Review and Preview
The giant "fire sale" signified by Financial Astrology continues. It fact, it is happening much faster than expected, as many stock indices throughout the world are already experiencing the 50-90% decline form their all-time highs as forecasted several years ago for this very time frame.
The unrelenting force of the 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition cycle is upon us. This is just the first leg down of the Cardinal Climax. Two things are unfolding this year. First, Pluto moved into Capricorn on January 26, 2008 for a brief time (until June 13). It will reenter it for 15 years beginning on Nov 26, 2008. The second is that a five-fold passage of Saturn and Uranus begins in 2008. The first passage happens right on Election Day, Nov 4, 2008, and that will continue through July 26, 2010. However, it is apparent that the headwinds of this powerful 45-year planetary opposition, as well as the 248-year Pluto-in-Capricorn cycle, are happening right now. My best guess is that we do not hit the peak of the Saturn-Uranus opposition cycle until the middle of its time band, or around September 2009, +/-4 months.
All of the principles of these two signatures are already manifesting, however, almost two months before the aspect technically takes place. I believe the advent of this crisis reached the "birthing phase" on the Full Moon of Sept 15, which conjuncted Uranus. Everything before that was conception and gestation. That was the end of the "translation phase" of the Sun to Saturn-Uranus, September 3-12, but the Full Moon also translated Saturn and Uranus exactly on Sept 15. That was the day Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen made his infamous "reassurance speech" on national television about the strength and resilience of the economy, thereby setting into motion a stampede to divest assets for cash, which had suddenly dried up. Now, three weeks later, I don't think anyone doubts that a crisis -- a financial panic, if you will -- has hit the world. This is exactly the type of psychological climate that corresponds to Saturn in opposition to Uranus.
For all intents and purposes, we are fully living the Cardinal Climax now. And we are still building up to only the first passage of the Saturn-Uranus opposition. Uranus, the planet of change, revolution, winds, and freedom, is colliding on a plane with the principles of Saturn, the planet of traditions, boundaries, cement, earth, and conservatism. Every thing with a form is vulnerable to change, and nothing -- perhaps only "nothing" -- is permanent. And if you think it is, Pluto in Capricorn will soon convince you otherwise.
There is no need to review what happened last week in the world equity markets, except that on Friday the DJIA fell to a new 6-year low of 7882 intraday. This is nearing the target of our first leg down, which is 6500-7500. Stock indices around the world collapsed all week in one of the largest sell-offs in history. Crude Oil, Silver, and grains also broke down sharply, as did the currencies against the U.S. Dollar. Nothing was spared, which is one of the characteristics of Saturn in opposition to Uranus. It is not just like an earthquake, which these two planets in hard represent. It is more like a nuclear explosion. But it can also be a time of incredibly brilliant awareness. Let's hope the potential for enlightenment soon strikes our economic and banking leaders, and they find the way out of this black hole vortex we have fallen into.
Short-Term Geocosmics
The middle of this retrograde period produced a sharp rally that lasted less than one day last week in equity markets. Other markets, like Gold, grains, and currencies, had a bounce that lasted 1-4 days, which is more typical of the middle of the retrograde zone. But then they too resumed their downturn.
For this coming week, we find a Full Moon on Tuesday October 14, followed by the return of Mercury to its direct motion the next day. Astrologically, this could correspond to a temporary end of the painful first leg down of the bear market in equity prices. However, Mercury changing directions is minor in comparison to the force of the Saturn-Uranus opposition which is still approaching, and not due for its first hit until November 4. It feels like a hurricane watch, with headwinds already wreaking great damage before the center of the storm reaches land.
On a somewhat positive note, Venus ended its sextile-trine to that Saturn-Uranus opposition on Friday, October 10. That too could correspond to some relief, however temporary. I realize everyone would like to believe the bottom of this plunge is happening right now and things will return to normal. However, I cannot make that statement from my knowledge of these geocosmic factors. This is a debt crisis, and in case no one realizes it, that is what money has become. It is a medium of "debt" (Pluto). Now we leave Pluto (debt) in Sagittarius (expansion). For the next 15 years, it will be Pluto (debt) in Capricorn (contraction). It is a whole new playing field. Save your money, protect your capital, pay off your debt and let the banks figure out what they have to do to save their souls from their inane accounting practices of the past 35 years that considered debt as a measure of worth. Maybe with Pluto in Capricorn they will back up their "worth" with something tangible again, instead of as percentage of how much debt they can put on their books.
Longer-Term Thoughts
Last week I shared a quote from the "Forecasts for 1996" book that described the times we are now entering. This week I refer to the Forecast for 1998 book, two years later, which not only describes the times we are now entering, but especially an industry that defines the part of the world I come from: Detroit, the automobile capital of the world. We use to say, "Whatever happens to GM happens also to the USA as a whole." Once again, this has proved to an accurate precursor to the times the USA is entering now. The entire country is now experiencing what the auto companies have been going through for several years. This is from Forecasts 1998, written in October-November, 1997:
The magnitude of each crisis depends upon the phase of the longer-term cycle of which it is but a part. 1998-2000 may represent one of those crises points from the study of the Kondratieff Cycle and Astrology. However, it is smaller in magnitude than one that is due to arise 2008-2014... It will also represent a time in which Pluto will enter the constellation of Capricorn and in T-Square to Uranus entering Aries and Saturn Libra (2008-2011). But during that time and extending an additional three years to 2014, each of these planets will enter into a T-Square with one another. The last time these three planets were involved in a T-Square in Cardinal signs was 1930-33, in the midst of the "Great Depression." The difference in terms of cycles is that 1930-33 was at the end of the Kondratieff wave cycle, whereas 2008-2014 will mark approximately the first one-third point of the cycle. The 2008-2014 phase is still the birthing point of the longer-term cycle. It probably represents a time of leaving its "innocence" phase. Technology matures and thereafter may become the undisputed foundation of the world's economy, for better or worse. Manufacturing and industry must be re-tooled, or relegated to a less important position in the survival of the Human species." Forecasts 1998, written in October-November, 1997.
It has now been one month since I ceased reporting my observations on the USA political election. I ceased reporting these correlations between astrological factors and the candidate's platforms because no matter what I reported, it would elicit several replies that were too personal. It was no longer possible to be objective. Correlations that favored Obama would be followed by replies from conservatives that I was obviously promoting my far-left liberal agenda. Correlations that favored McCain would be followed by emails attacking my character and credibility as a professional astrologer (i.e., I didn't really know astrology, or I was using it to promote my obviously far right agenda, and more than one reader assumed I had crossed over to "the dark side"). However, since that time I have been flooded with email letters from readers who wish to know what I think now. I will share these correlations, and my interpretation of them pertaining to this election, one more time next week. In view of the financial disaster that is taking place since mid-September, it does change my interpretations of some of these factors.
Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to predict the future movement of various financial markets. However, that is the purpose of the MMA (Merriman Market Analyst) subscription services. This column is not a subscription service. It is a free service, except in those cases where a fee may be assessed to cover the cost of translating this column from English into a non-English language. This weekly report is written with the intent to educate the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they are happening. In this regard, this report will oftentimes report what happened in various stock and financial markets throughout the world in the past week, and discuss that movement in light of the geocosmic signatures that were in effect. It will then identify the geocosmic factors that will be in effect in the next week, or even month, or even years, and the authorís understanding of how these signatures will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a perspective of a cycleís analyst looking at the military, political, economic, and even financial markets of the world. It is possible that some forecasts will be made based on these factors. However, the primary goal is to both educate and alert the reader as to the psychological climate we are in, from an astrological perspective. The hope is that it will help the reader understand these psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and hence financial markets of the day.
No guarantee as to the accuracy of this report is being made here. Any decisions in financial markets are solely the responsibility of the reader, and neither the author nor the publishers assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.
About the Author
Raymond Merriman is a professional astrologer and President of The Merriman Market Analyst, Inc., an investment advisory firm specializing in market timing products and services. He is the editor of The MMA Cycles Report, an advisory newsletter used by banks, financial institutions, investors and traders. He is the author of numerous astrology books, and developed two financial astrological software systems: The FAR (Financial Astrological Research) program, and the SOS (Stock Optimizing Selector) Program, which enable traders to identify potential turning points in various stocks and/or financial futures markets. He can be reached by email, or visit his website.
