Cdn Liberals choose Dion

The Canadian Liberal Party has chosen Stephane Dion as their leader. In a surprising development, Dion beat out frontrunner Michael Ignatieff on the fourth ballot.

Since I had predicted Ignatieff, I have to fess up to my mistakes on this one. Hindsight is always 20/20 but there are a few things I missed. As I noted earlier, Igantieff's transits on the day of the convention were not favourable. The stationing Saturn squaring his natal Sun was the dealbreaker. My preference for Ignatieff was based on very favourable progressed aspects, or so I thought. I relied heavily on the assumption that progressed stations by benefics in declinations would carry the day for him. Clearly, this negative result disproved that hypothesis. I had also written off Dion owing to a tertiary progressed Saturn station in December. Saturn stations are less likely to be linked with happy outcomes, so I assumed this would be the symbolic expression of his loss. Wrong again.

In retrospect, the Saturn station was greatly energized by virtue of a favourable trine aspect to tertriary progressed Uranus. So that is the lesson here for astrologers: all things being equal, Saturn stations may symbolize more negative events than positive, but if they are placed in positive configurations with other planets, then Saturn's more positive significations of responsibility and respect are more likely to come to the fore. Also, I will be more cautious about extending the theory of progressed stations to apply to declinations. Clearly, more study is needed to that area.

I can't feel too bad about this outcome since I didn't have access to any of the birth times of the candidates. And since this event has helped me refine my understanding of some of the finer points of progressions, it's not a total loss. A great learning opportunity overall.

Dion's future electoral chances look pretty good. I'll have more to say on those in the weeks ahead.

Gold touches $650

It seems the bull run in gold is back on. Gold hit $650 briefly today, its highest close since July. This is more or less in keeping with my June prediction that gold would push past its May high of $725 in the new year. Perhaps this price rise has come a little ahead of schedule but I'm not complaining. The Uranus station on Nov 20 coincided with a nice $20 increase in the past two weeks. Watch for even faster price increases -- along with the occasional retrenchment downward -- as Uranus once again applies to conjoin natal Jupiter in the gold futures chart. The exact conjunction occurs February 15 so that is a strong indicator for further price increases. At the same time, Rahu also applies to Jupiter (conjunct May12) creating powerful momentum that will push prices up sharply.

With Mercury, Sun, Mars, and Jupiter all in Scorpio in the 11th house, we can expect prices to continue to climb through December. I would not be surprised to see and equalling of the May highs of $725 by year's end. That would set the stage for explosive price movement in the following months. I think $1000/oz is a very possible target in early 2007.

As the Liberals Turn

Stephen Harper's suprise recognition of Quebec as a nation yesterday has injected new life in the Ignatieff campaign. Hard to know now how much it will benefit him and if it could put him over the top. It made me to look at the horoscopes again.

Although the picture for both candidates is mixed (all horoscopes arguably are), I can see a couple of factors I neglected in Ignatieff's chart that more strongly indicate his victory. In secondary progressions, his Jupiter stations in declinations (16S10 05) in 2005 and 2006. Because we're working without birth times, we can't see which year it applies to and yet its sheer proximity to the current situation reflects well on his chances. In addition, he has a secondary progressed Venus station in declinations (23N18 19) that is exact next year, although if he was born early in the day, then that might reflect his current levels of success and public exposure. The approximate birth time means we can't be sure when it will kick in. But at worst, it seems he can win this thing on Dec 2 and it may well help him win the PM's job in the event of an election next year.

In my experience, progressions trump transits and progressed stations trump progressed aspects. This Liberal convention will be another useful test of that idea.

Cdn Liberal leadership update

As the Canadian Liberal Party move closer to choosing a new leader on December 2, it looks as though frontrunner Michael Ignatieff (May 12 1947) is running out of steam. He's made a number of gaffes and his idea to declare Quebec a nation within Canada has created a lot of criticism. Currently, he's got 30% of decided delegate support compared to 20% for Bab Rae and about 17% for both Stephane Dion and Gerard Kennedy. I had earlier predicted Ignatieff would win the leadership although I didn't have access to his birthtime. My main reason for favouring Ignatieff was on the strength of a couple of excellent progressed aspects -- p2 Venus trine p2 Chiron and p2 Sun trine p2 Jupiter. Using a rounded noon birthtime, however, both aspects have already perfected several months ago. Maybe they reflect the frontrunner status he has enjoyed for the past six months. Has he peaked?

One of the nagging things about Ignatieff's chart is the transit picture on the day of the vote. Although tr Mercury conjoins natal Jupiter, tr Jupiter conjoins natal Ketu while tr Venus opposes natal Uranus. Bob Rae (Aug 2 1948), by contrast, has a fairly unremarkable progressions picture but better transits than Ignatieff. Tr Venus conjoins natal Jupiter (rewards), tr Jupiter trines natal Mercury (good news), while Saturn exactly conjoins his natal Saturn (responsibility).

Rae's chart also has the advantage of having better progressed synastry with the Canada chart. For example, Canada's p2 Moon conjoins Rae's Sun. And Rae's nodes fall across the Asc-Dsc axis of Canada's solar return.

Mark Foley scandal helps bury the Republicans

The Republicans have left the building. Anger over handling of the Iraq war and adiminstration corruption pushed many voters over to the Democrats as they regained the House and Senate in the midterm elections. At least part of the blame for their fall from grace lies with disgraced Republican congressmen Mark Foley and the revelations of his sexual impropriety with underage male congressional pages. His chart (Sep 8 1954 4.55 am EDT Needham, MA) shows no shortage of stresses.

The scandal of Foley's sexually explicity text messages hit the media on September 28. Foley resigned the next day. Using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, he had just begun his Jupiter-Venus period on September 8. Natally, we can see a potential for problems with the Venus bhukti because it closely conjoins Saturn, and in fact, it is hemmed in between malefics, Saturn and Neptune. And although Venus is strong in its own sign of Libra, it's noteworthy that its nakshatra dispositor is Rahu and it is closely conjoined by Mars. This shows the potential for exaggerated sexual actions and punishments during Venus' periods. Mahadasha lord Jupiter is placed with Ketu in the 11th in Gemini which is is fine in itself. However, it also suffers somewhat by virtue of Mars' aspect, although it is much wider.

At the time the scandal broke, transiting Rahu was trining dasha lord Jupiter within two degrees showing the sudden and upsetting nature of the event. Since Rahu was connected with Mars natally, it brought that energy along with it by transit. Transit Saturn was applying to conjoin the ascendant and natal Pluto in the first degrees of Leo. The November station of Saturn would bring Saturn to Foley's lagna and bring full pressure on his Pluto. Bhukti lord Venus was transiting through Virgo, its sign of debilitation, whilst conjoining malefic Ketu. Transit Mars also exactly squared natal Rahu.
To see his homosexuality and excesses therein, one has to dig down into nakshatra rulerships and the navamsa chart. What's fascinating here is the importance of Rahu (NN). The 7th ruler is Saturn, and it is placed in a nakshatra owned by Rahu. Its dispositor is Venus, which is also in the same Rahu-owned nakshatra. Venus itself is significator of love expression, so that repeats the Rahuvian theme.

Rahu is Rahu obviously, and that can create excesses or transgressive behaviours under any circumstances. In Foley's chart, however, Rahu conjoins Mars (the sexual planet) and the Moon. This is a destabilizing influence. Mars rules the 7th cusp by nakshatra rulership and Mars is conjunct Rahu. Mars as a significator for sexuality and partners is further distorted by virtue of 7th ruler Saturn's exact to the minute 3rd house aspect (sextile). Also note that the Moon is ruling the 12th house of secrets and bed pleasures so having Rahu and Mars influence here would tend to direct pleasures towards the unconventional.

His navamsa chart (9th harmonic) is highly troubled. The nodes lie across the 1-7 axis showing problems with partners generally. Moreover a fallen Mercury in Pisces occupies the Ascendant. Fallen planets in the 1st and 7th houses create marital (and sexual) problems. Sun is also fallen in Libra which conjoins the natal Venus Saturn conjunction. A third fallen planet in navamsa is Moon in Scorpio. Also Saturn is in an exact opposition with Mars. Also intriguing is the fact that navamsha Venus exactly conjoins the natal Mars.

How bad are dussthana houses?

One of the first things someone learns when they take up the study of Jyotish is that some houses are better than others. Alas, there is no socialism in Vedic astrology! Actually, three of them are considered to be downright malefic so that planets placed in them become damaged and their lords can similarly create problems for the houses they tenant. But just how true is this basic rule of Vedic astrology in practice?

Certainly, the dussthana houses (6, 8,12) have more negatives associated with them that the other houses. The 6th rules disease, theft, conflict, legal problems, the 8th rules death, obstacles, and scandal while the 12th rules losses, social isolation, and punishment. Not exactly enticing stuff. But while these meanings are real enough, it’s important to remember that they will only manifest if the houses and planets therein are afflicted or weak in some way. If the planets are strong, then only the positive version of the house meanings will manifest. The 6th also rules robust health, triumph over enemies, service and healing, the 8th rules inheritance and unearned income, ancient and secret knowledge, longevity, while the 12th rules enlightenment, gains from foreign lands, and sexual pleasure.

Al Gore (Mar 31 1948 12.53 pm EST Washington, DC) , for example, has a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius in his 6th house. Gore has enjoyed excellent health throughout his life, has had few if any significant legal problems, and has generally prospered in most areas of his life. Hard to say that the 6th house has done much damage to those planets. One way that the 6th house energy has manifested is that it has pushed him into politics which is naturally adversarial. Since the 6th house is associated with conflict, it makes sense that Gore has been so successful in that area. Despite his loss to George Bush in 2000, he remains one of the most respected members of the Democratic party. The key here is that the Moon-Jupiter are strong, unafflicted planets. Moon rules the first house, while Jupiter is in its own sign of Sagittarius.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey (Jan 29 1954 7.51 pm CST Kosciusko, MS) has Sun, Venus and Mercury in her 6th house. She is one of the richest women in the US and was recently voted the most influential women in the world. Somehow, I don’t think those dussthana placements are causing too many problems for her. This is especially true since Sun and Venus rule her 1st and 10th houses. This stellium in the 6th house will tend to display the positive side of the 6th house (and the houses that the 6th house planets rule) because they are unafflicted, their dispositor Saturn is exalted in Libra, and they aspected by benefic Jupiter which also rules the favourable 5th house. We could make a good case that the 6th house influence manifests in Oprah’s ongoing interest in holistic healing and promoting the self-help movement.

Evangelical minister Billy Graham (Nov 7 1918 3.30 pm CST Moorhead, MN) is perhaps America’s most famous religious personality. He has shared prayers with the last ten US presidents all the way back to Truman. He has Sun and Venus in his 8th house in Libra. Unlike many of the television evangelists who followed in his footsteps, Graham has been scandal free throughout his long career. Clearly, most of the favourable significations of the 8th house are manifesting in his life. He has enjoyed longevity -- he is still preaching at the age of 86. He has received millions of “unearned” dollars through contributions to his ministry, although he has been careful not to take too much of it for personal use. And his knowledge and faith in the Bible is unparalleled, another favourable 8th house signification.

Pop singer Madonna (Aug 16 1958 7.05 am EST Bay City, MI) is one of the richest and most famous entertainers in the world. And yet she has both Sun and Venus placed in the 12th house. Has she experienced losses, imprisonment, or a lack of self-confidence? Hardly, although one might ponder the possibility that fame has its own downside that might imitate some of these unfortunate 12th house indications. Nonetheless, we can see how Madonna’s 12th house planets have largely displayed their positive side. For the past 10 years, she has been actively pursuing a more spiritual and enlightened life. She has also spent a lot of time in foreign countries seeking religious and cultural insights. And if the media reports are even partially true, certainly Madonna is something of an expert when it comes to sexual pleasure. All of these things are contained within the portfolio of the 12th house. This is due to the strength of both Sun and Venus in his chart. Their sign dispositor Moon is extremely well placed as it closely conjoins the ascendant, the most powerful point in the entire horoscope.

So these are a few examples that I hope support the notion that dussthana placements aren’t invariably negative. I feel these houses often get a bad rap because astrologers are often forced to make quick judgements rather than careful ones. Also inexperienced astrologers will sometimes prefer simple rules rather than examining the complete circumstances of each planet. There are no short cuts to a full and balanced assessment of each planet’s condition and influences. House placement and rulership are just two out of many factors that shape how a planet’s energies will manifest in the horoscope.

http://www.modernvedicastrology.com

North Korea nuclear test

As a result of the October 9th nuclear test by North Korea, Kim
Jong Il (Feb 16 1942, no time) and his bizarre retro-Stalinist regime
have moved into the limelight. There are a couple of telling patterns
in his chart that show his desire to standout. Transit Ketu (1 Virgo)
is aspecting his natal Uranus (29 Aries). Natally, his Uranus is square
his Sun, making this contact quite pivotal for the whole chart. This transit
effect pushes Kim to act suddenly and impulsively since these are
significations of both Uranus and Ketu.

A source of difficulty for Kim is the applying Saturn (29 Cancer)
opposition to his natal Sun (3 Aquarius). The November station of
Saturn will coincide with intense pressure and opposition to his rule.
No doubt some level of UN sanctions against North Korea will pass by
then and begin to hit hard. The Saturn-Sun opposition is one of the
most difficult aspects so I would expect the mood in Pyongyang to
grimmer than usual.

Look for Kim's problems to multiply over the next one to two years.
His secondary progressed Sun squares his Pluto. This shows power
struggles and confrontations where he comes out on the losing end.
January 2007 looks like there may be some significant incident
involving foreign governments that doesn't go his way. This may
involve some military dimension, but it doesn't look major. I would
expect more armed opposition to North Korea later in 2007 as Saturn
again opposes his Sun and Pluto conjoins his natal Mars. At the end
of 2007, the nodes will aspect both his Sun and Mars, the planet of
violence. This time will also coincide with secondary progressed Mars
squaring Pluto in Kim's chart. This is a classic Western signature
for violence. While it is hard to be definite about predictions when
the birth time is not known, but the late 2007 early 2008 period looks
very dangerous for Kim and his repressive regime. His days as Dear
Leader may be numbered.

Gold tanks

As signs of an economic slowdown meant a reduction in inflationary fears, the price of gold has fallen sharply in the past few days. Gold's decline mirrored the drop in the price of oil under $60 a barrel. Clearly, the two commodities are moving in tandem. The lazy man's explanation can be found in transit Saturn's near exact conjunction to the Descendant.

No surprises here really. I had predicted back in the summer that gold would retest its June lows in the $550-560 range and that is what's happened. The Saturn aspect is a problem, and with Uranus still backing off Jupiter, there is little upward price pressure from the planets.

I expect the price to bounce around $600 (mostly under) for another month or two. I wouldn't be shocked to see it fall below $550 either. I think a major turning point should be when Uranus turns direct on November 20. Even then, the price may not make any dramatic upswing. December will probably see it above $600. The bigger increases will likely occur after January 1. Again, I think it's very possible for gold to eclipse the May highs of $725 by April 2007.

Thailand Coup

On September 19, the Thai army launched a coup d'etat against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The controversial Thaksin was out of the country at the time. Not a shot was fired.

Although I had expected something along these lines to take place, I had predicted
things to really get going until later in the Fall. Alas, my timing was
off. Back on May 23, however, I did predict that a time of
greater political upheaval was not far off and that a "wholesale change"
was likely although perhaps not until next year..

Here's what I wrote back in May on this blog and on the mundane-astrology yahoogroups list:

"After stepping down amidst charges of corruption in early April,
Thailand's wealthy Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to
lead his government into the next election, likely to be held later this
year. This has created a predictable amount of dismay amongst opposition
parties and the intelligentsia.

...[There are] first order afflictions with some long term destabilizing
transits such as stationing Uranus squaring natal Mars and transit Rahu
applying to Venus, and you have the recipe for some protracted political
impasse. The upcoming Mars subperiod which starts in November 2006 looks
more conducive to the open conflict required to complete wholesale
change. Mars is very afflicted in the D10 chart representing leaders and
government. Most likely the opposing sides in the dispute will come to
blows in 2007. The most precipitous time appears to be June to September
2007 and will feature major upheavals in society in Thailand that will
remake the fundamental terrain of Thai politics."

I think the Mars subperiod is still implicated in this coup, although I would note that using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, we can push the start date of the Mars period to early October which is very close indeed to the date of the actual coup. Certainly, we should look forward to great instability in leadership and government for the duration of the Mars subperiod, which ends September 2007. I will therefore stick to the flavour of this earlier prediction and expect we will not see a smooth period leading up to the next elections, due sometime in 2007. Given the political instability, we can look for weakness in the Thai stock market and the currency during this time.

I have included a different chart for Thailand here, the chart for the establishment of the Constitutional Monarchy on June 24, 1932 at 5.20 am Bangkok. Interestingly, this was the result of a palace coup, so there's a nice connection with current events. I am adding this not because I think it is necessarily a better chart than the 1782 chart but because it complements it nicely. Certainly we can see the coup fairly clearly with transits of Pluto to the Dsc, Uranus on the Moon, Saturn conjoining natal 10th lord Jupiter and the nodes squaring the Ascendant. This is a much clearer picture of affliction than the 1782 chart.

The 1932 chart is running Venus-Jupiter dasha, so that Saturn affliction to natal Jupiter representing government and leaders fits well. Even more appropriately, natally Saturn is imbued with more sudden destructive capacity owing to its 8th house placement. It does not take a genius to figure out that when Saturn retrogrades back to Jupiter's natal position at 27 Cancer in 2007, that further troubles will beset the government. This looks like an extended period of weakness and questions about the legitimacy of government from February to July at least. September 2007 will feature more turmoil as Saturn squares 12th house Mars. Although this may feature some violence and loss of life, I am expecting financial losses as well since Mars is 11th lord of gains placed in the 12th house of losses. I will update this forecast as events unfold further.

Gold slips back

As predicted back in May, the late June-July period saw the price of gold rise nicely off its lows of $560. This is partially due to the applying conjunction of Uranus to Jupiter. Now that Uranus is separating from that Jupiter, it's no surprise that gold has fallen back from its interim highs of $650 back to $620. I expect more weakness in the next week but watch from some signficant gains as we head into September (see chart above).

It's unlikely that these gains will hold, however. Watch for the June lows ($560) to be retested this Fall. The Saturn station near the 7th house cusp seems unlikely to bring the bulls back. I would not be surprised to see gold fall back to $500. But come December, the uptrend will resume and continue more strongly into 2007. As before, I am sticking to my forecast that gold will surpass its previous highs ($725) in early 2007.

Israel attacks Lebanon and Gaza

Things aren't looking too good in the Near East these days. Israel (May 15, 1948 00.00) is running Moon-Mercury (or Moon-Ketu if using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha) and Moon is closely conjoined by transit Saturn although it is now separating. Unfortunately, it is moving towards Pluto and the 7th cusp. Uranus falls under the exact trinal aspect of natal Ketu so that is another foundational source of this current phase of violence.

Of more immediate concern is the proximity of transit Mars to natal Mars at 5 Leo. One should expect this high level of violence to continue or even briefly worsen until this conjunction comes exact around the July 20. After that, things will probably de-escalate, at least temporarily. Some sort of ceasefire may occur on the 22nd.

Longer term, the Ketu antardasha doesn't bode well for leaders and governments because it is placed in the 10th house and is squared by Saturn and Pluto. Olmert's adminstration may not last the year. Ketu is further associated with violence since Mars is placed in the nakshatra ruled by Ketu and is placed in the 8th house of sudden actions. Ketu subperiod will last until February 2007. All told, this current crisis gives strong support to the Krishnamurti ayanamsha for this chart. Mercury is nowhere near as afflicted.

Bush's summer of discontent

So the summer of George Bush's discontent is finally upon us. Many astrologers (myself included) have long pointed to this June-July 2006 time as especially difficult for Bush and the US. As transit Mars and Saturn conjoin on the degree of George Bush's natal ascendant on June 17, the astrologer is once again in a position to see the future unfold ahead of time.

Regardless of other chart factors, the Mars Saturn conjunction seems to be a focal point of energy -- whether for action or reaction. Given the natural and temporal maleficence of the these planets, it is hard to imagine how anything favourable can come of this configuration. Indeed the other factors do suggest a time of serious hardship.

Bush is running Mercury-Mercury dasha, so the planet Mercury, ruler of 3rd and 12th houses natally, should be a focus of our attention. In fact, the timing of the major events in this time window probably will have more to do with contacts to Mercury than with the ascendant. Transit Saturn doesn't conjoin natal Mercury until July 4. At that time, Mars will still be debilitated in Cancer and will be in close aspect with natal Ketu. Also, the time when Mercury comes back over the Saturn will coincide with an exact Mars semisextile to Saturn on July 17.

Add to that Rahu's aspect to natal Saturn in the next month or two, and you have the recipe for an extremely difficult time. Saturn's affliction may bring destabilization and erosion of institutions and ruling structures through scandal and embarrassment.

Since Mercury is the ruler of all three dasha levels, it would be well to pay attention to Mercury's transit motion as well. Transit Mercury conjoins Saturn June 24, suggesting that is a likely time of communication problems (3rd house) especially involving foreign affairs (12th house). The double presence of Mars and Saturn points to a suddenness of events with a violent component. But afflictions to Mercury may not necessarily imply problems with Mercury's portfolio since Mercury is placed in the first house. This suggests a more general manifestation is possible, although it may have a Mercurial flavour.

Al Gore in 2008

A few weeks ago, I took a look at Hillary Clinton's chart and thought it strongly favoured her chances in the presidental election of 2008. At that time, I hadn't looked at any other contenders (no excuses other than laziness) and so I left the prediction conditional upon new birth time information for Hillary (there are at least two very different times floating around for her), and the announcement of any Republican contenders.

Al Gore has been getting a lot of good press lately with the release of his movie on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. At present, Gore is considered a long shot for the Democratic nomination, with a futures trading website putting him at about 12% likely to win compared with 48% for Hillary. After looking at Gore's chart, I think it's time for me to change horses, as it were. Or at least, plunk down some cash on Gore's chances, especially with the odds as good as they are right now.

His chart is very strong indeed and given the accuracy of his birth time, I would favour Gore to win the nomination and the presidency in 2008. Here's what he's got.

He'll be running Rahu-Moon dasha at the time of the election. Rahu is very well situation exactly conjunct the equal 10th house cusp showing power and status. He's been in Rahu dasha since 1992 when he was VP so this is in keeping with previous trends. Moon subperiod is extremely favourable since it rules the first house and is conjunct Jupiter in the 6th house of competitions. What's also interesting is that he won the VP with Clinton in 1992 while he was in Moon supberiod. Clearly, the Moon is very powerful for Gore. Another point of strength is that Moon is found in the D10 10th house. The 10th divisional chart represents matters of status and career.

The progressions are no less powerful. At the time of the election, P2 part of fortune is conjunct P2 Uranus and exactly opposite P2 Jupiter. Talk about favourable! In November 2008, P3 Jupiter and P3 Neptune will be only 6 months before their stations. In fact, both planets will be making declination stations at the time of the inauguration in January 2009. The P4 picture is even more favourable as there is a very rare 6 planet configuration involving Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu/Ketu, Uranus, Venus, and Sun all around 25 degrees of their respective signs.

Gore's 2008 solar return is also very promising since his 11th house Venus is picked up by the SR angles, and his SR Moon is bang on his natal descendant. A pretty happy combination.

So at this point, I am making a case for Gore to win it all. Between Hillary and Gore's chart, Gore's looks better to me -- although it helps there is no uncertainty about his time. When I have more time, I will take a look at the possible Republicans, including McCain and Jeb Bush. Although it seems politically awkward, I wonder if the strength I am seeing in Gore and Hillary's chart might be manifested in a joint ticket. Seems far-fetched, and yet both seem to gain substantially around the time of the election. I don't think Hillary would be happy to have her high hopes dashed by her husband's former #2 and accept the consolation prize of VP. Stranger things have happened. Let's see how it all will unfold.

Putting it monetary terms, if I had a hypothetical $10 to wager on the futures site, on the basis of my analysis so far, I would be putting $7 on Gore (with the long odds) and keep $3 for Clinton just in case. It will be interesting to see the changing perceptions of their respective chances on the intrade.com site. I wonder how long Gore will be seen as a long shot.

Gold's May plunge: is the bull run over?

The price of gold has dropped about $80 or 12% in the past two weeks from its peak of $720 on May 12. It now hovers in the $645 range. What happened?

Although I was anticipating some volatility once transit Uranus separated from Jupiter in the gold futures chart (Dec 31 1974 10.00 am NYC), I was caught a little off guard by the severity of the decline. Here are some of the key factors involved in the recent short term price fluctuations.

1. Transit Uranus conjoined natal Jupiter on April 27. The time leading up to this conjunction corresponded with the sharpest gains in the gold price. I should note also that this chart is running a Venus-Jupiter dasha period, and therefore influences on Jupiter will tend to influence the short term outcomes disproportionately to other planets. Dasha lord Venus operates as longer term background influence.

2. Transit Jupiter in retrograde motion exactly trined natal Jupiter on May 6. This was another benefic influence on the price, and combined with the Uranus and Venus transits to Jupiter in April, created a wholly positive price environment for gold. Normally, I wouldn't pay too much attention to the Jupiter to Jupiter transits, but because it is the antardasha lord, we should recognize that Jupiter will exert a lot of influence here.

3. Transit Uranus is applying to a square to natal Mars throughout May and into June. The negative impact of this difficult energy began to be felt as soon as Uranus separated from Jupiter. Uranus' next stop was therefore the square with malefic Mars. This is not a good influence and is likely the a chief source of the negative sentiment in the gold market at present, at least from a purely transit perspective. Mars-Uranus in hard aspect will create volatile, unexpected, and unpleasant situations which in the context of commodity prices will likely push gold down. The image of a "train wreck" comes to mind.

Where will the market go from here? This is a difficult question given the strong and unpredictable Uranus influence in the next few months, along with some potentially negative Saturn influences in July and August. Here's my best guess at this point:

4. Prices are likely to remain weak at least until Uranus stations on June 19. I would not be surprised to see prices fall further, although I am not at all sure. Once Uranus reverse direction away from the Mars square and heads back towards Jupiter, we will probably see more price support. This bullish period will correspond to growing tension with Iran, since the Iran horoscope is heavily afflicted at this time. Investors looking for a short-term exit point may find this window to their liking.

5. The best time for price increase will be late June and the first part of July as Jupiter will station and go forward on July 6 (Happy Birthday, George). This corresponds to a fairly close sextile to natal Sun. I think we will see a significant price rise, perhaps 10-20% off the lows. (see chart above)

6. The effect of Saturn's transit to the natal Moon will not be favourable. Expect at least some decline at the end of July.

7. Much of the expected price rise associated with retrograde transit Uranus applying to natal Jupiter and transit Jupiter applying to natal Jupiter will be offset by transit Saturn's aspect to the ascendant during the late summer. Although the exact ascendant of this chart remains in doubt, Saturn's influence will be felt in August and September. That said, a price increase is still possible although it will not be comparable to what we saw in March and April. This will be a seesaw battle between the bulls and bears. The Saturn station in early December will occur in close aspect to the ascendant and will likely mark another significant decline in prices around that time.

8 The next major trend upward will take place in January 2007. Again, I can see this linked to critical geopolitical and military concerns. This can be seen through transit Uranus now direct applying to natal Jupiter while Rahu (north node) applies to Jupiter. This should have an explosive effect on prices that will likely last until at least April 2007. As I see it now, this is where the medium term gold price top occurs.

9. Since the Jupiter subperiod ends in June 2007 and is followed by Saturn, I can't see the bullish price trend lasting beyond that date.

Thailand's PM Thaksin returns

After stepping down amidst charges of corruption in early April, Thailand's wealthy Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to lead his government into the next election, likely to be held later this year. Read about it here. This has created a predictable amount of dismay amongst opposition parties and the intelligentsia.


All of this is in advance of the massive celebrations planned for June 9th, to honour His Majesty King Bhumipol's 60th year on the throne. The astrology strongly points to major incidents of civil unrest around this time. Thailand's chart is still running Jupiter- Moon dasha. The Moon therefore becomes the key planet for assessing the trend of events. Transit Saturn is still very close to the natal Moon -- just a degree or two past -- and now here comes Mars into Cancer in a few days. Having two malefics ganging up on the Moon and antardasha lord will not create peace and harmony in the Kingdom. Mars comes to the degree of the Moon just a day or two after the celebrations, while Sun will fall under the aspect of natal Ketu. This suggests a time when leaders come under stress. I am expecting the unrest to take the form of demonstrations which will include some violence.

Combine those first order afflictions with some long term destabilizing transits such as stationing Uranus squaring natal Mars and transit Rahu applying to Venus, and you have the recipe for some protracted political impasse. The upcoming Mars subperiod which stars in November 2006 looks more conducive to the open conflict required to complete wholesale change. Mars is very afflicted in the D10 chart representing leaders and government. Most likely the opposing sides in the dispute will come to blows in 2007. The most precipitous time appears to be June to September 2007 and will feature major upheavals in society in Thailand that will remake the fundamental terrain of Thai politics.

Canadian Liberal leadership: Ignatieff

The Canadian Liberal party will choose its next leader December 2 2006. At present, there are 11 declared candidates. I had originally believed that former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna was likely to win but in the end, he chose not to run. That threw the race wide open.

Among the present field of candidates, I think that Michael Ignatieff has the best chance of winning. Born May 12 1947 (again, no time available so this will necessarily be a work of approximation), Ignatieff has spent most of the past 30 years living outside Canada pursuing an academic career, first in the UK and more recently in the US. His secondary progressed chart contains two very positive aspects: a Sun Jupiter trine and a Venus-Chiron trine. (see above)

His heliocentric tertiary progressed chart also has p3 Venus trine a p3 Jupiter/Earth conjuction.

Transits at the time of the convention may also be helpful as Sun, Venus, Jupiter and Mars will all be in sidereal Scorpio which is in the 11th house from his Capricorn Moon. The 11th house represents gains.

One possible wild card is Gerard Kennedy who is seen by many observers as an attractive candidate. However, since his birth date is unknown at this time, I cannot handicap his chances of winning. Given the strength of Ignatieff's horoscope however, I think he is still most likely to carry the day.

Oil hits $75

Crude Oil pushed past $75 on Friday as the commodity buying frenzy continued. In the case of oil, the speculative bull market has been aided by fears that a U.S-led attack on Iran might interrupt oil supplies and take 5 million barrels a day offline in an already tight oil market.

There are a number of longer term factors that point to rising prices generally, but this week, we can see in the transit chart above that transit Mercury (13 Pisces) is moving into a nice conjuntion with the Sun, while activating the trine with Uranus and Jupiter.

Another short term factor is the applying opposition aspect of Jupiter to chart ruler Venus. We can expect higher prices in the short term as this aspect perfects, especially as transit Venus enters sidereal Pisces. Look for a short term peak around May 11 as transit Venus conjoins natal Sun and once again sets off that favourable Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Scorpio. Very approrpiate for a liquid that is found underground.

Gold hits $618

Gold rose $18 yesterday to close at a 25-year high.

This is confirms my prediction of March 29 when I thought that the Venus-Uranus conjunction at 19 Aquarius (Lahiri) would trigger a rise as it activated the natal Jupiter in the gold option chart.

upcoming Thai election

Thailand is set to go to the polls April 2. The trouble is the opposition parties are not contesting the election because of their distrust of PM Thaksin and the TRT. Read more about the protests here. In all likelihood, the election will go ahead as planned but the results will probably be ignored by half the country. This sets up a dangerous situation where the sitting government is regarded as illegitimate by the opposition and most urban voters. TRT gets its support from mostly rural areas which happen to form a majority in this still developing country.

As this blog (and my website) has been contending for some time, Thailand is in the throes of a political battle the scale of which hasn't been seen in years. The Saturn station on the Moon squaring the Sun is the basis of the whole thing. This is a devastating aspect that can create hardship for both leaders (Sun) and the people (Moon). Whatever happens, Thailand's political culture will be fractured for a long time to come. In keeping with my previous predictions, I believe Thaksin's administration will not survive these protests.

Another angle on it can be seen in the eclipse of March 29th. The eclipse point itself at 14 Pisces conjoins the fallen Mercury in the 12th house and activates the Neptune in Thailand's chart. This emphasizes the role of distortion and deception in communications in the time ahead. This seems especially likely given Thaksin's reputation for shady financial dealings and authoritarian control over the media. Look for even more disturbing revelations about Thaksin to emerge in the coming days and weeks. Another troubling element of the eclipse chart is that Mars at 28 Taurus is being picked up by both eclipse angles, underlining the conflict that is underway at the moment. Given the instability of the situation, it is probable that this political conflict will spill over into the streets at some point and become violent. So far this hasn't happened, but this eclipse chart is an alert to this very real possibility.

I am looking at April 9th as a day of significant setback for the government as Sun conjoins natal Rahu in the 12th house and Venus forms a semisquare aspect to Rahu. Perhaps there will be judiicial or royal intervention of some kind then that will worsen Thaksin's position. April 18th is another day to watch out for as Mars conjoins Uranus and opposes the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. If there will be violence in this political stand-off, this is the most likely time.

Gold price tops $560

The price of gold once again passed $560 this week. Although it fell back $5 Tuesday, the previous two trading days had yielded a nice $15 rise. The Mercury station was a key player here since it came to a full stop exactly conjoined with natal Jupiter in the Gold options chart. With Uranus there for extra oomph and Venus applying to the ascendant, this chart showed substantial gains.

As Venus comes closer to the 4 Aquarius ascendant (Lahiri), we should see more upward price movement. If this 10.00 am chart is correct, then the best days should be next Monday and Tuesday, the 3rd and 4th of April. This will be an important verification of the 10.00 am chart. If there is no significant rise at that time, then we would have to reconsider the 9.45 am chart once again.

Another probably price rise -- irrespective of chart times and ascendants -- will be in the days leading up to and including April 18, when Venus conjoins Jupiter in the presence of Uranus.

Thailand's troubles

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin faces growing opposition to his corruption-plagued rule as protests to his government continue. Events are moving faster now that opposition political parties have refused to participate in an election Thaksin called two weeks ago. Although a majority of urban dwellers don't support him, Thaksin is still strong in the countryside, where poorer, less educated farmers have benefited from his populist policies and blatant vote-buying efforts. And given Thailand's predominantly rural population, it is very likely that Thaksin would win the April election. So the opposition boycott based on political calculation as well: since it cannot win the April vote, it is best to prevent it from taking place.

This growing breakdown in the political process is following the astrological script as Saturn bears down on Thailand's Moon. Watch for intensifying strife in the weeks ahead ending with Thaksin's ouster. In all likelihood, this will not be a peaceful transfer of power.

Harper's Titanic Tories: Watership Down

With all the errors of judgement committed by Cdn PM Stephen Harper in his cabinet appointments, it's hard to know what else could possibly go wrong now. There's Liberal David Emerson crossing the floor days after the election to join the Conservatives, appointing unelected campaign buddy Michael Fortier to the Senate in order to allow him to be Public Works minister, putting a defense lobbyist in the Ministry of Defense portfolio, and a unilingual English speaker Ted Menzies to be parliamentary secretary for official languages. And all this from a party that was touting itself as the only way to clean up corruption and lax ethical standards in Ottawa.

As I've said on previous occasions, some of these problems can be seen in the approach of Jupiter, representing the government since it is 10th lord in the Canada chart, to natal Saturn. Saturn is placed in the 8th house of scandal so having Jupiter approach that point and then station just minutes away on March 3 guarantees that Harper's woes are certain to continue in the coming weeks. I expect his problems to get worse with the probability of Emerson to resign since he is currently seen as the most egregious example of Tory hypocrisy.

Harper will gain some respite once Jupiter begins its retrograde motion away from scandalizing Saturn around mid-March. New troubles will emerge in the summer, however, that will precipate an early exit of this government, most likely in November.

NHL gambling investigation

The hockey world is in chaos today (especially up here in Canada) as news of charges laid in an illegal gambling ring sink in. Former player and now Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet is at the centre of the storm, but others have also been implicated including most notably Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet. (Gretzky is currently head coach of Phoenix.) Read about it here.

Gretzky's horoscope is getting pummeled by the dual action of Saturn and Ketu (south node). Gretzky (Jan 26 1961 7.45 am EST Brantford, Canada) has Ascendant at 12 Capricorn (5 AQ trop) and Sun right there as well at 13 Capricorn (6 AQ trop). Malefic Ketu casts its trinal aspect exactly to both of these points, and Saturn is conjunct his 7th house cusp representing his wife.

It's worth remembering that Ketu is a bit of a chameleon and isn't always a problem, although it tends to have a disrupting influence. One has to consult dispositors, etc to get a handle on its energy. Here however, it is currently transiting Virgo, so Mercury's situation gives a clue. Yesterday when the charges were announced, Mercury ( 3AQ) was involved in a t-square with natal Uranus (1LE) and transit Mars (1TA).

With Saturn not yet finished with Wayne's 7th house cusp, it's clear that Mrs Gretzky's problems are very real and will not go away anytime soon. I'll venture a prediction on her fate after I can secure her birth data.

Gold drops $20

Yesterday, the price of gold fell almost $20 back to about $555. I believe a single day drop of this size should appear in any correct chart for gold.

The chart I'm currently using to track gold is the futures chart (Dec 31 1974 10.00 am NYC). This chart has 3 Aquarius rising in Lahiri.

What's intriguing is that Mercury was conjunct that ascendant yesterday. But why would Mercury be such bad news for gold? I think the answer has something to do with rulership.

Following sidereal whole signs, Mercury rules the malefic 8th house Virgo. This is an unhappy conjunction. By itself, it should not have generated such a large drop in price, however.

The other thing you notice about this chart is that Venus has just stationed exactly conjunct natal Mercury (that nasty 8th lord) at 22 Sagittarius and opposite natal Saturn at 22 Gemini.

This stationing on the Mercury-Saturn opposition was likely a ticking time bomb for the short term price of gold and the malefic Mercury (by rulership) coming to the ascendant was the lighting of the fuse.

I still think gold has a ways to go on the upside as Uranus 16Aquarius approaches the 2nd house Jupiter 19Aq44. The station near that point in May/June may be a medium/ong term high in the price.

PM Harper's bad start: a sign of things to come

The Tories must be a little rusty. They've been out of power for 13 years and they've already fumbled the ball. Stephen Harper's controversial appointment of an unelected campaign chair to the cabinet via the Senate has ruffled some feathers in his own party. This reeks of hypocrisy and is not what they were expecting from a party that had run on a ethical and squeaky clean image. Read about it here.

I believe these problems for Harper may be linked to the approaching Jupiter station on the Canada Saturn. Jupiter is the 10th ruler for government in the midnight chart and Saturn being malefic and 12th ruler of hidden enemies and loss, etc and placed in the natal 8th house spells trouble for the government in those areas.

Since I don't expect this government to last to Christmas, perhaps this miscue will still be in voter's minds come election day in the Fall. The reason why I believe this government won't last is partially linked to the Canada chart and the station of Uranus on natal Jupiter as I have mentioned previously.

However, Harper's swearing-in horoscope (Feb 6 2006, 11.18 am EST Ottawa) is very troubled. Saturn represents the 10th house or government (especially the PM) and it is closely aspected by malefic Rahu (north node). This is a disruptive influence that can cause distortions of judgement and corruption in the government. 12th lord Mars being placed in the 1st house is also an unhelpful influence as suggests a reclusive or secretive influence on matters of state. the natal chart, combined with a what will be a powerful and painful Saturn station in November that will simultaneously aspect Mars and Mercury is certain to bring extreme stress and hardship. While it's possible that it may be a reflection of troubles in Canada generally, I believe the more likely scenario will be the defeat of the Harper government. Mars rules the 12th house of loss and it is being aspected by Saturn, the ruler of the 10th house of government.

anti government protest in Thailand Feb 4

There will be the largest protest against the unpopular Thaksin government this Saturday Feb 4. Foreigners have been warned to stay away.

Astrologically, you can see this very clearly since tr Mars will be conjoining the ascendant (29Aries Lahiri) of the Thailand chart (Apr 21 1782 6.55 am LMT Bangkok) as tr Rahu (NN) conjoins natal Mercury in sidereal Pisces in the 12th house. Rahu usually ramps up the energy to a point where it is often too much for a stable system to bear without disruption. This configuration certainly describes the fact of a large protest (>100,000) but I believe there will be some violence as well.

This event may presage greater problems in Thailand in March and April when the Saturn station occurs on the natal Moon. Expect to see Thailand in the news a lot then.

The Dangers of Inference: McKenna bows out

Astrology is an inexact science at the best of times, and "science" here is only understood in the widest possible sense of the word. Making predictions is a necessary risk the brave astrologer has to make, even if it means being wrong a good part of the time. Like other sciences of human behaviour (economics comes to mind), no matter how chequered one's track record, one is compelled to make assessments using whatever data is at hand.

So imagine my surprise yesterday when leading Liberal party hopeful Frank McKenna announced that he would not seek the leadership. Didn't he realize I had just made a prediction that had him leading the Liberals to victory in the Fall? Alas, I was getting ahead of myself and trying to connect the sparsely distributed dots with very long lines. This is part of of the problem with doing astrology without birth times. One has to make longer leaps and assume a more probabilistic stance in the hope of infering outcomes from limited data points.

What I saw in McKenna's horoscope was a significant favourable development in summer with another layer of benefit or advancement in the Fall. Nothing more specific than that. Without the birth time, one can't see houses or angularity -- two very important factors in a horoscope that give direct the astrologer towards the likely areas of life that the planet's energies are being directed. Given that he was the de facto front runner in the race, I naturally assumed that these positive configurations in his chart would likely push him into the top Liberal job. He had the best horoscope of the three or four likely suspects I looked at. Now that he's announced he won't run, my prediction has to be revised. I still believe McKenna will follow that upward path, only the job and status he will gain will apparently not be the Liberal leadership. 2006 should be a very good year for him with a strong career advance.

This change in trajectory only slightly weakens my case for a Conservative defeat in the Fall, which I would place at a 60% likelihood. Certainly, the likely swearing-in horoscope for Harper (and we'll wait for it to actually happen to get the exact time) indicates a turbulent first year. I think there is good reason to think his government won't survive to Christmas, although I have to allow for the possibility that it may merely suffer due to internal problems (eg. more ethics scandals) and external crises (terror attack, flu outbreak, etc) that affect the country as a whole. Besides being an indicator for the government, the swearing-in chart acts as a proxy for the country as a whole. Should there be some major global event that has a shocking or disruptive effect on Canada, then that would also fulfill the promise of this chart. And if a major negative event would transpire, then it is possible that the Harper government would survive. Let's call that Option 2 and give it a 30% probability for now. Certainly, one of those two scenarios is extremely likely (=90%) in my view.

Stocks rebound

After falling almost 4% the week before last, stocks staged a comeback and recouped their losses last week. From my perspective, this wasn't entirely expected, although Mercury has yet to move deeply into the 8th house. It's possible that the drop Jan 16-20 will be the extent of the decline as predicted by Crawford but I think there will be volatility in the week upcoming. Look for some downward pressure on prices as Mercury moves past 25 Capricorn.

As is usually the case, assessing contradictory planetary forces is never a straightforward thing. So while Venus stations on natal Ketu and Mercury and sun move into the troublesome 8th house, benefic Jupiter is approaching a trine to the ascendant at 25 Gemini as it moves towards a retrograde station on March 3. The strength of this slower moving aspect will certainly overpower other short term stressful influences so February may see a general uptrend.

Of course, the deeper metatheoretical question is: does this NYSE composite chart even work? The price movements in the next month or two should tell the tale.

Harper's bad stars

Word is out that new Conservative PM Stephen Harper will be sworn in February 6 in Ottawa. Looking at the likely chart that will result, I have a feeling no astrologer was consulted in choosing that date. Typically, the swearing in occurs around 10.30 am although the time is not associated with any formal traditions that I know of.

The chart has sidereal Aries rising with Sun in exact conjunction with Neptune in the 10th house and Mercury closely squared by Mars. The Sun Neptne conjunction occuring in the 10th house of leadership points to either a scandal or possible illness involving the PM. The Mercury square by Mars shows conflict and rancour and again confirms the theme of health since Mercury rules the 6th house of Virgo. A couple of saving graces might be the near stationary Venus in the 9th and Jupiter in the 7th aspecing the ascendant. Both of those benefic placements perhaps speak to improved foreign relations abroad, including most obviously the USA. George Bush will take any new friends he can find.

What is significant here is that the key transits echo the time frames I have already noted for probable troubles in the incoming Harper government. Saturn will oppose the Sun-Neptune conjunction in August and may reveal a scandal. Then in November, Saturn will come to station near an exact square (casting its most malefic 10th house aspect) to Mars, the chart ruler. Around the same time, transit Ketu was also be aspecting this Mars. This is the most likely time for the defeat of the government in the House of Commons and the forcing of yet another election in the Fall.

Of course, it is still possible that the government wouldn't fall at this time and would only represent extreme stress. Nonetheless given the fact that this is an unstable minority government and the ferocity of these transits, I believe an election in which the Conservative's lose is the more likely outcome. At this point, this chart strongly points to a return to power for the Liberals before the end of 2006. I'll wait until the 6th and see for the exact time of the oath-taking in order to fine tune this chart and double check other calculations.

www.modernvedicastrology.com

Canadian Liberal leadership race

I've looked at a few birthdates of the leading suitors for the Liberal crown. Frank McKenna (Jan 19 1948, Sussex, NB) appears to have the strongest chart. Also in the running are Brian Tobin (Oct 21 1954, Stephenville, NF) and Michael Ignatieff (May 12 1947, Toronto, ON).

Although we don't know any times for these would be candidates, I like to use progressed stations, following in the Houck tradition of political astrology. McKenna is the only one of the three with a progressed station this summer, at the likely time of the leadership convention. His tertiary progressed Uranus stations in June. What's more, it stations within one degree of trining natal Venus -- a very favourable aspect.

Normally, I like to see a station correspond with the actual date of the election rather than the convetion. When the station falls near the convention, it means that the person wins the nomination, but runs out of steam by election time and loses.

This is exactly what happened to Kerry and Edwards. Both had progressed stations early on in the campaign when their stars were rising. But there wasn't anything happening in their charts come the Fall. Alas, too few astrologers bother to check this very basic sort of configuration.

So what's McKenna running on come Fall 2006 when the next election is likely? No stations, unfortunately for him, but I am encouraged by the near simultaneous ingress of tertiary progressed Sun and Jupiter into their respective sidereal signs (use Lahiri/Krishnamurti here). This is another Houck technique that I have found works well. It may not quite have the same power as a direct station involved in a good aspect, but it is noteworthy. Since McKenna is having two progressed ingresses simulaneously, this effectively counts as a station and then some.

This analysis is subject to change as more information comes available, but right now, I would bet on McKenna's chances to win the Liberal party leadership in summer, and then go on to win the next election in October or November 2006.

I will know more about the election timing once Harper is sworn in, since that chart usually contains some useful information.

www.modernvedicastrology.com

Conservatives win Canadian election

Good to see "the universe unfolding as it should", even if it means the Conservatives now get to discover the secret doors and false bookcases in the East Block on Parliament Hill. And to think we did it without the aid of some fancy pants Diebold machines and the like. Just a short little pencil, a piece of paper, and a cardboard ballot box worth about 2 dollars. That's the foundation of Canadian democracy. (I hear music playing now against a backdrop of mounties on parade)

I predicted a Conservative win at the outset of this election back in late November when they were down 5 -10 points in the polls. [sound of me patting myself on the back] I think a key factor in seeing that a change in the ruling party was coming was the conjunction of tr Uranus to Jupiter/Sun trine in the natal chart of Canada. In my research, Uranus aspects are frequently implicated in changes in government. Other charts such as the Liberal govt oath chart also showed some major afflictions now.

Looking ahead, this Uranus transit is not yet done with Canada. Uranus will move forward and then station and then return again to the proximity of the Jupiter/Sun aspect in the natal chart in the Fall. Although I have not yet done a lot of work on this, it seems likely that another election will occur at that time, in October or November. And it therefore also seems likely that the Conservatives will lose. But that is a preliminary judgement right now.

Since MP Paul Martin has now resigned as Liberal leader, I will reaffirm or amend this prediction as the data from the new leader comes available in the summer (without a birth time in all likelihood) and I analyse the chart of the swearing in of the new Conservative government, which will likely occur in a couple of weeks.

www.modernvedicastrology.com

January Stock Market decline

I see the Dow is off over 100 points today. Checking the NYSE composite chart (May 6 1982 10.00 am NYC), it's clear that Venus approaching natal Ketu may be part of the downward slide. Mercury just entered Capricorn -- the 8th house -- in this Gemini rising chart so that is another negative factor.

Noted financial astrologer Arch Crawford has predicted a significant decline on Wall St for the end of January. Looks as though he will be right on the money once again.

Expect to see more declines as Mercury moves deeper in sidereal Capricorn close to Neptune while Venus stations exactly conjunct natal Ketu. Shouldn't be anything too huge but a 5% correction is entirely within range. The developments in Iran will probably not help matters. Stocks may recover by the second week of February.

Iran

There is increased talk about Iran in the news these days. Fears about its nuclear energy program have prompted a growing number of western countries to confront the Islamic republic.

I think there will be some significant developments in the next two or three weeks. The Iran chart ( Feb 11 1979 2.00 pm) is afflicted, especially if one looks at the lunar return chart upcoming. Since Mars is brought to the angles, it is quite likely that some kind of violence is in the cards. There have been discussion of the likelihood of a pre-emptive attack by the US on nuclear installations there. This is quite possible although I cannot put a probability figure on it right now.

I think there will be some major development on the political and diplomatic fronts first however, especially around Jan 26-29. The 9th house is clearly highlighted in the chart pointing to overseas difficulties.

www.modernvedicastrology.com

Death throes of the Martin Liberals

It's almost unfathomable how the once-mighty Liberals have fallen so far so fast. They have the most experience, the best PR talent, and most of the money, but its gaffe after gaffe. Must be some serious planetary karma that is throwing a wrench into their plans. Could an astrologer have helped Martin save his government? Doubt it, since the planet of change, Uranus, is conjoining Jupiter which represents the sitting government in the Canada horoscope while aspecting the Sun, the natural significator for leadership.

With only ten days to go before the election, the only question now is will the Conservatives have enough strength to get a majority in Parliament which requires 155 out of a total of 308 seats. The latest poll projection has them winning 152 seats. With a majority, they can implement all of their platform with relatively little horse-trading. If they get less than 155 seats, then they have to enter into negotiations with other parties to assure passage of any bills.
At the outset, I predicted a Conservative win but assumed it would be a minority because a majority simply seemed impossible. Now it seems that is it not only possible but likely. It would almost require a political miracle to prevent it. And now I wonder: what is the difference in astrological signature between a majority and minority government?