The last two weeks of March stirred up contention on many fronts. Perhaps you noticed increased tension in communications and decision-making in your personal life. The push of force was stronger than the willingness to come to consensus. Leadership is taking the upper hand now as an energetic of spring. This will be an advantage in business and in politics.

For a few weeks of late March into April, the power of leadership and strong intention will outweigh the struggle between the old ways of political negotiation versus the urge for radical change to get something done. Since Obama took office, the dueling forces in Washington have made it almost impossible to make real improvements for the nation. As a result, dissatisfaction and anxiety are mounting as a general state of the people. We might be surprised to see the President act powerfully in April.

This is a good time for gearing up to make personal changes. Physical energy in general is high. You might notice the urge to take a walk, get some exercise and be active. Take this in to account in your business planning. Use the energy as initiative to start new routines. It is a good period for sorting, recycling, and reviewing what you have learned in the winter.

April 18 to May 11 is that regular review phase we see three times a year. This time the focus will be around what we need to be more secure. In that, we find what we are willing to release. Social connections are a positive way to renew friendships and build alliances. Swap parties can be a way to find new homes for the “stuff” you don’t need anymore, while getting together with people you haven’t seen for a long time.

It is good to feel the energy in forward motion again after such a sluggish winter. There is potential for creative activities in the spring season that is exciting to watch unfold. The current of energy has brilliant and inspired ideas. There is a quality of achievements possible in this time that can bridge giant gaps of need and desire. If YOU have a great idea, pursue it. This can be a time of breakthrough and discovery. Just look at the level of genius some of our young people are displaying, like the winner of this year’s Intel Science Talent Search.

“Erika Alden DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque, developed a software navigation system that would allow spacecraft to exploit low-energy orbits for the physics & space sciences project she submitted to the Intel Science Talent Search. According to the NASA-approved Interplanetary Superhighway concept, the gravity and movement of planets create a network of low-energy opportunities that allow for more efficient transit routes through the solar system.” (http://apps.societyforscience.org/sts/69sts/DeBenedictis.asp)

The spring of 2010 is the early bursting through of new social concepts, new answers to solving some of our community and national problems. While we still face a few dynamic hurtles in the way of big planet transits this month, they are a part of the ripening process of a changing world.

Spring brings action

If it has felt like slogging through a bog in trying to move life forward these recent winter months, you can soon look forward to a change of energy. Mid-March will find us ready to put plans in action and take up new causes. This slack time is useful for review. From this, we learn what needs changing. In a time when the economy is so uncertain, we become more creative and inventive.

The first half of the month will work better if you tune in to your gut instincts and be attentive to the subtle things going on around you. Socially, it is a great time for connections, networking, and sharing insights on how to get by in tough times. In fact, this is a great time to collaborate with others. Be sure to keep your communications as clear and too the point as possible. This is a time when there can be confusion because we don’t articulate precisely what we mean. Watch out for vague commitments. Substance may be lacking. This will improve after the New Moon on March 15. Real promises can be taken seriously from the 17^th to 20^th.

Spring arrives on March 20, setting the stage for releasing the growing pulse in the undercurrent of society. Government is becoming increasingly a stupid game among the governing crowd to see who can create the biggest mess and not take responsibility for a country in distress. I might even suggest some potentially sinister activities being planned behind the scenes. Heaven forbid.

On the national level, there is a powerful force working to contain and control. President Obama is using Executive Orders to move presidential powers beyond the logjam of Congress. We do not hear about these things on the evening news. (You can learn about it on the internet, however.) There is a very slow transit coming on to the USA Moon, which represents the people of the nation that is likely to contribute to increased disillusionment, increased anxiety and fear, as well as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. How do we combat massive collective depression? By working to support each other within the community and sharing information on ways to work together for our own security at the local level.

This time last year, I was expecting something like the Tea Party movement. I am surprised at who actually became the key players. Sarah Palin is becoming a major flag bearer for the movement. She is serving as an icon authority for the creation of delusion, disinformation, and inflammation of negative feelings. She speaks the language of fear and anger. There is a growing faction of opposition building up toward a crescendo in August. The energy of revolution is rising.

The last days of March are the turning point relative to the eclipses of December. The energies will support completion of projects and final tweaks before presentation. The Full Moon, March 29, will feel like a release of pressure. Solutions to problems will surface as we move into April. In the tradition of spring-cleaning, the first week of April will be a perfect time for things to come to the surface, whether that’s information or lost items.

Some days it might be easier to stay focused on one’s personal daily business than try to get a clear perspective of the larger world happenings. December 2009 is one month that is easy to keep life more personal with traditions and celebrations. This may not be the year of our biggest and best celebrations, but it will help to remember those we care about and to hold ‘love’ as a dear thing.

The year of 2009 had a series of outer planet contacts that is only partially complete as the combinations become more powerful and complicated. When the slow-moving planets make alignments that exert a powerful combined stress on the earth due to their tensions in the electromagnetic field, there are corresponding tensions that arise in world events. The alignments that are forming for 2010-2014 are historically the most dramatic combinations that relate to factors of power, governments, social and civil developments, and all things that are the parts and pieces of economy and commerce.

It would be a real pleasure to report that the coming seasonal chart that represents the trends of the year ahead is all about stability, comfort, and ease. But, not this year. If you thought 2009 was stressful, that was just the warm-up. What we have ahead of us is a challenge that will make us all pay more attention to the larger picture.

Corporate power is at a stage of morphing into a stronger, tighter core. Mergers will be very common between December and April. This is not likely to reflect job openings, rather more job loses and companies tightening up. Where are the new jobs? What are the new jobs? If small companies are not growing and big companies are monopolizing, who is stimulated to move in a new direction? Where is the innovation of new business? It is going to take a revolution of thinking to bring around real changes. Right now, people are still lulled into thinking that something is “going to open up.”

The power of the people is truly in the small community and local networks. In many respects, we will be starting over in 2010. Creatively, there is energy for projects that benefit the community. When people draw together socially, we feel the heart and look into the eyes of our neighbors. It is timely to be brainstorming for new ways to help each other survive and to maintain our small local community power. One thing that can make a difference in our survival is participating in community associations, school-parent groups, and all of the various ways that people work together. Staying connected and being a contributing member of a group or community is an opportunity to share ideas and bring social issues to a place of solving problems.

If we look to history to see the resilience of humanity, new growth appears after devastation. New systems replace what has failed. The pioneering spirit erupts into action and innovation takes hold. I expect there will be some shocking events in 2010 that will stimulate social changes. I am looking for the awakening of goodness and compassion within the small community to counter the stark contrast of global economic struggle and personal suffering.

Blessings of the season to all.

The turning of the season brings us around to the close of some cyclic combinations of energies that began this time last year and had dramatic affects on the economy around the world. There is also the introduction to a shifting of energies that will take on the new relevance in the drama of the world at large in the coming year.

If you recall, it was the second week of September last year when the banks began to fail, followed by the automakers. In mid-October with Mercury retrograde, congress pushed through a rushed “bail-out” and started the practice of national economic support for big corporations. This year will continue the panicky decision-making by lawmakers who are trying to maintain “business as usual.” However, the end of the favoritism of big corporations is coming. The trickle-down of aid to Main Street has not yet been dispersed, and jobs are continuing to be eliminated.

There is growing tension and polarity at all levels, from international relationships, political ideologies, business management versus labor, and down to the personal “self-other” relationships. Dissatisfaction and frustration have discussions blown out of proportion. The month of September is dotted every few days with some factor that will keep things stewing. The key factor at the root is the third contact of the important 45-year cyclic opposition between Saturn (order, structure, and status quo) and Uranus (freedom, revolution and unexpected sudden changes.) These two important planets have a long history of relevance to major social and political events. They met in opposition last in 1965-67. They came together in joining in 1988. This is again the full moon phase of their cycle. They are moving toward their final contact in August 2010, when they will also make a major challenging contact with Pluto (power, transformation, and the masses.) This important time is called the Cardinal Climax, because these slow outer planets will be connecting at the beginning of Cardinal signs, the signs of the Equinoxes and Solstices. Historically, this axis brings major changes that affect all people. This Autumn Equinox is the amping up of these energies as the faster moving planets energize the Cardinal axis and trigger the heavier energies.

In our most recent history, 1931 was the year these planets created a similar powerful interaction in Cardinal signs. There was the depression, when people were in extremely hard circumstances and the world was shifting in ideologies. Life over the next ten years was full of examples of the breakdown of security and prosperity for the masses. This led to the Saturn-Uranus joining in 1942 and World War II. The opposition in the mid-60′s included Pluto joined with Uranus, and this is our most recent striking period of social, political, and economic change in the modern era.

What do we see starting to emerge in this current pattern? Well, we are quickly seeing the divide between the corporate wealthy and the general labor force. The heated falsified drama drummed up by the Pharmaceutical corps and the Oil corps are two good examples of the polarity between those who resist change (and loss of their hold on wealth) and the obvious need for change to benefit the larger masses of everyday people.

We may see the renewed discussion of “bail outs” and with Mercury retrograde from September 7 to 29; the issues are likely to give attention to last year’s decisions by congress. Power struggles and more back room trash are due to come out during the middle of the month. The new moon on the 18^th is especially dramatic. The days surrounding the lunation have several strong planetary patterns taking us right into the Equinox on the 22^nd that has Saturn and Mercury joined with the Sun and Moon, all opposing Uranus. There could be revolution in the air when we overlay this pattern on the USA chart. Things are going to become more dramatic through the end of 2009.

As individuals, we need to try to stabilize our lives as much as we can. This may be difficult for some as the energies are quite a lot about upheaval and change. Yet, we may need change to find stability. We might have to let go of long held ideas about how our lives work, if things are not working. Each generational group will be feeling this collective process differently. Those people born in the ‘60′s are experiencing the midlife crisis, while the Baby Boomers are facing choices of retirement or career change. A very large segment of the population is feeling challenged by the shifts that are initiating in this month of September.

We do live each day, one at a time. This month will bring attention to reviewing and reorganizing our lives. The larger cycles are already pushing the edges of every decision we make. The high side of Mercury retrograde is the potential to finish old business, reconnect with family and friends, and clear out clutter to recycle. This will help us make the best of changing times.

Mercury, planet of communication, commerce, and contracts is moving in reverse from May 7 to 31. This means that the whole month will have little problem issues cropping up over broken equipment, transportation problems, lost items, misunderstandings and having to re-do things. Try to take it in stride, as this occurs every three months. The helpful side to this process is that we are often motivated to clean up clutter, reorganize, and review plans and intentions. This is not a good time for signing contracts. This period often has people making promises and commitments that they cannot follow through. There tends to be changes during this time that can clear up when information flows again after Mercury turns direct. It is a good time for any kind of review process and renegotiating.

This process will apply directly to the “BAILOUT” of the big banks that started back in October. There will need to be another level of review and negotiation because the first agreements that Congress made under George Bush need to be adjusted, and in some cases, eliminated from the contracts.

There is a unique cluster of planets at the end of the month, that combined with the Moon’s phases is initiating a new 14 year cycle that focuses on socio-economic and spiritual themes. This infuses the collective with fresh ideals and optimism towards more inclusive and harmonious social trends. Acceptance of unique differences will be apparent through the rest of this year as a collective trend, including interactions among world governments. The economic summits last March are a good example of how these meetings are going to go.

The people of the United States are the recipients of this orientation towards peace and helping each other. Our government is giving a lot of attention to helping the masses that have been to desperately affected by the economic crisis. The imagination and openness toward alternative ways of doing business will steadily begin to develop new businesses and new avenues of income for many people. May is the month to review. June will spark new forward motion with a better understanding of what we need for the next steps to new jobs and a revived economy.

June will bring us better substance and security in the economic trends. We know that it is going to take a long time to regain solid footing, because these past several months have pushed so many people to the economic breaking point. This month we will start to feel like we can begin to plan and to make commitments. This will promote some very good business deals. The end of the third week has some very positive connections for mutually beneficial agreements for most types of contracts.

June also has good energy for loving relationships and forming bonds of trust. This June will produce some good marriage dates, although the best days are on weekdays. There is so much non-traditional energy overall. Why not have an unconventional wedding on a weekday? The best thing is that there is good agreement among the planets that will promote enduring kinds of commitments. That’s not something that happens every June. Good luck to lovers.

Image from: www.freeimages.co.uk

2009 happy new year

The New Year begins with several new cycles that give us different levels of changes to take advantage of, and initiate our own new beginnings. 2008 was a dramatic year in many respects. We had the theater of politics with new performing artists capturing our attention in a way that hasn’t happened for decades. The satire of the real politicians was almost as amusing first hand, as it was replayed by SNL. The collapse of the general marketplace is serious drama, with more layers coming. We will be letting go of more expanded habits and curbing our spending appetites in the coming early months of 2009.

The Winter Solstice is an important new cycle each year that sets the tone of many things. This year is especially potent for major renovations in foundational structures of business and economy, of systems and departments of governments, and down to personal patterns of responsibility and personal security. Where we have expanded beyond the solid boundary of black ink on the ledger, we will find ourselves in precarious territory. The forced purging of excess can also bring out interesting lessons and innovations. America is preparing to make major revaluing in all major areas of life. Our society is in need of major psychological review.

On the personal and local level, as individuals we will benefit from becoming more involved and acquainted to the people of our closest community. The time is passing for the level of anonymity that has become so common, especially in urban areas. Country people are much better at knowing their neighbors and creating communal support systems. When jobs are lacking, homes are foreclosed and businesses are failing, it becomes a blight in whole communities. To work for stronger local economies, we will need to pull together and not let each other fall to the gobbling corporate giants that will otherwise get the best of us for pennies on the dollar. New concepts of local people helping local people are the answers to these possibilities. 2009 will stimulate community brainstorming rather than hopelessness.

The Wall Street bailout is an example of the last gasp of the old guard trying to save themselves, but not the people. The plan happened under the last Mercury retrograde period. Mercury retraces its path from January 11 to February 2. This is a period of review and not one of clear-minded new decisions. The financial issues will loom large all year because of the wasteful decision to give the banks funds without oversight. There will be a lot of time and talk given to undoing the decisions of last October. The new administration comes into office knee deep in old business that demands reevaluation.

The end of January and early February is excited by eclipses, which tend to bring out themes of change. The focus relative to the United States chart is on resources and debts. The high potential is that the new government goes right to the task of revitalizing the American workforce with jobs of new technologies and future oriented training centers. At the same time, Americans are swamped with high interest debt. The sacrifice should come from the big banks that are holding back the real help that is needed for the lower income masses. Tax changes and debt forgiveness programs could help the country as much as the CEO’s giving their last five years of gravy back to the people. (Wishful thinking is going to get us through these times.)

Barack Obama will take his oath of office with his own important cycles taking him to great heights in the eyes of the world. While his new administration settles in, the team spirit will be a growing positive influence on everyone’s sense of future goals. The first steps will be to unify the cabinet and Congress. The Mercury cycle will key in to bringing disclosures from many areas of government business as leftovers from the outgoing managers. The news could be very interesting over the coming weeks.

The influence of the Lunar eclipse February 9 will likely give us relief to save people from losing their homes by working out new debt programs, and relief from piling interest and fees from credit card companies. The potential for people to see benefit from such changes could be as early as the end of February. It is also possible at that time to see the innovation of individuals come out with community plans and cooperatives to support each other locally. The themes of the cycles initiating 2009 focus on the group and the good of all. Many hands working together build harmonious futures.

Revolutionary Energies

What an amazing time this is! There are strong, revolutionary energies at work now. On Election Day, two slow moving planets meet in opposition to each other, marking a cycle of 43-45 years. Their last such meeting was 1965, a very volatile period of American history. By Thanksgiving, another important astrological event occurs that calls out our pre-Constitution history. Over the next 18 months, these three planets will move into a pattern that connects them in a powerful energetic alignment that will focus on collective, global events. These planets will trigger monumental changes as they enter what is called the Cardinal Climax. November 2008 is the “kick-off” to the whole party.

The Presidential campaign has been a good illustration of the opposition of Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces. Saturn represents tradition, authority, and the “status quo” of government and business. We often see Saturn represented as the older, “father-figure.” Saturn is moving through Virgo, the sign of details, analysis, health, and service. When Saturn entered Virgo in September 2007, the housing bubble burst. Now, the government has taken on the regulation and assessment of the financial sector, the super banks. Saturn limits and restricts, and calls for accountability. This is the Senate Hearing Committees calling failed bankers to explain their actions.

Uranus is the energy of breaking out of old restrictions and inventing new systems and techniques. In the ‘60’s, Uranus was joined with the power planet, Pluto. Then, we witnessed the overthrow of a social system that was built on a power hierarchy that disenfranchised minorities. The transformation of laws and social ideas is refreshed in our awareness now as these planets once again connect and redistribute power and wealth. Money has taken on the greatest power in the world. The shift at hand will bring our attention back to balancing our relationship with nature and humanity.

Uranus in Pisces represents the youth movement of consciousness and green living. Pisces is a sign of inclusiveness. It rules the oceans and the type of unifying things like atmosphere, breath, and the way water disperses everything it contains. Uranus is the idea of change, unexpected and unique. It always brings surprises.
In this Presidential contest, people appear to be strongly leaning toward the CHANGE candidate, but the outcome could be a shocking surprise. Consider how electrical energy can seem to come out of nowhere. A stray lightening bolt can travel miles and ricochet in wild directions. When lightening strikes water, it affects every molecule. The close of the poles in Hawaii features Neptune, planet of confusion and deception on the top of the chart, suggesting that we may have another long, vote “clarifying” process. It might be two to three weeks before the election is decided.

The New Moon, just before the election, has the influence of a face-off of rational ideas versus passionate emotions. The week before the election has the power of a steam-roller generating an undercurrent of emotional distortions. The Full Moon, a week after the election, introduces practical assessments. There will be better news on the economy after the 13th. This period will have many announcements and agreements that will move the economy forward, if a bit cautiously over the next few months.

The Sagittarius New Moon on Thanksgiving Day has a theme of hope and optimism. My projection is that Barack Obama wins the Presidency. This lunation has strong contacts to the horoscopes of both Obama and McCain, and to the Vice Presidential candidate’s charts. Senator Biden’s chart suggests he is taking on more responsibility. Sarah Palin’s chart appears to send her home to Alaska. McCain’s chart receives harsh challenge from the slow planets that create this remarkable period. Obama and his family move into the spotlight.

This New Moon hosts the movement of Pluto into the sign Capricorn, which represents corporations and large structures such as governments. Pluto represents power and transformation, as well as the power of money. Plutocrats are people with too much money, like the parachuting CEO’s of the fallen banks and insurance companies. The next 15 years will be comparable to America’s pre-Constitution struggles with England. In the next 5 years, Pluto’s influence will be affecting the US treasury and the entire global financial system. Pluto represents metamorphosis, so get ready for a new form of currency. New types of businesses and ways for people to survive the death of the old system will be the talk of coming months.

Astrologically, 2008 is a step toward evolutionary social changes. The long step to connecting with our past is to see the similarity to certain patterns that occurred between 1762 to 1776. The events that pushed the colonists to stand up and take their power to be self-governing were largely economic. Colonists were well established and their growing population felt that they deserved self-governance and representation for their financial interests. This was the beginning of the American Revolution. The financial foundation of America was established during this period. People were innovative and became more socially unified because of their circumstances.

Two other periods of social change have cyclic contacts with current trends as well. One dramatic period of social change relative to current time was 1965-66, and the other less marked period is 1988. The mid-1960’s was the larger revolution of civil rights, the wasteful war in Viet Nam, and the seeds of the technological revolution. In the fall of 1987, we had the stock market crash of the internet stocks, “Black Monday.” By the summer of 1988, we had a 14-year low of unemployment. The themes that link all of these periods are human rights, economic struggle, and a demand for political changes. These periods each have dramatic astrological signatures that correlate to collective change based on universal principles. Later this year, begins another of these important geocosmic signatures that will stimulate evolutionary and revolutionary changes.

What we must do is be alert to the trends at the community level. Through July, the natural influence is to give time and loving energy to family and friends. It is natural to have more social gatherings and family playtime. During such events, we have the perfect opportunity to discuss and share our circumstances and build support. We can pool our experiences and brainstorm ways to work together for more security.

The energy is good for taking action, where we have had a very sluggish year for productivity. It is a good time to be strategic in our plans for the next few months. Early July has the perfect pairing of energies for having a vision of long-term goals and the motivation for discipline to restructure habits. Service projects are a great use of the energies this month. Cleaning, restoring, reorganizing will give a good feeling of accomplishment and clear the path for new activities. This energy lasts most of the month. The full moon on July 17 will emphasize the benefit of group energy and community focus.

By the last week of July, there is very high energy for peaceful actions. There could be an opportunity for resolutions in international relationships. In the year of so following the turning points I mention above, some very positive events led to peace agreements, new industry, and some improvement in the overall economic climate. Personal relationships are favored as well in this phase.