Today’s national news spotlights new studies on what makes people happy, certainly a timely issue with the holidays and the new year and potential new war approaching.  Contentment, forgiveness, altruism, lack of materialism, actively doing what you do best, being in the company of friends and family and staying in the "flow" are psychology’s new hallmarks for mental health.  These are also the recipe for getting out of ones solar ego, as well as for peace.

     Of course, this "new" psychological theory is truly ancient, and Hindu philosophy is literally built upon detaching from desires, forgiveness, work without expectation, good deeds, staying in the "now," the value of personal associations...  These bring fulfillment, which the Indians believe is happiness, and thereby also contentment and peace.  While examination of other belief systems will yield the same fundamentals, India’s age-old philosophy focuses most deeply upon the path to fulfillment, which dictates detachment and happiness to gain enlightenment - the abandonment of the ego and the liberation of the soul.  Consider that India is the only major country which has never invaded another, and the end result of personal peace intertwines with international peace.  Reflect that India’s Vedic Astrology is centered upon the perceptional Moon, the planet of peace of mind, contentment, cooperation, perception, nurturing, relationships and the group.

     It is, however, encouraging during this period of multicultural strife and violence that western psychology has suddenly discovered what makes people happy, and by extrap- olation, peaceful.  Perhaps the planets’ generally auspicious placements since the end of July, and particularly wise Jupiter in its exaltation sign of Cancer, have promoted this new psycho- logical understanding, this rediscovery of millennia-old understanding that our western society’s egocentric Sun must be tamed to gain happiness.  Western Astrology is naturally solar-primary.  Perhaps the day will come when the Eastern cooperative Moon supersedes the Western egocentric Sun.

     As we approach the holidays, there is a potent planetary irritation existent, for vio- ent and desirous Mars is closely conjunct loving and forgiving Venus in Libra, the constellation of relationships. Mars/Venus is passionate attachment, expressing itself in quarreling, agitation and aggression.  These must disrupt happiness, and now psychologists and Indian philosophy both believe so.  This conjunction, unusual for its duration, began during the last week of November, is most forceful from December 6 to about December 20, and then decreases until it ends at New Years.

     This Forecast focuses upon the Mars/Venus conjunction to help us all avoid its excesses that can break relationships, stimulate disappointments and destroy happiness during this year’s pivotal holiday/new year season.  Individual happiness is needed now to gain the peacefulness that can avoid or blunt the international calamity that has been feeding upon the long-standing cultural/religious discord evidenced so dramatically on 9-11.  This risk for calamity has been predicted for the period from January 7 to February 23, with January 27 spotlighted. 

     Venus’s receptive and forgiving love is changed to temperamental passion by Mars’ aggressive energy.  Arguments within existing relationships - lovers, mates, family and friends - are stimulated now, and to avoid permanent breaks, efforts to detach and forgive are the sole remedy.  New love affairs blossom, but these tend to burn out with heated intimacy, resulting in emotional pain.  Venus’s materialism is pumped up by Mars, suggesting care in impulsive gift buying to avoid overspending and over-expectation of both gratitude from recipients, as well as in the gifts we may receive.  (See the 12/3 Stock Market Forecast, below, predicting a downtrend, which limits holiday spending.)  Regarding family relationships, Mars is brothers, and Venus is wives and daughters, indicating that during this period, we should be most sensitive to, and non-judgmental of, these loved ones.  In Venus signifying vehicles and Mars accidents, travel with awareness and avoid excesses that can trigger accidents

     As Venus is pleasures, Mars’ energy stimulates overeating, sweets, fats, alcohol, drugs and other overindulgences, and these also stimulate the harmful passionate actions des- cribed above.  Use care in choosing holiday events and activities, especially if you are entertaining, for you are responsible to your guests.

     It is best to focus on moderation in all things, looking beyond yourself to the needs of others and avoiding pressurized situations.  In some cases, you may find it literally impos- sible to restrain your passionate impulses, and sometimes you may find yourself attacked by others, but your awareness of this sensitivity will be a great aid in deflating and deflecting aggression and objectifying your reactions.  Your forgiveness is the only remedy in unavoid- able clashes, for resentment breeds aggression.  Spend time as you can with family and friends, for not only does isolation bring misery, but those closest to you need your support the most.  Enjoy Venus’s performing and visual arts, at a peak during the holidays, for these support love and depress Martian aggression.  Reach out to those less fortunate, for your generosity strengthens Venus’s compassionate love and transforms Mars’ destruction into energy to do good.  Attending spiritual and religious functions is helpful in the internal struggle between Venus's love and Mars' war, as well as propitiating peace in the world.

     With these thoughts, I wish all of you a happy, fulfilled and peaceful holiday season as 
a prelude for the new year of 2003, when only these values can promote peace within ourselves and throughout the diverse, but ultimately one, world community of mankind.

 

Stock Market Forecast 12/3/02.
The recent stock markets run-up is running out of steam - may have already reached its peak.  On 1/3/02, markets may begin to gyrate - bigger up/down swings - and then move downward after 2/22/03. Markets will begin to recover after 4/5/03 and pick up steam again after 4/14/03.  Bush's actions are the wild card here.