Tag Archives: Uranus-Pluto square

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

Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Aries Composite by Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

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

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

Weekly Forecast April 6: Jupiter Direct, Venus Enters Gemini

Spring smiles. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Spring smiles. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

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

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

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

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

The Structure Beneath. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

The Structure Beneath. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

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

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

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

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

Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

Osk Ingad Alden, 2015.

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

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

Weekly Forecast March 9: Mars Conjunct Uranus, Saturn Retrograde

Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 liftoff, July 1969.

Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 liftoff, July 1969.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Forecast February 23: Venus and Mars Trine Saturn

Apalachicola Fog. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Apalachicola Fog. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

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

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

Weekly Forecast February 16: New Moon in Aquarius, Sun Enters Pisces

First signs of spring. © Pat Paquette, 2015.

First signs of spring. © Pat Paquette, 2015.

This is a week for sudden endings – some foreseen – leading right into unexpected new beginnings, as the overall pace picks up considerably.

Wednesday’s rare New Moon occurs in the last degree of Aquarius – so close to the end that the Moon enters Pisces seven seconds later, with the Sun another three minutes behind. It’s so close that I couldn’t get my astrology software to show the New Moon in Aquarius. It rounds up to the nearest fraction of a degree, which puts it at 0 degrees Pisces. I’ll discuss more about this unusual New Moon below.

Mercury is now moving steadily forward (from our perspective here on Earth), in brainy air sign Aquarius. Projects that were delayed Continue reading

Weekly Forecast February 9: Mercury Direct

Winter gems. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Winter gems. © Gretchen Friedrich, 2015.

Welcome to yet another week in which there are no major astrological aspects but that nonetheless is dominated by tension.

In the past couple of days, I’ve read countless commentaries by folks who feel sure we’re headed for “total war” as the West confronts Russian President Vladimir Putin over events in Ukraine. Putin met on Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande to negotiate what observers call a last-ditch effort to avoid an all-out war. The three world leaders are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday in the Belarus capital of Minsk to work out final details of a peace agreement.

Reports from Friday’s meeting at the Kremlin were dismal, Continue reading

Weekly Forecast February 2: New Moon in Leo, Sun Sextile Uranus

Imbolc snowdrops. Wikipedia image.

Imbolc snowdrops. Wikipedia image.

Depending on which calendar you choose to follow, Monday is either the midpoint of winter or the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

In our culture, the seasons begin at the four cardinal points: the equinoxes at Aries and Libra, and the solstices at Capricorn and Cancer. However, ancient cultures such as the Celts considered those points to be the peak of the four seasons. Midwinter occurred at the solstice, which in the Christian religion became Christmas. The Celts began their seasons on the cross-quarter days, which fall halfway between the cardinal points. They celebrated the first day of spring on the feast of Imbolc, the return of the light, which in our calendar is February 2 (some say February 1). Continue reading