Friday 7/19/2024 & the Weekend: Full Moon in Capricorn

2024 in Review, President Biden, Right on Schedule

TGIF!

Welcome to new subscribers who have found me on Substack. This is such a fun platform, though I am still learning the ropes. I love sharing my passion for the astonishing synchronicity of astrology and the news, whether you're fluent in the language of astrology or a Muggle who is curious and would like to learn more.

I used to work in the media, but I am now a full-time consulting astrologer. I'm a compulsive writer and teacher, and I do my best to translate the astro-jargon. However -- and this is important -- I do not use jargon in personal consultations. So if you're wondering how all of these patterns apply to your own personal horoscope, trust that I will discuss it with you in plain English.

I hope you will use these insights, obtained through years of research and observation, to better manage expectations in these interesting times. I hope you will take comfort in seeing that there is order in seemingly random chaos.

Thanks for reading, sharing, liking, restacking and supporting Why Now News.

Here's what the weekend holds:

• FRIDAY: Moon is in Capricorn, ready to Make Things Happen. Moon travels with no interference throughout the day, possibly deploying the pixie dust of a cooperative pattern (sextile) between Mars and Neptune, exact at 11:17 AM ET on ....

• SATURDAY:...as a means of achieving its Establishment agenda. Mars (action, assertion, aggression) and Neptune (fog, faith, scandal, martyrs, healers, victims) are at the verrrrrrry end of Taurus and Pisces. Translation: a sense of urgency about establishing material comfort and security, perhaps by putting something on a pedestal or making it disappear. This pixie dust may be delightfully charming or dangerously seductive. A sextile between Moon and Saturn at 1:15 PM ET offers a sense of stability -- even if the destination is currently unclear.  At 4:43 PM ET, Mars finally ditches Taurus for Gemini until September 5th -- and this was covered in detail in the last forecast.

• SUNDAY: Moon trines Uranus at 1:52 AM ET, supporting an innovative approach to minding your own business. This is the set-up for the Full Moon in Capricorn, exact at 6:17 AM ET.

Here is that chart, set in Washington, DC:

Observations:

• Gosh, there's a lot going on. This is the second Full Moon in Capricorn this year. Last month, it was at the beginning of Capricorn; now it is at the end -- 29 degrees. We have a sense of urgency about matters of strategy, ambition, and governance. Moon in Capricorn needs to achieve the goal -- never mind your feelings.

• Moon in Capricorn's "it's just business" approach opposes the Cancer Sun's interest in establishing home/homeland security -- in our faces and in the extreme. The Sun is right on the Ascendant; the Moon is on the Descendant, and both are about to connect with "change or die" Pluto. The Sun is the ruler of this Full Moon chart, and the Sun refers to leaders and willpower. This chart aptly reflects the enormous pressure President Biden is under, does it not?

• It's interesting that while the chart ruler is at the end of its sign, the Ascendant is at the beginning of Leo. One interpretation suggests illumination that results in a new beginning for leadership. Another interpretation is that it is too soon to tell. This is echoed by Mars at the very beginning of Gemini.

• Disruptive revelations -- whether they be innovative or simply shocking -- reflects the square between Mercury and Uranus. Everyone who was affected by Monday's Mars-Uranus-Algol conjunction is personally affected by this square, including the man whose acceptance speech put RNC attendees to sleep and his new running mate, JD Vance.

• This Full Moon squares the pioneering 29 degree Aries Moon in the chart for the Biden-Harris Inauguration, suggesting tension and required adjustments. The Sabian Symbols for this lunation are "a secret business conference" (for the Moon) and "a daughter of the American Revolution" (for the Sun). We worked with these Symbols on the Full Moon in Cancer of January 2011.  Astrologer Blain Bovee advises us to anticipate “inherited issues decided behind closed doors...and revolutionary changes.” What will our fearless corporate and government leaders — and/or rebels — do next? I appreciate Bovee's observation that "things tend to work out well," as it reflects three other patterns in this Full Moon chart that suggest a smooth flow of energy, easily applied to achieving a goal. Let's hope!

• In your own personal world, what illumination might you gain as you work toward goals set two weeks ago? Maybe it’s time to take a meeting — or make that great leap forward.

• You are more personally affected by this Full Moon if you have planets at 29 degrees of Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, or Libra. Off the top of my head that includes Pete Buttigieg, Nikki Haley, Kellyanne Conway and Jeffrey Epstein. Because Pluto is so close to the Full Moon, those with planets or angles at 0 Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpio are affected, too. That's President Biden, King Charles, Dean Phillips.

Back to SUNDAY:

• If your dreams are more active than usual, I won't be surprised. At 7:42 AM ET, Moon enters Aquarius, seeking to be of unique social significance. High energy continues through the morning, reflecting a trine to Mars and a meet-up with Pluto at 8:28 AM ET and 9:14 AM ET, respectively.

• SUNDAY (CONT.):  Venus sextiles Jupiter at 4:43 PM ET.  and it's usually a lovely day when the two planets regarded as "fortunes" are in harmony.  Mercury squares Uranus at 6:20 PM ET, suggesting disruptions in tech and aviation. As I type this on Friday, it's (combined with Mars and the Sun in contact with Uranus earlier this week), "Massive internet outage grounds flights; shuts down businesses globally."   I think transiting Pluto at 0 Aquarius gets some credit for this, too, as it pushes the networks and information channels to extremes.

• SUNDAY (CONT.): Sun trines Neptune at 11:25 PM ET -- suggesting themes of saviors, vision, healing, ideals, especially among leaders. Mars trines Pluto at 11:47 PM ET, suggesting an easy application of force -- either in words (because Mars is now in Gemini) or action (because Mars is still Mars). That happens at 11:47 PM ET...and it sets us up for...

• MONDAY's ingress of the Sun into Leo, the sign it rules, exact at 3:44 AM ET. This ingress is especially supercharged, as the Sun makes its annual opposition to Pluto at 1:37 AM ET on TUESDAY. Major power plays behind the scenes are possible, likely featuring heads of state and business.   Sun-Pluto aspects also suggest news from underground.

A little backstory...

Before we get to the news, it may be helpful to review how this summer looked from last summer's astro-logical perspective. Looking ahead back then, I thought that by summer, voters in this presidential campaign would be 1) overwhelmed by too many candidates to choose from; and 2) bewildered by unreliable and/or flat-out fake news.  Volatile patterns in the horoscopes of President Biden and the convicted felon suggested upsets, as we are now witnessing...and back then, I felt it was too soon to tell if they would do a repeat of 2020.

As it turned out, the campaigns clung to preserving the old guard/status quo all through January 2024...and more or less until the end of May.

Here are some of the major planetary patterns humming in the background in 2023 and 2024:

• Pluto clinging to the end of Capricorn through January 2024. This suggests a last-gasp effort by the old guard to hold power. Pluto refers to power and resources. Capricorn is the Established Order.

• Jupiter was in Taurus from May 2023 until May 25, 2024. Jupiter expands and rewards whatever it touches. Taurus needs comfort and stability; it is solid as a rock (Earth!) and resistant to change.

Now we have:

• Pluto in Aquarius, suggesting power in the hands of the people, rebels, the avant garde, coalitions, networks, and technology. This is a new paradigm, so it makes sense that there would be rumblings for a new power dynamic. It will be interesting to see if there is a shift back to the "old guard" after September 2nd, when Pluto returns to Capricorn for its last hurrah until November 20th. Hmm. Patriarchy, perhaps? After November 20th, it will be full throttle Aquarius until 2044. The U.S. election is November 5th. Out with the old; in with the new.

• Meanwhile, Jupiter is now in Gemini, and anyone who was feeling all comfy and complacent when Jupiter was in Taurus may be freaked out by what we've seen since the end of May. Jupiter in Gemini is mercurial indeed, with an inflated need for diversity, flexibility, multiple options, and not seeing the forest for the trees. So much for preserving the status quo, right? TMI Jupiter in Gemini is scheduled for a reality check around mid-August, when it meets up with action hero Mars, and both square Saturn.

• Uranus is in Taurus, conjunct the fixed star Algol for the rest of 2024, returning in the summer of 2025.  For those just tuning in, Uranus represents sudden change. In Taurus since 2018, we've seen disruptions in All Things Taurus, e.g., retail, housing, agriculture. Algol represents the severed head of the Medusa. It represents the fury of women scorned, and losing one's head, figuratively and literally. Algol refers to alcohol, so if it feels like some are drunk on something, they probably are. Uranus is squaring the Moon in the U.S. horoscope -- no wonder the whole country is so riled up. Uranus is active in the convicted felon's horoscope now, and is very close to making contact with planets in President Biden's horoscope, but won't complete the connection until next year. The excruciating squeeze he's experiencing reflects major transits of Saturn, triggered by transiting Mars.

• Neptune is at the very end of Pisces, which feels like the end of the world. Neptune refers to ideals and illusions; who knows what to believe.

And now, the news...

...which I watched out of the corner of my eye a week ago, when I escaped to the beach for a few days. I was pleased to see that NATO gathered to celebrate its 75-year alliance on July 10th, under this planetary pattern noted in the forecast:

A need for a perfect union continues, and with a trine (easy flow) between the Sun (will power, leaders) and Saturn (structure, strategy, controls) exact at 11:04 PM ET, efforts are likely to deliver results.

Heather Cox Richardson has the historical details on NATO, and a recap of President Biden's speech. Meanwhile, in an alternate reality, that Sun-Saturn trine reflected Viktor Orban's trek to Mar-a-Largo. Private citizens are not permitted to negotiate U.S. foreign policy, according to the law, but whatever.

When I returned to the city on Friday the 12th, the extreme values (Venus opposing Pluto) of Project 2025 were all over the news, as other shocks to the system hit the wires, as anticipated:

• ‘A botched prosecution’: Alec Baldwin’s trial gets shock ending fit for Hollywood.  As is often the case, Baldwin has patterns in his own horoscope that mirrored patterns on the day he was hot in the headlines. Venus is opposing Pluto; Mars is opposing Uranus.

We often see a mirror of current patterns in the obituaries.

• Obituary: "Dr. Ruth aimed to shake America out of its Puritan ways."   Here is her horoscope.

• Obituary: "Remembering Richard Simmons and his 'extreme Catholic' faith." The fitness guru's horoscope has Venus conjunct Uranus, squaring Mars.

• Obituary: "Shannen Doherty elevated bitchiness to an art form." and "Shannen Doherty finalized divorce hours before her death."  Her horoscope has Pluto on the ASC; Mars square Uranus.

• Sarah Kendzior's latest Substack offering is a provocative tribute to Doherty and her 90210 co-star Luke Perry, who died a few years ago. I appreciated it because I worked on the marketing and promotion of that series, once upon a time when I lived in LA.

• Obituary: "Shelley Duvall was a sublime and subversive screen presence" -- and driven to emotional extremes in perhaps the scariest horror movie ever made, amiright? That's Venus opposing Pluto!

Meanwhile...

Avid Readers were alerted well in advance to the potential of this pattern, exact on July 16th:

At 10:04 AM ET, the Mars-Uranus conjunction is exact. Avid Readers will recall that shocking actions and assertions, with themes of “losing one’s head” were likely to be grabbing our attention through the weekend, starting around Thursday/Friday.

On July 13th, there was a shooting at a rally for the convicted felon in Butler, Pennsylvania. Two people were killed; three were injured, two of whom were hospitalized. Like fellow Substack scribe Greg Olear, I didn't really want to write about this horrible event, but some Avid Readers wondered about the rumors that it was staged. They've seen Wag the Dog and Bob Roberts. Plus, the convicted felon is a proven pathological liar. What did astrology suggest?

There was initial confusion among astrologers about the time the shots were fired. The timestamp on the Fox News feed said 6:11 PM ET.  Astrologers posting charts on Facebook had seen a non-timestamped feed, and, based on their own timepieces, calculated charts for two to three minutes later. Wikipedia confirms that it happened at 6:11 PM ET. Was the timestamped news feed airing with a two-minute delay? I don't know. Does that matter?

The Midheaven of the 6:11 PM ET chart for July 13, 2024 in Butler, PA is 5 degrees of Libra. This is the degree of the March 25th lunar eclipse and it is the convicted felon's Neptune. Translation: the public status of this event is likely to activate themes of victimization, miracles, martyrs, healing, ideals, and pacifism in his life. Which it did.

But Neptune can also reflect pixie-dust, confusion and illusion. Things may not be as they seem.  Thus, it astro-logical that some are questioning whether his ear was injured by a bullet. No official medical report has been been released. He had a big white bandage taped to his right ear at the RNC. That's all the public knows for certain. Does it matter? I don't know...and being comfortable with not knowing is one of Neptune's exercises. Still, the lack of clarity accurately reflects the astrology of the moment. I find this fascinating.

A birth date of the 20-year-old gunman was found online and, as we would expect, there are dramatic and provocative patterns between the two horoscopes.

That night, the Biden campaign expressed empathy (Neptune), and paused their ad campaigns.

Project 2025 disappeared from the headlines, and hasn't made a comeback since. Poof! Neptune refers to vanishing acts. However, Heather Cox Richardson gave a talk about Project 2025  online, and you can catch a recording of it here.

In other  news...

As anticipated, President Biden continued to work with the energy of assertion and aggression this week. He gave interviews to one-note journalists, and he pushed back. He gave fiery speeches, determined to stay the course. The press responded by flooding their channels with stories about the RNC circus, and how the convicted felon's rambling speech was a plea for unity and healing (which it may have been on paper, but wasn't on stage, as Mary L. Trump reports).

ICYMI, Stephen Colbert presented RNC highlights for all four nights -- check them out here.

As for Biden, coverage focused on reported calls from a growing number of Democratic leaders -- notably in California -- for him to withdraw. And on the 17th, the day after it was announced that he would be presenting plans to reform the corrupt Supreme Court, he tested positive for Covid, further fulfilling the potential written here two weeks ago:

So…after the 11th of July, we’re looking at July 17 -18...and then July 24-25...

...the 17th-18th may recall what was going on in March, when Mars was traveling through the last degrees of Aquarius, and the Republicans on the Oversight Committee were holding bogus impeachment hearings.

Oh, and a meteor reportedly exploded over Manhattan -- another reflection of the potential of this week's planetary patterns.

Astrology is amazing. Feel free to post comments below.

This statue of Julius Caesar is one of 17  Roman emperors in the garden of the Southampton Arts Center. They are copies of the Vatican originals.