff, there was a lot of woo-woo floating around about how a big shift in consciousness would take place, with calls for focused meditation at the precise moment the earth aligned with the Galactic Center – which somehow magically happened to be midnight. I got mildly flamed when I pointed out in someone’s fervent Facebook post that the alignment took place years ago, in 1998. Couldn’t I just go along with a fantasy that brought joy to many people? Er … no. I believe in finding joy in truth and reality. It’s a lot more powerful.

I’m also happy to have posted my new video for 2013. I was seriously reminded that there’s a reason filmmaking is a collaborative process. At the very least, you need someone to monitor lighting and sound. Doing it alone takes a lot of extra time and energy. But right now, that’s what I’ve got to work with. On the positive side, I’ve been flying up a steep learning curve, which is a real thrill.

Also this week, I figured out how to create a Facebook page for RealAstrologers – about time! To get updates, just hit the “like” button. You also can leave comments and post your own photos and links. I know that this is a more comfortable way for many of you to participate. The best thing for me is that I get to see you! I have viewed the personal page of every one of you who have “liked” RealAstrologers so far. It is heartwarming to see your shining faces and to realize what a special group of people you are! It also has been amazingly gratifying to see where you’re all from. My site stats show that RealAstrologers has a presence in nearly 140 countries on six continents, but it’s quite a different thing to see your photos.

Turning to this week, we have a loaded Full Moon on Friday, with the Sun closely conjunct Pluto and the Full Moon forming a cardinal T-square with Uranus. I discussed the Uranus-Pluto square in my forecast last week, with comments about how it was connected to the Newtown shooting – from which we’re all still reeling this week. In my 2013 video, I show you some charts. I also want to alert you to a couple of excellent articles by Barbara Hand Clow. I went to her site on Friday to see what she had to say about 2012, since she has written a lot on the topic. It seems like she was done with that quite some time ago – rightfully so – and has turned her focus to the seven Uranus-Pluto squares between 2012 and 2015 and how this powerful configuration for change is affecting the planet. There’s a lot of wisdom and insight in these articles, but one thing that especially strikes me is her comment that the energy field of the Uranus-Pluto square is intensely creative, which causes our thoughts to manifest around us, so we are challenged to clearly and wisely intend what we want to create.

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This concept is especially relevant at the Full Moon, because there is a powerful connection from the Sun, Moon, and Pluto to Saturn, the Lord of Time and planet of manifestation on the physical plane. Saturn and Pluto form an exact sextile on Wednesday, and they’re in mutual reception for the first time since the Revolutionary War. The cardinal T-square is volatile, very powerful energy – kind of like an untrained Rottweiler. At this Full Moon, we have an opportunity to tame it. So often, negative thoughts circle around and around in our heads. In general, it’s a good idea to interrupt that cycle, but at this Full Moon, it’s critical that you concentrate your thinking on what you want to create – for yourself and for the world at large. As I’ve mentioned many times before, the key is to manifest with enlightened self-interest. Focus on specifics of what will help bring you closer to fulfilling your purpose and destiny in this lifetime rather than on vague, fuzzy thoughts of “whirled peas.” Although that would be good, too.

The ruler of this Full Moon is the Moon herself. In esoteric astrology, Cancer is the sign of manifesting spirit into physical form (see Ruth’s excellent article from the archives.) Spirit is energy, and your particular energy pattern is reflected in your natal chart. However, this isn’t a static picture. Through thoughts and actions, you change your energy field. It’s not unlike investing money. If you make wise investments, you end up with more than you started with. The alternative is to squander it and end up with less. At this Full Moon, you have an opportunity to decide how you want to “invest” your energy.

In the Full Moon chart, there’s also a harmonious sextile from Mars to Uranus, giving us yet another avenue to channel our thoughts into physical manifestation. The vehicle by which to so is very clearly spelled out: ACT! On Monday, the action planet enters Aquarius. The Water Bearer often is mistaken as a water sign, but it’s actually an air sign. Those two wavy lines in the Aquarius symbol represent the “waters beneath the earth,” which is esoteric language for the energy patterns from which physical reality is manifested. The air signs symbolize the intellect and thoughts, which are energy beings. So, Mars in Aquarius is very much about acting in accordance with your thoughts in order to create physical reality.

Right on cue, Ann Curry of NBC News launched a “26 Acts of Kindness” page on Facebook to honor the victims of Newtown. NCGR, an organization of professional astrologers, endorsed it, and so do I.

The period of influence of the Full Moon is plus or minus three days, so get to work on Tuesday – which also happens to be Christmas Day. What better time to think about what you want for yourself and your family of humanity in 2013? Speaking of which, I’m now offering StarGuide 2013, a new yearly forecast. Please check it out. (StarGuide Seasons for Winter 2013 also is available. If you prefer, you can go straight to the order page.)

Wishing you much Yuletide love, joy, and prosperity,
Pat

Weekly Forecast December 17: Sun Enters Capricorn, End of the World

Where to now? © Lastdays1 for Dreamstime.com

We got a wakeup call last week, and in typical Uranian fashion, it wasn’t anything we could have predicted.

What we know about Uranus is that the worst shakeups happen when we’re most in need of drastic change but resist, for whatever reason. Sometimes it’s because we’re so out of touch with what we really need that it never occurred to us to change anything. More often, though, there’s a voice just beneath the surface telling us that something has to give, but listening to that voice would require so much destabilization in our lives that we ignore it. Sometimes we even deliberately silence it.

The knee-jerk reactions to the Sandy Hook school shooting were predictable. The religious right says we need prayer in schools and the right for citizens to defend themselves with guns. The liberal left says tragedies like this could be prevented with stricter gun-control laws. If there’s any light in the darkness of this horror, it’s that deeper discussions seem to be emerging into the mainstream that transcend the finger-pointing and politicization. What does it say about the level of dysfunction of our society that it took the execution of 6-year-olds to start waking up to a meaningful dialogue?

As astrologers, we try to make broader sense of events. The usual method is to look at the chart for the event and the person responsible. Through newspaper reports, we learned that Adam Lanza, the shooter, was born on April 22, 1992, in Kingston, New Hampshire. We don’t have a birth time, but we can cast a chart for noon.

First of all, neither chart conveys the horror of this event, nor is it an appropriate use of astrology to judge someone’s character based on their chart. Second, without a birth time, there’s too much missing to draw any real conclusions. A noon chart for Adam gives him a Moon of 8 degrees Capricorn, making the first look at the chart startling, because transiting Pluto is at 8 degrees Capricorn. We need to stop right there and remember that the Moon travels through 12 degrees in a day. But then what if we had an accurate birth time of, say, 1 a.m.? That would put Pluto right on his Ascendant. Suddenly there would be pronouncements that he was having a bad Pluto transit.

My point is that we need to take great care in not making charts fit events or people. Sometimes there is no immediate explanation in the chart – just as there is no immediate explanation for how something like this could have happened in the first place. Now, I suspect that if we had an exact birth time, we might be able to dig a little deeper and find some clues. But even then, we have to remember that we are not slaves to our natal chart.

We also have to keep in mind that when we are in the midst of radical, outer-planetary cycles such as the Uranus-Pluto square, events correlating to this signature can happen at any time. Uranus came out of retrograde the day before the shooting. In my mind, this is significant, and it’s why I see this tragedy as a harsh wake-up call.

Those using the event to promote a political ideology are still sleeping. We’re so far beyond that point, it’s frightening. I think not only of the 20 children murdered at Sandy Hook, but all of the children in the world killed, maimed, and emotionally traumatized daily by war and violence. The recent bombing of Gaza – an act publicly supported by President Obama – resulted in the reported deaths of 167 people, including 35 children. The AP photo of Jihad Misharawi holding the body of his dead baby, killed in an Israeli airstrike, is indelibly burned in my memory.

But I am heartened – as much as one can be in the light of such demonic events – that it’s finally dawning on more people that deeper issues must be confronted, including the disturbing truth about psychiatric drugs – particularly the widespread use in children. According to a neighbor, Adam was on medication for an unspecified personality disorder. A related issue being discussed is our society’s approach to mental health. Eventually, though, we’re going to have to address a societal structure that requires so many people to take drugs to be “functional.”

With Neptune in Pisces, the drug issue will come to the fore. Neptune rules drugs and all mind-altering substances, and he’s in his element in the Fishes. The twelfth house, ruled by Neptune (in modern astrology), rules mental hospitals and prisons, so these issues also are going to be more prominent. In the meantime, society is going through an extreme breakdown under the Uranus-Pluto square. I was just reading about a rash of mass murders of school children in China over the past two years. A Chinese newspaper quoted an expert – ironically, an American college professor – who attributed the attacks to stress caused by rapid social change, increasing disparities in wealth, and lack of treatment for the mentally ill.

We have another three years of Uranus and Pluto, so it might be a good idea to start paying attention to real issues and not throwing up smoke screens of gun control and school prayer. We also need to take a hard look at our own lives and make an honest assessment of what we need to change.

The subject of sweeping change is all the more poignant this week as we approach the supposed end of the world on Friday. Now, frankly, I’d be happy to end the world “as we know it.” There’s way too much suffering, and our problems seem so insurmountable as to be impossible. But the world will continue, and we’re going to have to change.

This week’s aspects pale in comparison to current events, but here’s a quick rundown:

On Monday, Mercury opposes Jupiter, in mutual reception. I’m hopeful this will have some relation to negotiations between Congress and the White House to avoid going over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” I am pretty sure, though, given what I see in the charts, that we are going to have some cutbacks. How much and for whom remains to be seen.

On Wednesday, Venus in Sagittarius trines Uranus. Parties will be more subdued this year – I wrote that in last week’s forecast, and it’s even more true this week – but parties will happen nonetheless. We need an outlet from all the grief and sorrow, even if it’s only temporary. Still, the grief won’t be far from our minds, with Venus squaring Chiron on Thursday.

The Sun enters Capricorn on Friday, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. He immediately forms a happy sextile with Neptune in Pisces. This suggests to me that there might be a brief sign of hope for peace on earth – especially next summer, when Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune form a grand trine.

Speaking of the Big Guy, Jupiter forms a quincunx with Pluto on Thursday and with Saturn on Saturday – the Yod that I don’t put a whole lot of stock in. More importantly, Saturn and Pluto are in sextile and mutual reception, suggesting that breakdowns will happen faster in order for new, more sustainable structures to emerge. Yes, that may mean we don’t get everything we want for Christmas. But, as the old Rolling Stones song goes, we may get what we need.

Wishing you all much love, courage, and peace in your hearts,
Pat

Weekly Forecast December 10: Uranus Direct, New Moon in Sagittarius

We’re well into the holiday party season, but we’re not partying like it’s 1999. I guess that’s because it’s 2012, and people are anxious about more than a Y2K bug.

I’ve been getting nearly 100 hits a day on an old Q&A post I wrote in response to a kid in Saskatchewan who asked, “Is 2012 really going to happen?” It’s so funny to see this search phrase turning up repeatedly in Google. What exactly does that mean, “Is 2012 really going to happen?” Not only is 2012 happening, it’s almost done. Then 2013 is going to “happen.”

So, OK, I know what he really meant, and I addressed those concerns in my response, which probably was way over his head and way over the heads of anyone with little or no knowledge of astrology. Fact is, there’s nothing simple about 2012. Something important is happening. There’s a major planetary shift occurring, and while it’s not limited to 2012, this has been an exceptional year in an exceptional astrological cycle. The Uranus-Pluto square continues for another three years, with the last square occurring in March 2015 and the period of waning influence lasting another year after that. You don’t need to be an astrologer to understand that we are in extraordinary times, and even those who aren’t spiritually inclined can sense it.

I’m working on a 2013 forecast and accompanying video that I hope will provide some relief from all the anxiety.

In the meantime, the holiday spirit should pick up this week with amplification of the Sagittarius vibe. Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius loves to have a good time, and parties are definitely their thing. On Monday, Mercury returns to Sagittarius after dipping back into secretive Scorpio on his retrograde path. Then we have a spritely New Moon in Sagittarius on Thursday, and Venus joins the party on Saturday. The only bummer in all of this is that Jupiter is retrograde, and in Gemini, the sign of his detriment. It’s sort of like having the Big Guy at your party, but he’s getting over a bad case of strep throat, popping antibiotics, and worrying about all the paperwork piling up on his desk. It does put a bit of a damper on the festivities.

There’s an additional reason to exercise some discretion this week. Right after entering Sagittarius, both Mercury and Venus form a square with Neptune – Mercury on Tuesday and Venus on Sunday. Neptune rules dreams, delusions, and altered states, whether through meditation or mind-altering substances. Although these two squares are quick and relatively harmless, they do increase the likelihood of miscalculating your limit and misinterpreting what you see and hear. Maybe that guy you meet at your fourth trip to the punchbowl really is the soul mate of your dreams, but it won’t hurt to check him out for a week or two before running off to Vegas.

Click on image to enlarge

The biggest news this week is Uranus returning direct within a few hours of the New Moon. The Awakener is waking up, and we won’t know until he does whether he’s going to ask for nice cup of coffee or bolt out of bed swinging a hammer. He’s in a close fire trine with Mercury at wake-up time, so I suspect he’ll come out swinging and ready to ratchet up his Awakener role a few notches. Our beliefs are being shaken up, and yet integrating the new information into our thought matrix is hard to do. There’s a reason we have mental defense mechanisms. Without them, we’d have breakdowns – and that’s exactly what’s happening for many people right now, in one form or another. We live in exciting times, but they are incredibly stressful.

Part of waking up is being reminded of what we’ve repressed. Mercury squares Chiron on Friday, triggering dormant memories and old wounds we’d rather not think about, especially during the party season. It’s hard to go to a festive event where everyone is making merry and to feel like you’re the only one who can’t get into the holiday spirit. It’s OK. You have my permission to feel grumpy and out of sorts. Rather than trying to stuff it down so you won’t make others feel bad, talk about it with someone you trust or write about it in your journal. You may be surprised by what comes up in the process. There’s a reason for the phrase “rude awakening,” but it beats staying in state of delusion.

Then, there’s always the blue pill.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast November 26: Mercury Direct, Lunar Eclipse in Gemini

Astrologically, this is a huge week, with three important conjunctions, Mercury turning direct just before a lunar eclipse in Mercury-ruled Gemini, and everything connected.

We’re already seeing the effects of the planetary configuration in the eclipse chart, which is complex and exceedingly rare. The Mars-Uranus square peaked on Friday, and right on cue, there was a huge explosion in Springfield, Mass., followed by a tragic fire on Saturday at a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

I predicted in last week’s forecast that the Mars-Uranus square might be mitigated by the conjunction of Venus and Saturn, favorably angled to Mars and Pluto. In the case of the Springfield explosion, this seemed to be the case. How likely is it that a blast that size in a major city like Springfield would result in no fatalities? According to a story by The Associated Press, officials marveled how the “blast occurred when a day care center next door was closed. The center’s building was heavily damaged.” In the chart timed for the explosion, Venus and Saturn were in the fifth house, which rules children. Vesta, an asteroid named for the Roman goddess who protected the community, was on the Ascendant.

And yet, the chart for the Dhaka fire has almost the same Ascendant, with Venus and Saturn in the fifth house as well, and as we know from news reports, at least 124 people died, most of them women. The only apparent difference in the charts is the position of the Moon, which in the Dhaka chart is at a near-exact inconjunct with chart-ruler Mercury, stationed (stopped) in preparation for returning direct tomorrow. According to news reports, emergency exits were blocked, and the workers were trapped.

This is a good reminder that astrology can’t tell you “what’s going to happen to you.” Our actions do count, and we can affect the outcome of situations. According to news reports, the Dhaka factory was tagged more than a year ago for unsafe conditions – by, of all ironies, Wal-Mart, one of the factory’s leading buyers and a corporation not known for great working conditions. We can choose not to heed warnings, and sometimes we even get away with it. Then, when astrological conditions change, we pay.

What’s so tragic here is that the people who paid with their lives had no voice. That, in a nutshell, is what the Uranus-Pluto square is all about. The more people rise up and protest, the more forceful the backlash from the authorities becomes.

The closer we get to Wednesday’s Full Moon eclipse, the closer the planets will align, with the Sun right at the midpoint between Mars and Pluto on one side and Saturn and Venus on the other. I can’t get over how extraordinary this alignment is, and I expect that the manifestations of it will be equally as remarkable. I see the possibility that it is a small window, a narrow gateway, to accomplishing the impossible and finding resolution to the greatest conflicts facing humanity. I was thinking “war and peace,” when a link popped onto my screen for indie films about war and peace. I just love synchronicities.

In that context, my “big news” is relatively minor. Nevertheless, it was a major accomplishment for me to complete my first video for RealAstrologers. It’s a week later than I planned, with several problems I wasn’t able to resolve, despite several all-nighters. I definitely was tempting fate trying to do work requiring exacting detail during Mercury retrograde, but there was no way around it. With better planning, I’d have had the video done by the first of November, but I’ve also had a backlog of reports. Some of the things that went wrong in the video-making process would have been laughable for an astrologer, if not for the time and frustration – we know that this is exactly what happens with Mercury in “reverse.” I was seriously not amused that my program kept crashing when I was nearly done. Right up until the 11th hour, problems made mountains out of small, routine tasks. But I did have some fun, too, and I learned a ton – a major function of Mercury.

For sure, I’m not the only one who’s been tearing my hair out. On Wednesday, I got the following e-mail from a client:

Normally I heed well your warnings on Mercury retrograde. A week and a half ago I decided to purchase a new fridge, to replace the 30-year-old one in the house … After many problems it was delivered last Saturday and has yet to freeze an ice cube. I have had to toss much food, lose a day’s pay to a repairman, who said he can get a part in December, and lose my mind to the point of getting sick. As it stands right now I will be getting the useless one hauled out and new one in tonight. I will never blatantly disregard your warnings again!

The good news is that we have only one more day of this, and then we’ve got the green light … and how!

Click on image to enlarge

Most of this week’s aspects appear in the chart for the eclipse, starting with Monday’s Sun-Uranus trine. This is where I see the biggest potential for good surprises. We’ve had enough bad ones lately – then, nothing really surprises us much anymore … OK, maybe I shouldn’t have written that. As we found out with Hurricane Katrina, trines can be “good” for something other than humans. Nature is neutral and couldn’t care less how weather affects us. Likewise, the Universe is neutral. Our limited notion of “benefit” is just that – limited.

Also on Monday, Mercury returns direct. This is critically important, given that Mercury is the ruler of Wednesday’s eclipse. Mercury went retrograde in Sagittarius but returns direct in Scorpio, the sign of backroom deals, spies, and corporate secrets. It’s hard to imagine what kind of shocking information will come out in the next two weeks. Will any election results be overturned? The United Nations has declared Washington and Colorado in violation of international treaties for voting to legalize pot. This is just too bizarre for words. And what about Petraeus and Benghazi? I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop – namely, confirmation that the U.S. “consulate” in Benghazi was a CIA outpost, that this was not a secret in upper echelons, and that the Republicans’ faux outrage is a diversionary tactic. As for the impending “fiscal cliff” – well, who knows what surprises lie in store?

Later on Monday, Venus conjoins Saturn, immediately followed on Tuesday by the conjunction of Mars and Pluto. There is some deep symbolic significance here in that Venus and Mars are the quintessential male and female, that each is aligned with a “superpower,” and that those superpowers are virtually indistinguishable, due to their mutual reception. How much difference, really, is there between the one political party and another, one country or another? The polarities anymore are not between political parties or countries, but between social classes – those with political and economic power, and those without it. Protest movements around the world seem to identify more with one another than they do with their own national identities, with fast global communications as a means of connecting. This is the wave of the future.

Venus formally aligns with Pluto on Wednesday and with Mars on Thursday. The one factor that may make an immediate difference in U.S. national affairs is the number of women in Congress. In general (note emphasis), our values are different, with relationships being more important than dominance. I know that there are countries ahead of us in this regard – Iceland, for example. The vanguard is followed by the mainstream.

The one planet I didn’t discuss in my video was Jupiter, who is not far from the Moon in the eclipse chart. The conjunction is a bit wide to have much impact, and Jupiter is retrograde and in the sign of his fall. But there’s a little extra “luck” here nonetheless, plus some amplification of the power of the energies of the eclipse in general. So, even though it’s only a penumbral eclipse and you may not even see it, there’s a better chance that you’ll feel it in some area of your life.

I’m really excited about this week, and I’m especially looking forward to getting my work back on track. One of my first tasks (after taking care of client e-mail and some backlogged reports) will be to create the template for the StarGuide Winter 2013 Forecast. I just love it that some of you have pre-ordered before I even announced it. I’ll have an update in next week’s forecast.

In the meantime, much love and courage to all,
Pat

Weekly Forecast November 19: Sun Enters Sagittarius, Mars Square Uranus

Pallas and Centaur, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482

We’re in something of a twilight zone this week, between eclipses and with Mercury retrograde in secretive Scorpio. Certainly some of the news headlines have been surreal.

But we do get out of deep, dark Scorpio territory just a little bit with the Sun’s entry in Sagittarius – not that the party sign doesn’t have its dark side, too.

The constellation Sagittarius as a centaur with a bow and arrow is very old, dating at least as far back as ancient Mesopotamia. Babylonian astrologers depicted him as a centaur-like god with wings and two heads, one of a man and the other of a panther. You could say he had a third “head,” a very prominent male member. In any case, this image symbolized the dual nature of humans. We’re capable of being civilized, wise, and consciously evolved, but deep within us lies a primal, animal nature – the shadow side. Interestingly, the Mesopotamian centaur figure has a Scorpion’s tail.

In Greek mythology, the centaurs were a savage race known for getting drunk and going on wild rampages. So the story goes, they were invited to a wedding and immediately proceeded to drink too much, rape the female guests, and carry off the bride. In retribution, they were slain by Theseus of Minotaur fame, who, fortunately for the bride’s father, was among the wedding guests.

Now, you’re going to love this: One of the rapacious centaurs at the wedding was named Petraios, whose name in Latin is Petraeus – he of the rocks. Or maybe, we should say, “on the rocks.” I mean, how much of a synchronicity is this? Among the hottest news in the past two weeks was the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, forced to step down following the exposure of an extramarital affair with his buff biographer, Paula Broadwell. Prior to becoming head of the nation’s top spy agency, Petraeus, a four-star general, led rampages in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dual nature of humanity, indeed. As if facing Mrs. Petraeus isn’t punishment enough, Congress is grilling him about his apparent lies and cover-up of what really happened in Benghazi, which by some accounts was a CIA base disguised as a consulate. Fat chance we’ll get the truth on that. Then again, with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio, perhaps the truth will “accidentally” slip out after Mercury turns direct on November 26.

Another bit of trivia: Petraeus and Broadwell are both Scorpios, with birthdays less than a week before the solar eclipse on November 13. Frankly, I think these two are soul mates. Even without their birth times, their charts tell me that they were destined to cross paths, and their “fall from grace” may have implications for the collective beyond the sordid media soap opera. At the very least, it speaks to our liminal state.

The Sun enters Sagittarius on Wednesday, with Venus entering Scorpio a few hours later. As I was saying, we’re still on the Dark Side. The love nature of Venus and the obsessed, extreme nature of Pluto aren’t a happy combination. Think jealousy, crimes of passion, and fatal attraction. Of course, Venus in Scorpio also has her very sexy side. But it’s sexy in part because it’s so dangerous. Like James Bond women. Throughout the week, Venus approaches conjunction with Saturn. More about that in a minute…

On Thursday, Thanksgiving in the United States, the Sun and Venus aspect Neptune. I have a feeling these two aspects are going to cancel each other out, so that the Sun-Neptune square won’t be so discouraging and the Venus-Neptune trine won’t be as dreamy. Do keep in mind, though, that with Mercury retrograde, misunderstandings happen more than usual, and Neptune represents confusion – in this case, probably due to too much wine with dinner. Plan ahead by having some engaging DVDs on hand. If you decide to go to a movie at the theater, I highly recommend Cloud Atlas. I saw it last week and was deeply moved. My only explanation for why it got savaged by critics is that they didn’t get it.

On Friday, Mars squares Uranus. This configuration alone can be explosive, but with Uranus in Mars-ruled Aries, in a square with Pluto and conjunct the Moon, it’s hide-under-the-bed time. Or is it? Mars also is sextile Saturn, with Venus approaching conjunction. Moreover, Saturn and Pluto are in mutual reception. This seems to me to be a major game-changer – how, exactly, it’s hard to say, because we’ve never experienced this configuration in our lifetime. I have some thoughts about this, but I’m going to save them for next week, when the alignments are exact.

Both Venus and Mars form soft aspects to Chiron from Friday through Sunday. Chiron was also a centaur. He overcame his savage nature and went on to become a wise healer and mentor to Greek heroes, but suffered greatly, in life and in death. With Venus and Mars in aspect to Chiron over the weekend, we have an opening to see our fundamental wounds with clarity and compassion, and to adopt the courage and discipline to move forward, even though we might fear that our wounds leave us vulnerable.

The day after Thanksgiving is also known as Black Friday, when retailers make up for slow sales during the rest of the year. With Saturn and Pluto in mutual reception and Jupiter retrograde, I think they’re going to be disappointed. Anyway, if you use astrology as a tool for timing, you know better than to shop for large-ticket items while Mercury is retrograde. I’d wait for the January sales. With Jupiter returning direct at the end of January, we may find some exceptionally good bargains.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat