Today is the northern hemisphere’s spring equinox, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator to bring summer to the end of the planet with polar bears and winter to the end with penguins. Nature worshipers of various kinds will be celebrating the equinox today, Druids among them, but this is also a day that matters to mundane astrologers—those practitioners of astrology, that is, who watch the heavens for advance warning of political contentions down here on Earth.
To the classical mundane astrologer, ingress charts—astrological charts cast for the moment of each solstice and equinox for national capitals—are a basic working tool. Why do those provide a snapshot of coming political trends? Nobody has the least idea. Astrology isn’t a theory-driven field of study. People practice it today because more than five thousand years ago, priests in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers came up with the hypothesis that there might be a correlation between changes up there in the sky and changes down here on the ground.
In the best scientific manner, they proceeded to put that hypothesis to the test by noting down what the heavens were doing each night and comparing that to what the world around them was doing each day. Fast forward two and a half millennia, and that had turned into the first draft of the astrology we have now, complete with horoscopes, rising signs, and the rest of it; fast forward another two and a half millennia, and we’ve got astrologers, working professionals as well as educated amateurs like me, using computers and the internet to carry out tasks that priests in Ur and Larsa did with clay tablets back in the day.
We still don’t know why it works, and unless someone’s willing to cough up a whale of a lot of money for the necessary research, it’s quite possible that we never will. The fact remains that the predictions generated by looking up into the notional sky over Washington DC at certain moments of time produce more accurate predictions than you’ll get from many of those who pride themselves on using more rational means of analysis. With that in mind, let’s glance over what the previous ingress chart had to say—you can find the post in question here—and then go on to the chart to come. Here’s my summary of the Libra ingress chart six months ago:
“To sum up, we can expect six more months of ongoing contention between the White House and the federal bureaucracies that are in theory subordinate to the president, never quite breaking out into open conflict but never resolving into a working relationship either. The chasm between pro- and anti-Trump factions in the voting public will remain unbridged, though some media outlets will break ranks and throw their support to Trump and his followers. The success of socialist candidates in recent polls won’t turn out to be a flash in the pan—quite the contrary, the absurd excesses of America’s kleptocratic elite have produced the inevitable backlash, and this is working its way through the political sphere in the usual manner. Partly as a result of this, partly as a result of the Trump administration’s rejection of neoliberal economics, better times for working people are on the way.”
All in all, I think it’s fair to say that I called it. One thing that didn’t make it into the summary, though, was my prediction for the midterm election. Since a certain number of readers of my blog insisted loudly, on the basis of cherrypicked selections from what I said, that I was wrongetty-wrong-wrong-wrong! in my election prediction, here’s the whole passage:
“How these trends will play out in the midterm election isn’t obvious from the chart. (Emphasis added.) The 11th house rules Congress; its cusp is in Pisces, which is ruled by Neptune, and Neptune is in Pisces conjunct the 11th house cusp. The big news coming out of the midterms, I suspect, will be the success of populist movements on both sides of the aisle, at the expense of the bipartisan establishment. Since the ruler of the 11th house is not in aspect to the Sun, it doesn’t look as though the outcome of the election will either strengthen or weaken Trump’s position noticeably, though it will make life difficult for the executive-branch bureaucracies that are opposing Trump just now. All in all, I expect the midterms to be something close to a toss-up, with a few seats changing hands but no major shift in power either way.”
The election wasn’t a tossup—the Democrats made noticeable gains in the House, though they also lost seats in the Senate that they couldn’t afford to spare—but as it turned out, I was quite correct that there was no major shift of power, and Trump’s position was neither strengthened nor weakened to any significant degree. Trump has continued to push his agenda, the Democrats have continued to push back, and the resulting gridlock has filled the headlines. Notably, too, the success of populist candidates on both sides of the aisle was a major feature of the election, as I predicted. Here again, I don’t think I did too badly.
So let’s move on to the Aries ingress and see what it has to say. Here’s the chart. Those of my readers who aren’t used to astrological charts will want to know that the inner circle is the notional Earth, the outer circle is the notional heavens, and the lines connecting them are the cusps or lines of division between the twelve houses, which are divisions of the sky relative to the observer that define how a given astrological influence will have its effect.
Each cusp position is marked with the sign, degree, and minute of its placement on the ecliptic. See the one at the far left, 14° Virgo 24’? That’s the ascendant, the cusp of the first house, which is also the point of the heavens rising above the horizon at the moment for which the chart is cast. See the one to the right of the top with the arrow on it, 12° Gemini 09’? That’s the midheaven, the cusp of the tenth house, which is the point on the ecliptic highest in the heavens at that same moment. Remember these; you’ll need to know them right away.
The length of time an ingress is effective is determined by whether the sign of the zodiac on the ascendant is a cardinal, fixed, or mutable sign. Virgo is a mutable sign, so this chart is good for six months, until the Libra ingress in the autumn. The last chart also had a mutable sign rising, so the pace of events will probably continue about where it has been for the last six months.
So what can we expect during the six months to come, in terms of US political and economic events? The first step in figuring that out is to find the planets that refer to the American people, on the one hand, and their government, on the other. Here we’re in very complex territory right away. The planet ruling the ascendant, in mundane astrology, stands for the people, and the planet ruling the midheaven stands for the government. The difficulty here is that Virgo and Gemini are both ruled by Mercury. What gives?
The Moon also stands for the people—specifically the more vocal and visible end of the people—and the Sun stands for the head of state. The Moon rules the sign Cancer, and Cancer is on the cusp of the 11th house, which stands for the national legislature—more particularly for the lower house if the nation has a bicameral legislature, as ours does. (The 5th house stands for the upper house of the legislature; as we’ll see, this is of some importance in the chart.)
Notice that the Sun and Moon are applying toward opposition, a hostile aspect. Thus we have the House of Representatives opposed to President Trump—no surprises there—and the more vocal, visible, and mediagenic end of the population equally opposed to him—no surprises there, either. Now notice Mercury himself. He’s separating from a conjunction with the Sun; he’s retrograde (that’s what the Rx symbol means) and in Pisces, he’s very weak; but he’s moving away from Trump. At the same time, the Moon is in the last three degrees of Virgo, so also drifting out of contact with the Mercurial influence that represents the American people.
What I see indicated here is that the ongoing reality show pitting President Trump against the people who hate him has finally begun to bore the American public. What’s particularly striking is that the boredom applies to both of the squabbling parties—to Trump’s strutting and posturing, but also to the shrieking self-righteous meltdowns of his opponents. The boredom isn’t acute yet, and it’s not certain from this chart how soon it’ll reach that stage, but the bloom is off the rose; while those who have staked their identities on being pro- or anti-Trump will doubtless keep on lurching through their prerecorded routines, the audience may not be as attentive as before.
Mainstream Democrats will not benefit from this. In a mundane chart, the party out of power is indicated by the fourth house; the cusp of the 4th is in Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, and Jupiter is in the fourth house. Jupiter is therefore the Democratic Party’s significator. It’s strong in Sagittarius, but its relationships to most other planets in the chart are not good. Notice that Jupiter and the Moon are in square aspect; this suggests that the anti-Trump faction in the House and the populace more generally will spend the next six month at loggerheads with the Democratic leadership. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s decision not to pursue impeachment, in the teeth of loud pressure from Democratic radicals, is a straw in the wind.
The Democrats have been out of touch with the US population for a long time, and that’s not changing—Jupiter is square Mercury, the significator of the people in this chart. They can also expect a complex relationship with the Supreme Court, which is indicated by the ninth house. The ninth house cusp is in Taurus, and Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is thus the Supreme Court’s significator; Jupiter is in a favorable sextile aspect with Venus in the 6th, but Mars is also in the Supreme Court’s 9th house, and in a frustrating inconjunct aspect with Jupiter. I’d expect to see the Court rule in favor of some Democratic-backed measure relating to 6th house matters such as employee rights, and against some Democratic measure that relates to the military.
The place to watch over the six months to come is the Senate. The 5th house cusp is in Capricorn, and Saturn is in the fifth house, strongly placed in Capricorn. Saturn is sextile Mercury in the seventh, and thus has a very real chance of providing disillusioned Americans with something less clownish than either the President or the House of Representatives have to offer. Keep an eye on the moderates on both sides of the Senate aisle; one of them may turn out to be the president who cleans up the mess the decay of today’s politics is leaving behind.
(No, I’m not talking about the 2020 election. Right now, unless something changes in a hurry, the Democratic Party is steaming full speed ahead toward a repeat of their debacle in the 1972 election: too many Democratic candidates competing for too few dollars and voters, resulting in a circular firing squad of a nomination campaign, from which a badly wounded nominee staggers into the general election to face a GOP incumbent with huge cash reserves riding a wave of popular discontent against an out-of-touch liberal establishment. It’s still early days yet, but so far the Dems are behaving as though they have a poorly concealed political death wish.)
The main beneficiaries of the increased lack of enthusiasm for the bipartisan clown show in Washington DC, though, will be populist movements on both ends of the political spectrum; that’s shown by Mercury’s movement toward a conjunction with Neptune, the planet of mass movements. There’s a good reason why the far left is busy shrieking that everyone on the right is a would-be Hitler who wants to reopen the concentration camps, and it’s the same good reason why the far right is shrieking that everyone on the left is a would-be Stalin who wants to reopen the gulags: both sides are competing for the same pool of young people disillusioned by the failed models of business as usual that both parties have on offer. Down the road a bit, if historical models are anything to go by, one of the two parties will fall into populist hands, and the other will accordingly become the party of the status quo; right now it looks most likely that the GOP will turn into the vehicle through which the rising political tide will seek its destiny, and the Democrats will turn into the immovable object that will contend with that irresistible force; still, it’s early days yet and the situation is still in flux.
You’ll notice that I haven’t said much so far about the President himself. There isn’t actually that much to say. His significator, the Sun, is in the 7th house of foreign affairs, and its only aspect is the hard opposition with the Moon in the 1st house. It’s quite common for presidents stymied in their domestic policy ambitions to turn their attention to foreign policy. That’s what Obama did, for example, when the Obamacare fiasco blew up in his face and cost his party both houses of Congress, and it seems likely that Trump will follow that time-honored tradition. That and the ongoing tweetstorms from the Oval Office will keep him in the headlines, but there’s no indication that he’ll accomplish much of anything significant for good or ill in the next six months.
One major change, though, is in the offing: the long struggle between Trump and the federal bureaucracies over which he theoretically presides is ending, at least for the time being. I suspect that the final winding up of the failed Mueller investigation will be the turning point. One way or another, though, Trump’s not going to be driven out of office. He’ll serve out his term, and unless the Democrats get their act together in a hurry, his odds of also serving out a second term are very good.
Let’s move on and look over some of the broader indications for the six months to come. The economy? That’s predicted by the 2nd, 4th, and 6th houses and their planetary rulers; the second governs manufacturing, the fourth agriculture and mining, the sixth the service and information sectors. The 2nd house cusp is in Libra and so Venus rules it; Venus is weakly placed in the 6th house, so we can expect a lackluster period for manufacturing, partly due to trouble over wages or workforce issues (both sixth house matters). The 4th house cusp is in Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, and Jupiter’s right there in Sagittarius; expect a prosperous period for farmers—trade agreements opening overseas markets to US farm products may be involved.
The 6th house cusp, finally, is in Aquarius and ruled by Uranus; Uranus is in his fall in Taurus in the eighth house of other people’s money. The service and information sector of the economy may be in for a very sharp disruption, probably involving a lot of investment capital leaving in a hurry. Uranus is inconjunct the Moon and semisquare Neptune; it’s quite probable that the House of Representatives will aim an inconclusive but uncomfortable spotlight on the big internet firms, for example, and that a shift in public attitudes will also work to the serious disadvantage of Jeff Bezos and his absurdly overpaid ilk. Exactly how this will work out in the years to come is anyone’s guess as yet.
Foreign affairs are a 7th house matter, foreign investment is the 8th, and foreign trade the 9th. All three of them are going to be something of a mess for the next six months. With Pisces on the cusp of the 7th, Neptune rules this house, and there Neptune is, conjunct the cusp. Neptune is strong in his own sign Pisces. I expect to see some kind of large-scale international mass movement to have an impact here in the US over the next six months. It won’t necessarily accomplish much of anything, but it will attract a fervent following among the disillusioned and will be loudly marketed as the solution to all our problems—that’s pretty standard when Neptune is strong and angular.
More generally, the relations between the US and the rest of the world will be complex for the next six months. With Neptune, the planet of confusion and self-deception, sitting right on the 7th house cusp, it’s a pretty safe guess that US foreign policy will be guided by wishful thinking more than anything else; since that’s been the case far more often than not since 1945, that’s a safe guess anyway. Mercury retrograde in the 7th also suggests that the US will back out of at least one more treaty in the six months ahead.
Foreign investment and foreign trade both face significant downturns—the 8th house cusp is ruled by Mars, badly placed in Taurus in the 9th, and the 9th house cusp is ruled by weakly placed Venus in the 6th. One thing that combination suggests is that trade quarrels may end with one of America’s overseas debtors dumping US assets in a big way. There are other ways that could play out, and the Mars square Venus aspect suggests that at least some of the downturn in US manufacturing will result from that.
To sum up, the people who keep on insisting that any day now we’ll see a final showdown between President Trump and his enemies are once again going to be disappointed. The next six months will see another round of angry social media wars between pro- and anti-Trump factions, more bluster from the Oval Office and more tirades from the Democrats, none of which will go anywhere or do anything, and all of which will begin to lose whatever interest they might have had for most of the American people. The Democratic Party establishment will be at loggerheads with its party’s radical wing, and will make no noticeable attempt to reach out to the working class voters it used to represent. Meanwhile the Mueller investigation will wind down inconclusively, leaving Trump unscathed.
The economy will be a mixed bag, with a troubled manufacturing sector and major disruptions in the service and information sector partly balanced by good times in farm country. Foreign policy will get the bulk of the administration’s attention in the months ahead, with very equivocal results, and foreign trade and investment will take a serious hit for reasons that will likely be political in nature. Finally, we can expect some kind of international mass movement to seize the media spotlight for a while and give people something to do other than make the changes that matter, before it fades away in the usual fashion.
That is to say, business as usual. We’ll check back in September and see how it all worked out.
****************
On a different and far more somber note, I learned a few days ago that Shane Wilson, a longtime commenter here and on my previous blogs, passed away suddenly in late January. While we squabbled from time to time, his irrepressible wit and enthusiasm helped make this blog and its predecessors the lively venues for conversation that they’ve become, and I hoped to have the chance to meet him someday. You can read his obituary here; please keep him and his family in your thoughts and, if you’re so inclined, in your prayers as well
Thank you, JMG.
” Finally, we can expect some kind of international mass movement to seize the media spotlight for a while and give people something to do other than make the changes that matter..,, ”
Reminds me that self hypnosis continues to be one of the most powerful forces in human life.
A prosperous and peaceful Alban Eilir to you and Sara.
Mac
The ag forecast has me scratching my head here, in light of news that central midwest farm states (Nebraska in particular) have been hit with flooding. Floodwaters often take a while to recede, so the spring crop in that area is iffy at best.
Super selfish and mundane question, are construction and mining riding on the same favorable wave indicated for agriculture?
Excellent analysis. Very intriguing. An argument could be made that the working class is the US isn’t doing better as much as the long-term unemployed have been wiped from statistics. Also, did you mean creditors rather than “debtors” dumping US assets?
Just as a matter of intellectual curiosity: Has the proposition that classical mundane astrology yields accurate and meaningful predictions extending beyond what could reasonably be expected using other predictive methods ever been rigorously scientifically tested?
And a related question: Has it ever been definitively proven that classical mundane astrology is not fundamentally question-begging in the sense that it boils down to arbitrary correlations between various celestial configurations and meaningful predictions derived on completely independent grounds?
Dear JMG, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your astrological charts. Being a Brit, I’m asking you pretty please to consider again doing a Brexit chart like you did last August? I just re-read your post and to me it seems as if you mostly nailed it, but we’re now facing extreme uncertainty and turmoil over here. So a chart would be most welcome indeed. Very fond wishes from a longtime Archdruid Report reader over here in England.
I should perhaps add that I currently read these sorts of posts eagerly for the meaningful and insightful predictions that they contain about the future, but that I am decidedly skeptical that the astrologically-based reasoning that accompanies and nominally justifies these predictions has anything distinctive to add to the insight, accuracy, and meaningfulness of the predictions themselves.
I was wondering what had happened to Shane. I enjoyed his perspective. Didnt always agree but appreciated his lively additions to the varied topics discussed here. I will miss him.
I relished Shane’s contributions to this blog very much. I am sad to learn that he has passed away. Peace to his shade and his memory!
More of the same sounds a lot better than some potential alternatives. One does wonder what astrological chart would lead to the interpretation of “Leaders may decide to attack a country they’re bigoted against, overlook that victims have allies, start World War III killing most of domestic population.” Are there such calamitous charts? If so, how rare are they, astronomically speaking? And has anyone looked at past acts of suicidal warmaking or attempted genocide to see how many of them are associated with such charts?
Also, is there any aspect of these charts that have traditionally been correlated with financial markets? I have in mind particularly, though not exclusively, the stock market.
John–
I’m trying to think of a more populist-oriented senator who’d be a viable candidate for 2024 (since the most populist senator presently would be far too old to run by then). Perhaps it will be someone who has yet to mark him/herself out for possible contention.
I remember Shane with great fondness and miss the lively hyperbole he’d often inject into these discussions.
Mac, thank you! That kind of self-hypnosis is particularly powerful when people are looking for reasons not to do what they know they’re going to have to do sooner or later…
Dfr1973, that’s why it’s not usually a good idea to take a national forecast and apply it too closely to local conditions. Yes, some areas are being hit very hard by flooding, but most of the nation isn’t — and losses due to flooding, if they drive up prices, will indeed be profitable for farmers elsewhere.
Scott, mining and construction are both fourth house matters, so yes, probably. I’d expect construction to be strongly influenced by local conditions and vagaries of different kinds of building, but overall, yes.
John, thanks for catching that. Yes, creditors.
Nestorian, if you’d like to fund such a study, I’m sure I could find people at the American Federation of Astrologers who could run it. Barring adequate funding — and that hasn’t been available in centuries — why, no, such studies haven’t been done. As for your second question, I invite you to pick up a good book on mundane astrology and do the analysis for yourself; you’ll find that I’m not simply picking and choosing arbitrarily, but following specific indications that have been known and used for many centuries.
Mariette, that chart still applies — in fact, it’s just begun to apply — so you can read it as a prediction for the entire year. It’s clear from the chart that Brexit is going to happen this year, and I’m guessing that it’s going to be a hard Brexit, since no agreement acceptable to the EU will also be acceptable to Parliament. There’ll be vast amount of uncertainty, panic-mongering, and shrill meltdowns on the part of Remainers…and then the thing will happen, the few short-term difficulties will be ironed out, Britain will sign new trade agreements with the countries of the Commonwealth and the US, and life will go on.
Nestorian, again, take the time to learn a little bit about mundane astrology and you’ll find that my predictions have a solid basis in astrological teaching.
Robyn and Robert, me too.
Dewey, sure, there are indications of that sort of thing. Mars in one of the angles of the chart, in one of the signs he rules, applying to a hard square with the planet ruling the ascendant, the latter being weakly placed and afflicted by other negative aspects, would be the kind of flashing red light that would predict a disastrous war. I don’t know that anybody’s taken the time to cast and interpret charts for such things, but it would make for an interesting study.
Nestorian, financial astrology is a subject all its own. You can study it, but it’ll cost you — the people who practice it don’t give away their secrets cheap. Still, I’ll remind you of J.P. Morgan’s famous comment: “Millionaires don’t pay attention to astrology, but billionaires do.”
David, I suspect the person in question hasn’t yet emerged from the pack.
Condolences on Shane’s death.
How long is an ingress chart good for if the ascendant is cardinal or fixed?
I am sorry to hear about Shane’s death. That is sad. I remember his comments well.
I just want to post here just how saddened I am to hear of Shane’s passing. I was really missing his posts. Many of the things he wrote helped me get through one of the hardest times of my life last year. It makes me so very sad to think he’ll never know that. He was one of a handful of people on here that I looked forward to seeing their responses. What a painful loss.
RIP Shane. You didn’t half wind me up sometimes. Give ‘em hell.
Thank you for clarifying JMG (about the Brexit chart) – it now makes much more sense and again, even up to this point it is clear that you’ve called it correctly. Fingers crossed all pans out as predicted. On another note, given my long, long following, I think heartfelt thanks are long overdue. It’s safe to say your posts have profoundly changed my life – at work, at home, in my head and in my soul. Thank you.
Even powerfully anti-astrology organizations had members of their leadership who either used it or practiced it. The Roman emperor Tiberius, many cardinals and popes and, for instance the brilliant astrologer-rabbi Ibn Ezra. Your comment from J. P. Morgan is well supported. One thing I’ve noticed in my own practice is that personal astrology for the wee folk is harder to attain clarity with. The discipline was developed for nations and their rulers. Medical astrology being an exception in my opinion. And horary works no matter your status in life.
Oh NO! Thank You for letting us know of Shane’s passing. Yes, I will definitely keep him in my thoughts and prayers.
A while back you suggested I post my own assessment of the Ingress, so here it is. There’s certainly plenty of overlap with your analysis, but I miss the nice nuances you find. I’ve still got a lot to learn!
Aries ingress USA 2019
Ascendant in Virgo, mutable sign so valid six months.
Ruler of ascendant is ruler of chart and that is Mercury. Mercury is retrograde in Pisces in the 7th house. Suggests that communication will be confused in general, and especially with respect to dealings with other nations. Mercury is also in opposition to the ascendant (not very tight, 4.5 degrees), suggesting that this confusion is not in the nation’s interest. To me, this also suggests that the Russiagate narrative is unraveling.
The sun is also in the 7th house. This suggests that the president is concentrating hard on foreign relations, but the sun is in opposition with the moon in the 1st (Virgo), so he is acting in direct opposition to the will of the people. This could easily be related to Russia, but also to Venezuela. The government is pushing for regime change there, but many Americans do not want another regime-change war and are starting to see through the whole regime-change rhetoric (symbolized by the retrograde Mercury).
The midheaven, is in Gemini and the ruler is therefore also Mercury. So the government is all about misinformation, particularly about foreign countries. I’ve already mentioned Venezuela in this capacity, but I suspect this includes other nations who are favored by misinformation. I’ll leave it at that to avoid too much controversy.
The sun is also in quincunx with the midheaven and this means that there are certainly differences of opinion between the president and the government. That, of course, comes as no surprise considering the majority Democrat congress.
The Moon in the 1st house with a favourable trine from Mars indicates that there will be a change of sentiment among the people and that they will start to see more clearly. This may mean, considering the overall chart ruler of retrograde Mercury, that people start to see through the smokescreen, coming from the government, start to be clearer about what really matters.
Venus in the sixth house suggests should be good for the ordinary people, however, it is afflicted by a square from Mars and receives a boost from a Jupiter trine. This indicates that some will do well and others less so. Jupiter is in his own sign of sagittarius and so very strong, Mars is in Taurus and so very weak. On balance, therefore, ordinary people are going to do well in the next six months. My guess is that those working in home industries will do better than those involved in international trade.
Mars is in the 9th house suggests that there will be more religious scandals and maybe also judicial misjudgments. However, Mars is supported by both Saturn and the Moon.
Jupiter in the 4th in sagittarius indicates that there will be good weather, good crops and generally a very productive and fruitful period. The afflictions from the Moon and Venus are not close (earthquakes may make the news) and a semi-sextile from Mars means it won’t be completely plain sailing. Overall, though, agriculture will do well.
Uranus in the 8th house suggests that there will be many unusual deaths. There is a semi-square with Neptune and this suggest to me that these are likely to be drug-related deaths. Expect the number of opioid-related deaths to increase during this period.
Neptune is loose conjunction and opposite the ascendant. There will be those who talk about socialism, but their message is not clear and the people will not accept it.
All in all, it seems that DJT will still be firmly in the saddle. Yes, a sizable portion of the population will still not be able to accept him, but in general, the country will do fairly well and the Trump fans will stay loyal. The biggest upset is that people are starting to see through the lies emanating from the government about intervention in foreign countries. A continuation of the withdrawal of America from the world stage will continue apace during the next six months. Nothing seems to suggest that the US will get its way in Venezuela and this will represent the beginning of a sea change at home and abroad.
JMG
I have been watching the actual moonrise. I read earlier that this is the first time since 1905 that there has been a full moon at the equinox which has also coincided with the moon being at about the closest point that it approaches earth (‘supermoon’). The next will be in 2144.
I read also today: “As the moon goes around the earth, its gravity not only raises the oceans, it also raises the ground. This earth tide is much smaller than the ocean tides. However, it appears to have a significant impact on earth currents. The sun causes about a third as much of an earth tide as the moon does.”
These are the telluric electric currents as I understand them. I will appreciate this in my SOP ritual tonight.
best
Phil H
Thanks for the predictions. Comfortingly, nothing here strikes me as surprising and it seems (to me) that most of this, as prediction, conforms with what I’ve been observing as recent history. (Not doubt you’ve been quite concerned about my opinion 😉
I’m very interested in the potential International Movement you mentioned and I do have have request: can you please give an example of one or more from the past? The US can be very isolated from external movements so it is resistance to rather than embrace of those outside concepts that comes to my mind immediately. Perhaps I’m thinking way too macro but I’m imagining things like “World Communism” in the first few decades of the 20th Century or The Arab Spring. (Yes, the US seemed OK with the Arab Spring, so long as they kept it to themselves and left our clients alone.) I’m hoping you can mention a few that we in the US neither resisted nor originated, as a form of context for me.
— Many thanks!
Shane? Oh, no! I was wondering why we hadn’t heard from him for a while. For what it’s worth, blessings on him, may his passage have gone well.
And on the forecast: this particular crisis era has gone on what feels like forever, and no resolution in sight. I’m getting itchy and wonder how many others are. All but one of my grandchildren and all of my grand nieces and grand nephews have never known any other kind of world. OTH, historically, 18 years isn’t really all that long! So… more of the same for another 6 months, alas.
Time Magazine had a predictably shallow cover article on the multitude of contenders for the Democratic nomination. Faces, names, he said, she said, in 25 words or less… I’m guessing Sanders and Biden’s age will be against them. Warren and O’Rourke lose points by clumsy playing of the pseudo-ethnic identity card. Ocasio-Cortez was called down by the WaPost for driving a gas guzzler car and retorted, with some validity, that she also uses air conditioning (in DC’s climate? I hope so!) and flies by air (professional necessity?) Then killed it by saying “We have to live in the world as it is, not as we want it to be.” And so far, that is it, gleaned from my local newspaper and various magazines. But, hey, we’re not even into the quarter-finals yet, let alone the semi-finals.
I’m still looking for a long-form journalism analysis of the entire pack, candidate by candidate, from someone outside the “Them evil, t’others angels; the rest boring” instant packaged opinions (as bad as instant packaged oatmeal) crowd. Oh. well.
@Pogonip:
If cardinal – 3 months, until the next cardinal-sign Sun ingress.
If fixed, the rest of the astrological year.
Some thoughts on the Aries ingress:
– The Sun-Moon opposition (equinoctial full moon) is global, and as such will affect EVERYONE’s ingress charts. I suspect there will be increased tension in all countries between what the people want and what the leadership wants.
– This could be particularly acute in the Black Sea area (Ukraine/Turkey), in the Levant (Israel, Egypt, Syria) and in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, etc.) as the Moon is culminating at the midheaven in these parts of the world.
– Saturn in the 5th is part of a stellium that includes Pluto and the South Node. The 5th house is suggestive of speculative investments (such as stocks) and the entertainment industry, and likely tells of endings or losses in these areas.
– Mars is in the 7th over much of western Europe, including Brussels and London, which suggests some kind of a “showdown” (likely related to Brexit or a follow-up effect). Not necessarily war, nut perhaps increased hostilities in foreign affairs (I heard recently that US citizens among others will soon need to purchase a pseudo-visa to enter the Schengen area; previously you only needed a passport; source: https://www.newsweek.com/americans-visa-travel-europe-etias-1357359 ) Since fixed Scorpio is rising over much of this area, this will probably last the whole astrological year.
I love your charts. They have a clear, concrete, verifiable feel to them. This one, at first glance, could appear to be forecasting a deceptively vanilla 6-months. But 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th don’t sound cheerful, particularly since you said POTUS may be focusing his charming ways on foreign affairs. I happen to be a foreign affair, and methinks you’ve understated that tid-bit with your dead-pan delivery. 😀 It is precisely your lack of emotionality vis-a-vis outcome that makes these such a good read.
I got an email from Shane on January 21st that was short and supportive but sounded rather defeated, but you all know how Shane could be at times. A week later I got a Kentucky obituaries link from his email address that I didnt really know what to make of. I didn’t see his name listed in it and didn’t figure he’d be sending me a link to his own obit anyway, so I ignored it. Maybe someone sent it out to his address book? Feel like I should have followed up on that more now.
He was a nutty buddy for sure but this is most distressing news…
On a higher note (literally), I think I actually sqeeked when I saw the title of your post this week! I love these ingress charts and enjoy getting to learn how they work through your casting and interpretation.
Happy Alban Eiler (and full moon), everyone!
I too am saddened by the news of Shane’s passing. I’ve been missing his input and will continue to do so. Thanks for letting us know John Michael.
I love your astrology posts – I always find them so interesting. Even though I’m not following US politics that closely at the moment, this was still fascinating to read.
I still share your Brexit astrology post with friends/acquaintances who I think might find it useful and/or reassuring, and who won’t just dismiss it because it’s astrology, and one of them told me she was really glad I shared it, so there’s that. Personally I’m currently hoping that the EU will say no to May’s request for Brexit delay, since neither Leavers nor Remainers want her atrocious deal, she’s already brought it to the Commons twice, and the EU don’t seem likely to change the deal at this point. If there is a delay, though, I don’t see the politicians managing to significantly change the situation before that time runs out too… I might take a look at that chart again, just to see if I can match the predicted events more precisely to current occurrences. The general predictions have seemed very accurate so far, and we haven’t even got to the time it predicted yet.
I just had a random curious thought while I was reading this post – if you do mundane astrology for a country in the southern hemisphere, do all the same meanings of the signs still apply, and do you still use the March equinox or do you use the September one, which would of course be the Spring Equinox for that part of the world? Not that I know many people living in the southern hemisphere – I’m just wondering really.
Sorry to hear about Shane – I might only comment occasionally, but I read regularly and I always enjoyed reading his posts. RIP.
Thanks,
L.
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Shane W. While his comments could be annoying at times (I’m a boomer…), they were always entertaining. He will be missed.
JMG – thank you for the forecast. I hope that farmers (especially the ones with family farms) do well as you predicted during the next six months..
Two very nitpicky questions, and a general one:
1) Is Washington, DC currently in Eastern Standard Time (UTC -5) or Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4)?
2) For those of us playing the home game, does 0 Aries 0′ mean as close to zero as possible from above (ex: 0Ar00’00.01″ at 4:58:25pm), or would 29Pi59’59.60″, which Timaeus shows as 0Ar0 in its wheel, also count?
For the general question, the North Node at 24 Cancer 31’33.82″ makes a Yod formation with Jupiter and Mars. Does this have any significance beyond whatever a Mars-Node sextile would mean, if that means anything?
Merry (or would it be ‘happy’?) Alban Eilir to all, believer and nonbeliever alike! May God grant us peace in the coming season.
Thanks to everyone for your comments about Shane.
Pogonip, cardinal sign rising means it’s good for three months, fixed sign rising means it’s good for twelve.
Mariette, you’re welcome and thank you.
Gwydion, interesting. I find that progressed charts work very well for ordinary individuals, so long as they’re read as timing the potentials of the natal chart; and of course horary is good for everybody.
Reloaded15, thanks for this!
Phil H., well, those are the telluric tides, certainly. The current as I understand it is a little different.
KevPilot, I’m thinking on a smaller scale — for example, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) back in the 1950s and 1960s, or in a less political key, the way that British music and pop culture more or less took over the US youth market in the mid-1960s. The spread of anarchism from Europe to the US in the late 19th century is another example.
Patricia, there’s another name for what you’ve termed a crisis era — the decline and fall of a civilization. This is the new normal, and it will continue until the next dark age arrives. That really is what I’ve been saying all along, you know…
Barrigan, that’s an excellent point. Moon conjunct midheaven and Sun conjunct nadir argues for a much higher risk of governments falling or being overthrown in that band of longitudes over the next six months.
Thanks for the Brexit and ingress charts. The hysteria from Remainers is off the charts. I guess Merc Rx in detriment conjunct Neptune says it all, with Merc ruling both media and trade deals. I hope the UK ‘crashes out’ as they like to call it. Is this the beginning of the end of the EU? Talk is now about Italy, Greece and Hungary leaving….
Hi JMG,
How do the astrological charts translate to what is seen in the sky? I know it is tricky to translate 3-dimensions to two.
So if the ascendent is the sign at the eastern horizon, does that mean the mid-heaven is 90 degrees up to straight over head? Is the top half of the chart above the horizon, and the lower half below the horizon?
Thank you,
Matt
Phil H,
What is the source for your quotations about earth tides and earth currents? It sounds interesting.
Docshibby, if you’re reading,
I left you one more (lengthy) reply on last week’s thread. Just wanted to be sure to you don’t miss it!
Dear Patricia Matthews, A commentator on youtube called Thersites the Historian has a series of videos on the Democratic contenders which is about as good as I have seen so far.
I had wondered what became of Shane. May God rest his soul.
Mr. Greer, does your reading give any insight as to whether President Maduro will be able to fight off the attempted US coup? Which, I might add, is not supported by, I would guess, most of the American people.
Marco, the thing that fascinates me about the Sun in the 7th is that it’s so disconnected from everything else, and the 7th is ruled by Neptune, the planet of fantasy, self-deception, and confusion. My guess is that Trump’s foreign policy maneuvers for the next six months will involve a lot of noise and no shortage of smoke and mirrors, but won’t amount to much of anything in the long run.
Tripp, it didn’t go out to his address book; he and I had exchanged emails, and the first I heard of it was when the editor of Into the Ruins got in touch a few days ago to let me know.
L, thank you. In the southern hemisphere, the September equinox is the one that sets the tone for the whole year — it’s the influx of energies with the coming of spring that does it.
PatriciaT, so do I!
Jeffrey, the US is in daylight time now. That doesn’t matter for astrologers (except as an annoyance that has to be calculated out), since we work with sidereal time — that is, the time defined by the Earth’s orientation relative to the fixed stars. As for 0 degrees Aries, why, if you’re using a program that won’t give you 0 degrees 0’0″, work out the times to either side and then use an interpolation table to find the correct time between them.
Andrew, and a happy spring equinox to you and yours as well!
Bridge, yep. I’m looking at the Brexit chart right now, and with Neptune ruling the fifth house of the media I’d expect the chattering classes to be quite literally gibbering in terror by this point. Meanwhile the clock’s running out, so you may get your wish.
Matt, the circle of the horoscope represents the ecliptic, the notional line traced by the sun across the background of the stars. The midheaven is the portion of the ecliptic that’s furthest above the horizon at the time for which the chart is cast.
Mr. Greer:
In this post, and in earlier writings, you refer to the “dark ages”. With regard to the decline of the western Roman Empire it is my understanding that the term was invented and used disparagingly by people of the Renaissance. The dark ages were indeed a time of decentralization, political fragmentation and economic decline. But they were also a time of creativity and positive change. Maybe they weren’t that dark after all.
What are your thoughts on this topic? How do the dark ages of other civilizations compare to that of the western Roman empire?
Oh man, I’m going to miss Shane’s comments. He was a great rascal.
I didn’t make it to the potluck and I don’t live anywhere near Kentucky, but for some reason, I always imagined I’d meet Shane in person someday and he’d be hilarious. Too bad.
Nastarana, you’d have to cast an Aries ingress chart for the capital of Venezuela, see how the sun’s placed, and consider the rulers of the midheaven and the fourth house cusp and see how they’re placed. The one hint I can extract from this chart is that the US seventh house cusp is ruled by the planet of self-deception and confusion, and that doesn’t bode well for any foreign policy venture; it looks very much as though those who are trying to back a coup are kidding themselves — but we’ll see.
ChemEng, yes, I’m familiar with that sort of revisionism. Somehow those analyses never quite manage to deal with the fact that in the western provinces of the former Roman empire, war, plague, and famine reduced the population by around 80%, and what had been literate, urbanized, cosmopolitan communities were replaced by little villages of subsistence farmers among whom literacy was all but unknown and the whole rich heritage of classical culture was all but completely lost. Bryan Ward-Perkins’ fine book The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization is a good place to start getting a sense of just how far things fell apart — and it’s also a good cure for the sort of blind optimism that assumes that things really can’t get that bad.
After you stop looking to the Stars here on Ecosophia, please stop by Green Wizards to wiggles your toes in the new Spring soil with this post “Putting the “Green” into Green Wizardry. This week on the main blog we talk about starting seeds and my experiments in heirloom germination. I’m also trying my hand at sprouts and its time to try Micro Greens 2.0. Come visit.
The forums are really getting great conversations.
As a bit of GW site news, we’ve created a new Green Wizard Circle this past week, “Your Family and Your Children” when it was pointed out how much those who come after us matter. Come help us figure out the ways to impart our collective knowledge to the next generation.
Remember, if you have any trouble registering at Green Wizards, please email me first, I’m David Trammel (he who fixes things) and I can get your account quickly approved so you can join the discussions. If you have registered, and not signed in, perhaps you missed our email letting you know your account was approved. It often ends up in your spam folder or just goes “poof!”
Even if you don’t feel you have anything yet to contribute, please log in once to test your password. Otherwise I’m libel to send you several emails as reminders asking if you have problems.
Either way, please contact me at green wizard dtrammel at gmail dot com.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming…lol.
What’s the prognosis for Trump’s wall? More specifically, what would you look at to estimate how the immigration crisis on our southern border will play out in the next six months.
I’d put it with foreign affairs, but I’m not expert enough to see if that’s appropriate or not.
I sort of miss Shane – he irritated me mightily, but I did find myself agreeing with him a time or two. I hope his family is navigating the inevitable sorrow from losing a dear family member well. As far as Shane, he’s doing whatever he’s doing in the afterlife.
@Patricia Matthews
Re: Crisis Era
Note: I’m interpreting the term as in Strauss and Howe, not in the much longer timeframe of Decline and Fall. In S&H terms, a Crisis lasts approximately 20 years, and is followed by a High (S&H), Austerity (Xenakais) or Stability (Michael). Same thing, different terms based on different perspectives.
The fundamental issue about a Crisis is that the generation that’s coming of age – that’s the Millennials – needs to jell and pull together to deal with it. That’s been happening – slowly – over the last decade, and from what I’m seeing, it’s pretty well there. What’s missing is the next two older generations: Gen-X for the practical leadership and the remaining Boomers for the direction. That may happen in the next couple of years, but the situation is too unsettled to give any specifics.
As far as candidates are concerned, 538 did a sketch analysis a couple of weeks ago. Interesting, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s simply too early for any of that to be meaningful.
So sorry to hear about Shane. Have you any idea what happened?
My husband and I have been listening off and on the live coverage of the parliamentary debates in London. Many very good and impassioned speeches, and I’m quite fond of the speaker of the house. The coverage we listened to today, however, seems to have descended into idiocy.
Just one thing about the 1972 election: My understanding is that George McGovern lost so very badly not because he represented the mainstream liberal establishment in the eyes of the voting public, but because he represented to them (rightly or wrongly) the anti-war movement and the sixties counterculture, the radical excesses of which the public was rapidly tiring of. (On one of those PBS retrospectives of the sixties, a participant in the cultural ferment of that era remarked, “The Reagan Era was America’s revenge for when we were ‘doing it’ in the streets in the sixties.” I think that was a fairly accurate statement.)
Hello JMG,
Thank you for telling us of Shane’s passing. I had been wondering where he was and thought about posting a, “where are you, are you okay?”, during open post but decided not to. After all, regular commenters take breaks sometimes. . . and now we know. I will miss my fellow X’er; I wish him well in what comes next. Blessings on your spirit, Shane.
Ellen
I’m so saddened to learn of Shane’s passing. Fair winds and following seas, Shane.
Happy spring, friends. I bred my rabbits today. I hope that the good year for agriculture also applies to my little farm, beset by legal harassment locally.
Question: sidereal and tropical astrology both have their adherents, so they must both work. Does one work better than the other in particular geographical areas?
Observation: The Third Estate natives are restless. In my quietly Red area I am seeing yellow flags with red rattlesnakes on them suddenly popping up all over. Something big is building.
Archdruid,
Pity to hear about Shane, he was always fun to read. I wondered what happened to him after his last post, he seemed rather depressed.
About your reading, I remember in one of your previous readings you mentioned that Trump and his followers would gradually get stuck in an echo chamber. I wonder if that isn’t already beginning to happen. He and his followers seem to have reached the limits of their receptive audience, that is it doesn’t seem like more people are joining his camp so much as not joining the camp of his opposition.
Are you noticing the same thing?
Regards,
Varun
OK – matter of terminology, I see. The decline & fall is what I call a megacrisis; a crisis era is one of the rougher spots in the road. I remember you saying there were times it gets rough, then settle down on a new level for some time, rinse & repeat. The latter being what I call the recovery: think Britain in the ’60s. They’d never get their empire back, but they weren’t being bombed or rationing food by then. The thing is, at the beginning of the crisis era (or rough spot) our problems seem like a mess of unsolvable ones. Which as time goes on settles into one big problem with people working on it in more or less agreement (or screaming their heads off as an irreconcilable minority). Come to think of it, do you think we’ve reached that point yet? Maybe I don’t because I’m one of those who would be screaming her head off (Lifelong Democrat, sigh.)
And of course the new consensus has historically often meant a dictator, which is unpleasant to contemplate.
JMG,
Thank you for posting the link to the obit. I found the one who died to be enigmatic and challenging, which turned out to be a very positive learning experience for me. I will miss the way my assumptions got challenged: some were reinforced, one or two were modified, but always after study and thought to see if there was something of substance in the challenge to the assumption. I learned how to ignore things that were, ummm, irritating, and then he would come up with a wonderful gem of a post. He will be missed.
I think I’ve mentioned to you that there are certain ceremonies the local spirits of place allow me to do at certain times. Three times, now, they have guided me, prodded me, to do one of these. Tonight, the third, for the recently departed member of this forum, was the first for someone I never met in person. I hope it eases his journey.
DJSpo
Hey hey barefootwisdom,
RE: Earth tides
Also known as mantle tides. The tectonic plates that float on the molten layer above the core also have tides. They are less pronounced because rock doesn’t flow like water and takes more effort to deform, but it somewhat elastic, like pushing on a glass window. So the mantle does move with the Sun and Moon like the tides of the ocean. Google “mantle tide” or look up the tidal heating that on Io from Jupiter’s gravity for more info.
Thanks,
Tim
My question is twofold : First will Uranus in Taurus impact the banks and our economy in the coming years ?
Second in January 2020 Pluto & Saturn will enter Capricorn. How will this powerful alignment impact
the U.S.A. economically ?
Your international mass movement might be Extinction Rebellion, which is planning mass civil disobedience to get climate disaster onto the political radar. They gridlocked central London before Christmas and they’re planning it again in April.
@ barefootwisdom & JMG
Earth currents
http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/documents/2014/41332nelson/ndx_nelson.pdf.html
Telluric and Earth Currents, Lightning Strike Locations, and Natural Resource Exploration*
H. R. Nelson1, Les R. Denham2, and D James Siebert2 Search and Discovery Article #41332 (2014)
There could be some discussion needed about terminology of earth currents – authors above call them electrotelluric currents. “[One] exploration method consists of measuring magnetic perturbations caused by these electrotelluric currents in the normally existing earth magnetic field.”
best
Phil H
JMG & All
Shane’s death is a shock. I remember the good days he and Bill Pulliam (d. August 2017) had many an argument.
I can’t reach the link to his obituary. Please add my condolences.
best
Phil H
The mass movement is the climate kids around Greta Thunberg!
JMG
PS to your distinction between earth tides and earth currents. Yes. The article I quoted made the connection between the tides and the electrotelluric currents, “As the moon goes around the earth … it appears to have a significant impact on earth currents.”
best
Phil
John–
The chatter I’ve seen re Pelosi’s non-impeachment statement has generally been along the lines of “we have to wait for the Report anyway” and “we get one shot at this; do it right.” Meuller’s report has taken on an almost holy relic kind of quality, it seems. I suspect the reality will be far more underwhelming and wonder how that is going to go over…
Hmmm…any idea how Joel found out about Shane? I feel like a bad friend…
John–
Not limited to the next six months, but i stumbled across this analysis which paints a much tighter picture for 2020 than I’ve seen elsewhere (by “elsewhere,” of course, I mean the leftward zone I still lurk about in):
http://crystalball.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/this-centurys-electoral-college-trends/
In addition to trending by region and state, toward the bottom of the page there is a full 2020 electoral vote map. This shows a 244 D, 248 R split (including “leans”) with 46 EVs in the toss-up category: WI (10), AZ (11), PA (20), NH (4), and NE-2 (1). To the extent this is updated as we move through these next six months you’ve outlined, it will be interesting to see how things change as we close in on the start of primary season at the outset of 2020.
Hi all,
This might be tangential to this weeks post, but not to much I hope. I heard a radio interview with the author of this article and it rather caught my attention as an example of how to avoid political polarization. Their is a great example in the first part of the article that one Presbyterian pastor is applying and it is really good. The article is long and I haven’t read it all, but so far it is really interesting.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/03/watertown-new-york-tops-scale-political-tolerance/582106/
“…it’s a pretty safe guess that US foreign policy will be guided by wishful thinking more than anything else…”
China and North Korea both spring to mind.
China continues to play the game of asking for more time to address trade issues…which they got with an extended tariff deadline. They will continue to say one thing and do another, and the US will continue to mistakenly believe (or hope) they’ll make good on any promises. While the tariffs have had an impact on China, in the end the Chinese Government isn’t going to do anything that risks loss of political power domestically (which they gain by stalling or standing up to the US), or economic power outside of China (which they’ve gained and continue to gain very effectively with the exact policies the US is asking them to change.)
With North Korea, I can’t see Kim ever giving up nuclear missiles — the one thing that about the country that keeps the world engaged and dealing with it in any way.
I was hoping to lure Shane to the potluck this summer. Please go over to the Obituary page and post your fondness for Shane for his (offline) family. I know it would be a pleasure for them to find the breadth of people who will miss him.
John–
Aaaaand speaking of the Democrats “behaving as though they have a poorly concealed political death wish,”
https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/21/the-case-for-a-biden-abrams-ticket/
FWIW, I still see Biden-Harris as the most likely ticket (though not necessarily “probable” given the vast array of possibilities at this juncture) at this very early point. Of course, we have forever yet in political terms (what, 15 months until the the general election campaigning officially begins and more than 19 months until the actual election), so a lot can happen in the interim. I think the allure of the golden Obama years will prove irresistible, which is why I think Biden will get the nod unless he does something disqualifying (entirely possible). The bright, shining star du jour will get the VP/heir-apparent slot, I believe.
For my own part, I agree that folks are likely going to become less interested in the perpetual-gridlock. Perhaps this will induce people to strive for change at a more regional (state) and/or local level, which are where the changes most able to help us adapt to future conditions are going to come from anyway. Aside from broad policies on trade, immigration, and war (as in: tariffs; securing the use of living wage labor of our own citizens; and not fighting stupid foreign wars), the federal government should be leaving most things to states and localities to manage, I would argue. A less-functional federal government might result in more effort being into those solutions.
But I see your read as by-and-large a holding pattern for another six months, with some action on the various economic fronts.
Hi David by the lake,
Off and on over the last year,I have seen news items of several states moving to solve one problem or the other on their own, state officials usually frankly acknowledging that the Federal government is completely dysfunctional.
@ Pogonip
Re dysfunctional feds and somewhat more practically-functional states
That makes me hopeful. When one thinks about it, this would be the natural course of things as the overly-centralized structure we’ve built continues to break down over coming decades. People aren’t going to sit around waiting for the federal government to get a clue; rather, they are going to dust themselves off and get to work addressing the issues confronting them, whether or not those solutions bear the stamp of federal approval.
I don’t know of it has anything to do with the possibility of a mass movement, but Monsanto has now lost in court a second time.
https://truthout.org/articles/jury-finds-monsantos-roundup-guilty-of-causing-cancer/
This despite the best legal team money can buy and judges in both trials clearly hostile to the plaintiffs. I would call these trials a genuine watershed event. Juries are not spoiled rich kid activists or pointy headed guys in labcoats, and there is now no place left to hide for Monsanto and its’ fan club.
There are now said to be no less than 11,000 cases pending against Monsanto, with plaintiffs clearly eager to get their cases into court before some sort of arbitration is imposed from above.
I would guess that Sonnie Perdue might be fired this year. I think he was brought into the Ag Dept. to prevent this kind of thing from happening.
Dear Varun, the Democratic Party is essentially a patronage organization which cares about maintaining its’ perks and privileges and not so much about winning elections. Its’ 2020 strategy has almost nothing to do with winning the presidency and everything to do with preventing green left electoral victories. Various factions among the donors have persuaded various folks who ought to know better to attempt presidential campaigns–stronger means of persuasion may have been used in some cases, as with, I suspect, Senator Harris. Sen. Merkeley (D-OR) had the sense to tell them no; OR voters don’t like their congressional delegation members getting above themselves, and I think Merkley plans to be Majority Leader someday. That, the Oregonians could tolerate. I believe that the strongest ticket for the Dems in 2020 would be Booker/Klobuchar, with Booker being a strong contender in the South and Klobuchar being able to carry at least some of the Midwest states. Add the West Coast, which mostly hates Trump, and that ticket conceivably could win, especially if Trump can’t find a way out of Venezuela. Besides, I really want to watch the alt right go into frothing orbit over the Black guy/White female optics. (Booker is a bachelor and Klobuchar happily married with children)
The death of Shane saddens me quite greatly. When he stopped posting I began to wonder if he may have passed, and found the confirmation of my fears quite the shock. Indeed, after learning of his death last night I cried quite a bit, both angered and sorrowed that I’ll never be able to meet him in person. JMG, may I ask, do you have any general advice on how to best pray for someone who has recently died?
First, I too will miss Shane. I had the good fortune of meeting him a few times, and whenever we spoke I was left shaking my head at some things, and also impressed by his enthusiasm for so many different topics. I will miss his insight and enthusiasm, as well as some of the discussions he started here.
Second, what sources would you recommend for mundane astrology?
Third, there’s one other topic I think will be big in global politics: Venus is square Mercury and Venus is associated with the arts world, and Mercury is communication, which would seem to include communication mediums.
I’d thus expect the battle over changes to copyright law in Europe to heat up, and become a global story. How it will play out will differ from country to country, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see similar laws introduced (and, with luck, passed) in many other countries.
Are there any aspects of the chart which are particularly surprising to you? Anything which caused you to significantly revise your own earlier predictions or opinions? I’d like to understand whether any of these predictions are driven by the astrological chart, or whether the chart is just providing confirmation for ideas derived by other means, from reading, historical study, attention to news media, etc.
As for future presidents who may clean up the mess, I think a person who is surreptitiously preparing to be the Republican candidate after Trump is Tucker Carlson.
It would not surprise me in the least to see him make the short sideways move from politicised media to mediated politics.
JMG and all –
The question as to why astrology works is indeed baffling. The only thing I’ve ever been able to come up with is that the sun, moon, and planetary bodies all have etheric and astral bodies and that these have a certain impact on all things earthly. Another way of looking at it is that all changes on earth are reflections of changes in the upper worlds.
Pretty thin gruel, but that’s the best I can do. Any speculations?
Thanks,
Will M
Hi Will M,
And then there are at least 2 varieties of western astrology, sidereal and tropical, and Chinese astrology, and they all seem to work well enough to satisfy their users. Baffling indeed.
Oh well, I don’t really understand how my TV works either, but I understand that when I turn it on a generally reliable weather forecast comes out of it.
John, that’s an interesting question. The books of mundane astrology I have don’t specify a house for issues having to do with frontiers; I’ll have to do some looking.
Onething, no, none at all.
Mister N, no doubt that was also a factor, but there was also a huge gap between the liberal coastal establishment and conservative Middle America, and McGovern directed his whole campaign toward the concerns of the privileged left and ignored the majority of the voters, rather the way the Democrats are doing today.
Pogonip, I have no idea. I’ve never been able to get useful results from sidereal methods and so haven’t devoted further time to them.
Varun, yes, I see that. There’s a lot of preaching to the choir on both sides at this point.
Patricia M, gotcha. I don’t think we’ve gotten to the point where most people are working together on one agreed-on megaproblem — we’re still in the mess-of-insoluble-problems stage. As for a dictator, well, to some extent — the last three examples of the species were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.
DJSpo, I’m glad to hear it.
Pete, it shouldn’t affect banks at all, unless we get an ingress chart with the second house cusp in Taurus or Aquarius. Uranus is in the fifth house of the US foundation chart, and its passage from Aries to Taurus is very bad news for speculative assets (5th house), especially those associated with the tech industry (ruled by Uranus); I’d expect to see a lot of stocks that have been flying very high revert to something closer to a reasonable P/E value, which in many cases is more or less $0.
As for the other alignment, Saturn has been in Capricorn since December 2017 and Pluto is an increasingly minor factor — I’ll do a post on that sometime soon. The thing to remember is that X planet moving into Y sign doesn’t mean anything by itself — it only means something in relation to some particular horoscope, such as a nation’s foundation chart or an ingress chart. For example, last month Saturn crossed the second house cusp of the US foundation chart; from now until July, we can expect stabilization and retrenchment to be a significant factor in the US economy. When it passes back into the first house in July, expect the conservative movement in the US to pick up steam again.
Aldabra, yes, that could very well be it.
Dear Phil, I was also thinking about Bill — another member of the community we lost suddenly.
Tidlosa, that could also be it. Something about Thunberg reminds me rather forcefully of Stephen of Cloyes, the French shepherd boy who launched the Children’s Crusade in 1212. I hope this ends a little less badly…
Phil, the currents I’m talking about are currents of nwyfre, not currents of electricity…
David, my guess is that when it comes out and turns out to be a dud, everyone on the TDS end of the left will pretend that it never mattered and start talking loudly about something else.
Tripp, nah, don’t beat yourself up over it. Shane did a lot of work for Joel on the magazine, and after he dropped out of sight, Joel went looking.
David, it will indeed be interesting. My guess is that the Dems are going to lose this one in a fairly big way, but we’ll see.
Kay, thanks for this.
JWWM, I ain’t arguing…
David, yeah, “holding pattern” is a good description. Biden-Abrams…I bet Trump supporters are salivating over that possibility (though they’d be even happier if Hillary Clinton ran again).
Nastarana, that’s one I’m watching carefully. I would like to see Monsanto/Bayer take it in the teeth good and hard — they’re the poster child just now for profits at the expense of human and environmental health, and if those 11,000 suits cost them in blood, it’ll make other companies think twice before behaving similarly.
Violet, no particular advice, since it depends very much on your relationship with the deities you pray to.
Will J, H.S. Green and Raphael both have books titled Mundane Astrology, which are good solid introductions to the art. As for Venus and Mercury, er, when are they square? Not in this ingress chart, surely.
Adam, quite a number of the things in this chart came as a surprise to me. I didn’t expect Trump’s significator to show so distinct a swing toward foreign policy; I didn’t expect to see so definite a sign of conflict between the radical and establishment wings of the Democratic party, or so strong a sign of trouble in the tech industry; and the end of the conflict between Trump and the executive branch took me completely by surprise. If you pick up a book on mundane astrology and go through the planetary placements, you’ll find that my predictions are based throughout on astrological principles — I didn’t just deck out some other predictions in astrological drag!
Phil K., I could see that. He’s certainly got a big fan club among Trumpistas.
Will, none at all. I’m perfectly comfortable with things that work even though we don’t know why!
Pete: I am no astrologer, but it sounds good, solid, conservative (conservation-type) austerity with a dark mood underneath. I myself like to joke (!) that I was born “at the intersection of Saturn and Mars,” where they overlap, i.e. the Great Depression and World War II. 1939 can be nothing else, but where the stars were then, except for my own natal chart, I have No Clue. For what it’s worth.
Philsharris: I read the obituary and it was as minimalist as one could get. Birth date, death date, age, name of parents, high school attended. I found myself wondering if there was something we’d like to know they did not want to say.
Now reading the article on Watertown. Love it! And not just the North Country. Jean Lamb has been telling me a lot about her home town, Klamath Falls, population about 17,000 inside the town limits, 34,000 total (“The K. Falls Metro Area”) and it seems to me much the same here. She’s a Democrat, her husband is A Republican, an they get along fine.
Regarding that global movement indicated in the chart I’m pretty sure this heralds the worldwide striking schoolkids protesting the lack of any significant action on the part of the political and social authorities regarding climate change. It’s surely fair to predict that nothing will come of it, but that’s exactly why it’s happening. I’m of the view that this is actually a pretty big deal. Long ago there were Hopi elders who predicted that the children would turn against their parents when they came to understand that their parents generation had fouled the earth they were to inherit. That’s kind of important. There’s a view which holds that good relations make the world go round and the parent/child relation is fundamental. If strife strikes this relation it’s not so good for the world either. Again, it’s hard to imagine that anything significant will proceed from demonstrating schoolkids but this could, and I believe will, become a life changing moment for an entire generation. Analogies with the Children’s Crusade (an op-ed in RT)are off the mark and only exhibit the incapacity of people in a corrupted time to come to grips with the real problems that they themselves participate in. Anyway, thank you for these chart readings; they are most helpful.
I, too, would like to salute Shane.
Wherever you are, buddy, you will be remembered fondly. May you reach wherever you need to be soon enough.
And say hi to Bill, if you happen to run into him.
Pogonip, heh, yep, bottom line is that astrology *works*. I can live with my curiosity as to why it works, I actually relish my curiosity. I’m curious about most everything.
@Pogonip
Re: Sidereal
There are different varieties of astrology just like there are different varieties of magic, and, I suspect, for somewhat the same reason. The astrology that works in a particular culture is specific to that culture: the Mayans, for example, treated Venus as a war planet, somewhat the same way we treat Mars.
I’ve never seen sidereal methods do very much in Western contexts, but a lot of that is because Western astrology has been Tropical practically from day 1. The variety of Hindu astrology known as Jyotish works extremely well, although many of the most basic assumptions of Western astrology simply aren’t true in Jyotish. For example, in Jyotish, the signs are the same as the houses: the first house is the same as the sign that contains the ascendent. The second house is the next sign. Aspect rules are weird. Jupiter, for example, casts trines. If Jupiter is in the first house, it casts its beneficial glance on the entire fifth and ninth house. No other planet casts a trine. And on and on.
@Patricia M and JMG
Re: Crisis periods.
The last four dictators: Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Trump were (and are) all Crisis period dictators. The next period will see a behind-the-scenes dictatorship with no specific person in charge. It’s driven by a sense of “Never Again” when looking back at the mess of the previous crisis; the generations in charge (that’s the G.I. generation and the Silent generation) do what they have to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If that’s legal, fine. If it’s not legal, grit your teeth and do it. J. Edgar Hoover was a typical example: he saw his job as identifying and neutralizing people who were rocking the boat, and he was very effective at it.
As far as a building consensus is concerned: there is very much a consensus on the left, especially the younger generation. The right is trying to mock most of that consensus.
@JMG
Re: Astrological expectations
I expected a lot of what you seem to have found surprising. A simple example: the challenge to the Democratic party elite establishment. That’s been building for a long time. Most of the gains in the 2018 mid-terms were from the grass roots, not from the Establishment, and a lot of the new faces in Congress have the Establishment running scared. My guess is that the old Democratic elite will be pretty much out of power in the party by the Democratic convention – which is well over a year away.
I’m sad to find out about Shane. Like many others here, I always thought I would meet him one day … what a character – not enough of those in the world.
John—
Re Trump’s turn to foreign affairs
Hopefully, he’s savvy enough not to involve the F-35 fleet:
https://news.yahoo.com/why-f-35-isnt-ready-094100948.html
A pretty dim picture of the project, even given my absurdly low expectations going into the article. What utter foolishness.
When I ge frustrated with the state of things, I just remind myself how insignificant all of this political foment is in the grand scheme of cosmic time (even geologic time) and I feel much better.
Later Shane, here’s hoping you and Bill can get a good discussion group going on your side of the door, when my day comes I will look you up.
I have a question. What determines the position of the midheaven (and thus the size of the houses)? Is it the inclination of the earth’s axis? I picture the inner circle as a slice of the earth along the eclíptica, looking southward. But this doesnt explain why the midheaven isn’t at the Zenith. What am i seeing wrong?
Nastarana,
Yes, you’re right about the democratic party, but it doesn’t help that the Green left and the alternative parties are so bloody incompetent. I’ve spent time on their websites and talked to the Greens and Libertarians, but never once have I come away feeling like they had long term plans or the ability to execute them.
Since the midterms I’ve just felt despondent about the state of politics at both the state and federal levels. The whole system just feels like its ground to halt, and I’m annoyed at the lack of options for people like myself.
Even the ctrl-left and alt-right aren’t fun any more, both sides spend most of their time contemplating each other, and that probably explains why it feels like they’re just chasing each others tails.
Trump punched a hole in the neoliberal consensus, and things are clearly changing, but I don’t know if they’re headed in a direction that I find appealing.
I guess what I’m getting at is that I’m contemplating going in David’s direction and joining the fray in some capacity. Where and how requires much deliberation.
Archdruid,
Two caves full of idiots yelling at shadows, gives a whole new twist to Plato’s Allegory of the cave…
Regard,
Varun
I just wanted to also express my sadness at the loss of Shane. We never interacted as far as I can remember, but I found he had an infectious passion for whatever he was talking about. His arguments with Bill Pulliam were always quite the event, examples of passionate but civil disagreement, and we aren’t likely to see anything comparable for some time yet.
Pogonip,
I am not an astrologer, but I know just enough to feel I can answer your question re: sidereal astrology.
Sidereal astrology requires somewhat different rules of interpretation than tropical astrology. As I understand it, attempts to use tropical astrology’s rules with a sidereal zodiac have always failed. You might try looking at Vedic astrology, which is a form of sidereal astrology that’s been practiced continuously for millennia and seems to give good results.
Chinese astrology seems to be a whole other thing again.
Regarding Patricia M’s idea of the post-crisis era and your prediction of a future president who clears up the mess the United States are currently in, is it correct to suppose you mean an American equivalent to Vladimir Putin?
And regarding Venezuela, it seems increasingly to me that the attempt of regime change there will ultimately fail, because these attempts don’t seem to go anywhere.
And, since the last few ingress charts were more or less indicating business as usual, I would like to know what an ingress chart, which indicates profound changes in a relatively short time span, like Europe in 1989, would look like?
Hi John Michael,
Happy equinox to you and Sara and best wishes for a gentle and productive spring and summer.
Had a bit of rain today down here, the first in a long while (about 1/5th of an inch), so perhaps an alert person might suggest that Esus looks after his own?
Can’t really add anything to the discussion as I’m an outsider to the reading.
Sorry to learn of the passing of Shane, he had a sharp mind as well as forthright views. He kind of reminded me of Bill Pulliam. Hopefully wherever they are both now, they can enjoy a dark ale and continue the conversation.
Chris
John–
Re Meuller
I must say, your scrying crystal is in fine form:
https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/22/letter-suggests-mueller-report-wont-say-much-about-trump/
and
https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/22/democrats-not-expecting-much-from-mueller-report/
A fascinating shift in tone. Now, it seems, the focus is on “let the ballot box decide” as many of the commenters cannot fathom Trump winning re-election.
Regarding Shane, I for one will miss his p.o.v. as a gay man investing himself in the idea of secession. I have had similar ideas to him for various reasons, and found his take on things enlightening but sometimes frustrating too.
So, regarding the Neptune Movement, I’m reminded of R. Tarnas’s wonderful book “Cosmos and Psyche” where he chronicled Neptune’s transits with artistic movements. I wonder if one of these might not qualify at least in that milieu of “people as audiences”:
“Nicecore” https://filmschoolrejects.com/nicecore-television/
“Hopepunk” https://www.vox.com/2018/12/27/18137571/what-is-hopepunk-noblebright-grimdark (posted before, but still interesting)
Neptune frequently speaks to artistic and creative developments as well, and I tend to think both of these are tres Pisces. Personally, I’m wanting Nicecore and Hopepunk to cross over into more mainstream vehicles. I think they can and actually, I sense that there are quite a few people who are seeking something that can acknowledge the human propensity to hate, while seeking to find pathways to alchemically transform that raw power into something that’s actually helpful and sustaining.
My favorite films seem to be LGBT stories of a nicecore/hopepunk ethos. While I can grok the attraction to Grimdark, I’m tired of that milieu and long for brighter tales. I will admit to enjoying some of that. I’ll be sitting up with my partner some nights taking in “Breaking Bad.” But in terms of my own need to connect with material, I want something aggressively hopeful I guess. Just an off-hand observation.
Question: In natal astrology, the 7th house relates to one’s relationship with the public. (I myself have Neptune in Scorpio in that sector.) In mundane astrology, would it be the 2nd, 5th or 7th house that relates to the cultural/artistic trends in operation?
@ JMG, Tidlosa, and Kevin F
Re the children’s crusade and younger climate change protests
I certainly commend those participating for political engagement on issues of importance to them. We need more civic engagement, not less, as we move into the difficult times ahead. On the other hand, I do wonder to what extent the children and young adults involved fully grasp the complexity of the problem. That is, it isn’t about simply using “green” energy to power our modern industrial civilization, it is about radically modifying that way of life to return our levels of consumption to within the sustainable resource limits of this planet. Much of what we take for granted (the internet we are using right now, for example) will not survive that transition for the simple fact that the technology cannot run on the limited resource flows that are available to us on any long-term basis. If the younger folks (saying this as an elder 40-something) understand this and *still* advocate for the changes, then all the more power to them.
I suspect, however, that there is a lot of Green New Deal-ism going on here; that is, an underlying belief that we can keep all our goodies, just run them on sustainable energy. Even AOC (one very visible proponent these days) apparently said recently (at SXSW or some similar venue) that we would have to accept the inevitability of automation. Chatter for UBI continues to build on the leftward side of things. I’ll tell you, this fantasy world where no one works but everyone gets paid is never going to happen and is simply the left’s version of the same techno-cornucopian vision that we’ve been hypnotizing ourselves with for decades.
Change is coming, but it isn’t going to be the kind of change most envision at present. My hope is that we can get more clear-eyed about our future prospects in time to mitigate some of the harsher aspects of the paths which lay before us.
“…it’s quite probable that the House of Representatives will aim an inconclusive but uncomfortable spotlight on the big internet firms, for example, and that a shift in public attitudes will also work to the serious disadvantage of Jeff Bezos and his absurdly overpaid ilk. Exactly how this will work out in the years to come is anyone’s guess as yet.”
“…or so strong a sign of trouble in the tech industry;”
I just saw a fascinating documentary a few nights ago on Elizabeth Holmes,convicted fraudster, the creator of Theranos, which was the darling of Silicon Valley and many prominent politicians, businesspeople and powered elite, up until 2016 when the fraud was uncovered by a journalist with the help of a few of Theranos’ ex- lab employees. Here is a brief synopsis for anyone unfamiliar with her story:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Holmes
Basically, she strove to create a ‘miracle’ of medical-mini-lab techno-innovation. A full lab to run 200 different types of tests using only a small drop of blood as opposed to the 2-3 vials currently needed for full blood work. With her invention, the blood could be processed in a computerised lab about the size of a bread box. These boxes could be installed and used at drug store minute-clinics or even “in every home” so no more need for a doctor’s diagnosis and expensive lengthy lab work. It generated $billions in investment, but was impossible in practicality. The product , the mini-lab, could never work and did never work.
The most interesting point, (to this discussion) was that that there were most likely more out there in SV. ‘Great inventions to change the world!’ (or at least the world for the salaried class who would benefit, by far, the most from such techno-breakthroughs). Perhaps not even purposeful deceptions or frauds; Holmes had every belief that hers would eventually work, even as she covered up the fraud of it’s utter failure.
She was convicted last year, this is pretty recent news and I’m wondering if any other Silicon Valley companies are following a similar decline, if not so public and photogenic, a crash and burn. If so, it would definitely create a crisis of confidence and precipitate such hard times as the charts suggest. If so, I think the timing might be just right for that.
Kevin Frost said:
“Long ago there were Hopi elders who predicted that the children would turn against their parents when they came to understand that their parents generation had fouled the earth they were to inherit.”
Smart Hopi elders. This is one of those instances where a reincarnation-based worldview changes everything for me though. I recognized a long time ago that my actions were fouling the very bed my children would lie in, and that recognition lead to some fairly radical behavioral changes on my part.
Only within the last 2 years, as my perspective shifted from oblivion to reincarnation, have I realized that I’m also fouling the bed for my future self as well.
For some reason I find it even easier to dig into the difficult adaptations that need to be done when confronted with the idea that I might be my grandchild’s grandchild, and have to learn to get by in a world, say, 4 generations farther down the road of ecosystem destruction and resource depletion.
It makes me take my living example quite seriously.
And it also tempers my disrespect for my elders who made even more of the mess than I did, knowing that the same applies to them.
Shane reminded us (regularly) that this sentiment isn’t universal though…
Wishing you the best in your next go-round, buddy. We may meet in person one day yet. And the same to all you Boomers and Silents as well, when your time comes.
From another Gen X’er,
Farewell, Shane.
I am saddened to hear of Shane’s death. Although, like others, I did not always agree with him, it was the vitality and engagement with life that came through in his posts that was so appealing. Thanks for the link–it was nice to see his face, again with that vitality. I wish his soul a peaceful journey.
Tripp,
As JMG said, don’t beat yourself up. I didn’t receive any notice about Shane. He helped me on the magazine, acting as a second pair of eyes to look at stories and give me an outside opinions, as well as doing some light editing. I went to forward on a story to him last week and got a hard bounce on the email, saying the email address no longer existed. That seemed awfully strange, so I did a quick search for “Shane Wilson Kentucky” and the obituary popped right up. Since I had a mailing address for him and was able to align the town, plus other details I know about him from comments here, it was pretty clear it was the same Shane Wilson. I then gave JMG a heads up because I figured he would want to know and thought he might put an announcement on the blog.
I’m pretty bummed about it. We weren’t super close, but I enjoyed his comments here (I rarely comment these days, but I certainly still lurk and read!) and had some additional chats over email about the state of the world, politics, etc, and I got a kick out of him and valued his opinions.
I found out a little too late to put a notice and write up in the new issue of the magazine, but I’m going to put something in the summer issue. Shane will be missed. I wish he’d gotten to stick around longer, but perhaps he’ll get to reside in a future independent South in his next incarnation.
Somebody I’m keeping my eye on in regards to the future of the Republican party is Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida. Now, I should note that I haven’t followed him incredibly closely and am not from Florida, so some of the following summary may be partly wrong or incomplete or lacking full nuance, but here’s what seems to have gone on with DeSantis.
He tied himself closely to Trump and won the Republican primary when he wasn’t supposed to, then went on to squeak out a win against Andrew Gillum in the general. He did all this while being considered a pretty far right conservative, in a highly partisan contest. Then he came into office and took most everyone by surprise both by charging out of the gate with a series of high profile actions in his first couple weeks that not only made good on a number of his conservative promises, but also pivoted in other directions. He pressed the Legislature to legalize smoking medical marijuana and otherwise liberalize medical marijuana laws to get more in line with a voter referendum from 2016 the state government up to this point has been fighting. He announced a major environmental agenda focused on restoration, clean water, and an office tasked with addressing climate change, much to the surprise and grudging praise of environmentalists who had opposed him. He’s apparently also appointed some Democrats to his administration and is working much more closely and sharing the spotlight with his Lieutenant Governor.
The result? He’s got a 59% – 17% approval rating in the state and even is approved of by Democrats 42% to 28%. Granted, he’s only a few months in and there’s plenty of time for things to change–no doubt his road will get harder one way or another–but given that he’s all of 40 years old, has just six years of political baggage on him and is aligned with the current and emerging Republican base, is the governor of a large and important swing state, and appears to be maintaining his support among Trump Republicans while also finding ways to reach out to the other side, this dude is someone to watch. Wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he was the Republican nominee in 2024.
Farewell, Shane. I’ll miss your ideas and insights.
On September 23, 2017, Shane posted a thoughtful reflection about Bill’s passing in the comment thread for “The Terror of Deep Time.” That comment is even more apt and poignant now.
Bon voyage and a hale arrival to our fellow traveler.
This post brought up a number of questions and ideas, so in no particular order…
My own country (Canada)’s birthday being July 1, do these predictions apply fairly well to Canada’s fortunes as well? It’s funny to imagine my own head of state spending more energy on foreign affairs, but there are certainly factors that would frustrate him domestically just now…
Regarding the Mercury retrograde – independent journalists and commentators have always had an uneasy relationship with the tech giants that distribute their content – I suspect that might come to a head this year as there’s a bit of a perfect storm: An election year in which the incumbent was only given a measured treatment by these independent talking heads, while these accidental oligarchs are constantly tempted to interfere with the public discourse in ever more blatant ways. As a result, Monsanto’s not the only giant facing legal action, and from some of what I’ve seen, I suspect some crises of conscience will be added to the mix on all sides.
Regarding the fortunes of farmers – I believe they’ll have a particular crop available for the first time in living memory this year? Hemp and its medicinal cousins are foreigners to this continent, but very intimately tied to the founding story of the country itself. All that capital leaving speculative tech will want to go somewhere…
Nestorian, I think financial astrology is one of the easier areas to self-teach if you use a statistical approach, since stock market returns and profits are unambiguous and have been meticulously recorded for the past few decades. If you’re interested in the field, I recommend just downloading some charts of historical data and learning from the numbers. I found it fascinating, though my unfamiliarity with actual astrology limited how far I could take the project – analyzing the stock market as a whole just gives the old ‘buy and hold’ advice we’ve all already heard anyway. I’d be happy to chat more about it if you’d like.
I was also saddened to hear about Shane. I had to read John Michael’s note three times to get who he was talking about, no it cant be. May he rest in peace
Having read the Green New Deal (as run though factcheck-dot-org) I wondered why it seemed dimly familiar. Sustainability Studies 101 started us off with The Brundtland Report, which included each and every point: a middle-class living for all, renewable energy, etc….and the amazing oxymoron, “sustainable growth.”
Caryn,
If I’m not mistaken, Elizabeth Holmes has been listed at least a few times in the world’s youngest female billionaires spotlight. (My librarian wife caught me browsing this list at the library once and I told her I was shopping for a new wife…) I remember this little invention of hers being ooohed and aaahed over, as if she had done something quite spectacular. Now I’m dashed to discover that it was fraudulent all along.
I totally joke about shopping for a hot rich wife on such lists (unless we’re talking about Aerin Lauder), but wonder how many young folks, girls particularly, looked up to her as a model of achievement. And I can’t help but wonder how many Elizabeth Holmeses there are out there right now leading the minds of the younger generations in one hopeless direction after another.
Cheers!
It was here that I was introduced to the importance of the Aries Ingress chart, for which I am exceedingly grateful.
On previous Ingress posts, the fact that World War II era astrologers failed to predict WWII has been brought up. The response is, in short, that WWII era astrologers were not using Aries Ingress charts.
Astrologer Lee Lehman breaks it all down here: http://leephd.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-development-of-modern-mundane.html
It’s illuminating when she shows you the first two 1939 Aries Ingress charts, cast for London and Berlin. But it gets mind-blowing further on down when she shows you the 1945 Aries Ingress and compares it to the 1939.
“The service and information sector of the economy may be in for a very sharp disruption, probably involving a lot of investment capital leaving in a hurry.”
ie expect a stock market crash
New study shows happiest cities in America.
David, BTL, dont you live in and contribute to the well-being of Madison, WI?? Numero tres…
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/12/wallethub-study-happiest-cities-in-america.html?recirc=taboolainternal
Toledo and Detroit were among the worst. It’s funny to think about the parameters used in a study like this and then compare them mentally to what is needed for the future we face. Would love to see this analysis retooled from an energy descent POV.
My town of Ellijay, GA would fare way better I bet…
Kevin, so far what i’ve seen of the school strikers reminds me much more of the Children’s Crusade than it does of anything that’s likely to have a constructive outcome. The thing that Thunberg et al. apparently don’t know, and may not be willing to learn, is that it’s not just a matter of getting rid of fossil fuels and putting something else in place to power the kind of lives they assume they’re going to lead. There is nothing else. Renewables can provide maybe 15% of the energy, and less than that of the products of energy, that we currently get from fossil fuels. The other 85% will go away forever, and take everything corresponding to an industrial lifestyle with it. Mind you, that’s going to happen anyway in due time — fossil fuels are nonrenewable, and we’re depleting them at an insane pace — but the notion that all people have to do is throw a tantrum demanding that something nice and green be put in place of fossil fuels to keep their lifestyles going is the supreme delusion of our times.
John, of course — monarchy gives way to oligarchy, which gives way to democracy, which gives way to chaos, which gives way to monarchy again. As for figuring out things in advance, well, if you figured that out from other sources, more power to you. I got it from the chart.
David, on the other hand, if he spends all his time trying to jawbone other nations into buying Lardbuckets, it might keep him away from something that might actually do some harm!
Juan Pablo, the midheaven in the northern hemisphere is the point on the ecliptic furthest north of the celestial equator. Since the ecliptic is tilted, that point veers one way or the other depending on where you are .
Varun, I ain’t arguing.
Booklover, I don’t expect a Putin, because the situation’s very different. I’d look for someone who’s good at compromise and conciliation, who can build a working coalition out of the wreckage that’s left over from the current partisan wars. As for ingress charts predicting business as usual, have you noticed that most years really are business as usual? Charts predicting radical change are as rare as radical change is; you’d look for Mars and/or Uranus strongly placed by sign and house, affecting the Moon and the ruler of the house in which the Moon is located, or one of a few other similar configurations.
Chris, congrats on the rain! That’s got to be welcome.
David, that one was shooting fish in a barrel. The thing that remains to be seen is whether Trump succeeds in turning the tables on his opponents using the Mueller report as a blunt instrument, or even gets a special prosecutor looking into collusion between the FBI and the Clinton campaign…
Richard, in order to signal an artistic, literary, or creative movement in an ingress chart, Neptune would have to be in the fifth house, or it would have to rule the fifth house — that is, the fifth house cusp would be in Aquarius. Neither of those are the case in this chart. That doesn’t mean the movements you favor won’t get traction; what it means is that they won’t have a political or economic impact large enough to register in this kind of chart.
David, yep. I want to see how many of these kids would be willing to train for jobs as subsistence farmers.
Caryn, you may well be right; cough, cough, Elon Musk, cough, cough…
Joel, de Santis is an interesting cat. If he can keep doing what he’s been doing so far, yeah, he may want to start making plans for 2024.
Christopher, you’d have to cast an ingress chart for Ottawa — the charts are specific to the national capital of each country. Ottawa’s more than a degree of longitude further west and more than six degrees of latitude further north, so the house cusps would be in different places and the interpretations would vary accordingly. You may be right about the Mercury retrograde — and you’re certainly right about that additional crop, which ought to be a huge moneymaker in the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys in particular (immense crops of industrial hemp were grown there during the Second World War).
Patricia M, yep. It’s the standard wish list at this point; the mere fact that the planet doesn’t have the resources to make it possible never makes it into the discussion.
Athena, many thanks for this! Lehman’s analysis looks very solid — I’ve bookmarked the article to read when I have time to do it justice. One of the reasons I rely so heavily on ingress charts is precisely that back in the days when astrologers used those, they made more accurate predictions than they’ve done since…
Mark, no, not at all. The stock market is a fifth house matter, and the fifth house is ruled by a well-dignified Saturn; that predicts relative stability, with a little bias to the downside. Some very big tech corporations (and some very heavily hawked speculative favorites) may well crash and burn, but the market as a whole? That’s not what this chart predicts.
@ Tripp
Re Madison
Right state, but no, not that city. Much smaller community further north and east (Two Rivers). But I think we’d fare well. I just had a several-hour random coffee-shop chat with a couple who moved here less than 12 months ago and they had many positive things to say about this town compared to other places they’ve lived.
@ Patricia M
Re “sustainable growth”
‘xactly…
John
Re Trump and lardbucket sales
An excellent point! Moreover, if our military war machine is busy making sales, perhaps that will keep them occupied enough so that they invade fewer countries and generate fewer multi-decade quagmires chewing up resources and lives.
Re Mueller and the aftermath
I hadn’t considered the turn-about possibilities. Yes, that would be something to watch for. And yes, if there is anyone who could manage such a feat, it would be Trump.
Re Meuller
Ok, as I still lurk on PoliticalWire, this post hit 3 hours ago:
https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/22/mueller-sends-report-to-attorney-general/
and is already over 800 comments. From my random scroll-through sample, many people yelling at each other and calling one another idiots.
I need more popcorn.
Vale Shane Wilson fellow unknown commentator in the inky black reaches of cyberspace. Always a lonely feeling to learn someone has died who you never met but read their thoughts over a long period. A strange loneliness indeed.
Still, it was never intended that we should venture far.
Ironic that his middle name was ‘Macafee’ JMG, given that was what powered your relationship
Best
I’m so sad to hear about Shane! I was beginning to wonder where he’d gone. Thank you for the link to his obituary.
Ha! But your Libra ingress prognosis did not catch this loss of a devoted Trump supporter! (I successfully channeled him last night in my dreams.) I will sorely miss his diatribes. He was like family to me, and I also hoped to meet him some day.
David, at this point the US could go into business as a supplier of fancy military hardware for countries that don’t actually need it, and do rather well at that. Might not be a bad idea. As for Trump, well, he just doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who lets bygones be bygones…
Patricia O, I also hoped to meet him someday and am sorry that won’t happen in this life.
This community must have a pretty solid egregore.. I spent a good portion of the beginning of this week thinking of Bill Pulliam and then learn the reason as to why we hadn’t been graced with any more of Shane’s comments. It certainly is a loss yet which are good reminders as the downward spiral continues, more and more will probably be passing away at earlier ages than what we’ve become accustomed.
Tripp,
I’m the guy from Madison. This city is a happy because we’re perpetually stuck between a full size city and a town. About three four months out of the year we shrink by about 20,000 as the student population heads home for the holidays. It’s kinda nice, until the university bubble bursts.
Regards,
Varun
Dewey: I’ve run a decent number of ingresses for rather ugly historical events. The thing is, sometimes it’s easy to spot what’s going on (the 1994 Aries chart for Kigali, Rwanda is something else) but quite a few of them leave me going “how did that chart generate that atrocity/civil war?”.
That said… having run quite a few charts for the next couple of years, I would take a very, very close look at the Aries and Cancer ingresses for 2020. Especially the latter, and especially the Beijing version of it. (To elaborate: The basic structure of the 2020 Cancer chart globally is Sun conjunct Moon [in Gemini] square a Mars-Neptune conjunction in Pisces [with Mars-Moon a mere minute of arc from being exact!], semisquare Uranus in Taurus at the midpoint of the aforementioned square [Uranus also semisquare Mars-Neptune], and inconjunct a loose Jupiter-Saturn[-Pluto] stellium on the Capricorn/Aquarius cusp (said stellium sextile Mars-Neptune). That ingress means something big, and it is definitely active for Beijing, which additionally has that Mars-Neptune conjunction on the midheaven and Moon in the twelfth house ruling the ascendant. The most obvious feature of 2020 Aries, meanwhile, is a loose stellium of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn[, and Pluto] in Capricorn; Beijing has said stellium in the seventh house, and Mars in the seventh in this fall’s Libra ingress as well.)
Nastarana: I ran the Caracas Aries chart about a month ago, so all I had to do was pull it up! Caracas is at roughly the same longitude as DC, so unsurprisingly Venezuela’s chart is actually quite similar to the US one – the main differences are that the Neptune-Mercury conjunction lies in the sixth house (conjunct the seventh house cusp) and Saturn is in the fourth (conjunct fifth cusp), but it also puts Jupiter on the nadir and Mars tightly conjunct the ninth house cusp. In that chart I think Neptune-Mercury is pointing to the coup attempt, and that goes double if something comes up about foreign intelligence agencies in Canada before September. (I’m still polishing off my more detailed Aries interpretation – need to hurry up, reality just scooped me on the Mueller report dropping – but I’m strongly inclined to disagree with JMG’s interpretation of Mercury-Neptune: I’m reading it as scandal.)
The easy answer here – which may or may not be correct – is that Guraido is in the same position in Venezuela as the Democratic leadership is in the US. (Not sure who’s filling that role in Canada – Ford?) Whether Maduro survives… I’m honestly not sure; I could see him falling given that badly debilitated midheaven ruler and reports of the situation on the ground but that’s not a guarantee by any means. I will say this: I think if Trump’s administration manages to take down Maduro there’s a decent chance that in so doing he alienates enough of his base to take Trump down with it.
Christopher: Ottawa’s chart is identical to the US chart, except Neptune and Saturn are even more firmly on their respective house cusps. I’m frankly not sure how that’s going to interact with your domestic politics.
John Roth: By the rules I’ve been using, immigration should be a third house concern (or possibly split between the third and seventh houses, like I sometimes see foreign relations assigned, but since the relevant issue is the Mexican border it should be third either way). Third house ruler is Mars, detrimented in Taurus in the ninth; that sounds like a whole bunch of legal battles to me, but then that’s not exactly surprising!
I will give Thunberg a little credit, she changed her diet and she swore off air travel. That might not be enough, and most the protesters aren’t yet talking about the severity of changes that would need to follow from it, but it still beat the stuffing out of most previous enviro messiahs. I have a sad cynicism about a lot of politicalized young folks who get a big platform, having to do with some ugly vibes from supra middle class family structure issues. Thunberg is doing alright for where she is coming from, but of course a proper crusade would require some youth from a little big rougher backing to catch a chance to slip past the class filters on being an international feature… there could be an opertunity for that in the near future.
I was looking it up recently, how much solar there is in the USA, and the watts per person is about what my electrical needs are for extended chunks of the year. Sadly, I use a fair bit more than 160 watts during waking hours most seasons, but frankly I could get down to that point with out living as a total wreck. I feel like the kind of fiber to bare such levels of resource limitation are building up on the fringes, even a lot of fancy privileged young friends I know have at least role played scarcity for times in their lives, and if you gave them a social context to posture in with out energy they would adapt. That ain’t true for everyone, or even a majority, but it is true for plenty enough folk.
I wouldn’t mind seeing more younger folk getting properly riled up, good on them, the only sad thing be the nasty priests telling them that they can reclain the holy land, so to speak. Even if that goes as badly as JMG might fear, especially if it goes badly, that is in a way more oppertunity to offer guidance in other directions. Hey kid, wanna grow some amaranth?
So sad to hear about Shane’s passing. His lively participation will be missed. I do hope, if reincarnation is true, that Shane’s next go-around will be a good one.
Joy Marie
“No, I’m not talking about the 2020 election. Right now, unless something changes in a hurry, the Democratic Party is steaming full speed ahead toward a repeat of their debacle in the 1972 election…”
And the so-called blue wave of 2018 was more of a ripple. In fact, of the special elections held so far in 2019, 10 remained Democrat, 4 remained Republican, and 4 flipped from Dem to Rep. None flipped the other way. Some might say so what, that’s still a Democratic majority; however it shows the trend that is building up, which Democrats can ignore at their own risk.
https://politicalcharge.org/2019/03/21/2019-election-results-wheres-the-blue-wave/
Joy Marie
Just found this:
How Trump is on track for a 2020 landslide
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/21/trump-economy-election-1230495
They are careful to insert several caveats on how he might lose, though it provides predictions such as Trump winning 54 percent of the popular vote, and another model showing him winning by 294 electoral votes. The last paragraph is interesting, with a top aide to Obama stating that Trump (“…a largely incompetent clown…”) barely won last time due to a Black Swan series of events. Funny how those Black Swans can glide up on you when you least expect it.
Joy Marie
@Patricia M
Thanks for relaying Shane’s minimal obit
best
Phil H
@Patricia M
You wrote: “Sustainability Studies 101 started us off with The Brundtland Report, which included each and every point: a middle-class living for all, renewable energy, etc….and the amazing oxymoron, “sustainable growth.” ”
Indeed (and JMG’s reply). Precisely these points and oxymoron are noted in a book in French by Philippe Bihouix https://www.amazon.co.uk/LÂge-tech-civilisation-techniquement-soutenable-ebook/dp/B00KKO7DWO The book is currently a translation project by a friend in the UK.
JMG’s comment about insufficient world resources for a middle class American future for a all is a theme that runs through the book, although it focuses on France. Will keep you posted.
best
Phil H
Mark said:
“ie expect a stock market crash”
You’ve been reading Kunstler, haven’t you? 😉
David, BTL,
I must be remembering you locating your town with RESPECT to Madison, just as I would direct people to Ellijay by saying that we’re 80 miles north of Atlanta and 80 miles south-southeast of Chattanooga. I definitely don’t live in Atlanta…
And therein lies a major fallacy with the article’s analysis: they only looked at larger cities. On average, does anyone really think people are happier in big cities than in small towns? I sure don’t.
Been enjoying your political analysis this week.
Cheers.
John—
Given the kind of transitions we are looking at (the end of the US empire over the next few decades and the end of modern industrial civilization over the next two centuries), is it almost a necessity that any effective leader would manage by means of some level of deception, if only by omission? For example, I would never be elected President because I would be out there plainly stating: this is where we are going, this is why it is happening, and this is how we are going to navigate that passage. People don’t want to see what is happening, nor are they willing to be told. So, in effect, in order to lead us in the way we need to go, a President would have to act surreptitiously. This would limit his/her ability to make needed changes, such as cutting back on the military arm or reducing investment in complex technologies. In time, hopefully, this deception will no longer be needed, but I can’t see how a successful candidate today can work any other way. How would a shift in public awareness show itself in a mundane chart?
John & everyone
Re the youth strikers, GND, etc.
Interesting article on Resilience:
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2019-03-21/a-modest-suggestion-for-the-worlds-climate-strikers/
Reading through the comments reveals a good amount of pushback from the cornucopian end of the spectrum.
https://www.vox.com/2019/3/21/18275796/happiness-report-usa-ranking-2019
Joel Caris:
Yes, DeSantis is really surprising! We are in FL and watched the gubernatorial debates with interest. He came off as none-too-bright, More concerned with Guillam’s short fallings, both real and imaginary),, bowing and scraping to Trump and the occasional comment that teetered on the fence and left many wondering “Was that a racist dog-whistle?”, (like “We don’t want to monkey this up”). Perhaps those were all that is needed to keep a certain demographic regardless of the policies one puts in place. If so, he played it well, as there certainly is that demographic here amongst us. I am very much opposed to such a ploy, be it genuine or false, but it is what it is. So, yes, I’m surprised, and for once not unhappily surprised, so far.
I still wish Guillam had won or at least more of his platform were initiated, especially on transportation infrastructure which is sorely needed. Perhaps it won’t be needed in, say 100 years because we won’t be above water in 100 years, but in the meantime we could really use it. It’s very strange living here for more reasons than one. Maybe I’ll try more on an open post.
Regarding your reply to Kevin on striking school children, this is backed up by this paper from Prof. Jem Bendell of Cumbria University, UK, which says that there will be social and economic collapse caused by climate change within the lives of people living now and possibly within the next ten years. This also conforms to the 1970s predictions of “Limits To Growth” of economic collapse early in the 21st century.
https://jembendell.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/the-study-on-collapse-they-thought-you-should-not-read-yet/
The paper can be downloaded from the top right hand corner of the page.
Speaking of b.a.u., my reaction to the Mueller Report: “Another mountain went into labor and gave birth to the usual mouse.”
About the fine structure of the Long Descent (i.e. the cycle visible in one person’e lifetime), I have some books to pass on to those interested. Two of them have been quoted extensively on this and the previous blog:
Fourth Turning, William Strauss and Neil Howe, hardcover, like new. Since that’s what we’ve been in since September 11, 2001, it’s relevant. Neil Howe went from there into helping managers market to demographically divided consumers, alas; haven’t heard from him in years.
Generational Dynamics, John J. Xenakis, trade paper, some pencil comments, covers many other nations than our own. I can vouch for his section on England, and a little bit on the ancient world. Note – Xenakis as he was on the Fourth Turning forums was a very dogmatic sourpuss, but his observations hold up.
and The Fates of Nations, a Biological Theory of History, Paul Colinvaux. By an ecologist in the real, honest-to-Gaia, degree in biology meaning. And the book is probably hard to come by; ut was when I first bought it.
Drop me a line here or at (get the spelling right or it will go astray!) mathews55 at msn dot com.
Pat
@ Tripp
Re happiness and small towns
Absolutely. I, for one, find myself quite happy in this city of ~11,000. Given me a town I can walk across, with a rich history, gorgeous lake and river views, a fourth-generation family-owned department store, and a multitude of locally-owned diners any day of the week.
“H.S. Green and Raphael both have books titled Mundane Astrology, which are good solid introductions to the art.”
Excellent, thank you! A quick look revealed they are out of copyright, and so I thought to try to find a copy online, and found nothing, but I did find other people have written books with the same title more recently, and those are available to pirate. By the gods the internet is full of thieves….
“As for Venus and Mercury, er, when are they square? Not in this ingress chart, surely.”
I misread the chart posted, so I’d like to apologize for my mistake. I clearly should’ve gone to sleep instead of digging into things and making a fool of myself like that.
My money is on the table for the global mass movement being something arising from the Muslim solidarity coalescing around the mosque shooting in Christ Church. Since the temple shootings, there has been strengthening interfaith work between the Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and secular groups in Canada.
There are many iconic images coming out – of Ardern embracing mourners, now this…https://globalnews.ca/news/5084426/new-zealand-headscarf-police-officer-photo/?utm_medium=Facebook&utm_source=GlobalNews&fbclid=IwAR20CgunWI7EphmAkZxhknQ3AHh1fqWdIQ7MZsZzZ6UFmoSOHwLUEu28m8s
There is something there, but I’m not sure what it will morph into.
@ Pretentious Username,
If I may, re 2020 Washington Ingress chart as what you wrote piqued my interest:
Scorpio is rising and Mars is exalted in Capricorn in the Second House, so the chart is active all year. That said, the Second House Cusp is ruled by Jupiter in Capricorn. So while there may be good energy and initiative going into the economy, it isn’t favored and I would imagine it is likely to be squandered. The Seventh House Cusp is in Taurus, and so is Venus in the Second House. Mars is trine Venus, and Sextile Neptune, also in domicile.
What is troubling to my eye in this chart is Uranus in his detriment in the 6th house, square a peregrine Moon and Saturn in domicile. If I were to imagine what this could mean I would think it could mean the sudden onset of a health crisis that especially effects the elderly, perhaps an antibiotic resistant strain of strep throat especially prevalent in nursing homes.
Since Neptune is in the Fourth House, I wonder if in 2020 we will get to see people begin to romanticize the farmers and miners and foisting delusions onto this sector of the economy! I’ll check out the Beijing charts as time permits. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm — it’s inspiring!
John—
Re conflict between populist Dems and leadership
Part of this also turns on class perceptions and on the path forward envisioned for the party. I’ve seen some discussion re the Obama-Trump voters and what to do with them, and frankly, it seems all over the place. I’d think this would be a core area the party would be focusing on, but it seems that folks (at least the ones I’ve read) can’t quite decide whether to try to win these people back or cast them aside as irrelevant/worthless. (My biased memory recalls phrases like: “those people shouldn’t be allowed outside without adult supervision” and “if you can vote for Obama and Trump in the same lifetime, you have no core values, only feelings.”)
If I were a populist Democrat, I’d be frustrated too if my leadership wasn’t working night and day on addressing working class issues relevant to these voters. The idea of the voting block of the ascendant (i.e. identity groups appropriately worthy) seems to have a solid hold still.
And, of course, Trump was a once-in-a-million accident, a convergence of perfect storms ne’er to be seen again…
@Re: Shane Wilson
Reading between the lines of the comments, I infer that Shane Wilson died by his own hand.
I do understand that this is a particularly “nosy” question. Nonetheless, I pose it, because we Orthodox Christians are now in the season of Great Lent. In this season, we reflect upon our own lives, pray for the forgiveness of our own sins, and pray for the peace of others as well. Although suicide is considered to be one of the gravest of sins, our bishops have allowed us to pray a certain (extremely limited!) number of prayers for the repose of those souls who have taken their own lives.
If that is the case with Shane Wilson, please advise me, so that I can pray for the repose of his soul.
Thanks!
Regarding the fixed / mutable / cardinal issue, since this chart is valid for 6 months, what happens if one of the charts later in the year is governed by a sign that would cause it to overlap with the next Aries ingress chart? Does the next Aries chart “overrule” it, representing as it does the new year, would the preceding chart maintain its influence or effect until the ruling sign says it’s done, or would it be some combination of the two?
JMG
I support your cautionary comparison of children in climate activism with the historical Children’s Crusade. I tried to post the same comparison on Ugo Bardi’s blog a week or so ago but it somehow got lost.
best
Phil H
Dear Varun, in the USA, small parties have been so effectively marginalized that they mostly only attract fools and fanatics, as well as the occasional frustrated honest person. Ask your Green Party friends or contacts about what they have to do, each and every election, state by state, to get on the ballot. The Libertarians sold out to the Koch brothers, and have probably been infiltrated by operatives from the Duopoly. IDK, but hostile infiltration might explain the shocking incompetence of their 2016 Presidential Campaign. That campaign did have an intelligent strategy, which was to carry two or three small Western states and throw the election into the House, while presenting two candidates who were actually likeable and had records of competence and achievement. If small parties are to flourish, we need better and easier ballot access and some kind of proportional voting, such as Maine has now.
Dear David by the Lake, “no core values, only feelings”? is it? Funny, that is about my opinion of the Clintonistas, or maybe no core values, only ambitions.
“Uranus is in the fifth house of the US foundation chart, and its passage from Aries to Taurus is very bad news for speculative assets (5th house), especially those associated with the tech industry (ruled by Uranus); I’d expect to see a lot of stocks that have been flying very high revert to something closer to a reasonable P/E value, which in many cases is more or less $0.”
Biogen, a biotechnology high flyer, crashed and burned on Thursday, losing 5 years worth of stock gains and 1/3 of its value.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/23/failed-alzheimers-trial-leaves-families-and-patients-heartbroken.html
JMG,
I posted once before about the faith in the singularity, which you said is the “Geek Rapture” and also noted that technological progress has really been receding for a very long time. I think the failure of Biogen’s Alzheimers trial is showing the high tech chickens are starting to come home to roost. If anything at all is going to work in the area of high tech, it should be biotech.
CRC
Following up on Michael Martin’s post, I, too, have inferred that Shane’s death may very well have been due to suicide. And just as the former has borne witness to how the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition would embrace Shane’s departure if this is the case, I would like to take this opportunity to bear witness to how the Assyrian Church of the East (aka, “Nestorian Church”) views the matter.
Broadly speaking, the Nestorian tradition is Universalist. That is, while the reality of hell as a punishment for sin is affirmed, it is denied that this punishment is ever in any particular case of endless duration.
This teaching that a soul’s sojourn in hell invariably comes to an end at some point is distinctly affirmed by the leading Church Fathers of the Nestorian tradition, including Diodore of Tarsus (late 4th century), Theodore of Mopsuestia (early 5th century), and Theodoret of Cyhrrus (mid 5th century). In affirming Universalism along these lines, these three are part of a much larger company of Eastern church fathers spanning the 2nd through 6th centuries and beyond, many of whom, however, are not distinctly identified with the Nestorian tradition.
As such, I can affirm categorically, as a matter of the faith of my Church, that Shane has nothing to fear even if his death was by his own hand. Jesus Christ, perfect Son of God and perfect Son of Man, gained permanent and ultimate victory over all creaturely death through His own death on the cross. Whatever element of sin may be involved in Shane’s death by his own hand (if indeed that is what it is) is as nothing in comparison to the all-consuming love and mercy of God, as expressed in the economy of expiation and salvation that He has decreed.
That said, as an integral part of the Communion of Saints, Shane stands to profit from our prayers as he endures whatever form of suffering his present intermediate state (i.e., the state that comes after this present life but before eternal unimpeded communion with God) may require. This is in fact true whether his death is by suicide or not.
And so, accordingly, I lift up prayers to God on Shane’s behalf.
An interesting item, more pertaining to next year, but potentially affecting things in the nearer term as well. Apparently, Harris (who I see as having a good shot of being on the ticket at this point, most likely VP) has said that she would prosecute Trump if elected President. Perhaps I’m misreading her statement, but I don’t think she’s choosing those words lightly.
This, of course, would take this country into new territory, as I can’t recall former Presidents having been criminally prosecuted by their successors before. If this kind of upping the ante doesn’t impact the dynamics of the coming contest, I’d be very surprised. More to the point, I’d see it as a strong motivation for Trump supporters and “leaners” to show up to vote.
FWIW I think this kind of rhetoric is a bad idea. It as bad enough when Trump was making those kind of statements during the ‘16 campaign (“lock her up”) and it would be a terrible precedent to open the door to prosecution of former Presidents, regardless of how much one disagreed with their actions. If we aren’t jailing Bush for authorizing torture or Obama for remote assassination of wedding parties, then Trump’s actions, no matter what the Mueller report might say, shouldn’t be grounds either.
I just don’t see this helping the Dem cause in the longer run.
Gentle blessings to Shane Wilson, that is sad news.
In regards to the movement among youth against climate change, it may not seem very useful at this stage but it’s probably a very good sign. Young people have a tendency towards lots of hopes and dreams with lots of ideologies but usually the fruits of those ideologies don’t start to set in until later in life, so todays banner cries might set in as tomorrows alternative movement if the feeling and need they are experiencing is strong enough to become a guiding force in their life decisions and moral compass.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Reuters/status/1109902975189897216
More of your money will now be spent on useless investigations, as Trump’s real crimes are being Donald Trump (of which he is unquestionably guilty) and taking Hillary’s turn away from her.
As if we didn’t have 8 years of expensive investigations of Obama when his real crime was Presidenting While Being A Democrat.
A bit oblique to the topic, but this brexit song was so delightfully done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiUFPjulTW8&feature=youtu.be
“, bowing and scraping to Trump and the occasional comment that teetered on the fence and left many wondering “Was that a racist dog-whistle?”, (like “We don’t want to monkey this up”). ”
I find comments like this shocking. A good friend of mine a few weeks ago came out with the revelation that not all Trump voters are racist. I was speechless.
This is really becoming tiresome. Dog whistles? Secret references that the inner circle of rabid racists pick up on? In whose fetid imagination?
Projection much?
Behind such comments is the smug assumption that conservatives, Trump voters or the working class are a bunch of racists. Well, look in the mirror and do your shadow work. Take the log out of your own eye.
Assessment of this Aries chart:
– For America, this is the first of somewhere between two and four rather ugly ingresses in the next couple of years (depending on whether Cancer 2020 has an effect – by the rules JMG is going by it won’t fire for the US, but I’m not so sure given the strength of the signal and my speculative hypothesis that ingresses always fire – and how the pile of Sibly transits in 2021’s Aries chart plays out). Most of that is detrimented, fallen, retrograde Mercury ruling the first and tenth houses, which augurs an unfortunate six months for the government and the people generally.
– Mueller report drops in the next six months; I’d guess before June, and probably in the next month. It won’t be what its supporters hope it will be, but I don’t think it’s going to be the damp squib JMG sees it as either – if nothing else it will be a spur to the House. (EDIT: And twenty-four hours after I start writing this, there it is! I wonder if a planet’s position in its house affects how quickly its effects show up…)
– The House will impeach Trump over the objections of the Democratic leadership (AIUI much like Clinton’s impeachment back in 1999), probably for reasons relating to Russiagate; Moon is ruling the eleventh house, and Sun is in the seventh house – foreign policy but also open enemies – ruling the twelfth house, which covers multiple things that are likely to be in play but secret enemies is one of them. That’s not likely to succeed in the Senate, but see below; either way if Clinton’s precedent is any judge the American people will tune out of The Scandal Show when it’s done. (Relevant fail case to this prediction: I’m being too bold and the House runs a bunch of investigations but doesn’t impeach.)
– Trump is considerably more likely than not to serve out his term, but if for some reason he doesn’t it probably happens in the next six months. (The one other corner case I consider relevant is Trump dying in office during the back half of 2020, given how strong the Cancer 2020 chart is even if subsidiary and how the US version has the Moon-Sun conjunction in the eighth house.) I’m not sure how it would happen – unless he intervenes in Venezuela and critically damages his support among his base in the process? – but I’d still give him maybe 20% odds of not being President in October, which isn’t particularly high but still considerably higher than the <5% baseline. Part of this is that President Trump doesn't mesh well with the Leo ascendant in the DC Libra ingress, but I'm reading that chart's dominant feature as pointing to the Democratic primaries so that might just mean that national attention is on the election then. Another part is that Mercury-ruling-first-and-tenth also describes Canada and Venezuela, and both look like they might have a change of leadership in the next six months.
– This ingress is the beginning of the end of the current bull market, especially when coupled with the lunar eclipse back in January. The most likely course of events is retrenchment in speculative instruments, if not an outright speculative bust, with a special emphasis on Internet companies; once Libra ticks around the broader economy starts feeling the pain, and then next year Wile. E. Coyote looks down at the canyon floor below. One possible contributing factor to this: the Beijing version of this ingress has Mars in Taurus in the second house, which looks like a textbook "consequences of overproduction/overinvestment" indicator to me. Also, as somebody else noted a while back, Saturn (in domicile, though that tempers as well as strengthens), the South Node, and the remains of Pluto's influence are piled up on roughly the point where Uranus and Neptune conjoined in 1993; given the latter two influences, we might see a second-tier tech company go under.
(- Note to self: That January 20 lunar eclipse chart may be showing US military involvement in Venezuela, given Mars and Uranus parked in the seventh with Mars in one of his domiciles and ruling the seventh.)
– Sun isn't quite as disconnected from the chart as JMG says; it's semisextile Uranus (interestingly, Sun has been trine/sextile/semisextile Uranus for basically every ingress of Trump's Presidency so far… and this abruptly stops starting with September's Libra ingress), and by my usual somewhat looser orbs it's separating from a very loose Sun-Mars sextile (probably ineffective, but I'd corner-case "Trump has support among the military and/or courts but loses it as the ingress goes on" as a possible effect) and applying to a loose square with Jupiter. Trump would attack the Democratic leadership anyways so that seems like a gimme prediction, but I would keep an eye out for Trump's response to the Midwestern/Great Plains flooding (especially since Jupiter is one of the planets I'd associate with flooding!) and/or farmer discontent with Trump as the year goes on.
– I wouldn't be surprised if Uranus in the eighth is referring to the "death" part of the House of Death and Taxes instead of/in addition to other peoples' money.
– Legal battles are going to be at least part of Mars in the ninth, especially with it ruling the third and eighth houses (here the other people's money part is the relevant one), but I wonder if there's religious issues hiding in there as well.
– I wonder whether Venus-Mars in this chart is pointing to a Supreme Court decision restricting abortion (or even outright overturning Roe v. Wade, though I consider that a corner case), probably combined with a flareup of the Kavanaugh #MeToo issues. Venus is in the sixth house (abortion would presumably fall under public health), she's semisextile Saturn in the fifth ruling the fifth (house of sexuality among other things) and sextile Jupiter (I could see an SC ruling restricting abortion boosting the Democratic leadership), and the last time a hostile Mars/Venus aspect came up (Cancer 2018) it seemed to point to women's issues.
@Michael Martin,
As far as I can tell, no one posting here has claimed any direct knowledge of the cause of Shane’s death, nor claimed any family connection or other connection by which such knowledge might have been attained.
@ Onething
Re that song
Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful 🙂
@Will J
You can find HS Green and Raphael’s books, along with a third book by Charles E.O. Carter, reprinted in Mundane Astrology: The Astrology of Nations and States.
I don’t quite recall when you said the deadline for Love in the Ruins submissions was. I have been sofa k*ng busy! But just in case I’m not too late, here it is: https://patriciaormsby.wordpress.com/she-lahs-summons/ That’s 60-some-odd million years in the future. Rigel will be long gone by then, so I came up with a new star: Fly-eye.
For what it is worth regarding Shane, I have absolutely no idea how he died, but when I saw him in my dream, he said it could have just as easily been me. I had no sense of his being suicidal. Heart attacks can be sudden and final, as can strokes and I’ve known people his age to die of those, not to mention accidents.
I had a black sheep in my family a while back. There was no obituary. He had a community of loving friends, and a divorced whom he’d gotten back together with. Their pastor considered them married, but the law did not. His grave is empty. His ashes as far as we can make out were flushed away. A couple months afterwards, I went to his community and had a proper funeral held for him.
For those wishing to pray for Shane, if you have a loving prayer to guide the dead toward the light, I would recommend that. The newly dead can be confused and in need of guidance. In my dream, he knew he was dead, which is the first step. Your loving thoughts will comfort him.
@JMG:
I’m sorry, this has gotten way off the topic, I understand if you choose not to post, but if I may, I’d like to clarify,
@One Thing:
“…Behind such comments is the smug assumption that conservatives, Trump voters or the working class are a bunch of racists.”
No, Not at all. That’s an over reach. The assumption is that there actually are white supremacists, that there are racists. I would suggest that our, (all of us, all of our) beliefs and prejudices are on a spectrum. Given any issue or point of view, some people believe strongly, some meh, so-so, some not so much and some not at all. Maybe especially in politics. No? Some are beliefs we’ve grown up with and never thought about too much, some are hard forged in our own will and consciences.
It certainly does not mean that ALL conservatives or Trump supporters are such or are motivated by race or any one thing. I think that it probably gets tiresome for you because of the assumption that if I say there are some – that prompts your assumption that I (or anyone else) may be painting ALL with that brush. I’m not. But there are definitely some out there, and here in FL.
Similarly, “dog-whistle” has become one of those snarl words, a hook that shuts down some people from actually hearing what is being said. I’m sorry to have to use it, but I don’t know what else would relay what I mean, especially in a short post. I can only guess that you don’t see that there may be any sub-text to DeSantis’ speech in particular? As you are ‘tired of this’; In previous speeches? any speech?
Do you think it was just a gaffe? Or do you think it was completely irrelevant and harmless, as it says nothing to you? If it is irrelevant to you, do you think it is or should be irrelevant to everyone?
I know it’s difficult to ascertain tone and subtext in this written forum sometimes, so I will clarify: I mean these questions sincerely. Personally, I think there IS subtext in DeSantis’ speech. Coming from a gubernatorial campaign, I’d be flabbergasted if each word and phrase were not chosen carefully; so I do find it hard to accept it was a gaffe or not purposeful. If it is purposeful, why? Who is it time at? For what benefit? – hence “dog-whistle”. Why would DeSantis think this is irrelevant in a swing state campaign?
No, I don’t think there is any secret cabal. There are people who feel a certain way about race that is still not totally acceptable in mainstream discourse, so while I’d doubt there are secret meeting with secret hand shakes, there are people who will respond favourably to even a nuanced message they agree with.
Thank You
@JMG > Renewables can provide maybe 15% of the energy, and less than that of the products of energy, that we currently get from fossil fuels.
Hello, can you please point to a breakdown of why is that? E.g. a prior post, or a book, etc.
I pretty much suspect that’s the case, but I get all the opposite claims from their proponents, and I’d like to have some hard facts to answer. E.g.
1) They say renewables now can survive without subsidies. True? Or is it some logistical trickery?
2) They say renewables, expanded in deployment, can give us the same total energy we spend now (or more), even when we factor in the energy for making, installing, and maintaining those renewables. True, and if not, what are some numbers?
3) Even ignoring renewables, they say we have more than enough nuclear materials for millennia of energy use (if we invest in nuclear reactors). Assuming we ignore the potential accidents and the safety issue of toxic byproducts, is that true?
John–
Re human psychology and whatnot
I am all for the Democrats being the vehicle by which we move forward in a coherent and effective manner, addressing the looming challenges and required adaptations before us. I’m just having a hard time seeing any evidence for that happening any time in the near future. In the wake of the Mueller report, a lot of what I *am* seeing is reminiscent of your descriptions of movements which double-down on prior errors–was it “fallacy of the previous investment”? Something like that.
Stuff like this:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/dejected-trump-twitter-critics-support-040543554.html
We’re now on to “Blue Wave 2020!”
Sigh.
Nastarana — “If small parties are to flourish, we need better and easier ballot access and some kind of proportional voting, such as Maine has now.”
Yes! It has been very frustrating to me that I basically only have two political choices, both of which have become less and less functional. The Libertarians are on the ballot in my state, but can only field candidates in a few positions. No other party has been able to collect enough signatures to catch a ballot spot in some time now, so it feels like Tweedledee and Tweedledum are always going to be in control.
Joy Marie
Nastarana said,
“Dear David by the Lake, “no core values, only feelings”? is it? Funny, that is about my opinion of the Clintonistas, or maybe no core values, only ambitions.”
Exactly. Which is why I find the theory of projection so useful. At least in this go-round, the dems/libs/media/talking heads seem to tell us every time what they are up to. All you have to do is turn their accusations 180 degrees.
I find it especially delicious that there seems to be evidence that it was the Clinton campaign romping around with Russia.
David,
What, precisely, would Harris prosecute him for?
Hi John,
If you don’t mind me asking, what books do you consult to get your mundane astrology readings for both political and economic insights?
Many thanks.
Aramaki
Interesting as ever.
I am thinking though of the end of Russiagate, and Mueller concluding that there is no evidence of collusion between the Russian state and the Trump 2016 campaign.
Does this not support my point made formerly : that what we refer to as ‘politics’ is, in truth mainly a theatre of illlusion created by narrative writers and conveyed through story tellers in the media? If so, then is this not a horoscope of ‘the play on the stage’, rather than the real movements of power ‘backstage’ ?
The small band of sceptics who have consistently called bullshit on the Russiagate allegations (Greenwald, Pilger, Caitlin Johnstone, Aaron Mate, Matt Taibi, Michael Tracy et al) are rightfully enjoying a ‘I told you so’ moment, as just about every media organisation on both sides of the Atlantic have to reflect on having heavily promoted a false narrative and rampant McCarthyism concerning US-Russian relations for the past three years. The consequences of the false ‘collusion’ narrative are hard to quantify, but have undoubtedly shaped domestic and international politics i significant ways.
So my point is, how does such exposure of false narratives (such as this, or the WMD story in 2002/ 2003, Venezuala now etc.) influence how one might interpret a nation’s horoscope? Where does the media – as intermediary between political power and the people- fit into a chart reading as the one given here ?
John replied to my previously made point on manufactured consent/ manufactured dissent/ perception management, as basically the sour grapes accusations of sore loosers. Yet Trump himself has come to be most associated with the allegations of a ‘fake news’ establishment, some thing that he will now remind everyone about repeatedly – through 2020 with respect to the false Russiagate narrative.
I don’t understand how anyone can seriously write about politics – whether from a political science perspective or a mundane astrology perspective without due consideration of the role of narrative and deliberate control of narrative by powerful interests.
https://off-guardian.org/2019/03/25/muellers-sideshow-closes-but-it-has-served-its-purpose/#comment-151289
Good Evening and thank you for your ongoing and interesting posting!
What is the degree of objectivity/subjectivity involved when it comes to divinationary practices? I do not know much re mundane astrology but if a man, for example, was using Geomancy to answer a question involving finances and he sincerely believed it was a loss of poverty rather than a gain of monies and so treated Amissio (Loss) as a positive sign … would the system adjust to take into account his subjective impressions or would he just be wrong and possibly get the wrong answer?
Would I be correct in assuming that context has a part to play in the Ingress interpretations eg since we know where all the planets etc will be for the next 1000 years can we do a Hari Seldon and get a view of the general sweep of world history from it? (although not knowing where the various capitals will be in even 100 years could be problematic). Would you be able to use forward dated ingresses to see when say the US would no longer be a single political entity etc?
Nestorian,
Your contribution regarding Shane was very well done. I respect the Nestorian Church more now. I am also a universalist. The other Orthodox Churches do retain this, but not so clearly as you have described.
I’m terribly sorry to hear of Shane’s passing. For those of you who find comfort in the continuation of the circle of life, I just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and am very blessed.
So I will probably have a lot less time to contribute to the illuminating discussions gere, for the time being. Rest assured, I am still reading 🙂
Sincerely
Jessi Thompson
anotheramethyst
@ Onething
Re Harris, Trump, and prosecution
I can’t say offhand, though I’ve seen no lack of accusations. Now the the Mueller report has dropped with the thud our host predicted, much of what had been bandied about is seemingly off the table. “Treason” can be interpreted in many ways, of course.
I think the Mueller Report conclusions actually add up to “Not Proven.” Which is why both sides are claiming victory over it.
@ David BTL
I think you’re referring to the “sunk cost fallacy” wherein your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it. I think you’re correct applying it here. I wish the Democrats would turn their focus to developing winning policies heading into 2020, but they still seem invested in leading Trump away in handcuffs.
Hi Caryn,
“No, Not at all. That’s an over reach. The assumption is that there actually are white supremacists, that there are racists. “
That may be true for you but a lot of people and much media have made it clear that they actually think that most Trump voters are racists, and even that such a feeling is why they voted for him, which seems rather spectacular an idea. But the much larger problem is that this new emphasis on calling out racism all the time is unhealthy. Race relations in this country have been steadily improving for decades and there is little overt, public racism to be found. To tell the truth, I have never once seen it. And yes, I have lived much of my life in areas with a large black population as well as many Mexicans. Causing this divisiveness is just dangerous. Not all people are reasonable. I have seen some people of color who openly want revenge. Tit for tat goes on forever. Our nation has made great strides and efforts to bury the hatchet and level the playing field.
In fact I would say that it is the people of color who need to catch up now to the whites. Their levels of very open racism are much higher than among whites. For example, I go on you tube and see a lot of great and level headed black people trying to talk their people down and more than one has said that if a black child likes to read books, they are not called bookworms like a white kid might be, but they are vilified as acting white. I’m not saying there aren’t some good reasons for these lingering feelings of anger and rejection of white people, but it needs to be on the way out, not have flames of resentment fanned by well-meaning but destructive upper class whites who are in it largely for ego gratification.
I see in your post a kind of obsession with who is racist and how much. This is unhealthy and so much of it gets imaginary. White collar whites imagine an old-timie southern prejudice on the part of lower or working class whites that simply isn’t there. It’s not like they like the working class, or understand them, or pay any real attention to them. They just assign them to the 1940s and that’s it.
So there is a little prejudice left here and there. Even occasional white supremacists. They may bear watching, but they are tiny. The problem with worrying about who might harbor some prejudice is that it can become totalitarian. As in thought police. Now, new hires in many jobs are expected to hand over their subconscious minds to be toyed with by – well there doesn’t exist anyone qualified to monkey around with mine! Now that came out quite naturally – it isn’t a dog whistle. I wonder if I might get fired in my new hire status for that. You see, it’s a normal expression. To imagine it is a dog whistle simply surprises me.
I do know a local couple who have expressed racist thoughts. They sometimes serve food at our local farmer’s market and there are some black customers. But they have never been in any way other than polite to them. This has to be good enough. Plus, they are over 70.
But I can’t answer specifically about DeSantis’ speech as I have not seen it. What I’m tired of is the constant berating of people who voted for Trump as stupid, racist or violent.
Do I think the use of monkey it up was a gaffe? No, I think it is a normal expression. But I didn’t see the context. Again, in my 61 years, I have only ever heard one person use monkey to refer to black people, and he was not American.
I find it hard to believe that a politician making a speech would deliberately use provocative racist language. Do liberals need to get a life or what? What possible good or what possible advantage would there be in voting for someone who has used sly phrases to let you know he is racist? The laws against any discrimination have been in place for 60 years and they aren’t budging. Very few people would want them to. I’m telling you, this is mostly a liberal fantasy. Most working class white people have very little invested in racism. The relations between whites and blacks have never been better and there has been genuine good will.
But something dark and ugly has reared its head, and it is not real but generated from propaganda on the part of a left that has lost its moorings and doesn’t know what to focus on that’s real.