Leo meets Virgo: Corporations v. Labor v. Healthcare…
Who will win this battle?
Here in the US, we have a corporate-dominated, industrial-efficiency money-emphasis healthcare system. Marginalized people are not benefiting. Rising addiction and homelessness combined with rising costs have led to healthcare being 1/5 of the US gross domestic product. We spend the most of any other industrialized nation and have the poorest outcome, including more deaths in childbirth than any other developed nation. It is not unusual for a self-employed individual here to have to pay $5000 per month for a health insurance plan with huge deductibles.
Doctors have become so highly specialized, people are made to feel they cannot get the overall evaluations. They are frequently not seen as whole persons – that their biological organs are treated like component parts of a machine. A doctor will often do only one or two things in his/her specialty. A person’s “component parts” can only be examined by what I like to call “follicle specialists” that have been trained so specifically, a patient has to see three or four doctors in each specialty. And they often charge enormous fees to boot! Primary physicians, who have a more comprehensive view of a patient’s history and needs, are diminishing in numbers because they do not make as much money and their expenses are very high. Today’s physicians struggle to even get into medical school. They often have taken out enormous loans to pay for their schooling. In all cases, liability insurance for doctors is so expensive, it often exceeds $100,000 a year!
The pharmaceutical giants and insurance companies are making enormous profits. They locate their manufacturing abroad where there are tax advantages and a cheaper labor force. The cost of drugs here in the US is far higher than in any other nation, which is why many Americans go to Canada for their prescription drugs. The Affordable Care Act is limited in its scope, leaving most so-called middle-class Americans in the so-called “doughnut hole.” The Republicans have been fighting to get rid of even this limited benefit.
The recent historic COVID pandemic has taken a toll on a system already in trouble. We have a growing population of senior citizens needing more extensive care. Many doctors have taken an early retirement and others are simply exhausted from the whole ordeal. Between now and October, these issues and imbalances will come to the surface.
Many celebrities ( actors, musicians, and politicians) had health crises or passed away last month. The Virgo transits call our attention to our friends and family members who are vulnerable to health issues, especially those connected to intestinal problems.
Politics:
The transits in Virgo continue to raise significant tensions in Trump’s astrological chart. There are no doubts about his multiple indictments. The uncertainty lies in his ability to postpone trials until after the coming election. In addition, he may have some hidden health concerns. We are also looking at health issues with Republican Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, and Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein, who are over 80 years old.
The public, who are confronted with another Biden versus Trump, wants “none of the above”. Biden has accomplished constructive legislation that has not been seen since FDR. But we are a “media” culture that does not like the way Pres. Biden looks – like an old man. Trump is also older, but he appeals to a culture-shocked population that likes the fact he has announced he would overthrow or “fire” most of the government agencies. As Americans, we need to look more closely at who we really are! Do we understand what Democracy is and what it entails? This is what results when the public education system abandons civics, political science, and history.
The Stock Market:
With Mercury and Mars trining Jupiter and Uranus, economic news will basically be positive. Over the long run, markets will decline in September and October. There will be more serious sell-offs with Mars opposing Jupiter and Venus opposing Uranus at the end of October, with a possible stock market “crash” between November 10th – 13th, with Mercury square Saturn and Mars opposing Uranus. Part of this picture will coincide with serious climate catastrophes. It might be wise to take your profits this month.
Hollywood:
The core creative aspect of the movie, television, and streaming industries are the writers and actors who, with the exception of top executives and mega stars, are barely paid a living wage and have little or no benefits. They also demand the “right to their own identity” so the corporations cannot “scan their digital likeness” for profit. The current strike of both the writers’ and actors’ unions is finally saying “no” to all this and will definitely cause pain for the industry until they get what they need. This will likely be solved by early October when Venus in Leo (actors) is sextile Mars in Libra and Mercury is trine Pluto.
Last month’s blockbusters (Venus in Leo) “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” broke records at the box office. This perfectly represents America’s love of escapist fantasy (entertainment) versus American cinema art framing real history and the lessons it can teach us. Show business will make big profits through October. New movies coming out will do well under these transits.
Personally, I saw “Oppenheimer” last month and am of the opinion that it is a masterpiece, framing a pivotal time in human history that is relevant to today’s crises facing humanity. In 2025 – 2026, Uranus returns to Gemini, and Pluto is opposed the Pluto in the charts of those times (1942-45). Both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion were used in the making of the atomic bomb. Will we drop another nuclear weapon, or will we create the holy grail of clean sustainable energy?
What now?
This month through early October, Virgo transits of Mercury and Mars will highlight the problems in a labor system that needs an overhaul! In addition, we are inundated with strikes for higher wages in many industries, including the above-mentioned writers and actors in Hollywood (Leo), teachers working in a public school system that is “broken”, UPS, healthcare workers, etc. (Virgo). There is a very serious need to raise wages for workers in industries where the very wealthy and billionaire class, about 10% of the population, possess about 80% of this nation’s wealth. With the advent of AI, companies are looking to replace most of their labor force and use “contractors” (temporary workers) wherever possible – enhancing the practices that have been with us for decades.
The tragedy in all this lies in a disgruntled population that has turned their blind hatred on the government, people of differing races and religions, and, ultimately, each other. Young people often feel they do not have a chance. Since political science, history, and civics have been removed from most schools, they do not even understand how a democracy works. States like Florida and Texas are removing targeted history truths (the horrors of slavery) from textbooks and banning books about race and sexual orientation. The guys on Wall Street are talking about a great employment economy and complaining about high-interest rates to try to stop inflation, even though it has worked. This may be true, but decades of inequality in living standards are still with us. The gap in perceived versions of “reality” is enormous.
Our young people are reacting to all of this with fewer marriages and even fewer children being born. They can’t afford housing, have massive student loans to repay, and do not make enough money to support a family. Consequences abound! Meanwhile, assault weapons are readily available in many states that have few or no gun laws. Thus, we have a rise in mass shootings in public places, along with an unprecedented rash of suicides and drug overdoses in our young population.
Climate catastrophes, which have been forecast for decades by scientists and denied by millions, are moving across the world and hitting the US at every turn. Some persons call this failure to prepare “cognitive dissonance” – a mass denial of truths and information that has been available for years, but people simply won’t or can’t face it. Oil and gas corporations are continuing their propaganda that this problem “does not exist” even though droughts, storms, fires, and floods tear across our nation. The US is running out of oil reserves to keep oil prices down. The Saudis have been raising prices to take advantage of the dependence on oil by the Europeans from Russia, as the Ukrainian war slugs onward.
The irony is that, in the Fall, as planets transit Scorpio, without oil and gas modern economies will collapse. With the continued use of fossil fuels, the climate will continue to collapse.
The Upside:
I have so much admiration for young people who are demonstrating, writing articles, dedicating themselves to economic reform, and creating organizations focusing on cleaning up our planet. They have the guts to “inform themselves” about the situation and the courage to take it all on. Books are being published, unleashing valuable information and calling us to step up to the plate and make massive changes in our lives. This is in spite of the mass media, until recently, has been ignoring reality and making enormous profits on escapism.
Between now and late November, climate emergencies will be increasing – hurricanes, floods, fires, and droughts all presenting themselves to us in ways we can no longer ignore. I am also concerned about volcanoes erupting in this cycle.
The Economy:
This month sends conflicting signals. There will be more job openings, but, ironically, at the same time, more layoffs, with both Mars and Mercury in Virgo opposite Neptune the week of the 13th. The War between Meta and Twitter (now called “X”) continues into the realm of the absurd. Venus went retrograde on July 22 and will not go direct until September 3, bringing doubt into the value of some currencies. There will be profit-taking the first week of August. With lower interest rates, the residential real estate market (Jupiter in Taurus trine Mars and Mercury) will likely tick up. However, commercial properties will continue to lose value. I would ask why more people do not discuss renovating and converting office properties into affordable housing. This idea may take hold in some areas. The media industries will suffer because of the strike. As I have said earlier, this strike may be settled by early October.
The most recent polls reveal that only 30% of Americans are happy with the economy! Why should this be the case with high employment, higher wages, and percentage inflation coming down? The answer that few persons in the media are discussing is DEBT! We got away with it when interest rates were near zero. That is now gone. Our nation is servicing mind-boggling debt – higher mortgage rates, enormously high-interest credit card debt, and student loan debt that will take years to repay.
Capitalism depends upon credit/debt institutions, without which the current economy would be in the basement. The past 50 years have seen American debt skyrocket and this includes loans corporations have taken out to buy back their own stock to keep the bubble going. Recently, a series of smaller banks collapsed and many more are at risk. People complain continually about “bad government interference”, but they have saved the banking system from collapse. Except for the reporting around student loans, the media has been silent about this and it is of supreme importance.
The War in Ukraine:
Mercury goes retrograde Aug. 23, goes direct September 15th, and all the way through the sign by October 4. Mars is in Virgo until September 27th. The war continues to be brutal. This is, in the opinion of experts, a “Drone War” and the US can’t get enough drones fast enough to Ukraine. The F-16s (top military planes) are slowly getting to where they need to be and the training of pilots is taking too long. The equipment the US and NATO has sent still lacks the personnel to train Ukrainians to use it. Russia, as it turns out, has been stockpiling many more weapons than we originally thought. The Ukrainian wheat export market agreement has expired, which feeds nations in Africa.
My concern is if this war continues into next year when Pluto goes into Aquarius on January 21 (opposite Pluto in Leo when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in 1945), that Putin will authorize the use of a nuclear weapon. A deal needs to be made, giving some area in Ukraine back to Russia in return for Russia halting the invasion. Putin has gotten rid of his recent enemies, which is what happens to anyone in Russia who opposes him.
Israel:
I have been forecasting, for the past 4 years, that with Uranus in Taurus, Israel would go through a challenge to its unity and power as a nation. Recently, the Knesset, their one-chamber Congress, passed a law limiting the power of their Supreme Court, as was requested by Prime Minister Netanyahu. Israel has no written constitution. Hundreds are demonstrating against this in the streets, as many perceive this as a challenge to their democracy and are handing over too much power to the executive division of the government. Upheavals will continue in this nation.
China:
This period is not good for China’s economy, as I have been reporting in this newsletter for some time. They did not manage or recover well from the pandemic. Many American industries have left China to go elsewhere. What many people do not know is that both their government and their citizens are servicing massive amounts of debt to build infrastructures not being used. The yuan is not an international currency. They have a lot of US Treasuries, so we are servicing much of their debt. Recently, it was announced in The Financial Times that USD venture capital giant, Sequoia will split off its China business. Chinese young people, saddled with 20% unemployment, are not getting married and having children. The Biden administration has been sending officials to China to strike up dialogues with Ji Jinping in an attempt to avoid an unimaginable war in the near future. We are on touchy ground!
No. Korea:
Whenever planets go into Virgo, No. Korea’s chart gets activated and its government gets aggressive. especially since Mars is in this sign until Aug. 17th and Mercury is in this sign until Oct. 4th. Last month, they shot off another nuclear warhead missile dangerously close to Japan. Kim Jong Il‘s sister seems to be assuming more and more power in the nation since the Premier is obviously not in good health, and she is proving to be as much of a sociopath as he is. Recently, an American soldier, to avoid criminal prosecution in So. Korea crossed the border into the North. South Korea is also arming itself and testing weaponry. This is a dangerous time period for our relationship with this nation.
Science and Technology:
In an article in Science (June 3, 2023) entitled “The Upper Atmosphere is Cooling, Prompting New Climate Concerns”. “Scientists are worried about the effect this change could have on orbiting satellites, the ozone layer, and Earth’s weather.” I have been reporting in this newsletter in the past that the planetary pictures in this cycle in the past have suggested a global cooling, such as in the mini-Ice Age with the transit of Pluto going into Aquarius. Thus, we have a serious conundrum between the huge cycle of warming due to greenhouse gases and the natural cycle of cooling. When cold meets heat, it usually produces storms. Scientists are seeking to “reboot” the satellites that keep track of all of this.
As all of you who read this newsletter know, I am extremely enthusiastic about the advent of nuclear fusion as the most important invention since the discovery of electricity. Many others think AI is the biggest invention. I disagree because, until we have a limitless source of clean energy up and running on the grid, when the electric grid goes down, AI can’t work. This newsletter, as before, will continue to report on the impressive progress being made with fusion and the many sites working on this technology.
In the June Issue of Scientific American in the article entitled “Star Power” by Philip Ball which reports on fusion progress to date, the last paragraph reports: “Building a new kind of energy infrastructure from the ground up present opportunities as well s challenges. Nuclear fission planners made some serious mistakes in terms of design as well as public relations, but now the nascent fusion industry has a chance to learn from those mistakes and do better – not least by thinking about the issues of energy equity and justice. ‘When we have these plants, where do we place them so that we can provide a clean energy source for all types of communities’ the NIF’s Ma asks. ‘How do we build up a workforce that is diverse? How do we ensure that as we are building up this industry, we are training folks to have the skills of the future? We get to at least try to do it right this time.”
The other side of the nuclear fusion revolution to solve our most serious energy problems is the invention of the “perfect battery” that would serve as a local source of energy when the grid breaks down and make it possible for electric vehicles to go up to 900 miles without a recharge.
Climate and Natural Events:
There was recently a 7.2 earthquake just off the coast of Alaska. Volcanoes are still erupting around the world. These events are under-reported.
The transit of Venus in Leo, retrograde until September 3, and going all the way the sign through Oct. 8 suggests record-breaking heat throughout the world and here in the US. I have already forecast this trend in previous newsletters.
The week of Aug. 20, when Mars is opposition Neptune, we will see more mega flooding and a possible hurricane. As I have commented above, our society and those who own it have chosen to ignore all the warnings for many decades about the burning of fossil fuels, which continues and will do so until we have nuclear fusion and the perfect battery, which will fundamentally change the way the world produces energy.
Final Thoughts:
As all of us navigate a world drowning in waves of crisis at every turn, many of us are simply overwhelmed with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Basically, most humans are “Hobbits”, inhabiting our “Shire” and want to be comfortable — ignoring the huge historic challenges that are now upon us. J.R. Tolkien understood human nature in the early 20th Century and had a sense of our strengths and weaknesses. Where is Gandolf?
What is most interesting about history is that heroic persons can and do arise, often when we least expect it, who have what it takes to lead us out of obliteration and into a new age. We must have a collective population that is able to respond to innovations in science and technology, political vision, and humanitarianism that may lead us out of the pit of despair and into the light. In short, we all need to become wizards!
Being an eternal optimist, my personal experiences lead me to believe we inhabit a universe in which all things are possible; that a greater consciousness is available to us if we open our minds and hearts. Don’t count us out quite yet!
Blessings to all,
Linda
Important Points of Reference for Astrologers:
Full Moon at 9 degrees Aquarius Aug. 1; New Moon at 23 degrees Leo square Uranus Aug. 16; Full Moon at 7 degrees Pisces Aug. 31; North Node at 28 degrees Aries is square Pluto Aug. 1; Mercury in Virgo is opposition Saturn Aug. 1, goes retrograde trine Uranus Aug. 23, and goes direct September 15; Venus retrograde in Leo is square Uranus Aug. 10 and is square Jupiter Aug. Aug. 22; Mars in Virgo is inconjunct Chiron Aug. 10, trine Uranus Aug. 16, is opposition Neptune Aug. 16 and is trine Pluto Aug. 24; Uranus goes retrograde at 23 Taurus on Aug. 28.
