January 08 |
January 2008 Forecast |
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by Terry Lamb For a free subscription, contact me. Note: This publication is provided as a pro
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New to astrology? Read on and ignore the technical bits. There's plenty here for you too! Why don’t I write horoscopes for each sign?
Plutonian Themes Emerge. Both were about a new, more practical perspective that is being born in the Christian evangelical movement. The first report was on NOW with David Brancaccio, the second on Bill Moyers’ Journal. Brancaccio went to Kansas, a state on the front line of Christian social activism. Brancaccio spotlighted two churches where pastors with strong political positions had been let go in favor of younger pastors with less contentious approaches. Their values are similar but more tempered, and there’s no more preaching political positions from the pulpit (how’s that for alliteration?) in these establishments. They are focusing more on doing good for those in need, helping the poor and others in need. Politics is being touted as a personal matter, although it is frequently clear how the church wants you to feel about particular issues, especially social ones. One thing that has united Christian evangelicals with those usually more liberal is care for the environment. Many are rallying around the call to do something about global warming and a proper stewardship of the planet. This is very good news. The report on Bill Moyers’ Journal was an interview with John Grisham, who is a devout Baptist but with compassion for the little guy — kind of a Jimmy Carter-type Christian (not sure if he’d agree). He made very pointed statements that delineated very clearly what he felt was wrong with the current stance of many (what I would call) fundamentalists. This clarity reflects a growing awareness among Christians that perhaps some of their positions were not very, well, Christian. This corroborates my viewpoint that Pluto in Capricorn turns us toward more pragmatic approaches to the deepest issues that face us. While pragmatism is not all that we need, it is a shot in the arm of truth. (I just couldn’t resist the ungrammaticality of this line!) If only because we are concerned for our survival (a Cancer-Capricorn issue), we as a species may be willing to make compromises that were absolutely unthinkable before this. Where Pluto in Sagittarius brought us to fly the kite of idealism high in the sky and damn the fallout, Pluto in Capricorn places results and effects highest on the list of priorities. If you’re not going to accomplish your goals, you just don’t even contemplate an unproductive path even if the principles behind it fulfilled the value system of your loftiest dreams. Reconsidering Pluto in Sagittarius Pluto in Sagittarius got so many people high on ideals that cooperation and consensus became lost arts. (I don’t favor compromise, which almost always means that neither side gets what they want because they haven’t done the work to find their common motivation. The discovery of common motivation uproots an issue and makes it possible to create a third solution that supports both sides’ needs.) While we still need ideals, we also need practical solutions. Capricorn brings these into play. The extreme expression of Capricorn is a moral-less “ends justify the means” approach that makes Capricorn types infamous for corruption and power-grabs. We will see this side as Pluto in Capricorn plays out, for sure; but with so much at stake, there is a new air of cooperation and setting aside of agendas in favor of problem-solving. Any politician who has the insight to see this trend and need in society will do well this election season, as well as those to come. The winning presidential candidate will be the one who can inspire while promising to provide security in the form of changes on the personal level. It is through pain that those who didn’t understand what it takes now are learning, unfortunately. So, those who have been downsized or off-shored out of a job may come to realize that there are solutions to those problem that lie in the political domain. They may finally learn that it may be more important (and possible) to elect someone who will foster a more employee-friendly regulatory environment that brings jobs back to the US. As Pluto dodges back and forth this year between Sag and Capricorn, we get the chance to see the finer distinctions between idealism and pragmatism and the divisiveness that rigid ideals can bring about. Elections I did a presentation for the Southern California Astrology Network (SCAN) in January, and this led me to give the presidential candidates a quick look. While I did not do a comprehensive analysis, the gestalt I got suggested that McCain or Romney would win the Republican nomination (this was when McCain was still an afterthought in the caucuses and while Huckabee’s and Ron Paul’s numbers were higher than his). I looked at Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, and I was stunned at how strong Obama’s chart looks. Not only is Obama’s chart strong during this election season (and at the time of the inauguration), but his chart has amazing ties with the US chart. His chart shows that in so many ways he will heal the wounds that the US currently bears. It also shows that this is universally true. Not only is his chart strong at the time of every inauguration, but his chart connections with the US chart are eternal and profound. (And, just as an aside, I am personally uncertain about his readiness to take the helm, so this realization came reluctantly at first.) Hillary’s chart is no slouch either. She looks strong enough to grab the brass ring and be on the podium too, but perhaps not as strong as Obama. (I’d rate him a “9”, while I’d rate her a “7” on a scale of 10.) And this is not dependent on birth time astrology. These factors are independent of the points that are determined by birth time. (As you may know, we do not have accurate birth data on most of the candidates this time.) Naturally, there is much more I can say about the presidential election, and I will do so in future writings. February’s Power Is Front-Loaded. A lot of the action in February is already in play at the start of the month. And, peculiarly, the pattern that exists at its opening will persist through much of the month. This pattern involves a clustering of planets that occurs in the mid to late degrees of Aquarius, felt most by those with planets in Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius (the fixed signs). When the planets cluster, there is a multiplicity of interconnections that get woven together into an elaborate play in our own lives. In addition, they include several contacts that will be felt in the year to come. Let’s see what’s going on. Aquarius Is the Sign of Finding Common Ground. Aquarius is an air sign, which means that it is impartial and objective. It can even be experienced as cold (it is a winter sign in the northern hemisphere, where concept of the zodiac was developed.) and unfeeling. Think of the air in the depths of winter (in whatever hemisphere). It is dry and staticky; we get shocks from things we touch. This is Aquarius. There’s no argument that it is connective — perhaps too connective. Aquarius looks dispassionately at what is happening on a social/group level and decides on what is best for the group. Even if it harms some individuals in the short run, the welfare of the group is paramount, because the group is then strong enough to support the individual. Equity between group and individual can only be maintained if the group holds its members’ welfare as its highest priority, so long as it does not jeopardize the reasonable existence of the group (with a freely and consciously agreed-upon value system). When individuals come together to form groups, differences exist and arise in the course of finding cohesiveness. This is natural. However, unless we have good negotiating skills (and sometimes even if we do), conflict may arise. Two things are happening as a result from the planets that are involved, how they interact, and the fact that they are in Aquarius. The first is a “jostling for equity/agreement”. Issues will come to the surface that need airing, as group dynamics move from self-interest to group unity. This sorting out process results eventually in finding common ground, a process that occurs magically if/as the members tune into the spirit of the group. The second thing is that the complexities of pre-existing issues will be revealed. There is no doubt that the issues we face in the world today (and perhaps each of us as well) defy solving. This is because people try to boil them down to a simple explanation so that they can arrive at a simple solution. This makes the situation more manageable, they think — but if the issue is difficult, it is usually because of its complexity. The complexity must be patiently explored and thoroughly understood before a solution can be devised. The true solution is not likely to be the one arrived at through oversimplification, but it could still be simple. Even if it is not (requiring many actions on several fronts to get a robust result), it is better to deeply understand a matter before trying to solve it. An example of this could be the conundrum of a worldwide recession, or the war (occupation) in Iraq, or the melting of the ice caps. Each of these requires careful sorting through what’s happening, why, and how to solve each tendril of the problem. A blind stab or mindless stab at any of these is useless and wastes time and resources. The issues we face and encounters we have will be evaluated through this lens as we make our way through February, both individually and socially, nationally, and as a world community. This could be experienced as a gradual process, except for the fact that two eclipses will punctuate the month. This is likely to result in some events around the time of the eclipses that provide rallying points for problem-solving. Keep this in mind as your month unfolds. The Aquarian Saga Here’s how it will work: As January ended, Mercury and Mars were standing still. Mercury had been traveling through Aquarius since January 7, beginning retrograde (backward) travel for 3 weeks starting January 28. Mercury, which had made it past the other planets in Aquarius, will now track back over them as it makes its way backward through the sign. This gives us two triple contacts, one with Chiron and one with Neptune. Mercury the Messenger is therefore carrying water for these planets for the next two months.  Meanwhile, the Sun is also in Aquarius. It is making its single yearly pass over Chiron the planet of healing and Neptune the planet of unseen reality, setting off the yearly cycle that we experience with these two bodies. The Sun will connect with the Moon and Mercury at the same time, and since the Sun and Moon are precisely lined up, a solar eclipse occurs at the same time. (See the chart above.) The Sun connects with Chiron, Mercury, Neptune, and is eclipsed all between February 5 and 10. There is a dispersion of energies after this, as Mercury moves back to degrees out of range of the other planets and finally turns around to go the right way forward again on the 18th. In the meantime, however, Venus goes into Aquarius, and it begins to connect with these planets (Mercury, Chiron, Neptune) just in time for the lunar eclipse to occur on the 20th. (See the chart at right.) What This Means We will have a rich array of experiences in the house (part) of our chart where Aquarius is found. This will set a tone for some patterns and issues that will be with us for 12–18 months, while aspects of them will be resolved within the next 2–4 months. The relevant theme in our life is something we’ve been dealing with since 1998 on some level. It will come out now as something in our nature that we need to understand in a new way. The shift will result in a change in behavior that may be subtle, but it will have profound effects over time. It will take about a year to implement and see the results, and we may not see signs of progress right away. We will have to trust our inner sense of direction that what we are doing is correct. Events or situations will arise that are related to this learning process around the following dates: May 25–26 If you know of activities that you will be involved in on these dates, they will undoubtedly challenge you to apply your new understanding in some way. One thing to watch for, on a political level, is the degree to which dishonesty in the presidential campaign is escalated during these times. I expect some defamatory initiatives to begin during these times, especially the one in mid-August. This does not mean that your life will be negatively affected, because individuals have more choice about how they use energies than groups, who are more likely to respond unconsciously (and thus negatively) to them. Here’s to Your Health: Saturn Reaches Its Culmination Point. The Sun began its yearly solar interaction with Saturn last August, and in February, we experience the culmination — the “Full Moon” — of this cycle. This cycle has to do with creating structure and taking responsibility. What have you started that has at its core a desire to serve others? What new structures are you building in your life? Where are you creating better health in your life? (This could be, for example, better financial health if Saturn is in the right place in your chart.) Wherever this applies, your efforts will reach a culmination around the 24th. Valentine’s Doldrums I’d like to say that Valentine’s Day will make all your partnership dreams come true, but it is not likely to be the case. Venus and Mars make an awkward contact with each other that suggests that there are some ways in which our relationships with others will be — awkward. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It is better to know that there are ways that the relationship needs to be improved than to be blithely unaware of a problem. We have to understand the context to know why this is what it is and how to work with it. Mars has just spent almost 4 months retrograde, digging up all the reasons why this relationship isn’t working (or can’t work). Well, it turns out that they’re all inside us! This is good news, because what’s inside us is easiest to change. (Ever tried changing someone else? Let me know how that went.) With this perhaps painful new awareness, we’re ready to change, and as Mars is now moving in its normal forward direction, the healing can begin. So, sometimes we need to leave things in awkwardness, in ambiguity rather than trying to fix it on our own, because that allows others to play their role in its resolution. Perhaps the imbalance in your relationship is based on an imbalance of power. If one person acts unilaterally to solve a problem, the imbalance persists. So, although Valentine’s Day may be problematic, look for greater harmony come the spring. All Things Bright and Beautiful If you can see the sky in the early morning hours of February 1, you’ll want to gasp in awe. Venus and Jupiter will be together in the morning sky. If you miss them on the 1st, don’t worry, they’ll be visible until the 24th, but not so snugly juxtaposed. This is a wonderful blessing, felt wherever you have Capricorn in your chart. This contact is only felt for about a day, but we can make the effects more long-lasting through our focus. Planetary Economics All the talk these days is about the economy. Suddenly, people are discovering what many of us have suffered with for a long time — the US economy is ailing. The seeds for this were planted in the 1980s through “Reaganomics”, which led the US to become a debtor society at the expense of many wise initiatives toward energy independence and fiscal responsibility that were put into place by President Carter. Now, as people have run out of ways to borrow money against their assets (their homes being the last of those), it’s time to pay back what we owe. This is going to result in belt-tightening by many people, and a lot of grief due to the new, tighter bankruptcy law passed in 2005; due to the health system as it exists now; and due to the relaxing of usury (high interest rate) regulations in 2002. As I have said before, we have the chance for a soft landing if the people at the top take the signs and signals of recession (depression) seriously. So far, they’ve put a bandage on the wound in the form of lower bank interest rates and a “stimulus” package that robs Peter to pay Paul. (Think the “rebate” you’re getting is going to help? It’ll come out of your next year’s tax refund. If you don’t get a refund, you’ll have to pay it back then.) This relates to the shift of Pluto into Capricorn, but on the more local, short-term level,
it’s a function of the Mars and Mercury retrogrades and stations of the past two weeks. Of
course, the seeds were planted and cultivated over many years. We began seeing signs of trouble
when Mars turned retrograde last November. This follows the pattern that was seen in the winter
before the Panic of 1929. Conditions are different now, and the economy is more diverse, but the
real estate bubble will have to be reckoned with — a new frontier in global economic terms. Although Jupiter and Saturn are no match for Pluto, because they are harmoniously connected (by trine) this year, we’ll have some protection from deep difficulties. This may produce the soft landing I’ve mentioned before, giving us space and time to adjust. Keep track of what you experience this month, because this is another seed-planting time. This will help you discover the thread of meaning for 2008 and anticipate when future related events will occur. It is a good time with great hope for the future, especially because we can set our intention to make it so! Significant Planetary Events Mercury and Saturn are retrograde. Sun is in detriment. Jupiter is in fall.
All dates are based on Pacific Time. © Terry Lamb |
