Category: IFLA

Last horoscope of the year!  And I’m not going to look for things happening on off-days, what there is what you’re going to get.

 

There’s only one alignment, but it’s a good one:  The Earth remains aligned with the Sun and Jupiter, which is all great news for the home life.

Capricorn gets its month in the sun, which means I get to link to the best of Xan Griffin’s zodiac songs.  It also retains the Jovian combo of Saturn and Jupiter which gives them tremendous power, but not necessarily any particular direction inherent in it.  So use it wisely.   Mercury in Sagittarius indicates that you’re going to receive excellent advice this week. The moon joining with Venus in Aquarius is at basic level a sign of femininity, more specifically motherhood, and also nature.

The cards agree with GRRRRL POWAH!  and the general overall domestic bliss (King/Queen of a suit drawn together, one reversed?  Do I really have to spell it out?)  However, the overall theme of the week is “shit’s gone pear-shaped, yo.”  Ten of the twelve cards were drawn reversed, and to say that swords are overrepresented is putting it mildly.  Many sets included, majors indicate this will be an important week.

Capricorn:  4 of Swords reversed – Wise administration, circumspection, economy, avarice, precaution, testament

Aquarius:  King of Swords reversed – Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention

Pisces: Queen of Swords – Widowhood, female sadness and embarrassment, absence, sterility, mourning, privation, separation

Aries:  King of Wands reversed – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious

Taurus:  Justice reversed – Law, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity

Gemini:  The Moon reversed – Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error

Cancer:  9 of Swords reversed –  Imprisonment, suspicion, doubt, reasonable fear, shame

Leo:  Page of Swords – Authority, overseeing, secret service, vigilance, spying, examination

Virgo:  King of Cups reversed –  Dishonest, double-dealing man, roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss

Libra:  The Sun reversed – Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment, growth ending

Scorpio:  9 of Cups reversed – Truth, loyalty, liberty, mistakes, imperfections

Sagittarius: 8 of Cups reversed – Great joy, happiness, feasting

 

 

 

 

When looking over this week’s charts, nothing was there on Sunday.  It would have been tempting to squint a bit, maybe nudge the ruler to force something into being, and there was something almost happening.  So I tracked the relative motion of Venus and Mercury and bingo!  On Christmas day, there is a SEVEN planet triple conjunction!  So if you want to do something, the odds are on your side.  But what if you just want to chill?  Maybe not so much.  Here’s what’s going on.  First:  Mars-Mercury-Venus.  Yes, Mercury is between Mars and Venus.  It happens.  Orbital mechanics are like that.  In fact did you know that The planet physically closest to Earth is usually Mercury?  Yup.  Your elementary school science teachers failed you, but you probably already knew that.

Anyway, back to the first alignment:  Mars-Mercury-Venus.  The two poles male/female balanced around chaos.  Um-Yang, the Sacred Chao, whatever you want to call it.  Powerful, but in and of itself of questionable auspicity — are these complementary or competing forces?  Is the center the still point of destruction or the frictionless pivot?  Well, Mars is unconfigured otherwise, But Mercury…

Conjunction:  Mercury-Luna-Earth.   In this case we have yet more ambiguity, with a leaning towards disorder.  Both Mercury and the Moon signify change, and both can bring luck but they also tend to mean “travel” which is contrary to the homebody nature of the Earth.  So we need more information.  Are any other planets involved in other constructions?  What is the Sun doing?  Fortunately (IYKWIM) there are answers.

Jupiter-Sun-Earth.  Here we have some solid and unambiguous evidence of benevolence.  The sun and Jupiter are the two most auspicious planets, and having them aligned with the Earth means regardless of whatever is happening with the earlier conjunction with Mercury (and tracing back from there to the Venus-Mars construction)  things are going to be pretty darn good.  It is a most excellent and merry Christmas sign.

Sagittarius:  9 of Cups reversed – Truth, loyalty, liberty, mistakes, imperfections

Capricorn:  10 of Cups – Contentment, repose, human love and friendship

Aquarius:  9 of Swords – failure, miscarriage, delay, deception, disappointment, despair

Pisces:  2 of Coins reversed – Enforced gaiety, simulated enjoyment, literal sense, handwriting, composition, letters of exchange

Aries:  Judgment – Change of position, renewal, outcome

Taurus:  Knight of Cups – arrival, approach, advances, proposition, demeanour, invitation, incitement

Gemini:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, lovers strife

Cancer:  7 of Wands – valour, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

Leo:  The Emperor – Stability, power, protection, realization, aid, reason, conviction, authority, will

Virgo:  Knight of Swords – Skill, bravery, capacity, defense, address, enmity, wrath, war, destruction, opposition, resistance, ruin

Libra:  Queen of Wands – A dark woman, countrywoman, friendly, chaste, loving, honorable.  Also, love of money, success in business

Scorpio:  9 of Coins reversed – roguery, deception, voided project, bad faith.

 

 

 

I hope everyone made it through last week.  This week looks better.

The Mars-Mercury-Sol alignment is still there, it’s moving off which should reduce the amount of squabbling going on around you.  Coming into alignment at the same time that one is breaking up is the sun sliding between Jupiter and the Moon, bringing (literally) “changes for the good.”  Now this is attached to a more prominent alignment of the aforementioned moon with the Earth and Venus indicating a peaceful, loving home life.

Good or bad news depending on who you are, but the ethical demands of Sagittarius are lessening.  It’s also indicating a good time for journalists, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.  Capricorn keeps its power trio going, so be sure to work on difficult mental activities that you’ve been avoiding.  The only really new development in this part of the sky is the Moon in Cancer, so it’s a good time for secrets, anything to do with water, and for getting that odd lump on your butt checked out by a qualified physician.

Remember how last week’s cards were grim?  This week’s are amazingly good.  I’ve never seen as pleasant a draw for you guys.  There’s only two reversed cards, and fully five of them are upright wands (which is exactly the euphemism you might think).  Wands are the creative/positive aspects of masculinity (as opposed to Swords which are the negative/destructive) so with the wimmen enjoying the benefits of Venus-Luna, it’s a good week for all Glibkind.

Sagittarius:  4 of Wands – repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace

Capricorn:  The High Priestess – secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom, science

Aquarius:  King of Wands – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious

Pisces:  8 of Wands – Activity in undertakings, swiftness, messenger, great haste, great hope, felicity, love

Aries:  7 of Wands – valor, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

Taurus:  Knight of Wands – Departure, absence, flight, emigration, change of residence, casual hookup

Gemini:  The World – Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place

Cancer:  Judgement – Change of position, renewal, outcome

Leo:  King of Coins – Valor, realizing intelligence, business and normal intellectual aptitude, sometimes mathematical gifts and attainments of this kind; success in these paths

Virgo:  The Emperor reversed – Benevolence, compassion, credit, confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity

Libra:  8 of Swords reversed –  Disquiet, difficulty, opposition, accident, treachery

Scorpio:  Ace of Swords – Triumph, the excessive degree in everything, conquest, great force in love as well as in hatred

 

The skies are being a bit mysterious today.  No alignments or conjunctions, no occluded oppositions.  Just a bunch of planets minding their own business.  Or so they’d like you to think…

Usually when the sun is in your sign, you’ve got other good things going on, if for no other reason than two of the luckiest planets (Mercury and Venus) are never too far away from the Sun.  Unfortunately, this week Sagittarius isn’t seeing that, so its prime influences foresight, perception, precision will be dominant without extra goodies starwise.  Sagittarius’ loss is Capricorn’s gain as Venus is there this week.  Also joining her is her uncle Jupiter and her grandfather Saturn.  We have three generations in one of the oldest and most primordial signs, making this an excellent time to pass down skills and family lore, so get to either learning or teaching.  This is also a time of family disputes, given the somewhat… troubled history between Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the fact that Venus, being produced without procreation herself, is most explicitly NOT an avatar of familial love.  However, Venus is a harmonizer, which will let hhe polarities represented by Jupiter and Saturn exist in a sense of completion rather than opposition.  There is a lot of power in this celestial arrangement, so make use of it while you can.  Especially since there is going to be some chaos this week as the moon is in Aries.  Mars and Mercury in Scorpio means… something about attacks?  An attack you can see coming.

A rather grim draw this week.  Lots of swords, lots of reverses including the only major.

Sagittarius:  10 of Cups reversed – A false sense of security, indignation, violence

Capricorn:  2 of Coins – gaiety, recreation, news and messages in writing, obstacles, agitation, trouble, embroilment.

Aquarius:  King of Swords reversed – Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention

Pisces:  10 of Swords – pain, affliction, tears, sadness, desolation

Aries:  Page of Wands – This card has a typical reading which I’m ignoring because of this footnote “A dangerous rival, if followed by the Page of Cups.”  Guess what was drawn next?

Taurus:  Page of Cups reversed  – Taste, inclination, attachment, seduction, deception, artifice

Gemini:  King of Coins – Valour, realizing intelligence, business and normal intellectual aptitude, mathematical gifts and attainments of this kind; success in these paths

Cancer:  2 of Swords reversed – Imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty, misdirected revenge

Leo:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds

Virgo:  5 of Coins reversed – Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy

Libra:  4 of Swords – Vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit’s repose, exile, tomb, coffin

Scorpio:  8 of Swords – Bad news, violent chagrin, crisis, censure, power in trammels, conflict, calumny, sickness

 

 

I’m writing this way early because I’ll be out of town doing various fun, family and feasting things over Thanksgiving so all of the predictions that come true are extra-impressive.  My first prediction is that I’ll be at the airport when this gets published which is a pretty risky prediction as anyone who has attempted to fly into Albany in the winter can attest to.

Lots of bad news in the skies this week, but much of it is annoyingly unspecific.  Saturn-Venus-Luna can mean the end of a relationship, a decrease in passion in a current relationship, Lesbian Bed Death, menopause, or a relationship getting out of a sexual rut that it’s been in.  Mars aligning with Mercury and the Earth can mean a soldier returning home, a soldier being called up from hoe to go to war, or your neighbors have a domestic disturbance that causes you problems.  Sagittarius continues its karmic benevolence from last week, though less so, and for those born under this sign, this week will be a bit less than optimal (though still very good).  Capricorn will be lucky in love purely by accident.  The moon in Aquarius brings an enhancement to water in all of its forms.

I somehow made it out of town without my deck, and also have to write this up on a phone.  While a lesser man would use that as an excuse to not provide you with that personal advice that you’ve come to depend on, I won’t let you down.  I don’t have any suitable scapulae available, and my hosts wouldn’t appreciate the ritual evisceration that a good haruspex requires.  Plus I’d need to do it twelve times, and that would cut into my holiday budget.  There are many systems of divination based on the casting of tonnes, probably the most famous of which is the I Ching.  I’m not going to cast that one either.  Instead, I’m going to use a stripped-down version of the Celtic oracular casting sticks, or more specifically:  coins.  The prescient precision is imperfect with this, but the results should be just as reliable as any major technique.

Sagittarius: good luck

Capricorn:  bad luck

Aquarius: good luck

Pisces: good luck

Aries: bad luck

Taurus: bad luck

Gemini: bad luck

Cancer: bad luck

Leo: good luck

Virgo: good luck

Libra: good luck

Scorpio: bad luck

This week we have a legendary apparition:  Mercury aligned with Mars, the Earth, and the Moon with the Sun and Venus in opposition.  With just a little bit of rearrangement, this is one of the most terrible signs you can see.  It’s what was overhead when David sent Bathsheba’s husband off to be killed.  Those born under that dark sign grow up to be prison guards.  But fortunately for us, this configuration isn’t a sign of sadism, selfishness and the violent ending of happy lives, it’s a sign of a dark tide turning, of an attack that lifts a siege, or a second wind that allows someone to outrun their pursuers.  Of course, this is only good news to you if your life is pretty shitty; if you’re doing ok, feel free to disregard this omen.

Things are coming up archers (great news for anyone involved in a shooting match) and while Sagittarius might have felt kind of bored with things remaining so static for so long, having Jupiter visiting you while your sun in in ascension is the kind of good fortune that only comes up rarely (but in a way that is completely predictable and calculable since the days of Pythagoras).  The moon in Libra brings tension to everyone as the change/balance fight goes on and Scorpio speaks of unpleasant news, what with Mars and Mercury.

The cards indicate that this is going to be a pretty shitty week, money-wise.  Sorry ’bout that.

Sagittarius:  10 of Cups reversed – Unperceived threat, indignation, violence

Capricorn:  The Hanged Man reversed – Selfishness, the crowd, body politic

Aquarius:  The Blank Card – It’s blank.

Pisces:  7 of Wands – Valour, discussion, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

Aries:  Page of Coins –  Application, study, scholarship, reflection, news, messages and the bringer thereof; also rule, management.

Taurus:  Knight of Cups – Arrival, approach, proposition, invitation, incitement.

Gemini:  King of Wands – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious.

Cancer:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, marriage frustrated

Leo:  5 of Cups – loss, but something remains,  inheritance, patrimony, transmissionbut not corresponding to expectations

Virgo:  3 of Wands reversed – The end of troubles, suspension or cessation of adversity, toil and disappointment.

Libra:  King of Coins reversed – Vice, weakness, ugliness, perversity, corruption, peril

Scorpio:  8 of Cups -Mental alienation, error, loss, distraction, disorder, confusion

If you’re getting married this week, congratulations!  The alignment of Jupiter and Venus with the Earth (when they are in Sagittarius no less!) makes this an ideal time to get hitched.  If you’re thinking about eloping to take advantage of the stars, I have bad news:  it’s not going to work.  Jupiter’s influences don’t extend to spontaneous or rushed actions.  Venus on the other hand?  She’s all about the quickie which is why this week is particularly good for a short-term dalliance (Venus-Sol-Saturn).  Saturn being part of the mix indicates that the clock is ticking on any romances that begin under this alignment.  In not-at-all-romance-related news, we have got the sign that presages military disaster (Mars-MERCURY RETROGRADE-Luna).  Hopefully it doesn’t involve anyone we know.  Scorpio limps its way out of the year, BUT there will be a flash of felicity as MERCURY RETROGRADE ends on Wednesday.  Mars in Libra suggests the Sword of Damocles, so be prepared for suspense of not-fun kind.  The moon in Cancer gives a double-water signal, with impressive results for all things secret or sullen.  We talked about Sagittarius above, and the same situation as last week applies: love, joy and happiness to those who deserve it.

The cards this week are surprisingly positive.  Enjoy it while it last

Scorpio:  Death reversed – Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism

Sagittarius:  The High Priestess – Secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom, science

Capricorn:  3 of Coins – trade, skilled labor, nobility, aristocracy, renown, glory

Aquarius: 7 of Wands – Valor, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, barter, competition, success

Pisces:  The Hierophant – Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude, mercy, goodness, inspiration

Aries: 3 of Swords – Removal, absence, delay, division, rupture, dispersion

Taurus:  King of Wands reversed – Good but severe, austere man

Gemini:  9 of Coins – Prudence, safety, success, accomplishment, certitude, discernment

Cancer: Queen of Wands – A dark woman, countrywoman, friendly, chaste, loving, honorable. Also, love of money, or a certain success in business.

Leo: King of Coins reversed – Vice, weakness, ugliness, perversity, corruption, peril

Virgo:  9 of Cups – Concord, contentment, physical bien-être; also victory, success, advantage

Libra:  4 of Wands – country life, refuge, repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace, perfected work