Merriman Market Analyst

Review and Preview

 There are few areas of study that are more fascinating than the movement of planets through the zodiac and their correspondence to events affecting human activity. This, of course, is the study of Mundane Astrology. Of particular interest in this regard is the forthcoming election for the office of President of the United States. As indicated in prior columns, this year’s election will take place on November 4, 2008, the same date that the first of five passages of Saturn in opposition to Uranus will take place. In the study of Astrology, Uranus represents the unexpected, the new, and something unconventional that defies tradition or history. Saturn, on the other hand, represents tradition or history, the Establishment, the expected, or that which is planned for. The cycle of Saturn and Uranus is a 45-year periodicity. The last time the opposition occurred was in 1965-66, a time when the youth revolted against the values and laws of the Establishment throughout the world. The youth and minority groups found their power, and affected elections and governments in many countries, including the United States. Prior to that, this same aspect unfolded in a five-phase passage from 1918 through 1920, and a similar movement of the youth against the Establishment erupted, as did a society that was not about to obey the new laws of prohibition, let alone accept the lack of rights or opportunities to women any longer.

 As we approach the election of 2008, many Mundane and Financial Astrologers have been wondering how this rare planetary phenomenon was going to play out this time. Would the first woman ever be elected as President of the United States? It seemed quite possible over the past year. But what didn’t seem possible was that a young African American could be elected to this post – not in the United States, not yet. But folks, this is Uranus. And out of nowhere just a few months ago, Barack Obama has now soared to become the leading candidate of the Democratic Party with 8 consecutive stunning primary victories in a row – many by double digit margins. Youth, minority group leader, charismatic…. he fits all the characteristics of Uranus. And who is Saturn? John McCain, potentially the oldest man ever to assume the role of President, and a candidate who wants to continue the mantle of the United States as the world’s sole military leader, even if it means remaining in Iraq for another 10,000 years according to post on YouTube (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwqEneBKUs#).  YouTube is one of the phenomenal social networking internet sites of today’s youth, referred to previously as an important social phenomenon in this column.

 Can Barack Obama continue this surge right into the White House? Or are his recent victories a product of Mercury retrograde, a time when few trends makes it out alive, and he is about to encounter the realities of “reversals in life” as Mercury now resumes its direct motion this week? It is interesting to observe all this, especially in light of last week’s comments, which ended with, “As this two-year (Saturn-Uranus) aspect takes place, I think you will see the youth becoming more and more involved, just like they did 45 years ago when this aspect last occurred. But on Election Day itself, I think the Saturn part of this aspect holds reign… unless somehow the youth become active agents for change in the next couple of weeks, and show up to vote at the primaries and get someone in who is not recognized as “part of the Establishment.” 

 Right now, it looks like the youth are indeed getting involved. Let’s see what happens now that Mercury turns direct. Will Uranus represent the first minority race, or the first female ever to run as its party’s presidential nominee? Or will Uranus continue to cause the favorite of this election to change over and over again? Or both? Or maybe some other unexpected event will take place that will cause yet an entirely different dynamic that no one (or very few) has dared to think about. After all, Pluto is also now in Capricorn. There may be some forces lurking in the shadows that will do whatever it takes to maintain the traditions and history of the Establishment. They may see it as their calling. Whenever there is a new force of light that enters the awareness of the collective, you can almost anticipate that there will be an equal force of darkness to oppose it. That’s Uranus and Saturn too, with a bit of Pluto mixed in. After all, these three planets are moving towards a Cardinal T-Square as well. The “Empire Builders” are not about to give up their power easily. But they will eventually make colossal errors in judgment and lose their power as a result, as they have at similar junctures in history under similar signatures, especially when Pluto has transited through Cancer or Capricorn.

 Last week’s stock market behavior was again consistent with principles of Financial Astrology. As stated in last week’s column, “The stock market behavior so far is consistent with a crest under the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (Feb 1), followed by a corrective decline (so far) into the next major signature, which is the Sun-Neptune conjunction of this weekend, February 10.” Indeed, most of the world’s stock indices ended a corrective decline early last week, and then rallied.  Some, like the Japanese Nikkei, closed Friday nearby to their weekly highs. That was also true with Crude Oil, which was back above 96.00 during the day on Friday. Gold, however, was noticeably weak, even though the Dollar was also weak against the European currencies.

Short-Term Geocosmics

 For this holiday-shortened week (MOnday is President's Day observance), the most important signature is Mercury turning direct on Monday-Tuesday. But an important geocosmic period commences the following week, February 25 through March 7, when the Sun will form an opposition to Saturn and end with a conjunction to Uranus. In essence, this is yet another period of a faster moving body translating the more important slower moving aspect. The Sun is translating the Saturn-Uranus opposition of later this year, and hence February 25-March 7 may offer a glimpse of what to expect from November 2008 through July 2010 when that Saturn-Uranus opposition is in effect. One might expect a very sudden turn of markets during that period, especially near the end, for Mars will also cross the 0 degree Cancer point on March 4. Historically that is a period when central banks make critical changes or announcements in their interest rate policies, which in turn affect Treasuries and currency prices, and by association, also precious metals and stock markets.

Longer-Term Thoughts

 Is the United States in a recession? And if so, is this “the big one,” the one that will be as severe as the “Great Depression of 1929-1938? Over half of Americans believe that a recession has already started, or is on the verge of unfolding in 2008. But what does Mundane or Financial Astrology say about this?

 There are at least two schools of astrological thought on this subject. One school, which we shall call the “Modern-Day Astrology” thought, postulates that aspects between planets is the most important consideration in determining mundane conditions such as the state of the economy. In this view, soft aspects like trines and sextiles are considered harmonious or favorable. The other school of thought, which we shall refer to as “Traditionalist Astrology,” postulates that planets-in-signs are the most important considerations in forecasting such mundane conditions. In this view, the slower moving planets in earth and water signs are considered more restrictive to economic growth, whereas positioned in fire or air signs would be more supportive to economic growth. Still other minor schools of astrological thought would postulate that slow-moving planets over certain degrees of the zodiac have correspondence over mundane matters like the economy, especially in terms of such events as stock market crashes or political crisis.

 If we examine the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto for most of 2008, we will note that the majority of aspects between them are in favorable aspects. That is, Jupiter and Saturn form three trines this year, while Jupiter and Uranus form three sextiles. Saturn and Pluto move within one degree of a favorable trine too in April and May. There are no hard or discordant aspects between these planets in 2008 until November, when Saturn and Uranus begin the first of their five oppositions, lasting through July 2010. Modern-Day Astrology would thus suggest no recession or serious downturn in the economy for most of 2008.

 However, if we examine the sign positions of these planets, we would see a different story according to Traditionalist Astrological thought. Here we find Jupiter, planet of expansion, in the restriction-oriented earth sign of Capricorn. Saturn, planet of contraction, is also in an earth sign, Virgo. Pluto is also in the restrictive sign of Capricorn. Uranus is late in the water sign of Pisces, a location that in the past has corresponded to sharp declines in U.S. and British stock prices. Only Neptune is in an air sign. This branch of astrological study could support a forecast for an economic contraction, even a severe recession.

 Thus the two major schools of thought in astrology today have differing outlooks on the general economy. It will be interesting to see which prevails. Perhaps we have a slow-down from the rapid pace of the prior several years, as suggested by Traditional Astrology, but not so much as to be considered a recession, as suggested by the Modern Day Astrology.

 And then there is the matter of Pluto crossing the Galactic Center (26-27 degrees of Sagittarius) the prior two years. Financial Astrologer Manfred Zimmel from Austria, http://www.amanita.at, has done some impressive studies of major planets crossing the Galactic Center in the past. Since Pluto rules such matters as debt, Zimmel suggests that this geocosmic passage has correlated with the current sub-prime debt fiasco, and by itself could correspond to rather severe economic consequences. And there is yet another viewpoint espoused by one of the legends in Financial Astrology, Louise McWhirter in her classic book titled “Astrology and Stock Market Forecasting” (1938). Her theory was that when the Moon’s North Node travels through the Saturn-ruled signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, the economies of the world are more prone to slow downs and even recessions – or worse. This tends to correspond to the real estate cycle, when both home sales and home prices may decline. The Moon’s North Node has just moved into Aquarius, and will transit through both Aquarius and Capricorn from December 2007 through March 2011. My own view is that the economy may slow down, but will find support in 2008, per the views mostly of Modern Day Astrology. But sometime after late 2008, the economy could suffer a more severe blow than we just experienced. It is possible the economy is sustained even as late as the summer of 2010, for the Saturn-Uranus opposition doesn’t end until then, In the past, the Saturn-Uranus opposition has coincided with long-term cycle crests or troughs. The challenge for Financial Astrologers is to determine whether this instance will be a long-term cycle crest, or the end of a very severe 2-3 year decline.