It’s the Economy ~ 26 March 2008

Recently a commentator on a news program referred to the slogan that commonly hangs on the walls of campaign headquarters for politicians, “It’s the economy, stupid.” So it seems to be; enough consciousness, dang it. Money’s a mess. Gas and food prices rise faster than employing companies dish out cost of living raises. Here in the United States, the huge investment firm, Bear Sterns, collapsed, succumbing to a buyout of change on the dollar and supported by tax payer sanction. The U. S. dollar is now less than half a pound, causing a literal person to wonder why everyone is so weighed down by the economy. Yes, Pluto is in Capricorn and transformation of the economic system seems to be demanded by this dwarf planet. Still, Jupiter, the god with more bail out plans than the combined total of minor solar system bodies, also reigns in Capricorn. While more economic tightness lies immediately ahead, the planets suggest a different year than presently forecast by those failing to consult the heavens. Should we, as those who understand consciousness and such, infuse real and practical economic optimism into the consciousness surrounding monetary matters, who knows? We might turn a corner sooner than later.

While I was seasick only four times in my seven-year naval career, watching the stock market caused naupathia to return, overwhelming my being. The market will probably continue to vacillate with wild abandon, confirming that hysteria, rumor and hype, ala a big puffy Neptunian cloud, effortlessly sweeps away the reactions of those not blessed with stellar insight. The patterns this year involving Neptune in relative orb with the healer Chiron (“I’ve got to find a way to get financially healthy,” so say the speculators) as well as Eris and Sedna support the wild market ride. If you’re going to play check to make sure your anti-gravity amortization kits have centripetal force protection systems, too... or do the other Chiron thing... see a chiropractor to get out financially generated body kinks.

Consider that practical, structured Saturn now navigating the methodical, “let’s think this through” sign of Virgo retrogrades back into a trine to Pluto in Capricorn. While the aspect does not become exact, the pattern soon closes to less than a degree and strengthens over the next month or so, until Saturn resumes direct motion on May 2^nd. A few Virgo thoughts enter here. Those steering the economy are a bit like a pilot on an airplane with an engine problem; the pilot will do everything humanly possible to save his own butt. Some effort, self motivated though those efforts might be, will be applied to keep things halfway moving along. Saturn suggests long term thinking. If losses have been recently incurred, likely you’ll have to ride for a year and half at least to get back to where you were. Saturn notes that day traders, or worse, hour traders without the advantage of horary (meaning of the hour) planetary signatures, do more harm than good on his watch. This belief of Saturn’s offers an anti-greed mechanism that comes in handy later. Saturn reminds you that if you bought a stock at 10 and it’s now at 12 after once reaching 15, you have lost no money. You still stand the black side of the ledger. But if it’s now at 7.6, you’ll need to sit tight, breathe while applying patience and optimism.

The Saturn-Pluto trine offers short term relief to panic. Consider there’s always room for a practical, viable product or service, even from upstart companies struggling for a foothold in a huge market. The products of necessity, represented here by Saturn, shall drive the economy slowly out of the immediate mud. Does that mean it’s easy? No. Are the times scanty? Sure, but with the trine, we can trudge forward. Saturn also advises against some of the counsel given Americans these days: Shop your way into prosperity, we’re giving a couple hundred tax dollars back!! Saturn opposes long term debt, despises paying credit card interest and carefully suggesting playing interest rates to your advantage. Saturn insists prudent calculation precede the signing of any short term, low interest promise.

Here in the United States the presidential election’s primary interest recently shifted to the economy. Thinking logically, if the incumbent party intends to stand a snowball’s chance in hell of carrying on leadership of this country, the economy will have to improve radically during the current administration. Enter September’s Jupiter in Capricorn trine with Saturn in Virgo. You can expect healthy economic figures (factual or otherwise), new economic recovery packages and probably the use of an economically appropriate term for our financial fix instead of “rough patch,” “slow down” and “head wind.” Hey, you can’t doctor a headache unless you admit you have one. Optimistically, the fervor for the election and economic plans proposed fuel enthusiasm and bolster September’s economic picture. Since the U. S., fortunately or otherwise, influences the global economy as it does, it’ll ripple outward. A word of caution about the enthusiasm of this trine: the pattern repeats in November with both planets in more straightforward direct motion, after the U. S. election. It is possible that a few previous administration promises made cannot or will not be delivered. However, Pluto returns to Capricorn in December (he slipped back into Sag while we were looking at other distractions), suggesting that a new plan shall soon begin and with the blessing of Jupiter entering Aquarius early next January. Presumably, this transfer of planetary power sheds some of the money/survival fear and reintroduces a healthier realm of economic speculation based less in greed.

Ah, greed. Greed certainly affiliates with both the mythic signatures of dwarf planets Pluto and Eris. Eris, in her discordant ways, destabilized a few of the perpetual economic motion machines of late. All year long she is sextile Neptune in Aquarius (approximately), semi-sextile Sedna and Uranus. She’s going to get to the bottom of it all. She’ll snap a few illusions, disclose the tricks of economic sleight of hand such as offshore antics and restore basic economic priorities with her affiliation with Sedna. Bottom line, the Sedna story line bears out basic well being: food, shelter and love. A reconstruction of material priorities restores an improvement in one’s perception of well being and is not the same as having to tighten the belt too many notches. Let us recall, during the year as disruptive Eris squares Jupiter, she and Jupiter get along well in tasks of resetting priorities and restoring well being. This year, no doubt Eris enjoys the harmonious affiliation of her dance partner Jupiter with the deep diving, bottom line basics of Sedna - food, sustenance and happiness. As a little safety tip when offering to the planets, Sedna does not approve of mixing sea food with meat of the land. No surf and turf permitted in ceremony.

Finally, last week astronomers noted a galactic bright spot that portends something of resource management matters and consciousness as well. Astronomers witnessed the explosion of a star believed to be halfway across the universe. This event set a record for the most-distant object that could be seen with the naked eye. Since bodies visible to the naked eye hold stronger classical importance and given the noteworthiness of the event, no doubt GRB 080319B soon shall become part of household vocabulary. Okay, maybe not.

The resulting explosion of star created the brightest gamma ray burst afterglow ever witnessed. Gamma rays symbolize the realization of external circumstances for an alteration of consciousness. So if one “wow-ed” when receiving one of the e-mails documenting this profound observation, it did its job.

In the constellation Bootes, GRB 080319B translates to 19 Scorpio 00 on the ecliptic. A true transformation bright spot, we are again reminded of personal inner resources, the connectedness to all things, even those things previously unknown or not yet perceived. Better than keeping one’s ear to the ground, this bright, distant object reminds us all to keep our eyes on the heavens. For those who might want to add something closer to home to the recipe, one meaning for Eris is “things you know not of.”