The week ended with Mars square Neptune. In typical Neptune fashion, Thursday's Wall Street News had a headline titled: "Hijacker Visas Stir Calls to Overhaul Immigration Agency." It seems that the INS (Immigration Naturalization Service) notified a flight school in Florida that it had approved student visas for Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, two of the hijackers of airplanes used in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America. If nothing else, Mars/Neptune is reliable in providing events of a most embarrassing and inefficient nature. President Bush stated, "I could barely get my coffee down." He was "stunned and not happy," calling for the agency to be reformed. Geez, one wonders who is in charge here.

But Friday, March 15, also contained a very positive Mercury trine Jupiter transit. Once again, the economic news was positive this past week, and instead of falling sharply, the decline into mid-week was benign, and the close on Friday was up for U.S. stocks. The same pattern unfolded in the Japanese Nikkei market where a new post-September 11 high formed on Monday, followed by a 6% decline into Thursday. By Friday, prices were rising again.

This coming week contains a number of Pluto signatures. Pluto will go stationary retrograde on Wednesday (Tuesday evening in Japan). On Friday, Mercury will square Pluto, while Venus forms a trine. A Pluto signature suggests an emphasis on debt markets, like treasury bonds and notes, as well as currencies. It also could coincide with news of severe weather, resulting in possible crop damage. However, here in the Northern Hemisphere, the only crop that might be affected at this time would be winter Wheat. Indeed, there was a report of possible damage this week, which might have helped drive up Wheat prices in the US.

From a political standpoint, the Pluto station refers to an almost obsessive state of mind on the part of individuals who want to force changes. Disputes are mostly seen in terms of winners and losers, and the willingness to comprise tends to be low. Perhaps it is best to stand back a bit, and withhold action until a more gentle tone evolves. Pushing too hard against someone could have a backlash.

There are a series of somewhat important geocosmic signatures that unfold between March 15 and 27, so the midpoint is March 21. Watch this period for signs of reversals in various financial markets, give or take three trading days. The reversals are apt to be just retracements of the previous trend, not the start of new bull and bear markets. With the Moon in Gemini this Tuesday through Thursday, we could see some very sharp price swings and whipsaws, especially in the treasuries and equity markets. Be nimble, and try to stay even balanced in your dealings with others.