Economic outlook for 2009/10

I haven't had time to add any posts for ages, for which my apologies. It's rather late to say this, but I just wanted to put on record a few of the thoughts I have been sharing with astrological friends for the past five or six years.

Having predicted the current recession (to the month) years ago (and advised clients in advance), I thought I would say that the economic outlook remains troubled until next summer (2010), when we emerge from the current theme of Saturn-Uranus oppositions (the first was on the day of the US election last November), the ingress of Pluto into Capricorn (which was long predicted as heralding the need for global economic restructuring, and restructuring of the institutions that underpin society such as banks, politics and government), and also the Saturn/Neptune oppositions of 2006/7, which saw a loss of economic confidence and flooding in the UK.

We are just entering a difficult square between Saturn and Pluto, which really kicks in in early November once Saturn has left Virgo, where it has been since autumn 2007. Having had a summer during which Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron have been closely conjunct for around three months, and which have brought a flu pandemic and perhaps a false sense of economic recovery (Jupiter rules optimism, Neptune illusion), the tone is set to change quite dramatically, with the possibility of clashes between governmental or institutional power (Pluto in Capricorn) and the people (Saturn in Libra). In real terms, the consequences of the recession, i.e. unemployment, debt repayment will begin to become starkly apparent.

It is likely to be a tough period, as we have a rare outer-planet t-square between Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. Next summer however, during the final of 5 Saturn-Uranus oppositions, Jupiter simultaneously conjuncts Uranus at 0 degrees Aries, which is very much like the resetting of a clock, or a fresh start. There will be a great deal of upheaval however, as Uranus will have moved into Aries, bringing revolution and the desire for individual freedom from state and corporate control.

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Sri Lanka astrologer is arrested

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Sri Lanka astrologer is arrested

Gloucestershire Connections

Peace and Terror

In the UK at the moment, we seem to be in a peculiar situation - the threat of terror has never been so immediate, and yet we hear yesterday that the IRA has renounced violence for good, seeking to achieve its goals through the ballot box rather than the bullet and the bomb. One threat that we have lived with for so many years seemingly disappears overnight, whilst another one explodes into our lives causing disruption, death and mayhem.

My local astrology group, Aquarius Severn (named after the group's sun-sign and the UK's longest river, which happens to be only a few miles away), makes forecasts for the world ahead each December, and this year one of the notable astrological events we picked out was the series of three Jupiter-Neptune trines (see Live 8, below), the third of which becomes exact in a few weeks time. Whenever Jupiter and Neptune make contact in the sky by way of certain angular relationships (called 'aspects' in astrology), 'peace processes' seem to hit the headlines, be they in the middle east, the ex-Soviet Union or in Northern Ireland. With the trine (120 degree) aspect, you can expect sudden and powerful breakthroughs. I hope it isn't premature to say that this is one such case.

Interestingly, Saturn is crossing the UK's Jupiter and Neptune is crossing the UK's Neptune simultaneously this week, so one might expect the UK to be hitting the world headlines at this time. Saturn crossing Jupiter can of course bring a temporary loss of confidence (it's in Leo, after all), or a loss of stature in the world. It can also bring a conflict between opposing principles, and with new anti-terror laws being debated at the moment, the conflict between security and civil rights is giving rise to very difficult choices for our leaders. Neptune crossing Venus seems apt for the recent Live8 events, bringing enjoyable group creativity (Venus in Aquarius and the fifth house of the 1801 UK chart) and compassion (Neptune) together to act as one. And a few weeks ago, the whole of The Independent's front page was devoted to a story about the trade in antiquities in our prestigious auction houses. Apparently, as befits Neptune, which also rules scandal and illusion, most of them are fake!

Brain Retrograde

Doh! I have had a contract sitting in my inbox for the last week for me to read and sign, and of course since Saturday Mercury is now doing it's thrice-yearly backwards shuffle. Yes, it's Mercury Retrograde time again, folks! I always counsel clients to avoid signing documents until Mercury goes Direct again, which it won't until August 16th. Should I stall signing and upset those waiting for me to sign or should I simply be extra careful and read it and re-read it so that I don't overlook any items of 'small print' that could trip me up later on? I know which I want to do and I think I will have to explain to the person concerned that since I'm an astrologer he will have to wait. I'm sure he will undertand.

Actually, talking of Mercury Retrograde, I seem to be super-sensitive to them for some reason (maybe because my Sun is in Virgo, which, along with Gemini, is ruled by Mercury, or maybe because Mercury is my 'strongest' planet in terms of essential and accidental dignity). In the past, when Mercury has been in one of its retrograde periods, I have had letters put out in the street for me to collect by an ex-flatmate (how sensible! How considerate!), bicycles stolen, scooters conking out, innumerable postal delays (including a letter that took three weeks to travel three miles), cancelled holidays, email overload and misunderstandings. Just this morning the printers told me my magazine, Gloucestershire Connections, will be published a day late, but then of course, I expected that.

Only last August when Mercury was retrograde and I went to Barcelona for a four-day break were there no hitches or delays. Perhaps that's the best thing to do when Mercury goes retrograde. Take a holiday! Tell the boss it's better for all concerned that he or she shuts down the business for a few weeks, or at the very least to make no decisions and spend the time instead constructively brain-storming or playing leadership games out in the wilderness. The resulting mental synergy and productivity could be astounding!

A Stately Ingress

Last week I travelled to Hartlepool for the wedding of my friend John to his fiancee Anita. They live in Taiwan, and had flown over to be married in the country of John's birth and to honeymoon in Europe. The wedding service took place aboard a wonderful two-hundred year old ship called the HMS Trincomalee docked in Hartlepool Marina, which looks like 'The Bounty' of Mutiny fame - complete with cannons, rigging and masts. It took place exactly 24 hours before Saturn's ingress (entry) into Leo, through which it will travel for the next two years. Saturn takes around 29.5 years to complete an orbit of the Sun, and the same amount of time therefore to go round the twelve signs of the zodiac. Given that John has in his natal (birth) horoscope, the Sun and two personal planets in Leo (he is a comedian and comedy script-writer), it seemed apt that he should enter into the Saturnian commitment of marriage at the same time as the planet enters 'his' sign.

During a discussion evening at Aquarius Severn last Thursday, on the topic of Saturn's passage through Leo, a group of about 23 explored what lessons we and the world might face over the next two years. Saturn is the planet of structure, lessons (sometimes painful) and the realities of life such as work, responsibilities and duties. Leo on the other hand symbolises our creative spirit, self-expression, fun, entertainment, love and children.

Would Saturn in Leo bring a welcome end to so-called 'celebrity culture'? Would we all be challenged to be truer to ourselves and become more authentic? Would the creative arts generally become more serious, pared-down, rigourous, less concerned with brashness, shock-value and gigantism? Will the plight of caged lions make headlines? Will more and more children be placed under curfews or will we finally begin to take a more rounded approach to education, realising that values of respect for others, respect for nature, appreciation of beauty and practical life-skills are as vital as academic achievements? Will leaders (Leo) be held to account for their past actions? Will self-confidence be in short supply? Will large-scale entertainments be hedged with many more security restrictions (or will there be fewer of them) thanks to the threat of terrorism?

We also looked at what happened the last time Saturn was in Leo, in the mid 1970s. Over the next couple of years we will have the chance to discover the ways in which our world, and we, deal with Saturn in Leo this time around. Let's hope we make a good job of it.

Bombs Return to London

It may seem crass to offer astrological comment on yesterday's terrorist attacks in London, but I see the world astrologically, and if there is any insight astrology can offer the situation, I think it is right to do so. But before going ahead, I would like to convey my sympathies to all those injured in the attacks, and to the families of those who were murdered. Such atrocities are despicable, cowardly and can achieve nothing unless we allow them to.

The first and most obvious question is - did any astrologers predict this?

My answer is that I do not know of any, although I have just this morning read the latest Visual Astrology newsletter, which contains a prediction by the excellent Australian astrologer Bernadette Brady, of 'a return of terrorist activities in Europe' during July to late August. When Bernadette speaks, I listen, as she is one of the few astrologers I know who take the time to do painstaking and thorough research before making any statements. She is also a superb speaker. If you get the chance to attend one of her talks or workshops, you'll be inspired. She bases her predictions on ancient techniques used by the Chaldeans 2500 years ago, of simply looking at the night sky and reading it's visual story.

Now is not the time to elaborate - if you are intrigued, I urge you to subscribe to the Visual Astrology newsletter for yourself. In June's, Bernadette talks about the olympic games, and predicted that Britain would win the bid, partly because of the rumour-mongering of one of the contestants (President Chirac take note!).

I can see nothing in the UK's chart to predict what happened yesterday, nor in more general terms in the sky (unlike 2001/02, when Saturn was opposite Pluto three times). The only notable thing at the moment is Mars about to cross the recent (April 8th) Solar Eclipse point of 19 degrees Aries. In Mundane Astrology (the astrology of politics and world affairs), this is generally held to be a moment when the energy of an eclipse finds an outlet.

I don't think it's crass to search for astrological correlations to disasters. If we could foretell them, then maybe warnings could be given and lives could be saved. However, I think that's a long way off.