All My Children
Cancer, the sign of the archetypal mother — the culture of family that protects, nourishes, and sustains– faces incompatible forces.
It is no news to most of us that the US, like many other nations, is living through a profound time of transition from one great age to another. Changes in technology (AI), economies with serious job displacements, millions of people in nations whose climates are devastating facing starvation and civil wars, and challenges to human psychological development — all have serious consequences. This is currently expressing itself as a series of CULTURE WARS — consisting of conflicts among differing races, sexual orientations, ideologies, notions about economies, religions, and, most of all, what we look like — and what the future holds for humanity.
Clustered into “groups” there is a huge contrast among young people who are rebellious, costumed, dancing to their own “tunes”, and resonating with what they are against, more than what they are for. This group when it comes to politics, often votes “none of the above.” There are the so-called “Liberals” who wish to expand social programs, tax corporations, allow women’s abortion rights, and vote for “equality for all.” Others remind us of the church-going, bible-thumping, book banning, racial separating, anti-gay, removing women’s reproductive rights, so-called “Conservatives.”
The USA is a nation born under the sign of Cancer (July 4, 1776) whose vast array of different ethnic origins, races, religions, and opinions, that have been here since our inception, is now shattering our union, especially since Pluto entered Capricorn (the opposite sign from Cancer and a return to Pluto in the USA chart) in 2008 and is going back and forth between Aquarius and Capricorn between now and Nov. 2024, the time of the next presidential election.
Cancer is the sign concerned with instinctual biological survival, framed by its definition of food and “family” and willing to go to the rails to defend itself and its tribe. This sign’s loyalty to what it perceives as its “own” can exhibit great courage and willingness to fight for family, friends, and country.
The looming question is always: Who are my allies, my family, my countrymen? Around the world, the ancient religions have penetrated governing bodies, reviving old wars, framed by the use of force. Iran is an extreme example, but India is suppressing Muslims and insisting on a “Hindu” state in its ongoing conflict with Islamic Pakistan.
I predicted in my previous books and newsletters, since 2007, that we would see a financial crash in 2008, the 2nd American Revolution, the disestablishment of the establishment, and the “dark night of the soul” in America. And here we are! Significant changes in these great cycles will occur starting in 2025-2026. Meanwhile, I would suggest we change our thinking to encompass all human beings as our “family” and all life on earth as our most precious system of support.
The Economy:
Last month, JP Morgan Chase settled a lawsuit against it for its relationship with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Aspects to both Mars and Venus in Leo, inconjunct Neptune and Pluto would point to more scandals involving banking and finance that lie ahead. Last month, in Switzerland, UBS officially took over Credit Suisse, the bank that crashed last Spring. There are still many local banks that are in some kind of trouble.
Between July 10 and August 27, Mars will transit Virgo, the sign of “work and health.” There may be a convergence of strikes and layoffs highlighting the huge gap between management at the top of the corporate world and wages and/or benefits for workers, especially in the healthcare field. There may also be a minor viral epidemic. Updated COVID vaccines will be made and distributed in the US between now and October. With the release of AI, millions of jobs in technology will be eliminated and there is no getting around this.
Financial markets will not be sure where they are going this month. Mercury will oppose Pluto on July 10 and Mars will oppose Saturn between July 20-21 – pointing to selling. If I were to look at probabilities of a serious correction it would be in the October/November period. However, the North Node will go into Aries and trine Venus in Leo the last week of this month, which should encourage investors. Safety plays are secure Treasuries — and gold, which is at a low now but will rise later.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck announced they are suing the Biden Administration over Medicare drug price negotiations. Most of us are aware that the escalation of drug prices in the US for the past 20 years has been “off the charts.” Other nations throughout the world pay much less for drugs since they have some kind of federal health care and price controls. Our nation pays more for healthcare than any other nation on earth and we have the worst health benefits. As the Democrats have worked to control healthcare costs, the pharmaceutical corporations will do whatever it takes to stop this effort. The transits of Mars and Mercury in Virgo this month through October will highlight these conflicts.
Politics, Justice, and the Trump Indictment:
Currently, former President Donald Trump has been served with indictments consisting of 37 counts of violations of the Espionage Act, with multiple trials that lie ahead. His former food service assistant, Nauta, is also indicted. Trump’s core Republicans see him as their leader and defender against the “Deep State” and preserver of issues important to them — no taxes, gun rights, anti-LGBT rights, and making abortion illegal. While president, he successfully passed legislation giving the billionaire class tax breaks which created the largest budget deficit in our history. He has mobilized, in the extreme, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and lovers of “strong man” cult-style leadership, many of which stormed the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, illegally proclaiming Trump won the election. His business has been convicted of fraud, he has been successfully sued in the civil court for rape, and there are multiple tapes and videos of him assaulting and disrespecting women. He will soon be indicted for trying to throw the election in Georgia in 2020. The government has recordings of him admitting that he did not have the authority to hold onto the top secret documents he stole from the government, thus putting our nation in grave danger… His crime is “obstruction” or refusal to give back the top secret documents he took. Still, his “base” remains loyal to him.
The degrees of the Full Moon and New Moon this month both describe “theatrical” gestures emphasizing political posturing. The New Moon is conjunct with Trump’s Saturn (limitations and delays), suggesting his trial will not be rushed but will point toward conviction. There are ways Trump can delay his trial legally with a “sea of postponements.” The current transit of Venus in Leo going over his ascendant and favorably aspecting many of his planets, (it retrogrades July 22 and goes direct September 3) points to Trump’s popularity growing even more with his “base” in this time period. However, the transits of Mars and Mercury in Virgo will be very stressful for him personally. We now know that he is building a hotel resort in Oman, financed by Saudi Arabia. His children have multiple business deals with the Saudis and the Chinese due to his political power formerly in the White House. Between Oct. 12 and Nov. 23rd, Mars transits Scorpio, highly unfavorable for Trump.
The Hunter Biden Plea and Conviction:
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to two years of not filing tax returns (although he has since paid what he owed plus penalties), and buying a gun even though he had a drug addiction problem, which violates the law. His affiliation with a Ukrainian oil company and salary for serving on the board is also being investigated. The latter is sleazy, but not illegal. The Republicans will continue investigating this, but there has been no real evidence of real crimes, even though this has been going on for years.
The US and China:
We are currently dealing with our place of economic and military dominance in the world being challenged by China. The emotional currents in the US, influenced by tribal patriotism and anti-globalism are unrealistic and could lead us into nuclear war. It has recently been revealed that China has worked with Cuba to create a spy network in the US, making our relations worse. We are pledged to protect Taiwan’s democracy and self-determination, historically been challenged by China. They have strengthened their alliances with Russia and Iran. We had added high-tech nuclear military vessels in the Pacific. All this highlights major conflicts between the two nations.
The Biden administration has passed legislation promoting domestic manufacturing, especially chips, bringing jobs back to the US, all of which will help the US economy. However, China makes many pharma products, including antibiotics, that are necessary for our health. They have more “rare earths”, necessary in all parts of technology, than we do here. History teaches us that trade and economic ties among nations are good reasons not to go to war. In deference to emerging tribalism, Pres. Biden’s hawkish attitude toward China is worrying our allies throughout the world and needs to be examined and would command great subtly. When Pluto goes into Aquarius next year, there is a real danger of escalating military interventions.
The US and India:
Last month, Pres. Biden initiated a lavish state visit with Indian Prime Minister Bodi. Bodi has supported Hindu nationalism and is constantly clashing with Muslims in India and neighboring Pakistan over border issues. Although he is an elected head-of-state, he has cracked down on any kind of dissent and many see his government as an autocracy. However, economically, they have very strong ties with the US. His nation is a large difficult to govern sub-continent, with multiple languages and ethnic tribal populations. He has aligned his interests with China and Russia, but lately, there have been border disputes with China and he does not want to get caught up in the war with Ukraine. The transit of Uranus in Taurus is shaking up this nation’s chart, especially in connection with border issues and extreme climate catastrophes. It is in Bodi’s interest to keep a decent relationship with the US.
The War in Ukraine:
The war intensifies this month, with Ukraine having launched its big offensive. Venus (the peacemaker) goes retrograde on the 22nd of this month, goes direct on September 3rd, and makes a harmonious aspect with Mars in Libra on September 29th, postponing any peace talks until then. Last month, I predicted rebellions within Putin’s government. We now know this played out with Gen. Prigozhin’s Wagner Group challenging the Russian military’s conducting of the war. The Wagner Group is a para-military group, financed by Russia, currently operating in Africa, and has created violence, death, and chaos throughout the globe. In this instance, we are watching our enemy fighting our enemy. Putin has made some kind of deal with Prigozhin ( who is a billionaire and a thug) but he has touched popular “nerve” with Russians who never wanted this war to begin with. It is likely Putin (an even bigger thug) will find a way to “eliminate” Prigozhin. This is the way he has always dealt with dissent. The confusion (Neptune) comes into play in that Putin needs the Wagner Group.
Ukraine has surprised Russia and the world, with considerable help from NATO, in its determination to win. It will soon be ready to use the F-16 planes, known to be the most effective fighter planes in the world, that could further move Ukraine toward winning the war. Putin cannot be underestimated in his ability to eliminate enemies, but his assembly of oligarchs may be getting tired of losing money and the Russian army’s failure to win. His nuclear capabilities are very serious and nobody really knows if he is capable of using them. He and his oligarch associates are really mobsters, criminals, and sociopaths who have always held onto power with the use of military police controls. Uranus in his 7th House of enemies is square his Pluto (power) in his 10th House of career. He is like a cornered animal that will do anything to win.
Science & Technology:
An article in Science Alert on June 1st was posted entitled: “A Compact Fusion Reactor Barely 3 Feet Across Has Hit a Huge Milestone”. It reports: “Ions inside a compact fusion reactor barely a meter (less than 3 feet) across have been heated to the magic figure of 100 million degrees Celsius (some 180 million degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in a monumental step towards making nuclear fusion energy a practical reality.”
They go on to say: “Researchers from Tokamak Energy Ltd in the UK, Princeton, and Oak “Ridge National Laboratory in the US, and the Institute for Energy and Climate Research in Germany, achieved the record on a device at a spherical tokamak (ST), which unlike the more circular ‘donut shaped’ paths heated fuel takes in larger reactors, confines plasma in a ‘core-apple shaped’ swirl intended to improve stability and practicality of power generation.” Also: “Compared with larger fusion reactors, these smaller devices are cheaper to build, and potentially more efficient and more stable — all advantages if you want to make a technology commercially viable.”
An article in “Clean Energy” was posted on June 10 by Catherine Clifford entitled “Why the ‘Mother of Dragons’ at SpaceX left her job building rockets to work on nuclear fusion.” They report: “Darby Dunn worked for a decade at SpaceX where she held a handful of engineering and production roles related to building rockets. In one of those positions, she was unofficially known as the ‘Mother of Dragons’ for her work on the spacecraft SpaceX called the Dragon.” Also: “For the last four and a half years, Dunn has been at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, where she is part of the team working in the commercial fusion industry.” It is worth reading the whole article that describes a young engineer recognizing the profound opportunity for endless clean energy to transform our world.
An article posted on “Science” by Eric Henrickson is entitled: “The Austin-based company attempts to design fusion power plant in Texas.” It goes on to report:” “Austin-based Focused Energy was one of 8 companies to have a fusion-powered electricity plan within a decade.” They continue: “The DOE selected 8 companies to receive the money. Each has 18 months to design a power plant that uses fusion power. If they are successful, then they will get more money.”
Geoffrey Hinton, the “father of AI” has been interviewed several times, warning us of the consequences of unregulated Artificial Intelligence in a central computer, and robots literally taking over many of the tasks and functions of human beings – all without overseeing or surveying what this will entail. With Pluto going into Aquarius, the sign of genius and high-level technology, for its full transit on Nov. 19, 2024, we do not have much time to contemplate what we, as a civilization, will decide to do.
Weather and Natural Events:
With the long transit of Venus in Leo (through Oct. 8), Mars in Leo until July 9th going into Virgo through Aug. 27, we can expect severe heat, drought conditions, and mega-fires continuing in the US. Between July 6-10, there may be some rain to give a small amount of relief. Planetary patterns suggest a seriously greater chance of more hurricanes between now and November.
As I have stated so many times in this newsletter, the study of hydrology (the conservation, purification, and preservation of water) will have to increase broadly in every nation, to save our existence!
The cycle of volcanoes becoming active continues this month. Volcanoes are now erupting in Hawaii, Iceland, and The Philippines.
Final Thoughts:
THE HUMAN FAMILY has formed the foundation of our biological survival in the wilderness and within the framework of civilization for thousands of years. More recently, the institution of marriage and childbearing has been turned upside down and revised on many levels – no longer the stable format, taken for granted, or even easily understood. Throughout history, marriage and family were the foundational economic units of society. People married to preserve royal lines, create a workforce to feed families and ensure inheritance of money and estates, and, most of the time, love had nothing to do with it. Women were “property” of husbands and fathers. Children were used as a workforce or royal heirs and were completely controlled by parents. Religions sanctioned these unions to “keep it all together.”
In the 20th Century, women in industrialized Western civilizations began to demand their independence from marriage as the only option for their lives. Getting an education, demanding the right to vote, having access to birth control, joining the workforce, and getting paid for their labor upended the ancient system. More recently, in the US, the “Me Too” movement has exposed sexual abuse and the commodification of women and children. These have now become criminal acts punishable by law. The rights of gay persons to marry, have families, and be socially accepted have risen and are being acknowledged and celebrated by many.
We all now know that there has been a “backlash” against all this in the US by Fundamentalist Christian Churches. Women’s right to an abortion has been ended in many states. The Southern Baptists recently outlawed women pastors within their denomination. In developing nations throughout the world, the enslavement of women and children and the punishment of gay people by the men in power is still entrenched.
Families breaking up, children who are fatherless and abused, often because of drug addiction and alcoholism grow out of extreme poverty, racial and ethnic marginalization, and homelessness. In the US, there is a historic widening gap between the rich and the poor. Imposing a framework of “family” with a set of definitions and rules cannot overcome these realities.
I have serious concerns that, as Pluto goes into Aquarius, the sign of high-tech and virtual reality, humanity is in danger of losing its “soul”. People have lost contact with one another and have replaced love with “nuts and bolts” and “big bucks” — or should I say we have entered an age of Mechanistic Materialism, isolated from nature and human contact, with our eyeballs plastered to our PCs and cell phones.
On a personal level, over 50 years ago, my husband and I became volunteer parents to a family of six wonderful young people. The one biological child in this family is my son from a previous marriage who has remained close to his wonderful sisters. All the ensuing grandchildren and great-grandchildren have joined our lives over the years to create a unit of love, support, and, most importantly, an undeniable sense of humor. We have all been through multiple existential crises as individuals, but we are all on a team that has won multiple victories together.
Families are what they decide they are and, as a unit, with love and respect, can overcome whatever life throws at them. I wish each and every one of you a very happy family!
Blessings,
Linda
Important Points of Reference for Astrologers:
Full Moon at 11 degrees Capricorn conjunct Mercury and trine Jupiter July 3; New Moon at 24 degrees Cancer opposition Pluto and trine Neptune July 17; Venus in Leo is inconjunct Neptune July 16, goes retrograde July 23, is inconjunct Neptune again July 29, will go direct September 3 and all the way through the sign by October 9; Mercury in Cancer is sextile Uranus July 7 and is trine Neptune July 10, goes into Leo July 12, is square Uranus July 24 and inconjunct Neptune July 28; Mars in Leo is inconjunct Neptune July 27 and is inconjunct Pluto between the 23rd and the 28th; Mars goes into Virgo July 10and is opposition Saturn on July 21 and is trine Jupiter on Aug. 1; The No. Node goes into Aries (So Node into Libra) July 18 square Pluto; Pluto is back into Capricorn, sextile Neptune in Pisces.
