for the four weeks beginning AUGUST 2, 2020
If you are unfamiliar with the methods and interpretations of Sidereal mundane astrology, please see my free book Sidereal Mundane Astrology. (A link to the current edition can be found near the top of the Publications sub-forum.) For standard interpretations, see Chapter 8 of the current (17th) Edition.
LONG-TERM (Solar Ingresses)
(Summarized from my original interpretation in the January 15 forecast.) For the U.S., the 12 months beginning January 15, 2020 are dominated by Uranus on Eastpoint mundanely square a Sun-Saturn-Pluto conjunction at Midheaven. This difficult year will have more challenges than blessings and sets up even more severe patterns for 2021. Much of what follows describes the coronavirus pandemic and civil outrage we have experienced thus far.
- Uranus: Surprises, sudden ruptures or eruption, shock, revelation, overflowing of limits and boundaries, surprise attacks, changes in foreign relations or leadership, riots and revolts.
- Sun, Saturn, and Pluto are the main story: This year will be a horrible struggle with great damage along the way. It seems astrologically inconceivable that Trump's presidency will survive the year.
- Saturn-Pluto: Hardship including catastrophic disasters laying waste to a landscape, feeling irrevocable loss or separation, an apocalyptic time, even (in the extreme) the downfall of cities and nations.
- Sun-Saturn-Pluto across Florida, New Orleans, and coastal Mississippi: Devastating hurricanes this year, after the fashion of Hurricane Andrew. Mars through Santa Barbara County sparks unusually severe fire. See the maps.
- Sun-Saturn: Sad, arduous events; death or restraint of leaders; government gridlock; restrictive, controlling, or failing government that causes or worsens disaster, fiscal crisis, structural collapses, natural disasters, events requiring government oversight and response.
- Sun-Pluto: Diverse possibilities from natural disasters to political confrontation; removing or assailing those in power, rebelling against conventions, disrespect for and disobeying the law.
- Saturn-Uranus: Bubble-bursting, harsh reality, wide pendulum swings between freedom-restriction, liberality-conservatism, liberty vs. safety, change vs. status quo.
- Uranus-Pluto: Destabilizing, revolutionary, revising, remapping, anti-establishment, antigovernmental: a spirit of revolution dismantles current systems and tears down existing structures; people ignore, challenge, or reject precedent, custom, convention, and authority.
- Sun-Uranus: Sudden, startling, explosive, surprise attacks, leadership changes, life-altering technology.
Cansolar (Jul 16)
The Cansolar is dormant. Moon conjunct Venus (1°35') worldwide normally would signal peace, public happiness, celebration, and protection. However, its main expression may be accelerated social needs that weaken efforts to fight the pandemic. For the U.S., this is not a chart of great consequence.
Arisolar (Apr 14)
As the "quarter" chart from April 14 to October 17, a single aspect marks the Arisolar: Venus square Mars: Venus rises (0°31', dignified in Taurus); Mars culminates (1°33', dignified in Capricorn); and Venus squares Mars (1°03' in mundo). Foremost, the aspect means passion in every respect. People feel powerfully about things. In an election year, we expect inflamed passions to prevail over reason across the terrain of political engagement (i.e., the usual). More broadly, great restlessness sweeps the land, tempers burn short, and selfish wants win out over any greater social mindfulness. Venus-Mars also frays international relations with wounded alliances and even military attacks.
MEDIUM-TERM (The Bridge)
We find a contrast - exactly opposing symbolism - for the world in general vs. the United States in particular. For the world in general, these weeks should bring happy news, even celebration: Progressed Cansolar Moon conjoins ingress Venus (beginning 8/2). Progressed Capsolar Moon squares ingress Jupiter (beginning 8/9).
However, for the U.S. (which is also part of "the world" and will benefit somewhat from those benefic progressions), transits to Capsolar angles are harsh. Transiting Saturn conjoins Capsolar MC all month (exact 8/10). This is the transit that, back in February, marked the collapse of the stock market and the discovery that COVID-19 was racing through the populace. Whatever the exact results this time, they will have the same characteristics of enormous death, hardship, and failure.
Then, August 19 through the end of the period is the most critical time. Transiting Mars squares Capsolar MC, centered on the exact Mars-Saturn square August 24, the day the Republican National Convention opens. (Mars and Saturn are in partile square 8/21-30, enclosing the entire convention.)
Mars is in Pisces until August 19. Thus far, it has manifest primarily as virulent toxicity, including rising (record) disease numbers and emotion-charged racial violence (fueling memories of historic slavery, a Pisces theme). On August 19, Mars enters Aries and the day-to-day story line will shift at once from Pisces themes to Aries themes. (It seems that the RNC will be volatile to the point of danger.) -- Summaries of longer-term trends from outer planet sign transits are here.
SHORT-TERM (Lunar Ingresses)
Caplunar (Aug 2)
The Caplunar covers August 2-29, especially the first week, August 2-9. This month delivers a hard blow to the United States. The most likely form is that we collectively get terrible news with cascading consequences.
Moon. Mercury, and Saturn are aligned along the horizon (with Pluto not far away for emphasis). Mercury opposes Saturn, their midpoint 0°02' from the Washington, DC horizon. Moon opposes Mercury (0°05') and conjoins Pluto (also partile). Moon-Saturn and Mercury-Pluto flesh out the closest aspects. Saturn/Pluto is on Descendant.
This terrible news will be of unusually high impact, deflating hope, and likely affecting things Mercurial in nature. For example (probably far too extreme, but capturing the right emotional tone), it could be an announcement that the pandemic disease has been found immune to all known paths to immunization.
More broadly, Mercury-Saturn signifies restrictions, delays, failures, or calamity relating to transportation; communication breakdowns from technical failures or because people simply stop listening to each other; and the interruption of commerce. Mercury-Pluto portends collisions of ideas, leadership hanging in the balance, and consequences that stun the intellect or repattern how people think about things. Moon-Mercury, besides causing a "news media camped out" media circus, signals themes of flight, wind, and swiftness, situations that involve voluminous paperwork (or its digital equivalent), and transportation events. (This could be nothing more than the two vote-casting political conventions.) Moon-Pluto amplifies the intensity and "on the brink" sense. Moon-Saturn speaks of sacrifice, loss, and sadness.
Local angularities play up the convention locales. Jupiter sets in Milwaukee. Jupiter and Pluto straddle Charlotte. A worrisome Mars line follows the Georgia-South Carolina border after rising from the Caribbean and then continues northwest, typical of violent storms (but perhaps other kinds of violent storming in the southeast).
- 8/2: CanQ Asc sq. t Saturn.
- 8/3: CanQ Asc sq. ingress Saturn, CanQ EP conj. t Mars.
- 8/6: CapQ Dsc crosses t Uranus, CanQ MC crosses t Jupiter.
The Arilunar, covering August 9-16, brings a renewal of hope amidst intensified struggle. Logic suggests that this means people understand that things are getting worse and step up to engage it - to fight back.
Jupiter conjunct Pluto straddles IC, the midpoint conjunct the angle. We have seen much of this aspect recently: It challenges beliefs, values, and the political-cultural systems that sustain them, sometimes calling (with zeal for justice and democracy) for a reconstruction of the social order. It often manifests as recovery, healing, or correction of unjust or undermined conditions, turning a corner, reversing the tide. Often this accompanies from political undermining or reversals .
Jupiter and Pluto are angular with Mars, which brings the fight. Mars square Pluto is the closest aspect: It signals no-holds-barred, "gloves off, bare-knuckle" confrontation as examples of the more general ferocious unleashing of force theme, often with open disrespect of law.
Four close Moon aspects are mixed: While Moon to Saturn-Pluto still weighs on the whole world. the closest orbs for the U.S. are all mundane. Moon closely squares Saturn and Pluto, conjoins Mars, and squares Uranus (0°57' PVP). These show emotional hardship, a strong threat of violence, and the need to rapidly adapt to new or quickly changing circumstances. These energies are not passive: They are combative, engaged, even outraged.
Venus culminates for the longitude of Wichita and Oklahoma City. Jupiter anticulminates for the longitude of Raleigh, from the Carolina coast north through central Virginia and Pennsylvania. Mars-Pluto lines intersect off Virginia Beach and closely straddle New York City. A Mars-Jupiter intersection nearly atop Virginia Beach increases the chance of storms - and stormy behavior in nearby Washington.
- 8/9: CanQ MC crosses ingress Jupiter.
- 8/10: CanQ MC crosses t/s Pluto.
- 8/11: CanQ Asc crosses t/s Uranus.
- 8/14: CanQ MC crosses t Saturn.
The Canlunar covers August 16-22, including the Democratic National Convention August 17-20. I suspect this one event will absorb most of what this chart conveys, since it shows great involvement of herd-masses of people in fiery argument, with great passion and a sense that events portend great consequences.
In other words, a typical quadrennial national political convention.
Moon squares Midheaven and closely angular Mars. Mars squares non-foreground Saturn. Both aspect angular Pluto. Venus sets in close (1°10') mundane square to Mars. Jupiter-Pluto spotlights themes of recovery, restoration, and political zeal. The one dark cloud is Moon opposite Saturn (0°32' in mundo), amplifying an honest sense of hardship, loss, and sadness requiring a new, great sacrifice.
Puerto Rico has Pluto rising: Keep an eye on the Atlantic weather report. Miami, however, has Venus exactly setting, which spreads along the entire eastern seaboard, passing also through Boston. Neptune squares Ascendant halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee - might we see riots reminiscent of '68? Saturn squares MC near Philadelphia and through New Jersey not far from New York City, suggesting a crisis in these areas linked to hardship and dissatisfaction (and maybe a dip down in the stock market for the week - which would be really bad news for the Democrats).
- 8/16: CanQ MC crosses ingress Saturn.
- 8/20: CapQ IC crosses ingress Venus (climax of DNC).
The Liblunar covers August 22-29. This one-week chart is of unusual importance for three reasons: (1) It overlaps the Republican National Convention August 24-27. (2) It overlaps days of extreme risk and severity identified in the Bridge section above. (3) It closely resembles next year's Capsolar, having all the same essential elements: This week may foreshadow how 2021 will play out.
With these days already identified as a high-threat time for the United States due to a transiting Mars-Saturn square on the Washington Capsolar angles, the Liblunar also has a Moon-Mars-Saturn T-square on its angles. Like the 2021 Capsolar, this Liblunar features a partile Mars-Saturn square as its most angular aspect plus a more widely foreground Jupiter-Uranus square (0°46' in mundo). We are greatly interested in how that pair of partile aspects will play out.
Venus (IC 0°32') and Saturn (Zenith 0°45') are most angular. Moon opposite Mars (0°13' in mundo), Mars square Saturn (0°28'), and Jupiter square Uranus (0°46') are its closest aspects. Moon squares Mars, Saturn, and Pluto. Primarily, these are aspects of emotional savagery. Surely, much of this will play out during the RNC; but in what exact ways? It's easy to conceive great conflict amounting to battle - that would be the political norm and nothing unusual. These aspects also signify an invoking of great hurt, hatred, and cruelty specifically consistent with Fascist and other radically nationalist moves and movements.
It is hard to justify much emphasis on the wide (yet foreground) Venus-Jupiter opposition, though conventions are always great parties. The mixed cluster of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto stretch their angularities across the eastern fourth of the country (with Jupiter right through Charlotte): These are the most important angularities across the nation.
- 8/22: CapQ EP crosses ingress Mars.
- 8/25: CapQ MC squares ingress Mars (during the RNC).
- 8/28: CanQ MC squares t/s Uranus.
