US forecast March 12 - April 8, 2018

[Jim Eshelman]

USA Mundane Forecast
for the four weeks beginning March 12, 2018
If you are unfamiliar with the methods and interpretations of Sidereal mundane astrology, see my free book Sidereal Mundane Astrology. (A link to the current edition can always be found near the top of the Publications sub-forum.) For standard interpretations, see Chapter 7.

LONG-TERM (Solar Ingress) PATTERNS Map 1 Map 2
The 12 months beginning January 15, 2018 will be a stronger, less forgiving version of 2016. Washington's Capsolar has Pluto square Ascendant (0°08'), and Uranus on Westpoint (0°42'). 2018 will be unstable, revolutionary, revising, remapping, anti-establishment, and often anti-government. A spirit of revolution assaults current systems, tearing at iconic structures. Victory in the 2018 elections will tend to fall to whomever can present himself or herself as the greater rebel.

Pluto signals high-impact events that sever connections. Mainstream and counter-establishment sensibilities confront each other. Events are fiercely political, such as leader crises, bombs, financial crises, and severing historic relations. Natural disasters include hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods.

Uranus signals explosions (literal or metaphorical); sudden rupture, shock, surprise, and overflowing normal boundaries and limitations. Expect disclosures and revelations, surprise attacks, changes in leadership, protests, revolts, and their suppression.

Substantial changes in foreign relations are a certainty with a foreground Sun-Venus-Uranus. Venus-Uranus also signals shifting social values, including increased liberty in Venus matters. What would 2018's version of legalizing same-sex marriage be? Uranus and Pluto insist on startling us with the unlikely and unconceived. "Culture wars" kick up more intensely for the midterm elections. The voice of rebellion is concentrated on those in the highest office.

For the whole world, Moon conjoins Mercury and Saturn (with Moon-Saturn stronger in Washington). While Moon-Jupiter aspects in recent Capsolars brought economic recovery, expect the opposite from Moon-Saturn - recession is not unthinkable. Capsolars had close Moon-Saturn aspects in 1819, 1837, and 2008, which should concern students of American money crises. Its record for violent inhumanity is heart-stopping. Climate destabilization will escalate faster in 2018 than in previous years, with tragic, life-smashing consequences.

From Mercury + Saturn, expect worldwide restrictions, delays, failures, and calamity relating to transportation and communication breakdowns. Communication fails for technical reasons and because people simply stop listening to each other. Cybersecurity becomes a greater priority than cyber-expansion. Data integrity is increasingly doubted. Commerce is interrupted. More newspapers go out of business, and more small businesses close their doors. Information flow is interrupted and rationed. Moon-Mercury keeps our attention on the media which, itself, is much of the story.

With Saturn in Sagittarius, themes of internationalism, immigration, aviation, elitism, hierarchical economic separation, and missiles will take up much of our headline space for 2018.

Moon-Saturn signals hardship, narrowing, sacrifice, loss, and sadness, with little cause for celebration. Bereavement for widely beloved figures, deprivation and disappointment, destructive assaults by people and nature, and other forms of hardship focus primarily on alienation and divisiveness. It will be a good year for undertakers.

Finally, Washington has a Mars-Jupiter PVP conjunction. This furthers the concerns of financial crisis. It could be as slight as the government shutdown of 2013 or as ravaging as the market crash of 1929, but probably will be something between. Resources are squandered, stretched past capacity. (Moon-Saturn does not leave much room for boosted productivity.) Religious evangelism and other belief-driven enthusiasm and aggression accelerate. Bigots have louder voices. In nature, as in human affairs, expect stormy weather.


BRIDGE PATTERNS
Mars square Uranus in the Cansolar progresses to 0°00' orb this month. Mars squares Cansolar Uranus March 19, progressed Uranus March 25, and stays at 0°00' orb for five days either side. During the last half of March, therefore, this aspect will be powerfully expressive worldwide. It is explosive, bringing startling violence, psychological (and sometimes physical) “bombshells,” events expressed by fire + explosion such as bombs and collisions, and surprise attacks (whether warlike, shooting massacres, or sudden, raging natural disasters).

March 12-13, a confrontational MERCURY-MARS-URANUS-PLUTO zone continues a sense of crisis. Consequences of recent events, stunning the intellect, reframe how people think. Challenging unearthed information demands our attention. Violence is in the air.

March 14-21 is a MERCURY-URANUS-PLUTO zone. Emphasis is on investigation and disclosure. With Mercury, transportation-themed crises and the media are additional major themes.

March 23-31, Mars conjoins Capsolar and CapQ Moon, forging a MARS-URANUS-PLUTO zone. World-wide, Mars-Moon transits trigger crisis and often signify slaughter: Violence, blood, fire, bombs, earthquakes, accidents, and other destruction cause significant loss of life. Other forms include bombs and other attacks, and leader death or crisis. (Mars’ effect is not limited to those categories.) This overlaps the Mars-Uranus exact progression in the Cansolar and, in the U.S., overlaps Uranus and Pluto transits to Capsolar angles, doubling the Mars-Uranus effect. Details are as spelled out above.

Uranus and Pluto may bring what seems like relative calm for the first few days of April. Then, Mars crosses Cansolar Descendant beginning April 7 for a ferocious, stressful MARS-PLUTO zonethat threatens to unleash the God of War: The tone is contentious, violent, with explosive unleashing of force (natural and unnatural), including a broad streak of disrespect for the law.


SHORT-TERM (Lunar Ingress) PATTERNS

Caplunar (Mar 12)
The Caplunar covers March 12 to April 8 (especially the first week, March 12-19). Pluto squares Ascendant (0°33'), and squares Jupiter mundanely. This spells high-impact, uprooting events that assault existing value systems, ideologies, and the political and other power systems that support them. Attempts at political destabilization may occur.

Mercury closely squares Midheaven, conjoins Venus, and (with Venus) squares Saturn (all foreground). Mercury square Saturn is the closest aspect (cf. Capsolar), so expect restraint, suppression, or similar hardship on communication, transportation, technology, and the media. I think, though, that all of these aspects express a more human drama in which people stop listening to each other (Mercury-Saturn), alliances are shaken, and grief strikes close to home (Venus-Saturn). This can appear in many forms: Something significant now cuts deeply, is more than disappointing, and wounds things dear to a lot of Americans. (Uranus rises and squares Moon, so things happen suddenly, with little warning.)

Jupiter starts the week well, crossing CanQ MC 3/12. Mercury stays on CanQ angles most of the week.

Arilunar (Mar 19)
The Arilunar covers March 19-25. It is one of the worst ingresses of the year. Mars leads, closely setting. The other two foreground planets are the other two malefics, Saturn and Neptune, in close mundane square suggesting deep sorrow. With all three malefics foreground, Moon conjunct Uranus is unusually volatile.

Mars owns this week in other ways. In the Arilunar, it squares Sun. Furthermore, Mars conjoins Capsolar and CapQ Moons all week. Mars is foreground for a wide range of hurtful events (e.g., fires, earthquakes, bridge collapses, hurricanes, violent explosions, accidents; high profile deaths by inflammatory illness or violence, notorious shooting incidents, significant military or police activity, the inauguration of war, or actions causing great violence and damage in the name of war). Political leaders face a general air of crisis and assault.

Finally, Jupiter makes hidden (PVP) aspects to Mars and Saturn. Such Jupiter afflictions, especially with three angular melefics, suggest economic harm (e.g., serious market drops) and structural failures and collapses). This resembles negative economic indicators in the Capsolar, especially through over-spending plus things "collapsing under their own weight." Jupiter-Saturn, additionally, is very political, with lots of horse-trading.

Beginning 3/23, Neptune is on CapQ angles, mostly paired with Saturn, for the worst days.

Canlunar (Mar 25)
The Canlunar covers March 25 to April 1, and repeats themes from the prior week, though more expansively. Jupiter exactly rises, generally a positive, expansive token. Also, Moon square Venus is partile. These initially suggest a very positive week (and huge amounts of rain).

However, we likely will see the worst side of Jupiter. Mars and Saturn both make hidden (PVP) squares to Jupiter. With such aspects, we see attacks against, or failures in, things Jupiterian, such as prosperity’s downfall (economic crisis, e.g., destructive spending or weather events causing expensive damages) and ideological conflict (rampant ideology and belief-driven politics, or challenges against a prevailing social, political, religious, or economic paradigm). (ASIDE: The Mars/Saturn midpoint is 0°08' from Antivertex in azimuth.)

Also, though Moon-Venus is closest, Moon also squares Uranus and - for the first time - is in orb of ecliptical opposition to Pluto. Moon-Uranus and Moon-Pluto show disruptive crisis. The planet mix reflects dramatic changes in relationships with other nations, or local consequences of a natural disaster.

Thus, it's not a particularly good week after all; but what conclusions can we draw from the fact that this all comes through Jupiter and Venus leadership? I think it means that what is struck a hard blow are things deeply personal to most of the country, especially economic and other resources that form our "safety net," which fails just as it is seriously needed.

Saturn and Neptune start the week on CapQ angles 3/25: One would expect most kinds of crisis (especially financial) to occur then. March 26-29 finishes bringing the Capsolar Moon-Mercury-Saturn across the angle.

Liblunar (Apr 1)
The Liblunar covers April 1-8. After the late March crises, it gives hope - perhaps false, unreliable hope, but people are ready for some peace anyway.

Jupiter is the only planet closely angular, and, this time, it isn't afflicted. Coloring the week a bit, Neptune widely squares Ascendant. For the moment, ignorance grants bliss.

Jupiter sponsors victories, diplomacy and peace, and heightened prosperity, economic expansion, and a spirit of abundance, celebration (even national pride). Events, if not purely political, economic, or aristocratic, often center on religion, powerful inspiration, and visionary movements and moments. If the stock market has been hurt in recent weeks, this is the week people regain confidence and start investing - though, as hinted above, prudence and unusual circumspection are advised.

Moon opposes Uranus ecliptically and Venus mundanely, so all three benefics tag the week. In some parts of the world, a half-degree Mars-Saturn conjunction (square Sun) make for an arduous, painful week. In this country, Los Angeles and the costal Northwest get the brunt of that; but these planets are background for Washington, so it is not the tale for the United States overall. (At the end of the week, Mars transits Cansolar Descendant, so the water starts heating up again.)

April 4-5 brings Cansolar Venus-Neptune to quotidian angles, brining typical expressions of that pair.

[Jim Eshelman]

PROGRESSIONS
Progressed Saturn conjoins progressed Midheaven. We have watched the president's position weaken from challenges, increasing burdens, threats, and losses. His long-term picture is dire professionally, politically, and regarding health.

Compounding the sense of personal crisis is progressed Moon conjunct progressed Pluto until April 11, peaking March 16. Moon-Pluto traits already part of Trump include refusal to comply with others' expectations and little regard for convention, other people, or their feelings. This progression is more acute: Expect separation, isolation, a wish to escape pressing conditions, perhaps someone's death, certainly a culmination that involves crossing a threshold with no going back. Pressures and challenges come to a head (probably March 14-16) with this Moon-Pluto progression.

Progressed Mars sextile natal Pluto is exact March 21, within days of the Moon-Pluto conjunction. Besides marking aggression, explosive temper, and other forms of spilling immeasurable force, this progression is notorious for cumulative physical and emotional stress often emerging as a health crisis.

A positive, even protective pattern for Trump began last month. With a long-term progressed Venus conjunct natal Jupiter, he now has progressed Sun semi-square natal Jupiter as well.

TRANSITS
All month (exact March 17), URANUS squares natal VENUS. Expect impact on relationships, personal and international: shifting foreign relations, spurts of abandoning allies, behaving unfaithfully to them despite his own expectations of unflinching loyalty from others, departures of White House staff and other close advisors and (just perhaps) shifting conditions in his marriage.

All month, SATURN opposes natal MERCURY. This usually brings frustrating interruptions (things just not working) and communications breakdowns. He likely will feel unheard, criticized, and discouraged. It would be a great aspect to use, instead, for detailed mental labor and organizing facts.

Beginning March 24 (exact April 8), once more JUPITER aspects natal NEPTUNE. This eases psychological pressures and brings hope and religious-like faith in one's dreams and ideas.

Two brief transits increase frustrations and mark psychological vulnerabilities. Transiting Mars squares Trump's Neptune March 29: marking hyper-excited emotions, drama, feeling intimidated and vulnerable to attack, and retaliating proportionately. Mars opposes his Mercury April 4, a time when tremendous energy flows to his mind and nerves. Arguments, interpersonal conflict, impatience, and irritability are likely.

SIDEREAL SOLAR RETURN
Please see the June forecast for an analysis of Trump's Sidereal Solar Return.
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1450#p8523

SIDEREAL LUNAR RETURN (Mar 9)
Two powerful, difficult Venus combinations own President Trump's new Lunar Return. The first could be either positive or negative, while the second leaves no doubt which way things turn for the month.

Pluto (Dsc 1°26'), Venus (MC 1°56'), and Mercury (MC 3°26') are in close mutual mundane aspects. (Venus square Pluto is only 0°30'; all three combinations are within 2°.) Potentially, this could be positive and powerful - something awe-inspiring that touches and moves both mind and heart; or, a mind-stunning loss, separation, alienation, cutting him off from things his mind and heart hold most dear. Above all, it is consequential, and demands that emotionally and mentally he confront unfiltered reality and respond to it.

We can be sure that this will manifest negatively (painfully) because of the second strong Venus pattern: Trump's natal Saturn is 5°01' below Ascendant, his Venus 5°54' below Ascendant, and his Neptune 5°59' west of IC. That is, he has a mundane Venus-Saturn conjunction square Neptune, all within a degree (and Venus-Neptune within 0°05'). He has the Venus-Saturn at birth (though not so close), and does not have the Venus-Neptune and Saturn-Neptune. The aspects speak of heartbreak, anguish, and betrayal.

Other factors add details. Transiting Pluto squares natal Jupiter in the foreground (natal Jupiter is the most angular planet, 0°06' from square Ascendant): This means what it has meant for months, either (a) great exaltation of the small or (b) great dragging down of the mighty. In the foreground, transiting Mercury closely opposes his Neptune and squares his Venus-Saturn: That SLR Mercury aspects both natal and transiting Venus seems to add a grace, e.g., kind words of friendship, comfort, or condolence, while Mercury to Saturn and Neptune shows frustration, disappointment, and difficulty sorting measurable fact from immeasurable fiction. It seems that some stream of information is tied to his heartache, some frankly bad news (since Mercury is closely square a very widely foreground Saturn).

There is conflict, anger, and acting out with Moon conjunct Mars in the background. Non-angular partile aspects include Uranus square his Venus (see above) and Sun square natal Uranus (so there are abrupt surprises for everyone).

March 15 is one of his most severe days: SNQ MC squares progressed Saturn, while his progressed Moon-Pluto conjunction, 0°03' wide, crosses SNQ Ascendant in Washington. This brings an extreme blow that is personal and severe.

DEMI-SLR (Mar 23)
No transiting planets are angular in the Demi-Lunar, but natal Pluto exactly squares Midheaven (0°31'). While this may mean that President Trump draws a decisive line in the sand (put this in context of the full Lunar Return just discussed), it usually means that a person simply disappears - hides, or withdraws for a time. His Mars is widely foreground, so it is confrontation and stress that push him, not pleasure that draws him.

With so little happening in the chart, we might note more obscure and uncertain factors as an experiment. If houses are relevant in these charts, an 8th House Sun partile square a 5th House Mars (as Uranus transits his Venus in the background) might propel additional sex scandals to the forefront during this fortnight. That is, he may have more Stormy weather. Of course, if houses (as seems, more often than not, to be the case) are of no value, then these themes will not be prominent.

SNQ MC squares his progressed Moon-Pluto conjunction 3/25 (with lead-in from natal Pluto two days before). This is likely an aftershock of the 3/15 events. On 4/2, natal Mars conjoins SNQ Ascendant: He fights back, and seems to win something back when transiting Jupiter is angular the next day.

SIDEREAL LUNAR RETURN (Apr 5)
Mixed indications lean toward the positive - but not toward the positive alone. Most strongly, Jupiter conjoins SLR Ascendant (0°37'). Nothing else is nearly so strong, so this one placement chiefly characterizes the month. President Trump experiences a positive month of successes and heightened esteem. Things seem to go his way. Often he travels under such indications. Because his natal Mars is the only other foreground planet (3°19' from MC), he is especially feeling his strength and virility. He's the cock of the walk, as folks used to say.

One other complex of planets has a loud voice from the background: Both Mars and Saturn oppose natal Mercury within 1° (their midpoint being only 0°04' from Mercury). These show harsh, difficult, unfortunate Mercury conditions. Now, what could this be? It doesn't take any such aspects for Trump to give or receive bad Mercury, i.e., for him to spew vitriol or come under attack; these are almost daily events. No, this is something else. Despite Jupiter, he certainly doesn't feel that his ideas are well-received, or that anyone is listening to him. His own words are now what hurt him most, coming back not just to haunt him but to wound him. His mind and nerves are under severe stress.

Yet, with Jupiter rising exactly, this is not a month when he comes to any great harm.

April 8, SNQ Ascendant conjoins his progressed Sun, as SNQ MC squares natal Mars: His yang side is present in full force, as he displays strength and pride and manages to secure himself at the center and in charge.

[Jim Eshelman]

From the forecast above, you can see that the time around March 20 - the Vernal Equinox - is quite severe. This is worth observing for its own sake, but also because the Vernal Equinox chart is a basic tool of Tropical mundane astrologers. Such astrologers as Charles Carter, Elbert Benjamin, Llewellyn George, and young Donald Bradley made heavy use of it with great effect. I haven't been able to confirm its value with anywhere near the power of the Sidereal ingresses (I should do a formal exploration one of these days: this is an astronomically valid moment, without any consideration of it having anything to do with Tropical 0° Aries); but I wanted to note that if my predictions above come true, Tropicalists will be pegging it to the new Vernal Equinox chart.

It's quite a severe chart. The equinox occurs March 20, 2018, 12:15:22 PM EDT. In Washington, DC, Neptune is 1°39' from Midheaven, Mars is 2°48' below Descendant, and Saturn is 3°54' above Descendant The Saturn-Neptune mundane square is 2°14'. Mars/Saturn is 0°33' from Dsc. -- Tropicalists, of course, likely won't be looking at these prime vertical measurements, but will see Neptune at MC and Saturn-Mars 7° apart straddling Descendant. They will also notice extreme attention to the 10th and 11th houses.

No matter how you look at it, the chart is bad. And it's probably a technically valid map. Nonetheless, I want to show (ahead of time, not as hindsight later) that the Sidereal ingresses already peg these as severe times.


From the forecast notes above:

The Cansolar has a Mars-Uranus square which progresses to exact (0°00') aspect during the last half of March - exact on 3/19 (ingress Uranus) and 3/25 (progressed Uranus), but essentially exact the entire last half of March. It is explosive, bringing startling violence, psychological (and sometimes physical) “bombshells,” events expressed by fire + explosion such as bombs and collisions, and surprise attacks (whether warlike, shooting massacres, or sudden, raging natural disasters). This sets the tone.

The March 19 Arilunar is one of the worst ingresses of the year. Mars (squared by Sun) is most angular, Saturn and Neptune are also foreground and in close mundane square - it looks a lot like the Vernal Equinox chart! . This, of course, suggests deep sorrow.

March 23-31, Mars conjoins Capsolar and CapQ Moons. Though slightly after equinox, this is an acute, high-profile aspect. World-wide, it will trigger crisis and perhaps signify slaughter (see details above).

Furthermore, beginning 3/23, Neptune is on CapQ angles, mostly paired with Saturn, for several days during the Arilunar week.

We can supplement this with more detals. Transiting Uranus squares Capsolar Venus exactly on March 30, but is in orb all month. This is one of many signals of shifting foreign relations (we've seen a lot of that happen in the last week, as I write this.) Transiting Mars conjoins Capsolar Satiurn around March 22, just before it moves across the Capsolar Moons.

March 21 is when President Trump's progressed Mars-Pluto sextile is exact (obviously reaching out days and weeks either side of that date). March 16 is his exact Moon-Pluto progressed conjunction (and he has very severe quotidians 3/15). The end of March in general seems quite volatile and extreme for him. Mars transits square his Neptune March 29. He's in a negative SLR and, on 3/23, has an eruptive Demi, with quotidian aftershocks 3/25.

In summary, the time around and, especially, in the immediate aftermath of the upcoming equinox will be quite severe. Such a time shows very well in the Vernal Equinox chart itself, but also shows quite loudly in the Sidereal ingresses. Whatever the event, it looks like it centers in the Arilunar week, and doesn't fully kick off until Mars begins to transit Capsolar Moon March 23.

[Jim Eshelman]

Trump fired Tillerson this morning (with Pompeo on hand to succeed him). Tillerson is leaving March 31.

A lot of the above forecast alludes to this. This year's Capsolar-sponsored shift in foreign relations includes (now we know) significant changes in the State Department. A few pieces of this (especially under Trump Watch) are fairly specific; other fine points, though not explicit, speak to what's going on.

[Jim Eshelman]

Shall we take a crack at the neck-and-neck Pennsylvania congressional election occurring today?

For Mount Lebanon, PA (the center of the district), the Caplunar has Saturn exactly on MC squared by Mercury-Venus. It seems trite to say that, no matter which way this goes, a lot of hearts are going to get broken. Aside from concern that Mercury-Saturn will show problems and errors in the vote-counting process, I think this ingress mostly shows people's deep dissatisfaction coming to the fore.

Pluto has been transiting Capsolar IC. (The CapQ has nothing quite in orb; Neptune, e.g., has passed.)

Sun is still in orb of transiting Cansolar MC, though I'm not sure how I would interpret that for this purpose. The CanQ has the Cansolar's Mars-Uranus square (now progressed to within 01' of exact) on angles.

This sounds to me like dissatisfaction with the status quo, anger, and volatility of the kind that normally causes people to vote against incumbents. If this is a true assessment, then the Democrat will win.

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Absentee and military ballots are still outstanding, but it looks like Lamb (the Democrat) won. Saccone hasn't conceded, and may request a recount.

[Avshalom Binyamin]

This forecast came in like a lion!

In addition to Trump firing the Secretary of State over Twitter and the Pennsylvania special election upset, you have the Rupublicans shutting down the House Intel investigation into Russian collusion, the Democrats calling foul and releasing their own 22 page report, Russia using nerve gas in UK (and the resulting fallout), student walkouts over gun control.

[Jim Eshelman]

Thanks I'm particularly pleased with Trump's current SLR analysis above. Re-reading it, I shudder at how it must feel to be him this fortnight.

[Jim Eshelman]

Shall we take a crack at the neck-and-neck Pennsylvania congressional election occurring today?
[...]
This sounds to me like dissatisfaction with the status quo, anger, and volatility of the kind that normally causes people to vote against incumbents. If this is a true assessment, then the Democrat will win.

And... he has won.

[SteveS]

Good call Jim.

[Jim Eshelman]

New just broke that Mueller has subpoenaed records from the Trump Organization, including records pertaining to business dealings with Russia. This is the first time (as far as we know) that documents related to Trump's business have been requested, and it was done by subpoena, not by a less formal request. - It was also this morning that the White House announced sanctions against some Russian entities for interference in the 2016 election.

It didn't happen today. It happened "in recent weeks." But the news just broke today, a day picked as a major blow to him (see last paragraph below).

At 2:00 PM when New York Times broke the story, Trump had the following SNQ contacts (calculated for the White House).

8°44' Aries SNQ MC
8°50' Cancer p Saturn

18°00' Cancer p Moon
18°02' Cancer p Pluto
18°25' Cancer SNQ Asc

March 14-21 is a MERCURY-URANUS-PLUTO zone. Emphasis is on investigation and disclosure...

Compounding the sense of personal crisis is progressed Moon conjunct progressed Pluto until April 11, peaking March 16... Expect separation, isolation, a wish to escape pressing conditions, perhaps someone's death, certainly a culmination that involves crossing a threshold with no going back. Pressures and challenges come to a head (probably March 14-16) with this Moon-Pluto progression. ...

All month (exact March 17), URANUS squares natal VENUS. Expect impact on relationships, personal and international: shifting foreign relations, spurts of abandoning allies, behaving unfaithfully to them despite his own expectations of unflinching loyalty from others, departures of White House staff and other close advisors and (just perhaps) shifting conditions in his marriage. [...]

SIDEREAL LUNAR RETURN (Mar 9)
...Above all, it is consequential, and demands that emotionally and mentally he confront unfiltered reality and respond to it.

We can be sure that this will manifest negatively (painfully) because of the second strong Venus pattern... a mundane Venus-Saturn conjunction square Neptune, all within a degree (and Venus-Neptune within 0°05')... The aspects speak of heartbreak, anguish, and betrayal.

...Transiting Pluto squares natal Jupiter in the foreground... either (a) great exaltation of the small or (b) great dragging down of the mighty. In the foreground, transiting Mercury closely opposes his Neptune and squares his Venus-Saturn... frustration, disappointment, and difficulty sorting measurable fact from immeasurable fiction. It seems that some stream of information is tied to his heartache, some frankly bad news...

March 15 is one of his most severe days: SNQ MC squares progressed Saturn, while his progressed Moon-Pluto conjunction, 0°03' wide, crosses SNQ Ascendant in Washington. This brings an extreme blow that is personal and severe.

[SteveS]

Bingo!

[Jim Eshelman]

Moon has entered Aries.

Arilunar (Mar 19)
The Arilunar covers March 19-25. It is one of the worst ingresses of the year. Mars leads, closely setting. The other two foreground planets are the other two malefics, Saturn and Neptune, in close mundane square suggesting deep sorrow. With all three malefics foreground, Moon conjunct Uranus is unusually volatile.

Mars owns this week in other ways. In the Arilunar, it squares Sun. Furthermore, Mars conjoins Capsolar and CapQ Moons all week. Mars is foreground for a wide range of hurtful events (e.g., fires, earthquakes, bridge collapses, hurricanes, violent explosions, accidents; high profile deaths by inflammatory illness or violence, notorious shooting incidents, significant military or police activity, the inauguration of war, or actions causing great violence and damage in the name of war). Political leaders face a general air of crisis and assault.

Finally, Jupiter makes hidden (PVP) aspects to Mars and Saturn. Such Jupiter afflictions, especially with three angular melefics, suggest economic harm (e.g., serious market drops) and structural failures and collapses). This resembles negative economic indicators in the Capsolar, especially through over-spending plus things "collapsing under their own weight." Jupiter-Saturn, additionally, is very political, with lots of horse-trading.

Beginning 3/23, Neptune is on CapQ angles, mostly paired with Saturn, for the worst days.

[Jim Eshelman]

New of the day: After Trump's announcement of heavy China tariffs (among other things), the Dow has fallen over 400 points this morning (predicted in the Arilunar forecast). Also, Trump's personal attorney for the Mueller inquiry just quit, saying he can't get his client to cooperate. Meanwhile, the march on Washington is less than two days away. (Predictions in Trump Watch picked these few days as culmination of crisis for him, though a week ago was even worse.) I'm very curious how he will deal with tomorrow's Demi-SLR, for which I predicted he would draw a decisive line in the sand.

Arilunar (Mar 19)
The Arilunar covers March 19-25. It is one of the worst ingresses of the year. Mars leads, closely setting. The other two foreground planets are the other two malefics, Saturn and Neptune, in close mundane square suggesting deep sorrow. With all three malefics foreground, Moon conjunct Uranus is unusually volatile.

Mars owns this week in other ways. In the Arilunar, it squares Sun. Furthermore, Mars conjoins Capsolar and CapQ Moons all week. Mars is foreground for a wide range of hurtful events (e.g., fires, earthquakes, bridge collapses, hurricanes, violent explosions, accidents; high profile deaths by inflammatory illness or violence, notorious shooting incidents, significant military or police activity, the inauguration of war, or actions causing great violence and damage in the name of war). Political leaders face a general air of crisis and assault.

Finally, Jupiter makes hidden (PVP) aspects to Mars and Saturn. Such Jupiter afflictions, especially with three angular malefics, suggest economic harm (e.g., serious market drops) and structural failures and collapses). This resembles negative economic indicators in the Capsolar, especially through over-spending plus things "collapsing under their own weight." Jupiter-Saturn, additionally, is very political, with lots of horse-trading.

[Jim Eshelman]

For the whole world, Moon conjoins Mercury and Saturn (with Moon-Saturn stronger in Washington). While Moon-Jupiter aspects in recent Capsolars brought economic recovery, expect the opposite from Moon-Saturn - recession is not unthinkable. Capsolars had close Moon-Saturn aspects in 1819, 1837, and 2008, which should concern students of American money crises. Its record for violent inhumanity is heart-stopping...

Moon-Saturn signals hardship, narrowing, sacrifice, loss, and sadness... Washington has a Mars-Jupiter PVP conjunction. This furthers the concerns of financial crisis.

...[Angular] Jupiter makes hidden (PVP) aspects to Mars and Saturn. Such Jupiter afflictions, especially with three angular melefics, suggest economic harm (e.g., serious market drops)... This resembles negative economic indicators in the Capsolar, especially through over-spending plus things "collapsing under their own weight."...

Beginning 3/23, Neptune is on CapQ angles, mostly paired with Saturn, for the worst days. [NB All these Qs have plus-minus two days.]

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Bigger news of the day. Trump fired McMasters and has selected John Bolton for National Security Advisor. So are we going to bomb Iran or North Korea first?

[Jim Eshelman]

Exactly! My FB post:

HR McMaster is out as National Security Advisor. That's bad enough (in the sense that this administration is very short of intelligent, high integrity players). But the REALLY bad news is that John Bolton is in. Bolton brings as dangerous a perspective to this as can be imagined. There's a reasonable expectation that this means we are headed deeper into isolationism and closer to a heightened state of war.

[DDonovanKinsolving]

But the REALLY bad news is that John Bolton is in.

Yeah, what's this monster doing back in the halls of power?

-Derek

[SteveS]

Derek asked:

what's this monster doing back in the halls of power?

Simply because Trump's relocated Natal to DC has his Natal Mars partile cnj his Natal Asc. Only if Trump is reelected for 2nd term, and if I am reading DC's 2021 Capsolar (Master Chart of year) correctly 'this monster' if still in 'halls of power' will involve the nation in war(s) in 2021. And the beat goes on.

[Jim Eshelman]

As reiterated above, bad market times were explicitly predicted for this week. Today, everything was sailing along with swings back and forth, above and below yesterday's close, until Trump signed the $1.3T spending bill, then... wham! A final net of 424 points down. That makes 1,148 points down for the Dow in two days.

[SteveS]

As I suspected long ago before the 2018 Capsolar began. The tight triple cnj of Moon-Mercury-Saturn for the 2018 Capsolar could be symbolizing a major top in the Dow and World Markets. It would not surprise at all if the State of the Union Top will never be exceeded with a close on the monthly charts for the rest of my life---not saying much with my age, vbg.

[Jim Eshelman]

This might be a big vote for houses in SLRs. This Demi occurs today, with effect starting yesterday (a day ahead as usual). Yesterday was when Karen McDougal emerged on scene.

DEMI-SLR (Mar 23)
...With so little happening in the chart, we might note more obscure and uncertain factors as an experiment. If houses are relevant in these charts, an 8th House Sun partile square a 5th House Mars (as Uranus transits his Venus in the background) might propel additional sex scandals to the forefront during this fortnight. That is, he may have more Stormy weather. Of course, if houses (as seems, more often than not, to be the case) are of no value, then these themes will not be prominent.

[Jim Eshelman]

I want to experiment with whether transits to all Capsolar planets are valid. Inherently, these would not be locale-specific, and I ha e low expectations; but we haven't tested this yet, so I'm going to do so with the major planets.

t Uranus sq. Capsolar Venus START to March 30
t Jupiter conj. Capsolar Mars START to April 6 (exact 3/20)

t Mars conj. Capsolar Saturn March 22 (+/- 2 dy)
t Mars conj. Capsolar Mercury March 27 (+/- 2 dy)

OK, this is fun. Here's what I've learned so far: It seems these transits are indeed important but primarily where they are angular in the solar ingress (or perhaps the quotidian of the day).

The first lesson was the Mars transit to Capsolar Saturn. Saturn is exactly on IC of Austin this year. It was when Mars conjoined that Saturn (and, therefore, conjoined Capsolar IC at the same time) that the Austin bombings came to a roaring climax.

So I was wondering what Jupiter's transit to Capsolar Mars might be. So I look at where Mars is angular in the Capsolar. There are a few inhabited places, but the one that stands out boldly is: CHINA. Mars in particular is closely setting in Beijing. And then, with this fresh in my mind, I realized the Jupiter-Mars keywords: TRADE WAR.

I think this is going to be interesting...

Uranus' ongoing square to Capsolar Venus, exact in about a week, is obvious enough in the world, with very significant international relationship shifts (and more to come if we get John Bolton now). So, where is Venus angular in the Capsolar? Vietnam is one. But the big one is the Americas in general. It's foreground enough to count in Washington (but even closer in New England), slices through the Caribbean and the west coast of South America. I've already given a prediction about what this means in my annual forecast for the Capsolar. It also moves across Africa and the eastern end of the Mediterranean - close enough to the Middle East to be felt in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, I think. These are significant areas where Uranus-Venus could take a strong hand.

[SteveS]

The 'stormy' weather is going to rain on his parade.

[Jim Eshelman]

Moon snuck into Cancer when I wasn't looking. (Dang, that means 9ts time to start working on the new month's forecast.)

Canlunar (Mar 25)
The Canlunar covers March 25 to April 1, and repeats themes from the prior week, though more expansively. Jupiter exactly rises, generally a positive, expansive token. Also, Moon square Venus is partile. These initially suggest a very positive week (and huge amounts of rain).

However, we likely will see the worst side of Jupiter. Mars and Saturn both make hidden (PVP) squares to Jupiter. With such aspects, we see attacks against, or failures in, things Jupiterian, such as prosperity’s downfall (economic crisis, e.g., destructive spending or weather events causing expensive damages) and ideological conflict (rampant ideology and belief-driven politics, or challenges against a prevailing social, political, religious, or economic paradigm). (ASIDE: The Mars/Saturn midpoint is 0°08' from Antivertex in azimuth.)

Also, though Moon-Venus is closest, Moon also squares Uranus and - for the first time - is in orb of ecliptical opposition to Pluto. Moon-Uranus and Moon-Pluto show disruptive crisis. The planet mix reflects dramatic changes in relationships with other nations, or local consequences of a natural disaster.

Thus, it's not a particularly good week after all; but what conclusions can we draw from the fact that this all comes through Jupiter and Venus leadership? I think it means that what is struck a hard blow are things deeply personal to most of the country, especially economic and other resources that form our "safety net," which fails just as it is seriously needed.

Saturn and Neptune start the week on CapQ angles 3/25: One would expect most kinds of crisis (especially financial) to occur then. March 26-29 finishes bringing the Capsolar Moon-Mercury-Saturn across the angle.

[SteveS]

Dow futures are up over 300 points in overnight trading. If the DOW makes new highs over the State of the Union address, on the weekly charts, I suspect we have seen a corrective low (bottom) in overnight futures trading on the weekly charts. Time will tell--it always does.

[Jim Eshelman]

Dow futures are up over 300 points in overnight trading. If the DOW makes new highs over the State of the Union address, on the weekly charts, I suspect we have seen a corrective low (bottom) in overnight futures trading on the weekly charts. Time will tell--it always does.

The Dow was up nearly 500 this morning, and has lost about half of that. It will be an interesting roller coaster day, I bet.

[Jim Eshelman]

Moo entered Libra yesterday. This chart was a different flavor than most, and also a little complex.

Liblunar (Apr 1)
The Liblunar covers April 1-8. After the late March crises, it gives hope - perhaps false, unreliable hope, but people are ready for some peace anyway.

Jupiter is the only planet closely angular, and, this time, it isn't afflicted. Coloring the week a bit, Neptune widely squares Ascendant. For the moment, ignorance grants bliss.

Jupiter sponsors victories, diplomacy and peace, and heightened prosperity, economic expansion, and a spirit of abundance, celebration (even national pride). Events, if not purely political, economic, or aristocratic, often center on religion, powerful inspiration, and visionary movements and moments. If the stock market has been hurt in recent weeks, this is the week people regain confidence and start investing - though, as hinted above, prudence and unusual circumspection are advised.

Moon opposes Uranus ecliptically and Venus mundanely, so all three benefics tag the week. In some parts of the world, a half-degree Mars-Saturn conjunction (square Sun) make for an arduous, painful week. In this country, Los Angeles and the costal Northwest get the brunt of that; but these planets are background for Washington, so it is not the tale for the United States overall. (At the end of the week, Mars transits Cansolar Descendant, so the water starts heating up again.)

April 4-5 brings Cansolar Venus-Neptune to quotidian angles, brining typical expressions of that pair.

[Jim Eshelman]

t Uranus sq. Capsolar Venus START to March 30
t Jupiter conj. Capsolar Mars START to April 6 (exact 3/20)

Now that the Uranus-Venus transit has backed away, it's looking like the Jupiter-Mars transit is actually picking up steam. You may remember that this passes near Beijing and I interpreted the aspect as TRADE WAR.

With that in mind, my first impression today (as China announces tariffs on U.S. goods and the Dow drops 650 points so far today) is that TRADE WAR is definitely on and has rather "bursts out of the gates" with the competing Uranus-Venus aspect (renegotiating foreign relations) out of the way.

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

With that in mind, my first impression today (as China announces tariffs on U.S. goods and the Dow drops 650 points so far today) is that TRADE WAR is definitely on and has rather "bursts out of the gates"...

Maybe the bulk of this 'Trade War' is being symbolized with the formidable tight triple cnj of Moon-Mercury-Saturn-in the 2018 Capsolar. Even though this conjunction is not angular in DC, t.Saturn exact cnj Capsolar Moon--Mercury 3 times in 2018. So much for the possible correction bottom seen last week---market has made new lows for 2018. Markets always knows the truth of things to come for the future. I am guessing if Trump works new possible trade deals with China the market will take off to the upside again, but i still think there is 50 % probability the market has made a major top with Trump's State of Union speech telling us everything is good and getting better---market is saying the opposite---no, I don't think so.

[Jim Eshelman]

Sure, I think it's Moon-Saturn - but it's also Mars-Jupiter. The Mars-Jupiter. The two together are collaborating for "money woes."

The Mars-Jupiter conjunction conjoins the Antivertex in Washington in azimuth, meaning it is a legit PVP conjunction. It's setting in Beijing, with Mars about 1° below Ascendant. When I saw Jupiter transiting Capsolar Mars, I went out looking for where Capsolar Mars is angular and - there it is - China! I suddenly knew what kind of "war" China was going to wage this year.

Neptune squares Arisolar Ascendant for Beijing. I don't think they're going to navigate this very well.

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

The Mars-Jupiter conjunction conjoins the Antivertex in Washington in azimuth, meaning it is a legit PVP conjunction. It's setting in Beijing, with Mars about 1° below Ascendant. When I saw Jupiter transiting Capsolar Mars, I went out looking for where Capsolar Mars is angular and - there it is - China! I suddenly knew what kind of "war" China was going to wage this year.

This is very interesting Jim, particularly since we siderealists have know for some time Mars-Jupiter symbolism can make money disappear faster than a blink of an eye. T. Jupiter is very slow in motion, and this fall we again get t. Jupiter over this same DC Capsolar PVP Vertex axis. I wonder what I have historically missed with DC's SMA without paying much attention to PVP's? You are the only person on the planet that could have caught this SMA action---damn good catch Jim. I will have to put the Vertex/Antivertex back in on the SMA solar ingress charts. Now that I think about it---it seems I remember something to do with Vertex with one of the 1929 (Great Depression Charts) SMA charts---I will double check. Put all of this together with the tight triple cnj of Moon-Mercury-Saturn and this 2018 Capsolar has started to unfold with perfect SMA sense, eh?

[Jim Eshelman]

Remember that putting in the Vertex is rather a waste, because you can't really tell when something is there. Look in the Azimuth column of the Report for something within 3 degrees of 90 or 270.

And a planet simply being there doesn't mean anything. It is only the mundane aspect it may make to another planet at 90-270 azimuth, or to one on Meridian all measured in azimuth, or to a planet on Horizon by comparing the PV planet's PV amplitude to the Horizon planet's altitude. (Wish we had better tools.)

I'll check on the 1929 later.

[SteveS]

OK, but if I understand, its the t. Jupiter action partile cnj Capsolar's Mars all within within 3 degrees of 90 or in the azimuth column with SF Reports that is timing & symbolizing these huge disappearance of Wall Street value, correct?

I'll check on the 1929 later.

Your posts in this topic jogged my memory with NY's 1929 Cansolar, with the partile 90 of Mars-Jupiter wired into the MC & WP angles. Instead of the Vertex-Antivertex axis, it was the EP-WP axis. Just noted: the 1929 NY Cansolar EP-WP axis was wired into the Aldebaran-Antares axis (eclipto). Mundo Mars/Neptune partile =MC, partile Moon-Neptune 90 for some emotional panic kick for the greatest economic depression in history.

So, what we actually have here with the 2018 Capsolar is the same potent Mars-Jupiter disappearance of $ value on Wall Street creating a depressed Wall Street value situation with Capsolar's tight Moon-Mercury-Saturn cnj---but without the PANIC symbolism of the 1929 Cansolar. But, you do see PVP Moon-Neptune (possible emotional panic) with the 2018 Cansolar--correct?

[Jim Eshelman]

OK, but if I understand, its the t. Jupiter action partile cnj Capsolar's Mars all within within 3 degrees of 90 or in the azimuth column with SF Reports that is timing & symbolizing these huge disappearance of Wall Street value, correct?

I think so, yes. Jupiter and Mars, respectively, are at 88°53' and 87°38' azimuth, which means they are both within two and a half degrees of due east (Antivertex), and are 1°15' apart. That's a conjunction solely based on their placement measured around the horizon: They are close to the due-east. - They also have a 4° ecliptical conjunction for the whole world, but there is nothing to make it distinctive to Washington except this PV alignment.

It's also strong (in a more conventional way) for China. Mars is 1°27' below Descendant, Jupiter 3°25' below, so they're in foreground mundane conjunction within 1°58'. Interestingly, Uranus has azimuth 92°04' for Beijing: It is 2°04' past Antivertex in azimuth. The numbers here are quite interesting (we have to switch measurements for two planets):

Uranus PV amplitude 1°59' past Antivertex
Mars altitude 1°21' below (past) Descendant
Jupiter altitude 3°14' below (past) Descendant

Subtract these numbers: For Beijing, Uranus is 0°38' from exact PVP square to Mars, and 1°15' from PVP square Jupiter. So we have an exactly angular Mars (and moderately angular Jupiter), a close foreground Mars-Jupiter square, and Mars-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus squares.

Yet all this occurs with the Moon-Mercury-Saturn. Mars-Jupiter, while extravagant, can be good for the economy in the sense of productivity, boisterousness, adventurous entrepreneurship... but not with that Moon-Saturn. Instead, it just hemorrhages money (word choice thanks to Mars).China is in a better place than us because they actually have a foreground Jupiter; we don't.

Your posts in this topic jogged my memory with NY's 1929 Cansolar, with the partile 90 of Mars-Jupiter wired into the MC & WP angles.

The Capsolar had Saturn 0°07' from square MC, opposed by Mars. The Cansolar had Jupiter 2°00' from WP, only 0°09' from square Mars (as you said); plus Neptune 1°46' from MC, 0°22' from square Moon. The Libsolar a few days before has Saturn 1°55' from EP in partile square to Venus ("the party's over").

So, what we actually have here with the 2018 Capsolar is the same potent Mars-Jupiter disappearance of $ value on Wall Street creating a depressed Wall Street value situation with Capsolar's tight Moon-Mercury-Saturn cnj---but without the PANIC symbolism of the 1929 Cansolar. But, you do see PVP Moon-Neptune (possible emotional panic) with the 2018 Cansolar--correct?

Yes. Moon is 0°21' past (above) Ascendant in altitude. Neptune is 0°05' past Vertex (due west) in azimuth (and also in PV amplitude). Subtract the two numbers, and you get a 0°16' Moon-Neptune PVP square. - Other than that, the Cansolar is pretty boring.

For Beijing, the Cansolar is dormant, so the Arisolar (which is dormant for USA) persists. China's Arisolar has Jupiter square MC (1°08'), opposed by Venus, but also Neptune partile square Asc.