Somerset House, 2021

Edited for length and clarity by Gary Zhexi Zhang

For publication in Catastrophe Time! (Strange Attractor Press, 2023)

 

Hi Christeen, can you begin by explaining what you do?

Firstly I need to differentiate myself from what people perceive an astrologer to be. There is a difference between the astrologers that you might have imagined at work in the 20th century, and who they are today. 21st century astrology is very different; the advent of the computer altered our daily work. Before, everything was analogue, and astrologers learnt techniques from books that had been passed down for hundreds of years. We learnt that “if you have the Sun conjunct Mars, it means x” and many took that interpretation for granted. When the computer arrived, instead of drawing two or three charts by hand in a day, we could number crunch thousands! Today, I could scan 30,000 charts no problem. Now we can test those old theories – which has changed things and, I think, improved the quality of our work.

 

When I was younger, I was definitely an astrologer of the 20th century kind i.e. I learnt the standard interpretations. Then I became fascinated by the world of business and finance and became interested in phase relationships: the mathematics behind planetary positions. My expertise over the last 30 years has been very much in the world of finance. 30 years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamt of saying I was a financial astrologer, because I wasn’t. I had a grasp of what I thought certain cycles meant. Now I hope that I have deeper understanding of what I would call the “harmonics of the spheres”. In the last 10 years, many dwarf planets and asteroids have been discovered.: demanding that astrologers expand and prove their knowledge. That doesn’t mean to say that we are on top of this new data, but I do think that the quality of our work has improved.

 

Can you say a little about how those new scientific discoveries?

 Let’s take a short history lesson. Until 1781, our local system ended with Saturn. And then we have the wonderful tale of William Herschel, who was not even the official astronomer (he was a musician obsessed by astronomy) who discovered the planet Uranus prompting new thought about our solar system. Astrologers had to put this other planet in the mix. Not quite a century went past, and Neptune was discovered. Not quite a century later, there’s another one, Pluto.

 

As you add in each new planet, astrologers had to add the new planet into all their charts hoping that this information would explain certain traits or trends. Thank goodness for computers and the fabulous software available because we can now test even if we don’t know what exactly we’re looking at. We accept that we are looking at a planet, planetoid or steroid as a lump of rock, or a ball of gas, or somewhere in between. But why is it having an effect on us? I don’t know the answer to that but it could be that the mathematical relationships and patterns created offer a vibration that affects life.

 

Right, the way you’re describing them, they’re like new pathways, like missing points on the map and we’re uncovering a more complete picture.

The way that I’ve described it to students is that we started off with a very simple jigsaw, with just a few pieces, and we worked for hundreds of years with those few planets – but then we went upgrade – to 16, and then 34. And now we’re in 1000s.

 

It’s also getting confusing and at a practical level, you have to consider: how am I going to use this information? How does it make your world better? That that’s my code every morning: how is this information going to make the world better for anyone? Of course, the ancients recognized the seasons, they honored the lunar cycles, and they worked with it, in planting; agriculture for instance. Today we use this information to determine social, economic and political trends. If humankind could decode this ‘music of the spheres’, then perhaps we could modify reaction.

 

For example, if you knew for a fact that—and I’m not saying this is the case—that next Thursday, the conditions suggested a war-like pattern forming, would you necessarily have the G7 meeting that day? Or would you look for a day when open discussion is likely to be fruitful? I think astrology could be used on a much grander scale. We, astrologers, have to up our game, to be really useful.

 

Can you say about what work do you do with the clients? And also what kind of tools are you using?

 Let me start with the tools: 50 years ago you had a little book with tables which told you where the planets were at midday every day: an ephemeris. You constructed a chart from that. Now we’ve got feeds from NASA that can tell us exactly where planets will be at any given moment. Fabulous software is also available which will tell you where anything is, the speed it’s moving at, what it looks like viewed from Earth, from the Sun, from Mars, whatever. We’re able to construct better charts because the astrological tools are developing all the time.

 

The other essential is access to financial software with the option to superimpose astrological observations. For example, you might want to know: does a crash happen more often when Venus is in Scorpio as viewed from Earth, or as viewed from the Sun? I am indebted every morning to the software engineers who humor me when I say sorry, do you mind dropping this other planet/asteroid in? Testing, testing, testing and decoding where possible.

 

Then it’s down to what is the client wants. Remember: I’m trying to earn a living. Maybe they want to know what might happen with Microsoft or Apple. You would start off with the initial charts, back test and then forecast.

 

Others clients have what I call ‘Bitcoinitis’, so I attempt to Astro-decode Bitcoin’s price movement and set this in the context of why the financial world is altering.

 

Others might ask, “Christeen, politically, things seem to have been really different in the last 10 years. Is there a planetary explanation? And what’s coming next? Oh, and by the way, did you notice the pandemic coming?” So what I do has to be tailored to them, and I just have to hope that my research matches what they’re looking for.

 

There’s a quote often attributed to J.P. Morgan, that millionaires don’t need astrologers, but billionaires do, because the market is a mystery even to its biggest winners. Are your clients usually driven by emotions, by a sense of uncertainty or fear, or something more exploratory?

 I don’t think it’s driven by fear. Certainly not the clients I work with. I’ve attracted clients who have access to the best brains they possibly could have – and from a variety of spheres. They are not hanging on my every word, that’s for sure, but they certainly want my input. Before the pandemic, we used to have monthly meetings where there was a historian, a statistician, an economist, me, and an artist. We would have a topic (usually a country), and they would say, right, we’re going to discuss X. I didn’t get to say, “well, I think this because Jupiter’s doing that to Pluto” or whatever. They just wanted to know, what’s the effect, what is the likely outcome? Is that going to have an impact on Rwanda or wherever? I would say my clients use many perspectives. If you (the astrologer) have a track record, shown a trend, or even an event, these people will come back for more. The proof is how often does the client want to speak to you? The ones you worry about are the ones who come once – and you never hear from them again. So what did I miss?

 

Maybe we could talk a bit about your track record?

Well, I would say that I made my name way back in 1987 but it wasn’t just me! A few astrologers were concerned about October of that year—there was a tricky Full Moon amongst other aspects that signalled market difficulty. We had the hurricane and the stock market crash.

 

Then, in November 1989, there was an extraordinary formation in the sky which none of us had lived through before. We had Saturn and Neptune at one end of the sky and Jupiter at the other. This was a rare planetary picture.  I decided that it heralded an economic earthquake from the east. I thought it was going to take place around at 11 o’clock at night. And my client said, well, that doesn’t make any sense because markets are closed. So how does that work?

 

It was actually the fall of the Berlin Wall. And I think my description of it being an economic earthquake from the east was correct. Did I forecast the Berlin Wall coming down? No.  I think for all of us who were working in what they call “mundane astrology” at that time, it was about world events. We got the timing because we could see the approaching planetary formation.

 

Of course, you then use that understanding, – although we’re never going to get that particular line up in our lifetimes in that area of the zodiac again. Yet there will be echoes. We now know what that configuration is likely to bring. It’s a political movement, as much as it is an economic one. I would say that my ‘track record’ bgean then.

 

And then there was all the hoo ha about the millennial bug which I couldn’t understand from a planetary perspective. I was thinking: don’t worry about the millennium bug, it’s what’s coming about four or five months later, where there is a fierce combination. This coincided with the dotcom crash.

 

Then there was my first book, The Financial Universe, where I said that I thought there would be a banking collapse in 2007-2008. The book bombed, because in 2004 when it was published, that eventuality was unthinkable. Prior to that there was the Russian Ruble crisis, which I got by interpreting an eclipse pattern. It wasn’t just me: any astrologer worth their salt should have picked the 2007-2008 crisis. Then it was the pandemic. When I wrote about that in my other book ‘Navigating the Financial Universe’, they were just words on a page. I truly didn’t realize what the impact would be. You asked earlier about an emotional response: yes, you can have a really bad response to your own forecast.

 

Yes, that must be a difficult position to be in.

Yes, yes. And you know, I’m not being negative, I’m absolutely not being negative because I have great faith in mankind. But there are some huge, huge waves coming in this next three or four years. I mean, I think it’s responsible now to say, look, this pandemic is awful, it’s ugly, it’s terrible, but what if this is a rehearsal for something bigger?  Please, can we get our act together? Because if I’m right, and I truly hope that I’m wrong – as who wants to be right with this kind of forecast, – then the line-up in February 2026, could wipe out many more people. As we know that planetary line-up is coming, can we not take steps now to do something about it?

 

Can you say more about what you’re seeing?

Yes, the Sun goes through all 12 signs in a year. The other planets, being further and further away, take longer to do the same. Pluto takes a quarter of a millennium to get all the way round and whenever it crosses from one sector of the zodiac into another, there seems to be an effect. You can go back through Pluto’s cycle and see where – in the financial world – there have been major events that coincided with Pluto going from one zodiac sign to another. Pluto makes another crossing (ingress) in 2024. Pluto is not the only planet making ingress: Neptune too makes ingress, as does Uranus and Saturn. If you could imagine four great boats coming down the English Channel, they’re going to create waves. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if we know that it’s coming, then we need to steer carefully. So that’s the setting for the next few years.

 

There’s more:  Saturn and Neptune conjoin regularly every few decades. In February 2026, they align at zero degrees Aries – on what we call the vernal equinox, the beginning of the natural year. It’s called the ‘world axis’. If you unravel those two planets back through history, their cycle has a track record that coincides with disease. There is potential for another pandemic in 2026. Now that’s coming at the end of a period of disruption, discontinuity, whatever you want to call it (post Covid 19). We are going to need some serious leaders to get us through this. They won’t have had any experience as they would have had to have lived 25,000 years ago in order to have the right experience. So we’re going to have to have people who really study and know the segments of history, we need class acts. And I don’t know where they are.

 

Could we talk about the sun? For a while I’ve been fascinated by sunspots, in part because they keep reappearing in the history of economics.

Absolutely. For some time now, the sun has not been behaving what we would call normally. I don’t know why that’s the case — I am not a solar scientist, and you need to get one of them in and speak about this as well. Last year, we had a large grouping of planets all on one side of the Sun. There must be symbiotic relationship between the Sun and the planets. We know that the planets are held in gravity by the Sun, but they may be pulling on the Sun too. Is it possible that this has an effect on the Sun? Even though mankind is – horrifically – wrecking the planet, is it possible that solar activity is also a factor in climate change? As you know, there’s a recognized rhythm to sunspot activities, which is given as 11.2 years. That’s just its current average, and no two cycles are the same. You are never comparing like with like, which again, makes me wonder if it’s possibly to do with planetary distributions.

 

There’s long been this idea that solar activity does have an effect on us and our environments. For instance, when there’s very, very intense electromagnetic activity. There was one called the Carrington Event, a sort of solar flare, and there were aurora borealis sightings in Jamaica. It took place shortly before the use of electricity but if it happened today, it would take out most of the electricity grid. So you can actually buy magnetic storm insurance from Lloyd’s. And it’s interesting that you mention 2025-26, because that’s when the current solar cycle, cycle 25, is meant to peak.

The Carrington event was huge. Yes, that was big. But it wasn’t the only one. There was another one in the 1980s that knocked out the grid in Quebec. I don’t know what steps have ever been taken to protect major cities, because if a solar flare knocks out a GPS satellite, that could knock out an entire distribution system, and Tesco (or whoever)  won’t know where to send out drivers or manage distribution systems. Our system is so much more fragile than we believe. Obviously, from my point of view, I’m fixated with planets, but you can’t look at planets if you don’t look at the Sun. But you’re right, if there’s a turning point in the solar cycle around 2025, 2026, that could lead to more and more disruption.

 

These days, it seems like things across the markets have gotten much more speculative and much riskier.

With more people involved there is always potential for mass hysteria. We’re a long, long way from just living on what we’ve grown. Even if someone doesn’t think they’ve got an interest in the market, their pension is invested in it. By default, we’re all involved in what is essentially a gamble. It is a risk area. I think it’s important for fund managers to know which sectors are going to do well in the next few years. What should they be giving attention to? These are the kinds of question they’re asking. I think they’re asking those questions because they’re beginning to see how they can use astrology.

 

It’s a two way thing too: a test, like it is for anybody else who has to work out what the market wants. How do we do this? How do we explain the ripple effect of an eclipse? How do we explain how investors can use that information? I’m not sure that astrologers in general are particularly good at that – yet. I hope that we’re improving. You know when you go to the doctor, and they speak in a language you don’t understand? A good doctor knows how to explain matters in a language you understand. A good astrologer shouldn’t be hiding behind “Well, there’s a quincunx relationship between Mars and Venus” or whatever, but actually decoding it. And that I think is where astrology has to get to:  we’ve got to get better at decoding

 

Haumea: Observations

(As I write, Haumea is transiting 28 Libra, moving into Scorpio in .)

Haumea orbits the Sun in approximately 283 years –only slightly longer than Pluto’s orbit of 243 years. Just as the position of Pluto in my client’s charts ranges now from Leo through Sagittarius, their Haumea positions range from early Leo through early Libra. A few have conjunctions of the Sun with both Pluto and Haumea.

Readers will be aware that with Pluto presently concluding its Capricorn transit, as Haumea ends its Libra transit, that they must be en route to a square aspect. This is indeed the case, but doesn’t occur until 2029 after both planets change signs. The coming square is at 7 Scorpio (Haumea) and 7 Aquarius (Pluto). Whilst placing Haumea in the charts of clients has interested me for some time, the fact that in 2021, Saturn and Uranus form squares close to similar degrees of Fixed signs, piqued my interest in decoding Haumea’s influence. Is it possible that events in 2021 are setting the stage for major developments at the end of the decade?

But I am running ahead:

It is hard to ignore the vocabulary that is associated with Haumea. Is it really the dwarf planet of ‘terrible gifts’ and ‘awesome destruction’? This is indeed a reasonable conclusion given its prominent position in the charts for the deployment of atom bombs dropped on Japan in World War 11 (Sun conjunct Haumea), or in the chart of the Boxing Day tsunami that killed so many in South East Asia (un square Haumea). And yes, given Haumea’s recent opposition to Eris in this last decade, a case can be made for connection between the Haumea-Eris cycle and the rise of Isis and other groups apparently more focused on death and destruction than life and rebirth.

It is also true that Haumea is prominently placed in the charts of some people who have wreaked havoc and pain (e.g. Josef Stalin Mars opp Haumea), and not difficult to conclude that vibration from Haumea’s position – relative to both its place in the tropical zodiac and the interconnected phase with the planets and other dwarf planets, often correlates with destructive and sometimes out-and-out cruelty.

Yet I am also noticing something else: a potential link with philanthropy. Perhaps philanthropy HAS to go hand-in-hand with times of darkness and yes, for some, people, lack.

I work mainly with financial-business clients and dialogue turns around maximizing resources. What is interesting is that sometimes these individuals have asked me to consider optimum times for the launch of charitable foundations, legacies or have made me aware of their desire to give back.  Before exploring some of these charts, I should point out that I am a Libra with a stellium in that sign. As Haumea passed the first planet of my stellium, Mercury, I was asked to be a Trustee of the Urania Trust: an educational charity whose aim to research the links between man and cosmos. As Haumea transited my Neptune, (the last planet of this stellium), I became a director of the Alexandria-I-base (another not-for-profit organization): more of which later.

I come from a generation who have Pluto and Haumea in near conjunction and have friends and peers with whom there have been many discussions about legacy and estate planning. This became a major theme as Haumea sextiled our natal Pluto/Haumea placements.  Perhaps it is no surprise that since the early 1990s when Haumea entered Libra, my clients, unknowingly mirroring my life, became involved in projects designed ‘to give’ and fair to say that two of these clients have been near obsessed with creating a lasting legacy.

Another client, with Haumea in exact square to the Ascendant is chair of a family trust – again with philanthropic aim.  Just in this last month, I have had the pleasure of working with another client who has Haumea at the Midheaven, in trine to both the Moon and Jupiter, and who has chosen to fund the education of young scholars.   Again, squaring the Ascendant, but this time from the fourth house, another client looks after his family’s financial affairs, investing on their behalf with the primary goal of guaranteeing the costs of educating both immediate young relatives but, hopefully, of their heirs too.

Of the present day world-class ‘top’ philanthropists, it is interesting to see that Bill Gates has an exact conjunction at 27 Leo of Jupiter and Haumea, with Pluto at 28 of that sign ,whilst Georg Soros has an exact sextile between his Venus at 3 Libra with Haumea at 3 Leo. Also, with Haumea at 3 Leo, Warren Buffet (who tops the list in terms of world-class philanthropists), has Mercury at 3 Libra.  Michael Bloomberg’s chart shows an opposition of Mercury to Haumea in sextile to Jupiter. The orb is 2 degrees but taking the whole planetary picture into account we then find Jupiter = Mercury/Haumea.  These high-net worth individuals are high-profile philanthropists. Generally our clients are not! Yet now that I am aware of the potential for philanthropic desire, and so mentioning this in my interpretations, I am discovering surprising nuances —

During my husband’s recent ill –health we have encountered many ‘ministering angels’. Their hourly rate of pay is shockingly low and yet they always seem to be sourcing small gifts and making gestures that alleviate other people’s discomfort. They are acutely aware of lack.  Where possible, I have looked at their birth charts. An example here is someone born on October 22, 1973. Haumea conjoins Vesta exactly and both square an out of bounds Venus (in Sagittarius). Rarely will she accept a token for herself: it is always for others. Her background is of deprivation: a situation she is anxious to relieve for others. Thanks to her efforts, items that I might have abandoned find their way across the ocean to those in need.

This mirrors other people’s findings linking Haumea with ‘awareness of abundance or lack’. I note that attempts to find redress and balance have taken place as Haumea moved through Libra (a transit which began in 1970). Mostly I am aware of that their natal Haumea position has been activated by transit. Occasionally though, action has coincided with Haumea in sharp aspect to a progressed planet.

Which leads me to where we are today: and the possible link between the Saturn-Uranus square of 2021 and the forthcoming square of Pluto and Haumea in 2029. Certainly there is a case for exploring the Fixed stars and Black holes situation at 7 degrees of the Fixed signs. This though is not my area of expertise.

We recognize that hard aspects between Saturn and Uranus require each of us to discard what is outworn from the past and to embrace the future. As students of the cycles of the planets, perhaps it is incumbent on us to weigh up the possible (probable?) disruption and chaos that comes with marching to the beat of Uranus’ drum whilst accepting that some rules and regulations (Saturn) and checks must be put in place if anarchy is to be avoided.

Yet with this, and please recall that I work mainly with business and financial clients, there also comes the risk of economic collapse with loss of jobs and of income. As we embrace the future – and noting that before Pluto and Haumea form their square, that each of the outer planets will ingress into a new sign and that fresh needs and challenges will need to be embraced – we must surely keep in mind the possibility of great suffering whose roots may be in decisions taken during 2021.

With each hard aspect between Saturn and Uranus, there has been market correction (most recently in 1999 and 2007 and likely now in 2021). Those who have savings have had to draw on them, whilst there has been increased demand by charities for assistance so that they can, in turn, help others. We can only begin to imagine how loud the cries for help may be at the end of this decade as Pluto squares Haumea and consider that perhaps those losing employment presently will struggle in the years ahead.

The ingresses of Pluto and Uranus into Air signs and the escalating and likely dominating developments in robotics, indicated the high probability of many jobs being lost to automation. How then to feed and live? Perhaps this is all too ‘awesome’ or big for us to imagine. Understandably we – certainly I – at times feel helpless. Yet perhaps at some small level we can each ‘do something’. To avoid the potential for awesome ‘lack’ we could perhaps use the Saturn-Uranus square to place safety nets.

At one level this is about acquiring new and likely Uranus-related new skills. It could also include giving thought, energy and action to our ‘astrological legacy’: doing what we can now to preserve our art.

Which brings me neatly to one of my great passions: The Alexandria I-base which seeks to preserve astrological texts initially through the creation of the largest astrological catalogue in the world. Though the idea was discussed during an NCGR conference in 2013, this not-for-profit organisation didn’t become legal until October 2015. It is fascinating to recall that we so struggled trying to find the ’perfect’ date and that not one of us involved in electing the chart considered the position of Haumea. How delightful then to discover that there was an exact conjunction of Haumea with, of all planets, Mercury on the date finally chosen!  The I-base’ philanthropic aim is to give the gift of locating books, periodicals and lectures through its massive archive to students of astrology.

I have struggled to find an appropriate ending to this article: I wanted to tie the respective cycles of Saturn and Uranus to Pluto and Haumea when really the only phrase that seem to apply to both that applies to both is ‘disruption before evolution’.  In investment terms discussions tend to involve crypto currencies and block chain technologies where the conversation turns to wonder as to what the world will be like, e.g. without the hard currencies with which we are all so familiar.

There is scope for a whole article about this (later – and after much more research and meditation). For now, I wonder about the world my grandchildren will experience in 2029 and how the decisions taken this year (pandemic-related and otherwise) will affect them. How best to prepare them for living through Pluto’s square to Haumea? Interesting then to quote my discussion with Lily, my grand-daughter and whose Haumea is exact on my Libra Sun. When asked what concerned her most about the period between now (the Saturn-Uranus square) and when she might leave college or university, she made clear that the pressing concern FOR ALL OF US was the state of the planet and that we would all have to help one another cope with climate change.

My solar studies make it clear to me that much of the present crisis is down to solar behavior (and yes, that is likely affected by the distribution of the planets around the Sun). Lily is not ‘wrong’ though in making clear that we will all have to help one another. Today’s political decisions will have far reaching effect and perhaps require each of us to access our philanthropic traits.

Quick Overview 2021

The Grand Mutation marked by the conjunction of Jupiter-Saturn that coincides with the solstice on December 20, 2020 marks the dawn of a 240 year-long cycle and heralds a new age. There was a similar Grand Mutation in 1226; far predating the banking and economic systems in use today.

The 13^th century was a period of rapid European prosperity as trade routes running both East to West and North to South flourished; in part due to expanding infrastructure that made the passage of trade easier and safer. By the end of that Century, and with new banking systems and coinage in place, trading routes were well established.

Mirroring that earlier time, in 2021, we should see cryptocurrencies entering the mainstream. The December 2020 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction could be the trigger needed for appraisal of currency systems and acknowledgement of rapid development of block-chain currencies.

Many of the new systems and ideas are set to move forward at fast pace, if not warp speed – most particularly crypto currencies, robotics, space engineering and space travel. In preparation, investors might care to move these areas to the top of their list for consideration.

Business cycle:

It has long been noted that as the lunar nodes (which move backward through the zodiac) approach Aquarius, that there is decline in growth reflected in falling indices. The lunar nodes do not reach Aquarius until 2026/7 when a recession is to be expected.

No cycle can be considered on its own, and another important cycle may be said to herald this pending recession: the forty-five year synodic cycle of Saturn and Uranus which reaches its last quarter phase in 2021. Throughout the last 120 years, it can be shown that the key aspects (0, 90 and 180 degrees) between these two planets have coincided with falling indices. In 2021 the two planets will be 90 degrees apart. If history repeats, then 2021 could prove super-challenging for markets generally yet offer buying opportunities for long-term investors. True, the aspect is not fully cleared until 2022 but some investors might wish to get in on the ground floor of new companies.

For much of 2021, Jupiter moves through Aquarius – the sign associated with cutting edge technology. The Aquarius market sector covers all new technology, artificial intelligence,  space age and space exploration. Jupiter makes a brief foray into Pisces, bring attention to oil, pharmaceuticals, media, alcoholic drinks and the water industries. Ahead of Jupiter’s arrival in Pisces, investors could consider gaining knowledge and then investing in these sectors.

ECLIPSES

Eclipses are attention seekers! but give clues as to shifting concerns and interests. The solar eclipses of 2021 are in the Mutable signs of Gemini and Sagittarius – signs associated with travel which, as a result of Covid 19, has been curtailed – a situation that is unlikely to change at least until the eclipses move on into Taurus and Scorpio at the end of 2021. The first solar eclipse of the year takes place in June at 19 Gemini and will be visible across the northern east of the USA, much of Canada, Greenland and the far east of Russia whilst the second occurs on December 4 at 12 Sagittarius and will only be visible in the South Atlantic.

What the two eclipse paths of 2021 have in common is that they both promise much in terms of mineral wealth even whilst accenting inhospitable areas of the world. Trade disputes involving both regions will likely lead to territorial dispute.

In a search for promising areas for investment, the health industry must surely rate highly in 2021.

It is perhaps noteworthy that the lunar eclipse at the end of November, is in one of the ‘financial’ signs of the zodiac and likely to be the precursor to economic difficulties appearing before the end of the year.

On its nineteen-year long journey through the zodiac, the lunar north node moved through Gemini between October 2001 and May 2003 when the Dow Jones Index (DJI) moved from approx. 9500 at the start of that transit, rose to 10,600, fell back to 7,200 and concluded its stay in that sign at 8,700. Of course it is entirely to be expected that during an eighteen month period that an index will fluctuate. The degree of fluctuation and the position at the end of that nodes transit through a sign is of interest however. From the moves in 2001-2003, we might expect that by the time the lunar node moves into Taurus in November 2021, that the Dow Jones index will be lower than its position at the start of this transit in May 2020.

This though is an examination of just one cycle. It is essential to look back at each Gemini nodal period of the 20^th Century. In 1984, the DJI rose from 1108 – 1203 whilst between late 1964 and 1966, the DJI went from 841 to 966. In 1946 it fell from 190 to 182 but in 1926-1928, rose from 170 to 299.  Clearly analysis of the nodal cycle against this one index does not give us sufficient information on which to trade. We must then check to see which other cycles dovetail with these earlier years and determine from this the probability of a fall or rise in index value. It is more than a little interesting that the years in which there were marked losses (2002 and 1946) were years in which Saturn and Uranus reached major aspect – as they will do in 2021.

The nodal position is never irrelevant. Eclipses are important cosmic punctuation marks. Whether solar or lunar, they each give clues as to probable trading conditions – which are obviously a human activity and dependent on human behavior and reaction. What we know is that even minor changes in the geo-magnetic sphere bring activity that can appear unusual and is therefore eventful: at times giving rise to major moves in indices. Marking eclipses in your trading diary and being aware that the period between them often brings volatility, is a useful exercise. The dates in 2021 are, in order, Lunar eclipse, May 26^th followed by Solar eclipse, June 10^th and finally Lunar eclipse, on November 19^th and Solar eclipse, December 4^th.

The lunar eclipse of November 2021 at 27 Taurus marks exactly the same degree as a lunar eclipse on November 20^th 2002. That lunar eclipse was followed – as will be the case in 2021, by a solar eclipse in early December. The S&P index rose between the two dates.

However, between the solar eclipses in June and December 2002, the S&P index fell from approximately 1030 to 940 with key dates in that fall most definitely resonating with the position of the planets of the eclipse charts. In 2021, it might not be just the echoes of eclipse planetary positions that coincide with sharp moves but also the square aspect between Saturn and Uranus.

END OF YEAR

It is not uncommon for financial astrologers to be asked to assess the end of year position for the various indices and notable that although Wall Street may react in one way, that here could be a difference in the extent of reaction from one country’s index to another’s. A full forecast would require study of each country and index. This article focuses on Wall Street.

In 2021 there are three dominating factors which together seem to indicate that the Dow Jones index (DJI), Standard and Poor (SPX) and NASDAQ  will likely close the year lower than at its start. The lunar node moving from Gemini to Taurus is one factor indicating the potential for lower values at year end. Another is Venus’ cycle: Venus turns retrograde at the December 21^st 2021 solstice. Venus’ retrograde in the past has sent indices lower. The most recent Venus retrograde was in Scorpio in 2018 when indices fell dramatically. Prior to that a Venus retrograde in Capricorn also saw indices fall. It is quite possible that a similar fate will occur in the last trading week of 2021.

 

 

Bitcoin

For some time I have been fascinated by Bitcoin’s relationship to the US dollar (XBTUSD). I believe it may now be at the start of a 30 year period of growth – obviously not in constant upward trajectory yet primed to move upward now that it is reaching its ‘teenage’ years.

To calculate a horoscope, you need a date, time and place.  Just as there is confusion as to who created this early block chain crypto currency, so there is dispute as to the exact date, time and place of the first Bitcoin transaction. We should also bear in mind that the chart for the initial trade will differ from the date, time and place – also unknown, – when the idea of the currency first gained momentum. This does not render the astrologer – or decoder of planetary alignments – impotent.

We work from what we know.

Throughout 2008, and presumably as the development of bitcoin gathered momentum, the two planets Saturn, (moving through Mutable sign, Virgo), and Uranus (moving through Mutable sign, Pisces), opposed one another. Though they oppose one another approximately every 45 years, the aspect does not always take place across this axis of the Zodiac.

This prompts several lines of enquiry that might be applicable for ALL crypto currencies:

Firstly that they might be sensitive to subsequent phases of the Saturn and Uranus cycle and secondly that there might be volatility when there is significant planetary activity in any of the Mutable signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces.

As we have over a decade’s worth of trading data, we can compare crypto-trading activity with  phases of the Saturn-Uranus cycle and with occasions when there has been a stellium (grouping) of planets in Mutable signs – most especially Virgo and Pisces but also the axis at right angles to these (Gemini and Sagittarius).

Financial astrologers are particularly aware of the cycles of the slower moving planets and attuned to the fact that in 2021, Saturn and Uranus will reach right angle phase. This is an important angle and will likely impact the development and use of crypto currencies.

It is normal for astrologers to consider phases in terms of multiples of either 30 or 45° and to be especially interested in when two any two planets are at 90 or 180 degrees of separation. The financial astrologer looks deeper and considers harmonics: alternative divisions of the zodiac – expecting to find correlation with other – sometimes obtuse – phases of the Saturn-Uranus cycle and crypto trading. In August, and again in November 2020, (due to retrogrades, the two planets will be in bi-septile relationship).

The two planets have been in this relationship before: in December 2011 and May 2012 (again thanks to retrogrades), in May and September 2013 and in February, May and December 2019. Whilst it could be argued that each of these dates came close to resistance levels, nothing ‘dramatic’ occurred – perhaps because these events did not coincide with other planetary pictures.

The situation could be quite different in August and November 2020 as we shall see by exploring the chart – or horoscope – of Bitcoin’s first apparent trade:

A Bitcoin  trade – purportedly the first – is known to have taken place on January 3, 2009 at 18.15 local time in Sydney Australia.

Whatever actual date is used for the launch of Bitcoin, in the few months either side of January 2009, the lunar node was moving through Aquarius. The lunar node have a spiritual dimensional. Money, even crypto currencies are a flow of energy. In this instance the nodal position suggests an artificial intelligence destiny could of course be used for good or bad. On January 3^rd,  Mercury – the planet associated with commercial activity – had recently entered that sign and was just 7° away from the nodal position on that day. Mercury moves quickly and it’s in this combination that enhances the likelihood of fast trades that excite day traders but cause headaches for those playing the long-term and who are perhaps driven mad by volatility.

On December 20, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will come join at the very first degree of Aquarius. Jupiter is the faster moving of the two planets and will move through the sign of Aquarius in the space of months. Saturn however will take roughly 30 months to accomplish the same journey. Growth is to be expected under Jupiter’s transit and constriction under Saturn. We should first note then, that there is high probability making sharp moves to the upside at the very start of 2021 – to be followed by a marked lows as Saturn, following on behind Jupiter, makes passage through that same sign.

Obviously, these traps it would affect any commercial activity begun  in early January 2009. What makes Bitcoin’s apparent first trade standout – and so likely to bring extreme volatility – is the exact time and place:

At 18.15 hrs in Sydney, Australia, Venus (29 Aquarius) lay exactly between the Moon (28 Pisces) and Jupiter (29 Capricorn). This is a most important midpoint. The Moon describes habits and people, Jupiter is seen as the greater benefit and Venus is the planet of love and money. Bitcoin then was always destined to be a popular transaction attracting global attention. (Though there are now thousands of cryptos vying for top position (Ripple, Ethereum etc), Bitoin is the one that has lodged in public consciousness as ‘The’ crypto currency).

Most importantly, and within 10 min of this first trade, Uranus, the planet of the ‘unexpected’ was at exact right angle to the Ascendant-Descendant axis. I suspect that first trade took place a few moments after 18.15 and yes, in keeping with the nature of Uranus which, in this instance, can be viewed as a ‘financial hand grenade’, there would be doubts, consternation that yes, also excitement as to what the fallout of its arrival in the markets would bring. In keeping with Uranus’ justified reputation, the repercussions continue to be both enormous and unquantifiable.

In 2008, and presumably as the idea that this block chain currency was being developed, Pluto – planet of the underworld and with the noted reputation for corruption – had begun its long transit of Capricorn – the sign in which the Sun was positioned on January 3, 2009. Astrologers forecast that Pluto’s entry into Capricorn would see the demise of banks and the foundations of large institutions. Though brand new and therefore with no historical record of corruption, it was likely given Pluto’s relationship to the Sun at January 3 horoscope, that there would eventually be talk of the misuse of this new, and as yet unregulated, currency.

Pluto has now got past the solar position of the January 3 chart and the currency has not only survived but has gained strength and traction. Yet the potential for Bitcoin to be identified with corruption and money-laundering, will likely be increased after Pluto reaches Aquarius and begins its slow transit of the Aquarius stellium indicated in the January 3 chart. Significantly, and in the first quarter of 2025, Pluto will reach the position held by Mercury at the first trade just as Saturn reaches Uranus’ position in that same chart. This is likely to be a significant and crunch time for the currency but coincides with a major progression often seen when products and services are at height of popularity. Whether for good or ill, Bitcoin could see major highs in 2025 – a long time for investors to wait but for those who think they may have ‘lost’ in recent times, perhaps encouraging.

To decode the future though, we must first decode the past:

In April 2013, Bitcoin made a short-term high of US$240. The price fell back but rose even more sharply at the end of November of that year reaching just over US$1200. In the case of the latter, the price fell back to less than $720 by mid December.

The next major move was four years later when on December 15^th, 2017, the price went over $19,000. It seems significant that just a year earlier on December 14, 2018, there was a low of US$3295.

We might reasonably conclude that Bitcoin respond to a four-year cycle: the implications being that 2021 should see another major burst (and again in the aforementioned 2025). In 2015 and 2019 at the halfway point of this four-year cycle there is interesting activity worthy of more research before forecasts are made for 2023!

It would be understandable and tempting to conclude that XBTUSD response to the recognised Mars-Vesta 4 year cycle. Yet there is no immediate correlation between the conjunctions and oppositions in this cycle and the highs and lows of these trades.

To continue our check of past activity:

Using a standard astrological technique known as solar arc, which allows approximately 1° for each year of existence, we note that around Bitcoin’s 7th birthday, when Mercury directed to the ‘natal’ lunar Node that the price might soar – as proved to be the case. Bitcoin soared well above US$10,000. This was not the only factor at work but quick affirmation of the efficacy of the January 3^rd chart.

Similarly, and moving the node by 1° per year, we see that in Bitcoin’s 9^th year, the node conjoined Chiron. This alignment suggested loss of value – again as was the case.

Pluto was 12° away from the solar position at this first trade chart. Again using that solar arc method, we might reasonably deduce that in 2020 and 2021 as Pluto, by solar arc, conjoins the solar position, that Bitcoin will gain power.

In January 2020, Bitcoin celebrated its 11th birthday. A simple check of adding 11° to each of the natal positions results in the double-whammy of the Node directing to Neptune, whilst Uranus moves from Pisces and arrives at 0° Aries (the world axis). The coincidence of these important directions just as a new business cycle get underway at the end of 2020, underscores the high probability of 2020 and 2021 being hugely significant for this currency with probable increased volatility.

Neptune has a justifiable reputation for both dissolving and squandering. It could also be said that Neptune reaches parts others cannot reach. Increased global prominence seems likely. Given that the world axis is also involved, it would appear that throughout the next 18 months, Bitcoin’s influence will spread.

There is a solar eclipse on June 21, 2020 on the world axis. My reading of this has always been that a global crypto currency would emerge before the end of 2020. This new global currency might well try to emulate Bitcoin’s status – and yes, possibly challenge it.

What is of immediate concern to clients is whether or not Bitcoin’s price will go above USD 10,000 and stay there. To test this likelihood we must first examine the position of the planets in December 2017 when the price reached over US$12,000.  Many factors played their part but in the simplest of terms, in that month, several planets – including Saturn – were grouped in Sagittarius as Saturn was still within positive aspect to Uranus (moving through fiery Aries). It was always reasonable to expect positive signals for cryptos at this stage of the Saturn-Uranus cycle. Once the Mutable (Sagittarius) grouping was in position, then the potential for gain was more assured.

On August 2^nd, 2020 Saturn and Uranus are a bi-septile apart. If other factors coincide, then, at the very least, we should expect Bitcoin to reach a resistance level. The potential for this is confirmed by the Full Moon on August 3 at 11° Aquarius – highlighting what will then be Saturn’s position in 2021 when that planet forms right angle to Uranus.

True, this next and major phase of the probable ‘crypto currency cycle’ will doubtless be of huge importance to bitcoin: most likely coinciding with calls for, and perhaps even the implementation of, regulation. Whether or not that eventually occurs, it seems likely that the early days of August 2020 will be important for Bitcoin.

Research shows that Bitcoin increases in value as Venus moves heliocentrically through Aries and the Moon (geocentrically), transits Taurus. There aren’t many days when these transits take place simultaneously. They did so between January 4^th and 7^th 2020 when the price moved from US $ 7405 to $ 8218: a sharp rise in just a few days.

A similar rise could occur between August 10^th and 12^th 2020 when once again Venus is in Aries (heliocentric) as the Moon moves through Taurus. (The next recurrence of this combination : November 17-19, 2021).

Whilst a price increase over these dates seems astrologically probable, there is insufficient accent on Mutable signs to suggest that the price will advance above $10,000 in August. Before then, on June 17th 2020  – and just as Mercury approaches its retrograde station, that same planet arrives in heliocentric Sagittarius. Mercury has made passage through this area of the zodiac on forty occasions since Bitcoins inception and research shows that this is where Bitcoin has made gain. It may be that just as everything else turns negative on June 18^th, that Bitcoin will make short-term gain.

Lastly, you may know that Mars will be moving through Aries (geocentrically from June 28^th and heliocentrically from September 9^th) . Though we only have five previous samples (since 2009)  to analyse, it is clear that Bitcoin makes most gain when Mars is in this sign. We might then wonder if Bitcoin will push through $10,000 as Mars makes these transits.

It has not been possible to find a date that meets all the criteria or astro-clues listed above.

© Christeen Skinner 30 May 2020