US forecast Jan 15 - Feb 2, 2019

[Jim Eshelman]

USA Mundane Forecast
for the three weeks beginning JANUARY 15, 2019
If you are unfamiliar with the methods and interpretations of Sidereal mundane astrology, please see my free book Sidereal Mundane Astrology. (A link to the current edition can be found near the top of the Publications sub-forum.) For standard interpretations, see Chapter 8 of the current (16th) Edition.

LONG-TERM (Solar Ingress) PATTERNS
For the United States, the 12 months beginning January 15, 2019 will resemble the 12 that came before them. Capsolars for 2018 and 2019 both have Uranus, Pluto, and Sun as the three strongest planets. Both have a powerful Mercury-Saturn combination supported by Mars-Jupiter. Where they differ is that 2019 has more Sun in the mix - the focus is more on the president (however hard that may be to believe) - and is missing the Venus-Uranus elements that drove so many changes in international relationships. Also, the Mercury-Saturn elements are concentrated on the U.S. in 2019 and not shared with the world as in 2018.

Uranus is on IC (2°36') and Sun on Eastpoint (1°53'). Their square is only 0°08' wide (in RA) and is the most important aspect of the year. Sun-Uranus signals startling events, which, historically, has included surprise attacks, sudden changes in leadership, and technology breakthroughs.

URANUS is most angular (2°36' from IC). Explosion is the most characteristic idea (whether literal or metaphorical). Its unique contributions are sudden rupture or eruption, shock, surprise, and overflowing normal boundaries and limitations. Disclosures and revelations are common. Many Uranian events have profound social impact to the point of defining the character of an era.

SUN is also closely angular (1°53' from EP), concentrating attention on the head of state or the government in general (in the sense that it is the ego-hub of the nation). We find Sun involved for increased government intervention, or at least heightened, front-and-center perception of government’s presence in people’s lives. Sun's aspects to Uranus and Pluto infer rebellion against present leadership and a wide rejection of prevailing political views. (Sun-Pluto always has an element of disrespect for, or rejecting, the law or those forces that create and enforce the law. Sometimes this means removing those in power.)

MERCURY CONJOINS SATURN (2°46') in the foreground. From this we expect restrictions, delays, failures, or calamity relating to transportation and communication. Communication fails for technical reasons and because people don't listen to each other. Expect further economic narrowing and backtracking on the recovery: Commerce is interrupted: More newspapers go out of business, and more small businesses (especially retail outlets) close their doors. Information flow is interrupted and rationed. Data integrity is increasingly doubted; cybersecurity remains a greater priority than cyber-expansion. With Saturn still in Sagittarius all year, immigration, aviation, elitism, hierarchical economic separation, and missiles dominate headlines.

Reinforcing the message of economic crisis, Washington's Capsolar has a MARS-JUPITER mundane square (2°07') that doesn't exist ecliptically; i.e., it is geographically distinctive to Washington. This could be as slight as a few more government shutdowns or as ravaging as a market crash, but probably will be something between. Resources are squandered, stretched past their capacity. Belief-driven enthusiasm and aggression accelerate. Bigots have louder voices. In nature, as in human affairs, expect stormy weather.

Mercury also conjoins Pluto (2°32' in mundo). Mundanely, Mercury sits 0°30' from the Saturn/Pluto midpoint. This anticipates major collisions of information, communication, and ideas. One sense in which this is positive politically is that it suggests that opposing factions in Congress will again be engaging passionately, unlike the tepid, rigid polarization of recent years. Investigations drill deeply into untapped data to disclose information that changes the prevailing paradigm, significantly reframing how people think about things.

Another expression of this "collision" motif, against which we must guard, is in the realm of cyber attacks, including the remote undermining of critical communication, management, and cyber-control networks. This will be a significant theme of 2019.


MEDIUM-TERM PATTERNS (The Bridge)
All month is a SATURN-URANUS-PLUTO Zone. This is formed from Uranus and Pluto crossing Capsolar angles while CanQ Moon squares ingress Saturn (exact January 18). This burns in the Uranus-Pluto tone of the year - unstable, revolutionary, revising, remapping, anti-establishment, dismantling current systems - while adding the mournful note of the Moon-Saturn progression. With this we always expect events around the globe marked by high costs in property and lives. Events are marked by hardship, sacrifice, loss, and sadness.


SHORT-TERM (Lunar Ingress) PATTERNS

Caplunar (Jan 6)
The Caplunar covers January 6 to February 2. Mercury is setting (1°53'), squared by a non-foreground Mars. Jupiter squares Neptune (1°13') in the foreground.

With Mercury leading, we expect obvious themes of commerce, communication, transportation, and technology. In an era of ubiquitous news coverage, angular Mercury still distinguishes times that mobilize the news media much more than usual, with critical breaking news, "Special broadcasts,” media events, and other forms of media saturation. With Mars' square, we expect this will have an unusual sense of threat and agitation (not to mention the greater vulnerability to travel tragedies and other transportation crises). All of this seems rather normal in today's life, but somehow it will be more acutely obvious during the period of this Caplunar.

Yet, it seems the Jupiter-Neptune will add the most distinctive flavor to the time. This is the aspect of compelling unreasoned optimism, which religion calls faith. Economically, it is inflationary: Despite current market pessimism, this could drive accelerated speculative investment (what most people call "gambling"). This aspect contrasts sharply with Mercury's serving of facts: One can expect belief-driven platforms seeking to overwhelm positions grounded in facts and reason. More generally (as a garnish), Jupiter-Neptune can mark events of powerful inspiration, faith, and idealism, passionate opposing bigotry, excess, over-abundance, immoderation, and glut.

Though the tone seems optimistic (unreasoningly and excessively so), Jupiter-Neptune also speaks of scandal. Skeletons well-hidden in closets may start rattling their bones.

The Northeast U.S. is open to drenching weather all month. Angularities in this Caplunar (partly echoed in later lunar ingresses) suggest mighty Atlantic storms off the NE will risk of flooding through much of New England. Inundation is also suggested for the area around New Orleans and nearby parts of Mississippi.

Arilunar (Jan 14)
Occurring on the eve of the new Capsolar, the Arilunar covers January 14-20. On first impression, it shows a pleasant week when things seem hopeful, since Venus and Jupiter both rise. This is probably true, e.g., if the December government shutdown hasn't been resolved earlier, people likely will go back to work on January 14.

However, this ingress has complexities not evident at a glance. Venus, within a degree of Ascendant, dominates the chart; however, Sun and Pluto conjoin due east on the prime vertical in close PVP square with Venus. Venus-Pluto shows dramatic changes in relationships, i.e., major shifts in alliances and antipathies. Local events are distinguished by stark severing of emotional ties in which love is vivid in its loss.

Jupiter and Neptune, also foreground, are 0°06' from exact square, echoing the Caplunar's Jupiter-Neptune themes. Its keynote is unreasoned optimism. Expect the stock market to reflect this in an upward trend for the week (hoping the new Capsolar doesn't overrule and prove me wrong). It is difficult to see how this mingles with the Venus-Pluto character or, rather, there are so many mix-and-match possibilities that I'm not sure which to pick. (National memorial service? Gigantic glee from a huge lottery payout?) As always with Jupiter-Neptune we expect events both of (1) inspiration, faith, and idealism, and (2) excess, over-abundance, and immoderation.

Moon conjunct Uranus assures us we will be surprised. The closer Moon square to Sun, in a mostly upbeat chart, suggests events that renew national pride.

URANUS makes the first Q crossing of the new Sidereal year 1/17.

Canlunar (Jan 20)
The Canlunar covers January 20-26 and continues familiar trends of prior weeks. Venus (0°38') and Jupiter (1°59') are on Westpoint in partile conjunction, suggesting a week of prosperity, happiness, and celebration. Victories, festivities, love, and world-witnessed weddings and births are the types of events to expect.

Neptune culminates more widely but squares Venus and Jupiter quite closely. Evidently these happy events cause much wild excitement. It's as if they held the Super Bowl early and the whole country won. This trio of planets also conspires around phenomenal entertainment events and sites of intense devotion and inspiration, as if exalting the beauty of love. With Moon opposite Mercury so closely, you can be sure the press will be all over these events.

Can nothing go wrong? Of course it can. From these aspects we could expect floods, for example (especially in the areas mentioned under the Caplunar), or diplomatic embarrassment that is quickly forgiven, or consequences of excessive indulgence. Generally, though, this is a chart of a splendid, winning week.

Before the gala commences, MARS squares CapQ Asc on the 20th. SATURN then ends the week on a downer note, crossing CapQ Asc 1/25. Meanwhile, the Cansolar's progressed MOON-SATURN square crosses CanQ angles 1/22-1/25 so, amidst celebration, there are specific harsh events also emerging nearly all week, building toward the 25th.

Liblunar (Jan 26)
The Liblunar (due to the dormancy of the February 2 Caplunar) covers January 26 to February 10. In a sharp departure from earlier weeks of the month, it startles us out of our comfortable indulgences with news and revelations. With Mercury and both luminaries involved, these events are kept right before our eyes, right in the spotlight.

What will the events be? It's hard to guess with Uranus so powerfully placed, because they are sure to surprise us. Most likely the main event will center on data and disclosures. For example, might this be the week the Mueller team's report is released? If not, then there is nonetheless an excellent chance it involves the president directly, given Sun's angularity and close aspect with Moon. (Otherwise, the prize event of the week will be a matter under close government regulation or supervision, or which fuels national pride.)

The other aspects mostly reiterate what I've already said: Sun-Uranus describes the startling and explosive, Moon-Uranus describes shifting condition requiring rapid adaptation and reorientation, Sun-Mercury and Moon-Mercury (besides introducing transportation and commerce themes) demand headlines or otherwise center on documents, paperwork, or their digital equivalent. Mars squares Ascendant along most of the Texas-Mexico border, so violent, deadly confrontations resembling war can be expected in that region this month.

Severe news hits right out of the gates: Transiting SATURN conjoins CapQ Ascendant paran ingress MOON on IC 1/26. MERCURY themes are added the next day. On 1/30, transiting MARS squares CapQ Asc (remaining close for days), then squares ingress and transiting PLUTO on Asc February 1 (the same day transiting MARS-PLUTO crosses CanQ Ascendant). These are explosive, angry, eruptive contacts.

[Jim Eshelman]

PROGRESSIONS
President Trump continues several progressions this month, of which the foremost are a mix of powerful positive and negative patterns:

• p Saturn conjunct p Midheaven
• p Mars sextile r Pluto
• p Venus conjunct r Jupiter (p Venus also trines r Uranus; p Sun aspects Venus-Jupiter)

Progressed Saturn conjunct progressed MC has marked his first two years as president with ever-increasing threats to his status: This continues through mid-March. So far, progressed Venus trine natal Uranus has primarily manifested (allowing that there may be private matters about which we have no knowledge) as unfaithfulness to more or less everyone around him. His favor does not signify protection or security. He shifts alliance and allegiance quickly, even whimsically. He demonstrates little loyalty to anyone.

Progressed Saturn is 0°01' from semi-square his Uranus, amplifying the negative cast of this Venus-Uranus. To borrow a short list of traits from Ebertin: psychological strain from having to restrain his instincts, willfulness and stubbornness in relationships, inconstancy, moodiness, and an urge to break away and sever bonds. Progressed Venus and Saturn to his Uranus, in summary, leaves him with little stability in his relationships and increasingly unsatisfied wants and blocked instincts.

Progressed Moon forms four different aspects, three of which become exact this month. This will play a role when they intersect other, similar themes, but otherwise will be minor blips on the radar. Progressed Moon semi-square natal Mercury is exact January 18; her sextile to progressed Jupiter is exact January 30 (giving Trump a break, a better deal than he expects); and Moon's square to natal MC peaks February 1.

TRANSITS
Transits to President Trump's nativity and Solar Return show him riding a wave of negativity, which however, likely came to a peak in late December. Four important aspects (mostly transits) portray crisis and struggle.

• SQ Mercury op. SSR Saturn Dec 24 to Jun 15
• t Pluto op. SQ Moon Dec 16 to Apr 18
• SQ Moon op. SSR Pluto Dec 29 to Feb 17
• t Saturn sqq. r Mars Jan 4-21

Trump's current Sidereal Solar Return (SSR) has a foreground Mercury-Saturn opposition. Progressed Mercury entered a 1° orb of that opposition 12/24/18, which will last until his birthday. Mercury-Saturn is known for despondent states of mind from feeling unheard, criticized, and discouraged. Mental, communication, and commercial matters do poorly in the absence of thoroughness and care. Most people don't listen to him with a friendly ear. One new hurdle after another makes things difficult for the next six months.

Two Pluto aspects with progressed SSR Moon mark late December and early 2019 with crisis, emotional confrontation, shifts in relationships and domestic conditions, rebellion, losses (or at least separations), and, especially, the need to break free of other people's control. At root we see the world's demand for authenticity interacting with Trumps malleable, adaptive, psychological survival instincts.


SIDEREAL LUNAR RETURN (Jan 3)
Natal Moon-Sun-Uranus aligns with the meridian, Sun and Uranus on MC and Moon on IC. The President feels very much himself: We get "quintessential Trump," and it brings the usual bag of surprises and maybe a touch of genius. With Moon mere minutes from IC, he feels the affairs of this month powerfully, their impressions swarming him.

Whereas natal planets are tightly angular, foreground transiting planets are farther from the angles. They represent threats, but their intensity is not yet so great. This SLR occurs the day the new Congress convenes and the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives will still be organizing and setting plans in motion. While the intensity is not great, the tone is clear: Mercury and Mars (6° and 8° from angles) are 2° from square each other, so his environment is filled with verbal attack and strategic planning against him. Neptune's midpoint with Mars is only 0°14' from the horizon, further indication of toxic conditions or insidious plotting. Neptune also is in close PVP square with natal and transiting Moon, so he brings anxiety and inflated response as he feels his vulnerabilities more exposed.

SIDEREAL DEMI-LUNAR RETURN (Jan 18)
Transiting Neptune (1°39' from Ascendant) squares within 0°40' in mundo President Trump's natal Sun (on IC 0°59'). This and his close natal Moon-Sun opposition (right along the meridian) dominate this Demi-Lunar Return.

Broadly, it would be reasonable to expect every positive and negative expression of Neptune that comes to mind as possible for this fortnight. Foremost, because the closest transit is to his Sun, the main themes involve his sense of self and purpose. Given his character, his usual narcissism is likely amplified by this blending of powerful psychic vitality, mental and emotional striving for success, comfort wielding power, and self-satisfaction with the planet that molds reality to its own ends. Expect the president to be unusually adamant, unswerving in his own reality, with tenuous, surrealistic views about himself.

That's the main effect of Neptune transits to natal Sun: They distort (as in a funhouse mirror) one's sense of oneself. Identity and purpose lose their concrete moorings. This can be useful in overly-rigid people, relaxing old definitions to make way for something new; but, in those who approach life through instinctive impressions instead of facts, the magnified, elastic bounds of reality lose perspective. He may be elated, almost ecstatic when on a high note, and lost, suspicious, and despondent with his low notes.

In any case, he mobilizes every available fact to support his entrenched reality. His reality determines his facts (not the other way around). Watch him closely for this two weeks: He is feeling everything magnified, as if on surreality-enhancing drugs.

Rising Neptune squares a background Venus-Jupiter conjunction. The adopted reality is positive, his mood elated. But it can turn edgy and dark on a dime: Whereas the full Lunar Return has transiting Mars and Neptune centered on Descendant, this Demi-SLR has his natal Mars and Neptune each 9-10° from Descendant, their midpoint 0°18' from the angle. He perceives insidious plotting around him and mobilizes his own deceptions in response.

SIDEREAL LUNAR RETURN (Jan 31)
Venus and Jupiter rise, conjunct Trump's natal Moon and opposite his Sun-Uranus. Natal Jupiter is foreground, too. There are a couple of sour apples, including afflictions to that natal Jupiter, but overall they are small compared to the rest.

This is a Lunar Return of winning. Lots of wonderful winning. Really big winning. Lots and lots of winning. That it occurs under a weekly ingress promising surprises, under quotidians typical of explosive force, is not necessarily comforting.

I should say, before continuing, that almost every time Trump has had so positive a return chart since he has been president, he has left town and missed it. That still may happen here: His vacation and travel reflexes seem geared to Venus-Jupiter signals. If this chart ends up setting up somewhere else, we will need to adjust the angles and our expectations accordingly.

Of all the many interlocking aspects, the closest involve transiting Venus (0°56' past Ascendant), natal Sun (0°45' past Descendant), and natal Moon (2°17' past Ascendant). Venus opposes his Sun 0°11' in mundo and his Moon 1°21' in mundo. His natal Sun and Moon are opposite within 1°32' in the SLR mundoscope, which is a little closer than the aspect in his nativity.

These aspects describe a happy man, even a happy man in love (though perhaps most in love with himself). Venus opposite his Sun, social and playful, shows him feeling good about himself. He receives flattering attention and compliments, possibly sexual but surely affectionate. Similarly, Venus conjunct his Moon shows him receiving affectionate (possibly sexual) attention. He is cuddly, gentle, and loving, enjoys others, has feelings close to the surface, and does things that dispel his stress.

We get similar indications from other transits, such as Venus opposite his Uranus or Jupiter conjunct his Moon and opposite his Uranus (the latter adding that his originality is applauded and encouraged, he is rewarded for his good ideas, and has an enhanced personal sense of his own uniqueness).

Coexisting with this - not quite as strong, but nonetheless strong - are several difficult aspects. Most loudly, transiting Saturn is only about 1° from square Midheaven, showing the reality of the demands and criticisms of the world at his immediate doorstep. His natal Jupiter (4° east of MC) is squared by this Saturn (3°45') and opposed by transiting Mars (1°57' in mundo), both amply close aspects when in the foreground of a Lunar Return. Both show an assault on the Jupiter side of his being: his wealth, his reputation, and his esteem. These will be felt, though it seems it will not disrupt his underlying happiness if he is in or near Washington.

In the background, inquiries and confrontations persist. Transiting Sun, background in the SLR, conjoins Mercury (0°54') and opposes natal Pluto (0°09'). He really does have a strong urge to "get away from it all" this month.

[Jim Eshelman]

Trump says he will deliver a State of the Union message January 29. This would come under the Liblunar week plus Trump's January 18 Demi-Lunar, both interpreted above.

I recommend reading these two (especially the Demi-SLR) keeping in mind that he will give the State of the Union message.

[Jim Eshelman]

Arilunar (Jan 14)
Occurring on the eve of the new Capsolar, the Arilunar covers January 14-20. On first impression, it shows a pleasant week when things seem hopeful, since Venus and Jupiter both rise. This is probably true, e.g., if the December government shutdown hasn't been resolved earlier, people likely will go back to work on January 14.

The Arilunar came in this morning and no, the shutdown isn't open and people are not going back to work. I blew that one (which was an extrapolation from the astrological interpretation that, as of this morning, people would be feeling that life is good).

[Jim Eshelman]

Moon conjunct Uranus assures us we will be surprised. The closer Moon square to Sun, in a mostly upbeat chart, suggests events that renew national pride.

URANUS makes the first Q crossing of the new Sidereal year 1/17.

I think this was the breaking news yesterday that (at least, as reported) Trump directly ordered Cowen to lie to Congress about the Moscow Trump Tower deal.

[Jim Eshelman]

Before the gala commences, MARS squares CapQ Asc on the 20th. SATURN then ends the week on a downer note, crossing CapQ Asc 1/25. Meanwhile, the Cansolar's progressed MOON-SATURN square crosses CanQ angles 1/22-1/25 so, amidst celebration, there are specific harsh events also emerging nearly all week, building toward the 25th.

Anybody seen the stock market this morning? Dow is down about 300 so far. This amidst an otherwise inflationary Canlunar.

[Jim Eshelman]

LONG-TERM (Solar Ingress) PATTERNS
Mercury also conjoins Pluto (2°32' in mundo). Mundanely, Mercury sits 0°30' from the Saturn/Pluto midpoint. This anticipates major collisions of information, communication, and ideas. One sense in which this is positive politically is that it suggests that opposing factions in Congress will again be engaging passionately, unlike the tepid, rigid polarization of recent years. Investigations drill deeply into untapped data to disclose information that changes the prevailing paradigm, significantly reframing how people think about things.

Another expression of this "collision" motif, against which we must guard, is in the realm of cyber attacks, including the remote undermining of critical communication, management, and cyber-control networks. This will be a significant theme of 2019.

I didn't expect this to become so true so fast; but I'm getting reports that DNS resolution errors that could be seen (if one were inattentive) as just a local problem are, in fact, suddenly a worldwide (or at least widespread) issue. This means that the entities worldwide that translate "web names" and other network identifications with proper routing are suddenly not able to do this consistently without multiple attempts (which superficially looks like slow network speeds or blocked web pages).

If global DNS providers are not able too consistently provide DNS resolution without repeated tries, that likely means that something really big is afoot. Big enough that it's kinda scary.