NeptuneCafe

07/06/2025

Zohran Mamdani Relocated to NYC

Two weeks ago, on June 24, Zohran Mamdani achieved a stunning upset victory over the veteran politician Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor. His platform includes fare-free city buses, a rent-freeze and other affordable housing programs, a $30 minimum wage, public childcare, and increased taxes on corporations and those making over $1 million annually. In other words, it’s the polar opposite of Trump’s agenda.

Fortunately, we have accurate birth data from AstroDataBank, but his natal horoscope doesn’t show a driving interest in being a prominent political figure. In Uganda, all his planets are located below the horizon, except for his Moon and Saturn, which are in the 7th house of others. That all changes when the astrologer relocates his chart to NYC.

Mamdani’s NYC horoscope has the generational Uranus-Neptune conjunction right on the Midheaven, plus Saturn in the 10th house. Uranus and Neptune are in institutional Capricorn and readily apply their unique vision to innovative programs. Saturn in the 10th naturally takes to being in charge, and in Aquarius (like his Moon), he has gravitated toward an egalitarian progressive platform. Black Moon Lilith, Juno, and the North Node are also near the Midheaven and only add to his interest in having an influential public role.

Although he had a privileged upbringing (shown by his Venus-Jupiter conjunction trine his Uranus-Neptune conjunction), Mamdani knows this isn’t the reality for most New Yorkers. His angular Neptune conjunct his North Node senses this higher truth, and his Moon in Aquarius square Pluto gives him the passion and instinctual drive to do something about it.

In contrast to the generosity, good fortune, and warm-hearted optimism provided by his well-placed Venus-Jupiter conjunction, Mamdani’s elevated Saturn is under major developmental stress by squaring his Mercury-Mars conjunction in Scorpio. His chart relocated to NYC features Aries Rising, which makes Mars his ruling planet in this region. Mercury conjunct Mars becomes quite vocal, saying directly what he thinks and believes. However, this Mercury-Mars square Saturn can lead to some serious conflicts with others, especially since Mercury-Mars is located in the 7th house.

This relocated chart works in practice. Note that Ceres, the caregiving asteroid, is located at 26º Scorpio where it forms a tight quincunx to his Aries Ascendant. This prominent Ceres is what gives him interest in the welfare of the people (along with his Moon in Aquarius). Mamdani announced his candidacy for New York mayor on October 23, 2024 when his progressed Sun conjoined his natal Ceres, and transiting Uranus in Ta**us opposed them both.

He won the primary on June 24, 2025 as transiting Chiron and Eris were conjunct and on his Aries Ascendant. Also, his progressed Midheaven (unique to his NYC location) was exactly conjunct his Moon in Aquarius. Note that the four transiting outer planets entering new signs are all harmoniously aspecting his 10th house Saturn. This bodes well for him in the November election. His progressed Juno just entered Aquarius, and his progressed Saturn is now closer to 2º Aquarius, so the orbs can be expanded a bit for these outer planet transits.

However, since his Saturn squares his 7th house Mars, he can expect some intense conflicts with his rivals. Trump has already called him a communist and will look into deporting him back to Uganda. As the campaign rolls on, the outer planet transits will be activating Mamdani’s Mars-Saturn square. That’s going to bring some serious confrontations, disruptions, and intense conflicts right up to Election Day.

Come visit! There's more engaging astrology at NeptuneCafe: https://www.neptunecafe.com/

06/28/2025

July’s Top Five Astro-Events

1. Uranus enters Gemini on the 7th to begin a seven-year passage that promotes revolutionary ideas. Beginning on the 12th of this month and through the end of August, Uranus will be in a tight octile (semisquare or 45º aspect) to Ceres in Aries.

2. Vesta in Scorpio trines Jupiter in Cancer from the 9th through 22nd. This is an excellent time to recognize and improve family relationships, and cash in on antiques or other valuable objects

3. Mercury turns retrograde at 15º Leo on the 18th and continues moving backwards through August 11. Mercury’s also forming a very favorable trine to Ceres in Aries that lasts from the 9th through 20th.

4. The New Moon on the 24th is in Leo and less than one-half degree from opposing Pluto in Aquarius. It’s also closely trine the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries, and sextile Uranus in Gemini, making this New Moon exceptionally dynamic.

5. Saturn turns retrograde on the 13th while forming a trioctile (5/8 of 360º) to Juno. This relationship-testing combo makes the exact celestial connection on the 25th but is within orb all month.

The above is only an excerpt from this week’s NewsScope. Get the details here: https://www.neptunecafe.com/newsscope

NeptuneCafe is an advanced astrology ezine, and features some of the best astrologer writers in the field. This is astrology at its best. No Sun Signs, but the real thing, with weekly blogs showing how astrology describes real events and people.

06/22/2025

Iran’s Modern Horoscope Under Severe Pressure

After the sudden collapse of the Shah of Iran’s regime, the nation’s people rallied around Ayatollah Khomeini, who had led the Islamic Revolution from exile. Two months after his celebrated return, on April 1, 1979 (at 3:00 pm), he announced the formation of the new republic and a referendum approved by the people that would make Iran a constitutional theocracy.

This marks the modern birth chart for Iran and can be used to track current events. At first glance, this chart clearly represents a militarily aggressive theocracy. With Leo Rising, the chart’s ruling planet is the Sun, which is located in forceful Aries and right on the 9th house cusp of religion. The Sun conjoins Eris, the planet most often associated with chaos, disruption, and rebellion.

An unusual feature of Iran’s horoscope is Black Moon Lilith conjunct the Leo Ascendant. Lilith here gains tremendous influence by also closely aspecting the three traditional outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Lilith and Eris are feminine planets, and when women aren’t allowed a sense of equality in society, rage builds and becomes explosive. Although women are allowed to drive and hold office, they are required to wear a veil in public, and all hair and skin (except the hands and face) must be covered. What’s under these coverings must remain hidden.

And so it is with Iran’s nuclear program and animosity toward Israel. Iran’s leadership since 1979 has promised the destruction of Israel. These bellicose verbal assaults are astrologically promoted via Iran’s Mercury-Mars conjunction. It indirectly attacks Israel by funding various regional military groups, notably, Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran’s militant nature has shaped its international standing by virtue of natal Mars exactly octile (semisquare) the Midheaven.

On June 13, Israel conducted a surprise attack on Iran to slow down its imminent development of several nuclear bombs. At the time, Iran’s progressed Midheaven at 25º Gemini was exactly squaring its natal Mars at 25º Pisces. Further activating the underlying stresses was the transiting Mars-Uranus square right on Iran’s progressed Sun at 26º Ta**us.

Adding to the celestial stresses, progressed Chiron is now at 10º Ta**us and precisely conjunct Iran’s Midheaven, octile natal Mars, and octile the progressed Midheaven. These tight multi-planet aspects to Iran’s Midheaven warn of just how dangerous the Israel-Iran conflict is becoming. Any major transit or progression to 10º Ta**us will activate this volatile configuration.

Israel’s military leaders openly state that they want Iran’s supreme leader dead. This refers to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a close ally of Ayatollah Khomeini. Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader on June 4, 1989, the day after Ayatollah Khomeini died. At the time, transiting Pluto opposed the Midheaven, marking a profound ending and new beginning.

And for those tracking the current Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries, Ayatollah Khamenei took over when these two planets made their previous conjunction: transiting Saturn and Neptune were conjunct in Capricorn and squaring Iran’s Aries Sun. This marked the beginning of the next generation of militant theocracy. The current transiting Saturn-Neptune conjunction suggests that Iran’s leadership is due for a fundamental change. And in fact, this is happening now: should he suddenly die or be killed, Ayatollah Khamenei has delegated his full power to the Revolutionary Guard, making Iran an absolute military theocracy.

Also at this time, Trump’s progressed Midheaven is making a partile conjunction with his 12th house Pluto at 10º Leo. This powerful alignment is exactly square Iran’s Midheaven at 10º Ta**us. He had the choice of using US power to push for negotiations or join Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump chose to attack. The key transit activating these interconnections was and is transiting Black Moon Lilith. It was less than one degree from squaring Trump’s Pluto and opposite Iran’s Midheaven. On June 28-29, these connections become exact, making the coming week an exceptionally dangerous, volatile, and explosive window for a wider conflagration. Longer term, Iran’s progressed Moon is now at 8º Aquarius and will square Iran’s Midheaven configuration over the coming two months.

06/15/2025

California Governor Gavin Newsom in the Spotlight

A regular NewsScope reader asks: “There are multiple requests from people I've heard from who really would like some info on Gavin Newsom's chart and future. Any chances you might help there?” Fortunately, we have an accurate birth time for California’s Governor Newsom, and as you can imagine, his chart was under major activation last week as he faced off against Trump and the unwanted “assistance” from the National Guard.

Newsom was born with his Libra Sun trine his Gemini Midheaven, a combination that bestows natural leadership qualities. His Moon in Capricorn fuels his ambition, and he’s often mentioned as a presidential candidate. What’s unusually striking about his chart is Pluto exactly conjunct his Virgo Ascendant and closely squaring Mars in Sagittarius. Mars is also angular by conjoining the 4th house cusp and opposing the Midheaven.

Mars-square-Pluto is a powerful dynamic no matter where it’s located in a chart, but it’s a particularly dominant force in Gavin’s psyche by being angular. Mars-square-Pluto makes for an intense fighter, willing to take on anything or anyone to get his way when he’s fighting for something he feels strongly about. Small wonder that he’s leading the charge against Trump’s deployment of national forces in a minor domestic protest.

The aggressive instincts of Gavin’s Pluto are considerably softened and take on a caretaking function by conjoining Ceres. His political agenda is closely associated with the values relating to Ceres, including marriage equality, gun control, environmental protection, and civil rights — all of which he has championed as governor of California. Ceres-Pluto is all about empowering others to be their best, and he has fought to expand equal opportunity and justice for all Californians.

Gavin’s Mars at 20º Sagittarius happens to closely oppose Donald Trump’s Gemini Sun. For Gavin, anything Trump does activates his Mars-Pluto and makes him want to fight. The two have frequently tangled in the past, and are now locking horns so intensely that it’s influencing the national dialogue. It began last week under the Full Moon, which was perfectly aligned with Newsom’s Mars-Midheaven polarity. The transiting Lunar Nodes at 22º Virgo/Pisces were exactly square Trump’s Sun and conjunct Newsom’s Pluto. Their fateful showdown included Trump advocating Newsom’s arrest and Newsom warning that “Other states are next,” and “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes.”

Although it’s unlikely Trump will actually have Newsom arrested, Newsom will be a national figure to watch in the coming years, right through the next presidential campaign in 2028. This next year is especially marked when considering his progressed chart. Mercury, the ruler of his Midheaven, is located at 11º Scorpio and it’s being activated by his advancing progressed Ascendant, now at 10º Scorpio. Also, his progressed Ceres will conjoin his Libra Sun over the coming year. This is a highly beneficial influence, and puts him in the spotlight for his caring, protective attitude.

And his fighter instincts will be on full display right through 2028. This can be seen by transiting Pluto conjunct his progressed Mars in early Aquarius. Currently, his progressed Mars is located at 4º Aquarius and transiting Pluto turned retrograde at 3º49’ Aquarius, so not quite conjunct. Gavin’s progressed Mars is advancing at the rate of 0º47’/year and transiting Pluto is zigzagging ahead at a slightly faster rate. They’ll be exactly conjunct several times over the coming three years, including Election Day 2028 at 6º Aquarius.

As for the current court battle over control of California’s National Guard, Newsom’s position remains strong. Look to the Midheaven and/or ruling planet for insights into this. His progressed Midheaven trine Vesta is nearly exact, and transiting Saturn and Neptune are trine his progressed Mercury, the ruler of his Midheaven. These promise victory in the short term. Will Newsom actually be elected in 2028? Stay tuned…

Come visit! There's more engaging astrology at NeptuenCafe: https://www.neptunecafe.com/

06/08/2025

The Musk-Trump Alliance Explodes

Generally, when comparing two charts to check for compatibility, Mars opposing Mars is a huge red flag. Mars represents how one fights to overcome obstacles, the readiness to take on conflict to achieve goals, and the desire to conquer. It comes as no surprise, then, to see the co-presidency of Trump and Musk explode last week since Trump’s Mars at 26º Leo opposes Musk’s Mars at 20º Aquarius.

An exception to the Mars-opposite-Mars guideline is when other planets harmonize the polarity, and this is the case for Musk and Trump. Musk’s Mars forms a soothing trine to his Venus-Ceres conjunction in Gemini. These planets in turn are sextile Trump’s Mars. Similarly, Trump’s Mars is trine his Sagittarius Moon, and sextile his Sun-Uranus conjunction in Gemini, which in turn trines his Jupiter in Libra. These planets favorably aspect Musk’s Mars.

With this many planets supporting a potential alliance, each could recognize the strength of the other and how that could help them personally. Initially, Musk vowed to not support either candidate in the 2024 presidential race, but he changed his mind right after Trump was shot in the ear on July 13, 2024. At the time, transiting Mars was exactly conjunct Trump’s Midheaven at 24º Ta**us. That’s when transiting Mars first activated their Mars-opposite-Mars dynamic.

Since then, transiting Mars has spent about three months retrograde, and is just now re-entering their Mars-Mars polarity for the first time since last July. On May 30, Trump thanked Musk for his service and presented him with a gold White House key as they apparently parted on good terms. But Musk was sporting a black eye and twitching his head uncontrollably during the press conference. Something was amiss. At that time, transiting Mars was at 20º Leo and exactly opposite Musk’s Mars.

Now we know that the tension between the two has been building for weeks due to the GOP mega spending bill. Musk’s rage broke out last Wednesday when he called Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” a disgusting abomination since it added $2.4 trillion to the national debt. Most likely, he was at least partially motivated by the cutting of the EV mandate, but continued to post threats and insults about Trump and the bill. As the feud exploded across social media, transiting Mars was at 24º Leo — exactly square Trump’s Midheaven and the Mars point that began their alliance.

Transiting Mars goes on to square transiting Uranus, a highly charged combination that was discussed last week with regard to the military parade in Washington and the thousands of protests across the country. Mars-square-Uranus in itself is an explosive, dangerous, highly excitable vibe, which is demonstrated when taking a deeper look into the synastry of Trump and Musk. Musk’s Uranus is located at 9º Libra where it forms an exact trioctile (135º aspect) to Trump’s Midheaven. It’s one of the tightest aspect between their two charts, and therefore unusually dynamic.

Uranus is further implicated in their feud since Musk’s progressed Sun is at 27º Leo where it conjoins his progressed Juno (the partnership asteroid). Transiting Uranus has been squaring his progressed Sun-Juno over the past month, leading into this break. Up next for Musk is his progressed Sun square natal Jupiter, exact in mid-August. This only expands his sense of self-importance, making it much less likely that they’ll mend their ways.

Of course, Trump feels betrayed. The many 12th house activations he’s undergoing are peaking this month (reviewed two months ago in NewsScope. See https://www.neptunecafe.com/nsc040725). The transiting Mars-Uranus square hits his Ascendant/Descendant axis, a major configuration upsetting this bromance. Uranus can bring instant excitement but, often known as the divorce planet, it can bring an abrupt end.

What’s going on between them affects the national mood and sentiment, not to mention federal policy. This is shown astrologically by the Mars-Uranus square: Mars will be at 28º Leo and Uranus at 28º Ta**us. The midpoint between those two is 13º Cancer, which is the exact degree of the US Sun. In this fight, the veil covering up the corrupt system of power and money comes down. Musk admits that he gave money so Trump could win. Trump admits that he can arbitrarily remove Musk’s government contracts. This is not how a democracy is supposed to be run.

06/01/2025

June 14: Trump’s Military Parade and No Kings Day

Every year the US celebrates Flag Day on June 14, but this year the ceremony will become an historic extravaganza. June 14 is also Trump’s 79th birthday and he has organized the nation’s largest military parade ever held to commemorate the Army’s 250th anniversary. Such spectacular parades are generally used by autocratic regimes to reinforce their authority but, uniquely in the US, protest groups around the country will be hosting “No Kings Day” in open defiance of Trump.

Astrologically, June 14 2025 carries unusual importance since two major astro-events are unfolding at the same time. First, we have Mars at 28º Leo squaring Uranus at 28º Ta**us. This highly erratic combination is well known for its rebellious nature, often inciting violence, dangerous confrontations, and fighting against any limitations. It leads to high anxiety, nervousness, and accidents.

This Mars-Uranus square is particularly strong in Trump’s chart since it hits his 29º Leo Ascendant. This degree, 29º Leo, is aligned with the first magnitude star Regulus, known as the “Heart of the Lion”. In traditional astrology. This point is associated with royalty. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars describes a prominent Regulus as bringing great ambition and the promise of success. But she warns that if the individual takes revenge out of anger or hurt, he will fall from grace.

Regulus activated pushes one to aim high, to shine. With the transiting Mars-Uranus square landing on Trump’s Regulus, he has pushed himself to shine in the greatest way imaginable. His sponsorship of this huge military parade aims at highlighting the Pentagon’s military superiority and Trump’s ultimate command over the federal government. This parade breaks all American traditions. It’s more akin to the flamboyant military parades in the former Soviet Union, communist China, and North Korea.

The second major astro-event on June 14 is Jupiter at 1º Cancer squaring Saturn at 1º Aries. While the Mars-Uranus square is a relatively short-term influence lasting perhaps a week, the Jupiter-Saturn square unfolds over several months and can mark major changes in social, political, and/or financial cycles. Jupiter and Saturn are the social planets influencing how people interact at local, state, federal, and international levels. The square between these two suggests challenges to the status quo, strong tensions between competing trends.

From the perspective of those who participate and follow the parade in Washington DC, the patriotic sense of pride becomes undermined by the thousands of organized protests around the country. From the perspective of the protestors, the optimism of the national gatherings in cities in every state is undermined by pessimistic feelings about Trump’s continued reign over the federal agenda.

Saturn in Aries conveys the sense of organized fighting, whether as a military display or an open defiance of Trump. Saturn is conjoined with Neptune in Aries, further inspiring each side’s sense of their moral superiority. But Neptune is also known for promoting self-deception. As history has demonstrated, elaborate military parades are meant to divert public attention from government failures in order to maintain control over public sentiment and narrative.

Jupiter in Cancer fosters domestic peace and contentment, which is being challenged by Saturn in Aries. Trump’s grand display taking place at the same time as the largest national protests will undoubtedly draw international attention. The short-term Mars-Uranus square focuses the political significance of the longer-term Jupiter-Saturn square on one pivotal day.

Further delineation of the day’s events can be made by comparing the parade chart to the US national horoscope. The day becomes historically momentous since the midpoint of the Mars-Uranus square is 13º Cancer, which lands on the exact degree as the nation’s Sun, also located at 13º Cancer. Using the Scorpio Rising version of the US chart, transiting Black Moon Lilith at 8º Scorpio is exactly conjunct the US’s Scorpio Ascendant, casting a large shadow over the day’s events.

Come visit! There's more engaging astrology at NeptuneCafe: https://www.neptunecafe.com/

05/25/2025

June’s Top Five Astro-Events

1. The Sun and Venus form an octile (semisquare, 45º) on the 17th, but are advancing at a similar rate, so they remain in a celestial embrace from the 1st through 26th.

2. Mars squares Uranus on the 15th and is most dynamic from the 12th through 16th. Challenging aspects between Mars and Uranus are the most volatile, explosive, and dangerous combinations.

3. Jupiter squares Saturn on the 15th and is an effective influence from the 10th through 19th. This is the second Top Five astro-event becoming exact on the same day, marking it as unusually important and even historic in the geopolitical realm.

4. The partnership asteroid Juno forms a challenging aspect to the ongoing Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries from the 15th to early July. Juno in Scorpio translates the orb (joins Saturn and Neptune) by aspecting one and then the other.

5. The New Moon in Cancer arrives on the 25th and is being highly animated by close aspects to several other planets. The conjunction is the most powerful aspect, and this New Moon is favored for a new start with a conjunction to expansive Jupiter.

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

NeptuneCafe is an advanced astrology ezine, and features some of the best astrologer writers in the field. This is astrology at its best. No Sun Signs, but the real thing, with weekly blogs showing how astrology describes real events and people.

05/18/2025

Pope Leo XIV’s Media Posts

Pope Leo XIV’s comments on social media present a strong contrast to Trump’s posts, undoubtedly a key factor in the conclave’s decision-making process. When he was chosen to succeed Pope Francis on May 8, a transiting Ceres-Saturn conjunction at 28º Pisces suggested the new pope’s priorities of peace, inclusiveness, social justice, and outreach to marginalized communities.

Astrologers may not know Pope Leo’s birth time for several years since the hospital where he was born (Mercy Hospital, Chicago) is no longer in existence. However, a chart set for the default time of noon on his birth date (September 14, 1955) still provides plenty of intriguing information. For example, the Ceres-Saturn conjunction was perfectly quincunx his natal Pluto, empowering his empathetic nature.

If he was born any time after 9:30 am, his Moon is in Virgo, along with his Sun, Mars, and Venus. Fans of the new Pope readily point out his service-oriented character, an apt description of the Virgo personality. Of course, like every Sun sign, Virgo has a few downsides, one of which is being too critical of others’ faults. But with Mercury, his ruling planet, in diplomatic Libra, the Pope manages to phrase his critiques more gently than if his Mercury were somewhere else.

All that changes when Mercury is modified by Saturn. On February 3, some three months before he was elected Pope, and posting on X (Twitter) as Cardinal Prevost, he wrote “JD Vance is wrong. Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” This was in response to Vance’s claim that a Catholic teaching known as “ordo amoris” justified MAGA’s crackdowns on immigrants. At the time, transiting Saturn was at 17º Pisces and forming a precise quincunx to Prevost’s natal Mercury at 17º Libra.

Then, on April 14, and again posting as Cardinal Prevost, he wrote about the illegal deportation of a US citizen to El Salvador: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?” In this comment, we can see his fighting spirit awakening. And it fits the tightest aspect in his natal chart, which is Mars in Virgo octile (semisquare) Neptune with an orb of 0º01’. His Inner Warrior (Mars) is tempered by his empathy and spiritual feelings (Neptune).

This Mars-Neptune dynamic was under major activation during his April 14 post. His progressed Mars had reached 26º Libra where it conjoined his natal Neptune at 26º Libra. Transiting Uranus, known as the Great Awakener, was at 26º Ta**us, activating this progression. Progressed Mars advances slowly — only 0º40’/year —so it remains an ongoing motivator in his first year as Pope.

Another major progression ensures that he will continue to criticize the Trump regime for its insensitivities to those who aren’t billionaires. Pope Leo’s progressed Mercury and Saturn are applying to a conjunction at 24º Scorpio. His progressed Mercury is currently about ½º from conjoining his progressed Saturn, so it’s getting stronger over the next six months.

On May 13, Pope Leo relaunched the official papal X account and tweeted: “Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.”

This post coincided with the exact conjunction of Ceres and Saturn at 29º03’ Pisces and reflects the nurturing authority figure that he embodies. And then, an hour later, he went on a tweet spree, pouring out six more posts in 13 minutes. These messages are translated into nine languages and are available to 52 million followers.

Pope Leo’s social messaging is picking up where Pope Francis’s left off, but as the world’s first American pope, his texts will have a greater influence over the 25 million US Catholics, many of whom voted for Trump.

05/11/2025

The NYSE Chart and Market Trends

Astrologers are on a mad hunt for Pope Leo XIV’s birth time, so we’ll wait for that to discuss his chart. Meanwhile, several readers have requested an astrological forecast on the economy and the effect of Trump’s tariffs and other unusual initiatives. If we take the stock market as the lead indicator for where the economy is headed, the NYSE horoscope (May 17, 1792; 10:10 am; New York, NY) can provide some insights.

For example, a sudden downturn or upturn is generally shown by hard hits to the tight Mercury-Pluto square. This is what happened earlier this year when transiting Uranus turned direct on January 30 at 23º16’ Ta**us. At first, big business considered Trump’s election a positive for their financial interests. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Nasdaq, and S&P 500 indexes all reached their all-time highs between December and February. But within 10 days of his inauguration, it became clear that he was serious about across-the-board tariffs.

All three of these major indexes began plunging simultaneously on February 19. At the time, transiting Uranus was at 23º26’ Ta**us where it conjoined the NYSE Mercury (-0º20’) and was only 0º05’ from squaring the NYSE Pluto in Aquarius. And all three kept falling until April 7, which marked the bottom. At this point, transiting Uranus was at 25º Ta**us and outside the orb of the NYSE Mercury-Pluto square.

The wild ride down was at least temporarily over and the markets leveled off — and even regained half their losses by early May. A deeper look at the NYSE on April 7 offers more details about what was moving the markets. The tightest aspects between the transits, progressions, and natal chart presented a relatively new astrological archetype as a high value indicator: Black Moon Lilith.

On April 7, transiting Lilith was at 1º18’ Scorpio where it squared the NYSE’s progressed Lilith at 1º19’ Leo, a partile (exact) challenging aspect. Transiting Lilith was also nearly conjunct the NYSE’s progressed Neptune at 1º48’ Scorpio. Lilith represents the dark side of investing, the unknown factors, and in this, she shares much with Neptune. Neptune is well known for its association with uncertainty, which markets loathe.

Transiting Lilith advances at a regular clip of 1º every nine days, while progressed Lilith moves forward about 0º07’/year. Transiting Lilith was conjunct the NYSE natal Neptune when the markets began falling in mid-February, and then kept uncertainty in the window through its conjunction with progressed Neptune on April 7. Now that this dynamic is in the rearview mirror, markets have been able to stabilize.

Problematically, progressed Lilith and progressed Neptune remain in a close square until they begin separating in 2030. They can stir up trouble whenever activated by outer-planet transits or when other progressions come into play. This Lilith-Neptune dynamic suggests the underlying constant uncertainty of market conditions. And as many astrologers have been telling us about the transits, Pluto in Aquarius, Saturn and Neptune in Aries, and Uranus in Gemini will all be hanging around the early degrees of their signs over the coming year.

Adding to the troublemaking mix, in early August, the NYSE chart features a progressed Venus-Uranus opposition at 23º04, in the Leo-Aquarius polarity and activating the natal Mercury-Pluto square. At that time, a transiting Saturn-Neptune conjunction will be at 1º Aries, transiting Uranus at 1º Gemini, and transiting Pluto at 2º Aquarius. They’ll all be within orb of exciting the background vibe of uncertainty represented by the ongoing progressed Lilith-Neptune square.

Financial analysts are already predicting major uncertainty as second quarter earnings come out in July. The effect of Trump’s tariffs is leading to high inventories in stores, lower consumer confidence, lower job growth, and the halting of executive decision-making on corporate boards until the tariff situation becomes stabilized. As it is, the tariffs are bouncing all over with no consistency on which business can plan their future investments.

In short, expect major market turmoil or downturns beginning in mid-July to early August. And as the progressed Lilith-Neptune square suggests, markets could remain down for several years.