Mercury approaching Neptune ℞ in Aries · Mercury approaching Pluto ℞ in Aquarius

Today's Mercury takes the lead, and takes it in two directions at once. Just past the cusp of Libra and moving quickly, he opposes Neptune while trining Pluto, both applying, both within two degrees. The opposition to Neptune is the mood people will actually feel: something spoken that dissolves under scrutiny, a document that reads clean until you look twice, a conversation where two parties leave with different versions of the agreement. The trine to Pluto is the compensating gift, if you want to call it that. Research goes deep. What you already suspect gets confirmed by something small.

Venus in Scorpio is in detriment, and today she squares Pluto while separating from a trine to the North Node. I want to weight the square more than the trine, because the trine is already leaving. Venus in her detriment doesn't need much provocation to reach for the wrong lever, and Pluto will hand her the lever. Financial or relational pressure points that have been quiet for a few weeks may push forward.

The New Moon is exact enough that the Moon is combust and the Sun-Moon conjunction in Virgo sits on the meaning of the day: something is being seeded in the sign of discernment, sorting, and repair. By late evening UTC the Moon crosses into Libra, which softens the Virgo edge but also hands the lunation's aftercare over to Venus, who, as noted, is not in a generous condition.

The Wings mansion favors travel and things that move through air, letters included. Fitting, with Mercury this loud. Uranus stations in Gemini in the background, which I'd normally ignore, except that a stationary Uranus does tend to sharpen Mercurial weather. So: expect the day's communications to arrive strangely, and to be misremembered later.