Hurricane Sandy looks like being the biggest storm to hit the USA in decades causing major disruption to travel, communications and even the presidential election. To look to astrology for some answers for hurricane Sandy’s impact, it’s hard to go past the full moon which occurs on the same day the storm is forecast to hit the New Jersey coast. As has been reported in the media, the full moon at 3:50 pm on Monday 29 October 2012 means the high tides will be larger than normal. The combined affect of the storm surge and the higher tides is the reason that people are being evacuated from low lying areas of the coast.

So the chart is the the full moon in New York City, but it will look almost the same if set for Atlantic City in New Jersey, in fact the Ascendant is the same degree because these cities are on the same longitude. The full moon is at 6 degrees Taurus but this is the same all over the world and there is nothing about this degree to explain a massive storm and all the disruption in this area of the world. What is unique for this area is the Ascendant degree at the moment of the full moon. Astrology is all about the exact time and place. For this area of the east coast of the USA, the Ascendant is 15 degrees Pisces. Now before you get carried away about Pisces and water, it is in fact the star rising on the Ascendant and any aspects to planets which is important, not the sun sign.

The star rising on the eastern horizon in New York at the moment of this full moon is Achernar, the brightest star of constellation Eridanus, The River. Achernar marks the mouth of the river, more than symbolic given the geography. This star is associated with water, rain, drowning and accidents (especially at sea). The level of risk and danger is made higher because this rising star is square the Mars Jupiter opposition. Jupiter is also conjunct a star in constellation Eridanus called Cursa, amplifying the danger from water.

This is the final moon phase an eclipse cycle which began with the May 20 solar eclipse which fell in the Pleiades star cluster, historically known for bringing major floods, they were called the Rainy Stars.

The Midheaven for this full moon is also unique to this particular region on the east coast of North America. It is 22 degrees Sagittarius for both Atlantic City and New York, The culminating star is Ras Alhague in constellation Ophuichus which has an association with contamination by toxins and epidemic infections. So if there is prolonged flooding as forecast, then infection is a real risk.

Mercury is square Neptune just two hours before the full moon. This perfectly explains the disruption to transport and the stock market trading we are already seeing. Mercury rules transport, communication and trade, and if the power does go out as forecast, then communication will certainly be affected. The square aspect does mean tests and challenges. Neptune is the link to the water. You can click on the thumbnail to the right to see the chart for the moment of Mercury square Neptune in New York City.  With the Vertex Point (very time and place sensitive), turning this square into a T-square focused on Mercury, we could say that major communication and transport confusion was destined to occur.

With Mercury stationing retrograde on November 6 only four degrees past the square to Neptune, it is fair to assume that the disruption to communications and transport will take a while to get over. The Ascendant for when Mercury is square Neptune at 1:40 pm on Monday is 28 Capricorn on the star Sham, in the Arrow of Sagittarius. According to Anne Wright’s research into the fixed stars and weather, Sham causes “violent weather”. The star on the Midheaven is Unukalhai in constellation Serpens. Just like Ophiuchus who holds this snake, it can cause infectious diseases and poisoning. This is also the degree of the November 13 solar eclipse.