Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Forecast for Wednesday 12 August 2009

Wednesday 12 August 2009

\Success/

"Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
- Psalm 104, verses 1-5

I wonder sometimes how we astrologers can be so densely careless about obvious indications. Saturn has been in the sgin Virgo since September 2, 2007, and shall remain there until October 29, 2009. (But hold your horses, it retrogrades back into Virgo from April through July 2010.) Virgo since ancient times has been correlated with the 6th house of the horoscope, since it is the sixth sign, and the sixth house is quite simply the house of work, to sum it all up in one word; also of health, that is, the state of the body's "work" for us. Have you ever heard an astrologer talk about how the current crises in health care and the labor market are correlated with Saturn's passage through Virgo? I haven't, and admit that I haven't made much of that here either. We seem to overlook the forest (of long-term indications) for the trees ("where is the moon?" astrologers ask me in casual conversation).

Today I am brought up short about this by a superb column in today's New York Times by Bob Herbert, who has a habit of bringing up important things others are overlooking (such as the Afghanistan embroilment when no one else was warning about it). This is required reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/opinion/11herbert.html?_r=1&hp

Excerpts: 'The country has lost a crippling 6.7 million jobs since the Great Recession began in December 2007.' Notice how I just said that Saturn entered Virgo in September 2007? 'No one is predicting a recovery in the foreseeable future powerful enough to replace the millions of jobs that have vanished in this historic downturn.

'Analysts at the Economic Policy Institute noted that the economy has fewer jobs now than it had in 2000, “even though the labor force has grown by around 12 million workers since then.”'

This wonderfully informative column is coming out precisely at the time of Mars's square with Saturn in Virgo, which probably is heightening the suffering from this particular aspect to a peak. Who knows how many people are silently in despair over their joblessness, or their consignment to inferior jobs, or part-time work, so that they either cannot afford their rent and have to move, or have to cut back drastically on all spending and look for handouts for food? Millions.

More from Bob Herbert, who seems to see what most of us are blind to: 'More than five million workers — about a third of the unemployed — have been jobless for more than six months. That’s the highest number recorded since accurate records have been kept.For those concerned with the economic viability of the American family going forward, the plight of young workers, especially young men, is particularly frightening. The percentage of young American men who are actually working is the lowest it has been in the 61 years of record-keeping, according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. Only 65 of every 100 men aged 20 through 24 years old were working on any given day in the first six months of this year. In the age group 25 through 34 years old, traditionally a prime age range for getting married and starting a family, just 81 of 100 men were employed.'

Again, this column was written or posted precisely on the day (Monday) when Mars was exactly square Saturn. Mars rules young men, in precisely the age group Herbert is talking about. Gemini (where Mars is) rules newspapers and the information media, so at least one journalist, Herbert, was able to zero in on the Saturn-in-Virgo despair, or joblessness, of young males. Thanks, Bob Herbert, you deserve a Nobel Prize. He continues:

'This should be the biggest story in the United States. When joblessness reaches these kinds of extremes, it doesn’t just damage individual families; it corrodes entire communities, fosters a sense of hopelessness and leads to disorder.

'This is, by far, the nation’s biggest problem and should be its No. 1 priority.'

Saturn has always shown where the biggest crisis or need is in any horoscope, as ancient, medieval, and modern astrologers know (or ought to, although contemporary astrologers sometimes seem blinded by the invisible planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto).

Wednesday is Prime Time, and might be the best day of the week for many business matters. There is no reason to hold back concerning interviews, propositions, requests, agreements, sales or purchases. Your judgment is likely to be right and you will get appropriate cooperation if you look for it.

It is funny how luck and serendipity flock to one day, when we sort of wish they would spread themselves out a little more. You may sense that so many things could be done that you couldn't possibly take advantage of all the opportunities. So it is well to follow your heart as well as your head. Success is beckoning to you through intimate contacts as well as business propositions.

In addition, you will not neglect the regular spiritual devotions or practices which have built up your readiness for such gains, for they are a daily underpinning of your progress and without them you would lose something material as well.

The ways in which you need to express your specialized abilities are partly conventional (and so sometimes boring on the surface) but necessary and rewarding once handled responsibly. You have your particular position to play on a team.

At times you will feel in the dark. That is to be expected. You need to persist when the light of enthusiasm fails for a while, remembering the inspiration which has carried you to this point. Doubts about yourself can be removed by resorting to That which is higher than yourself.

You do not have to struggle to draw attention to your aptitudes. Just using them is enough to get the approval you need. But saying "Look, I can do this" may be appropriate here and there.

Some are considering study, or preparation for future jobs. It's that time of year; also Mars's trine with Jupiter promotes enthusiasm for learning. Males as well as females will enjoy an intellectual, cultural climate where everything comes together as a rewarding manifestation of the human festival, while sharing skills and gains seems natural.

This could be a landmark day for happiness and shared success. If you are not seeking fresh horizons, appreciating what you have, and are doing, is enough. Serendipity is in the saddle.

{Wednesday} /Success\

Cosmic Piper

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