Week of July 6

Review and Preview

Most of the world equity indices followed a similar pattern last week. That is, most rallied into the Uranus station on July 1, and then in typical Uranus fashion, they reversed suddenly and sold off sharply lower the very next day, ending the week on a down note. The high of July 1 was not a new high for this primary cycle. It was a secondary high to the one that formed a couple of weeks ago (June 11-12). The low at the end of the week was also not below the low of the prior week, around June 23-24. Thus stock markets continue trading in this range-bound territory near the highs of the past several months, as the second passage of the 13-year Jupiter and Neptune conjunction approaches at the end of this coming week (July 10). As discussed before, investors are in a fog, waiting for something to either confirm their greatest hopes that the economic recovery is indeed unfolding, or their greatest fears that the improving markets and economic conditions of the past four months have been nothing but a mirage. Right now it appears that the hopes and fears are about equally balanced.

On a purely astrological basis, it seems that the period of great hopes (Jupiter conjunct Neptune) may be giving way to hard realities (Saturn in opposition to Uranus and square to Pluto) by the time we reach mid-September, or at the latest, November 2009. That doesn’t mean failure and disappointment are inevitable. But it does mean that the people of this nation, and even the world, will expect to see real signs of economic progress, instead of just words to that effect. They will expect numbers—and not just words—to mean something. Last week’s jobs report was anything but optimistic, as they showed approximately 3 million people have lost jobs already this year. Unemployment is now up to 9.5% in the USA, and this trend is certainly consistent with transiting Saturn (loss) in Virgo (work), an astrological condition in effect September 2, 2007 through October 29, 2009. The good news is that we are nearing the end of that transit through Virgo. The not-so-good-news is that Saturn will then move into a waning square hard aspect with Pluto (November 2009 through August 2010). The jobs picture may start to bottom, but the debt problem (Pluto) could get worse.

Short-Term Geocosmics

The second of three Jupiter-Neptune conjunctions will take place this Friday, July 10. The first passage was May 27. The third and final one will occur December 21. The first two are the most powerful because they take place so close to one another. That is because both Jupiter and Neptune turned stationary retrograde shortly after that first conjunction. As suggested in this column previously, optimism and hope would probably peak between these first two passes. That is why we are concerned that the highest price of this recent bull market run took place on June 11-12, right in the middle of these first two Jupiter-Neptune passes.

This week is important for other reasons too. First, transiting Mars is making a T-square to the Mercury-Pluto square in the New York Stock Exchange chart (May 17, 1792, New York City, time unknown). This is time when stock prices tend to sell off sharply to a low, and indeed they did that on Thursday of last week when the aspect started. Second, there is a lunar eclipse (Full Moon eclipse) Tuesday, July 7. The market could experience rather intense emotions early this week, for that eclipse is in Cancer and Capricorn, which rule the principles of mother and father, or political authority. There may be a conflict “in the family,” with accusations being hurled about regarding the issue of “parental controls.” Translated into politics and financial markets, there may be allegations regarding the “hidden agenda” (Jupiter and Neptune) of government regulations of banks and financial markets (lunar eclipse in Cancer-Capricorn). If the stock markets can complete this downturn early this week, there is hope into mid-August. If this coming week ends like it did last week, then equity markets may be in store for some panic. The geocosmic picture is still hopeful. The technical picture looks like a train wreck is just starting.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Last week was the USA’s 233rd birthday. It happened either July 2, if you consider the start of the vote for the Declaration of Independence, or July 4, if you consider the time when George Washington was informed of his command to start the Revolutionary War. My preference is the former. And in the study of astrology, the time of the year when the transiting Sun returns exactly to its natal position is known as one’s “solar return.” The theory is that the positions of the planets—for this moment of time—outline the themes and possible conditions for the next year.

This solar return for the 233rd year of USA’s existence is a powerful one. In this chart, the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction falls in the 11th House of Congress. This suggests that Congress can pass pretty much whatever it wants this year. Jupiter and Neptune there show much success, in so far as success is measured by the number of efforts that succeed in getting passed. But Jupiter and Neptune are in a T-square with Venus and Mars (conjunct in Taurus in the First House) and the Moon in Scorpio at the end of the 7th House. These are money signs and very emotional planets. Even though Congress gets its way for much of the next year, there has to be concern about its ability to manage monies well. With Venus, Mars and the Moon all in square to Jupiter and Neptune, this chart does not imply any self-control. To the contrary, it suggests over-estimations and over-sensitivity. In fixed signs, both sides (Republicans and Democrats) are firmly entrenched in their beliefs, and those beliefs are apt to be regarded as self-righteous and self-serving by the opposite side. There are apt to be many episodes of misuse of funds discovered later on. If one were to try to find one word to describe these signatures in regard to financial matters, it would probably be wasteful. Money disappears, and likely cannot be accounted for.

There is one more interesting configuration present in this solar return. It is an out-of-sign T-square (yes, a second one) involving Uranus, square to the opposition of Mercury and Pluto. For those who like conspiracy theories, this year offers many. Pluto is what takes place behind the scenes. Pluto involves debt and taxes. Uranus represents sudden surprises, and the tendency to unexpectedly change one’s mind and alter the previously agreed upon plan or promise. This is a case where information can be used for harmful purposes, as in blackmail. So once again, we have to ask the question: who has power over who? And who can possibly be acceptable to Congress to audit the Federal Reserve Board? This solar return is all about who controls the money and where is it going. If the FED is truly independent, then why does the President hold the power to appoint the chair? And if the FED’s independence is under attack, who or what is the alternative bank? The USA Congress or White House? Will the country’s monetary health be better served by putting its accounts in the hands of the government?

January 2010 is looming ahead. That is when President Barack Obama is due to announce his decision on re-appointing Ben Bernanke as the head of the FRB—or to choose someone else. I think that is when we might see who has the real power in this country. With the solar return Mercury in opposition to Pluto, and the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction being squared by Moon in Scorpio, I think we may see a power play like we have not been seen in a long time. Expect a lot of leaks in the press that portray certain leaders in a very negative light. It may be a very dangerous time for the careers, and even the lives, of many who are involved in this behind the scenes effort involving control of the USA monies.

Announcements

The SOS Global Stock Markets Report will come out to subscribers of this report this week. For more information, go to www.mmacycles.com/services. This report highlights the long-term cycles labeling for the DJIA, NASDAQ Composite, XAU Gold and Silver mining indices, German DAX, Netherlands AEX, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Australia’s All Ordinaries indices. It also covers the short-term outlook for these same indices, plus special coverage of geocosmic signatures in effect

This is a good time to sign up for the ISAR 2009 conference, as a window for a wonderful discount closes July 25. For those interested in learning or improving your understanding of astrology, this fantastic conference in Astrology is going to take place August 19-24, 2009, at the luxurious Oakbrook Hills Marriot Resort, just outside of Chicago (not far from O’Hare Airport). This will be the ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research) 2009 conference, featuring over 80 professional astrologers from all over the world, including Jeff Jawer, Rick Levine, Michael Lutin, Claude Weiss, Nick Campion, Verena Bachmann, and several Financial Astrologers like Christeen Skinner, Robert Hitt, Grace Morris, Roy Gillett, and myself. There will be a whole track on Financial Astrology, and I will be giving a one-day workshop on Financial Astrology, specializing in the Stock and Gold markets, on Monday, August 24. For more information, and registration, please go to www.isar2009.com.

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Stay tuned to these pages for an announcement on the annual pre-publication special offer for the Forecast 2010 book, coming in the next few weeks. Once the announcement is made, we will begin to take orders for this book that has sold out the past three years. Order early and make sure you get next year’s Forecasts!

Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to predict the future movement of various financial markets. However, that is the purpose of the MMA (Merriman Market Analyst) subscription services. This column is not a subscription service. It is a free service, except in those cases where a fee may be assessed to cover the cost of translating this column from English into a non-English language. This weekly report is written with the intent to educate the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they are happening. In this regard, this report will oftentimes report what happened in various stock and financial markets throughout the world in the past week, and discuss that movement in light of the geocosmic signatures that were in effect. It will then identify the geocosmic factors that will be in effect in the next week, or even month, or even years, and the author?ïs understanding of how these signatures will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a perspective of a cycle?ïs analyst looking at the military, political, economic, and even financial markets of the world. It is possible that some forecasts will be made based on these factors. However, the primary goal is to both educate and alert the reader as to the psychological climate we are in, from an astrological perspective. The hope is that it will help the reader understand these psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and hence financial markets of the day.

No guarantee as to the accuracy of this report is being made here. Any decisions in financial markets are solely the responsibility of the reader, and neither the author nor the publishers assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.

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