Forecast Mar 2-8, 2020: Self-Quarantine

If you’ve ever considered crawling under a rock, this week might be the ideal time to do so. As we muddle through the confusion of a rapidly changing landscape, several significant aspects are building to their unavoidable zeniths. These include a befuddling Sun Neptune conjunction on Sunday, the 8th, followed later that day by a Venus conjunction with chaotic Uranus. Those take place one day ahead of Monday, March 9th’s full moon and Mercury station (ending of its retrograde). Because those Sun and Venus connections are with global influencing outer planets, Neptune and Uranus, the impact of the two conjunctions will be effecting us throughout the week. Perhaps, once we get past that full moon and Mercury resumes its forward movement, clarity will emerge and tensions will begin to subside. But we have a hellacious week to get through first, one that includes primary elections in 14 US states.

This week begins with moon in curious, chatty Gemini. Normally this would boost our social side. This time, that moon will square the Sun and Neptune in Pisces. Pisces is the mutable water sign associated with infiltration and boundary crossing. That such a large-scale social interaction as national voting is taking place under the sphere of the looming COVID-19 pandemic is practically a textbook example of how squares work in astrology. They are “arguably” astrology’s most contentious angles. They form when the planets are 90 degrees apart, and they’re infamous for bringing matters to a head. Voting by mail is an option. It may be wise from a public safety perspective, but droves of straggling, incoming ballots will play right into another textbook example in astrology, that of the consternating delays associated with Mercury retrogrades. Mercury rules Gemini, and under this Gemini moon technical snafus are practically inevitable. On Super Tuesday, that Gemini moon forms quincunxes to Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn, all of which are in Capricorn, the sign of governments and systems. Quincunxes are created when the planets are 150 degrees from one another, which places them in both unlike elements (fire, water, air or earth) and unlike modalities (cardinal, fixed or mutable). Under this aspect, the planets are not so much fighting with one another as much as they simply cannot understand one another. There’s no common ground for them to work from. On Wednesday the moon comes home to care-giving Cancer. From here it will oppose Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn, and trine the Sun and Neptune, again with both in nebulous Pisces. The soothing capacity of nurturing Cancer will be somewhat subdued amidst all of the ongoing astrological racket.

While all of that is happening, on Wednesday, Mercury backs up into Aquarius and Venus ventures onto her home turf of Taurus. These are definitely two of the week’s bright spots. In Aquarius, Mercury will find relief from Piscean ambiguity and compatibility and clarity in the scientific and innovative air sign. Useful data concerning the coronavirus is likely to be uncovered while Mercury’s in Aquarius (March 4th-16th). Taurus is astrology’s fixed earth sign. Once there, money-minded Venus can retreat from ungrounded Aries impulses (perhaps the ones driving worldwide market panic), and possibly connect us with a sense of stability. The problem is however, that in Taurus, Venus will conjoin earthshaking Uranus on Sunday. Uranus is as renowned for its destabilization as Taurus is for its security. Before that conjunction takes place, the moon will move through Leo. In its higher expression, kingly Leo’s confidence and warmth inspire courage and leadership. At its worst, the sign’s bossiness and authoritarian side are intolerable. That moon will square Venus and Uranus on Friday (not a good sign for markets) and form a series of those incomprehensible quincunxes on Saturday. This could signal the implementation of dramatic measures to curtail the viral or market contagions of COVID-19. Let’s hope astrology’s Lion leads with magnanimity.

All of the week’s action culminates on Sunday, when the Sun and Neptune meet, the moon rolls into Virgo, where it will be full on Monday, and Venus conjoins Uranus. Virgo is astrology’s mutable earth sign and its domains are health and service. This moon will benefit from the support of the planets in Taurus and Capricorn. But it will be challenged by the fog of Sunday’s Sun Neptune conjunction and oppositions from Neptune and the Sun on Monday. Again, once we move past that full moon, on the 9th, and Mercury turns direct, also on the 9th, a clearer path ahead should start to shake out. Mercury will not leave its retrograde shadow until late in March, indicating that getting out of the woods may still take a few more weeks. For now, finding that rock, along with fine literature and some peace and quiet, might just be a great medium-term strategy.