July 31
    Today is the rare Blue Moon, the second full Moon in July.  Recall that the term, Blue Moon, comes from the Moon actually turning blue, or sometimes green, due to atmospheric dust from volcanoes or forest fires.  This is a useful reminder, as forest fire reporting has been shunted to the side by the media.  Blue Moon sightings may also be omens of danger in an unstable world. 

     Here's the Lunar Nakshatra, or lunar house, for today's full Moon in the emotionally heavy sign of Capricorn.  This suggests insight from attending full moon ceremonies.

     Yesterday, the Drudge Report referenced a truly odd news report in The Boston Channel's website, http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/3596167/detail.html  Here's the lead paragraph, 

     I have previously predicted that George Bush will lose top advisors this summer, and Ridge's intention follows former CIA chief George Tenet's earlier resignation.  That these are the two top anti-terrorism officials is noteworthy.  What is truly odd, however, is Ridge's reason that he needs more money than his $175,700 government salary to put his two children through college!  It makes you wonder how these neoconservatives think.  It doesn't seem like a major sacrifice for such a key government official to pay for college out of his big salary when the rest of us shoulder the same burden on an average income one fifth of Ridge's.

     Today begins the sensitive period when Mars and Venus are both changing signs.  As both planets are just now crossing the sign borders, energy is both unstable and weak.  Take it easy. 

July 30
     The Moon is exalted in Taurus.  In this sign, the lunar qualities are elevated both in power and quality.  As the Moon is the public, perception, caring and nurturing, it is no wonder that many public figures have exalted Moons.  Both John Kerry's and John Edwards' Moons are exalted.  Kerry's Moon is with Mars, which, among other things, gives him tremendous drive but which also disguises his lunar nature to some degree.  This Moon/Mars combination also makes Kerry speak too quickly, harming his timing in speeches.  During last evening's acceptance speech, he missed many opportunities to uses pauses to emphasize some otherwise very effective statements.  Edwards' Moon is with Jupiter and the Sun in the second house of speech, making him a great communicator.

     George W. Bush and Dick Cheney also have strong Moons, though theirs are not exalted.  Bush's Moon is in the third house of desires, give him a thirst for power.  Cheney's Moon is in the seventh house of relationship, and we can see his darkness in the Moon ruling the twelfth house of final liberation.

     Wednesday evening Patricia Flores, www.MayanHealingHands.com  saw John Edwards for the first time when he gave his speech at the democratic convention.  She abruptly said that he, Edwards, would become president in a couple of years after the Kerry dies in office.  This was surprising, of course, but it is true that Kerry's new Mercury planetary cycle is difficult for its afflictions in this chart.  I have discussed previously that this Mercury planetary cycle will inevitably bring Kerry problems.  (See the April 29, 2004 Forecast, #51 The Presidential Campaign.)  He also does have a history of injuries in his Vietnam wounds and sports accidents, and Kerry had prostate cancer in 2002.  These suggest vulnerable areas.  I briefly scanned Kerry's planetary cycles and transits and identified the middle of June, 2006 as risky.  At that time, John Edwards' chart is powerful for career in his planetary cycles being Saturn, ruler of his tenth house of career and his exalted Moon.  This is not a prediction but rather a possibility to consider.

July 29
     With the Moon waxing to full and in a good position in Sagittarius on this Jupiter Thursday, some client subscribers are first donning their Vedic stones today  -- yellow topaz for Jupiter and pearl for the Moon.  A wonderful and unique quality of Vedic Astrology is its remedies, and Vedic gemstones can truly uplift weak or afflicted planets to empower the life.  Because using remedies is, of course, a free will choice, they help us understand that Vedic Astrology is not just about fate but also about the power of free will to better chart one's course in life.

     Mars has passed its maximum point of debilitation in Cancer at twenty eight degrees, almost ending this difficult transit that began June 14.  (It's interesting that this time, when Mars is weakest, (harmful), appears to affect personal issues for people more than world events.)

     As Mars circles the zodiac every two years, this unpleasant period is fortunately relatively infrequent.  It is also important to know that aggressive Mars quickly exerts its influence at the beginning of its transit through a sign.  So, we need to pay attention to Mars over the next few days.  Below is this caution, taken from Forecast #54 The Political Conventions.

July 28
     Yesterday's Mars energy was played out in Iraq, where a suicide bomb killed sixty eight in Baghdad and a major fire-fight in the city of Suwayrah killed 35 Iraqis. 

     Yet, the Democratic Convention continues to be upbeat with the wisdom business combination of Jupiter and Mercury in Leo, the sign of government.  John Kerry's acceptance speech tomorrow (Thursday) evening will benefit from an almost full Moon transiting his second house of speech.  As Kerry has an exalted Moon in his chart, but his Venusian warmth is hidden in the twelfth house,  the speech may be inspiring for its unusual emotional depth and reach.

     Comments are invited on the July 26 Forecast #54 The Political Conventions

July 27
     While I do not see a terrorist attack at the Democratic Convention, today may be challenging for some.  It's Tuesday, Mars' day of the week.  Mars is approaching its maximum degree of debilitation today in Cancer.  Yesterday's internet virus attack is a manifestation of that, as computers are fixed assets relating to Cancer.  Other sensitive areas are vehicles and the home.  There may also be spike in Mideast violence.

July 26
     Forecast  #54 Celestial Events through November 2004 will be published today in order to include the Democratic Convention.

     By now, everyone knows that Lance Armstrong persevered to win his sixth Tour de France.  He was able to avoid further Rahu-inspired accidents and take advantage of this head of a serpent's worldly benefits.  It's interesting that Lance experienced ongoing difficulties with foreigners, for Rahu also signifies these.

     Following an emotional weekend with the Moon conjoining Ketu -- the mystical tail of the serpent -- take advantage of a (hopefully) calm week.

July 25
     I spent yesterday updating the Astrocartography essay on the home page of my website.  The result hopefully better illuminates how this technique works with the Vedic chart.  Below is that essay.  Astrocar- tography is additionally useful in world forecasting, as in the maps included in the nation charts for the Mideast Forecast.

      Astrocartography applies geography to the principle that planets are strongest in the four powerful angle houses of the Vedic Astrological chart – one, four, seven and ten.  Plotting lines on a map where the planets were in angular positions at the time and place of your birth shows where they are powerful geographically.  These Birth Lines run north to south and are thus longitudinal.  Birth Lines influence 700 miles on either side of the lines in a diminishing manner (called orb). 

  A subsidiary Astrocartography line is Latitude Crossings.  These are generated when birth lines intersect each other anywhere on the globe.  The name comes from degrees of latitude, which also run east to west.  Latitude Crossing lines influence around the entire world, have a small orb of about 70 miles and are about one half as powerful as birth lines. 

     Because Birth Lines are primary and define very large swaths of powerful planetary influence, they are applied first.  Then, the subsidiary Latitude Crossings are used to fine tune planetary influences within the larger areas governed by the Birth Lines.  Sometimes, just selecting one side of a city over another can dramatically change the planetary energies impacting a person.

     Therefore, when you live any location, you experience the planetary energies described by your Vedic chart and mapped out by your Astrocartography  lines.  For example, if your Vedic chart indicates Mercury for career, and you are running Mercury’s planetary cycle, your career would be supported by living in areas empowered by Mercury Astrocartography lines.  Visiting those areas would be similarly supportive.  There’s another practical application of Astrocartography.  Its lines indicate how other people affect you by virtue of where they were born or reside.  Continuing the example, people born or living in areas influenced by Mercury lines would be good customers, employees and supervisors. 

     Doug Riemer has the Astrocartography computer program, allowing him to zero in on any part of the world clients wish and print these localized maps for clients' review. 

July 24
     Nothing much is going on in the cosmos through the weekend.  The sole planetary signification of merit is that today and tomorrow, the Moon is with Ketu under aspect from Mars in Libra.  This combination elevates and sensitizes the emotions, particularly with regard to relationship, the mother and the home.  

July 23
     As stated yesterday, the media is reporting all kinds of revelations, so many that it's difficult to integrate the information, to find any common threads.  I found one.

     Recent government reports sweep accountability under the rug, but intellectual Mercury's conjunction with wise Jupiter in Leo (the sign of government) brings concern, thus far unspoken in the media.  We have last week's Senate intelligence committee report that intelligence on Iraq was wrong but nobody was to blame.  We have this week's 9-11 Commission's final report similarly omitting any accountability.  And again this week, the Army Inspector General's report on prisoner abuse claimed these were just aberrations.  The public is not stupid, and sooner or later there will be wake up calls that the government is blindsiding us solely to protect itself.  

July 22
     Today's news is chocked full of revelations -- the 9-11 Committee report,  Sandy Berger's removing sensitive files from the National Archives, the army report finding 94 cases of prisoner abuse, Yasser Arafat's problems, more hostages taken in Iraq...  These reflect Mercury's transit into Leo with Jupiter, as discussed July 19,

     It's easy to become overwhelmed with information overload.  As this will likely continue until month's end, take your time in digesting information.

July 21
     I'm in the research phase of the next in-depth Forecast, this one considering the current period through November 30.  John Edwards' birth time is undocumented, and verbal reports of 7:02 AM yields an unsuitable chart.  (This was discussed previously.)  I've pretty well finished rectifying the birth time.  While Vice Presidential candidates are often dismissed as unimportant, Edwards' chart clearly uplifts John Kerry's.  

     The other research topic is a U.S. terrorist attack, which the government keeps insisting will occur, even though there is no specific information.  A recent CNN informal poll revealed that three quarters of the public don't believe the warnings, finding them politically motivated.  Terrorism occurs frequently, usually in the turbulent Mideast, and those attacks are often reflected in the planetary dispositions.  Note that the last predicted period for oil terrorism, from July 7 to 10, did bring a major Iraq oil pipeline attack.  Whether there will be a terrorism in the U.S. is a more complex issue, especially due to the possible political motivation for warnings and the nearly three years since 9-11.  

     I can say now that a key violence indicator, when Mars and Ketu conjoin for seething anger, does begin again at the November 2 election.  Mars/Ketu was the galvanizing force for 9-11 and also for the Space Shuttle crash of February 2, 2003.

     With the new Parashara's Light astrology software, I can now calculate the U.S. chart.  Perhaps this additional information will shed further light upon terrorist attack threat in the U.S.

July 20
     Among the more durable planetary influences is the aspects by both Saturn and Jupiter to the ninth house of higher knowledge, religion and philosophy.  This began when Jupiter moved into Leo on July 30, 2003 and ends August 27, when Jupiter transits out of Leo.  

On the right is a chart for today, applying the natural zodiac beginning with Aries.  Responsible Saturn throws an aspect seven houses away to the ninth house, and wise Jupiter throws an aspect five houses away to the ninth.        This explains the emphasis on religious and ethical issues that have permeated national and world politics for almost a year.  While it is useful to examine these values, it is vital to separate rhetoric from action.  The next several days should see a peak in this activity, for Mars/Sun  is fighting and Mercury/Jupiter is the wisdom business.     After August 27, the values debates should calm, and the focus should return to meaning of actions taken by public officials here and abroad.

July 19
     On July 15, I wrote about Rahu's productive/destructive influence upon Martha Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lance Armstrong.  Martha's prison sentencing was front page news.  

     On Saturday, a frustrated Arnold accused democrats in the budget standoff of being girlie men, betraying his terminator personality.  This is not an isolated instance, as the NY Times reports today, Mr. Schwarzenegger has compared lawmakers to kindergartners who need a timeout and threatened to seek a constitutional amendment making the Legislature a part-time body. He is also appear- ing in the districts of vulnerable Democrats and promising to "terminate" those who stand in his way.   http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/19/national/19arnold.html

     Lance Armstrong dodged his accident risk last week, and he closed in on the lead again, for I had also stated on July 12 that, Lance actually looks pretty strong now.  News reports speak to Lance's unparalleled (Rahu/Mars) drive as determinative in the race, which ends July 25.  If his 3:00 PM birthtime is correct, Lance will enter a Rahu subcycle midweek, which will bring serpent surprises, for good or ill.  Personally, late Wednesday I'll finish a three week Rahu subcycle, and I look forward to getting my life back!

    Mercury will be changing signs the next two days, moving from being with Mars in Cancer to conjunction with Jupiter in Leo.  While intellectual and business endeavors will be risky during the transit, Mercury will then benefit from Jupiter's wisdom, as compared with Mars' lying and scheming.  Look for more clarity this week beginning Wednesday.

     The news about a breakdown in the Palestinian Authority is regrettable, and although I don't have a chart for the organization, Israel's chart is revealing.  As discussed in the June 29 Forecast, #53 Part 2  The Timeless Mideast Bottleneck -- Israel  (6/29/04)   Fortunately, this (violent) Sun cycle will be mitigated by a Venus subcycle beginning August 9, less than two months away.

July 18
     The Blue Moon, July's second full Moon, will occur on July 31.  With forest fires spreading throughout the West, look for blue Moons and red sunrises and sunsets at month's end and into August.  Keep in mind, that once in a blue Moon refers to those months during which the Moon is full twice (occurring once every two years or so) and that the blue moniker describes a color change caused by volcanoes and forest fires.  

     If you wish to refer back to the July 8 Celestial Wheel Blue Moon discussion, go to the archives page  http://www.vedicpredictiveastrology.com/forecasts/ log in with your username and password and select July 1to July 15.  If you've misplaced your username and password, e-mail me, and I'll send it again. 

     It seems more than odd that while wild fires burn forests packed with fuel (resulting from the Smokey Bear era putting out all fires) and are dry-to-tinder from the drought, the Bush administration is abandoning the rule disallowing roads on 58.5 million acres of pristine national forests. Controlled burns and thinning forests are the long term policies needed to reduce the forests' fuel load buildup, aggravated by drought, that birngs huge forest fires.  However, the new road policy doesn't speak to that laudable goal protecting the environment.  Although no one applauds these destructive forest fires, they, and consequent blue Moons and red sunrises and sunsets, may be a vivid wake-up call to the limitations of national policies focused upon imperialism and unfettered capitalism.  

July 17
     The cosmos is in a hiatus, like airliners in a holding pattern over the airport awaiting instructions to land.  Everything seems to be happening, but nothing actually changes.  We wait uneasily bored as we see news reports that drone on like a mantra about the same old stuff, deflating their impressions.  We have become so conditioned to discord which seems to lead nowhere, that even major violence abroad and scandals at home impress as pointless repetitions.  In this unfocused environment: Congress wastes days debating a constitutional amendment on marriage, the media sees real consequence in how Martha Stewart will resurrect her after-prison career, and we witness curious debates on how meaningless, or misleading, the terrorist alert color codes are.  But, just like airline passengers stuck in a holding pattern, we truly can only just wait.

     The planets are relatively calm right now.  The Sun has finished its transit but gives no light to today's new Moon.  There are no major transits until the end of the month, when Mars shifts signs, and then again at the end of August, when Saturn begins its sign change.  I suppose, then, it's a good time to attend to personal and business matters, even as we may not be motivated to do much.  However, history continues to unfold, and with major planetary transits occurring during the upcoming party conventions, these will be the theater in which the political actors will present their bids to lead the U.S. out of this miasma.  

July 16
     The pervasive rumors that Dick Cheney will step aside (due to cardiac illness) to prevent his low approval ratings from harming Bush have some validity.  As stated in the April 25 Forecast   #50 Tornado Season For Bush, on July 5, Cheney traded out his paranoid Venus/Saturn planetary cycle for Venus/Mercury, stimulating charming and creative schemes.  I also stated, Cheney may push too hard to protect himself and Bush.  This is the advisor to watch this summer and fall.  These predictions appear to be taking form.  Cheney will be the most vulnerable from August 28 to September 5, (during the Republican Convention) and problems would be related to either or both his popularity or stress-induced heartbeat irregularity.  Certainly, protestors outside the convention will be strident, but there could too be a resistance within the Republican Party against Cheney.  This is a difficult read, but certainly Cheney is the key player, and unlike Rumsfeld, Rice and other advisors who can keep a low profile to dodge their scandals, as Vice Presidential candidate, Cheney is forced into the limelight.  Perhaps his continued insistence upon hard-line neoconservative policies will split the party.

     The Sun is changing signs today, as it does in the middle of every month in Vedic Astrology.  On July 14, I noted,  ...the Sun will be changing signs today through Thursday, dampening energy, power and confidence.  This suggests some emotional vulnerability to negative news reports and a temporary loss of initiative.  Also, look for continued instability in Iraq, as groups both break away from supporting the interim government and fight amongst themselves.