Hello, and welcome back to Astro Almanac.
Last week went very much as expected out in the outer world, as Mercury, and later, the Sun, began interacting with January 2020's Saturn - Pluto conjunction. As that article states:
Increasing turmoil in DC is very likely during this time, both in calling out / prosecution of corrupt government figures, as well as increasingly authoritarian behavior by the powers that be as a response to their potential loss of power. As Mercury sextiles this conjunction during this first week, the news of these happenings will be on all of our lips, more so than usual.
The past week, of course, has been full of such news. In the US, we're witnessing the turnover at the Department of Homeland Security - particularly the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen. This is supposedly per the suggestion of White House adviser Stephen Miller, who is right next to the President's ear, and about as unapologetically far-right authoritarian as they come.
It would not surprise me to see Miller in the headlines more often whenever Saturn and Pluto are triggered over the next nine months or so.
The latest development in the college admissions scandal is also indicative of the Saturn - Pluto conjunction being triggered.
Yes, the story broke during Mercury's retrograde in Pisces, exposing previous lies and deception, but the story itself is showing us as a society about the corruption of people in power. It's time to face the ugly truth about those who are running society, as well as what happens when we allow an individual more power than they can handle. As Mercury and the Sun interacted with Saturn and Pluto this week, new charges were filed, this time with money laundering connected with the admissions scheme.
One more example is in this week's election in Israel, where far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was narrowly chosen for a fifth term. Like the current US President, he is also a hard-liner against the Middle East who is facing legal troubles regarding alleged corruption.
Under Saturn - Pluto in Capricorn (which, by the way, is trine Israel's natal Sun at 23 Taurus), we see a nation who is willing to allow a war hawk with a vindictive streak to lead them, but at the same time may bring that man to justice as he leads. With Saturn and Pluto where they are at this time, it somehow makes sense.
Now, back to us.
This week promises more of the same energy in the outer world, especially in the first part of the forecast period, as the Sun forms a power-hungry square with Pluto on the 13th. The day before that, however, features a square between Mercury and Jupiter and a sextile between Venus and Saturn.
Mercury square Jupiter is one of those aspects where we tend to put our foot in our mouths. The effect that this aspect has is that we tend to become more confident than we should be where it comes to our communication skills, and out comes a load of TMI. Another way that this can manifest is by making plans that are too big - again, because of the overconfidence factor.
Venus and Saturn will be sextile at the same time. In fact, this is the week that Venus is going to cover the same zodiacal space that Mercury did over the previous week; harmonizing with Saturn on the 12th, followed by Pluto on the 14th, and forming a potentially overindulgent square with Jupiter on the 15th.
In our individual lives, Venus harmonizing with Saturn and Pluto in sextile form is subtle, and those of us who are unaware of the energies could let these aspects pass by unnoticed. However, they hold the potential to assist us in our relationships if we make a conscious choice to strengthen our commitments to others while working to heal any current relationship issues. We can make big strides here, but we also must be proactive.
Venus' final aspect this week is a square with Jupiter on the 15th. This isn't too difficult to sidestep; after all, it's a square between two reputably benefic planets. What we'll need to watch out for here is a tendency to overspend and overindulge. A better way to use this energy is to enjoy oneself, especially where it comes to our social lives, but to pace ourselves and also to step up to the plate if we need to fulfill our more serious responsibilities.
We'll have some assistance from the Sun at the same time, which forms a trine with Jupiter the day before Venus forms her square with the same planet. Here's a way that we can improve ourselves in life amidst that admittedly decadent Venus - Jupiter square by working with the Sun - Jupiter trine: whatever it is you're doing now to achieve your higher purpose in life, whatever it is that you need to do to further yourself towards your life goals, will get a boost today. Do that, plus other required work, then relax and enjoy. If you want to see what taking action during a Sun-Jupiter trine can do, track what happens when 2020 Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg announces his official candidacy on the afternoon of the 14th, just as the Leo Moon forms a grand fire trine with the Sun in Aries, and Jupiter in Sagittarius. The trine affects both his Sagittarius Neptune and his Libra Saturn-Pluto conjunction, strengthening his image as a compassionate and inclusive, yet hardworking and pragmatic leader. The timing of the announcement should give him a boost for now.
As a very interesting side note, as Jupiter stations retrograde atop Buttigieg's natal Neptune, there's an ongoing conversation about his devout (and presumably left) Christianity that is well worth looking into.
Last, but absolutely, positively, NOT least is what occurs towards the end of this forecast period - Mercury's long-awaited ingress into Aries on April 17th.
Mercury has been in Pisces since February 10th, stationing retrograde at 29° Pisces, stationing direct about a degree from Neptune, also in Pisces, and now finally approaching the end of his shadow period. One of the most obvious side effects of this has been a rather spacey vibe in general. I've always maintained that both Mercury in Pisces and Mercury - Neptune aspects resemble the effects of Mercury retrograde in some ways, such as cloudy, confused thinking and, um...I forget. (That was my attempt at humor)
Anyway, this Mercury retrograde cycle was triple-dipped in confusion. I wrote about it here if you care for a very brief recap.
I've personally enjoyed the part where we're more creative and compassionate than usual, as well as the part where our thought processes go through a serious review and revamping. I'm almost sorry to see it go, but at the same time, Mercury in Aries will feel like a breath of fresh air as he is 'reborn' at the beginning of the zodiac, and also because we'll be thinking much more on our feet. Aries is sharp and decisive, so we'll be feeling this shift quite noticeably from the 17th. Get ready to WAKE UP!
I'll be back next week to discuss the (second consecutive) Full Moon in Libra, as well as the other astrological events of the following week, which includes a Sun-Uranus conjunction in Taurus, Venus' ingress into Aries, and the retrograde station of Pluto. Until then, have a great week, and may it be filled with love and light.
Here's a list of this week's aspects and who will be most likely to be affected by them.
Mercury Square Jupiter
April 12 12:17 am (24° 20' Pisces / Sagittarius)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near 22-26º of mutable signs. The same degrees of other signs are affected to a lesser extent.
Venus sextile Saturn
April 12 11:07 am (20° 16' Pisces / Capricorn)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near 18-22º of earth and/or water signs.
First Quarter Moon
April 12 3:05 pm (22° 35' Cancer / Aries)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near 20-26º of cardinal signs. The same degrees of other signs are affected to a lesser extent.
Sun square Pluto
April 13 4:06am (23° 07' Aries / Capricorn)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near 21-25º of cardinal signs. The same degrees of other signs are affected to a lesser extent.
Sun trine Jupiter
April 14 9:40 am (24° 19' Aries / Sagittarius)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets or angles near 22-26º of fire signs, and to a lesser extent, air signs.
Venus sextile Pluto
April 14 7:51 am (23° 07' Pisces / Capricorn)
Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near º of earth and/or water signs.
Venus square Jupiter
April 15 7:14 pm (24° 18' Pisces / Sagittarius) Who is most likely to be affected: Those with natal planets and/or angles near 22-26º of mutable signs. The same degrees of other signs are affected to a lesser extent.
Mercury enters Aries
April 17 2:00 am
Benefits: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, and Aquarius
Challenges: Cancer, Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, and Scorpio
Mixed: Libra
You may have heard that Saturn and Pluto are forming a conjunction in early 2020, and that we're getting a preview of what that means right now. Here's some information about that.
Uranus is now in Taurus until 2026. Read about the possibilities for radical economic reform in my article Uranus in Taurus: A New Look At Our Finances
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