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In a surprising
announcement, the Walt Disney Company has revealed plans to eliminate
approximately 4,000 jobs in an effort to bolster its sagging bottom line.
While reflecting the overall downward trend of the economy, the cutback
is also an indication of hard times at the Mouse House. Park attendance
is down, advertising and retail revenues are lagging and the company's
stock has dropped more than 30 percent in the last six months. Let's see
what the astrological indicators portend for the downsizing entertainment
giant.
The
Birth of a Stock
What if you
wanted some extra insight into the future fortunes of a particular stock;
Disney Entertainment, for example? You could examine the company's chart,
but first you must be able to determine the exact moment of the company's
birth, an exercise that too often ends in confusion. Incorporation charts
can be helpful, but many astrologers, particularly the illustrious Bill
Meridian, recommend the use of a stock's first trade chart to get the
best grasp on price and performance.
 The
first trade chart is usually set for the opening bell of the markets in
New York. Disney first offered their company stock to the public on November
12, 1957, when the markets opened at 10:00 am EST (source: Bill Meridian's
Planetary Stock Trading). When analyzing this chart against
the current planetary positions, several problems immediately present
themselves. Saturn and Pluto, two of the more difficult planetary forces,
are doing a double whammy on the natal Saturn and Pluto of the stock's
chart. This could account for the current atmosphere of limits, loss and
restructuring.
Planetary
Double Whammy
Saturn, the
ringed giant, represents the principles of limitation and discipline.
Its function is to rein in and crystallize whatever it touches. Saturn
transits tend to be too serious and restrictive to be much fun, but a
mature recognition of Saturn's rules and regulations can be the bedrock
of future success. The planet Pluto represents a very different type of
force; darker, deeper and more destructive, revealing itself within the
endless recycling process of birth, death and regeneration. Pluto is the
power of big money, and tends to be secretive and underhanded in its methods,
but sometimes, that radical, transformative force is just what the doctor
ordered.
These two
challenging forces are deadlocked within the Disney stock's chart. Transiting
Pluto in Sagittarius has been moving back and forth over the stock's natal
Saturn at 13 degrees Sagittarius since last December. This long-term transit
signals a need to let go and make due with less, and it will continue
to be in effect until the end of this year. Meanwhile, transiting Saturn,
which is preparing to exit the sign Taurus and enter Gemini, will be forming
a difficult 90-degree square aspect to the stock's natal Pluto at 2 degrees
Virgo, doubling the urgency of that Saturn-Pluto message. The pressure
is on to scale back and restructure.
As Saturn
enters Gemini, it will also form a 180 degree opposition to the stock's
natal Mercury at 1 degree Sagittarius. Mercury, the mythological messenger
of the gods, influences communications and mental attitudes. When Saturn
forms these aspects to the stock's natal Pluto and Mercury during the
first half of May 2001, Disney employees and stockholders should be prepared
to hear more bad news. If the painful but necessary cuts are made, this
fundamentally sound company will rebound and rebuild on its strengths
over the coming years.
Michael
Eisner
Another avenue
of insight into a company's fortunes involves analyzing the birth charts
of its leading lights, in much the same way that ancient astrologers looked
to the king's chart to determine the fate of the kingdom. Disney's CEO
Michael Eisner is a Pisces, born March 7, 1942 in Mt. Kisco, New York.
Eisner's
birth chart is currently under pressure from Saturn and Pluto as well.
Eisner's natal Sun in Pisces is locked into a tough 90-degree square aspect
with transiting Pluto in Sagittarius. The Sun is the CEO of the birth
chart, the organizing principle of the personality, and influences leadership,
strength and personal power. While Eisner has big dreams for the future,
his ego is taking a pounding in the current climate and he's just not
as effective as usual. The threats to his power are real, and his enemies
are not the type to fight fair.
Saturn in
earthy, obstinate Taurus has been dogging Eisner's chart for the past
year, crossing back and forth over his natal Saturn, Uranus and Mars.
Isn't it always about money in Taurus? With so much Taurus in his own
chart, Eisner is as practical and grounded as the old bull himself, but
Saturn's restrictive influence is severely limiting the cash flow. Forced
to set unpopular limits and beset by challenges to his authority, this
will be a truly difficult year for Eisner who must resist, at all costs,
any temptation to indulge in the usual expansive and expensive Disney
dreams.
The threats
to Eisner's power will continue throughout 2002. As long as he wants to
hold on, the company is his to lose. Meanwhile, with some strategic restructuring
and a sprinkling of that Disney magic, the Mouse should be delighting
both audiences and stockholders for generations to come.
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