Weekly Column: What a turnaround!

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The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were near flat on Friday, wrapping up a volatile week on Wall Street. A move by China to ban cryptocurrencies weighed on the technology sector and Nike shares fell as supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic hit the sneaker giant. – Tanaya Machael, Yun Li, “Dow Trades Near Flat as Markets Wrap Up Volatile Week,” www.cnbc.com, September 24, 2021. 

A notice from the People’s Bank of China on Friday complained Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies disrupt the financial system and are used in money laundering and other crimes. “Virtual currency derivative transactions are all illegal financial activities and are strictly prohibited,” the People’s Bank of China said on its website. – Lucas Manfredi, “Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Tumble on China Crackdown,” www.foxbusiness.com, September 24, 2021. 

What a turnaround! And it occurred right in the middle of the Venus T-square to the Saturn/Uranus square, which took place September 17-23. In astrological parlance, this is known as the “Venus translation” of the Saturn/Uranus waning square.

An astrological “translation” occurs when a faster moving planet makes an aspect to a longer-term astrological aspect. “Translations” highlight the principles of the greater planetary configuration. And, as we have written all year, the 11.25-year quarter cycle phase of the Saturn/Uranus cycle is the strongest and longest geocosmic event of the year.

The last time the Saturn/Uranus quarter cycle occurred was during the 72-year cycle low of March 2009, at the height of the Great Recession. Before that, it coincided with the all-time high (at the time) in January-March 2000, which was followed by the dot-com bubble burst that led to a recession lasting until late 2002. It is in effect again this year, February through December 2021. Thus, when transiting Sun, Venus, or Mars make a hard aspect to the Saturn/Uranus square, financial markets are prone to sudden and sharp moves. This time was no different as world stock indices, precious metals, treasuries, currencies, and cryptos all made sudden reversals and sharp moves last week, coincident with announcements from leaders of world governments and central banks, and surprising turns of fortunes for some companies like Evergrande.

In the U.S., last week started out as if it would be the “Black Monday” we were anticipating the prior week. The DJIA was down nearly 1000 points early Monday, September 20,  on fears that Evergrande would miss a payment to creditors and go into default. This appears to be happening. But as the DJIA dropped to its lowest price since June 21 that day, attention shifted to the FOMC meetings in which the Fed would announce its plans for tapering and raising rates to combat inflation.

Our position has been the Fed would not raise rates or start tapering this year, and probably not until after Jupiter re-enters Pisces and makes favorable aspects to the Fed’s Sun/Pluto natal opposition, December 29 through mid-January. Sure enough, on Wednesday, September 22, that is basically what the Fed announced and the equity markets loved it. Tapering won’t begin immediately and they won’t raise rates this year. But they do expect to increase rates at least once by May 2022. That’s perfect, as we expect a rate increase while Jupiter is in Pisces, which ends in May 2022 (it will re-enter Pisces again in late October 2022). On that news, the stock market soared and precious metals, along with Treasury prices, plunged.

Short-term geocosmics and longer-term thoughts

Banks are pushing back against a proposal from the Biden administration that could force them to turn over customers’ account information to the Internal Revenue Service. – Megan Henney, “Biden’s IRS Bank Account Snooping Plan Faces Mounting Opposition,” www.foxbusiness.com, September 24, 2021. 

The Trickster is back. And just in time for the U.S. Congress to face the prospect of the U.S. government running out of funds to operate. The deadline for a decision is due this week, September 30.

That’s only one of the many crises facing Congress and the White House as Mercury (the “Trickster”) turns retrograde on Monday, September 27, with the Moon in Gemini, the sign that it rules. There is also the escalation of chaos at the border, the uncertainty of the infrastructure bill along with an even greater domestic spending program that progressive Democrats want to bundle into one huge spending bill, but moderate Democrats (both of them) and Republicans are resisting. These, and many other decisions have to be addressed while the Trickster goes through its retrograde cycle until October 18.

With Mercury retrograde, it is hard to get a consensus. Decisions made under Mercury retrograde often have to be revised, adjusted, or just dropped afterwards when the consequences of those decisions demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the actions taken then. This is not always the case, of course. But it happens often enough to warrant attention. Additionally, Mercury retrograde is a time that can highlight misunderstandings and errors in communications, so it is best to repeat what you think you heard from other people and have them do the same, repeating your words, if it involves an important task.

However, there are even more powerful cosmic developments unfolding that can correspond to a major impact on financial markets. For one, the potent Sun/Mars conjunction takes place on October 7-8, just one day after the new moon in Libra and Pluto turns direct on October 6. As noted before, the Sun/Mars synodic cycle often correlates with large price declines in world stock indices if a high forms within 8°. That time band has been in force since September 13 and will last through the end of October.

The new and full moons with the Sun in Libra are also strong correlates to major reversals in stock indices. And Pluto changing directions signifies a time when debt, deficits, downgrades, defaults, and taxes are in the news, which is seldom something that excites investors. We already see these themes present with the looming default of Evergrande, the push to weaponize and empower the IRS, the rapidly approaching deadline to raise the nation’s debt limit, and the struggle President Biden is having with huge spending and tax reform plans, which he promises will lower taxes rather than raise them (huh? Is he serious? He sounds serious and sincere when he talks about it, but…. really?).

Yet even these powerful geocosmic cycles pale before the final Saturn/Uranus waning square passage on December 24, which follows Venus turning retrograde on December 19 and in conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. This is another important period of possible changes and reforms, not to mention market reversals. Now one can view the end of this year as a time of opportunity to make reforms that are truly supported by – and in the best interest of – the greatest number of people in the nation and throughout the world.  Or it can be a time when decisions are made by authoritarian leaders and forced upon populations without their consent, resulting in great outrage and potential danger. With Venus, everyone wants a voice in the decisions. With Pluto, that isn’t usually the case. With Saturn square Uranus, no one really knows what to expect and the possibility of chaos is great unless all sides show unity and courage to go forward with a sincere interest in doing what is best for the greater whole of humanity.

Well, unity and courage to change that which is in need of reform is a noble vision. Let’s strive for these behaviors as individuals and as leaders, at a time when the world actually requires this, and the cosmos offers it as a remedy to current crises.