Summary Of Last Week’s Influences:
Even though the major indices closed positive Wednesday through Friday, last week marked the fourth consecutive week the major indices finished negative. The market’s worst performance last week occurred on Monday as the Sun (speculation) in Gemini squared Neptune in Pisces.
Neptune-ruled issues dominated the early part of the week as Goldman Sachs declared it is “bullish” on oil, projecting $135 barrel oil by the end of 2012, while JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley also lifted their price targets for oil to around $120 a barrel. (So much for the Fed’s comments of oil prices being “transitory!)”
The CFTC took civil enforcement action against three hedge funds and two traders who it accuses made at least $50 million by cornering the crude oil supply at Cushing in a “manipulative cycle” that drove the price up to artificial highs and then back down.
Nestle Waters raised the price of its bottled water brands (Poland Spring, S. Pellegrino, Nestle Pure Life) 10% due to cost of plastic rising 40% since last October.
Inflation relates to Jupiter as well as Neptune – especially when its existence is denied. The “real yield” (the difference between the 10 year U.S. Treasury note and the rate of inflation) turned negative this month for the first time since late 2008 during the midst of the financial crisis.
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in their semi-annual report declared central banks should raise rates as they fear commodity prices are creating inflation with very low growth. The OECD is calling on the Fed to raise interest rates to between 1 and 1.25% by the end of this year and to 2.25% by the end of 2012.
Summary Of This Week’s Influences:
The Sun squaring Neptune last week kicked off planets in Mercury-ruled Gemini squaring Neptune in Pisces. Now Mercury the planetary energy of communication, movement, and commerce will square Neptune early Friday at the same time Neptune turns retrograde.
One of the reasons attributed for the market’s bearish sentiment May 23 was that in true Neptunian fashion the market focused on European sovereign debt concerns which could create a contagion affect that spreads beyond the boundaries of Greece.
The mythological Mercury is known as the trickster for his love of engaging in clever wordplay. As described in The Wall Street Journal (“New Greek Debt Risk: Word Games”), EU regulators last week were trying to come up with the magic words that could allow Greece’s debt to be restructured without triggering payouts on credit default swaps.
Mercury will enter its home sign Gemini June 2 at 4:03 PM EDT until June 16. The Moon in Gemini together with Mercury squaring Neptune as Neptune turns retrograde raises the potential for communications that are confusing and/or misleading in some way. Rumors, deception, lies, and fraudulent activities could be more abundant than facts. Which is why Friday is better suited for creative pursuits and playing magic word games than getting tricked.
Whether the EU regulators wizardry can make the magic happen without causing a default, there is a good chance that Greece could at least end up extending the time when the debt becomes due. Pluto rules debt and Saturn represents structure and delays. The June 1 Gemini Solar Eclipse opposes Greece’s natal Neptune in Sagittarius indicating that some sort of “word magic” is afoot to prevent the spread of a global contagion if any of the current agreements are altered.
Saturn’s energies will be particularly pronounced June 9-16 which reinforces all Saturn ruled issues as Saturn in Venus-ruled Libra turns direct June 12. (Saturn turned retrograde January 26.) The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth for the month (perigee) in Pluto-ruled Scorpio. The Sun will conjoin Mercury in Gemini which can indicate leaders making important announcements that could relate to these issues. Venus in Gemini favorably aspecting Uranus in Aries raises the potential for new initiatives being taken that alter financial agreements. Such arrangements are likely to favor the government (Saturn) over the creditors.
Saturn stationing direct squaring Greece’s natal Mercury and Saturn in Cancer further reinforces the theme of changing words to delay the debt without exacerbating the crisis further. Cancer is ruled by the Moon and the Moon is the ruler of Greece’s chart and conjoins Pluto in Libra. Uranus in Aries exactly opposing Greece’s Moon as it stations retrograde July 8 (until December 10) could inflame more social unrest. The July 1 Cancer Solar Eclipse conjoining natal Mercury and Saturn could reflect Greece’s leadership agrees to a “wordplay restructuring delay.” However, with the unpredictable energies of Uranus in Aries pronounced as it stations retrograde in exact opposition to Greece’s natal Moon/Pluto, a sharp increase in social unrest could result.
Naturally the energies of June and July strongly indicate action in the birthday chart for Europe.
The June 1 Solar Eclipse squares natal Saturn in Mercury-ruled Virgo, the June 15 Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse squares Mars in Virgo, and the July 1 Solar Eclipse squares Mars in Libra. Taken together, these energies can relate to taking action to surgically substitute words that change the time frame of Greece’s plan that avoids triggering the CDS. Uranus stations retrograde on Europe’s natal Venus in Aries, the same day the First Quarter Moon conjoins Europe’s natal Neptune in Libra and squares Europe’s progressed Sun and Mercury in Cancer.(1) Again this returns to the emotional instinct to engage in wordplay to pretend a debt restructuring does not appear to be happening.
The cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) are the initiators. Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Libra, Pluto in Capricorn, and eclipses/planets all in the beginning degrees of these signs are what has set off key planets and points in the charts for Europe, Greece, the other “PIIGS” in trouble. The USA is certainly not immune from fiscal challenges during this time, as elaborated on in my post on the debt ceiling. The July 8 First Quarter Moon in Libra conjoins the USA’s natal Saturn as Venus opposes Pluto in the sky at the same time Pluto exactly opposes the USA’s natal Jupiter as Uranus in Aries stations retrograde squaring natal Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Cancer. Unfortunately it’s likely that Congress has not yet resolved the issue and the public (especially the elderly) could be getting worried.
Although this is a shorter week due to Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, from a planetary perspective it is an active one. With Neptune’s energies prominent now through June 8, oil, gas, inflation, and more about insider trading is likely be in focus. Neptune-ruled industries (chemicals, drugs, hospitals, advertising, arts, entertainment) are likely to be more pronounced now.
Tuesday begins with the Moon (sentiment) in Taurus, emphasizing the banking sector and the week will end with expansive Jupiter entering Venus-ruled Taurus (money; net worth) Saturday until June 11, 2012. Jupiter’s enthusiastic and optimistic energies are tempered Taurus. Valuations have to be grounded in reality and show genuine growth for the rush into risky assets to continue to move higher, as Taurus energy tends to be more risk averse. Although Jupiter in Taurus can be greedy (and watch gains disappear as this energy can hold onto investments past their prime), this energy is about slow and steady asset accumulation/appreciation rather than risk and momentum. Jupiter in Taurus will demand a feast of fat and juicy dividends and higher savings interest rates. (More on Jupiter in Taurus in a post later this week.)
The new month begins with the New Moon in Gemini which is a Partial Solar Eclipse. (More on the Gemini New Moon cycle in a separate post.) Gemini is ruled by Mercury which is at the end of Taurus, indicating that thoughts about money and valuations are paramount. Mercury squaring Neptune in at the New Moon indicates a foggy financial picture now. The Gemini New Moon and the shift of Mercury moving into Gemini Thursday could bring currency reversals. Eclipses are harbingers of major change, and the Solar Eclipse in Gemini emphasizes the need to be flexible and easily able to adapt to a changing financial landscape.
The Moon moves into Cancer Friday morning which can put the emphasis on the consumer sector. The Moon is at home in Cancer and so are Mercury in Gemini and Neptune in Pisces. But since Mercury is squaring Neptune, the market might be in denial regarding the message.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Choppy/mixed conditions as swings between moderately negative to positive. Improves going into the close.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Negative conditions become choppy intraday; closes positive.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Positive.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Reverses trend; negative.
(1)A mathematical calculation that progresses the planets forward in time as a method of prediction.
Greece: July 24, 1974 4:00 AM EET Athens
Europe’s Birthday (Schuman Declaration): May 9, 1950 4:00 PM CET Paris
USA: July 4, 1776 5:10 PM Philadelphia, PA
The Interconnectedness of Neptune in Pisces
Published by WallStreetWeather.netNOTE: Just as the world experiences a “preview” of Neptune in Pisces (April 4 – August 4, 2011) before Neptune fully settles into Pisces (2012-2026), this post serves as an introduction to understanding the influence of Neptune in Pisces.
On the first day that Neptune the planetary ruler of the sea entered its home sign Pisces, Japanese authorities revealed that fish swimming off the Pacific coastline about 50 miles from the Fukushima nuclear plant carried high levels of radioactive materials following the March 11 earthquake/tsunami.
As Neptune shifted into Pisces April 4, TEPCO began dumping 11,500 tons of radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the sea to “free up storage space for much more toxic water.”(1) Although samples of the fish tested contained more than the permissible levels of toxins considered safe for humans, authorities said it posed no threat to humans or the environment even though one of the toxins found in the fish (cesium) has a half-life of 30 years!
When something is “fishy” it means we’re suspicious of the facts even though fish can’t lie. Pisces is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions. Neptune has been in Pisces for nearly two months now and the situation at the Fukushima plant and the devastation to Japan from the earthquake/tsunami has virtually disappeared from the headlines.
Like the fish swimming in opposite directions, Neptune in Pisces requires faith in oneselfto know which direction to swim. Neptune in its home sign Pisces strengthens the energies associated with this planet. It can be difficult to understand an energy that like the sea absorbs and knows no boundaries. What was here one minute can disappear in a tidal wave in the next moment to appear as if it never existed in the first place.
As part of the water element, Neptune in Pisces reflects that water is life giving and life destroying. To fully comprehend Neptune in Pisces is to understand how everything and everyone is interconnected. Contaminates in the water affect what we eat, drink, and breathe. This adversely affects our health which increases medical costs and decreases productivity, further weakening the economy.(2) The plutocrats (wealthy and powerful individuals and corporate interests) are in a Neptunian state of denial and delusion. They believe the nation can prosper as environmental regulations are eroded, and crumbling/outdated infrastructure is ignored as they breathe the same air, travel, and use the same utilities as everyone else.
Although Neptune and Pisces rule socialism and communism, Neptune’s message of “oneness” can be understood by examining the energies surrounding the planet’s discovery.(3) Neptune was discovered when it was conjoining Saturn (structure/responsibility/achievement) the day the Sun (self-identity) entered Libra the sign of balance and equality. Governments (Saturn) should ensure that all people have a foundation of basic education, healthcare, and the ability to obtain basic food. Saturn conjoining Neptune in Aquarius at Neptune’s discovery indicates that beyond government fulfilling those basic needs, each individual’s success and material accumulations should be based upon their own abilities.
As Neptune is in Pisces for the second time since humanity became aware of its existence, Saturn is in Libra and Aquarius’ planetary ruler Uranus is once again in Aries.(4) Government and societal structures can be brought into balance if individuals are willing to act on their vision instead of surrendering to the belief that this is the way things will always be. Neptune in Pisces represents what we believe and what others would like us to believe. Beliefs can be true, a total illusion, or a murky mixture of fact and fiction.
The best way to work with the elusive energy of Neptune in Pisces is by feeling it. Clear your mind of outside influences and then observe how you feel about the situation before analyzing it. Neptune in Pisces rules the unconscious, so ideas and solutions can occur when you least expect it. Immersing yourself (or your feet which are ruled by Neptune/Pisces) in water, drinking water, dreams, meditation, music, films, art/photography, dance, poetry, and mythology are Neptune in Pisces vehicles that could be inspirational.
Neptune in Pisces is the time to understand the outsized role that myths and metaphor play in our culture. Neptune entered Pisces the day after the Aries New Moon, indicating it is the responsibility of each individual to take the initiative to discover their personal mythology and whether it helps or holds them back from achieving their full potential.
Many times we are completely unaware of how we are being influenced since Neptune in Pisces rules the unconscious and knows no boundaries. Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces transiting each other’s signs during 2003-2011 saw the rise of the internet as a vast social network of influence.
Oil, gas, and chemicals are ruled by Neptune and Pisces as it was during the previous cycle of Neptune in Pisces that oil production first got underway. The explosion of BP’s Macondo well as Uranus was winding down its transit in Pisces demonstrated that safety and environmental concerns were not emphasized to the same extent as expediting the completion of the well.
As part of the water element, Neptune in Pisces reflects that water is needed to make energy but becomes contaminated by it. The first commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in western Pennsylvania which today has become a hotbed of controversy from fracking. The increase in methane levels in drinking water wells from fracking can cause a washing machine to explode. And producing ethanol as a fuel alternative consumes a great deal of water.
Water is likely to be the issue with Neptune in Pisces. Beyond the availability and access to clean water are areas that become inundated with water that extends beyond its natural or engineered boundaries. In stark contrast will be vast areas of land that are parched or have become too contaminated.
Neptune and Pisces relate to speculative bubbles as euphoria overtakes fundamentals since the motto of Neptune in Pisces is “I believe.” The development of black gold and the rush to discover gold and then silver in the American West began just as Neptune entered Pisces during the prior cycle. Speculative fever has again taken hold as the believers float on top of a sea of liquidity provided by ultra accommodative monetary policy.
In addition to the things ruled by Neptune in Pisces already described, Neptune in Pisces is likely to bring about a “sea change” to these industries:
ships, from tankers to cruise ships
plastics, chemicals
hospitals, rehab centers, assisted living/nursing homes
drugs/pharmaceuticals/ biotech
mental health; treatment of addictions and addictive behaviors
prisons; jail sentences for drug possession
Looking at the previous cycle of Neptune in Pisces as well as the last time Neptune was in the water element (Scorpio 1957-1970 and briefly during 1955-56), reflects the common themes of personal and collective liberation for all people, particularly women and minorities.
No planetary energy acts alone. Uranus and Pluto in Aries conjoined in 1850-1851 reflecting the drive for individual freedom and power. Neptune’s early transit of Pisces corresponded to the revolutionary “spring of nations” that swept across Europe in 1848. One Neptune cycle and two Uranus cycles later there is the “Arab spring” as Uranus in Aries prepares to exactly square Pluto in Capricorn during 2012-15.
Juxtaposed between the two Neptune transits is the mid 1960s transit of Neptune in Pluto-ruled Scorpio as Uranus and Pluto conjoined in Pisces’ opposite sign Virgo. The influences of Saturn opposite Uranus (status quo vs. reform) and Saturn square Pluto (tipping Libra’s scales to the far right to favor corporations and the plutocrats to the detriment of everyone else), will start to wane this summer.
Medicare was passed in 1965; now Republicans would like to dismantle Medicare together with the Affordable Care Act that in 2014 provides all Americans with access to healthcare. Yet Republicans refuse to create legislation detailing how their alternative Medicare plan would be implemented.
On a religious, spiritual, and cultural basis, Neptune in Pisces represents a longing to escape from reality through being “rescued” or “saved” in some manner. Addictions and addictive behaviors are used as a form of escape. Instead of improving life in the here and now which in turn creates a better future, many people would rather play follow the leader and wait for some magical moment of “rapture” that fails to materialize as scheduled, either obsessing about the end of end of the world or a time of endless utopia.(5)(The media are just as fixated on this stuff as it diverts attention from critical issues.)
Popular entertainment trends born during Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces reach fruition as Neptune enters Pisces. Supernatural themes are woven throughout the latest films, books, and the upcoming fall TV season.
Neptune in Pisces energies are particularly pronounced now as Neptune from Earth’s vantage point appears to be stationary in the sky May 29 through June 8 as Neptune turns retrograde June 3 (until November 9). All the Neptune themes I’ve described are likely to be more evident during this time, especially as Mercury (communication) will square Neptune as Neptune turns retrograde June 3. This time is better suited for creative endeavors or reading about mythology or one of those Neptune-themed novels as it can be difficult to sort out fact from fantasy now.
Just before Neptune re-enters Aquarius on August 4, Mercury in Virgo will oppose Neptune and
Mars in Cancer will harmonize with Neptune. This is the time to be proactive about water security and purity. Mercury was retrograde when Neptune entered Pisces and Mercury is once again retrograde as Neptune temporarily leaves the sign.
Neptune in Pisces tends to absorb things (positive or negative) like a sponge. Mercury retrograde when Neptune entered and exited its “preview” in Pisces indicates that longstanding issues need to be cleaned up. Like a sponge, we must fully absorb the fact that there are no real boundaries or barriers as everyone and everything is interconnected.
(1)In the link above to my post on the “personalities” of the Fukushima reactors, I wrote that #2 reactor was born when half of the planets were in the water element including Jupiter (excess) in Pisces. Just after Neptune entered Pisces, workers at the plant stopped several tons of highly radioactive water leaking from a cracked concrete pit at #2 by pouring 1,560 gallons of “water glass.”
(2)At least Japan like every other industrialized country with the exception of the U.S., provides healthcare for its people.
(3)“The Communist Manifesto” was first published February 21, 1848 as the Sun conjoined Neptune in Pisces. Neptune was discovered September 23, 1846.
(4) Neptune spends around 14 years in a sign and is in Pisces about every 165 years. Neptune was previously in Pisces April 26 – July 13, 1847; February 18 – October 17, 1848; December 7, 1848 – April 14, 1861; October 2, 1861 – February 13, 1862. (The gaps between these dates represent the brief periods when Neptune retrograded back into Aquarius or Pisces.)
(5) My opinion on the end of the Mayan calendar and all things apocalyptic (which means the lifting of the Neptune in Pisces-ruled veil) is that the Mayans thought by this point in time humanity would be so evolved that the Mayans could abandon their calculations. :-)
WallStreetWeather.net Forecast For Week Of May 22, 2011
Summary Of Last Week’s Influences:
Since closing at their highest levels prior to the financial crisis at the end of April, the major indices have yet to close positive for the week in May. (Apparently many investors are following the old “sell in May and go away” mantra.)
Disappointing forward earnings guidance from the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Wal-Mart, the high cost of food and fuel impacting spending except at the high end, concerns about the debt ceiling, and the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis are weighing on the market on days when the news fails to beat expectations.
The Moon is our emotional barometer and represents the mood of the market. Emotions tend to be most intense during the time of the Full Moon as the light of the Moon shines like a spotlight on issues requiring our full attention. No Full Moon is as emotionally intense as the Full Moon in Scorpio as what has been kept secret and hidden gets propelled into the spotlight. The Full Moon in Pluto-ruled Scorpio reveals secrets and focuses on issues related to debt, lending, taxes, subsidies/entitlements, insurance, M&A, shared assets, power plays, and sex. There is a greater tendency for people, countries, and institutions to be prominently featured in the news who relate to the Full Moon in some way.
For countries in trouble the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the lender of last resort, imposing austerity measures in exchange for bailout as reflected by its Mars/Saturn conjunction. Pluto in Capricorn has been conjoining the natal Sun of the IMF chart. This reflects its leader being charged with attempted rape which has brought to the surface past instances of women who have said they were sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss Kahn (DSK).
Scorpio generates more money through lending the money provided by its opposite sign Taurus, the sign ruled by Venus the planetary ruler of money. DSK was born with the Sun conjunct Venus in Taurus, reflecting his now former position as the leader of the IMF, an organization also born with the Sun (in Capricorn) conjunct Venus (in the international sign of Sagittarius). The Full Moon squaring DSK’s natal Saturn in Leo reflects his arrest and sexual assault charges and how his behavior has adversely impacted his career.
The Full Moon squaring the IMF’s progressed Moon in Aquarius reflects how DSK’s sex attack on a hotel chambermaid has cast the IMF’s public image in an unflattering light. But it also describes the effort to elect French finance minister Christine Lagarde to lead the IMF. Lagarde’s Sun in Capricorn conjoins the IMF’s Sun and the Full Moon conjoined her natal Saturn in Scorpio and squared natal Pluto in Leo which can represent an increase in power and responsibility in her career (and Saturn in Scorpio can be a career dealing with debt and loans). Neptune in Pisces opposing her natal Jupiter in Virgo is a further indication that the boundaries of her duties could extend beyond the borders of France to international finance.
Born with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Scorpio, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn admitted on the Full Moon that “the regulators (i.e. the Fed) were not as
alert to the risks as they could have been and, to the extent they saw the risks, were not as forceful in bringing them to the attention of management, or taking actions, as they could have been. All this with 20/20 hindsight, obviously." His wimpy pseudo mea culpa only came about as Kohn testified before a Parliamentary committee prior to becoming a member of the Bank of England’s new Financial Policy Committee. (Apparently the UK government is no different than the US government in that it likes to keep putting people in positions of power who were part of the problem.)
The indices kept climbing Wednesday after investors choose to fixate on the statement in the FOMC Minutes that the Fed’s move toward monetary policy normalization did not mean it would begin soon. The Minutes indicated the first step toward normalization would be to stop reinvesting maturing mortgage securities.
In M&A activity, Nasdaq OMX Group and ICE withdrew their offer to buy NYSE Euronext (NYX) after the Justice Department said the deal wouldn’t pass antitrust regulations. Well what do you expect when as I predicted you make a new offer during Mercury retrograde when the Moon is in dreamy Pisces and not forming any relationships to other planets AND the offer is made on April Fool’s Day no less! How did they expect to be taken seriously?! As previously described, Deutsche Bourse made their merger offer with NYX on February 9 when Venus conjoined Pluto.
Tuesday’s Full Moon occurred on the 219th birthday of the founding of the New York Stock Exchange. Born with the Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Taurus the sign of the bull it is quite fitting that the first bull sculpture resides near the NYSE. (However, the bull should be copper rather than bronze since copper is ruled by Venus and it turns green the color of money.) Full Moons can represent a market top and the Full Moon opposing the NYSE natal Sun could be an indication the market might have already reached its peak for the year. The NYSE’s progressed Sun conjoining the Federal Reserve’s natal Sun in Capricorn reflects that monetary policy has been the biggest driver of the 26 month old rally. With QE2 ending next month, investors are concerned that the market will decline and have been slowly taking some money off the table.
Of course the biggest Full Moon issue in the U.S. was that the federal government had reached the debt limit. In “May 17, 2011 Scorpio Full Moon Over the Debt Ceiling” I described the issue
from a planetary perspective. I mentioned in that post that corporate America is getting worried about getting paid since every major U.S. company does some type of business with the federal government. Last week JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said it would be a “moral disaster” if Congress failed to act. Banks are concerned that failure to raise the debt ceiling could decrease the value of the Treasuries they hold which could then affect banks’ ability to meet minimum capital requirements which could force banks to have to raise additional capital.
If I were President, I would not agree to raise the debt ceiling because then the President is in charge of the money! :-) The first thing I would do is move all the seniors in Medicare Advantage back into traditional Medicare which would save about 15% in extra medical costs that go to enrich the health insurance companies. This is the moment to put the entire country on traditional Medicare so everyone in America has healthcare coverage and the government can control over medical costs.
Other than defending our home turf, there would be no money available for the wars and all our other foreign entanglements. All tax deductions, subsidies, and corporate welfare would end as my “free market solution.” Note to Republicans: Since the Consumer Financial Protection Agency is fully funded by the Federal Reserve, the agency can continue to operate even if the debt ceiling is never increased! :-)
And while I’m on my soapbox, I would like all the economists and anal-ysts who are now using this ridiculous term called “financial repression” to take their idea that you can keep interest rates at
record low levels so the government can repay debt with cheaper dollars and stuff it. That can only work if the government does not raise the debt ceiling AND there is wage inflation to bring in more tax revenue as you cannot inflate your way out of a deficit without the added tax revenue from increasing wages!
The last time Jupiter was in Aries it was all about eyeballs. One Jupiter cycle later, social networks are all the rage. Unlike many of the now defunct dot coms that debuted in the late 1990s, LinkedIn (LNKD) did earn money in 2010 but does not expect to be profitable this year. But with Jupiter in enthusiastic, fast-moving Aries does anyone really care? After making its public debut Thursday when the Moon in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius was harmonizing with Jupiter in Aries, LNKD finished its first day of trading up $49.01 to $94.25, up 109%. This values the company at $8.9 billion.
The social networking craze could be over by the time Facebook gets around to going public. But since Facebook’s shares are privately traded, the only people who will get hurt when the social network craze crashes are wealthy investors. Planets in Aries tend to soar and then crash and burn.
The influence of the Sun squaring Neptune (exact May 22) was evident not only in the speculative bubblicious euphoria of LNKD’s debut, but also in the illusions (Neptune) of leaders (Sun). The IMF was born with the Sun in Capricorn square Neptune in Libra which at this time in its history (Capricorn) is indicative of its former leader blurring the boundaries in having a relationship with a subordinate not long after DSK became its leader in September 2007. The IMF preferred to look the other way, deciding not to censure him since the IMF Board felt that DSK had already been embarrassed enough.
President Obama was born with the Sun in Leo squaring Neptune in Scorpio. Neptune is anything but clear which is why the President often peppers his speeches with “let me be clear.” Like all Presidents who dream of being the one to achieve peace in the Middle East, President Obama is no different in believing that he will be the one. When the going gets tough on the home front, Presidents then turn their attention to foreign matters.
How you can have peace talks when one group refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist is beyond me. So for President Obama to give a major Mid East speech Thursday calling for a Palestinian state based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Six Day War is premature at best.
Although being born with the Sun together with Mercury conjoining Neptune in Libra confers the ability to be charming and diplomatic, Netanyahu was born with Libra’s planetary ruler Venus in the very frank sign Sagittarius. Additionally, his Mercury squares Uranus in Cancer. He will put all diplomatic niceties aside if there’s anything that in his mind could potentially put the safety and security of Israel at risk.
With President Obama’s natal Uranus in Leo conjoining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s natal Mars in Leo, the President’s unexpected last minute stance surprised and angered the Israeli Prime Minister. Reflecting the influence of the Sun square Neptune, Netanyahu told the President the following day at an Oval Office photo op that:
With Saturn in Libra turning direct on Israel’s natal Neptune June 12 and the July 1 Solar Eclipse
in Cancer squaring Israel’s natal Neptune, the pressure by the U.S. and other governments to forge peace by trying to get Israel to sacrifice territory it gained in the past is not likely to disappear anytime soon.
Summary Of This Week’s Influences:
The Sun entered Mercury-ruled Gemini Saturday until June 21 and squares Neptune in Pisces today. President Obama addressing AIPAC today attempted to clarify what he meant by pre-1967
borders before departing for a trip to Ireland, England, France, and Poland this week. While PM Netanyahu will address AIPAC on Monday and address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, the President will meet with British PM David Cameron on Tuesday and address a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday before attending the G8 summit in Deauville Thursday and Friday where Mid East peace will be among the topics discussed.
The Sun in Gemini with Gemini’s ruler Mercury finishing its transit in Taurus indicates changes happening between now and the June 1 Solar Eclipse in Gemini and Mercury entering its home sign Gemini the following day. By that point, Mercury is moving very fast as it will only spend two weeks in Gemini, overloading us with information leading up to the June 15 Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius. Mercury moving into Gemini and squaring Neptune June 3 the same day Neptune turns retrograde can generate a lot of trading on rumors and hype along with foggy thinking. There could be more announcements of charges of insider trading. These energies also spark creative ideas.
Events that seem to take the market higher or lower than expected can be more likely to occur with the Moon in quirky Aquarius until early Tuesday morning. Volatility could increase. Venus conjoining Mars in Taurus Monday can bring people together but doesn’t tend to be good for the market.
The Moon enters Neptune-ruled Pisces Tuesday morning until Thursday evening which can put the focus on credit, euphoric bubbles, and activities taking place behind the scenes. The Sun favorably aspecting Uranus in Aries Wednesday provides an opportunity for new breakthroughs.
The Moon leaving dreamy Pisces for Mars-ruled Aries Thursday evening until early Sunday morning speeds up trading activity (as well as driving speed so be extra careful over the Memorial Day holiday weekend).
Monday, May 23, 2011
Negative.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Choppy/mixed conditions improve approaching the close.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Choppy/mixed to negative bias.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Negative.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Negative conditions could reverse to close mixed to positive.
IMF: December 27, 1945 Midnight EST Washington, DC
DSK: April 25, 1949 11:10 AM MET Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Christine Lagarde: January 1, 1956 time unknown Paris, France
Donald Kohn: November 7, 1942 time unknown Philadelphia, PA
Barack Obama: August 4, 1961 7:24 PM AHST Honolulu, HI
Benjamin Netanyahu: October 21, 1949 time unknown Tel Aviv, Israel (Note: Most sources cite this day as the PM’s birth date (October 19 has also been cited).
Since closing at their highest levels prior to the financial crisis at the end of April, the major indices have yet to close positive for the week in May. (Apparently many investors are following the old “sell in May and go away” mantra.)
Disappointing forward earnings guidance from the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Wal-Mart, the high cost of food and fuel impacting spending except at the high end, concerns about the debt ceiling, and the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis are weighing on the market on days when the news fails to beat expectations.
The Moon is our emotional barometer and represents the mood of the market. Emotions tend to be most intense during the time of the Full Moon as the light of the Moon shines like a spotlight on issues requiring our full attention. No Full Moon is as emotionally intense as the Full Moon in Scorpio as what has been kept secret and hidden gets propelled into the spotlight. The Full Moon in Pluto-ruled Scorpio reveals secrets and focuses on issues related to debt, lending, taxes, subsidies/entitlements, insurance, M&A, shared assets, power plays, and sex. There is a greater tendency for people, countries, and institutions to be prominently featured in the news who relate to the Full Moon in some way.
For countries in trouble the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the lender of last resort, imposing austerity measures in exchange for bailout as reflected by its Mars/Saturn conjunction. Pluto in Capricorn has been conjoining the natal Sun of the IMF chart. This reflects its leader being charged with attempted rape which has brought to the surface past instances of women who have said they were sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss Kahn (DSK).
Scorpio generates more money through lending the money provided by its opposite sign Taurus, the sign ruled by Venus the planetary ruler of money. DSK was born with the Sun conjunct Venus in Taurus, reflecting his now former position as the leader of the IMF, an organization also born with the Sun (in Capricorn) conjunct Venus (in the international sign of Sagittarius). The Full Moon squaring DSK’s natal Saturn in Leo reflects his arrest and sexual assault charges and how his behavior has adversely impacted his career.
The Full Moon squaring the IMF’s progressed Moon in Aquarius reflects how DSK’s sex attack on a hotel chambermaid has cast the IMF’s public image in an unflattering light. But it also describes the effort to elect French finance minister Christine Lagarde to lead the IMF. Lagarde’s Sun in Capricorn conjoins the IMF’s Sun and the Full Moon conjoined her natal Saturn in Scorpio and squared natal Pluto in Leo which can represent an increase in power and responsibility in her career (and Saturn in Scorpio can be a career dealing with debt and loans). Neptune in Pisces opposing her natal Jupiter in Virgo is a further indication that the boundaries of her duties could extend beyond the borders of France to international finance.
Born with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Scorpio, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn admitted on the Full Moon that “the regulators (i.e. the Fed) were not as
alert to the risks as they could have been and, to the extent they saw the risks, were not as forceful in bringing them to the attention of management, or taking actions, as they could have been. All this with 20/20 hindsight, obviously." His wimpy pseudo mea culpa only came about as Kohn testified before a Parliamentary committee prior to becoming a member of the Bank of England’s new Financial Policy Committee. (Apparently the UK government is no different than the US government in that it likes to keep putting people in positions of power who were part of the problem.)
The indices kept climbing Wednesday after investors choose to fixate on the statement in the FOMC Minutes that the Fed’s move toward monetary policy normalization did not mean it would begin soon. The Minutes indicated the first step toward normalization would be to stop reinvesting maturing mortgage securities.
In M&A activity, Nasdaq OMX Group and ICE withdrew their offer to buy NYSE Euronext (NYX) after the Justice Department said the deal wouldn’t pass antitrust regulations. Well what do you expect when as I predicted you make a new offer during Mercury retrograde when the Moon is in dreamy Pisces and not forming any relationships to other planets AND the offer is made on April Fool’s Day no less! How did they expect to be taken seriously?! As previously described, Deutsche Bourse made their merger offer with NYX on February 9 when Venus conjoined Pluto.
Tuesday’s Full Moon occurred on the 219th birthday of the founding of the New York Stock Exchange. Born with the Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Taurus the sign of the bull it is quite fitting that the first bull sculpture resides near the NYSE. (However, the bull should be copper rather than bronze since copper is ruled by Venus and it turns green the color of money.) Full Moons can represent a market top and the Full Moon opposing the NYSE natal Sun could be an indication the market might have already reached its peak for the year. The NYSE’s progressed Sun conjoining the Federal Reserve’s natal Sun in Capricorn reflects that monetary policy has been the biggest driver of the 26 month old rally. With QE2 ending next month, investors are concerned that the market will decline and have been slowly taking some money off the table.
Of course the biggest Full Moon issue in the U.S. was that the federal government had reached the debt limit. In “May 17, 2011 Scorpio Full Moon Over the Debt Ceiling” I described the issue
from a planetary perspective. I mentioned in that post that corporate America is getting worried about getting paid since every major U.S. company does some type of business with the federal government. Last week JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said it would be a “moral disaster” if Congress failed to act. Banks are concerned that failure to raise the debt ceiling could decrease the value of the Treasuries they hold which could then affect banks’ ability to meet minimum capital requirements which could force banks to have to raise additional capital.
If I were President, I would not agree to raise the debt ceiling because then the President is in charge of the money! :-) The first thing I would do is move all the seniors in Medicare Advantage back into traditional Medicare which would save about 15% in extra medical costs that go to enrich the health insurance companies. This is the moment to put the entire country on traditional Medicare so everyone in America has healthcare coverage and the government can control over medical costs.
Other than defending our home turf, there would be no money available for the wars and all our other foreign entanglements. All tax deductions, subsidies, and corporate welfare would end as my “free market solution.” Note to Republicans: Since the Consumer Financial Protection Agency is fully funded by the Federal Reserve, the agency can continue to operate even if the debt ceiling is never increased! :-)
And while I’m on my soapbox, I would like all the economists and anal-ysts who are now using this ridiculous term called “financial repression” to take their idea that you can keep interest rates at
record low levels so the government can repay debt with cheaper dollars and stuff it. That can only work if the government does not raise the debt ceiling AND there is wage inflation to bring in more tax revenue as you cannot inflate your way out of a deficit without the added tax revenue from increasing wages!
The last time Jupiter was in Aries it was all about eyeballs. One Jupiter cycle later, social networks are all the rage. Unlike many of the now defunct dot coms that debuted in the late 1990s, LinkedIn (LNKD) did earn money in 2010 but does not expect to be profitable this year. But with Jupiter in enthusiastic, fast-moving Aries does anyone really care? After making its public debut Thursday when the Moon in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius was harmonizing with Jupiter in Aries, LNKD finished its first day of trading up $49.01 to $94.25, up 109%. This values the company at $8.9 billion.
The social networking craze could be over by the time Facebook gets around to going public. But since Facebook’s shares are privately traded, the only people who will get hurt when the social network craze crashes are wealthy investors. Planets in Aries tend to soar and then crash and burn.
The influence of the Sun squaring Neptune (exact May 22) was evident not only in the speculative bubblicious euphoria of LNKD’s debut, but also in the illusions (Neptune) of leaders (Sun). The IMF was born with the Sun in Capricorn square Neptune in Libra which at this time in its history (Capricorn) is indicative of its former leader blurring the boundaries in having a relationship with a subordinate not long after DSK became its leader in September 2007. The IMF preferred to look the other way, deciding not to censure him since the IMF Board felt that DSK had already been embarrassed enough.
President Obama was born with the Sun in Leo squaring Neptune in Scorpio. Neptune is anything but clear which is why the President often peppers his speeches with “let me be clear.” Like all Presidents who dream of being the one to achieve peace in the Middle East, President Obama is no different in believing that he will be the one. When the going gets tough on the home front, Presidents then turn their attention to foreign matters.
How you can have peace talks when one group refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist is beyond me. So for President Obama to give a major Mid East speech Thursday calling for a Palestinian state based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Six Day War is premature at best.
Although being born with the Sun together with Mercury conjoining Neptune in Libra confers the ability to be charming and diplomatic, Netanyahu was born with Libra’s planetary ruler Venus in the very frank sign Sagittarius. Additionally, his Mercury squares Uranus in Cancer. He will put all diplomatic niceties aside if there’s anything that in his mind could potentially put the safety and security of Israel at risk.
With President Obama’s natal Uranus in Leo conjoining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s natal Mars in Leo, the President’s unexpected last minute stance surprised and angered the Israeli Prime Minister. Reflecting the influence of the Sun square Neptune, Netanyahu told the President the following day at an Oval Office photo op that:
“Israel wants peace. I want peace. What we all want is a peace that will be genuine, that will hold, that will endure. And I think that the -- we both agree that a peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality, and that the only peace that will endure is one that is based on reality, on unshakeable facts.”
in Cancer squaring Israel’s natal Neptune, the pressure by the U.S. and other governments to forge peace by trying to get Israel to sacrifice territory it gained in the past is not likely to disappear anytime soon.
Summary Of This Week’s Influences:
The Sun entered Mercury-ruled Gemini Saturday until June 21 and squares Neptune in Pisces today. President Obama addressing AIPAC today attempted to clarify what he meant by pre-1967
borders before departing for a trip to Ireland, England, France, and Poland this week. While PM Netanyahu will address AIPAC on Monday and address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, the President will meet with British PM David Cameron on Tuesday and address a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday before attending the G8 summit in Deauville Thursday and Friday where Mid East peace will be among the topics discussed.
The Sun in Gemini with Gemini’s ruler Mercury finishing its transit in Taurus indicates changes happening between now and the June 1 Solar Eclipse in Gemini and Mercury entering its home sign Gemini the following day. By that point, Mercury is moving very fast as it will only spend two weeks in Gemini, overloading us with information leading up to the June 15 Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius. Mercury moving into Gemini and squaring Neptune June 3 the same day Neptune turns retrograde can generate a lot of trading on rumors and hype along with foggy thinking. There could be more announcements of charges of insider trading. These energies also spark creative ideas.
Events that seem to take the market higher or lower than expected can be more likely to occur with the Moon in quirky Aquarius until early Tuesday morning. Volatility could increase. Venus conjoining Mars in Taurus Monday can bring people together but doesn’t tend to be good for the market.
The Moon enters Neptune-ruled Pisces Tuesday morning until Thursday evening which can put the focus on credit, euphoric bubbles, and activities taking place behind the scenes. The Sun favorably aspecting Uranus in Aries Wednesday provides an opportunity for new breakthroughs.
The Moon leaving dreamy Pisces for Mars-ruled Aries Thursday evening until early Sunday morning speeds up trading activity (as well as driving speed so be extra careful over the Memorial Day holiday weekend).
Monday, May 23, 2011
Negative.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Choppy/mixed conditions improve approaching the close.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Choppy/mixed to negative bias.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Negative.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Negative conditions could reverse to close mixed to positive.
IMF: December 27, 1945 Midnight EST Washington, DC
DSK: April 25, 1949 11:10 AM MET Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Christine Lagarde: January 1, 1956 time unknown Paris, France
Donald Kohn: November 7, 1942 time unknown Philadelphia, PA
Barack Obama: August 4, 1961 7:24 PM AHST Honolulu, HI
Benjamin Netanyahu: October 21, 1949 time unknown Tel Aviv, Israel (Note: Most sources cite this day as the PM’s birth date (October 19 has also been cited).
WallStreetWeather.net Forecast For Week Of May 15, 2011
Mercury (communication/commerce/movement) and Venus (money/net worth/banking/love) moved into Taurus Sunday evening. Mercury will be in Taurus until June 2 and Venus is strengthened in its home sign Taurus until June 9. Together with the Sun and Mars it brings the total number of planets in Taurus to four until the Sun (speculation; self-identity) enters Mercury-ruled Gemini Saturday.
Mercury and Venus will conjoin early Monday morning while favorably aspecting Neptune in Pisces. Together these influences can generate news that could give the market hope of gaining momentum regardless of macro conditions. Any aspect to Neptune raises the potential for hype and rumors to take precedence over facts. News today could benefit the pharmaceutical and/or film industry.
The Moon (sentiment) is in Scorpio Monday followed by the Full Moon occurring at 7:09 AM EDT Tuesday. The Full Moon in Scorpio reflects that the federal debt limit has been reached which could create a financial crisis all its own if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling before it’s too late. (See my previous post for more about this.)
The Sun harmonized with Pluto on April 27 and now it’s time for Mars (action), Venus and Mercury in Taurus to do so at the end of the week at the same time that Mercury conjoins Mars. Investors could move to leveraged ETFs today to attempt to accelerate their returns. Another reason for potentially increasing risk now is that investors might think that increased worries about sovereign debt will continue to keep the Fed ultra accommodative.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Positive bias.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Negative bias but potential for wild swings intraday could improve to close mixed.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Choppy/mixed to positive.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Positive trend early reverses to become mixed to negative in afternoon.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Positive.
May 17, 2011 Scorpio Full Moon Over The Debt Ceiling
Published by WallStreetWeather.netSeveral Republicans in Congress are unwilling to agree to raise the debt ceiling now since they don’t believe Armageddon will occur if the debt limit is not raised by August 2. Because Treasury Secretary Geithner has found ways to further delay the day of reckoning, Republicans are much more confident they can continue playing with fire for awhile longer before the nation really starts to feel the heat.
Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke warned that “using the debt limit as a bargaining chip is quite risky.” The Fed Chairman pointed out that the market could lose confidence if it believes Washington won’t reach agreement in time and that “the worst outcome would be one in which the financial system was again destabilized as we saw following Lehman."
Wall Street and most of corporate America proclaimed that economic “uncertainty” had been removed after Republicans took the House and gained seats in the Senate in the midterm elections. Now there are indications Republicans are creating unneeded uncertainty. Economic growth and global investor confidence in America could be jeopardized if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling in time. House Speaker Boehner’s recent speech to the Economic Club of New York received a cool reception when he remarked that increasing the debt limit needs to be accompanied by “significant spending cuts and reforms to reduce our debt.” Meanwhile the Business Roundtable and the National Association of Manufacturers are part of a coalition of 62 business groups who sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to act now. Businesses fear that government contractors will receive a lower priority for payment than interest on the debt, Social Security and Medicare payments.
With the Treasury around $24 billion away from hitting the $14.294 trillion limit, Republicans are wasting energy challenging Geithner’s projected debt ceiling due date while overlooking the fact that the Treasury has already taken steps to create the extra time so Congress could reach agreement before the Treasury is forced to make more difficult choices. They know the debt ceiling must be raised so the government can make good on obligations already appropriated by Congress.
The Treasury has already suspended issuance of “SLGS” which will increase borrowing costs for state and local governments, and on May16 will begin suspending funding to federal pension plans. Although Republicans want the Treasury to start selling off financial assets beyond the already planned AIG offering, holding a fire sale would only end up increasing the deficit. The Republicans motive might be to force a loss on the automotive and other financial bailouts.
Yet regardless of the Republican’s rhetoric, the debt ceiling will have to be raised since no one in Congress has a plan to balance the budget. But before they agree to do so, Republicans are hoping to extract concessions related to their ideology of government not interfering with the freedom of large corporations and the plutocrats (wealthy individuals). While polls show the public wants Washington to get its fiscal house in order, the enthusiasm for deficit reduction with the goal to balance the budget sharply declines when people are asked if drastic changes and cuts should be made to Medicare and Social Security. While the public may think it’s a good thing to not increase the debt ceiling now, let’s see how if they feel the same way if no agreement is reached by August 2 which could then force the government to delay entitlement benefits.
Debt, entitlements/subsidies, taxes, and insurance all come under the domain of Scorpio and its planetary ruler Pluto. The Treasury expects the debt limit to be reached on May 16 when the Moon (domestic security) is in Scorpio, the day before the Scorpio Full Moon.
Full Moons represent a culmination point as what was begun two weeks earlier at the New Moon reaches intensity as the bright light of the Moon acts as a spotlight to draw everyone’s attention. And no Full Moon is as emotionally intense as the Scorpio Full Moon since nothing pushes people’s buttons more than the Scorpio/Pluto issues I’ve already mentioned. Other subjects that comprise Scorpio/Pluto’s domain include wealth extremes from billions to bankruptcy, M&A, power tripping, death, and sex.
Pluto and Scorpio like to operate in secret, which is why understanding the true dynamics behind all of these issues can be difficult to penetrate. Emotions (Moon) on all these issues run deep. Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2024) demands delving deep down to the very roots of these issues. The nation’s fiscal situation needs to be solved in a equitable, sustainable way. Benefits need to be bestowed on the entire nation rather than just the plutocrats, the largest corporations, and other special interest groups that comprise the status quo.
The Full Moon in Scorpio opposes the Sun in Taurus. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planetary energy that rules money, net worth, banking and values.(1) At the time of the Taurus New Moon, Treasury Secretary Geithner announced that an unexpected increase in revenue would enable the Treasury to delay reaching the debt ceiling until August 2 (more on the meaning of that date in a minute!). Jupiter exactly conjoining the Treasury’s progressed Sun in Aries accounts for this.
The chart for the Taurus New Moon calculated for Washington DC together with Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars in the sector of the chart naturally ruled by Taurus/Venus reflects an increase in revenues from tax receipts. (Since Venus rules the opposing sector/the natural domain of Scorpio in the chart.) However, Mercury and Venus opposing Saturn in Venus-ruled Libra and squaring Pluto in the sector representing Congress, together with Mercury and Venus conjoining Mars and Jupiter (all in Aries) reflects that the government is burning through incoming revenue at a rapid rate. Saturn represents delays and limits. Its location in the sector of the chart ruling debt indicates that the federal government will have technically hit the current debt limit during the Taurus New Moon cycle (May 3- June 1), but can be temporarily delayed.
Squares motivate the need to act to resolve the challenges the planetary energies involved represent. The Treasury has decided to interpret the Mercury/Venus opposing Saturn square Pluto by delaying the day the debt limit is reached so Congress has more (Saturn-ruled) time. Frankly it would probably be better if Congress felt the pressure (Saturn) of a debt deadline (Pluto) that came now while the planetary energies are easier.
In my post on “S&P Downgrades US Outlook to Negative For Not Learning Saturn’s Lessons,”
I wrote that Vice President Biden was leading negotiations with Congressional leaders beginning May 5. On this day the planetary energies offered an opportunity that would be favorable to begin work to reach agreement. The Full Moon exactly conjoins the Vice President’s natal Sun in Scorpio. Although Biden is most famous for speaking quite candidly, the Full Moon exactly conjoins his Scorpio Sun which conjoins Mercury and Venus. Combined with his natal Moon at the beginning of Taurus squaring Pluto in Leo, the Vice President could be a good financial facilitator. Biden’s natal Sun/Venus opposite Uranus in Gemini has the ability to bring wildly differing ideologies into agreement. This goes largely unnoticed since the Vice President’s chart reflects that most of his work takes place behind the scenes.
President Obama is also deeply engaged since the Sun and Mars in the Full Moon chart reflect behind the scenes activities. Additionally, the “Gang of Six” senators have been working since early March to come up with a deficit reduction deal.(3) The Full Moon squaring Neptune the planetary energy that naturally rules the sector of behind the scenes activities indicates in this chart that both political parties are not quite ready to reach agreement as they (and especially the media) would prefer to keep spinning their ideologies. Now at the Full Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars have moved from Aries to Taurus. The downside of the luminaries and planets in the fixed signs of Taurus and Scorpio is the high level of stubbornness as neither side wants to give an inch that could benefit the opposing party.
The planetary alignments of Saturn opposite Uranus (Election Day 2008 – July 2010) and Saturn square Pluto (November 2009 – August 2010) are being reactivated now through early July. Instituting changes to reduce the deficit to enrich the plutocrats and corporate special interests is at its peak now just as Uranus in Aries starts to square Pluto (exact June 2012 – March 2015).
The seeds of public discord could begin to sprout when they realize that the tradeoff of less government for increasing the debt ceiling will not benefit the majority. The plutocrats and special corporate interests will benefit at their expense. The only way to reduce the deficit and work towards balancing the budget is to enact reforms that are in the best interests of the nation as a whole. Real transformation will require a radical overhaul of Pluto/Scorpio-ruled issues.
Republicans want to lower corporate tax rates, but the problem is that they want to lower the rates without eliminating any deductions, subsidies or loopholes as they view even a reduction in tax breaks as a tax increase. After President Reagan achieved some semblance of tax simplification (under a Democratic Congress no less), every Administration and Congress since then has gone back to further polluting the tax code. And while many Democrats are in favor of reducing several of these breaks, you’d be hard pressed to find a Democrat in favor of eliminating every single one of them.
Meanwhile neither party is talking about lowering individual tax rates in exchange for eliminating ALL deductions, including that sacred cow the home interest mortgage deduction which has been shown to only benefit upper income level individuals. And for all the Republican whining about what the GSEs are costing the government, shouldn’t Republicans be pushing to at least drastically reduce the absurdly large loan limits the government guarantees?
The majority of the federal deficit can be attributed to the enormous cost of fighting two wars and all the associated costs connected with the sharp increase in defense spending after 9/11. A Bloomberg analysis (“Bin Laden’s Death Won’t End Toll on Taxpayers”), calculated that “this year alone taxpayers are spending more than $45 billion in interest on the money borrowed to battle al-Qaeda.” “One of every four dollars in red ink the U.S. expects to incur in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 will result from $285 billion in annual spending triggered by the terrorist scion of a wealthy Saudi family.” Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody’s Analytics Inc. estimates that Osama bin Laden has cost the federal government and American businesses $2.5 trillion/$250 billion a year, and doesn’t expect the death of Osama bin Laden to stop these costs from continuing “ad infinitum into the future” due to all the legacy costs. Somehow all the costs and bureaucratic paperwork stemming from the Patriot Act and other post-9/11 regulations is not considered by the Republicans to be “burdensome” or “job killing.”
A growing level of distrust has started over House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan for Medicare for the reasons I outlined in “Ryancare: Obamacare For Seniors” and “Congressman Cantor: Privatize Palin’s Death Panels!” True Medicare reform can only begin by having a real “adult conversation” about reducing the cost of end of life care. Equally important to Medicare reform is determining which medical treatments provide the best outcome for the lowest cost which is a provision included in the Affordable Care Act. (Yet another cost saving measure Republicans are vehemently against.) Maintaining our uniquely American free market health insurance system that excludes millions more Americans each year costs the nation more money than if everyone was covered under a Medicare For All system.
August 2 is the projected date the Treasury expects to reach the debt ceiling. The Moon will be in Mercury-ruled Virgo then as Mercury the planetary energy of communication, commerce and movement, turns retrograde at the beginning of Virgo. As I explained in this post (see under “this week’s influences”) and this post written before agreement was reached on the current fiscal year budget, Congress tends to procrastinate until Mercury turns retrograde since the U.S. and the federal government were born when Mercury was retrograde.
Mercury will be a dominant planetary player between June and August as the June 1 Solar Eclipse will be in Mercury-ruled Gemini which in the chart set for Washington DC will be in the sector ruling debt (the natural domain of Pluto/Scorpio). Mercury co-rules this sector as well as the sector representing Congress. Mercury in Taurus squaring Neptune means that any legislative proposals (Mercury and Gemini tend to represent more than one) being debated by Congress could be masquerading as something they’re not. Exacerbating this influence is that Neptune’s energies will be extra strong now as it appears to turn retrograde from Earth’s vantage point on June 3, the same day the Mercury/Neptune square becomes exact. Neptune ruling the sector of the stock market in this chart suggests the market will be far from immune to this (as well as other types of rumors). Due to Mercury turning retrograde August 2, Mercury will oppose Neptune three times between late July and early September which can make reaching an agreement on the debt ceiling more elusive as each side’s ideologies tend to get in the way.
Mercury at the June 1 eclipse squares Mars in Aquarius as the Gemini Solar Eclipse squares Saturn in Pisces in the chart of the federal government and the June 15 Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius squares Mercury in Pisces and also squares the USA’s natal Neptune in Virgo. This is a further indication that Congress will be taking action to propose legislation to prevent a government shutdown. If an agreement to raise the debt limit has not been reached, Congressional leaders and the Treasury could seek to assure foreign creditors that under no circumstances will the U.S. default by not paying interest as scheduled on the debt.
Mars in Gemini (June 20 – August 3) will reactivate the energies I have described as it squares Neptune June 22, conjoins the June 1 Solar Eclipse July 6, and opposes the June 15 Lunar Eclipse on July 25. The USA was born with Mars in Gemini, and Mars will return to its natal position in the USA chart on July 21, reinforcing the USA’s Mars/Neptune square. Anytime the USA’s natal Mars/Neptune square is activated has a tendency to correspond to some type of financial and/or military crisis. (See the links to Lehman Brothers and bin Laden earlier in this post.) Mercury rules the signs the USA’s Mars/Neptune square is in and the USA natal Mercury in Cancer is in the sector of the USA chart that is the natural domain of Pluto/Scorpio which opposes Pluto in Capricorn located in the sector of the USA chart that is in the natural domain of Taurus and Venus. These planetary energies indicate that the USA’s idealization (Neptune) of war (Mars) is a major contributor to the national debt.
While it is unlikely the government will default on its debt, Uranus squaring Pluto indicates that when it comes to dealing with the debt, we shouldn’t be surprised about anything that happens since these planets at the same time are forming challenging alignments to the USA’s natal Venus and Jupiter in Cancer.
As explained in the previous posts cited, the USA is currently experiencing its eighth Saturn return as a nation (December 2010-August 2011). The final pass is when Saturn in Libra returns to its natal position in the USA chart on August 28. This is the day of the Virgo New Moon. As the Moon begins a new monthly cycle it is also the time that the U.S. government embarks on a new 29.5 year cycle where sustainable economic growth can only come by rebalancing our fiscal priorities for the general welfare, as opposed to large corporations and plutocrats.
(1)Like everything else in the universe, money is a form of energy. And like every other type of energy that exists, it’s our choice how we express that energy. Venus, Taurus (and Libra) also rule the most powerful energy in the universe: LOVE.
(2) Mercury is the planetary energy of communication. Biden’s Mercury harmonizing with Jupiter in Cancer indicates his free flow of emotional expression, especially as Jupiter is the planetary ruler of his chart since he has a Sagittarius Ascendant. (The Ascendant represents the zodiac sign rising over the eastern horizon at birth. The Ascendant describes the outer personality and the initial impression people have of the individual, and also describes physical appearance.)
(3) “Gang of Six” Senators: Democrats: Mark Warner (lead), Kent Conrad, Dick Durbin; Republicans: Saxby Chambliss (lead), Tom Coburn, Mike Crapo.
Taurus New Moon: May 3, 2011 2:51 AM EDT Washington, DC
Scorpio Full Moon: May 17, 2011 7:09 AM EDT Washington, DC
U.S. Treasury: September 2, 1789 time unknown NYC
USA: July 4, 1776 5:10 PM LMT Philadelphia, PA
Federal Government: March 4, 1789 12:01 AM NYC
WallStreetWeather.net Forecast For Week Of May 8, 2011
This Forecast will be brief after writing an analysis paralysis on the mythology of Osama bin Laden. A couple of topics relating to the Weekly Forecast will be covered in separate posts during the week.
The Moon (sentiment) in Leo combined with Mercury conjoining Venus in Aries Monday can bring news that increases the desire for riskier investments with the hope of turning a quick profit. (Note that Mercury conjoins Venus again on May 16 when they will be in Venus-ruled Taurus.)
The First Quarter Moon in Leo Tuesday at 4:33 PM EDT indicates that U.S./China talks on economic and security early this week could yield more positive results than expected. In any event, U.S. exports are rapidly expanding. There are opportunities for improving diplomatic relations. The public has a somewhat more cautious outlook and continues to be concerned about home values. The Taurus Sun in the sector ruling debt squaring the Moon in the sector ruling Congress indicates the majority of the public want the President and Congress to make the effort now and reach agreement on raising the debt ceiling.
The Moon entering Virgo Wednesday at 9:59 AM until late Thursday indicates it’s time to examine the details more carefully to ensure everything is fully accounted for. Mars enters Taurus early Wednesday until June 20. This is the perfect time to take action on money matters, especially as the Sun, Mercury and Venus will also be in Taurus May 15-21. The pace and enthusiasm for the most speculative investments could begin slowing down as Mars (May 11), Mercury and Venus (May 15), and Jupiter (June 4) shift from Aries to Taurus. Unlike Aries energy that thrives on concepts, Taurus prefers actual profits that are sustainable.
Venus conjoins Jupiter in Aries Wednesday which tends to be a bullish influence. However, Mercury conjoining Jupiter in Aries for the third time (their previous alignments were March 15 and April 11) could temper the enthusiasm which might reflect a large amount of profit taking.
The Producer Price Index is released Thursday followed by the Consumer Price Index on Friday. Both of these reports could show inflation was higher than expected in April. Venus enters Libra just before midday on Venus-ruled Friday for the next two days, turning the focus to financial alliances and relationships.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Positive and strongest in the morning.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Positive.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Positive, but could weaken with even a late day reversal possible.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Improves as the day progresses.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Negative.
The Moon (sentiment) in Leo combined with Mercury conjoining Venus in Aries Monday can bring news that increases the desire for riskier investments with the hope of turning a quick profit. (Note that Mercury conjoins Venus again on May 16 when they will be in Venus-ruled Taurus.)
The First Quarter Moon in Leo Tuesday at 4:33 PM EDT indicates that U.S./China talks on economic and security early this week could yield more positive results than expected. In any event, U.S. exports are rapidly expanding. There are opportunities for improving diplomatic relations. The public has a somewhat more cautious outlook and continues to be concerned about home values. The Taurus Sun in the sector ruling debt squaring the Moon in the sector ruling Congress indicates the majority of the public want the President and Congress to make the effort now and reach agreement on raising the debt ceiling.
The Moon entering Virgo Wednesday at 9:59 AM until late Thursday indicates it’s time to examine the details more carefully to ensure everything is fully accounted for. Mars enters Taurus early Wednesday until June 20. This is the perfect time to take action on money matters, especially as the Sun, Mercury and Venus will also be in Taurus May 15-21. The pace and enthusiasm for the most speculative investments could begin slowing down as Mars (May 11), Mercury and Venus (May 15), and Jupiter (June 4) shift from Aries to Taurus. Unlike Aries energy that thrives on concepts, Taurus prefers actual profits that are sustainable.
Venus conjoins Jupiter in Aries Wednesday which tends to be a bullish influence. However, Mercury conjoining Jupiter in Aries for the third time (their previous alignments were March 15 and April 11) could temper the enthusiasm which might reflect a large amount of profit taking.
The Producer Price Index is released Thursday followed by the Consumer Price Index on Friday. Both of these reports could show inflation was higher than expected in April. Venus enters Libra just before midday on Venus-ruled Friday for the next two days, turning the focus to financial alliances and relationships.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Positive and strongest in the morning.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Positive.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Positive, but could weaken with even a late day reversal possible.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Improves as the day progresses.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Negative.
“Operation Neptune Spear” Ends the Mythology of Osama bin Laden
Published by WallStreetWeather.netPisces and its planetary ruler Neptune represent energies that are elusive and difficult to define. These energies are strong when individuals and events appear confusing and unclear in some manner. Since Pisces/Neptune energy dissolves boundaries, it is not always easy to determine what is real and what is illusionary.
This is why Neptune and Pisces rule the world of myth and metaphor. And no one in recent times has generated so much mythology than Osama bin Laden. This post will explore the planetary influences of Osama bin Laden from the perspective of the U.S. government and when our military operations resulting from the events of 911 could conclude.
Even though bin Laden is dead (which al Qaeda has confirmed), there are still people who don’t believe it. Then there are the people who believe bin Laden was dead long before he was killed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011. Even the date of bin Laden’s birth is considered to be suspect.
Yet even if Osama bin Laden was not actually born on March 10, 1957, this is the birth date the U.S. has projected into the collective consciousness (which is also Pisces/Neptune). And since so many things were unclear about the life of Osama bin Laden, it should not be surprising that on that date the Sun (self-identity), Mercury (communication) and Venus (money/values/wives) was in Pisces. Uranus in Leo was in a challenging relationship to Neptune in Scorpio then while the Sun in Pisces was in a challenging (sesquiquadrate) relationship to Uranus and Neptune. These energies motivated bin Laden to become the eccentric and radical rebel who led a movement to commit jihad against America for its endless meddling in Middle East affairs due to America’s insatiable addiction for its oil.
Yet back in the 1980s when the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden was part of the mujahedeen who the U.S. government supplied with money, weapons, and training to help these rebels defeat the Soviets.(1) Bin Laden’s natal Jupiter in Virgo in a harmonious relationship to the USA’s natal Pluto in Capricorn reflects the U.S. government secretly provided aid for his quest for freedom in his then-adopted homeland. (Bin Laden was originally from Saudi Arabia.)
Osama bin Laden’s death occurred shortly after Neptune entered its home sign Pisces which makes Neptune’s influence more powerful.(2) Neptune in Pisces for the next 14 years can represent a time when we awaken and remove the veil of illusion or sabotage ourselves even further by remaining under the influence of government and corporate propaganda that is not in the interests of the nation’s general welfare.
Neptune in Pisces is now conjoining the Midheaven (reputation sector) of the chart for when the U.S. began the war in Afghanistan, indicating that bin Laden’s death offers the potential to lift the fog so we can see clearly. Like Iraq, the U.S. mission in Afghanistan has strayed too far from its original objective which was to retaliate against bin Laden and al Qaeda for the atrocities they committed on September 11, 2001.
Mars and Neptune in a challenging relationship in the USA chart indicates that America expends a lot of energy spinning mythologies that revolve around Neptune-ruled issues as I explained in a 2009 post on “Guerrilla Warfare Is The Key To Win Afghanistan”:
“Mars is the planetary energy of war, the military, and weaponry. As the Commander-in-Chief of the US military, the President approves what the nation’s military involvements and strategies should be. The USA was born with Mars in Gemini in the sector of the chart representing our relationships with other nations. Mars here represents taking an active and aggressive stance toward relationships, reflecting the numerous US military bases throughout the world, and our current wars on twin fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq.The U.S. providing support to the mujahedeen to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan involved all three of these issues. The U.S. desperately wanted to defeat communism and win the Cold War and prevent the Soviets from gaining control of Afghanistan as a route to access Middle East oil. Despite waging a war on drugs, the U.S. helped to export Afghanistan’s opium for the twin purposes of raising money for the Afghan warlords to fight the Soviets and to weaken the Soviet Union by trying to turn its population into drug addicts.
Mars forms a challenging alignment to Neptune in Virgo in the sector of the USA chart that represents foreign lands and foreign people as well as philosophical and religious beliefs. Neptune’s energy can be elusive and foggy, creating confusing and unclear military objectives. Mars square Neptune prefers to rely on faith that military action will be successful versus the reality of facts, fundamentals, and finances. Neptune rules drugs, oil, and communism. It also represents idealistic beliefs and the “excuse” needed to “justify” and “sell” war to the public. We’ve had wars on communism, wars to access/protect oil, and the war on drugs.”
Iraq invaded Kuwait a year after the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989. Now Osama bin Laden’s anger was directed at the U.S. for invading Iraq in the first Gulf War. Mars challenging Neptune in the sector of the USA chart representing imports reflects U.S. aggressiveness to ensure the oil keeps flowing from other countries into the U.S. to fuel our addiction. This attitude was succinctly summed up by “peacemaker” President Jimmy Carter who said at the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that:
"An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force."With his natal Mars in Taurus squaring Pluto in Leo, bin Laden was the type to carry a grudge for a long time. This planetary energy describes not only his own violent acts and those committed on his behalf as the leader (Leo) of al Qaeda, but also increases the potential that he would be killed by an assassin (Pluto) using a firearm (Mars).
At the time of the 911 attacks, Osama bin Laden’s progressed Mars in Gemini (the sign of the twins) squared his progressed Jupiter in Virgo, reflecting his ambition to mount a large scale attack abroad. (3)The attack would be a big blow for the U.S. since bin Laden’s progressed Mars conjoined the USA Mars and his progressed Jupiter conjoined the USA Neptune at the time. The Sun in Virgo opposed bin Laden’s natal Sun in Pisces on the day of the attack and the Moon was in Gemini (the same sign as bin Laden’s natal Moon).
Pluto in Sagittarius exactly conjoined the USA’s natal Ascendant on 9/11, reflecting the death and destruction caused by al Qaeda deeply impacted the entire nation in a multitude of ways.(4) Mercury in Libra conjoined the Ascendant in the chart for the time the first plane struck the North tower of the World Trade Center which conjoined the USA’s natal Saturn.
Although the atrocities orchestrated by bin Laden and al Qaeda can never be justified under any circumstances, Mercury and the Ascendant of the 911 chart conjoining the USA natal Saturn in Libra indicated that a message (Mercury) was being delivered to the nation (Ascendant) and the U.S. government (Saturn in Libra).
While Bin Laden and other terrorist groups chose to violently express the concerns shared by many in the Arab world who do not see the USA living up to its reputation of democracy and equal justice, the vast majority of Muslims abhor what occurred on 911. Bin Laden might have viewed his cowardly act on September 11 and all the other terrorist events he masterminded over the years as a way of balancing the scales of karmic justice, yet failed to grasp that “as you sow so shall you reap” is a two-way street.
If al Qaeda’s objective was to keep the U.S. out of Muslim lands, their actions had quite the opposite effect. On October 7, 2001, “Operation Enduring Freedom” marked the start of the war in Afghanistan as the Sun in Libra conjoined the Mercury and Ascendant of the 911 chart. The Sun conjoined the USA Saturn, reflecting that President George W. Bush (leader/Sun) sought retribution and was in no mood to negotiate with the Taliban who offered to surrender bin Laden to a third country for trial if the U.S. provided evidence linking bin Laden and al Qaeda to the 911 attacks.(5)
Saturn in Gemini conjoining the Ascendant of this chart indicates the only thing “enduring” is the length of time the U.S. has been fighting a war that cannot be won conventionally. The USA’s Mars/Neptune is activated, with Mars conjoining the Gemini Ascendant and the USA Neptune squaring the Ascendant. Mercury is the ruler of the chart and is retrograde in Venus-ruled Libra which exactly squares the USA natal Pluto in Capricorn, describing the massive amount of money wasted and rampant corruption resulting from the war. Mercury being retrograde indicates that things will not go as planned. The combination of Saturn conjoining the Ascendant and Mercury retrograde reflects that history was repeating itself as the U.S. had not learned the lessons of the Vietnam War, nor did they learn from the Soviet’s failure in Afghanistan either.
Mercury rules the sector of this chart representing the end of the war. The USA’s progressed Ascendant moves into Mercury-ruled Virgo on September 23, 2011 (the day of the Autumnal Equinox) until 2047. Since Virgo rules the armed services, this shift in the nation’s outlook (especially with Uranus in Aries until 2019) will completely change the U.S. military. The USA progressed Ascendant conjoining the sector of the Afghanistan war chart on January 13, 2012 can indicate the nation not only wanting our involvement in Afghanistan to end but also demanding a full accounting of the cost of the war.
Venus in Virgo is in this sector of the chart and conjoins the USA Neptune and squares the USA Mars in Gemini. Ultimately, these energies reflect the war in Afghanistan will dissipate primarily due to U.S. budget constraints and shifting fiscal priorities at home. Venus in a challenging relationship to Neptune with Neptune representing the war’s objectives and ultimate reputation reflects the lack of a clearly defined mission and budget. It reflects the U.S. is projecting its ideologies onto Afghanistan as an operation of retaliation morphed into nation building. The U.S. is spending tons of money on building infrastructure in Afghanistan while continuing to cut funding to fix our crumbling and outdated infrastructure in the U.S.! Mars in Capricorn opposing Jupiter in Cancer (which conjoined the USA Sun) reflects the war’s endless scope expansion and costs which have tremendously benefited all the private government contractors.
As if one war was not enough, President Bush promoted the idea that Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein could be conspiring to launch a joint attack on the U.S as one of the reasons the U.S. had to start a second war with Iraq.(6) Mercury in Pisces exactly opposing bin Laden’s natal Jupiter at the time together with Pluto in Sagittarius squaring his Pisces Sun, reflects the U.S. using bin Laden to convey its message as an excuse to plant itself right in the middle of the Middle East. Saturn in Gemini opposed Pluto in Sagittarius (death from foreign hands and/or foreign lands) just as they did on 911, but now both planets were impacting the USA Mars and Neptune. The number of U.S. service members alone killed in the twin wars far exceeds the number of people killed from the September 11 attacks.
According to an article in The New York Times, intelligence gathered and presented to President Bush hinted that bin Laden might leave his hideout in Pakistan to travel to a meeting of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan in “late July 2007.” Jupiter in Sagittarius challenging bin Laden’s natal Mercury and Venus in Pisces increased the potential that bin Laden could be more receptive to travel from his hideout. Uranus in Pisces conjoining bin Laden’s Sun indicated he could experience a surprise attack at a time when Mars in Taurus was returning to its natal position in bin Laden’s birth chart as Saturn in Leo was challenging his natal Mars. A government leader (President Bush) could be commanding such a surprise attack.(7) These transits to bin Laden’s chart at the time could have also weakened his physical vitality so even if the intel was accurate, health reasons might have prevented bin Laden from making the trip. The NYT describes such a “murky” (Neptune/Pisces!) picture that Admiral Fallon called off bombing the area as the B-2 bombers were about halfway to their target.
An article in The Wall Street Journal outlining the chronology of events leading up to bin Laden’s demise reports that the CIA had obtained the name of bin Laden’s courier in 2007 but it wasn’t until August 2010 that the CIA followed the courier to bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound by tracing a phone call to a phone number they had been tracking.
August 2010 was when Jupiter and Uranus conjoined in Aries as they opposed Saturn in Libra at the same time Jupiter and Saturn squared Pluto in Capricorn. In the beginning of cardinal (initiating) signs, these planetary alignments created a “cardinal cross” pattern in the sky which indicated the seeds were being planted by the government (Saturn/Capricorn) to secretly (Pluto) embark on a bold new plan of attack (Aries) to eliminate a long time enemy. Mercury turned retrograde August 20 exactly opposite bin Laden’s Pisces Sun, a time to track down people from the past. The opposition of the Sun in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius that day exactly impacted bin Laden’s natal Pluto in Leo, indicating that bin Laden’s secret whereabouts had been found. (Mercury turned retrograde close to the USA Mars/Neptune, while Venus conjoining Mars in Libra that day conjoined the September 11 attack Mercury and Ascendant along with the Libra Sun of the Afghanistan War chart provided additional confirmation the CIA was on target.)
The following month, President Obama was informed of a “mysterious third family” who never left the compound. Pluto turned from retrograde to direct motion September 14, conjunct the September 11 natal Mars in Capricorn as the September 15 First Quarter Moon at 22 degrees Sagittarius (the “crisis in action” phase of the Moon’s cycle) exactly impacted the USA Mars/Neptune and President Obama’s natal Mars in Virgo. Now retrograde, Jupiter and Uranus conjoined in Pisces, squaring bin Laden’s progressed Mars in Gemini. Putting it all together, the Obama administration was feverishly working behind the scenes to determine if bin Laden was in fact living inside the compound. Not only was bin Laden probably living in the compound since around the time it was constructed in 2005, but the Neptune/Pisces energy surrounding bin Laden reflect that he could remain invisible within a property that resembled a military fortress with its 14 foot walls topped with barbed wire that stood in sharp contrast to the other properties in Abbottabad.
CIA Director Leon Panetta held a secret meeting with Congressional leaders in December 2010 (per the WSJ) to secure “tens of millions of dollars” in funding for a surprise attack to kill bin Laden which Congress approved. Uranus the planetary energy of surprises was particularly powerful in early December as it turned direct opposite bin Laden’s natal Jupiter in Virgo the day of the Sagittarius New Moon. Mercury and Mars in Capricorn conjoined Pluto during December, indicating the secret government discussions and subsequent action on planning bin Laden’s assassination.
The Sagittarius New Moon conjoining the USA Ascendant and the September 11 chart Pluto along with Mercury turning retrograde opposite the USA natal Jupiter in Cancer (past foreign matters) further confirmed that an overseas operation that would profoundly affect the nation was underway. That this operation involved a military target is confirmed by the First Quarter Moon in Pisces exactly impacting the USA Mars/Neptune.(8) The December 21 Gemini Lunar Eclipse conjoined bin Laden’s progressed Mars, further reflected a plan to attack him was underway. Mercury turning direct in Sagittarius December 30 exactly squaring bin Laden’s Pisces Sun indicated the courier’s movement had uncovered his hideout.
All these events occurred as the USA began experiencing its Saturn return when the tough decisions must be made. Three months later in March 2011 as Saturn was making its second pass over the USA Saturn, President Obama met with his national security advisors on March 14, two days after the First Quarter Moon in Gemini exactly impacted the USA Mars/Neptune to create a secret action plan as Mars in Aries was about to square Pluto in Capricorn.
Uranus had just re-entered Aries indicating a completely new method to kill bin Laden was getting underway that was far more ambitious and potentially riskier than bombing the compound. Mercury conjoining Jupiter in Aries indicated that President Obama had far larger expectations of such an operation. He told his advisors that “this is a go” but wanted physical proof of bin Laden’s death and to gather evidence from the compound that could provide a trail to other al Qaeda operatives and the money funding their activities. In order to greatly increase the chances of the operation being a success, the President wanted a mock-up of bin Laden’s compound created for Special Ops to practice.
The April 3 Aries New Moon formed a harmonious relationship to President Obama’s natal Sun in Leo indicating that the Commander-in-Chief might have a success related to the wars. As Mercury conjoined fast moving Mars in its home sign Aries April 19, an Administration official said the President told his advisors that to "assume it's a go for planning purposes and that we had to be ready."
After summing his security team on April 29 at the White House, President Obama gave his “final order” to execute the operation at 8:20 AM EDT (time from ABC News). Mercury rules this chart and is approaching conjunction with Venus and Jupiter in Aries as Mars approached conjunction with Jupiter (exact May 1). Pluto in Capricorn conjoining the sector of the chart representing death indicates the government sanctioned assassination would likely be a success but be briefly (since the planets were in fast moving cardinal signs) delayed as Venus was about to oppose Saturn the planet ruling the “death sector” April 30. (Cloudy weather delayed the operation by one day.)
Neptune in Pisces in the sector representing the Obama Administration (and ruling the sector representing Congress) in the final order chart and conjoining the Midheaven of the Afghanistan War chart, together with Osama bin Laden’s trio of planets in Pisces perfectly describe the code name for the mission called “Operation Neptune Spear.” (Although Neptune as the mythological god of the sea carries a trident). A spear pierces the body just like a bullet. As Osama bin Laden’s progressed Jupiter exactly conjoined the USA Neptune, the multiyear quest to locate the elusive leader had ended. And like the theme of the world’s most popular myths, it was time for good to triumph over evil. Pisces and Neptune rule places of confinement which Osama bin Laden was about to be freed from.
The Balsamic or Dark Moon phase of the lunar cycle just before the New Moon is the time of the month to do things if you want to attract the least amount of attention. The Balsamic Moon in Aries is the time to attack and get out quickly. The team of Navy SEALs descended from stealth helicopters to enter bin Laden’s compound. Aquarius on the Ascendant of the chart indicates that something unexpected would occur during the operation. Uranus in Aries ruling the chart for the attack squaring Pluto reflects that the SEALs arrived by air in a stealth “Black Hawk” (Pluto) helicopter. Uranus along with Saturn squaring Pluto represents the unexpected loss of the helicopter that crash landed in the courtyard of the compound. Uranus in Aries squaring Pluto also represents the first time this new military (Aries) helicopter appeared in public.
Saturn in the sector of death and squaring Pluto the planet ruling the Scorpio Midheaven reflects the Grim Reaper arrived for bin Laden in the form of Navy (Neptune rules the sea!) SEALs. Mars exactly conjoining Jupiter describes the enormous global impact the operation would have. The Moon ruling the sector of the chart that rules animals conjoining Mars and Jupiter indicates a warrior dog assisted the SEALs.
Mercury ruling the sector of death conjoining Venus in Aries which rules the sector representing endings reflects that bin Laden died inside his home. One of his wives (Venus) attempted to fight (Aries) the SEALs and was shot in the leg. The Moon and planets in Aries reflect that bin Laden was shot in the head (Aries) above the left eye (the Moon rules the left eye in males). Mercury conjoining Venus reflects the same planetary alignment in bin Laden’s natal chart. It also reflects that he had the equivalent of about $800 in cash (Venus) and two phone numbers (Mercury) sewn inside the clothes he was wearing.
With his progressed Sun exactly conjoining the May 3 Taurus New Moon, Osama bin Laden had transitioned to a new world. In true Neptune/Pisces fashion, bin Laden’s body was washed and shrouded in accordance with Muslim rituals before being lowered into an unknown location in the northern Arabian Sea. His body and the sea would become one, once again making him elusive so there would be no gravesite for his followers to create into a shrine and make him a martyr. President Obama’s decision not to release the photographs (Pisces/Neptune) of his death ensures there will not be an electronic shrine celebrating his martyrdom either.
Just as the story of Osama bin Laden has come to an end, it is time for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to end too. President Obama has said that the draw down in troops in Afghanistan will begin in July. Mars in Gemini returns to its natal position in the USA chart then as the square between Uranus and Pluto (revolution and transformation of the military) reaches its closest approach until late spring 2012. The USA will experience the final pass of its Saturn return in August which is when Saturn will conjoin the Sun of the Afghanistan war chart. Most importantly, on September 30, 2011 Saturn will conjoin the USA progressed Mars which is retrograde in Libra. Combined with the USA progressed Ascendant entering Virgo at that time it would seem that the nation has a case of war fatigue and a fiscal imperative to make the military far more efficient.
After all, if the original purpose was to seek revenge on the mastermind of the 911 attacks, isn’t the mission in both Afghanistan and Iraq (from a military although not an intelligence perspective) over now?
(1) Since Neptune and Pisces rule films, readers who prefer to get a sense of that time through the magical illusions created by Hollywood, might want to watch the 1987 James Bond film “The Living Daylights” and see if the character Kamran Shah symbolically reminds them in any way of bin Laden fighting the Soviets.
“Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007) delves into the efforts of the late Democratic Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson to supply U.S. aid to the mujahedeen and other militant Islamic groups to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan.
(2) Neptune entered Pisces April 4 and will re-enter Aquarius August 4 until returning to Pisces February 3, 2012 until 2026.
(3) A mathematical calculation that progresses the chart forward in time as a method of prediction.
(4) The zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon.
(5) President Bush’s progressed Mars in Libra was squaring his natal Sun in Cancer (which conjoins the USA Sun) at the time indicating he viewed 911 as a personal attack. Bush’s natal Mars in Virgo exactly opposed bin Laden’s Mercury and Venus in Pisces while his natal Uranus in Gemini challenged bin Laden’s Pisces Sun. Bush would attack bin Laden’s message and values on two fronts (Afghanistan and Iraq), with Bush playing the rebel role (Uranus) towards bin Laden as reflected in his July 2003 remark taunting al Qaeda to “bring it on.”
(6) The chart for “Operation Iraqi Freedom” has Neptune (oil and illusion) all over it as Neptune rules the chart and is located in the sector of the chart Neptune naturally presides over. Jupiter in Leo opposes Neptune in Aquarius which guaranteed the mission’s scope would be expanded to encompass nation building. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus and Uranus had recently entered Pisces.
Both of these planets in Neptune’s natural sector of the chart indicate President Bush (represented by the Sun conjoining Mercury in Pisces in the sector of the chart representing the nation) was deceiving the public about why America had started a second war.
There “operation” might have had the chance for a much different outcome if it had begun after the Vernal Equinox had occurred (which symbolically is when the Sun is the strongest each year) less than 24 hours later. Other influences notwithstanding, the Sun entering Aries the first sign of the zodiac is a time to initiate rapid action, particularly military action.
(7) A Mars return occurs about every 2 years.
(8) “Crisis In Action” or what I will term the “C.I.A.” phase of the operation had begun. The Crisis in Action phase of the lunation cycle is a term coined by Dane Rudhyar in his book “The Lunation Cycle,” describing when the Sun and Moon are squaring (90 degrees apart) from one another as the Moon’s light is increasing. The midpoint between the New Moon and the Full Moon is a time to act on what was begun at the New Moon.
USA: July 4, 1776 5:10 PM LMT Philadelphia, PA
First Plane Hits the Twin Towers: September 11, 2001 8:46 AM EDT NYC
George W. Bush: July 6, 1946 7:26 AM EDT New Haven, CT
Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan War begins): October 7, 2001 8:57 PM AFT Kabul
Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq War begins): March 20, 2003 5:33 AM BAT Baghdad
Barack Obama: August 4, 1961 7:24 PM AHST Honolulu, HI
Attack on bin Laden compound: May 2, 2011 12:50 AM USZ4 Abbottabad, Pakistan
(NOTE: The date and time calculated represents the 9 hour time difference between EDT and LT and is based on the many news sources reporting that it was 3:50 PM EDT on Sunday May 1 when President Obama was first informed that bin Laden had been “tentatively identified.” The local time is corroborated by an article on the Army Times website that says the SEALs “arrived over the bin Laden compound at about 1 a.m. Monday local time.”)
Congressman Cantor: Privatize Palin’s Death Panels!
Published by WallStreetWeather.netFor the first time ever a Republican leader has revealed that the American myth of equal healthcare outcomes will be history if Republicans are able to repeal “Obamacare.”
While everyone knows that money plays a role in the results of most people’s health outcomes, most Americans believe that the best healthcare is available to the majority able to obtain health insurance through their employers or own their own.
Speaking before the College of American Pathologists May 3, The Hill reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) admitted that “we're not for everyone having the same outcome guaranteed." Outcomes based upon what you are able to pay either in insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and cash outlays will determine the quality of care that you will receive in the GOP’s vision. Cantor clearly defines that while rationing by the government to control costs is evil, private insurance companies rationing for profits are decisions being made now. This in your face reality would be shocking to most Americans.
“Ryancare” is an example of what the Republicans have in mind for America. Senior citizens would no longer have access to equal treatment under Medicare. Instead, those seniors who can afford higher premiums under Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) private insurance company model will have better outcomes and access to the latest technology and high cost medicines. People paying lower premiums will be rationed to older technology and generic and lower cost branded medicines. No other developed nation in the world has a healthcare system that differentiates outcome by the ability to pay.
It is critical that all Americans regardless of their political beliefs understand this differentiation!
The Republican vision is to privatize all forms of healthcare with little or no government regulation to protect consumers. By Cantor admitting that we do not have an unlimited supply of healthcare, Republicans are confessing that rationing must occur in one form or another. The real message being conveyed by Cantor is that Republicans want to transfer the blood stained hands from the government to the private sector so they can claim that the government will not directly deny any care. These cowardly Republicans are the same politicians fighting any attempts by Medicare to make reasonable judgment regarding the effectiveness of medical procedures and high cost drugs while outsourcing the so-called “death panels” to private insurance companies.
Regardless of who makes the decisions, the corpses will continue to pile up in the Church of the Republican Party. When the Republicans gave their “repeal and replace” sermon before the midterm election the public took it as the gospel, mistakenly assuming they would not be the ones forced upon the sacrificial altar.
Related Posts:
The Wall Street Journal’s False Conclusions On Pre-Existing Conditions
The Healthcare “Haves” Don’t Realize Their Risks
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