New Moon -- Aries to Taurus

Given that the Sun and Moon are the two most significant bodies in the sky, the lunar phases provide useful clues to the prevailing energies that inform the month to come. The New Moon of March 24 featured a strong Sun in the 10th house suggesting a greater visibility for government and leaders. April has seen the Obama administration continue to take the lead on a number of fronts including the salvaging of the US auto sector. The prominent Mars in the 9th house of foreign countries in that chart may also have signified some friction involving North Korea's missile launch and more generally may reflect Obama's overseas trip in early April to the G20 summit and later in his swing through various European and Middle Eastern countries which caused some consternation in conservative circles. And of course, the swine flu did originate outside of the US in Mexico so that is another plausible expression of tension and difficulties involving foreign countries.

As we noted in the previous newsletter, the last New Moon on April 24 contained several intriguing and potentially troublesome patterns. In light of the recent swine flu scare, the Mercury square to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction was a plausible expression of this energy. In fact, I suggested that this aspect may be related to "communicable diseases" among other things, and that the the Sun/Moon square to the nodes Rahu and Ketu might be a sign of strange incidents or situations when nothing appears to be going right. While fears over the H1N1 influenza outbreak seem somewhat exaggerated at this point, it's clear that the prospect of a flu pandemic on top of an already failing economy could be seen in terms of the weird Rahu/Ketu type of energy where insult is piled on top of injury. I also noted that the the Mercury-Neptune aspect might reflect "deceitful communications", and given the growing questions concerned the sweeping WHO pronouncements and the media fear-mongering, that notion may not be far off the mark. Look for more of that kind of distortion of Mercury's energy over the next two or three weeks. With Saturn in the 10th house of that April 24 New Moon, the US government will likely be seen as strong and capable in the coming weeks. This may be the natural outgrowth of its protective efforts towards the American people over pandemic fears as well as overseeing the bankruptcy and reorganization of the auto sector.

Since the April 24 New Moon is "in effect" until May 24, it's very possible that the swine flu will continue to be an ongoing concern. Indeed, the May 24 New Moon at 9 degrees of sidereal Taurus still features the Mercury square to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction because Mercury begins its retrograde cycle on May 7. What makes this pattern potentially worse for the period May 24 - June 22 is that Mercury is in a very close harmonic aspect with Mars. This increases the likelihood of problems relating to Mercury-ruled significations. These significations include communication (such as the internet), disease, trading (international trade agreements, or the stock market, for example), and transportation, (especially involving accidents). On the plus side, Jupiter and Neptune are just minutes away from an exact conjunction for this New Moon so that ought to help hope prevail over fear. The Jupiter effect on Neptune may also create an atmosphere of idealism where higher principles and aspirations for humanity such as sharing, oneness, and collective responsibility receive greater publicity and stimulate the public consciousness. This should be a good time for any UN-related organizations and initiatives, as well as supportive for liberal or socialistic social policies by the Obama administration and other governments around the world. Also of note, the forthcoming Taurus New Moon will contain to exhibit further nodal influence by virtue of the trinal aspect from Rahu to the New Moon. This could indicate more surprising or disruptive developments which will likely amplify the difficulties contained in the Mercury-Mars-Jupiter-Neptune configuration. Saturn also falls very close to the unequal 4th house cusp, (or IC) and this may also tip the scales towards the troublesome side of the Taurus New Moon coming to the fore in some tangible way. The 4th house can refer to the "end of the matter" so endings and closings may be more prominent from late May into June in the United States.

Swine flu: real threat of media scare?

The swine flu threat has emerged as a significant development in recent weeks after originating in Mexico in mid-April where it has caused over 100 deaths. While the number of cases and deaths remains quite low around the world, there is real concern by governments and health authorities that a dangerous pandemic is possible. While I alluded to the possibility of some kind of disease threat in last month's newsletter based solely on the New Moon chart, this matter deserves a closer examination. Just how serious could this flu outbreak become?

Many Western astrologers are pointing to the close conjunction between Chiron and Neptune at 2 degrees of sidereal Aquarius as a poignant astrological signature for this disease scare. Chiron, a planetoid beyond Saturn's orbit discovered in 1977, is said by some to symbolize "the wounded healer" and therefore is secondarily connected to health matters after Neptune, which is the primary significator for illness in Western astrology. While I do use some Western notions such as Neptune, I am more agnostic on Chiron's role in this flu outbreak. A cursory review of recent flu outbreaks does not reveal an obvious Chiron influence. The 1918 Spanish Flu featured an extremely rare configuration as Neptune crossed very close to the ecliptic at the same time as Saturn opposed Uranus. Lesser flu outbreaks in 1957 and 1968 also do not strongly implicate Chiron. Whatever the role of Chiron might be here, I tend to focus on the planets that have a more firmly established symbolism. At present, Neptune is conjunct Jupiter which ought not to indicate disease or pandemic but rather the opposite, such as the ending of disease since Jupiter is a benefic influence. Perhaps one can argue that Jupiter acts as an expansionary or magnifying energy here for Neptune's penchant for disease and weakness, but that seems counterintuitive. Perhaps the Jupiter influence here refers to the media hype (Jupiter = bigness/exaggeration; Neptune = image/media), or perhaps to the finding of a quick cure for H1N1.

Saturn is the traditional Vedic ruler of disease and we note that it is soon coming up to its direct station on May 16. At that point, it will be motionless in the sky and thereby exert greater force. Saturn is in the middle of a year-long opposition cycle to Uranus which began last November. Another exact opposition is due in August. Uranus is a destabilizing energy which can bring out the negative side of Saturn such as disease and hardship when it is in tense aspect. This is basically the case now, so we have to consider the Saturn-Uranus opposition as a contributing factor to the swine flu outbreak. And as mentioned above, the Spanish Flu in 1918 was characterized by the same Saturn-Uranus opposition so there is at least some historical precedent. But it is noteworthy that the swine flu scare of 1976 that never materialized also coincided with a Saturn-Uranus aspect, although it was a square. Perhaps that instance lacked the additional planetary affliction to actually create an infectious influenza. Perhaps the worst post-war flu pandemic occurred in 1958, as the Asian flu killed over one million people over a one-year period. It's interesting to note that Saturn was parallel to Neptune as reckoned by latitude, a pattern that brought together both traditional and modern rulers of illness.

While the apparently positive Jupiter influence on Neptune is heartening and would tend to suggest that this current flu outbreak will not be very severe, I am a little worried by some afflictions I see in some key natal charts. Using the Houck USA chart, the Saturn station will closely aspect the natal Mars within one degree. Mars rules the 8th house of serious illness in this chart, although Mars more often is connected with violent or sudden situations rather than situations that are drawn out. That chart seems to indicate that some significant suffering involving will occur in the next month or two, although it could relate to something other than the swine flu. The more often cited 1776 USA chart is also indicative of some Neptune-type situations since Neptune will make its retrograde station just two degrees from the natal Moon (4 Aquarius) in the 2.18 sidereal Libra rising chart. The Moon represents the population as a whole, and Neptune is clearly a marker for disease and illusion, so we have the possibility for some kind pandemic, or more optimistically, of a pandemic scare. Again, Jupiter's presence on that degree ought to provide some protection from the worst case scenario. More worrisome is that transiting Ketu will conjoin the natal Mercury in this chart in July-August, and given Mercury's association with transmission and communication, we need to be aware of the possibility of trouble on those fronts.

So it's a mixed picture. The planetary patterns don't clearly show a worsening pandemic, but there is still some risk that it could intensify over the summer. The Mercury retrograde cycle that begins on May 7 under the distorting influence of Rahu will be the first test. Mutation of the virus is always a possibility, since Rahu has that potential to disrupt the current state of things. Hopefully, the difficulties I foresee in the US charts over the next few months refer to some other stressful situation such as a relapse for the economy or stock market, or perhaps some other new challenge. Obama's chart also shows siginficant Mercury-related problems over the coming months as Ketu transits over his Mercury at 9 Cancer. These may be related to the economy and indeed this is the most likely outcome. However, they could also relate to national health since Mercury rules Gemini which is his 6th house of health. What is also interesting is that the nodes will activate the Sun-Mercury conjunction (6 Capricorn) and the Moon (5 Scorpio) in the Obama inauguration chart in June and July. One potentially important date to watch is the time around July 11 when Mars aspect Rahu and both these malefics will form close aspects to the aforementioned planets in the inauguration chart.

Thailand in Crisis

Thailand natal chart April 21, 1782
As the recent wave of violent protests by the anti-government "red-shirts" wind down, Thailand's future political and social stability remains an open question. This peaceable kingdom known as the Land of Smiles has become riven with factional struggles that has divided the population across a range of different issues. At the centre of the cleavage is the controversional leader Thaksin Shinawatra, whose populist coalition won elections in 2001 and 2006 but was removed from power due to corruption charges. His supporters believe that he was unjustly denied the reigns of the government by judiciary and military elites. The current government is in the hands of the Democrat party who regard Thaksin as a criminal with no legitimate claim to power. How this split will be resolved is uncertain, since both sides are increasingly intolerant of the claims made by the other. Moreover, neither side appears to have a clear majority in parliament that would stabilize the situation if new elections were held. As a BBC analysis has suggested, there are no clear winners in the current phase of the conflict.

The recent upsurge in civil unrest is manifested by a number of afflictions to the relevant horoscopes for Thailand. The chart of the founding of the current Chakri dynasty (Apr 21, 1782) shows transiting Ketu conjunct the natal Moon at 11 Cancer. (Please see chart above) Ketu is often a disruptive influence and here it is more likely to produce problems since it sits in the 6th house of conflict and ill-health in the natal chart. The Moon represents the people as a whole and the mood of the nation, so that pattern coincides with a sense of unease and upset that pervades the kingdom. Transiting Pluto (9 Sagittarius) is approaching a conjunction with natal Saturn, suggesting a transforming or eroding of order and structure that bind the country together. This is a long term influence over the next 1-2 years, so this is one reason why Thailand's unsettled politics are unlikely to be resolved any time soon.

More immediately, transiting Saturn (21 Leo) is moving to station in a harsh square aspect against the natal Mars (19 Taurus). While this direct station will not occur until May 16, it is very close now and is one of the main astrological indicators for the violent protests that forced martial law to be declared in Bangkok. Mars-Saturn aspects often denote destruction and violence since the aggressive and assertive energy of Mars is distorted by malefic Saturn. We may expect sporadic incidents over the coming weeks until Saturn has once again resumed its direct motion and moves away from the natal Mars. In particular, the time around April 27 and the Mars-Ketu aspect may see another unfortunate violent of conflictual development in this situation. Then on May 6, Mercury will go retrograde at 7 Taurus which will conjoin the natal Mars in the 1932 chart (Please see chart below). This could also represent a combative political development.

The situation is similarly troubled in the chart for modern Thailand, which came into effect as a constitutional monarchy was adopted after a coup on June 24, 1932. In this chart, transiting Pluto is opposite the natal Sun (9 Gemini), symbolizing tensions and struggles over power and authority. And like the 1782 chart, we find the Moon similarly afflicted as Saturn is stationing just a few degrees from the IC (4th house cusp) and a few degrees from the natal Moon. The 4th house represents the population as a whole and the Moon symbolizes the people, or national mood. Transiting Mars (violence) and Uranus (change) are conjoined in square aspect to the ascendant reflecting a sudden explosion of energy and violence. Moreover, Mars and Uranus are transiting over the equal 10th house cusp, which represents government and leaders.

The political situation should stabilize somewhat after Saturn moves direct May 16 and as we approach the Jupiter station in June since this will aspect the ascendant of the 1932 chart. But watch for a possible deteroriating situation in August and September as the Saturn-Uranus opposition occurs in exact square to this ascendant. The period from December to February 2010 if anything looks more difficult for government and leaders as the Saturn-Pluto square will set up on the natal Sun. This points to a possible change in government and a lot of anxiety and frustration with the power structure in Thailand. Interestingly, the 1782 chart also seems to be in a stressful condition as the Saturn station at 10 Virgo will activate the natal t-square of Sun (10 Aries), Saturn (10 Capricorn) and Uranus (8 Gemini). This combination of planetary energies indicate that Thailand may be going through a time of profound political and social transformation.

The role of the much-beloved King Bhumipol is the wild card in all these developments, since he alone seems to have enough authority to quell any significant differences of opinion. So far, he has resisted the temptation to make a clear public statement for either side. This reluctance may reflect his advancing age (the King is 83) and widespread reports of weakening health. Given the rough transit pattern in early 2010, the power and sanctity of the monarchy itself may be called into question.

Thailand June 24, 1932

Obama's first 100 days and his upcoming Mars bhukti

As the warm glow of his historic inauguration fades into the background, President Barack Obama now faces more familiar political battles over the stimulus and banking proposals. With most Republicans opposing the huge stimulus package, the oft-mentioned new era of bipartisanship and change in Washington seems to have gone missing. While Obama's tasks to rebuild the economy are momentous, it's clear from his horoscope that the acrimony in DC foretells more difficult times ahead for the new president.

According to the Vimshottari dasha system and Krishnamurti ayanamsha, Obama will enter his Mars subperiod or bhukti on or around February 26. As a minor period in the Jupiter major dasha period, the Mars bhukti will run until early February 2010. Of course, Mars is known as the planet of conflict, action, and executive power so it may not be surprising that Obama's efforts are meeting with some significant opposition, even before the full onset of the Mars subperiod. What's perhaps more telling is that Mars (29 Leo) occupies a powerful place in his horoscope, namely, the 8th equal house cusp (24 Leo). It is also just a few degrees away from this cusp in different house systems, and less than one degree away from the Alcabitius 8th house cusp. The 8th is considered a potentially malefic house, and any planet near its most sensitive point, the cusp, is said to be strongly imbued with 8th house energy and can be heavily afflicted. The 8th house represents change and transformation, as well as obstacles, death, and embarrassments. Obama's 8th house Mars is the main reason why so many astrologers have predicted that there will be an attempt on his life during his tenure.

Certainly the emphasis on change is appropriate here and we can expect Obama's efforts to re-invigorate the US economy to initiate structural change that will transform the workings of the economy through greater government involvement in key institutions like banking as well as promoting long term (and long overdue) changes in health care and environmental policy. Since Mars also symbolizes vitality and action in this house, Obama will take on a strong leadership role, and will be seen leading a revolution in American life. But given Mars' natural malefic status, it is reasonable to expect that there will be an increase in the opposition to these initiatives. With the 8th house also representing "other people's money", the Mars period will also feature profligate spending by his administration which will likely generate resentment and conflict. Given the forecast for massive deficits and a ballooning government debt, we don't really need the astrology to warn us about something that it so self-evidently true. It's nonetheless interesting that it is reflected in his chart in a fairly clear way.

Obama's natal Mars is fairly strong, however, given its dispositor Sun is angular in the 7th house and conjunct benefic Mercury. This may mean that we may enjoy significant success in his efforts to transform the American economy. However, it's not without some notable weakness: its placement in the final degree of Leo will reduce its ability to realize ambition and will open the door to some noteworthy negative outcomes during the coming 12 months. With the ongoing opposition of Uranus to his Mars through most of 2009, conflict will predominate and may emerge suddenly and in unusual places. This includes the greater chance for conflict overseas. The economy will likely experience another significant setback in late 2009 and early 2010 as Saturn will station while aspecting Obama's 2nd house Venus. Since the 2nd house represents wealth, we can expect another major contraction of economic activity at that time.

Closer at hand, I'm looking at the time around March 12 as indicating a significant event as Mars conjoins his Ketu and Sun joins Uranus in opposition to his Mars. Even with the helpful effects of the close proximity of slow moving retrograde Venus in trine aspect to his Sun at that time, the presence of these apparently malefic configurations seems to point to some kind of negative event, one that may be violent or rooted in conflict. This could be an incident involving US armed forces, or an outbreak of violence in a strategically important area of the world, such as Israel and the Middle East. I should note that Israel is likely to be an ongoing burden to Barack Obama as Israel's natal Saturn sits on his 7th house cusp indicating a negative energy that prevents happiness, and incurs heavy responsibilities. Obama will likely feel trapped by the US's historical commitment to support Israel which will limit his ability to broker a peace deal. It may also suggest that Obama will not blindly support Israel and his attempt to meet both parties half-way will alienate members of the Israeli lobby.

So for all the promise of change and meaningful bipartisanship, Obama's incoming Mars bhukti suggests that Washington will be as divided as ever, as the economy worsens and his bold, new programs encounter strong resistance from various areas of American society.

Obama wins presidency

With his decisive win on November 4th, Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. While I had thought that Obama would likely win the election, I was somewhat surprised that it all came off more or less according to plan. Like many astrologers, I had believed that the Saturn-Uranus opposition on election day might portend events a little more dramatic and unusual than a simple election victory for the Democratic senator from Illinois.

As it turned out, Obama's election victory was indeed historic in magnitude for two reasons. First, he is the first African American to win the highest office in the land. Second, the Democratic sweep represents the end of neo-conservatism as a political force for the foreseeable future. The free market philosophy that began under Reagan a generation ago preached de-regulation and smaller government. This has been largely discredited with the recent economic crisis and will be replaced by a more interventionist economic policy not unlike what predominated in the post-1945 world. In those important senses, the tension and shock (Uranus) to fixed structures (Saturn) was expressed by the shift away from a Republican winner-take-all approach to the economy to what will likely become a more collectivist and Keynesian orienation.

With the various afflictions in Obama's chart, he is certain to face many important challenges in the months and years ahead. His Mars bhukti begins in early 2009 and looks particularly troublesome since his Mars is poorly placed in his 8th house. From the violent symbolism of Mars, this may reflect new military situations for the US or perhaps even threats to his personal safety. More generally, it may represent the hardship of the ongoing economic downturn for the coming year. The Mars bhukti lasts for about one year.

Stocks in freefall; Dow below 9000

In the face of a torrent a bad economic news including global bank nationalizations, investors lost hope late this afternoon as markets sold off over 7% in New York. The Dow closed below 9000 for the first time since 2003 and finished the day at a bracing 8579 while the S&P ended trading at 909.

While not quite 'crashworthy', this was more or less in keeping with my standing prediction for a large percentage decline (5-10%) for today, October 9th.

I believe there is more downside tomorrow, although my sense is much of the negative planetary energy has already been expressed. It's possible we will see a further decline to the much-talked about support level of 7500-8000, but I think there will be a lot of buyers at 8000 so we should expect a lot of intraday volatility. Of course, it's conceivable that the Dow goes below these levels, but it's not probable and even if they do, they won't stay there very long.

I think Friday will be the much-sought after capitulation and near term bottom after which we will rise into next week. We are now facing a two month bottoming process where there will be some retesting of the lows we likely make tomorrow. Early November is the first probable retest, and then again in the first two weeks of December.

The VP Debate

With the much-anticipated Vice-Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin tomorrow, here are a few thoughts on the probable outcome as it relates to the general trend in the campaign. As predicted in mid-September, the Obama campaign has pulled into the lead and is now ahead of McCain by an average 5-6 points in recent polls. This trend is likely to continue as the Obama campaign chart is very strong in the coming days while the McCain campaign chart is troubled.

With Moon and Venus transiting the 7th house of the Obama campaign chart today (Oct 1), we can see that his campaign is riding high. A new poll was released today that put him ahead by 9 points, the most in the campaign thus far. His vote tonight in the Senate on the bailout bill will also improve his profile and popularity. The difficulty in the McCain campaign chart is that transiting Mercury is exactly aspected by malefic natal Saturn, so he is likely to look weak and out of favour in the next couple of days. While Mercury is usually a fast moving planet, it is retrograde now and moving quite slowly. This extends the negative influence on McCain.

The debate tomorrow doesn't look like a game changer for either campaign. It is very unlikely to help McCain much since Mercury will still be afflicted by Saturn, especially since transiting Mars conjoins the natal IC. With Venus transiting the 4th house cusp Thursday and Friday, it's possible that McCain may get a small bounce but it will not be significant. Another possible interpretation may simply be the feminine influence (Venus in Libra) that Palin will exert on the campaign at this time. At the time of the debate, the Moon will be in a difficult square aspect to the Sun-Mars-Saturn conjunction in her chart, so this will certainly be a high stress moment for her. It also suggests that things may not go as well as she would have liked. By contrast, the Moon will conjoin Biden's natal Mercury and come under the helpful aspect of his natal Jupiter at the time of the debate. This may suggest that Biden is relieved and happy with his performance. At the same time, transiting Venus is close to his natal Mars which is often a problem and transiting Mars opposes his natal Moon over the next few days which is rarely a good thing. There may be some negative post-debate fallout with Biden that could cause some short lived problems for the Obama campaign.

The next significant time to watch out for is October 9-10, when transiting Mars opposes the natal Sun in the McCain campaign chart while transiting Sun comes under the influence of the natal Saturn. This looks like a major setback for the McCain-Palin ticket and will likely increase Obama's lead.

After that, however, Obama still stumble from Oct 13-16. With the involvement of Mars, Sun and Mercury with malefic points in the horoscope, there will likely be some element of conflict with the event. Fortunately for Obama, he will likely be enjoying a lead of more than 5 points at that time, so it's more likely he will be able to withstand this problem and go on to win. The problem will occur right around the time of the last debate on Oct 15 so it may be doubly embarrassing for him if it becomes the focus in the debate. Alternatively, it may simply be a poor debate performance.

This promises to be an interesting finish to the campaign.