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[tradermama]

Review and Preview
The world didn’t end yet. And nothing really earth-shattering has taken place (yet) as we complete the first full week in the midsection of the Cardinal Climax that takes place during the sign of Leo, July 21-August 21.

Is it possible that we go through this entire time band without a single dramatic and defining event that marks this as something of a spectacular period? And if so, does that invalidate Financial or Mundane Astrology as a useful tool in forecasting markets or the nature of times that we live in? The answer is “yes” and “no.” Yes it is possible there will be no single spectacular event that defines this as an uncanny and remarkable cosmic time band. And no, it does not mean that the principles of Financial or Mundane Astrology are invalidated. The value of astrology in any form is not solely predictive or event-oriented. In its purest form, astrological signatures are simply dynamics that come together, symbolized by the themes inherent in each planet and/or sign involved. These dynamics may result in a decision that may transform the status quo or an event that leads to a reaction that transforms the status quo, or in many cases, both.

But there is still time for unexpected and dramatic events to unfold. And there are many decisions being made that could very well lead to a powerful transformation in societies around the world (i.e. the Financial Regulatory Reform Act that passed in the USA the prior week). One day we may look back and say, “Ah! That’s when we passed that law that changed everything.” I think we will look back and say, “That is when the ‘Era of the Regulators’ began.”

And interestingly enough, many financial markets may be making significant highs or lows right now from which powerful reversals are still possible. After all, that is the most valuable aspect of Financial Astrology to market timers. That’s what the Capitalists, Corporationists, Socialists, Marxists, Regulators, Sagittarians, and Republicans all over the world pay us the big bucks to do. Why? Because there is no other study that is as consistently accurate in timing major moves in financial markets so far ahead in time. It is the ultimate leading indicator. And so even though no earth-shattering event has happened yet, we cannot complain. Our daily service has been remarkably accurate this past week in timing the stock indices and precious metals.

So what did happen this week that might be pertinent to this rare celestial event and its correspondence to cycles in human activity? We began last week with the FDIC announcing that it closed four more banks, bringing the total USA bank closures for the year now to 100. We are well ahead of last year’s monstrous 140 bank closures. Most of these are smaller regional banks, which just goes to show that “too big to fail” just keeps getting bigger and bigger. If the days of “too big to fail” are really over via the hype on the Financial Regulatory Reform Act of last week, then what happens when “too small to compete” totally disappear? It’s a new world – the New Era of Regulations and Regulators - and this bizarre portal we are entering will be unlike anything ever experienced, let alone imagined. Efficiency will quickly become an outdated concept.

On July 25, “…thousands of secret military documents were released” by WikiLeaks.com, according to the Wall Street Journal. There will be hell to pay for that, for under Pluto in Capricorn, you can’t escape your impulsive actions. On July 27, India’s Central Bank raised key interest rates to fight double digit inflation. On July 28, the Wall Street Journal reported an “U.S. audit found that the Pentagon can’t account for ($8.7 billion) of the $9.1 billion in Iraq construction money… there is little to show for the massive funds pumped into their cash-starved, war-ravaged nation.” 95% missing? This is a preview of what happens when regulators are put in charge, and why efficiency will soon be a quaint nostalgia. Service and money both disappear in large chunks. Also on July 28, an Arizona judge blocked Arizona’s new immigration law just before it was to go into effect, providing a great moral victory for the White House, which is suing the state of Arizona for attempting to enforce a law that is the responsibility of the Federal Government, but which the Federal Government is not enforcing. I told you this is a strange portal we are entering. At stake here is a classical play for power. Do the states or the Federal Government have the power to enforce immigration laws that affect the states? And on the same day the Catalonia region of Spain banned bullfighting, a “… blow to the symbol of Spanish tradition,” according to WSJ. It is a new world, a new day, and Alice is truly in Wonderland, or, er, um, “The Cardinal Climax.” We are deep, deep within the vortex now. Where is ground?

On Friday, the headlines of the Wall Street Journal proclaimed “Bonds Soar to Rare Heights.” Oh, oh. No ground here. That must mean that Bonds are about to top out. You may remember that earlier this year I thought that the Cardinal Climax would correspond to excessive speculation in assets like stocks and precious metals. But then a few weeks ago I realized Saturn was more powerful than Jupiter conjunct Uranus in this configuration, and instead of excessive speculation, it would be a case of investors panicking and fleeing to the safety of Treasuries. That is exactly what is happening. Now the death knell for bonds is being sounded with the front page spotlight. But why would Bonds go down? Why would interest rates go up when the Fed chair just said they wouldn’t? Stay tuned. The Cardinal Climax will likely have many surprises that are contrary to common sense, conventional wisdom, or proclamations by world leaders.

Short-Term Geocosmics

Last week was the last passage of the 45-year opposition of Saturn and Uranus and the first passage of the 13-year Jupiter waxing square to Pluto. It was also the start of the Mars translation in hard aspect to four planets making up the Cardinal Climax, July 30-Aug 3. This week finds Mars finishing up that translation on August 3, as the second Jupiter-Pluto waxing square unfolds (the day before President Obama’s birthday), and the start of Venus translating the same Cardinal Climax planets (August 7-9). It doesn’t end there, for the following two weeks will find the 20-year opposition of Jupiter and Saturn, followed by the 32-37-year waning square of Saturn and Pluto. Last week’s column discussed the implications of each in detail.

For our purposes, this entire time band is ripe for a cyclical crest or trough in many financial markets, followed by potentially powerful reversals. It would not be surprising to see strong price moves unfold this week, especially in precious metals, as heliocentric (not geocentric) Mercury enters Sagittarius (August 2-12). This planet-sign relationship can also be important in other commodities and currency prices. And with Mars now entering a cardinal sign (Libra), we may also see reversals in all interest-rate related markets, for this makes a hard aspect to the Sun-Pluto opposition in the chart of the Federal Reserve Board (December 23, 1913, 6:02 PM, Washington D.C., source the New York Times). It also sets off planets in the charts of the USA, Barack Obama, and Timothy Geithner. And once again, these aspects coincide with hot and dry weather, causing droughts like we are now witnessing in the Wheat growing regions of Russia.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Happy birthday, President Obama! According to the birth certificate copied and posted on his web site during the 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama was born August 4, 1961, 7:24 PM, Honolulu, Hawaii. Now I know some readers still believe he was born in Kenya. But I respectfully disagree, for if born in Kenya, he would have a Taurus Moon instead of a Gemini Moon, and if ever there was a personage who exemplified the duality and oratory skills of a Gemini moon, it is Mr. Obama. If there ever was person who did not exemplify the frugal yet sweet and stability-loving characteristics of a Taurus Moon, it is Mr. Obama.

As discussed last week, all Leos will have their solar return this year right in the middle of the Cardinal Climax, which means the entire year may seem like a Cardinal Climax to them. Whatever the arrangement of planets at the moment the Sun (actually Earth) returns to its exact position located at birth each year, describes the nature of dynamics (and conditions) one will face in the coming year. Now I don‘t know where the President will be partying or fund raising at that moment this year, but if he is in the Eastern Time Zone, the return will take place at 9:24 PM on August 4. Unless he goes west of the Mississippi, he will have Moon in Gemini and probably Pisces rising. This is important because it is not just a solar return this year, but also a lunar return. President Obama was born with the Moon in Gemini, and the Solar Return position of the Moon is within one degree (very close to exact) of its natal position.

How unusual is that to have a solar and lunar return on the same day? It’s pretty rare, which in turns means that the next year is potentially one of the most memorable years of his life. Whether it is a favorable or difficult year probably depends upon how able he is to keep track of what he says, for with mutable Pisces rising and mutable Moon in Gemini he may be all over the map with ideas and reactions that are not necessarily well connected. Pisces rising suggests he still has his ideals intact. But the “Great Communicator” may find it challenging to convey those visions in a way that others see as practical and realistic, or even consistent with other statements he has made. He may have the need to explain and re-explain what others perceive as contradictions. It can be very confusing to him, and to others, to keep up with his thought processes. This could lead to the further challenge of keeping his emotional urges in check.

He is likely to be more sensitive to criticism than usual, but possibly more brilliant or eloquent than ever in his speeches. He will need to be, for in the next year the United States will be undergoing its 8th Saturn return, a 28-30 year cycle of maturity that tends to coincide with major structural changes in government. You may remember the last one occurred under the Reagan Revolution of 1980-81, and before that, the building of the post-war world economy, spearheaded by the United States. Is it ironic that under the last two Saturn returns the United States was involved with conflicts in Afghanistan and Iran (1980-81), and Korea (1951-52)? With Obama’s birthday taking place right in the heart of the Cardinal Climax, and with the United States about to begin its Saturn return, we are now in the midst of the Obama Revolution. There are a whole lot of changes that have been started, and in the next year a whole lot of challenges to those changes are likely to arise. It is a year where something that should be so simple may turn into something very complex and convoluted. That’s always a danger when you pass laws that allow regulators to interpret and enforce what they mean. Good-bye to efficiency.