Weekend Entertainment Guide 12/13/24 + Full Moon 12/15/24

McDonald's in the news, planetary retrogrades, grocery merger called off

I find it hard to get a handle on the news story of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson being shot to death, allegedly by Luigi Mangione. With Mercury and Mars both currently retrograde, it may take a while for all the facts to emerge. Still, it’s already clear that a surprising supporting actor in that tale was experiencing compelling astrological transits at the time.

Full Moon 12/15/24

At the Full Moon on December 15, the truth could be hard to find as the Sun and the Moon form a T-square (4° orb) with deceptive Neptune. Mercury turns direct in Sagittarius later in the day on December 15, so relief is at least in sight from the atmosphere of intellectual fuzziness, but we’re not out of the woods yet — try to avoid getting sucked too deep into the latest hot rumor about Luigi Mangione or extraterrestrials or whatever else.

Jupiter and Saturn are moving toward another exact hit of their square on December 24, and retrograde Mars is moving toward an opposition with Pluto exact on January 2-3. It’s a tense time!

Astrology: I’m Lovin’ It

As Allison Morrow of CNN recently pointed out, McDonald’s has appeared in a disproportionate amount of news stories this year:

That was true during the Republican and the Democratic presidential campaigns, with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband both trumpeting their working-class roots as former employees, and President-elect Donald Trump following up with a brief and carefully staged appearance at the fry station and drive-thru of a McDonald’s in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Another Pennsylvania McDonald’s became the backdrop for the culmination of a massive manhunt this week, when an employee at an Altoona location alerted police to a patron who resembled the suspected gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan last week.

Is there something to that astrologically? According to Wikipedia, McDonald’s first opened on May 15, 1940, time unknown, in San Bernardino, California. The New York Times reported the circumstances of the 911 call about Luigi Mangione, the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as follows:

The biwheel below shows that McDonald’s recently completed its Uranus return in Taurus. However, transiting Uranus is still hovering close to the Taurus Sun of McDonald’s.

Also, transiting Pluto in Aquarius is now opposing the natal Pluto in Leo of McDonald’s. Transiting Mars in Leo and transiting Venus in Aquarius both add emphasis to this tense configuration.

I can see how 9:15 a.m. was the correct time for the 911 call because that Moon at 0° Aries makes a lot of sense for an event that would launch a big ruckus. The Moon at 0° Aries also makes tight aspects to both transiting Pluto and the natal Pluto of McDonald’s.

Hot on Substack

Rayner Jae Liu

via

Astrologers' Co-Op

, Sagittarius III: The Way of the Titan

Liu describes the larger-than-life tendencies of the third decan of Sagittarius.

Martha Fearnley

, Horoscope for December 9 - 15, 2024

I liked Fearnley’s comment for December 12: “Be wary of the call to permissiveness — not because you should become harder, but because too much permissiveness without discernment results in hardness anyway.”

Liz Wickhart

via

Astrum Opus

, Gemini Full Moon

Even if your chart seems largely untouched, stay away from ideas like taking apart your computer because “you’re pretty sure you know how to fix it.”

Theresa Touhey

, Understanding Final Dispositors in Astrology

Touhey provides a detailed explanation of how dispositors work. Kepler College offers a free placement test that you can take to potentially test out of some of their intro-level astrology classes, and dispositors were a section of the test I need to review before I take it again.

Posts about planets entering or leaving retrograde periods

AstroTerica

, Avast! Neptune Turns Direct.

AstroTerica comments on how Neptune turning direct could affect each Rising sign.

Marissa Fontana

, Mars Retrograde and Business

Fontana notes that, in a business context, Mars Retrograde can expose where you are taking action out of alignment.

Gwen Yi 🌻

, your guide to mars retrograde: the body knows best

Yi points out that Mars Retrograde brings up our most primal impulses, potentially leading to outsize emotional reactions.

Posts about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Zodiacal Spiral

, Poof, Like

This post provides transits to Thompson’s natal chart at the time he was shot.

NORSAN ASTROLOGY

, Luigi Mangione's Chart

NORSAN looks at relevant name asteroids in the sunrise chart of alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, whose birth time is unknown. Off Substack, the sunrise chart of Mangione was also analyzed by Robert Wilkinson.

Caroline Lindon

, A Perfect Storm: How Astrology Explains Last Week's Global and Personal Turmoil

Lindon comments on multiple world news stories including the Thompson assassination.

Free online events

‘Tis the season for new year forecasts and solstice events!

Astrology Hub will present its 9th Annual Forecast Panel for the year ahead on Friday, December 13, at 10 a.m. Pacific. Speakers will be Rick Levine, Georgia Stathis, Christopher Renstrom, Stormie Grace, Andrea Michelle, and Adam Gainsburg. Register here.

Kepler College will present “Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025” on Saturday, December 14, at 11 a.m. Pacific. Speakers will be Callum Wilkinson, Celeste Brooks, Stevie Lowe, and Shu Yap. Register here.

Jane de Forest will lead a gathering for the Winter Solstice on December 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pacific. Register here.

A word from our sponsors

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I want to keep Weekend Entertainment Guide free to readers in order to get astrology discussed as widely as possible. However, I am open to sharing my readership with paid sponsors. I charge $20 to run your text-based ad of 85 words or less in four consecutive Friday editions of Weekend Entertainment Guide. Feel free to include hyperlinks and promo codes for your product or service. Email astrologybooks@proton.me to inquire!

Grocery merger update

CNN reports that, as of Wednesday, December 11, the proposed merger between the Albertsons and Kroger grocery chains has been called off. Previous coverage on this blog regarding the controversial proposal focused on the name asteroid Cerberus, as Albertsons is owned by Cerberus Capital Management. On December 11, 2024, asteroid Cerberus was at 6°22’ Sagittarius, conjunct retrograde Mercury in detriment at 8°32’ Sagittarius.

Confidential to readers in Eugene, Oregon

Junior League of Eugene is collecting used sneakers through the GotSneakers program, which re-sells and recycles used sneakers. Proceeds from donated sneakers will support Junior League’s charitable efforts in the Eugene/Springfield area. Drop off used sneakers at the Maurices clothing store at Valley River Center by January 6, 2025, and you will receive a $5 Maurices store coupon. (Maurices is located between Macy’s and H&M, and H&M offers coupons for donating used clothing to its textile recycling program — it’s a great opportunity to clean out your closet!)