Cosmic Grab Bag: Spring 2026, Part Two
So many stories, so little time! In Part Two of this catchall conglomeration, we’re looking at developments in late April, US-based, including a federal reclassification of marijuana, another failed Trump assassination attempt, and a gentle monarchical rebuke.
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
Or at least, slightly more legal. On 23 April 2026, the US Department of Justice took a long-anticipated action to lessen restrictions on marijuana use, when it moved to reclassify the drug from a Schedule I substance – reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse – to the less strictly regulated Schedule III, defined as drugs having a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.
Forty US states already have legalized medical marijuana, with 24 of those also decriminalizing recreational use, and while the new federal classification doesn’t make the drug lawful, it does smooth the path for eventual legalization nationwide.
The decision to take action now is related to the concurrent celestial traffic jam in early Aries, where the conjunction between Neptune at 3 Aries and Saturn at 8 Aries, beginning to diverge, has been joined by Mars at 10 Aries and Mercury at 12 Aries. In and of itself, Neptune with Saturn carries a potential for an erosion (Neptune) of restrictions (Saturn) on the legal status (Saturn) of drugs and pharmaceuticals (Neptune), opening the door to reform of marijuana laws.
With Mercury and Mars joining the party, the timing was right to finally take action (Mars) on a decision (Mercury) that had been mooted for years. A square to Jupiter at 17 Cancer ensured the change would be positive, providing more access, and lessening controls. The conjunction of Venus and Uranus (both 29 Taurus) which occurred the same day speaks to a potentially controversial (Uranus) shift in marijuana use for entertainment value (Venus), as a recreational drug.
The Aries grouping is squared by asteroid Herba 880 at 11 Capricorn, relating to “herb” as a marijuana euphemism, and forming a T-Square by opposition with Jupiter. Certainly the change will increase (Jupiter) marijuana use (Herba) over time. A major shift in DOJ policy on marijuana is signaled by asteroid Themis 24 at 15 Sagittarius, named for the Greek goddess of justice, which is at station, making it a powerful focal point of the period (which also witnessed the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 2nd, a momentous shift in leadership at the Justice Department). Themis’ opposition to asteroid Grass 11496 at 11 Gemini, a once popular euphemism for marijuana, underscores which drug is being reclassified.
The Sun at 3 Taurus squared asteroid Whitehouse at 1 Aquarius places a spotlight on the administration (Whitehouse) generally, while a sesquiquadrate to asteroid Panacea 2878 at 23 Virgo, named for the Greek goddess of medicines, spreads the limelight to the topic of drugs (Panacea). Whitehouse also conjoins Pluto at 5 Aquarius, ruling criminality, illustrating the administration’s gradual drawdown of legal consequences for marijuana use.
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER DEBACLE
Shots rang out at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on 25 April 2026, as a lone gunman rushed the lobby of the Washington Hilton, heading for the banquet hall where the dinner was being held. In attendance were more than a thousand journalists and administration officials, including Donald Trump, appearing at the event for the first time as president. No one was injured and the suspect, Cole Allen of Torrance, California, was quickly subdued by police and Secret Service; the dinner was cancelled, to be rescheduled later.
With Mercury at 17 Aries, ruling journalism and the Media, and Mars at 12 Aries, ruling firearms and attacks, in conjunction, an incident of this nature was not unexpected, though shocking nonetheless. The conjunction speaks to violence (Mars) in close proximity (conjunction) to members of the Press (Mercury). [This pairing is also in evidence at the April 23rd death of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in an Israeli airstrike.]
Joining the conjunction is Saturn at 8 Aries, here representing the US President as head-of-state, as well as other government officials in attendance. Saturn is also the ancient lord of death, so the outcome could have been much more serious. A square from Jupiter at 18 Cancer speaks to the “celebrity” nature of the crowd, and ensures maximum publicity for the event. Known as the “Greater Benefic” for its tendency to provide positive outcomes, Jupiter also has connections to the WHCD itself, as ruling publication, an essential step in reporting.
Doubling down on the firearm/shooting motif, asteroid Gunn 18243 at 15 Capricorn, phonetic match for “gun,” squares Mercury/Mars, underscoring the attack on a gathering of journalists. Reportedly Cole Allen was armed with both a shotgun and handgun, and several hunting knives, all Mars-ruled.
The non-lethality of the attack may be attributed to the presence of Neptune at 3 Aries and a pair of asteroids, in conjunction with Saturn. Neptune can create a confused, disordered environment and may allude to the mental state of the shooter, as well as the likely sense of disappointment felt by the suspect when he failed in his mission. Asteroid BAM 2031 at 4 Aries, an onomatopoetic rendering of the explosive sound of a firearm discharge, pairs with asteroid NOT 2857 at 9 Aries, a general disqualifier or symbol of negation. While the shooter did get off several rounds, there were no deaths or injuries. Saturn also has a dampening or restrictive effect, further limiting the effectiveness of the attack. A square to asteroid Troemper 28130 at 1 Capricorn, which is stationary and turned retrograde that very day, reinforces the threat to the US President.
Asteroid Whitehouse at 1 Aquarius has been encroaching upon Pluto at 5 Aquarius for weeks, revealing a pattern of massive corruption (Pluto-ruled) from the administration, on multiple levels. But here specifically it represents the criminal acts performed by the shooter, and again, as modern lord of death, the potential for a fatal attack. Whitehouse is squared the 5 Taurus Sun and forms a T-Square with asteroid Washingtonia at 6 Leo, pulling focus (Sun) to the White House Correspondents Dinner (Whitehouse) at the Washington Hilton (Washingtonia).
Shooter Cole Allen is seen as eponymous asteroids Cole 5635 at 22 Capricorn and Allen 19727 at 29 Aries, which square each other and form a T-Square with asteroid Donn 4689 at 25 Cancer, representing Donald Trump. This brings together suspect and target in real time.
In a rare departure from tradition (based perhaps in Trump’s well-known dislike of mockery and an inability to take a joke), the dinner was hosted, not by a comedian, but by Oz Pearlman, AKA “Oz the Mentalist,” a noted mind-reader. Oz is represented by asteroids Oze 7358 at 4 Virgo and Perelman 50033 at 26 Aries (closest to Pearlman). Perelman also squares Donn, with asteroid Hosty 8218 at 13 Gemini, indicating his hosting status, on their midpoint, semisquare to each. Oze is an especially apt stand-in for Oz Pearlman, who pronounces his name as “oze”, rather than the typical rendering, such as the Emerald City of Wizard fame, and the title of the gritty HBO prison drama series. Oze is also at station, marking a vital turning point for Oz Pearlman, with a trine to the Sun at 5 Taurus placing him in the spotlight.
Or he would have been, but for this shocking lack of foresight from the mentalist.
In a final nod to cosmic synchronicity, Neptune/Saturn squares a duo of asteroids Hypnos 14827 at 3 Cancer, suggesting the mentalist host, and Assafin 28987 at 1 Cancer, a sort of lisping celestial nod to “assassin” which has appeared prominently in other assassination charts, including the one on Donald Trump in Butler, PA in 2024.
The WHCD has been postponed, presumably to be rescheduled within the next thirty days.
THE KING’S SPEECH
It was a master class in the understated agenda and the hidden slap, as Britain’s King Charles III delivered a historic speech to the US Congress, in celebration of the drubbing the American colonists gave his 5th great-grandfather, George III, a quarter millennia ago. The address on April 28th went down well, with bipartisan cheers and standing ovations from both sides of the aisle, despite the implied criticism lurking below the surface.
Reassuring his audience that he wasn’t there as part of “some cunning rearguard action” to reclaim the lost colonies, Charles used humor, self-deprecation, and subtle inuendo to make his points: that the “special relationship” between the UK and the US must continue, whatever the current management in the White House; that NATO had been there for the US after 911, and the alliance needed to continue united in defense of Ukraine; and that our shared legal heritage includes principles derived from Magna Carta, “not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.” In another downplayed dig at America’s would-be monarch, the genuine article defined Congress’ role in American democracy as guaranteeing rule “not by the will of one, but by the deliberation of many.”
The Trump/Windsor axis was on full celestial display for the historic visit, with multiple markers of the two men’s terrestrial proximity. Leading the show was a conjunction of asteroids Troemper 28130 (our celestial referent for The Donald) at 1 Capricorn and Charlotte 543 (feminine form of Charles, for which there is no exact match in English) at 4 Capricorn. Both points are at station, indicating prominence and a critical turning point, with both turning retrograde on the same day, April 25th, just three days before the speech.
This pairing squares a union of Neptune and Saturn at 3 and 8 Aries, in a T-Square with the Moon at 5 Libra. Saturn with Neptune is the original “iron fist (Saturn) in a velvet glove (Neptune),” expressing strong sentiments in deceptively mild language. Asteroid Rey 13647, Spanish for “king,” here at 9 Aries identifies whose was the fist. The Moon represents the people, and Charles spoke in Congress, “the people’s house.”
Speaking of houses, the speech was given in the House of Representatives, the only chamber in the Capitol large enough to accommodate the entire congress. Asteroid House 4950 at 14 Virgo is also at station, turning direct the day after the speech, and conjoins the 10 Virgo Ascendant for the 3:06 PM EDT entry of King Charles and Queen Camilla into the chamber. The Ascendant is the public face of the chart, how it presents to the world at large, and also here is asteroid Charlene 5878 at 6 Virgo, another feminine referent for Charles.
Meanwhile, on the 8 Gemini Midheaven, the point of highest elevation and the focus of all eyes, we find asteroid Charleroi 17428 exactly conjunct Venus at 5 Gemini, also conjoined asteroid Brita 1071 at 11 Gemini and Uranus at 0 Gemini. Charleroi is an especially apt marker for the current British monarch, as it literally means “Charles the King.” Brita is named for Britain, while Venus suggests good will and popular acclaim, and Uranus hints at some level of potential controversy underneath all the plaudits and gladhanding, but also confers an atmosphere of energy and excitement.
That giddiness in the presence of royalty was also on full display the afternoon before at an open-air White House reception where hard-bitten legislators queued for more than an hour, waiting their chance to figuratively kiss the king’s ring. George, Thom and Ben are likely spinning in their graves.
There’s another marker of the propinquity between Charles and Trump, a union of asteroids Whitehouse 436 and King 2305 at 2 and 3 Aquarius, further conjoined Pluto at 5 Aquarius, in a T-Square with asteroid Washingtonia 886 at 6 Leo and the Sun at 8 Taurus. This places a focus (Sun) on doings between the British monarch (King) and the American president (Whitehouse) in the US capital (Washingtonia), with both Charles’ subtle manipulation (Pluto) and Trump’s royalty obsession (also Pluto) on display. The tripe conjunction also denotes the power play between them.
Title Image Credit: drawn by Chat GPT
