WORLD ECONOMICS AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE
Perhaps
the best thing to consider in the midst of topsy-turvy economic tides
is the idea that in a global economy no nation can afford to let any
of the major player nations fall into economic collapse. With that
said however, there is no question but that we are entering a time
of paring back and returning to basics, as symbolized by Pluto shifting
into Capricorn. Right now, Pluto is 'cleaning' up it's Sagittarian
business. And since Sagittarius can indicate great growth, it can
also indicate going overboard, which is plainly what we're watching.
Once Pluto commits fully to its transit of Capricorn come the end
of November, we are likely to be through the 'revelation' phase and
into a rebuilding and restructuring phase. But this is not likely
to be comfortable for everyone.
In
fact this shift may well feel like incredible deprivation to a lot
of people, particularly those born under Pluto in Virgo (the Yuppies:
born 1958-1972) and Pluto in Libra (Gen X: born 1972-1983). Both of
these generations grew up in and came to adulthood in societies which
gave no indication that life was ever going to be about anything but
more. Baby Boomers grew into this largesse and the Pluto in Cancer
generation born in the early 1900's knows all about deprivation from
the Great Depression. But for those born in the latter half of the
century - this is news, and a big learning curve.
Fortunately,
that's all it is: a hard lesson, but one which is survivable.
To
this point, let's observe: the current economic crisis in the United
States is imaged well by the Solar Eclipse of August 1st at 9 Leo.
In an exact square to the 9 Scorpio, 9th house Moon of the US Federal
Reserve, this pictures the drive for prosperity in the United States
and its accepted reliance on investment, use of credit and ability
to handle debt being challenged. Like all eclipses, the core of this
Solar Eclipse is going to run a 3-year course, and we are not likely
to know the true outcome of the changes until that time is up.
But
we have indicators. With a Scorpio Moon, there is a vital need for
honesty and integrity in the national financial system. Challenges
exist a-plenty in the form of greed and the willingness for the US
money/banking/investment systems to be operated for the benefit of
all. That the current crisis is plainly about a lack of transparency
and greed is one part of the problem. That it is also vastly based
in a realistic estimation of what the citizenry of the United States
can actually sustain in terms of debt is another. The idea that everyone
can live as rich people live is simply foolish: rich and poor are
a yin/yang polarity. It's a duality - both will always exist. And
the selling to those who aren't rich the idea that they can be (or
live like) the rich is at some level dishonest, and plainly a Pluto
in Sagittarius illusion. Sagittarius is a fire sign and all fire signs
empower the idea of the idyllic. But life is not idyllic - life is
reality. And this collapse of the investment system is (among many
other things) a reminder that when ideals are pitted against reality,
reality always wins. It may take a while, but reality wins.
Does
this mean that people can't be rich or improve their lot? Certainly
not. The United States is a light of democratic thinking precisely
because it offers a chance to develop one's self, from which comes
the idea of the US as a land of opportunity. But opportunity depends
on harnessing one's talents through effort, and delaying gratification
through working to achieve, which is a Capricorn concept, bringing
us back to the idea that what's happening now is a 'clearing out'
of whatever has been a Sagittarian excess. We're keeping the cell
phones - evidently cell phones work in our evolutionary path. Computers
- staying. But everyone owning a house? Or everyone being able to
fly off around the world? Maybe not. That's reality, and with the
'bad paper' and unrealistic lending practices, from oil to ecology
to food (purity, obesity, nutrition)... all sorts of the new things
and habits developed since 1996 when Pluto entered Sagittarius are
being tested and it's all about this sorting out of the last Pluto
period before moving into the next.
But
in the short run, what can we expect? For one, a lack of overnight
answers. With the political campaigns in full swing, expect a lot
of propaganda, but little clarity - politics has de-evolved into a
media affair which is also a matter of Pluto in Sagittarius and that
We the People (in the United States) are so plainly realizing that
the (media) tail is now wagging the (political) dog is also about
Pluto ending it's transit of Sagittarius, sign of media. It's gone
a bit too far and everyone (including members of the media) are realizing
it's really overboard.
As
for the monetary issue, the calls at the Congressional level for guarantees
to be built into any debt solution so that Wall Street (and the banking/investment/monetary
system as a whole) aren't able to repeat its mistakes is vital. With
Pallas intercepted in the Full Moon chart of September 15th and in
the New Moon chart of September 29th, we should not expect all the
facts to have come to light yet. For all the facts to surface and
for realistic safeguards based on the realities of economic flow to
be put in place is the best thing we can hope for and the citizens
of the United States and the world should settle for nothing less
if they don't want a repeat of this cycle.
Long
term, world finances and international financial markets - which include
the Federal Reserve - are in for long term transformation. These will
take a very long time to iron out and one should expect major changes
in the Federal Reserve around 2019-2020.
As
for the AIG bailout which came to a head with the Full Moon of September
15, it's universal function was a 'rupturing' of social blindness.
The problems are not new and that they took so long to surface is
not only about Wall Street but a nation, a populace and a world which
wanted everything to 'just be okay.' Plainly it isn't and at least
for now, 'play time' is over. But with the Mars of the Full Moon chart
on the Federal Reserve 9th house cusp, it is to be expected that an
outpouring of money (to fix the problem) will occur and that heated
debate on the legalities, viability and repercussions of Federal Reserve
operation are to be voiced. With this Mars being in Libra, discussions
may either be weak or mannerly - it will be best if the citizens of
the nation support (and demand) the latter, lest issues be glossed
over now and come back to haunt all of us later.
Astrologically,
that this all has surfaced just after Jupiter and Pluto have gone
direct suggests a good deal of 'burying' and 'overflowing of capacity'
occurred in May when Jupiter went retrograde and even before when
Jupiter was in Sagittarius during 2007 and Pluto approached the last
degrees of Sagittarius for the first time, when the idea of a recession
began being discussed in earnest.
More
to the point, debt increases taken on during the latter part of 2007
(into 2008) are those which are likely to prove most problematic.
Another form of this challenge will hit those who came into some need
for additional income during this time, such as the expanding of one's
family or the surfacing of a health problem. The metaphysics of karma
suggests something of a differentiation between situations which are
voluntary as opposed to involuntary, but that's a complicated issue,
so we'll just lay the idea out and move on.
Yet
specific to the Federal reserve, several things should be understood:
the Federal Reserve chart indicates that this is not an organization
created to care about personal income, individual health care or your
children's education. The Federal Reserve is plainly all about an
organization which can only function properly from an impersonal point
of view.
Will
the markets come back into balance? Yes - but everyone is going to
have to be realistic about the changing times. The transit of Pluto
through Sagittarius - these high flying times we have all been experiencing
over the past twelve years. That's coming to an end. Going forward,
knowing how money works and the parameters of one's advisors and monetary
institutions and instruments is more important than ever. But life
will reward you for what you earn. For all that Pluto in Sagittarius
was a time of great and sudden wealth, the riches - personal, professional,
societal, emotional and monetary - to be built under Pluto in Capricorn
can exceed anything yet seen and outlast anything yet established.
The
Federal Reserve itself is a Capricorn institution, so we can expect
it will restructure and survive. There is a lot of 'house cleaning'
to be done and a new course will be set for operation around 2015
which will carry the national financial interest into a new pattern
of global operation within four or five years.
For
now, pragmatic realization of the situation is paramount. As indicated
by the September 15th Full Moon in Pisces (with the Moon conjunct
Uranus) things feel unsettled and disrupted. It's definitely not business
as usual. With the New Moon of September 29th in Libra we can expect
some amelioration of the situation to come into effect but people
are going to - and need to - cut back. Credit will continue tightening
and issues which were up until now a matter of national emotion are
likely to become more or less purely pragmatic. This is a test of
values of a whole new kind based not on speeches or posturing but
on our willingness to admit to being human and to be human to the
best of our abilities.
Read
More from Boots:
Pluto
in Capricorn
The Astrological
State of the Union
The
Fixed Signs
Information
on readings by Boots:
Astrology Readings
