February 2007

As your faithful astrologer and “sayer of sooths”, I am greatly encouraged that, finally, truths are now climbing out from behind the scenes about the deadly machinations of the current administration in Washington.  Information is emerging from the “Scooter” Libby trial in Washington with regard to the “outing” of the former CIA agent Valerie Plame, and Vice President Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are at the center of the conspiracy.  Iraq has literally become a living Hell on Earth and every deadly disaster there is playing out on our television sets nightly.

The economy of Wall Street is reaching all-time highs, while the economy of Main Street continues to sink.  Corporations and banks have increased their pace of mergers and acquisitions in our march to the most monopolistic economy since the days of the “robber barons” at the beginning of the 20th Century.   Most people are watching the televised announcements of CEO’s whose salaries now average 400 times that of their employees, with “exit packages” of over $200 million, while Congress wrestles against corporate resistance to a minimum wage increase.  Mortgage defaults are at an all-time high, the housing market is in free-fall and the “spin” on news programs tells us that the housing “bust” is over. 

Uranus in Pisces (revelations from behind the scenes) square Jupiter in Sagittarius (the spread of information) is forcing us out of our collective coma.  There was a successful anti-war demonstration in Washington last weekend and the media actually covered it!  Contrast this with the world-wide demonstrations in 2003 against going to war in Iraq that were largely ignored here in America even though hundreds of thousands of Americans demonstrated here in cities across the country. 

This month, Mercury and Venus are transiting Pisces.  Mercury is retrograde Feb. 14th through March 8th.  There will be more “leaks” and many things will be confusing and hard to track to their sources.  We are leading up to two eclipses in March that connect dramatically to the chart of Israel, and many nations in the Middle East.  This month, Mars is transiting Capricorn, the sign it occupied when we initially invaded Iraq.  The push to invade Iran intensifies, the insanity increases, the troop “surge” walks into more chaos. The March 19th solar eclipse at 28 degrees of Pisces is exactly square Pluto.  The issue is about nuclear weapons, who might use them, who could use them.  This is a very scary landscape.  There will be struggles in Washington between the Congress and the White House just as there will be struggles in Israel between their military government and its citizenry. This is all about the conduct and safety of Israel and the protection of the great oil fields in the Middle East.

The Economy:

After a small sell-off, the stock market reached an all-time high on the 31st.  As I predicted in previous newsletters, gold has started to move up again and will likely reach a new high this month, by the 14th.  As Mercury retrogrades, trends will tend to reverse and things are confusing, contradictory and hard to predict.  I think the Dow will reach new highs between March and June as Jupiter in Sagittarius is trine Saturn and sextile Neptune.  The end of this month, Saturn is opposed Neptune and holds that opposition through June.  This may hold down oil prices and gold prices.  This is a repeat of the same opposition that took place in August of 2006.  Hedge fund managers need to be extremely cautious this month.  There is talk in Washington about increased oversight with regard to hedge funds and derivatives.  As you know, I see the approximately $370 trillion derivatives trade as an accident waiting to happen.  This may be triggered between September of this year and January/February of 2008, just in time for the primary presidential elections!  This month’s transit of Mars in the sign of Capricorn (government) will call our attention to the need to investigate the highly speculative, over-the-counter trading and the danger it poses. 

The Anatomy of a Bubble:

In spite of the spin, the real estate market is in serious trouble, even though the period between March and June, things may look better and there may be some home buyers.  Look to sell your property in this time period, as this is a very small window of opportunity.

Millions of people bought properties to “flip”, got in over their heads with low interest short- term mortgages and now the time is up and the interest rate has risen beyond their ability to pay.  Thus, more and more foreclosures are taking place.  Other people refinanced their mortgages and took out equity to pay off their high-balance credit cards and pay for their children’s outrageously expensive college tuitions.  These people will be unable to sell their homes for many years to come as home prices go down and they are losing rather than gaining equity.  This is a sorry creation of Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve with extreme low interest rate creation and the insane willingness of banks to loan people this money whose credit rating was so bad they could not get a conventional mortgage. 

The “dot.com” bubble was replaced by the real estate bubble.  By the Fall of this year, all the bubbles will be breaking.

The War:

Iraq’s Prime Minister publicly stated yesterday that he did not want Iraq to become a battlefield between the U.S. and Iran; that we should take our grievances with Iran elsewhere.  He is absolutely right.  Pres. Bush is pushing us toward a conflict with Iran that would be absolutely disastrous.  Iran is in conflict with its own government and we should let them correct their own course.  At present, they have no nuclear weapons although they are developing the capability.  I am deeply concerned about this administration refusing diplomatic solutions and pushing toward more military actions.  The Congress will do their mightiest to try to stop this from happening.  As we head into the March eclipses, there is a real danger that Israel may be planning some kind of attack on Iran, further destabilizing the entire region. 

Travel and the Weather:

With Mercury, Venus, Uranus and the North Node in Pisces, I would expect a lot of precipitation this month, especially on the East Coast.  There may be a lot of travel plans cancelled as Mercury goes retrograde on the 14th. 

Health Watch:

With the concentration of planets in Pisces, we need peace, quiet and contemplation.  We need to take the time to restore ourselves, explore our inner psyches, and postpone making important decisions in the highly competitive arenas.  There is a tendency to feel depleted, which could make us more susceptible to the prevailing colds and flu.  My advice is to get to bed early and curl up with a good book as often as possible!

Final Thoughts:

As an astrologer, I have frequently been asked through the years, if I am willing to predict things that are “bad” or “scary”; if I am willing to tell someone they will become ill or if someone may die.  These are serious and important questions and deserve to be addressed.

I have always followed the Hippocratic Oath that physicians take, and that is: first do no harm.  What astrologers hopefully do not do is make negative pronouncements that make people feel hopeless and powerless.  On the contrary, what astrologers are concerned with is shedding light on the regions of experience we travel through in the trajectory of our lifetimes.  We predict cycles in which we will likely be concerned with historic themes, both personally and collectively.

The point of this is to bring things out into the daylight, face what needs to be faced, be aware of opportunities that may present themselves.  There are so many different ways each of us can respond, even as a challenge to our way of life arises.  It is simply unknowable whether or not we will survive or triumph.  This is where we have been given the sacred right and privilege to make choices.  We believe that knowledge strengthens and empowers us

My personal philosophy is that we are much more than biological accidents whose sole purpose is to survive and reproduce.  I think each of us is part of a greater whole; a universe that is alive with potential and seeks to evolve through creations that grow and expand to higher and higher levels of consciousness.  As we suffer the consequences of the choices we make out of ignorance, we learn lessons not only from our heads, but from opening our hearts to the possibility of a greater love and a finer understanding.

The passage of planets through the great constellations presents us with the stories and myths that humankind has expressed through the ages and will express again within new contexts.  Hopefully, the old wounds will be healed, and an elevated sensibility will emerge as each one of us is reborn, and in the process, the universe is seen all over again through new eyes.

Linda

Linda Schurman

Note: I welcome all your comments whether they are critical or complimentary*.  This site represents astrology as a tool for a deeper understanding of the themes and issues of our times.  This period in which we all live may be the most critical time for human civilization ever!  It is my wish that we all do our best with whatever talent we have been given, to further the survival and evolution of life on planet earth!

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Aquarius-The Water Bearer January 21 – February 18	Pisces – The Fishes February 19 – March 20
I’m on top of the world Like lightening at night. My genius is wondrous, But I did miss my flight!	With my head in the clouds, And my feet in the seas, I seem to know all. But where are my keys?

©

Original art by Adam DeShane

Verse by Linda Schurman