Super New Moon Eclipse
The August 11th and final Eclipse of 2018 occurs while the Moon is super-close to the Earth and conjunct Mercury, potentially causing super-tides, storm surges and flooding in coastal areas, IF storms are present at that time. Aspects of this eclipse reveal anguish – among parents still separated from their young children (Venus opposed Chiron), Hawaiians losing their homes to Pele (Uranus in Taurus), etc. Expect victims of new outrages and tragedies to surface due to this eclipse season’s 6 month impacts.
Lots of Retrogrades
Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are all retrograde (Jupiter was also retrograde until mid-July) and Uranus goes retrograde on August 8th. Mercury Retrograde began July 26th with its usual ~3 weeks of miscommunications, machine break downs, and general mayhem until it turns direct on August 19th. July and August mark the MOST retrograde months of 2018 with 6 retrograde planets, forcing us to rethink our plans, retrace our steps, and maybe slow or even reverse course. Retrograde planets signal retreat, reversals, re-thinking and reworking plans, and delays.
Uranus in Taurus + the 5th house
Uranus entered the fixed sign of Taurus and the US National chart’s 5th house in May of 2018, where it stays until the summer of 2023; Uranus remains in Taurus until 2026. While Uranus rules innovation, change, breakdown and breakthrough, the conservative Earth sign of Taurus oversees banking and finance, possessions, privilege versus principle, “the finer things in life”, building and maintaining the status quo, as well as sustainability for the Earth. Transformational change always clashes with rooted, stubbornly-held beliefs during a Culture war!
However, since Taurus is ruled by lovely Venus, we can also expect progress in the status of women worldwide over the next 7 years. Innovation in the arts-music-fashion-theater (5th house) realms can be expected to blossom as well during this time leading into the early 2020’s.
The 5th house relates to sports, lovers, children, technology, theatre and entertainment. In May NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racially-motivated police violence, sparking a Presidential apoplexy. Also in May Trump admitted that his lawyer paid $130,000 in hush money to “Stormy Daniels” over an alleged sexual affair.
It was May when AG Jeff Sessions announced this administration’s “zero tolerance” policy toward immigrants, separating families at the border, later justifying it with the same Biblical passage used to “whitewash” slavery in our dark past. In July the cries of babies torn from their parents’ arms went viral, as Judges, Democrats and an International uproar pushed back against such inhumane cruelty and mismanagement. The children were the spark that a-lighted this outcry. And this spring the Parkland High School Shooting Survivors protested gun violence by organizing huge Marches and exposing Politicians on the NRA payroll. Our Youth will lead the fight for justice into the future.
While Uranus transits the US 5th house, Virtual Reality will likely replace TV. Technologies like self-driving cars and crypto-currencies will proliferate as well. Sustainable “green” technologies should prosper. Meanwhile, the conflict between “haves” and “have-nots” will rage, until economic reforms make life more equitable for the disenfranchised.
Declination of Mars
Declination is the distance of a planet from the celestial equator, created by the tilt of the earth perpendicular to its magnetic poles. Any planet close to +/- 23o 27’ (the declination limits of the Sun) is considered high declination while those beyond 23o 27’ are called “out of bounds” or “ex-dec” planets. Persons with natal planets at extreme declinations tend to express unorthodox views or behaviors. Such individuals often show either “genius” or “criminal” tendencies, and have difficulty fitting into normal society. “Ex dec” planets manifest either positively by integrating unorthodox ideas into successful, albeit radical, systems (Freud is an example); or they can reveal a disregard for laws and customs, often using manipulation to force support from others (Hitler is an example of this). Trump’s Sun, Moon, Nodes, Uranus, Venus and Saturn are all “high-dec” (above 20o declination) while Mercury and Pluto are “ex-dec”, explaining why he is so extreme and yet successful at manipulating Republicans to his will.
Currently transiting Mars is out of bounds most of July, August and September, peaking at 26o 30’ in mid-August, likely to trigger extremely aggressive actions and consequences. For comparison, Mars was out-of-bounds only slightly higher, when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9-11-2001. Now with Chiron entering the National 4th house (homeland suffering) until 2027 in Aries (fire, extreme heat, provocations, revolution and seismic eruptions), the path forward this summer is likely to be disruptive in the extreme! Mars is also at its near-brightest in 60,000 years! Look for it rising in the east as an orange-red star near the horizon around mid-evening.