Dear friends,
With a month past since publicly posting predictions
here, it's time for a review.
"July 5 2005 to August 5 2005 is a particularly bad time for President Bush.
Wayward communications undo the power of his administration more seriously now
than in past years of his presidency. After August 13 or so, he is released from
his problems and temporarily in the clear." *** 7/14/05
"These communications or leaked documents such as Downing Street memo or Valeria
Plame issue may lead to a full fledged scandal that dodges Bush and his
administration well into late 2005 and even in 2006. Problems resume in
September 2005, and December 2005 and January 2006 are particularly rough
months. His enemies come after him doggedly and persistently. Issues may not
completely resolve until early summer 2006. However, I think he will keep the
presidency and even if there are calls for impeachment he will not be removed
from office." *** 7/14/05
Comment: In July Bush was starting to feel the heat from the Plame scandal but
then media diverted its attention to the next Supreme Court nomination.
Interestingly it is the *absence* of communications that is getting him into
trouble, both with Rove in July and now Cindy Sheehan in August. More on her
below. For those who know astrology, this is what we can expect with the
diluting South node passing over his natal Moon-Jupiter conjunction in his 3rd
house. But with Jupiter concurrently transiting this very same Moon-Jupiter in
August, I thought the pressure would ease up and it did for a little while. But
Jupiter will quickly pass into Scorpio where it will not be as strong a force
for GW, and Saturn is bearing down on his Ascendant.
Cindy Sheehan is getting a lot of press, even making it into the NY Times
editorials and on to the worldwide BBC radio headlines. Why now? Women from Code
Pink have been protesting Bush for years. Why not one of them in 2002? Because
Saturn is now in Leo and the time is ripe for people revolting against the
leaders. "His enemies come after him doggedly and persistently." Cindy Sheehan
is not going away. Protests are not going away. This is just the beginning.
"The real estate market will peak sometime between now (records could even show
May or June 05 as the official high) and September 2006. Successive turning
points: 5/05, 7/05, 10/05, 12/05, 6/06, 8/06. By turning points I mean: first
the smart money sells out (this is already happening), then word starts to
appear in the high level investment houses for upper level private clients, then
gradually trickles down to the public. In October 2005 the public will change
their sentiments about wild speculation in real estate and be much more risk
averse." *** 7/14/05"
Comment: I keep to this prediction. The smart money and many in the know hear
'that hissing sound.' This includes Paul Krugman, popular NY Times columnist and
Princeton Economics PhD, who wrote a column with exactly this title just last
week.
http://www.pkarchive.org/
Go to columns,
then see 8.8.05
There's more. The SF Gate reported on July 22 that Richard Kiyosaki, real estate
entrepreneur and author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and many others has turned
bearish on the market.
http://tinyurl.com/8eege
But the North
node is transiting the 4th house of lands in the US chart until June 2006 and as
long as this is happening all the people who are benefiting from this real
estate boom will refuse to believe that it is coming to an end, just as everyone
who was profiting from dot-com mania had a long adjustment phase to 21st century
reality. It is the very people in denial who foolishly purchase and indebt
themselves in overpriced markets who will be paying the price when the balloon
deflates, just as the public was left with the sting of investment accounts at
half their former value while the smart money sold out in '99 and retired to
wine estates in Napa. As Krugman points out, though, there is a big difference
between stock crashes and real estate slowdowns - read his column.
"We will see hints of peak oil starting early as October 2005. By this I do not
mean reserves are totally exhausted; but the reality of increasing demand and
dwindling supplies will hit our wallets at the pump." ** 7/14/05
Comment: We are seeing this already. Oil and gasoline prices have both jumped to
new highs and Mars has been in Taurus for just over two weeks out of six months.
Mars in Taurus can be drive for pleasure, pursuit of safety and also quite
literally *fight for resources.* This drive to secure the fuel for our
relentless economic engine means prices are going up and up. Just wait until
October when Mars retrogrades in Taurus. You know how Mercury retrograde
emphasizes and skews communications at the same time? Ditto with Mars - this
means fighting spirit gone haywire - come fall.
From Star Pears 8*1*05: "I hereby predict louder love sighs from your neighbors
(and hopefully you as well!) for the next 6 months."
Half in jest but true! If your neighbors aren't complying, you can download
files to your iPod. The SF Gate reported just last week that audio sexcasts are
on the rise.
http://tinyurl.com/b3ypa
*
And now for a review of another sort: a book review of Liz Greene's "Saturn: A
New Look at an Old Devil." Since I am undergoing a significant Saturn-Moon
transit, I decided to read one of the modern classics on Saturn. Published in
1976, this book is still up there in the Amazon rankings. Liz Greene is quite
astute and she has many interesting things to say. But everything is based on
the model of 1st house equals Aries, 2nd house equals Taurus, and so on around
the zodiac. So she writes about Saturn in the 1st house and Saturn in Aries as
if these are one and the same thing. In my view as a professional astrologer,
this is quite wrong, and makes for a very muddy astrology.
There is a world of difference between Saturn in the first and Saturn in Aries.
Saturn in the first can indicate someone who is serious, thoughtful, tends
towards self restraint and responsibility, highly motivated yet subject to fear.
Often people with Saturn in the first grow up more quickly than their peers -
they are the mature ones who do things that people 10 years their senior are
doing. They can even look older. And the houses that Saturn rules take on
particular importance as Saturn brings these areas of life to the person. Saturn
ruling the 7th in the first will involve the person with partnerships; Saturn
ruling the 9th in the first will involve the person with education, travel or
spirituality.
Saturn in Aries at its most basic level means delays and restrictions in new
adventures. It doesn't necessarily mean someone who is thoughtful or mature. In
fact it can be the reverse. There can be a fear of new things which can result
in restraint in certain circumstances, but everything depends on where this
Saturn in Aries is in the chart - this is usually a very problematic house.
Saturn in the first has its challenges, but this is not the same nastiness as
Saturn in Aries, traditionally considered the worst sign for the most difficult
planet.
Liz Greene follows this 1st house equals Aries model until she gets to Cancer,
when she says the traditional astrologers (like me) view this as the house of
the father. And surprisingly she says in her experience this is right! There is
really no connection between Cancer and fathers, so this is a glaring
contradiction in logic. I don't know why she doesn't take the next step to
question the entire paradigm and let signs be signs and houses be houses. She
was probably just going along with the astrology she was taught. However this
model is still quite common, and if there are any readers who still think this
way I encourage you to re-examine this.
When she gets to aspects, she writes on them without distinction of the type of
aspect or the nature of the signs involved. Saturn-Mercury are all the same,
regardless of square, trine, etc, and she completely ignores the traditional
refinement of reception, or relationship between signs.
So in summary, this book is useful for a person with moderate astrology
experience who wants some insights on Saturn. But for someone learning
astrology, the generalities do more harm than good. It is much better to learn
about Saturn, the signs and the houses all as separate concepts, then combine
the principles. When they are mixed together inappropriately, understanding
suffers. If Liz learned a bit of traditional astrology, she'd be truly profound.
Until then, read if you are skilled enough to pick out the gems, but not if you
are trying to learn a valid astrology.
More book reviews coming soon on the Learning Astrology page.
*
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*
Star*Watch
All times PDT. See below for comments on other visible planets. The Sun and Moon
together set the tone of the time. The Sun is our outer orientation for the
month; Moon signs and aspects are the energetic pulls of the day, and tell us
how we approach the truth of the Sun. Planet aspects influence the energies for
several days (sometimes weeks) before and even after the aspect depending on the
planets involved.
Sun * in Leo. We want to shine. We live a bit of our movie-star glamour life. We
dress with a bit more snazz, and act with panache. We're living it large. Though
Saturn is now in Leo, the Sun has past the test and difficulties feel on the
wane. The trap of Leo - me me me!
Moon * days 12 - 18 (new Moon is day 1). Bright Moon turns Full in Aquarius
Friday morning.
Monday 8/15 * Moon in Sagittarius, into Capricorn in the afternoon, Mercury
direct! We've explored with Moon in Sag, now we get serious with Moon in
Capricorn. Projects that have been on hold start to move ahead. Many people
cheer Mercury turning forward. But since I am playing Saturn today I can say
this is just the station, and while things do start to move Mercury still needs
a week to get up to speed. Don't buy the new computer just yet, but go ahead and
get the software.
Tuesday 8/16 * Moon in Capricorn, Venus into Libra in the evening. Now this is
something to celebrate. Venus moves from the sign of criticism, not the easiest
for romance, into *the* sign of partnerships. Hopefully while Venus in Virgo you
have made your bedroom clutter free and your skin glowing. Now for the next 4
weeks enjoy the pleasant ambiance and your improved self with that special
someone.
Wednesday 8/17 * Moon in Capricorn, into Aquarius in the afternoon, Jupiter
trine Neptune. Enjoying music, art, movies, alcohol, water in its infinity of
rivers? These and all things Neptunian have been especially attractive this
month, as they were in March 05 and November 04, the first and second passes of
this aspect. This is the third and last. Today, a dreamy afternoon and pleasure
evening, but hit the sack early. Around mid day until Saturday morning we'll be
oriented towards communication. "Look at this project I'm doing!" The Sun in Leo
likes to say.
Thursday 8/18 * Moon in Aquarius. A day for tasks of the mind. Aquarius is the
sharpest of the Air signs - this enhances thought, strategy, wisdom. We're
driven in the morning and enjoying your choice of Neptunian fluids (see 8/17) in
the eve.
Friday 8/19 * Full Moon in Aquarius, into Pisces in the afternoon. With the Sun
in Leo and the Moon in Aquarius, I am doing my thing, the community is doing its
thing, so how do these come together? How does our path interact with those
around us? We will try to balance both in our life today. Jupiter-Neptune is on
the wane but with Moon in Pisces many people will double the drink tonight after
a week of getting much done.
Saturday 8/20 * Moon in Pisces, Venus sextile Saturn. With Moon in Pisces, we
need sweet experience - art, music, meditation, whatever brings the buzz. This
weekend we'll especially like all old things: movie classics, the symphony,
ancient teachings, elders. We're enjoying comforts of home too, much more so now
with Saturn out of Cancer.
Sunday 8/21 * Moon in Pisces, into Aries in the afternoon. The last part of
Pisces is a special time for visioning. Allow time and space for mind to go
where it wants without agenda - this is where we find new treasures. Then when
the cycle starts in Aries we know just where to go. Amble near the ocean this
morning or early afternoon - save a strenuous workout for after 4:00 pm.
Have a stellar week!
Peace and love,
Jonathan Pearl
If you don't want to know why oil is going up and why real estate is going down,
just reply with a "No thanks" and you'll be off the list.
Wandering Stars - the planets
Mercury * in Leo. Our minds are bold and confident, and we want some of the
spotlight with our speech. We think of elegance and luxury. The best of Leo:
it's a grand life! The trap - it's all about me. Mercury in Leo through
September 4. Mercury retrogrades July 22 and turns direct on August 15.
Venus * in Virgo, into Libra. Our organizing, accomplishing and projects are -
hopefully! - done. We end the criticism and start to enjoy our relationships.
The people that just weren't good enough are starting to appeal again. Make
amends and enjoy the partnership. But beware, Venus meets the Tail of the Dragon
midway through Libra, and this can mean acceptance of loss in relationships just
as much as we are focused on having them. Venus in Libra August 16 through
September 11.
Mars * in Taurus. Strong drive for safety and pleasure. We're content to do
without risks - we'd rather pad our bank accounts and spend extra time for sheer
physical pleasure. Mars retrogrades here 10/1 - 12/9, so in Taurus until
February 06.
Jupiter * in Libra. Blessings in love and partnerships! Learning in realms of
art and beauty. Jupiter now direct, so abundance and blessings are coming our
way! Jupiter in Libra through October 2005.
Saturn * in Cancer. Structure and responsibility in the domain of our innermost
feeling life and among our families and tribes. A positive vision of this
energy: the sensitive yet authoritative parent. Saturn direct in Cancer through
July 2005.
Dragon's Head * in Aries. We gain by new adventures and physical vigor, yet are
more prone to hostility.
Dragon's Tail * in Libra. We fear loss in relationships. Art explores the
unseen.
* * * MAY ALL BE AUSPICIOUS * * *
