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Q. and A.

The weekly NewsScope blog has some of the most astrologically savvy readers around and their interesting questions go way beyond the entertaining Sun Sign features that pass for our metaphysical science in mainstream media. Here are a few excellent questions with extended commentaries:

Re: 27 - With the recent death of Presley Ge**er at the age of 27, I recalled the "27 Club"--other celebs who also died at this age (as well as those non-celebs unknown to us who also met their ends). Is there some astrological "thing" that happens at the 27-year mark?

A. Yes, it's the progressed Lunar Return. It happens to everyone at age 27 when the progressed Moon has gone around the zodiac one time and returns to its natal position. Check the afflictions to the natal Moon to see if the Return will be problematic. At the time of his death, his progressed Moon was at 27º43’ Aquarius and only 0º21’ from his natal Moon.

Re: Jon Ossoff - Does Jon Ossoff have a chance at being president in 2028?

A. It's a great question, but unfortunately, we have no birth time for him. Jon Ossoff, the progressive and outspoken senator from Georgia, was born on February 16, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia. To assess a politician’s chances at winning national office, I use the Scorpio Rising national horoscope and, in particular, the connections to the US Moon at 25º Aquarius. One of the most significant trends in American politics is that all recently elected presidents have precise aspects to the U.S. Moon either natally or by progression, and often both.

Re: Venus Retrograde - This Venus Retrograde transit has just inched past the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant and is stationing. It will travel back into the 12th house, hopefully, to reveal more national secrets. In the meantime, Neptune is squaring the US natal Venus for some potentially big losses. This feels like it could be really big! Thoughts?

A. My main concern involves Black Moon Lilith quincunx Uranus, which becomes exact a few days before Election Day. Lilith in Capricorn brings out the worst in authorities and the quincunx to Uranus might therefore bring some unexpected or non-traditional challenges to routine voting. Unless cooler heads prevail, this Lilith-Uranus astro-event puts some potentially unconstitutional interference into play.

The above are excerpts from the answers. Get the full picture here: https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

October’s Top Five Astro-Events

1. Venus turns retrograde on the 3rd at 8º Scorpio. The next 40 days mark an important phase when relationship dynamics come up for review. Unresolved issues will likely surface and need to be worked out for any existing compatibility to continue. This Venus cycle is particularly relevant in national politics since Venus reverses course while conjunct the US Scorpio Ascendant. Financial scandals are likely to surface, especially since transiting Neptune is simultaneously squaring the US Venus.

2. Mars opposes Pluto on the 3rd, but this high-powered confrontational dynamic is in effect from the 1st through 4th. Those with prominent placements at 2º to 4º of the fixed signs are especially prone to highly stressful developments that need immediate action.

3. The New Moon in Libra takes place on the 10th at 11:50 am (EDT). On the day of this New Moon, Venus retrograde squares Mars in Leo, suggesting any ongoing romantic partnership has some sexual insecurities or difficulties to manage. And since the New Moon squares Ceres in Cancer, another possible issue is how family affairs support or undermine personal romances.

4. Mercury turns retrograde in Scorpio on the 24th. Because it slows down while heading into this retrograde station and then gradually picking up speed going backwards, Mercury spends a full week at 20º Scorpio. Anyone with their Sun, Moon, Ascendant or other prominent placements at 20º of any sign will be thinking deeply about concurrent shifts and changes.

5. Black Moon Lilith forms an edgy quincunx to Uranus in Gemini on the 27th, and this stressful duo is a significant influence from the 21st into early November. This inherent conflict may cause one to re-evaluate the work environment and whether the actions required are worth the effort. Beware of authority figures’ lies and deceptions to achieve their goals.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture for each astro-event here: https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

Hygeia, Mitch McConnell, and Health Care

Hygeia is the third largest asteroid and considered a “dwarf planet” by astronomers since it’s massive enough to be spherical, like Pluto and Ceres. Hygeia’s natal aspects — no matter what house she’s in — may show the inclination toward specific health matters. If Hygeia is much afflicted, then chronic health issues may plague the individual. And the contrary is also true: a well-aspected Hygeia can indicate good health and a long life.

Mitch McConnell has been in the news for some time regarding his health. He was born with Hygeia at 28º06’ Ta**us, plus or minus 0º05’ since Hygeia was advancing 0º10’ on that day. Hygeia’s closest aspect is the conjunction with Uranus, which indicates a tendency toward sudden or unexpected health developments.

His Hygeia is supported by a trine to Neptune, perhaps showing his reliance on pharmaceuticals to maintain his health. And his Hygeia is in an out-of-sign square to his Pisces Sun. As a leading politician, Hygeia gives him a keen interest in shaping health legislation. Generally, he’s voted against or blocked measures mandating employee sick leave. These bills have regularly come up over the past 20 years as his progressed Saturn conjoined natal Hygeia.

Until last week, McConnell has been out of sight following a fall on June 14 and subsequent case of pneumonia. Hygeia was under major stress that day by two major transits. Transiting Saturn was at 13º17’ Aries and octile (semisquare) natal Hygeia with an orb of only 0º11’. McConnell’s progressed Hygeia at that time was located at 19º54’ Gemini where it was hit by a trioctile (135º aspect) from transiting Pluto at 5º10’ Aquarius. That aspect was also unusually tight with an orb of 0º16’.

McConnell’s current health issue has likely been apparent to his doctors for at least the past four years: that’s when his progressed Hygeia was exactly octile natal Pluto at 4º Leo. During his summer absence, transiting Pluto was opposing his natal Pluto and will continue to oppress his progressed Hygeia through 2027. Transiting Saturn returns to octile natal Hygeia in late February 2027. These transits don’t paint a pretty picture.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. There’s more here, including a look at Dick Van Dyke’s and Donald Trump’s Hygeia:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

Nvidia, and the AI Revolution

Last week three researchers working for the AI company Anthropic said that artificial intelligence could kill off humanity within the decade. They agreed that leaders in the industry were ignoring or mishandling the threat, with one researcher quitting in protest. This latest warning comes after OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman conceded that “we underestimated the real-world cyber capabilities of our AI models.”

An astrological window into AI’s explosive growth can be seen through Nvidia’s horoscope, which is set for its IPO (initial public offering) on January 22, 1999, NYC. According to IPO data collector Michael Munkasey, the time of its First Trade was 12:15 pm, which gives it Ta**us Rising and Aquarius at the Midheaven. Nvidia is currently the world’s most valuable company with a worth of over $5 trillion. Nvidia sells 70% of all AI chips, making it by far the industry leader.

With Nvidia’s Sun in the technology sign of Aquarius and the Moon in pioneering Aries, the company was primed to bring technological advances into the computer industry. It began by developing GPU chips for the gaming industry but was prepared to expand into unseen worlds. The Sun is closely conjunct Neptune, giving the company founders the vision to see what was coming and how to develop the necessary products.

Nvidia’s chart has Uranus, the natural ruler of new technologies, prominently placed in Aquarius in the 10th house along with Venus, the ruler of the chart. Aside from the tight Sun-Neptune conjunction, the most dynamic configuration is the T-square formed by Mars in Libra opposite Saturn in Aries and both square Mercury in Capricorn. These planets with their stressful interactions push the company to break through barriers, no matter how difficult that may be.

Since the beginning of 2023 Nvidia’s growth has been nothing short of spectacular. At that time, as the AI revolution was just beginning to accelerate, it was selling for $15/share. Two major astrological portents marked Nvidia’s central role: its progressed Ceres and transiting Pluto. By conjoining the natal Ascendant, Ceres, the caretaking asteroid, is a key player in this chart. By January 2023 it had progressed nearly three degrees to 2º11’ Gemini where it formed a harmonious, beneficial trine to the elevated Sun.

Transiting Pluto was at 27º Capricorn and in the midst of its US Pluto Return. The country itself was going through a major transformation, but few people recognized it as an AI takeover. Nvidia did, and they’ve been capitalizing on it ever since. On October 29, 2025, Nvidia became the world’s first company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. It was empowered by transiting Pluto entering Aquarius where it conjoined the natal Sun-Neptune conjunction.

That financial landmark was facilitated by a sextile from progressed Jupiter at 1º Aries. Nvidia will continue to benefit from progressed Jupiter’s sextile to its Aquarius Sun for the next several years. Consequently, Nvidia will continue to dominate the AI industry unless some external force pressures it to cut back.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture here:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

Trump’s Tertiary Progressions on Election Day

One way to look into Trump’s chart is by using tertiary progressions. Beginning astrologers generally use transits to make forecasts, while secondary progressions are a more advanced technique based on the esoteric formula that one day after birth is symbolically equivalent to one year after birth. Forecasts can be finetuned by using tertiary progressions, which equate one day after birth to one month after birth.

So tertiary progressions, abbreviated here as P3, are 12 times faster than secondary progressions. In Trump’s case, they work very well. The clearest example of this is seen in his P3 Saturn. He was born with Saturn at 23º Cancer and sextile his Midheaven, giving him a natural sense of leadership and authority. In his lifetime his P3 Saturn has advanced to 29º Leo where it conjoins his Ascendant at 29º Leo.

P3 Saturn advances slowly but it was less than one degree from his Ascendant when he was re-elected in November 2024. It reflects the strong sense of authoritarianism that he’s expressed ever since. Looking ahead to Election Day, November 3, Trump’s P3 Uranus is octile P3 Pluto at 14º Leo with an orb of 0º17’. And the P3 Ascendant, which advances one degree/month, is precisely conjunct his P3 Pluto (orb: 0º03’). This makes an especially tight and stressful configuration.

For an insight into the Ascendant-Pluto conjunction, astrologer Robert Hand’s book Planetary Transits offers this description: “Often a tremendous power drive will surface as you suddenly want to take control of everything around you…. You are not content to be subject to an outside power or to anyone else’s will…. Strange drives may emerge that seem to take over your life.” This last comment is especially on target since his P3 Ascendant-Pluto conjunction is unfolding in his 12th house.

The retrograde Mercury transit activates this P3 configuration on November 1 and 2. Whatever schemes he’s got in mind to foil the electorate may become apparent a day or two before Election Day. It’s noteworthy that transiting Jupiter is heading into a conjunction with his Mars, which may indicate a dramatic escalation of the Iran conflict. Political observers also speculate that he may seize ballots in swing states, citing Chinese interference. Who knows what else he may try?

And between now and then his P3 Mercury turns retrograde at 17º Gemini where it conjoins his natal 10th house Uranus. Under this influence his statements, political decisions, and mental stability become increasingly erratic.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture here:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

September’s Top Five Astro-Events

1. Saturn squares Ceres on the 18th, linking their current placements in Aries and Cancer in challenging ways. This aspect is in effect from the 14th through 20th and most readily influences how you take care of yourself and those around you, especially family members.

2. Jupiter is trioctile Neptune on the 22nd, and an influential combination from the 18th through 26th. Jupiter in Leo linked to Neptune in Aries can bring some exalted feelings about self and/or someone else, like a celebrity, politician, or acquaintance who has done something extraordinary.

3. Uranus in Gemini turns retrograde on the 10th, an unusually volatile astro-event since Mars in Cancer simultaneously forms an octile to Uranus (exact on the 12th). This makes the 9th through 12th a highly volatile phase when anything could happen.

4. Juno turns direct in Capricorn on the 16th while squaring Eris. Juno’s slowing motion into this retrograde station matches Eris’s naturally slow motion, making their square a high value astro-event all month.

5. The Full Moon on the 26th conjoins Neptune in Aries, a dreamy, hazy, potentially deceptive phase lasting several days before and after the actual astro-event. The only true choice at this time is the one that comes from your intuition, from your inner knowing.

The above are brief excerpts from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture here:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

Neptune’s Cycle and Tecumseh’s Curse

Until Ronald Reagan’s term in office, Tecumseh’s Curse has brought the death of every president elected in a year that ends in zero, which is every twenty years. William Henry Harrison died in 1841 and was the first to fall because he led the military expedition against Tecumseh and his confederation of Indian tribes. Tecumseh was killed in the 1813 Battle of Thames and the surviving brother placed a curse on “The Great White Fathers.”

Since Reagan (elected in 1980), George W. Bush (2000), and Joe Biden (2020) all survived their terms, historians have dismissed Tecumseh’s Curse as an urban legend based on coincidence. However, when one investigates these historic patterns with astrology, it begins to make sense and remains an ongoing danger. The caveat is that the pattern only becomes apparent when using the Scorpio Rising US chart, set for 2:21 pm on July 4, 1776.

The natal potential is shown in a unique 8th harmonic configuration centered on the Mars-Neptune square. Mars is located in the 8th house of death and is fatefully octile (semisquare) to the North Node, located at 7º Leo. This North Node is, in turn, square the Ascendant at 8º Scorpio. Neptune is octile the North Node-Ascendant square, creating a tight bridge of stressful interactions.

Reagan didn’t die in office but he was shot and seriously wounded in 1981. And then he had life-threatening surgery on July 13, 1985 when transiting Neptune was at 1º Capricorn and precisely tri-octile the US Midheaven. George W. Bush was nearly killed on May 10, 2005 when a live hand gr***de was thrown at him during a public event. At the time, transiting Neptune was at 17º Aquarius and opposite the US Midheaven (+1º).

Neptune’s 8th harmonic aspects to the US Midheaven are a little slower than the twenty-year cycle of Tecumseh’s Curse. So Biden missed this weird pattern, but Trump is right in the middle of it. Trump has been under this Neptune cycle since he took office in January 2025. Transiting Neptune turns direct this coming December at 1º Aries — tightly tri-octile the US Midheaven. Will he survive?

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture here: https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

OpenAI Security Incident

On July 16, 2026 the AI start-up company Hugging Face reported a unique cyberattack that was carried out by “an autonomous AI agent system.” As it turned out, Hugging Face was hacked by a rogue OpenAI research model that had secretly broken through its guardrails, its “sandbox.” The incident evokes several sci-fi films where artificial intelligence takes over the world, such as the HAL9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey or in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

OpenAI was incorporated on December 8, 2015 (time unknown) with its headquarters located in San Francisco. The Sun in Sagittarius is closely trine Uranus in ground-breaking Aries, identifying the company’s founders as tech pioneers. OpenAI was designed by a team of computer scientists and entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman (the current CEO), and Greg Brockman (OpenAI’s president). The inherent danger and internal strife in this AI company is shown by the natal Mars-Uranus opposition.

The asteroid Pallas plays an unusually key role in this chart for two reasons. First, Pallas’s vision goes beyond linear viewing. Pallas sees how all the elements fit together holistically, using her creative intelligence to come up with new ideas. And second, Pallas conjoins Pluto. Asteroid expert Demetra George describes the Pallas-Pluto combination as “the power of ideas to transform reality.” OpenAI’s Pallas-Pluto conjunction squares the Mars-Uranus polarity to form a volatile shape-shifting T-square.

Does this chart work in practice? ChatGPT was originally released on November 30, 2022 and changed the way the public uses and thinks about this new technology. This AI chatbot, developed by OpenAI, had 100 million users within its first two months. At the time of its public release, Uranus had advanced one sign and at 16ºTa**us was exactly quincunx the natal Sun. And transiting Pluto at 26º Capricorn was precisely trine the karmic North Node (orb: 0º04’). Also, transiting Saturn at 19º Aquarius was very favorably trine progressed Mars at 19º Libra.

The OpenAI rogue cyberattack was announced last month as transiting Saturn was turning retrograde while activating the natal T-square. More precisely, transiting Saturn at 14º Aries was exactly squaring natal Pluto at 14º Capricorn. And as it happened, progressed Mercury had advanced from its natal position at 28º Sagittarius to 14º Capricorn where it conjoined natal Pluto.

Yes, this horoscope works in practice, and the natal potential and manifested events are a clear warning that AI needs public oversight.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Read the rest here:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope

Steven Forrest’s Books Reviewed

For 27 years I wrote Dell Horoscope’s book review column under the pen name Chris Lorenz. During that time, I had the opportunity and honor to evaluate seven of Steven Forrest’s books — all of which contain extraordinary vision and perspective. The top 334 reviews I wrote are collected in a book published in 2020 titled The Ultimate Book of Astrology Books,* and that’s where you can find the complete reviews of Forrest’s books. To whet your appetite, here are a few excerpts:

1. The Night Speaks was written to demonstrate that “astrology is intellectually plausible and spiritually healthy.” The basic problem for the astrological community is that it operates on a different paradigm than the dominant culture: astrologers believe that we live in a meaningful universe. Well after this book was written, Richard Tarnas echoed this idea by calling it “an enchanted universe.” As Forrest explains it, this underlying assumption is subversive territory to the scientists with their mechanistic worldview.
Forrest refers to the time before 1993 and the time after as the digital divide: “In the post-Uranus/Neptune digital age, identity is becoming non-local.” The digital revolution has actually fragmented society so that people are organized into like-minded groups with similar ideals rather than geographically. Of course, the digital revolution has brought a surge in popularity of astrology, especially the kind that goes beyond Sun Signs. And the advent of astrology software has erased the need to know the mathematics of setting up a horoscope. Still, astrologers only talk to the astrologically-savvy, and scientists stand outside and continue to criticize…. In that sense, nothing has really changed.

2. Locating and acting upon our powerful psychological reservoir is Steven Forrest’s subject in The Book of Pluto. We all have Pluto somewhere in our chart, and this is where something wolf-like in us knows no surrender, no compromise. As Forrest describes it, this energy is the most morally ambivalent force we humans possess. When allied with sane, healthy energies, this Plutonian intensity can manifest our greatest ideals. But it can also self-righteously destroy the world, wallow in depravity, or waste away in endless depression.
The difference between these two paths is the difference between living a fulfilling, meaningful existence, and an unreflective life-style shaped by the lies, shame, or cruelty of childhood experiences. Forrest provides a clear psychological framework for the moral perspective between these two paths, what he calls “high Plutonian work” and the distorted way. Wherever Pluto is located in the natal chart describes where the individual is vulnerable to distortions based on unprocessed wounding experiences. Getting back to the right path means uncovering the repression, and correcting the navigational error.

3. 4. In Skymates II: The Composite Chart, Steven and Jodie Forrest unveil the third technique for exploring relationship patterns, which is investigating the chart made from averaging the two partners’ horoscopes into a single, composite chart. This way of analyzing relationships is meant to come after the first two ways are fully explored. In other words, the astrologer first looks at the individual natal charts, and then the bi-wheels for getting a grasp of relationship potentials. These techniques were fully developed in their first volume, Skymates: Love, S*x, and Evolutionary Astrology.

5. Yesterday's Sky is about story-telling, about interpreting a horoscope from the view of the lunar nodes as if they describe past lives. While no one may be certain that we have past lives, the story that emerges from the South Node is often an incredibly accurate description of current tendencies and real-life conditions. Over the past two or three years, many astrology books have been published about the relevance of the lunar nodes, but here we have the master of this technique as he presents the philosophical framework, the cookbook reference sections, and the clear interpretive methodology.

6. Forrest has begun writing a four-part series about the elements and their correlations to the planets and houses. The first, The Book of Fire, is now available, and a superb entry point into mastering our craft. Readers will absorb exceptionally astute perspectives about the interconnections between the three Fire signs, the Sun, Mars, and Jupiter, and the 1st, 5th, and 9th houses. And in the process of fine-tuning your interpretation skills, you will contribute to upgrading the overall quality of the astrological community.

7. Astrologers may intuitively know that Neptune and spiritual growth are interconnected, but the exact process of how this works becomes crystal clear in Forrest’s latest publication, The Book of Neptune. He asserts that Saturn’s “one-size-fits-all” religious rules ended with the discovery of Uranus in 1781. He invites readers to leave behind Saturn’s repressive influence and discover a more personal path. And the way to do this is by understanding the role Neptune plays in your horoscope by house, sign, and aspects to other planets. Forrest’s Neptune is filled with helpful reference material on Neptune’s natal placement, but it’s also a masterful guide on the tenor of our times as seen through Neptune’s multi-faceted symbolism.

* TUBAB is available through Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Book-Astrology-Books-Collection/dp/B08DSSCLP4/

Natalie Harp, Trump’s 12th House Assistant

Last week President Trump went on yet another spree of social media posts, which included plenty of bizarre AI-generated content. The posts appeared on Truth Social after hours and into the early morning, and explains why he fell asleep during the White House Correspondents Dinner and Lindsey Graham’s funeral. According to The Wall Street Journal and other sources, Trump’s young personal aide Natalie Harp is responsible for many of these posts.

Ms. Harp was born with her Leo Sun squaring a Mars-Pluto opposition (August 8, 1990; San Diego, CA; time unknown). Mars in conservative Ta**us opposite Pluto gives an intensely competitive nature, often with a desire or need to win at all costs. This fierce Mars-Pluto dynamic challenging her Leo Sun has put her in the far-right political spectrum, which she has expressed as a host on Fox News and later as a presenter for OANN, the conspiracy-driven extreme right news channel.

After her stint at OANN, Harp joined Trump’s 2024 campaign as a staff member, and she’s been unusually close to him ever since. Some sources indicate a different or unknown birth date, but when comparing her chart to Trump’s, this date works well. Most obviously, this is shown by her Leo Sun in Trump’s 12th house. She works behind the scenes, often in his private quarters that are generally open only to Melania and family.

Also, Harp’s Ceres at 22º Leo is in a tight sextile to Trump’s Sun at 22º Gemini. This connection is echoed by her Leo Sun closely aligned with his Ceres in Aquarius. A doubled Sun-Ceres interchange describes their mutual interest in wanting the best for each other. Sun-Ceres brings a beneficial, devoted, and loyal caring, much like a loving parent to a child. For Harp it describes her caretaking function, both in watching over his physical health and in issuing his social media posts.

Her official job title is Executive Assistant, but as a headstrong Leo, she’s not a team player. She provides sources, images, and content for Trump’s social messages without the approval of other staffers who might recognize any potential damage. Comparing their two charts shows little or no sexual chemistry. But they both have Venus in Cancer in close aspect to Saturn. Trump has the Venus-Saturn conjunction while Harp has her Venus opposite Saturn in Capricorn.

Venus in Cancer often reflects a love of family with specific relationships further defined by accompanying aspects. Venus-Saturn is about the father figure. Trump’s relationship with his father has been the subject of innumerable commentaries, generally focusing on how his father taught him how to be tough and competent, but not offering any direct love or affection. Natalie Harp’s relationship with her father was similar, ending when he committed su***de in 2020.

Both Trump and Harp are psychologically seeking a loving father-child relationship. They found it in each other. Meanwhile, Trump’s late night social media posts have become a nonstop MAGA propaganda machine. With transiting Jupiter in Leo now, and heading for Harp’s Sun and Ceres, we can only expect that she will take more liberties with her role as Trump’s protected and loyal content provider.

The above is an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the full picture here:
https://neptunecafe.com/NewsScope