I would like to extend my thanks to all 27 attendees at last week’s Gold and Silver Market workshop held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, sponsored by Schogt Market Timing, Ltd. It was a fabulous experience with subscribers present from 10 different countries. And the workshop itself – combined with all the intelligent questions and comments – was one of the best ever. The energy level was phenomenal. Thank you all for your participation. The next workshop will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan, August 2. Go directly to http://macastrology.tripod.com/ or see announcements below for more information. Many of the Gold and Silver studies presented in Amsterdam will be shared in Ann Arbor, for they are very pertinent to what is happening now.

Review and Preview

    The headlines said it all last week, and the key word in every instance was “Surprise!” Surprise Supreme Court decision for full support on Obamacare. Surprise decisions and agreements of European leaders to deal with their ongoing debt crisis at the Euro summit meeting, in which no such surprises were expected at all. In fact, most commentators suggested the summit would be an utter failure. This is the nature of Uranus. Nothing goes as expected, for better ort worse.

    In response to these projected disappointments and then realized pleasant surprises, the equity markets of the world reacted in typical Uranian fashion too. They were erratic and volatile. They were down until Tuesday, went up strongly Wednesday, then fell sharply again on Thursday, only to open sharply higher again on Friday.

    The same can be said of Gold and Silver. Both started to rally last Monday following their lows of the prior Friday, June 22. But by Tuesday, those rallies ended and both fell hard into Thursday, with Silver taking out its lows of the past several months (but not Gold). Then on the agreement between Euro leaders and banks on new and unexpected plans to cope with their debt crisis, both metals exploded up on Friday. Crude Oil was another stellar performer on Friday, rising more than $7.00/barrel.

    Regarding the Supreme Court decision on the USA health care law and the Euro summit agreements, please keep in mind our prior comments made for this period of time: “It doesn’t end there. I mean, there is more – three days and three aspects more. On June 27, Venus ends its retrograde period and returns to direct motion. Historically this has a 73% correlation to primary or greater cycles within 10 trading days. One would normally look forward to a Venus station as a time of love and agreement. But with Saturn also stationary within three days, it leans more towards disappointment and break down in agreements. One side feels manipulated, and it is hard to have love and agreement when both parties are not feeling it mutually. Of course with Jupiter square Neptune, both parties may not immediately be fully conscious of what they just agreed to. It sounded good in principle, but the “devil is in the details,” and then one party may realize later there was a “sleight of hand trick” inserted into the contract.”

    Everything looks great today. There is cause to celebrate. But do we really understand what this means, and do we understand the details that are being proposed? With Jupiter and Neptune, the spirit of the agreements is wonderful. But what do the words really mean to the different parties that will be affected? What will be the actual consequences? Will health care costs really come down to meet the criteria of “Affordable Health Care,” as many assume? Will the proposed changes to Europe’s new bailout scheme really be enough, and will all the leaders really commit to it? With Pluto in Capricorn being squared by Uranus in Aries for the next 33 months, there is more to these stories yet to be told. Remember: nothing goes as expected with Uranus – and Uranus is square to Pluto June 2012 through March 2015. Could the Health Care law be repealed as Republicans promise to do? It’s possible under Uranus square Pluto. But I doubt that they will succeed with Neptune in Pisces for the next 14 years. That’s a symbol conducive for universal health care. Even if it is repealed, there is another one coming. It’s a social movement that cannot be stopped, in my opinion.

Best Trades of the Past Week

    Over the past few weekly columns, I have been inserting trading recommendations made to our subscribers in the prior week. Readers seem to like this type of information to just see how accurate these reports, based on our unique timing methods, have been in many cases.

    Last week’s best trades were in Precious Metals. The Weekly Report for the week starting June 25 stated, “You may now buy back any positions you had taken off in the past two weeks, and move the stop-loss now down to a close below 1520.” Previously we had covered some positions at prices above 1630, so we bought back last week around 1570. On Friday, Gold was up over 1600.

    The daily report for Tuesday, June 26, for GLD (the Gold ETF) stated, “Look to buy in daily support, with a stop-loss on a close below 148.” That was around 152.60. By Friday, GLD was testing 156.

Short-Term Geocosmics

    Although the most intense gathering of powerful geocosmic signatures for the year 2012 took place June 23-29, the after-effects will remain in force through mid-July. This Tuesday, July 3, is important because it is a full moon and Mars enters Libra, a cardinal sign. Oftentimes an ingress of Mars into a cardinal sign corresponds to a major reversal in Treasuries, since the Federal Reserve Board’s chart (founded December 23, 1913) has the Sun-Pluto opposition at 0-1 degree of Cancer-Capricorn, which are also cardinal signs. Financial Astrologers may look for several other markets to reverse within three days of this date too, for Treasuries are often leading indicators for other sectors.

    Heliocentric Mercury will enter Sagittarius on July 5. This presents a big play in Gold, both before and after this date, as described in detail to our weekly and daily subscribers. In fact, it has begun with Thursday’s low, which was right in the time band expected for a low based on this signature.

Longer-Term Thoughts

    “Capitalism was an economic system in which the private sector drove the economic process through saving, capital accumulation, and investment. The government’s role was very limited. The United States has not had that kind of economic system for decades… Almost all the major industries are subsidized in one way or the other by the government and almost half the households receive some kind of government assistance… the economic system is no longer driven by savings and investment. Instead, it is driven by borrowing and consumption. This is not capitalism. Market forces no longer drive the economy. The current system is government- directed, but not planned… deficit spending and fiat money have allowed the government to satisfy all those competing demands for more than a generation.”– Richard Duncan, “The New Depression: The Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy.”

    It’s here. The most powerful and transformative aspect of the new 21st century officially got underway this past week. It is the first quarter phase of the 112-147 year Uranus-Pluto cycle, and it began on June 24. As we look at last week’s news, we see several example of the principles of this dynamic duo being expressed: historical wildfires burning in Colorado; record high temperatures in many parts of the United States causing fears of drought and sending grain prices sharply higher; revelations of Stuxnet – the deployment of a computer worm by the United States and Israel to wreak havoc against an Iranian nuclear facility; the further downgrade of 15 more countries by Moody’s rating service; the crisis – and sudden reversal about solutions - in Europe that threatens both its currency and union; the allegation by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter that the United States is abandoning its role as a champion of human rights and instead violating those very rights (International Herald Tribune, June 25, 2012), an Islamic declared the winner in Egyptian elections following the overthrow of its president one year before, and the surprising decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Health Care Act, made victorious by Chief Justice Robert’s unexpected alignment with the proponents.

There are of course many more examples that deal with Uranus (cyberspace and technology, revolution and change of regimes, sudden changes of policies in economics and politics, and explosive situations of all types) in square aspect to Pluto (debt, deficits, default, downgrade, reform, danger to crops and human life through nature). This is cathartic stuff, and it will take a combination of brilliant and innovative thought to solve these, plus consensus from leaders who are polarized from one another about as much as has even been the case in history. Merkel demands austerity and accountability, while Hollande of France, Monti of Italy, and Rajoy of Spain demand more government stimulus and accommodation from the ECB (European Central Bank). In the USA, the Tea Party demands lower taxes and less government spending while the White House demands higher taxes and another round of government stimulus (spending).

    Where is the right answer?

    If government spending and credit expansion stops, there will be a Depression on the lines of what happened the last time Uranus squared Pluto (1931-1934). If government debt and the escalation of credit is ramped up again via the creation of more fiat money by the Fed to support more spending by the government, then the day of reckoning will be even worse when it does come due later on (called “kicking the can down the road”).

    But the astrological symbolism of “The Day of Reckoning” is coming up quite soon, as Saturn (accountability) will enter Scorpio (debt and reform) in October 2012. Saturn will remain there, and in mutual reception to Pluto in Capricorn, through September 2015 – just about the same amount of time that Uranus will be in square to Pluto (June 24, 2012-March 17, 2015).

    Yet there is hope. Saturn will not only be in mutual reception to Pluto, but these two dark but realistic forces of the cosmos will be in a favorable sextile (60 degree relationship) to one another December 26, 2012 through September 22, 2013 (see “Forecast 2012” book for more details). It is possible to devise a long-term plan to resolve – correct – the debt explosion then. But it will take a long-term plan, and the government will have to be part of it. The government will also – in all likelihood – have to undergo the very austerity measures they ask their people to accept. In other words, this concept of austerity (sacrifice) proclaimed as necessary by nearly every government on earth, has to pertain to government spending – the public sector – and not just to the private sector and individual in terms of more taxes and regulations and hence reduced business. Both sides will have to agree to sacrifices and austerity measures to make Saturn-Pluto work effectively, for Saturn is best when it reduces (not expands) and Pluto is best when it is allowed to reform (not destroy and terminate).

    Amidst all this, the basic principle of economics will have to be supported. That is, you need increased revenues and decreased expenses (spending) to get control over the debt. That’s a challenge, for one side says the only way you can increase employment is for the government to spend more, not less, and the other side says you can increase employment without incurring greater government expenditures by reducing taxes on both individuals and small businesses, thereby providing more money for the consumer to spend without increasing his/her debt load.

    With Jupiter in square to Neptune right now, everyone is celebrating more bailouts, government spending, and a retreat from austerity. But Jupiter leaves this aspect soon, and reality will creep in once again. The austerity theme is far from dead. In typical Pluto-in-Capricorn fashion, it will rise again from the dead because – let’s face it – governments can’t afford to keep spending far more than they are bringing in ad infinitum. At some point the spending must bring a return – as in a good investment. But for that to happen, our leaders need to plan more wisely for the long-term, instead of just the next election cycle. And those who are willing to plan realistically far ahead like this – and to tell people the truth about the situation - will need the support of that nation’s people.