Review and Preview

The volatility associated with the Mars-Uranus opposition influence was very prominent last week with several triple digit days in succession in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. On Monday, July 28, the DJIA was down 239 points, followed by a 266-point up day on Tuesday, 186 points up on Wednesday, and then down 205 points on Thursday. Similar volatility was observed in precious metals. Gold and Silver both fell to their lowest levels in a month last Wednesday, then staged rather strong rallies into Thursday, only to give much of it back on Friday. The Euro currency likewise fell Friday to its lowest level in a month, after just attaining a new all-time high two weeks ago on July 15. Corn and Soybeans also fell hard last week, but also experienced sharp rallies in between these sell-offs.

Short-Term Geocosmics

 We are in a geocosmic critical reversal zone right now. As stated last week, “From July 26 through August 6, there will be four major geocosmic signatures present. The middle of that period coincides with the solar eclipse of August 1, so there could be a strong “eclipse-effect” upon world financial markets within one trading day. August 1 also coincides with the release of the Unemployment and Payroll reports in the USA. The combination could be dramatic, especially given that it is a solar eclipse in the sign of Leo, the sign of drama. Oftentimes this type of eclipse also has a correspondence to big price swings in grain prices.”

 The drama does not end on August 1. On August 6, that extremely powerful Mars-Uranus opposition unfolds. Within 10 trading days, this signature has one of the highest correspondences to primary or half-primary cycles in U.S. stock indices. Both Mars and Uranus are highly volatile. In Mundane Astrology, Mars pertains to conflicts and the threat of aggressive military actions. Uranus can pertain to terrorism. Together they represent a high potential for conflict, combat, and aggression, as well as accidents. However, the accidents can be either man-induced or part of nature, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, and fires. It is not a time for important summit meetings designed to foster cooperation and agreement, as witness by the breakdown of last week’s free-trade talks (DOHA). It is also indicative of a return to negative attack politics, as also witnessed last week between McCain and Obama (especially negative on the part of Senator McCain, a move that could backfire on him). The influence of this Mars-Uranus signature is thus already in force, and it may become even more bitter and aggressive this week. In fact, most of the month of August may be difficult in this regard, for Mars will form another antagonistic aspect to Pluto at mid-month. This too suggests a period of danger and more negative attacks upon the character of one’s opponents. It tends to be a “no-win” situation, by choice, but the consequences of not seeking respectful dialogue and engagement could backfire.

 So what does all this say about the equity markets this week? If they rally to a new multi-week high, it suggests a dramatic reversal could follow. If equity indexes instead fall and re-test the lows of two weeks ago, it could be followed by a dramatic rally. But the study of cycles suggest that a decline right now will not take out the lows of July 15-16 in the DJIA before first taking out the highest price that followed the lows of July 15-16. The lunar cycle phasing of August 5-6 also suggests the same. But of course, under Mars-Uranus, any market can do the unexpected, which is why we will closely monitor technical conditions in our subscription reports to guide traders through this tricky geocosmics week.

Longer-Term Thoughts

In the last several weeks, I have written about the correlation of planetary and rhythmic long-term cycles to the platforms of the two USA Presidential candidates. As illustrated, there are valid studies to support the presidency of both candidate, from cycles related to the economy, value of the U.S. Dollar, interest rates, taxes, the stock market, and threat of war. Now I would like to analyze it from a purely classical astrological point of view. First, I would once again like to point out the excellent book on “Political Astrology” by Michael O’Reilly (2005, WingSpan Press, Livermore, CA, USA), wherein he writes about the Mars Factor in U.S. Presidents. Ten of the 42 U.S. Presidents have had their natal Mars in Leo, far more than any other planet-sign combination. John McCain has this position, whereas Barack Obama has Mars in Virgo, a placement that has an “average” rate of frequency of five historical cases, including current President George W. Bush. One would have to give this advantage to John McCain.

 The next consideration has to do with the chart of Election Day. The election begins at 12:01 AM, November 4, in Dixville, New Hampshire. At that moment, the Moon is in Capricorn, conjunct Jupiter. As written in the “Forecasts for 2008” book, written in November 2007, long before Obama was considered a serious contender "… the Moon and Jupiter are conjunct in Capricorn on Election Day, and both form a trine to Saturn and sextile Uranus. The people want somebody who is an outsider to the Washington political establishment, but they also wish a conservative element, someone who gives the appearance of being in control, an authority that can command the respect of others. It may indicate the older candidate wins, if there is a substantial age difference. They do not vote for a total banishment of the “old guard.” They demand change, but they still vote conservatively on Election Day. That the nation is conflicted about the War in Iraq and the threat of other possible military campaigns is also shown by Mars in Scorpio (the “hawks”) in square aspect to Neptune (the “doves”).” The Moon in Capricorn not only represents the older candidate, but the one with more experience in the minds of voters, who tend to be in a more conservative mood than a risk-taking one. Once again, I would give the astrological edge here to McCain.

 I also pointed out that the transits on the day of the New Hampshire primary in early February were very similar to those of Election Day. Most notably, the Moon and Jupiter were conjunct again in Capricorn, nearby to their positions on November 4, 2008. My comment at the time was that the one of the victors of this primary would also be the likely winner of the November 2008 election. Readers may remember that this primary was one week after the Iowa primary, which was won by Michael Huckabee and Barack Obama. They were favored to repeat in New Hampshire. However, to the surprise of many, neither won. Then winners of New Hampshire were Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Only McCain is still standing.

 Or is he the only one still standing? There is now the matter of selecting a vice-president. Interestingly enough, Hillary Clinton could be Obama’s running mate and she too not only 1) won New Hampshire, but also is 2) perceived to be a candidate with experience, and hence indicative of Moon in Capricorn, and 3) she has natal Mars in Leo, the highest correlation of planetary studies to U.S. presidents. Yes, I know this is only for the post of vice-president, but she is a Scorpio, and this is a two-year period when the powerful 45-year Saturn-Uranus opposition occurs, so unexpected things can happen. Of course, this major geocosmic signature can affect John McCain and his running mate too. Both Rudy Giulani and Mike Huckabee also have Mars in Leo. Mitt Romney has Mars in Pisces, a placement that no prior U.S. President has had.

 According to these purely astrological studies, Obama’s best chance of winning the presidency may lie with the choice of Hillary Clinton as his running mate, assuming she would accept such an invitation. As a result, we anxiously await the Democratic convention later this month to see if these astrological considerations, which I place great importance upon, will move from a strongly biased McCain election victory to one that will put the contest back into a more balanced astrological duel.