The Celestial Wheel World societal, economic and political forecasting since 2002 An In-depth Forecast December 30, 2007   Doug Riemer Certified Vedic Astrologer Sedona, Arizona email VedicPredictiveAstrology.com   Back to The Celestial Wheel

#73

Predictions For The New Year*

December 30, 2007

(*January through June)

Karmic Underpinnings

     The last two Celestial Wheel Commentaries discussed how Vedic Dasas (planetary cycles) signal that Second Gilded Age abuses and excesses continue until a major depression around 2012.  After which, the Second Progressive Age begins. This is the long term view, the river of life karmic influences plotting the United States' evolution.  If you need to refresh your memory on these explanations, take another look at The December 1 Through The Second Gilded Age  In-depth forecast, as well as the December 13 Commentary.. 

False Hopes

     There's another fundamental quality about the United States' greedy ten year Moon cycle (ending December 1, 2008) -- believing the monied elite will easily relinquish their power.  That is absolutely disingenuous.  We've already seen false optimism crash with the Democratic majority in Congress -- unable to override the well organized Republicans, still in lock-step with the Bush administration.  Paul Krugman's December 17 article, Big Table Fantasies spoke directly to this issue in comparing John Edwards' pragmatic combative approach to Barack Obama's naive politics of hope. 

     (Note: although the presidential candidates' charts have not been examined, it is worthwhile mentioning that Obama's fallen Jupiter conjunct Saturn harms his judgment and wisdom, just as Edwards' strong Jupiter elevates those qualities in his chart.)

     We can use the real estate debacle as a poignant example of the power elite protecting themselves, while the powerless family on the street suffers.  The banks have, and continue to suffer, huge write-downs as foreclosures rise.  However, they are effectively bailing themselves out.  The Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates and pumped money into the system to help the banks.  The banks themselves have sold stock to overseas investors -- Morgan Stanley Selling Stake in Company.  With hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars on hand, banks and governments in the East have plenty of money to invest and are happy to buy chunks of the U.S. economy for high yields and eventual long term control.  Of course, at some point this dilution of bank values will be a stimulus in the upcoming depression, but the banks are tenacious in survival -- until the bitter end.  In comparison, This is the Sound of a Bubble Bursting, describes dashed hopes and dreams of powerless middle class families in Cape Coral, Florida.

Good Karma

     In revealing that Gilded Age social, economic and political stratification -- an elite gains at the expense of the rest of us -- continues for many years, it's only practical to suggest financial conservation.  The Celestial Wheel has often promoted this protective stance (September 25 Celestial Wheel Commentary) to make your smaller share of the national pie stretch further.  A second natural and inevitable suggestion is to shift values from the me-first consumer culture back to America's shared democratic values.  After all, does an expensive steak dinner for yourself bring more fulfillment, or even more nourishment, than treating a poor friend to a hamburger?  Related to this, the law of karma dictates only selflessness can generate good karma to offset restrictions on your life -- in this case brought by selfish Second Gilder Agers.  

U.S. Chart Dasas

     The 10 year Moon cycle has been exhaustively described.  In Through The Second Gilded Age,

the color mix of this Moon was color characterized as sulfurous yellow.  (Putrid is a good adjective.)  Use this to visualize this section of Dasas the river of life,

     The current first subcycle of the Moon Dasa is Venus -- from October 2006 through May 2008.  This Venus is a kind of dirty white, for it's ruling the sixth house of enemies, debts and foreigners (illegal immigrants) and eleventh house goals, which are excessive, even extreme.  All these qualities have been increasingly evident during this subcycle.  Combined with the Moon, Venus only clouds the river more.  Interestingly, as these are the two feminine planets, we have a woman Speaker of the House.  Too, because Venus is the arts, a bevy of Gilded Age femme fatales haunts the media -- Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton...

     The December 1, Through The Second Gilded Age, also discussed the minor Dasa planets, which symbolize more turbulence and hidden obstructions,

     These Dasa lineups indicate that the underlying karmas (influences) will continue a river journey economically harmful, and sometimes dangerous, for most Americans as Second Gilded Age unfairnesses and greed continue through the late spring.  Then, when the U.S. chart's good Sun replaces a challenging Venus May 31, the economy will begin to recover, though gains will continue to be concentrated at the top.  It's unfortunate that the early presidential primaries will chose party candidates this winter, for the Sun is positive for government -- just as it was during the last Sun Dasa from 1992 through 1998.  However, at least this good government influence will be in effect for the general election next November.  While a transformational -- Second Progressive Age -- President is not given until after the upcoming depression in 2012, the Moon/Sun cycle promises the new president will act in the public's interest.  (Yes, after years of G.W. Bush, that would be a turnaround.)

Transits

     Transits were described as secondary karmas, like weather on the river of life , that give short term impacts -- events -- that modify but do not overcome the Dasas.  Consider that 9-11 was signaled by difficult transits (confirmed by Dasa subcycles), but that it was the Moon Dasa's Second Gilded Age that resulted in this one-time disaster being repackaged as a global war on terror.  Modern day political and business robber barons thereby used fear to increase and solidly their power base. 

     Since transits describe current planetary positions, they symbolize planetary weather, not just influences upon the U.S. chart.  Thus, the term, World Transit Chart was coined.

     That November 16 Celestial Wheel summarized by stating,

     This global focus on government occurs because the impatient Saturn/Ketu conjunction is in the fifth house of government, and the Jupiter/Mars opposition bringing advocacy occurs in the third house of desires and ninth house of higher knowledge. Again, we've already seen this evidenced, most recently in Pakistan.  It's also happening now in Kenya.  Of course, Iraq is a mess that won't clean up.. 

     Another karma resulting from these two transit conjunctions is wealth reduction.  Malefics Saturn and Ketu are a double-hit to fifth house investments, and Jupiter's wealth in the ninth house of wealth is wasted by destructive Mars.  Too, as Ketu is gas and oil, restrictive Saturn's continued influence will both keep gasoline high and push it even higher in coming months, Gas could be $3.75 a gallon by spring.

     This will naturally stimulate the economy.  Benefits, however, will continue migrating to the elite, who have Second Gilded Age clout to turn financial disasters for the poor into gains for themselves, Report Says That the Rich Are Getting Richer Faster, Much Faster.  And, even if losses result, power brokers will escape their poor decisions by obtaining financing abroad -- as described above in False Hopes.

     This transit Mars also causes problems for G.W. Bush, for Mars is his career planet, and its Gemini transit position is in the twelfth house of loss and hospitalization.  The Celestial Wheel has long predicted Bush will suffer a mental breakdown, and January 20/21 are dangerous.

     Mars will create further problems when it transits into Cancer April 28, into which dissolving Ketu will also shift into May 5.  So, a Mars/Ketu conjunction will occur.  This is the fourth house of the home (real estate) in the World Transit Chart and the eighth house of catastrophe in the U.S. chart.  Mars/Ketu is the duo for seething anger and has a record for disaster, including 9-11.  The October 12, 2004 Celestial Wheel Commentary tracked four previous Mars/Ketu conjunctions, finding violence in each and predicting tragedy November 13, 2004.  This actualized in Iraq the battle of Fallujah, the deadliest of the war, and which destroyed the city.  This upcoming Mars/Ketu conjunction will be analyzed in detail in upcoming Celestial Wheels.

     Another Mars transit position is absolutely intriguing.  Mars is currently retrograde and will stop in the sky January 30 in a very weak position at zero degrees Gemini.  NASA reports in Asteroid Threatens to Hit Mars,

     Click on this link, 2007 WD5, to see an animated orbital diagram. 

     Note too that the October 12, 2004 Celestial Wheel Commentary, in reviewing previous Mars/Ketu conjunctions, matched the December 3, 1999 Mars/Ketu conjunction to the loss of a spacecraft, Mars reached Ketu exactly to the hour when the Mars polar landing craft descended into Mars' atmosphere and was lost forever.   Maybe Vedic Astrology works on Mars too.