Short-subject Commentaries are posted on a single web page for each calendar month. Each new Commentary is placed at the top. This results in Commentaries appearing in reverse order. The Tough Winter And Spring Transits Are Nearly Over The strenuous and long-lasting transits of Saturn conjunct Ketu (the tail-of-the-dragon eclipse point) and Mars opposite Jupiter are nearly over. Below is a summary of these planetary karmas, from the March 8 Celestial Wheel, along with a chart graphic from November 28, 2007,
However, the Jupiter/Mars advocacy, stimulating popular protests against unfair governments and their policies, improves the human condition.-- and this includes new leadership arising in both parties in the U.S. presidential primaries. There's always some positive, even when the planets challenge us in many ways. Mars will transit (shift) out of Gemini and into Cancer April 28, and Ketu will follow in separating from Saturn by transiting into Cancer May 4. (Cancer is the fourth house in this natural, or sign, zodiac.) Everyone has been touched, and some slammed hard, by these transit combinations in some fashion. Too, there's a generalized fearful unease. See The U.S. of Anxiety -- Each Day Brings Breathless News Of Another New Threat. These stresses have the unanticipated benefit of bringing people closer together. It's the tough times that make us feel our humanity, which then stimulates empathy for others as we recognize common interests in our communities and neighborhoods. Too, as referenced in the March 31 Celestial Wheel, in The Long And Winding Road section, Money buys happiness -- if you spend on someone else. Good deeds also uplift ones karma, always stimulating some improvement, with occasionally surprising and quick results. Filling up my 100 mpg motor scooter a few weeks ago, I noticed a young blond woman, reminding me of my daughter, counting nickels and dimes out on the sales counter. That, together with her body posture, signaled sadness and fear. I forked over my $3 and followed her outside, where she walked, head down, toward a little beaten up pickup. Thinking I had a ten, I pulled out my wallet, to find only a twenty. Well, this was not the time to count money. Offering the twenty, I said, "Miss, this is for you." Tears of relief filled her eyes, as she explained her tank was on empty, empty, and she was scared of running of gas from her sales clerk job in Sedona to home to Cottonwood, 20 miles away. I felt a little embarrassed but did think to ask her to do something for someone else the next day, which good deed needn't cost any money. For that, I got a big hug. The next morning brought my karmic return, as my daughter called me from Lake Tahoe, patching up an earlier disagreement. I told her the nickels and dimes story, and we both had to stop talking for a few moments. Too, I thank my stars I was able to sell the old Lincoln, even though it got 30% better gas mileage than the Chevy Trailblazer I rented for the Mexico dental trip! If General Motors and Citibank both went under, there would be no tears from me -- except for their much abused employees, of course. In the past, I've used the all-male Sedona Barbershop as a barometer of local opinion. (See the November 3, 2005 Celestial Wheel.) This spring, I've noticed tradesmen becoming more aware of, and helpful to others. I expected to move this spring, for Saturn rules my fourth house of the home, and dissolving Ketu naturally disrupts that area. I was lucky finding a great new place for just myself, although leaving my previous shared-home landlord was torturous. Then, the tradesmen started coming -- internet service, cable tv, evaporative cooler, plumber and appliance repair. I noticed all were atypically cordial and helpful. The plumber even lent me a saw to cut down my bed headboard. Upon asking, each recited some struggle, especially the appliance repair guy who despaired paying over $4 per gallon for his diesel truck. What really hit me, though, was every one put on a brave face and smiled -- with four out of five showed missing teeth. So, I smiled broadly back, displaying my molar gap. I told them about the cheap Mexican dentists on the border near Yuma -- costing one fifth Arizona dental prices. I might even run into one of them on my next border trip to finish my dental work. Perhaps we can see here our priorities changing -- from who has the biggest flat panel TV to connecting personally with others. The U.S. chart features incredible wealth, an ongoing contest about sharing the bounty and a mystical paranoia. But this chart also includes the strongest bonding between self and others. This last is America's greatest strength, which even the Civil War couldn't break. It truly is our treasure, for it is our loyalty which arises most for Americans when we need it, during times of adversity. This is the new America. Cheap Chinese motor scooters and cheap Mexican dentists must increasingly replace the gluttony of this Second Gilded Age. In this regard, readers may want to refresh their memories of the predicted major depression circa 2012 -- The December 1, 2007 In-depth Celestial Wheel, Through The Second Gilded Age. Certainly, the nickels and dimes girl is already experiencing this misfortune, and all the tradesmen I met expect it. Get used to it. It ain 't all bad, for there's an opportunity here to return to America's roots, where selflessness was a badge of honor and selfishness abhorred. While I'm editorializing here, I'll share a health care story from my childhood. My father was a country doctor in a poor western New York farming area. I grew up in the fifties and sixties witnessing medical care, and it didn't occur to me until recently that then, everyone received the care they needed. Of course, this was before health insurance, emergency rooms, specialists of all kinds... So, some illnesses weren't treatable as they are now. But, which is better for society? --everyone having access to available twentieth century health care or only the fortunate having twenty first century health care?
Spring -- Summer Timeline This timeline was published in the January 26 Celestial Wheel -- a visual to show the overlapping of intense planetary karmas. Note, these are in addition to the Saturn/Ketu and Jupiter/Mars combinations.
Here's an updated timeline, is designed to illustrate upcoming planetary dispositions that will impact our experiences, the country and the globe over the next few months.
As readers can see, there's a burst of activity at the end of this month and into early May. Then, there's a calm interval until late May. Then, the karmic complexities arise again. This is naturally a very broad-brush view. Consider it the background upon which the artist applies his karmic brushes of fate. As an overview, Jupiter retrograde won't be able to do much to restore prosperity; and the mental confusion of Mercury retrograde, combined with warrior Mars roaring in early summer, will bring further disruptions. While the U.S. economy may hit bottom at the end of May, shocks in June from violence and oil shortages could trigger a deeper recession. It's not to late to start a vegetable garden and find a bread making machine on sale.
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