Important Points of Reference (for astrologers):
July 2 Solar Eclipse at 10 degrees Cancer with Saturn conjunct the Lunar South Node, July 16 Lunar Eclipse at 24 degrees Capricorn conjunct Pluto, July 31 New Moon at 8 degrees Leo conjunct Venus and square Uranus, July 7 (through July 31) Mercury goes retrograde conjunct Mars and square Uranus, Mars goes into Leo July 2 through Aug. 17 conjunct Mercury July 8 and is square Uranus July 12 and is trine Jupiter July 27, Venus goes into Cancer July 4 (through July 27) and is opposition Saturn July 16 and opposition Pluto July 20 and is inconjunct Jupiter July 15 and is trine Neptune July 18.
The U.S.A. Eclipsed – Endings and Beginnings.
(Birth Chart used is the Sibley July 4, 1776, 5:10 PM LMT, Philadelphia, PA 75W09, 39N57)
When eclipses hit our astrological charts, we are confronted with challenges and “forced” into awakenings whether we volunteer for the ensuing insights or not. If there is a serious “flaw” in our vision or perception, we will see it, or even experience it with the diagnosis of an illness, an accident, or simply the disappearance of something structural in our lives that needs to be replaced. The point of all this is not destruction, but recognition of what is no longer workable, and replacement with what is.
The Solar Eclipse on July 2nd is near the USA Sun and the Lunar Eclipse on July 16th is near the USA Pluto. Both involve transiting Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn – all pointing to people and institutions in positions of economic and political power. In short, people “ruling” our world are being exposed for all their strengths and weaknesses; their flaws and efforts to hold onto their old constructs or their courage to make the changes we need to make as we move through a planetary wide apocalyptic period in human history never seen before.
Childhood’s End:
The mandate, at this time, is to recognize that our childlike naivety must come to an end – that, like it or not, we must assume the mantle of adulthood, putting our self-absorbed avoidance of responsibility to an end and acquaint ourselves with the major themes and issues of our times front and center. This requires that we “get clean” of addictions of all sorts, get physically and emotionally fit, and join whatever it takes to solve the looming issues of our day. New leadership is on the horizon and we need to support those who clearly are honest, committed, and have carefully thought-out solutions.
Interestingly, my husband and I have been increasingly engaged with our adult grandchildren who are being confronted with a world that previous generations have thrown at them to “fix.” They are acutely aware of the coming environmental devastation of climate change and the planetary wide pollution causing mass extinction of species. They are facing an economic landscape of wealth concentration in the hands of a very few with the rest of the population stagnant or going downhill. They have little or no interest in accumulation of vast amounts of wealth. They simply want to make a decent living, live in communities in which people look to assist each other, and make it possible for a fair distribution of opportunities linked to a wider access to healthcare, education, and housing which does not presently exist. Most importantly, they are reaching inward and tapping a spiritual strength and understanding of a higher reality that has been abandoned by many for decades. In short, these “children” are assuming the mantle of adulthood. As an illustration of this, there is currently pending a lawsuit entitled Julianna vs. The United States, in which an Oregon attorney is representing a group of young people who are suing the U.S. government for the disastrous results of climate change due to their subsidizing and expanding the fossil fuel corporations for decades, ruining lives and economies, and possibly moving the earth toward mass extinction of life.
Obviously, not all young people fit this pattern. Many are caught up in the world of mechanistic materialism and self-absorption, are fighting addictions to substances, and suffering family breakups, poverty, and lack of personal and social support. This brings us to the need of all our societies for a quality of leadership that is less influenced by giant corporations and families whose personal wealth rivals the monarchies of previous centuries. However, these privileged people, because of the reality of their wealth, will have to be involved in a transformation of necessity that will firstly affect the very poorest and will spread to the very richest.
We all inhabit this planet together and will all go “down with the ship” together if a major economic and environmental transformation does not take place. My take is that the United States, with all our historic flaws, is still best positioned to lead the way because we still have some semblance of democracy and people power, we are the richest nation on earth, and because we have the most fortunate geography to combat climate emergencies if we so choose.
The Economy:
The eclipses are a warning that the “bubble” stock and real estate markets are at a tipping point. My take is that these bubbles will still be growing into the month of August. This pattern historically has long pointed to the expansion that usually takes place before a fall. The period between September and December will likely see a giant “correction” on Wall Street that is, frankly, long overdue. Tax breaks for billionaires and huge stock buybacks from the corporations themselves will not protect them this time around.
Facebook has created a new digital cryptocurrency named “Libra”, which will be backed by hard assets. Following the success of block chain technology behind Bitcoin, they are marching forward with the all- digital currency movement I have been discussing in my newsletters and books for years. Currently, Congress is saying “whoa” and will probably take its time approving this. Since we all now know that the Russians used Facebook to influence the 2016 election, their “own” currency could make future posts in the interests of our enemies much easier to implement. Interestingly, Libra is an astrological sign whose purpose is justice, balance, and cooperation. My take is that an all -digital blockchain currency will broadly take hold in the 2020’s.
Finally, after many years, the media is recognizing the epidemic of homelessness in this country which is actually worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s. In LA County, California alone, the most recent count was 60,000 people living in the streets. Many of these people are employed at such low wages, they cannot afford the high cost of housing. San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, New York, NY and other cities throughout the U.S. are experiencing this tragic trend. Broadly, economic inequality is the worst it has been since the age of the Robber Barons at the beginning of the 20th Century.
Mercury will retrograde in Leo (conjunct Mars on the 8th) and will go direct on July 31st. This placement reactivates last July’s eclipse and is a warning about confusion and “irrational exuberance” leading up to Jupiter’s direct station on August 11th in Sagittarius (the sign of optimism). With its square to Uranus, there may be a run of accidents and technological glitches.
Gold (as well as silver) rose last month and passed a number of support points, hitting a six- year high. The dollar has been falling to much lower levels. However, the metals are subject to manipulation by the giant banks, especially J.P. Morgan Chase, so even though I think this is a good place to be in these uncertain times, I am cautiously optimistic about investing in the metals. Bitcoin is another area people are investing as international crises escalate and uncertainty climbs. There is a “frenzy” on Wall Street about keeping interest rates low to fuel the bubble market, leaving the Feds little in the way of options they would have left in an economic emergency. They will be hesitant to do so this month under Mercury retrograde and should save this option for later this year when we are likely to have a real correction.
There is a lot of news coverage about corporations considering transferring their manufacturing locations to Vietnam. This nation is not as highly technologically trained and their population not nearly as large as China, so it is unlikely to replace them. China considers this nation to be within their “territory” and they will not like this trend. I do not think any progress will be made with the tariffs and uncertainty will remain high. Notice, that nobody is considering bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. where wages are higher and environmentally protective law still exist. Companies are only interested in the bottom line and their philosophy is the “financialization” of industry which has led to an economy that no longer shares its wealth with about 80% of the American population.
Immigration:
We now know that immigrant children separated from their parents by our policies are being detained in “concentration camps” at the border without even the basic sanitation and cleanliness, blankets, etc. Reporters who have observed this are horrified by the basic inhumanity and our system’s inability to deal with this without a comprehensive immigration policy, especially for people seeking asylum. The acting head of border control just resigned, and Congress is scrambling to pass a bill funding the border operations and set standards for those seeking asylum. These nations from which they are fleeing have failed economies, failed states, and are confronted with climate catastrophes consisting of droughts so severe they can no longer grow their own food.
The politics of “hate” will only make the situation worse and with the coming transits in Leo (children) this month through the end of August, we will no longer be able to look the other way.
Climate, weather, and the environment:
The first two week of July we will see Mercury retrograde, conjunct Mars and square Uranus. This suggests fires, accidents, high winds, and earthquakes. I would advise against extensive travel in this time period and to drive very carefully. This month’s transits in Leo, continuing into August will likely correspond with extreme heat waves and fires in the western US. Record breaking temperatures have already hit Europe.
Foreign Relations:
China has been said to be the biggest economic growth miracle in human history. Usually, with more wide- spread wealth comes more power to “the people”, yet this nation is controlled by an autocratic government, suppressing all dissent. The constant rebellion by Taiwan and the recent historically giant anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong show how vulnerable the government really is as their people are more educated and demanding more freedom to make their own decisions. The recent trade wars instituted by Pres. Trump is hurting their economy, but their leadership seems constitutionally and culturally unable to make a “fair’ trade agreement with the U.S. Their most obvious moves have been to strengthen ties with Russia and North Korea, their old Cold War allies and escalate the cyber war with America. Meanwhile, farmers in the U.S. are taking a big “hit” since about 40% of their profits depend upon China. I think that as big planetary movements into Aquarius in the 2020s hit the ascendant of China’s chart, a form of democracy may replace their present form of government, but the present regime will go on imposing its absolute control in the short term.
Iran has responded to our abandoning the nuclear treaty and imposing sanctions on their oil with targeted attacks on the U.S., which resembles their age- old technique of state sponsored terrorism. They have not historically been known to have actually started wars or invaded other nations. Trump wisely pulled the plug on attacking Iran. He is a constant “verbal warrior” – not an actual warrior. It would be disastrous for us to get into a war here – even more than the terrible mistake we made in Iraq, which Pres. Trump has openly opposed. However, he may have unleashed a situation that gets out of control. His staff inhabited by John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are known for their hawkish pro-war opinions. I am more concerned about our getting caught up in a war with them next year under the Mars retrograde cycle in Aries. This is a prediction I have discussed in previous newsletters.
No. Korea is still building their nuclear arsenal and China has recently had a friendly meeting with them and has released them from some sanctions. The grouping of planets in Virgo in September, hitting their chart, will likely stimulate more weapons buildups and threats of conflict, now that their alliance with China has been strengthened. This will weaken any attempt on the part of the Trump administration to contain them.
Africa: The charts of Algeria, Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and Zaire are all being hit by this month’s eclipses. Severe droughts, government corruption and unrest, and food and water shortages plague these nations who are being affected by climate change. Civil war and rebellions are likely to escalate.
India is in the midst of a terrible drought and ensuing water shortages. The growing population of this nation and its culture of enormously ancient tribal dissents plague the country and make it difficult to deal with the global climate emergencies they help to create since they are among the biggest polluters. This nation’s problems will only grow worse.
The UK will likely move toward a “hard BREXIT” and elect the most divisive prime minister, leading to economic emergencies emerging in 2020.
Politics:
Another woman has come forward accusing Pre. Trump of sexual assault and she joins multiple other women who have revealed his behavior. If any of us can remember the “Access Hollywood” tape we all heard before the 2016 election, it becomes clear that he has felt “entitled” to this illegal, devastating, and harmful behavior.
Trump’s presidency has consisted mainly of fighting, polarizing, and attacking anybody who opposes his views. He has demonstrated no ability to run the Department of State with his multiple firings and “acting” replacements who quickly resign from their posts, plus many posts are still unfilled. He refuses to work with Congress and demonizes anyone who has disagreed with him, as indicated by his disgusting behavior in connection with Senator and war hero, John McCain. He has complimented racists, White Supremacists and dictators. He has no understanding of foreign policy, has alienated our allies, broken treaties, imposed tariffs rather than making deals, and offended most heads-of-state throughout the world. He has little understanding of economics and how our separation of powers works as he tries to override the legislature and judicial systems and even “threatens” The Federal Reserve Chair. Those with a real concern for this country in both political parties have been appalled; have written articles and books and appeared on radio and television protesting what he has done to the nation. Make no mistake, there is a segment of our population that is fine with all this and we need to wake up to why this very angry populace put him in office.
Congress is struggling to pass legislation to fund the immigration crises on the Mexican border. I think that with Mercury going retrograde and conjunct Mars in July, there will be little likelihood that they will settle on something that will work.
On the day of the Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn conjunct the U.S. Pluto, Robert Mueller will testify before Congress with regard to his report which neither condemned nor exonerated Pres. Trump. Hopefully, this will clarify the Trump campaign’s relationship with the Russians who we know used social media to influence the 2016 election.
Why – why – why are we in this morass?
I believe that over the past approximately 40 years, many economic and societal trends have led to this nation’s polarization and discontent: the “finacialization” of the economy and destruction of the labor force, the dominance of families with enormous legacy wealth and giant corporations holding most of the nation’s money, the impoverishment of minorities on all sides of the racial spectrum, and the breakup of the family unit to the point children are getting little or no economic or personal support. The veritable worship of large corporations and deregulating them away from any kind of responsibility to the people-at-large has led to the opioid crisis and a suicide rate among young people never seen before. Civics was taken out of the public schools long ago and many people have no understanding concerning the mantle of citizenship in a democracy. Trump’s election, in my mind, is a symptom of a greater darkness and demise of a willingness to work respectfully together for a greater good – to listen to dissent and work out compromises – to respect the rule of law – to forge a balance between capitalistic enterprise and social safety nets that benefit everybody. The Trump presidency is both a symptom and an outcome of all this. It is time we recognize how this happened and summon the determination to “fix” it.
The Supreme Court ruling on the Trump requirement that the U.S. Census include a question about citizenship was bumped down to a lower court, refusing to insist on this “requirement”. This is a backlash to the extreme right and points to the Roberts Court as being more moderate. However, in a nod to the right, they ruled that they will “stay out” of the issue concerning “gerrymandering”, stating the court should not “interfere with mapping” in election districts. It will be up to Congress to pass a law forbidding gerrymandering and I do not think this will happen until the 2020s.
I am reserving my comments on the coming presidential election for the time when the Democrats choose their nominee. The biggest problem for the Democratic Party is to avoid “eating their own” and dividing their allegiances at a time when they need to unite around the nominee to win the 2020 election.
I also wish to state that, as a voter, I am a registered Independent.
Final Thoughts:
“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.” Leonardo da Vinci
I am increasingly aware that the “human condition” inhabits two worlds. One is the mechanistic materialistic world of physical challenges, political and financial power mongering, economic conflicts, and the personal biological imperative to “just survive”. The other world and, arguably, the greater reality, is the universe of creation itself, that divinely creates and destroys and recreates within its constant evolutionary journey toward a higher manifestation of its own experience.
The big question is this. What is reality? This is a question that human beings have been asking for thousands of years. Plato wrote that what we can see is equivalent to the “shadows on the wall of a cave”. The “Seth” books by Jane Roberts suggest that we are all part of “all that is” and are always creating our own reality whether or not we are aware of this capacity. Many of us yearn to know these mysteries and understand not only the science that has expanded our knowledge, but the deeper mysteries of how we get the great insights that could implement the creation of a new and greater world.
As an astrologer, I am certain that we are on the threshold of a change in human consciousness that could either propel us into an age of miracles or outline the most effective means of our collective self- destruction. I have opened my mind and heart to what is greater than “the shadows” that we see in this moment. I have made my choice. Have you?
Stay tuned.
