From: http://www.soothesayer.com

Planetary Emphasis (for astrologers):

March 8^th, Full Moon at 18 degrees of Virgo, New Moon at 2 degrees of Aries March 22^nd, Mercury goes retrograde March 12^th square Pluto and conjunct Uranus (and goes direct April 4^th), Venus in Taurus is conjunct Jupiter and trine Mars on March 14^th.

The transiting nodes of the Moon reach the Antares/Aldebaran axis and are square retrograde Mars in Virgo between March 13^th and the 26th.  Mercury is inconjunct Saturn March 1^st through 2^nd, and March 24^th through 27^th.

Wars going amok:

The price of war in financial terms, and in terms of lives lost or essentially destroyed will emerge this month, especially as Mars square the transiting nodes hits the Neptune in the chart of Afghanistan and the critical Pluto/Uranus square hits their nodes.  In addition, the chart of Pres. Hamid Karzai will be hit shortly by the coming May 20^th eclipse square Neptune.  Last month’s accidental burning of the Koran there by Americans has set off a monumental determination by Afghanis to get American soldiers out and topple Karzai’s already weakened government.  This is a nation that is not really a nation in the traditional sense.  It is comprised of widely scattered tribal villages with the Taliban and fundamental Islam as practically their only form of order and drugs as their only industry.  My take is that we will be getting out of there sooner rather than later, recognizing that things are falling apart and it is a hopeless mission to be there.

Mars (war and conflict) will go direct on April 14^th and there is an accelerating “spin” and “push” to attack Iran.  The sanctions we have imposed and threats by the government of Israel to bomb their nuclear sites are behind the most recent derivatives traders “skyrocketing” the price of oil.  There are absolutely no credible reports proving that Iran has a nuclear weapon; only that they have “nuclear capability”.  Their only real ally in the Middle East is Syria who, as we all know, is in the middle of a civil war to oust the Assad government.  Former member of the Reagan administration, David Stockman, in a recent interview on CNN says that “Iran is not the axis of evil, but the axis of Medieval” and is of the opinion that it would be disastrous to attack this nation.  I think the Obama administration does not want a war there to happen and is hoping that sanctions will work to halt their nuclear program and that sanity will prevail.  I think things are very tricky, and very dangerous especially April through June of this year.

The Economy:

The week of March 11^th, Mars, Venus and Jupiter all are trine Pluto, usually an optimistic set of aspects for the economy.  However, with Mercury going retrograde on the 12^th and colliding with Uranus on the 18^th, things could rather quickly reverse themselves.  More confusion abounds when Mercury (back in late Pisces) is inconjunct Saturn the 26^th – 27^th.   If you are a speculator/trader, you look for fast moves from day to day or month to month.  The current Bull Market in stocks could easily be reversed by June of this year.  This newsletter is not as concerned with short term trades, especially since financial markets are heavily manipulated by giant banks and derivatives traders.  I am more concerned about real people’s personal financial survival between now and 2020, at which point I think we will reach the bottom of what may possibly be one of the greatest depressions in American history.

The “economic evils” have become entrenched in our society.  Giant transnational corporations see themselves as replacements for countries, beyond the systems of taxation and the rule of law.  Our national interests have been submerged by monopoly companies who are either buying out or crushing small entrepreneurial enterprises which have been the “life’s blood” of America.  They have “bought out” government legislators who are assured campaign monies and high paying jobs when they leave Congress.  They have used the government to bail out the criminal banking enterprises deemed “too big to fail”, who have used and lost trillions of dollars in the casino world of derivatives trade.  They have outsourced manufacturing to nations with a cheap labor force and no environmental laws.

The Feds are busy printing a lot of money, creating rapid inflation, and keeping interest rates low.  The dollar is losing its status as a world currency.  Europe’s various economies are coming apart at the seams.  By around 2015, we will not be able to continue as a solvent nation.  Interest rates will have to rise.  I think between 2017 and 2020, we may see unemployment around 50%, the collapse of insurance companies and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and lowered real estate prices we have not seen since the 1970s.  The Federal Reserve, as an institution may come to an end either in its present form or altogether.

Survival Guide:

The looming question is: how do we survive these times.  I still think that commodities are all this nation has left in the way of tangible assets.  Farmland (especially property containing aquifers), oil and gas, gold and silver are all assets to hold over the long term. Financial markets are subject to manipulation by large financial institutions.  J. P. Morgan is under investigation now in a class action suit in Federal Court for massive manipulation of the silver market to cover their shorts.  Recently both gold and silver went sharply up and sharply down again the end of February.  Silver supply has almost collapsed and when all this unravels, silver could have extremely powerful moves upward, as will gold.  I think that in Oct. of this year, when Saturn goes into Scorpio, trine Neptune and sextile Pluto by December, we will see strong upward movements in the metals.  I would tend to avoid exchange traded funds and find more direct ways to own gold and silver.

Get out of debt.  If you can pay cash for your property, I would recommend owning houses and apartments that you can rent.  Remember, however, that being a landlord is not without its problems.  You need to have your property in areas people are employed and can afford to pay the rent.  You need to have a list of good contractors to keep things in good repair.  Invest in energy efficient windows and insulation to keep your energy costs down.

The fire arms business is rapidly becoming a top earning sector.  Gun stores and shooting ranges are at record highs in customers and sales.   People are losing their jobs, their homes, and any hope that the government is on their side.  Pepper spraying peaceful protesters in the OWS movement is violating our constitutional right to peacefully protest.  The recently passed law that grants the military the right to arrest U.S. citizens without due process is creating the impression that we are living in a police state.  President Obama recently released his rules waiving detention of Americans (Section 1022 of the Defense Authorization Bill).  However, many are skeptical of what would happen if he leaves office and this original bill is in effect for the next president.  In reaction to all this, many persons are arming themselves to the hilt.  If there is anything, among all the other conditions, which points to our society breaking down, this is it.

Buy preserved food in small packages that make up healthy meals.  Buying large cans or boxes destroys the shelf life when you open them if you do not use them right away.  Store potable water, medical supplies, warm clothing and blankets.  Have some effective means to filter and purify your drinking water.   Have a generator in case electricity goes down for a period of time.  Store some gold bullion and cash in a secret safe place that is easily accessible to you.

Have an organic garden in your back yard, or in a container and grow as much of your own food as possible.  Preserve heritage seeds.  You might think of getting together with your neighbors and starting a community block garden, with everyone pitching in.  This leads me to what is really important.  Connect with your neighbors, your friends, and your community.  Nature demonstrates to us that “singletons” do not survive well, but teams and groups do.  Your own family and neighbors need to have information about what lies ahead and be prepared.  If they are not, people will likely go into a kind of instinctive survival frenzy, attacking each other.  Instead, we must come to the realization that we will likely survive and thrive by helping each other.  In a strange way, living through crises as serious as these may restore ourselves to ourselves.  We may leave our depressions and escape mechanisms behind to bring to the moment a sense of immediacy,  meaning and purpose.

I am of the opinion that as we march into the 2020s, we will create and innovate a new prosperity, new economic paradigms, new more effectively democratic governments, and a new source of energy, beyond fossil fuels, that will change the whole direction of human civilization.

Weather and Travel,

In February, there were severe tornadoes in the Midwestern U.S.  I think the Mercury inconjunct Saturn the 1^st through the 2^nd of this month and again retrograde and hitting again the 24^th through the 27^th could symbolize the likelihood of more severe weather of this kind.  In addition, Mercury hits Uranus between between the 5^th and the 6^th and retrograde over it again between the 16^th and the 18^th.  Thus, I would discourage air travel during these periods.  This could be a very difficult month, in general, for unforeseen weather extremes.

Final Thoughts:

As we prepare for Passover and Easter and the coming of the Vernal Equinox, the powerful forces in nature of gestation, birth, and rebirth are remembered and replayed.  What seems to die in Winter emerges victorious in the Spring.  When all seems lost, confused, asleep in the time of Pisces, an awakening comes as Aries rises to greet us in all its youth, courage, and fire.  The real warrior is the victor over himself and his baser impulses; the leader who reaches out to others, willing to sacrifice personal indulgences for the greater good of all humanity.

There is nothing more powerful than the thrust of life renewed.  The dark historic times in which we are currently living seem overwhelming, until we wake up to a morning sun lighting the way to a massive directional change.  A better life, an enriched soul, a renewed earth all lie within our grasp.  We have only to make the choice.  The time is now.

I would like to call your attention to the launch on March 13^th of “Believe”, Eldon Taylor’s latest book.  Eldon is a New York Times best selling author of many books about the power of the human mind to change the courses of our lives by recognizing the barriers we have erected and take them down.  To read my comments and buy this book, click here.

Linda

Note: I welcome all your comments whether they are critical or complimentary.  This site represents astrology as a tool for a deeper understanding of the themes and issues of our times.  This period in which we all live may be the most critical time for human civilization ever!  It is my wish that we all do our best with whatever talent we have been given, to further the survival and evolution of life on planet earth!

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